19 Oct, 2016 by DhakaTribune

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Kartik 4, 1423, Muharram 17, 1438

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 171

Three Gulshan attack financiers identified n Mohammad Jamil Khan Three of the top leaders of the New Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) have donated almost Tk2 crore to the fund of the organisaton to carry out militant attacks. At a press conference at the media and community centre of Dhaka Metropolitan Police yesterday Monirul Islam, chief of the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit, said they identified at least three persons who had given the money to carry out the attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan.

Petrobangla’s top officials yesterday met to discuss whether or not to acquire the assets of three onshore gas fields currently held by Chevron Bangladesh. Chevron’s gas fields account for half of Bangladesh’s natural gas production.

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Rokon Uddin

Zahidul Islam Murad

He said the three are Dr Rokon Uddin, Tanveer Quaderi, and former army officer Zahidul Islam alias Murad.

Bibiyana, Jalalabad and Moulvi Bazar fields, which may be put up for sale, are currently operated under a production sharing contract by the local subsidiary of USbased oil giant Chevron. Chevron Bangladesh officials, asking not to be named, told the Dhaka Tribune they feared they would lose their jobs if Chevron’s assets were to be sold. The Petrobangla meeting was attended by its chairman, directors, two former directors, general managers and the managing director of the state oil and gas exploration company Bapex, a Petrobangla top official said, wishing not to be named. “Although Chevron has not officially informed Petrobangla  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE

‘Old JMB engaged in mugging, robbery’

No one to take care of Sylhet bus terminal

Overshadowed by its rebel faction, members who are still loyal to the original Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) are now engaging in criminal activities to gather fund.  PAGE 3

Passengers at Sylhet Central Bus Terminal near South Surma under Kadamtali have been suffering immense as the station has remained in dire straits for nine years.  PAGE 7

Tanvir Kaderi

The CTTC unit chief said: “Dr Rokon had left Bangladesh for Syria with his full family and we suspect  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

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WB pledges biggest ever $2bn climate fund to Bangladesh n Tribune Desk

Petrobangla mulls buy-up of Chevron assets, if divested

n Aminur Rahman Rasel

The World Bank yesterday pledged its biggest ever $2 billion loan to Bangladesh over the next three years in new funding to help the country become less vulnerable to climate change. The pledge made by the World Bank President Jim Yong Kim came at a press conference arranged on the eve of conclusion of his twoday trip to Bangladesh. The total loan commitment of the World Bank stood at $3 billion,

including $1 billion over the next three years, to combat malnutrition of children following discussions between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the World Bank Chief Jim Yong Kim. Both amounts are contingent on a successful replenishment of the International Development Association, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, which is likely to be agreed in December. Kim made the pledge of climate change fund after visiting some  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

News

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Three Gulshan attack financiers identified Joy honoured as architect of digital Bangladesh n Abu Hayat Mahmud Sajeeb Wazed Joy, the information and communication technology adviser to the prime minister, has been honored as the “architect of digital Bangladesh” by the ICT Division along with other ICT organisations. State Minister for Information and Communication Technology Junaid Ahmed Palak honored Joy at an event organised by the ICT Division, Young Bangla, Suchinta Foundation, Centre for Research and Information, Bangladesh Computer Council, a2i and the Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services. Joy had won the ICT for Development Award 2016 in New York on September 20 in recognition for his outstanding contribution to Bangladesh through implementation of the “Digital Bangladesh” initiative. He was given the award for his leadership and commitment towards ICT as a tool for sustainable development. Yesterday, Joy said: “I have tried my best to make the country digital in line with the government’s objectives. Now villagers know how to operate a computer. Information has become available to all because the internet is within reach of everyone.“ l

that he had joined the middle-east based jihadist group Islamic State while the other two died in shootout during police drives in their dens.” Rokon contributed Tk80 lakh to the New JMB fund before leaving Bangladesh while Tanveer donated money from the sale of his Uttara flat. Monirul said: “Major Zahid gave away his full pension money for the outfit’s operations. “Financial support also came from some of their sources abroad and we are trying to look into the sources.” According to CTTC officials, of the three financiers, Zahid was killed in a gunfight with police during an anti-militancy drive in Roopnagar of Dhaka. Zahid was report-

edly one of the close accomplices of New JMB operational wing chief Tamim Chowdhury who was killed in Narayangaj. Another financier, Tanvir Kaderi was the acting coordinator of New JMB after the death of Tamim. Tanvir was killed during a drive in Azimpur on September 10. He is the one who had helped the Gulshan attackers by renting a house in Bashundhara residential area. Kaderi was also known as Abdul Karim and Shamshed to New JMB members. Dr Rokon, a former registrar of Bangladesh Children’s Hospital, used to live at Chowdhurypara of Khilgaon, Dhaka. His wife Naima Akther was a teacher of botany at the MM College of Jessore.

Dr Rokon, his wife and two of his daughters – Rezwana Rokon and Ramita Rokon – and Rezwana’s husband Sad Kayes, 30, have been missing for a year. Monirul Islam said they were suspecting the whole family joined the IS after leaving Bangladesh for Syria. About the other two financiers, a CTTC high official said Tanvir got at least over Tk1 crore from the sale of his flat in Uttara while Zahid also received almost the same amount as pension. Earlier, CTTC chief Monirul said the money and arms used in Gulshan attack had come from outside of Bangladesh. “We have come to know that some Bangladeshis living abroad sent Tk14 lakh for Gul-

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shan attack through Hundi,” he said. Monirul, however, also said this does not mean that no money was collected inside the country. On October 8, during a drive by law enforcers, Abdur Rahman Aynal, 30, a JMB leader, died after he jumped off a five-storey building in Ashulia of Savar. At that time, law enforcers recovered Tk30 lakh from the house, said Monirul Islam. Apart from spending money on militant attacks, the New JMB pays the salaries of its members, the educational expenses of children of its members and other family expenses. They decide on the salaries as per the position of the members in the outfit, Monirul said. l

WB pledges biggest ever $2bn climate fund to Bangladesh schools that doubled as cyclone shelters during major storms. “I am announcing a $2 billion dollar commitment for climate-related projects in the next three years. Today I met with people who talked about the threat of cyclones and flooding, and I also visited a family benefitting from a solar panel on their home.” “Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, and we must do all we can to support the government in its efforts to adapt to this growing threat.” The World Bank president identified three areas—policy reforms for improving business environment, strengthening institutional capacity and governance—which the government needs to address in order to be successful. “The first is to enact policy re-

forms that improve the business climate. Now foreign direct investment in Bangladesh lags behind its neighbours; if the country attracts more investment from the private sector, it will mobilise funds necessary for infrastructure projects.” Secondly, he said as the government correctly points out in its 7th Five-Year Plan, the country needs to strengthen its institutional capacity. “And third, the Five-Year Plan also importantly emphasizes the need to strengthen governance, which includes building a strong civil service, judiciary, public banks, tax collection and the Anti-Corruption Commission.” In reply to a question, Kim said not a single country in the world is free from terror attack as we have seen it happen in the United States, France and Belgium. “I can just tell you the security I receive here is

extremely impressive.” About corruption in the project, he said WB policy on corruption is same like every country in every single project. “We have zero tolerance against corruption if we find evidence we act on. We share Bangladesh’s zero tolerance for corruption, believing strongly that any funds diverted from beneficiaries amounts to stealing from the poor.” Hinting that Bangladesh lacks foreign direct investment, he said now foreign direct investment is less than 1.7% of GDP in Bangladesh, far below that of most countries; foreign direct investment in Vietnam, for instance, was 6.1% of GDP. Strengthening governance will help lead to more jobs in infrastructure, diversify exports, and ensure the health and safety of workers.”

He put emphasis on mobilising more funds from private sector resources and said the World Bank Group is looking forward to working with Bangladesh to promote private sector investment by strengthening governance and improving the investment climate. Regional Vice-President South Asia, World Bank Annette Dixon said our strategy for the next five year is very much based on Bangladesh seventh fiver plan priorities. “In addition to continuing the support macroeconomic stability, human development and improving business environment development, we will be extending our engagement in energy, particularly renewable energy and inland connectivity, including inland water ways, regional and global integration, and improving standard of urban life.” l

Petrobangla mulls buy-up of Chevron assets, if divested about its decision to sell the three gas fields under its operation, a meeting was organised as per instructions from the Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry,” the high official told the Dhaka Tribune. Describing the meeting as “over-excitement,” the official went on to say: “It is surprising that the ministry’s top bosses are showing such interest in buying the gas fields even though Chevron has not yet formally informed the government or Petrobangla about the sale of the three fields. “They [Chevron] just issued a statement to the media.” State-owned Petrobangla is Chevron Bangladesh’s sole customer of the gas produced at the three fields. The net daily production of the three fields averaged 1,510 mmcf of natural gas and 1,552 barrels of condensate, according to

the Petrobangla website. Under the production sharing contract, Chevron is required to inform the government if it decides to sell its assets. During yesterday’s meeting, Petrobangla officials determined that the three fields have an additional proven and probable reserve of 2.5 trillion cubic feet (tcf) gas over the next 10 years. The Petrobangla meeting considered a possible valuation of $3 billion for the assets. But this was too high a price for the reserve, one Petrobangla official told the Dhaka Tribune. He said the valuation was based on an estimate and was just an initial valuation, adding that the government should appoint a consulting firm to make a valuation of the gas fields’ assets. Petrobangla Chairman Istiaque

Ahmad confirmed the meeting had taken place and is reported to have instructed his officials to discuss and examine the issue further. Responding to a question, Istiaque said the meeting had been held following a ministry order that came after news of Chevron’s decision to offload its South Asian assets was reported in the media. The two former Petrobangla directors who attended the meeting as expert witnesses offered opposing opinions about the best course of action. One recently retired director told the Dhaka Tribune he was in favour of buying the assets, but added that a proper examination of the amount of gas likely to be recovered over the next decade would still have to be carried out. He said the price of operational tools and equipment would have to

be fixed “rationally.” The other former director at the meeting said buying the assets would be unwise. “Companies under Petrobangla do not have the technical and operational know-how to operate the gas fields under Chevron. Petrobangla cannot maintain the international quality that Chevron maintained,” he said. Attendees told the Dhaka Tribune that yesterday’s meeting was inconclusive. “A decision cannot be taken in a single meeting. We need to appoint an international consulting firm to study the issue and determine an appropriate response,” the Petrobangla chairman said. “The value of the assets and the three fields’ extraction prospects have not yet been determined because if I appoint two firms, I will

get two separate views and estimates,” he added. Several media outlets recently reported that Chevron is divesting its assets to counter an energy-price slump and would be seeking some $2 billion from the sale of its natural gas assets in Bangladesh. “We can confirm that Chevron has been in commercial discussions about our interests in Bangladesh. At this stage, no decision has been made to sell our interests. We will only proceed if we can realise attractive value for Chevron,” Shaikh Jahidur Rahman, communications manager (External Affairs) of Chevron Bangladesh, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. He declined to comment on reports that local Chevron officials were anxious about job security in the event that the assets were sold off. l

News

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

‘Old JMB engaged in mugging, robbery’ n Mohammad Jamil Khan Overshadowed by its rebel faction, members who are still loyal to the original Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) are now engaging in criminal activities to gather fund and bring out their jailed leaders, according to police. “The Old JMB [the original outfit] wants the limelight back on themselves. They are committing crimes like mugging and robbery to collect fund for the legal battle to bring out their top leaders, who are currently in prison,” said Monirul Islam, chief of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) unit of police. The CTTC learnt this during the interrogation of the seven JMB members who were arrested in Dhaka’s Tejgaon area on Monday, Monirul told reporters at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Media Centre yesterday. The detainees are Md Kashem alias Kawsar alias Kashu, 20, Nazmul Hasan Nayan alias Noresh, 23, Md Rashed, 27, Md Sentu Howlader alias Jahid, 26, Md Abu Bakkar Siddique alias Shuvro alias Akash, 20, Md Abdul Bashed, 22, and Md Jewel Sarker alias Sohrab alias Sarker, 32. The seven were arrested by CTTC officials on Monday night

CTTC officials bring seven JMB members, who were arrested on Monday, out of the Detective Branch office to take them to a Dhaka court yesterday RAJIB DHAR when they were preparing to conduct a robbery, Monirul said. Officials also found 67 tola or 781.49 grams of gold, Tk6 lakh, four pistols, five magazines, 10 rounds of bullets, nine machetes, a television set, a laptop, a motorcycle and a large quantity of stolen materials in their possession, said DMP Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman earlier yesterday. CTTC Sub-Inspector Saiful Islam

produced the detainees before a Dhaka court yesterday, where Metropolitan Magistrate Faruk Hossain placed them on a six-day remand for interrogation. Monirul said JMB’s main target now was to get its top leaders, including chief Mawlana Saidur Rahman and acting chief Abdullah Al Tasnim, out of prison. They appointed Salauddin alias Salehin, former member of JMB’s

Majlish-e-Sura, as their new chief three months ago. Salauddin is one of the top three militants who were snatched by the JMB from police in 2014. Police have yet to arrest Salauddin and believe that he may be hiding in India. Following its ban by the government on February 21, 2005, the militant outfit shot to prominence when it carried out a series of bomb

explosions in 63 of the 64 districts in the country on August 17 in the same year. The organisation started to weaken when, two years later, top six leaders of JMB, including founder Shayakh Abdur Rahman and second-in-command Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai, were executed for killing Jhalakathi judges Sohel Ahmed and Jagannath Pare. Over the years, JMB’s strength continued to diminish as law enforcers continued their drive to arrest its top leaders. But the recent rise of New JMB – which has carried out 26 attacks in Bangladesh, including the terror attacks in Gulshan and Sholakia, since September last year after distancing itself from the main organisation – has driven the members of the main outfit to regroup and resume their activities, Monirul said. “JMB has never managed to get big support since it was founded in 1998. In the beginning, they used to collect money by robbing NGO offices, Grameen Bank offices and agents of banks. They are still doing it,” he continued. “They believe that if anyone commits a crime to collect money but spends it for jihad, their sin will be forgiven,” Monirul added. l

Police to visit US to investigate Joy’s alleged abduction case

Eden College JMB member remanded

n Mohammad Jamil Khan

n Kamrul Hasan

Three top Detective Branch (DB) officials from police are going to visit the US to investigate the alleged plot to abduct and kill Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of prime minister Sheikh Hasina. They will try to collect necessary information in order to go forward with the investigation, according to sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs. The ministry give the permission for their visit after Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) sent the names of three officials in a letter regarding this issue on September 27. A high official of the Ministry of Home Affairs has confirmed the permission for their visit, yesterday night. The three police officials set to travel to the US are Deputy Commissioner of DB (south) of DMP, also investigation coordinating officer Mashruqure Rahman Khaled, Additional Deputy Commissioner of DB, also investigation supervising officer Md Rajib Al Masud and Senior Assistant Commissioner, also the

investigation officer of the case Hasan Arafat. Masruqure Rahman Khaled, DB DC, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The investigation is divided into two parts, it starts from Dhaka and ends in the US which is why we need

On April 16, DB police arrested senior journalist Shafik Rehman from Eskatan and showed him arrested with the FIR of Paltan to collect some documents and information from there.” “The investigation officers need to visit the spot and we have learned that the application for the visit has been granted permission by the ministry,” he confirmed. DC Khaled said that once they get the permission copy they will apply for all other formalities to be

completed including obtaining a US visa and fly to out by the end of November. Earlier DMP had sent a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding a visit to the US for the investigation which includes visiting Danbury City, Connecticut and White Plains, New York federal courts. Earlier in August, police filed a FIR with Paltan police station over the alleged plot to abducting and kill Joy, son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her ICT adviser. On April 16, DB police arrested senior journalist Shafik Rehman from Eskatan and showed him arrested with the FIR of Paltan. Shafik Rahman was taken on a 10-day remand in two phases and sent to jail after that. On April 18, acting editor of Dainik Amar Desh Mahmudur Rahman was also shown arrested in same case and he was also taken into remand. Later on August 31, Shafik Rehman got conditional bail from the court and was release from jail on September 6. Mahmudur Rahman also got bail on September 7. l

A Dhaka Court placed Sultana Begum Kochi, member of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) female wing, who was arrested from Narsingdi Saturday, on five-day remand. Sultana Begum Kochi, a graduate student of Sociology department of Eden College who left her study to join militancy, was arrested from his father home at Narsinsi Sadar on Saturday. Later, on Monday, RAB produced her before a Dhaka Court and sought seven day remand where the court granted five day remand, said RAB-4 sources. Khandker Lutful Kabir, commanding officer (co) of RAB-4, said: “On August 16, members of RAB arrested JMB members Mou, Meghla and Oishee along with JMB female wing advisor Aklima from different parts of Dhaka. Later based on Oishee’s information, a team of RAB conducted drive in Narsingdi Sadar upazila and arrested Sultana from his father home on Saturday. Kabir also said: “Sultana’s father Farid Uddin was a government official and Sultana have married recently a government official.”

The CO said: “Sultana was a student of Eden College and she left her study to join militancy.” Seeking anonymity, a higher official of RAB-4, said, during her studentship Sultana attended at a discussion in city’s Dhanmondi area organised by JMB and being influenced by them she joined with them. Assistant Superintendent of Police Shamsul Haque, investigator of RAB-4, said: “When RAB arrested Sultana, her family members were seen very shocked and said they were unaware of her activities.” He said: “Sultana got married to a government official, who currently working at Barisal and they were yet to confirm that if her husband was involved with militancy too.” The investigator officer said: “From Oishee’s facebook inbox we found long discussion of them and through this they arrested Sultana. In their discussion they mostly talked about establishing an Islamic country through Jihad. Assessing their activities it was seemed that they were at primary stage till now.” The officer also claimed that they got several names from their inbox conversation and their full identities will be unveiled soon. l

News

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Ex-Eden college teacher killed for money n Kamrul Hasan Former zoology teacher of Eden Mahila College was killed for money, according to Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). RAB 4 disclosed it at a press conference yesterday after they arrested three people in connection with the murder. Victim Ali Hossain Malik, manager of an under-construction seven-storey building owned by a developer Syed Group, was found dead on the second floor of his site office in the capital’s Old DOHS on October 11. The arrestees are Masud Malik, driver of Ali, Sayed Fakir alias Saiful, an employee of the land’s owner, and Sujon, Saiful’s cousin. Saiful and Sujon were arrested on Monday from Gouronadi of Barisal, while Masud from ECB intersection under Dhaka cantonment

police station area on Monday night based on their information, said RAB 4 CO Khandker Lutful Kabir. The law enforcers recovered Tk1.1 lakh from Saiful and Sujon. Masud had been planning to loot money from Ali, who lived with his family in the capital’s Mirpur-10, for several days. His first attempt was not successful, as Ali went home at night after withdrawing money from a bank on October 9. Later, on October 11, Masud in collaboration with other arrestees tied Ali, who was staying at the office that night, and stabbed him to death. Then they took the keys of the room, where the money was kept, and took away Tk 1.40 lakh. RAB was verifying the information they provided and would hand over them to Bhashantek police station, said Kabir. l

A worker of a bus is seen trying to get the vehicle out of a pothole on Dhaka’s Malibagh road yesterday. This has become a common scenario as the roads in the area are mostly dilapidated, causing sufferings for everyday commuters MEHEDI HASAN

Court records deposition of Jihad’s father n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday recorded deposition of witness Nasir Uddin Fakir, father of four-year-old boy Jihad, who died after falling into a deep well in the capital’s Shahjahanpur area in 2014. Judge Md Akhtaruzzaman of the Dhaka Special Judges Court-5 recorded deposition of the first prosecution witness against six accused and fixed Wednesday as next deposition date. All the six accused are now on bail. They appeared before the court during the trial proceedings on Tuesday. A total of 27 people would be testified as prosecution witnesses in the case, said court sources. Earlier, on October 4, the

court framed charges against the six people including five official of Bangladesh Railway in the case. The six accused are Shafiqul Islam alias Abdus Salam, contractor of M/S SR House, Md Jahangir Alam, senior sub assistant engineer (inspector of tube-well division) of Bangladesh Railway and four assistant engineers Md Nasir Uddin, Zafar Ahmed Shakir, Dipak Kumar Bhowmik and Md Saiful Islam. According to the prosecution, on December 26, 2014, Jihad died after falling into a 17-inch diameter abandoned shaft, near his house at Bangladesh Railway Colony in city’s Shahjahanpur area while he was playing with friends.

Later, his body was pulled out by a band of indomitable volunteers the following day, around 15 minutes after the fire service called off a near 23-hour search. On April 17, 2015, Abu Zafar, sub-inspector Shahjahanpur police station also investigation officer of the case, submitted a charge sheet against Jahangir and Salam over the death. But on June 4, last year, victim’s father filed a no-confidence petition against the investigation report. Later, the court ordered for further probe into the death. Following the court’s order, Sub-inspector Mizanur Rahman of Detective Branch of police, submitted a re-probe report against six accused on March 31. l

Mirza Fakhrul welcomes Awami League council n Manik Miazee BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir have welcomed the upcoming 20th council of Awami League and expected that the AL council would take initiatives to bring back democracy in the country. “For the last few years, ruling party did not gave any space for any opposition party to observe democratic programme in country,” he said

while talking to reporters at BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office on Tuesday. Awami League has a long tradition of fighting for democracy, but there is no democracy in the country under their government whereas the present government is ruling an undeclared one-party rule, he further said. “Awami League is oldest political party in the country. We hope they will observe their upcoming council

peacefully” Fakhrul added. They (AL) had fought for democrary, but they have repeatedly killed country’s democracy for several times, he opined. Replying to a query from reporters, he said the BNP did not get any invitation from Awami League for their upcoming council. After getting the invitation, we will decide on whether to join the council or not, said Fakhrul. l

News

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

CTTC officials bring seven JMB members, who were arrested on Monday, out of the Detective Branch office to take them to a Dhaka court yesterday RAJIB DHAR Majlish-e-Sura, as their new chief three months ago. Salauddin is one of the top three militants who were snatched by the JMB from police in 2014. Police have yet to arrest Salauddin and believe that he may be hiding in India. Following its ban by the government on February 21, 2005, the militant outfit shot to prominence when it carried out a series of bomb

when they were preparing to conduct a robbery, Monirul said. Officials also found 67 tola or 781.49 grams of gold, Tk6 lakh, four pistols, five magazines, 10 rounds of bullets, nine machetes, a television set, a laptop, a motorcycle and a large quantity of stolen materials in their possession, said DMP Deputy Commissioner Masudur Rahman earlier yesterday. CTTC Sub-Inspector Saiful Islam

Schoolboy acquitted of threatening Eden College JMB Tangail MP on Facebook member remanded n Tribune Desk The High Court on Tuesday, scrapped a mobile court’s sentencing of a ninth-grader, Sabbir Shikder from Tangail with two years’ imprisonment for allegedly threatening a local lawmaker on Facebook. The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Justice Ashish Ranjan Das also acquitted Sabbir of all charges declaring the mobile court’s sentencing illegal. The verdict came following closing arguments by lawyers on both sides concluded Tuesday on a suo moto rule issued by the court on September 20. A lawyer Khurshid Alam Khan brought the incident to the High Court’s notice, first published on an English newspaper. The news report said that the boy was sentenced to prison for threatening Tangail 8 lawmaker Anupam Shajahan Joy on Facebook, under the controversial sec-

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n Kamrul Hasan

police picked him up from home on the night of September 16 and took him to the police station. There the OC showed him a mobile phone and asked what had he written on it. When he denied having written that, he was blindfolded, beaten up and threatened to with “accidentally” getting caught in a crossfire. He then confessed under duress. He was then taken to the lawmaker’s residence where he was beaten up again with sticks. Then to the UNO, who also kicked the boy before sentencing him. The schoolboy was sent to jail after he was convicted. Earlier, the lawmaker filed a general diary (GD) alleging that someone threatened him on Facebook. However, UNO’s lawyer had told the court that the schoolboy was sentenced for narcotics related offenses. He was caught and produced before the mobile court with marijuana. The OC’s lawyer said

tion 57 of the ICT Act. The court also asked to consider Sabbir’s statement given on September 27 describing the torture inflicted on him. Tangail’s chief judicial magistrate will conduct a inquiry into the incident on the basis of that statement. It also ordered to withdraw Sakhipur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Rafiqul Islam, who conducted the mobile court, and officer-in-charge of Sakhipur police Mohammad Maksudul Alam for the sake of investigation. The court asked the Home secretary, public administration secretary and inspector general of police to comply with the orders. Earlier on September 20, the same High Court bench had asked all the parties involved with the incident to appear before it with explanations. The boy also asked to appear to describe the incident before the court. The court also granted permanent bail to the boy. Sabbir testified that plainclothes

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Sadar upazila and arrested Sultana from his father home on Saturday. Kabir also said: “Sultana’s father Farid Uddin was a government official and Sultana have married recently a government official.” The CO said: “Sultana was a student of Eden College and she left her study to join militancy.” Seeking anonymity, a higher official of RAB-4, said, during her studentship Sultana attended at a discussion in city’s Dhanmondi area organised by JMB and being influenced by them she joined with them. Assistant Superintendent of Police Shamsul Haque, investigator of RAB-4, said: “When RAB arrested Sultana, her family members were seen very shocked and said they were unaware of her activities.” He said: “Sultana got married to a government official, who currently working at Barisal and they were yet to confirm that if her husband was involved with militancy too.” The investigator officer said: Sylhet

Cox’s Bazar

Fajr: 5:25am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 4:15pm | Magrib: 5:41pm Esha: 7:45pm Source: Islamic Foundation

News

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Illegal level crossings become death traps n Bishwajit Dev, Jamalpur

Nearly fifty illegal level-crossings in Jamalpur on the Jamalpur-Mymensingh-Tarakandi railways have turned as death traps for lack of gatekeepers and lax monitoring of the authorities concerned. These unapproved level-crossings have also increased the risk of accidents, as a number of intercity and local trains ply the track every day. According to the Bangladesh Railway officials, there are a total of 61 level crossings in the district. Of them, 56 level crossings are illegal on the 111-kilometre long Jamalpur-Mymensingh-Tarakandi railtrack. The sources said though there are 61 legal level crossings in the

district, Bangladesh Railways has only 12 gatekeepers for them. According to local sources, these illegal level crossings have been constructed by locals without permission from the railway authorities. Thousands of vehicles cross the rail track causing fatal accidents sometimes. Locals alleged as there were no designated gatekeepers, these illegal level crossings are turning into death traps day by day. According to local police, several accidents have occurred in the district due to lack of gate man in the level crossings. On October 26, 2015, six people were killed, as a speeding train hit a human-haulier at Noyanagar level crossing in Melando area in Jamalpur town.

Apart from this, at least 20 people were injured, as a train hit a town service bus at Kanil level crossing. Locals also alleged that most accidents have been occurred at the level crossings due to negligence of on-duty gatekeepers. Jobed Mia, a resident of Sadar upazila, said: “Amid great risk of accident we are crossing rail line every day.” He also urged Bangladesh Railway authorities to appoint gatekeepers in every level crossings. Shukur Mia, hailing from Sadar upazila, said: “Level crossings of the district have become death trap as there are no gatekeepers.” Zahirul Islam, station master of Jamalpur Rail Station, said: “Due to lack of fund we cannot deploy gatekeepers at every level crossing.” l

Birth anniversary of Ila Mitra observed n Nayan Khondoker, Jhenaidah The 91st birth anniversary of Ila Mitra, the leader of peasants and indigenous Santhals in greater Rajshahi region, was observed yesterday in Jhenaidah. Ila Mitra Memory Preservation Council organised a human chain in front in Post office intersection under the town in the morning demanding to save the historical residence of Ila Mitra. Gotam Bose, president of the council, said the historical residence of Ila Mitra should be reconstructed as an important memorial to her. She sacrificed her whole life fighting for the peasants. The government should take proper care of this dilapidated building, he also said.

Local Awami League leader Ekramul Haque Liku, Sushenra Kumar Bhowmik, Abdus Salam and Suman Shikder spoke the function. Later, they submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Mahbub Alam Talukdar. Ila Mitra was born to an upper middleclass family who had come from Jhenaidah District, in Kolkata on 18 October 1925. She became a communist during her youth. In 1945, she married Ramendra Mitra, who was an active member of the Communist Party despite his lineage from a zamindar (landowner) family of Chapai Nawabganj. She organized a peasant-santhal uprising in Nachole upazila, Chapai Nawabganj on 5 January 1950, but the uprising was thwarted by the police. Mitra was arrested by the police while trying to escape. l

News

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

No one to take care of Sylhet bus terminal n Md Serajul Islam, Sylhet Passengers at Sylhet Central Bus Terminal near South Surma under Kadamtali have been suffering immense as the station has remained in dire straits for nine years. According to local sources, the terminal was build up in 2007 in the tenure of non-party Caretaker Government. But, later the repair of the terminal had not been done. Selim Ahmed Folik, president of Sylhet Transport Union, said they had organised different programmes demanding the repair of the terminal. But the concern authorities did not take any steps. When this correspondent visited the area, he found that a lot of potholes developed at many points and the water accumulated in the holes. Water cannot be released through the tunnels as dirt and wastes blocked it. The terminal goes under water during rainy season and the vehicles remain standstill. Power disruption is common incident and the passengers have to face critical situation at night as the luggage and valuables are snatched by miscreants. The passengers who come from a long distance suffer more as there are no good restaurants and the toi-

Central Bus Terminal in Kadamtali, Sylhet lies in dire straits. The picture was taken recently lets at the station cannot be used for its broken-down situation. Some passengers alleged that they cannot sit under sheds at the bus stand as its are occupied by mis-

Ilish netting goes on flouting ban n Motiur Rahman, Manikganj Government has imposed a 22-day ban on the netting, selling, marketing and importing of Ilish fish which came into an effect on October 12, aiming to boost Ilish production by ensuring safe spawning and protecting mother Ilish. But government’s plan to protect mother Ilish is going in vein, as fishermen of Manikganj still continue to net the fish, violating the ongoing ban. According to District Fisheries Department, law enforcers have detained 53 fishermen in the last six days as they were catching Ilish from different upazilas of the district violating the ban. Mobile courts also sentenced 40 fishermen to one year jail and fined Tk71,000 to 13 fishermen during the duration. Md Nurjatul Haque, an official of Manikganj Fisheries Department, said: “In the last six days, law enforcers arrested 53 fishermen for violating the ban. “Though ban on netting Ilish came into effect on October 12, fishermen of the district are yet get their allowance which the government alocated to the fisher-

men during ban. As they have to maintain their livelihood, they are catching the fish for their survival.” Haque said this year Fisheries Department had identified nearly 45 kilometers of Padma River from Char Katari to Maluchi area as safe zone to ensure safe spawning and protect mother Ilish. Several officials of district fisheries department said it was quite impossible to stop fishermen from netting Ilish without providing them proper assistance to maintain their families. Rubina Ferdous, executive magistrate and upazila nirbahi officer of Horirampur upazila, said: “Though we detained and sentenced a number of fishermen for violating the ban, it is quite impossible to protect mother Ilish without creating awareness among mass people.” Several fishermen alleged that, they were compelled to net Ilish to survive, as they did not get allowance from the government. They also said if government provided them allowance during the ban period they would stop Ilish netting. Fishermen have pocketed a good profits this year as they netted abundant number of Ilish. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

When conducted, Enamul Habib, executive officer of Sylhet City Corporation, said a project of Tk30 lakh had been taken to repair the terminal. l

creants like gamblers and addicts. Ripon Das, in-charge of the terminal police out post, said they conducted drive when they got information about the miscreants.

Khandokar Mohosin Kamran, lease holder of the terminal, said they could not take steps about the terminal as the city corporation owned the responsibility.

Two garment workers found in Savar

BLOGGER ANANTA MURDER

n Nadim Hossain, Savar

Two garment workers were found dead in Jamgora and Begum areas in Ashulia, Savar on Monday night. Quoting locals, police said neighbours found Afroza Begum, 21, a worker of Sat Fashion, in her room of Jamgora area around 8pm and informed police about the matter. Local people assumed that she might have been committed suicide over depression, as her husband left her long ago. Meanwhile, police recovered the body of Bulbuli Begum, 24, from Begum area. Neighbours said Bulbuli and her husband used to lock in quarrel over family matters. But police could not find Balbuli’s husband after the recovery of the body. Officer-in-Charge of Ashulia police station told the Dhaka Tribune that they had sent the bodies of two women to Dhaka Medical College for post-mortem examinations. The OC said they were trying to detain Bulbuli’s husband to reveal the mystery behind the death. Two separate cases have been filed with Ashulia police station. l

Court asks for supplementary charge sheet Serajul Islam, n Mohammed Sylhet A Sylhet court yesterday asked the authorities concerned to conduct a fresh investigation into the murder of blogger Ananta Bijoy Das and submit a supplementary charge sheet before it. Judge of Sylhet Metropolitan Magistrate Court 3 Haridash Kumar passed rejecting the charge sheet submitted by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) due to errors in the charge sheet. Earlier, Inspector of the CID Arman Ali submitted a charge sheet against five people on August 28. The accused in the murder case are Abul Hossain alias Abul Hossain, 25, Faisal Ahmed, 27, Mannan Rahi alias Ibne Moyeen, 24, Abul Khayer Rashid Ahmed of Faljur village in Kanaighat upazila and Harunur Rashid, 25 of Tahirpur upazila in Sunamganj. Of them, Mannan and Abul Khayer are now

in jail while the others remain absconding. The CID also recommended exempting 11 more people, including an alleged extremist blogger Shafiur Rahman Farabi, from the charge sheet, as no evidence of their involvement in the killing was found. On May 12, 2015, blogger Ananta, also an activist of Sylhet Ganajagaran Manch, was hacked to death by a group of assailants at Subidbazar Bankalapara in Sylhet city. Ananta Bijoy was also a writer of the ‘Mukto-Mona Blog’, founded by blogger Avijit Roy who was murdered on February 26, 2015, two and a half months ago after he had come home from the USA. Ratneswari, elder brother of Ananta, filed a murder case with Airport police station accusing four unidentified people on May 13. First, police had started the investigation of the case, but the case was later handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department. l

8 World

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Afghanistan, Taliban hold secret talks in Qatar The Taliban and the Afghan government restarted secret peace talks in September and have held two rounds of discussions in Qatar, Britain’s Guardian newspaper reported on Tuesday. Citing a Taliban official, the Guardian said a senior American diplomat was present at the meetings in Qatar, where the Islamist group has a diplomatic office. REUTERS

INDIA

Odisha hospital fire kills 22 At least 22 people were killed when a fire broke out at a private hospital in India’s eastern state of Odisha on Monday. The fire erupted in the dialysis ward of the SUM hospital’s critical-care unit in the state capital, Bhubaneswar, public health officials said. Many of the 22 dead were elderly people who had suffocated to death. REUTERS

CHINA

China’s Hainan shuts down as typhoon Sarika hits

Typhoon Sarika lashed China’s Hainan province on Tuesday, with torrential rain and winds of up to 162km per hour forcing authorities on the southern island to shut schools and halt transport services. Rail services were suspended on Monday and 250 flights were cancelled at the provincial capital Haikou’s international airport. REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Vietnam, US launch Danang dioxin clean-up Vietnam and the US on Tuesday launched the 2nd phase of a dioxin clean-up in Danang, where millions of liters of Agent Orange were stored during the war between the former enemies. The US sprayed the defoliant over large swathes of southern jungle during the Vietnam War to flush out Viet Cong guerrillas, and Vietnamese victims’ groups have long blamed the toxic residue for deformities and disease. AFP

MIDDLE EAST

Russia halts Aleppo strikes Moscow announced Tuesday that Russian and Syrian air forces have stopped bombing Aleppo ahead of a brief truce, a move the Kremlin said showed goodwill as it faces mounting criticism for backing a brutal regime offensive. The UN said Tuesday it was waiting for safety assurances from all sides before going in with critical humanitarian assistance for Aleppo’s desperate population. AFP

Unesco adopts Jerusalem resolution n Tribune International Desk Unesco’s executive board on Tuesday approved a resolution that Israel says denies the deep historic Jewish connection to holy sites in Jerusalem - and that has angered Israel’s government and many Jews around the world, reports The Associated Press. The board adopted the measure by consensus in its morning session at Paris-based Unesco. A draft form of the resolution had already been approved by a commission last week. The resolution is not expected to have direct impact on Jerusalem itself, but it deepened tensions within Unesco, which is also facing a diplomatic dispute between Japan and China that threatens funding. The resolution, titled “Occupied Palestine,” is the latest of several measures at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation over decades that Israelis see as evidence of ingrained anti-Israel bias within the United Nations, where Israel and

its allies are far outnumbered by Arab countries and their supporters. Israel’s concern has mounted since Unesco states admitted Palestine as a member in 2011. Israel last week suspended its ties with Unesco over the draft resolution, which uses only the Islamic name for a hilltop compound sacred to both Jews and Muslims. The site includes the Western Wall, a remnant of the biblical temple and the holiest site where Jews can pray. Jews refer to the hilltop compound in Jerusalem’s Old City as the Temple Mount. Muslims refer to it as al-Haram al-Sharif, Arabic for the Noble Sanctuary, and it includes the al-Aqsa mosque and the golden Dome of the Rock. It is the holiest site in Judaism and the third holiest in Islam, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Israel had already suspended its funding to Unesco when Palestinian membership was approved, along with the United States, which used to provide 22% of the agency’s budget.

In this June 17 file photo, Palestinians pray in the al-Aqsa Mosque compound during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, in Jerusalem’s Old City AP The longstanding dispute is also linked to Israel’s refusal to grant visas to Unesco experts to go in the country and assess the level of preservation of the holy sites in Jerusalem. And now Japan, Unesco’s second-biggest funder, is threatening to halt funding. Japan announced

last week it has withheld its annual Unesco dues, saying it wants to make sure the UN body properly functions to foster trust among member nations. The decision is believed linked to Unesco’s listing last year of Chinese Rape of Nanking documents as a memory of the world. l

UN announces truce in new attempt to end Yemen war n AFP, Aden, Yemen The United Nations has announced a new ceasefire in war-ravaged Yemen from early Thursday, after a week of escalated fighting sparked new international calls to end the conflict. While President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi’s government and its Saudi backers said they would support the truce, there has been no word from the Iran-backed rebels who control the capital Sanaa

and other areas of the Arabian Peninsula country. Yemen has been rocked by war since the Shia Huthi rebels and allied forces loyal to ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh overran Sanaa in September 2014. The conflict escalated after a Saudi-led Arab coalition began a campaign against the rebels in March 2015. The UN says the fighting has since killed almost 6,900 people,

wounded more than 35,000 and displaced at least three million, with civilians paying the heaviest price amid a worsening humanitarian crisis. Unicef’s representative in Sanaa, Mohammed al-Assadi, told reporters Sunday that 10m children in Yemen need water, food, medicine, social protection, and general services. The United States, Britain and the UN peace envoy on Sunday urged the warring parties in Yemen’s civil war to declare a ceasefire. Yemeni Foreign Minister Abdulmalek al-Mekhlafi welcomed the truce which he said will be extended if the rebels adhere to it, activate a truce observing committee, end a months-long siege of Taez and allow “unrestricted” humanitarian aid into the loyalist-controlled third city.

Sixth truce attempt

This is the sixth attempt to establish a Yemen ceasefire. The April truce declared in conjunction with the start of peace talks in Kuwait was hardly observed on the ground, with each side blaming the other for violations. It collapsed as the talks ended in August with no breakthrough, prompting an intensified round of fighting. The Arab coalition stepped up its air raids and cross-border attacks from Yemen on Saudi Arabia

intensified. One of the deadliest coalition attacks was an October 8 air raid on a funeral ceremony in Sanaa that killed 140 people and wounded 525, drawing severe criticism of the coalition, which is backed logistically by Washington. In a rapid escalation, Washington accused the rebels of targeting American warships in the Red Sea on October 9 and 12 with missiles that fell short. The US then hit radar sites in rebel-controlled territory in Washington’s first direct action against the insurgents. However, de-escalation swiftly followed as the coalition on Saturday acknowledged that one of its warplanes had “wrongly targeted” the funeral in Sanaa based on “incorrect information”. It announced disciplinary measures, compensation for the families of victims and an easing of the air blockade it enforces to allow the most seriously wounded to be evacuated for treatment abroad. On Sunday, US Secretary of State John Kerry met in London with his counterparts from Britain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates along with the UN envoy to discuss Yemen. Earlier this month, the UN envoy had said that a 72-hour ceasefire was expected soon, adding that he hoped to draft a new Yemen peace plan. l

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

FBI records: Effort to reduce Clinton email classification n Reuters, New York A senior State Department official sought to shield Hillary Clinton last year by pressuring the FBI to drop its insistence that an email on the private server she used while secretary of state contained classified information, according to records of interviews with FBI officials released on Monday. The accusation against Patrick Kennedy, the State Department’s most senior manager, appears in the latest release of interview summaries from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s year-long investigation into Clinton’s sending and receiving classified government secrets via her unauthorised server. Although the FBI decided against declassifying the email’s contents, the claim of interference added fuel to Republicans’ belief that officials in President Barack Obama’s administration have sought to protect Clinton, a Democrat, from criminal liability as she seeks to succeed Obama in the November 8 election. The FBI recommended against bringing any charges in July and has defended the integrity of its investigation. Clinton has said her decision to use a private server in her home for her work as the US secretary of state from 2009 to 2013 was a mistake and has apologised. The dispute began in the sum-

mer of 2015 as officials were busy reviewing the roughly 30,000 emails Clinton returned to the State Department ahead of their court-ordered public release in batches in 2015 and 2016. The official said the State Department’s office of legal counsel called him to question the FBI’s ruling that the information was classified, but the FBI stood by its decision. Soon after that call, one of the official’s FBI colleagues received a call from Kennedy in which Kennedy “asked his assistance in altering the email’s classification in exchange for a ‘quid pro quo.’” The FBI official said he also joined at least two discussions in which Kennedy “continued to pressure” the FBI about the email. The official said Kennedy appeared to be trying to protect Clinton by minimising the appearance of classified information in emails from the server that Clinton used while she was the country’s most senior diplomat.

Trump calls it collusion

Other officials have made similar complaints to investigators of unusual pressure not to mark information as classified in Clinton’s emails last year. According to earlier documents the FBI released last month, at least one official at the State Department told investigators that there was pressure by senior department officials to mislead the public about the presence of classi-

fied information in Clinton’s emails ahead of their public release. A summary released on Monday showed at least two other State Department officials making similar allegations. Clinton’s Republican rival for the White House, Donald Trump, posted a video online on Monday in which he said the FBI documents showed “corruption at the highest levels.” “This is collusion between the FBI, Department of Justice and the State Department to try and make Hillary Clinton look like an innocent person when she’s guilty of very high crimes,” Trump said. Later on Monday, Trump proposed a series of ethics rules he said would crack down on government corruption, including a fiveyear ban on former administration officials lobbying after leaving government and a lifetime ban on senior officials lobbying for foreign governments. Paul Ryan, the top elected Republican in the US Congress, referred to the FBI summaries on Twitter. “This bears all the signs of a cover-up,” he wrote. In 2015, Clinton repeatedly said she never sent or received classified information via her server, but since the release of the FBI report in July she has said she relied on the judgement of her subordinates at the department. l

USA

Trump’s charity stops fundraising in New York state

Journalists shower Clinton with campaign cash

n Tribune International Desk New Yorker television critic Emily Nussbaum, a newly minted Pulitzer Prize winner, spent the Republican National Convention pen-pricking presidential nominee Donald Trump as a misogynist shyster running an “ugly and xenophobic campaign.” What Nussbaum didn’t disclose in her dispatches: she contributed $250 to Democrat Hillary Clinton in April. In all, people identified in federal campaign finance filings as journalists, reporters, news editors or television news anchors — as well as other donors known to be working in journalism — have combined to give more than $396,000 to the presidential campaigns of Clinton and Trump, according to a Center for Public Integrity analysis. Nearly all of that money — more than 96% — has benefited Clinton: About 430 people who work in journalism have, through August, combined to give about $382,000 to the Democratic nominee, the Center for Public Integrity’s analysis indicates. l

100-plus Chibuk girls unwilling to leave Boko Haram n Tribune International Desk Nigeria’s government is negotiating the release of another 83 of the Chibok schoolgirls taken in a mass abduction two-and-a-half years ago, but more than 100 others appear unwilling to leave their Boko Haram Islamic extremist captors, a community leader said Tuesday, reports The Associated Press. The unwilling girls may have been radicalised by Boko Haram or are ashamed to return home because they were forced to marry extremists and have babies, chairman Pogu Bitrus of the Chibok Development Association said. Bitrus said the 21 Chibok girls freed last week in the first negotiated release between Nigeria’s government and Boko Haram should be educated abroad, because they will probably face stigma in Nigeria. The girls and their parents were reunited Sunday and are expected to meet with Nigeria’s President

Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday or Wednesday, Bitrus said. Buhari flew to Germany on an official visit the day of the girls’ release. Some 276 schoolgirls were kidnapped from a school in northeastern Chibok in April 2014. Dozens escaped early on and at least half a dozen have died in captivity, according to the newly freed girls, Bitrus said. All those who escaped on their own have left Chibok because, even though they were held only a few hours, they were labelled “Boko Haram wives” and taunted, he said. At least 20 of the girls are being educated in the United States. Human rights advocates and the Bring Back Our Girls Movement have been asking if the girl is a detainee of the government and have been demanding she be allowed to return home, as she has requested. Previous negotiators in talks that failed also had corroborated

World

Donald Trump’s charitable foundation has stopped fundraising in New York state, the state attorney general’s office said on Monday, weeks after the office warned that a failure to do so would constitute a continuing fraud. The organisation has been under increased scrutiny following reports in the Washington Post suggesting possible improprieties within the small-scale nonprofit organisation. REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Venezuela court raises new obstacle to recall vote Venezuela’s Supreme Court has raised another obstacle to an opposition drive for a referendum on recalling leftist President Nicolas Maduro, who is blamed for a deepening economic and political crisis. In a ruling Monday the Supreme Court raised the bar even higher by making it 20% of the electorate in each of the country’s 24 states in order to force a recall vote. AFP

Police probe rape allegation inside UK parliament British police are investigating an allegation of rape at the Houses of Parliament against an aide to a Conservative Party MP, the politician’s spokesman said on Tuesday. London’s Metropolitan Police on Monday announced an investigation into the alleged rape which is said to have occurred in the early hours of October 14. AFP

EUROPE

Spain to decide on enabling new government The leadership of Spain’s Socialists meet on Sunday to decide whether to enable their conservative rivals to form a minority government, thereby ending ten months of political deadlock. With just under two weeks to go until a deadline to form a government, the Socialist gathering is widely seen as a make-or-break summit that will determine whether Spain will manage to avoid its third general election in a year. REUTERS

AFRICA

Inter-ethnic violence kills dozen in Congo

that more than 100 of the girls did not want to return to their parents, Bitrus said. Chibok is a small and conservative Christian enclave in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria, where many parents are involved in translating the Bible into local lan-

guages and belong to the Nigerian branch of the Elgin, Illinois-based Church of the Brethren. Nigeria’s government has denied reports that the girls were swapped for four Boko Haram commanders, or that a large ransom was paid. l

More than a dozen people have died since the weekend in fighting in southeastern Congo between Bantus and Pygmies. The Luba, a Bantu ethnic group, and the Twa, a Pygmy people who inhabit the Great Lakes region, have been in conflict since May 2013 in Democratic Republic of Congo’s Katanga region, known for its rich deposits of copper and other metals. REUTERS

World

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

INSIGHT

Iraq’s traumatised minorities: Test of unity after Mosul offensive n Reuters, Alqosh, Iraq Behnam Abboush won’t feel any safer if Iraqi forces drive Islamic State out of their stronghold of Mosul. That’s why he and 300 other Assyrian Christians in the paramilitary force under his command are taking matters into their own hands. Abboush says some members of his community, one of Iraq’s many religious and ethnic minorities, were abandoned to their fate when the jihadists swept through northern Iraq two years ago. Now his fighters are determined to protect Christian towns and villages in the Mosul region without relying on anyone else, while Iraqi government troops and other forces launch their offensive to regain the city nearby. Ancient minorities have always been an integral part of Iraq’s complex social fabric. Their attitudes towards the government in Baghdad and their re-assimilation into society after the upheaval caused by Islamic State will test Iraqi leaders’ pledges to deliver stability after the Mosul campaign. The Shia-led government has promised that the assault, which started in the early hours of Monday, will improve security and unite a nation that has been in turmoil since the US-led invasion in 2003. But Abboush’s experiences illustrate why so many of the minorities which range from the Christians and Yazidis to Turkmens and the Shabak people - have so little faith in the regional and central governments. He recalls the night of August 6, 2014, about two months after the fall of Mosul, when he said Kurdish forces stationed in the Christian town of Karakosh suddenly announced they were fleeing. Many of the Karakosh’s 55,000 people managed to escape before the militants arrived a few hours later, but Abboush said the abrupt departure of the peshmerga troops controlled by the Kurdish regional

government showed how communities have to defend themselves. “They said to us ‘we will protect you’. At half past ten in the evening they said ‘we will go’. It was very difficult, especially for the women and children,” Abboush, an engineer and former air defence officer under Saddam Hussein, said at his training base in the town of Alqosh, 50km from Mosul. He is now the general of an Assyrian force that he says received only half the amount of weapons it needs from authorities and relies heavily on donations from Iraqi Christians living abroad. “If there was a strong central government we would need nothing. If you want to solve the problem, we must have a protection force,” Abboush, an intense, whitehaired man, said shortly before joining his officers for a lunch of eggplant, stew and rice. Abboush prepares his men at an obstacle course on a tiny mountain training ground, only about 13 km from Islamic State fighters. Their mission is to reassure local people it is safe to return to their homes in areas cleared of the militants.

Support for all Iraqis

Others say the drive for Mosul will benefit Iraqis of all communities. “The whole idea of this offensive is to get people back to their homes safely, not to abandon them – Christians, Shias and Sunnis, everyone,” said Hoshiyar Zebari, a top Kurdish official. Khisro Goran, a Kurdish member of Iraq’s parliament, said lightly-armed peshmerga forces withdrew from Karakosh in 2014 because they were unprepared for the Islamic State onslaught. However, he sympathised with Abboush’s views. “I agree that minorities from Yazidis, Christians or Shabak should have their own local police to protect their societies and this is the ideal way to resolve a trust

Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga fighters fire a multiple rocket launcher from the top of Mount Zardak, about 25km east of Mosul on October 17 AFP

issue,” he said. In Baghdad, a military spokesman rebuffed Abboush’s complaints over a lack of support from the central government, saying the budget cannot be changed continuously to accommodate the rising or dwindling numbers of each force lined up to fight Islamic State - known by its opponents in Arabic as Dae’sh. “The government is keen on providing support to all those who are fighting Dae’sh”, he said. Iraq’s Sunni Muslims, the biggest minority, dominated the country until the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. Now Shias are in control, with politicians from the majority community running the government, its militias ruling many streets.

Longing to be accepted

Abboush’s sentiments are echoed at a church in central Erbil, capital of the Kurdish region which has become increasingly autonomous since Saddam’s demise. At evening mass, Father Salim Saka told his packed congregation to work with all communities in Iraq. In private, he conceded those wishes may be unrealistic. “For two years the government has been saying they will liberate Mosul. It’s just talk. There can be no harmony. We are not accepted,” he said. “We feel left out.” Outside the church, beside the candle box, Evaan Khalas, 24, was also sceptical. As a Christian, he fought alongside the peshmerga for

five years against al-Qaeda, but is no longer among the Kurdish ranks. “Now they don’t accept me. I wanted to fight with them against Dae’sh,” he said. “As long as there is Islam we can’t live here.” Some of the worshipers are Christians who fled to Erbil from villages, towns and cities under Islamic State. One such, Sobhi Abu Fadel, recalled his family’s close escape from Mosul when only about 800 militants seized the city as the army collapsed. Standing beside a statue of the Virgin Mary as church guards checked bags for explosives, he pulled up a photograph of his mother on his smart phone. She died aged 90 because of the heat in the car as they fled Islamic State, which tells Christians to convert or die. “We had neighbourhood watches but not enough ammunition,” he said. Hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled Mosul and other cities in recent years in the face of intimidation, death threats and violence. The Yazidis have suffered particular cruelty at the hands of Islamic State, which regards them as devil worshipers. Hundreds of Yazidis were killed by the jihadists in 2014 while thousands fled to camps in the Kurdish region. Many women who could not escape were raped or turned into sex slaves. These ordeals have led some Yazidis to the conclusion that they

too can depend only on themselves. For example, one Yazidi militia - the YBS or Sinjar Resistance Units - is also only partially backed by the state even though it is part of the government-funded Popular Mobilisation Forces, according to its commander Saeed Hassan. The fighters are 2,700 strong, yet only 1,000 are getting salaries from Baghdad, he said. “An overwhelming majority of the Yazidis want a self-rule administration under international protection. We have no trust in the provincial administration,” said Haji Hassan, a civilian member of the YBS administration. “They have been treating us badly even since before Dae’sh took over.” At a ramshackle camp near a five-star hotel in central Erbil frequented by Western executives, other Yazidis said they rely on the generosity of local tribes for supplies such as rice and sugar. Tables under a tent serve as a classroom for children twice a week. Young boys use dirty rags from a plastic water bucket to wipe the floor. Posters of sports like archery and horse racing remind them of the limitations of life in their barren camp. Ali Khalaf, a camp resident who has occasional work as a labourer, contemplated the future. “Yazidis are alone. Even if Islamic State is driven out of Mosul, we want an international force to protect us from genocide,” he said. l

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

12 Business

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Plan to borrow from forex reserves

Export earnings from service As reserves are huge, we should use the money to ensure implementation sector fall of different development projects, says AMA Muthith n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Export earnings from service sector n Tribune Business Desk dropped more than 6% to $488m in The government plans to borrow from the country’s foreign exchange reserves to finance multiple development projects. Finance Minister AMA Muhith disclosed the plan during his speech at a remittance award ceremony in Dhaka Tuesday. “As the size of the foreign exchange reserves is still huge, we should utilise it properly by taking loans to ensure implementation of different development projects,” he said. The central bank organised the “Bangladesh Bank Remittance Award 2015” in recognition of expatriates’ contribution to the country’s economy. Bangladesh Bank awarded 26 highest remittance senders, five bond investors and four exchange houses owned by non-resident Bangladeshis. As the chief guest, finance minister handed over the awards to the recipients at the function with Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor SK Sur Chowdhury in the chair. Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir was present as special guest. Addressing the ceremony, Muhith announced that he would mention his plan of using forex reserves for financing projects in the next budget. He, however, assured the expatriates that their money won’t be at risk

Capital market snapshot: Tuesday DSE Broad Index

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Recipients of Bangladesh Bank Remittance Award 2015 pose for photograph at the award giving ceremony in Dhaka on Tuesday. Finance Minister AMA Muhith and Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir were present MEHEDI HASAN as the government would be totally liable in case of any project failure. Earlier, Bangladesh Bank former governor Atiur Rahman had proposed the government on various occasions to invest from the swelling foreign exchange reserves of the country for construction of Padma bridge. The amount of foreign exchange reserves is $31.16bn as of August, 2016 which was around $4bn as the Awami League-led Grand Alliance government took office in 2009. The remittance inflow made the major contribution to the rise of the foreign reserves.

In his speech, Muhith put emphasis on giving skill development supports to promote the expatriates sending home money. “We put more efforts on skill development programmes for the expatriates as most workers going abroad are unskilled,” said the finance minister. He claimed that the country’s economy is now in a strong foothold due to absence of business-halting political programmes like hartal. Muhith is confident that the country’s economy will see a 7.3% in the next fiscal year.

Urging the Bangladeshi expatriates for investing in Bangladesh, Bangladesh Bank Governor Fazle Kabir said it is high time for investors to make investment in Bangladesh. Most of the highest remittance sender and bond investors were from the United Arab Emirates. Of the award recipients, eight from Janata Bank, four from Standard Chartered Bank, three from Sonali Bank, three from HSBC, three from Pubali Bank, two from Bank Asia, two from NRBC and one was selected from each bank: Agrani Bank, AB Bank, Trust Bank, BASIC Bank, Mutual Trust Bank and NRB Bank. l

BEZA wants low-cost funds for economic zone developers n Asif Showkat Kallol

Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority has requested finance ministry to allow economic zone developers get loans at lower-than-market interest rates from a World Bank funding facility. BEZA Executive Chairman Paban Chowdhury wrote a letter to senior secretary of the Economic Relations Division (ERD) on October 13 making the request. The letter urged the ERD to make provisions for economic zone developers to borrow money from the World Bank’s Investment Promotion Financing Facility (IPFF) project, which is being implemented by Bangladesh Bank. “It is recommended to set a lower rate of interest for the zone developers under the project which

can be settled by consulting the World Bank and the Bangladesh Bank,” the letter reads. Providing investors with initial support would enable them to take on the risk of long-term investment, it observed. The recommendations have been made in the letter as per a discussion that took place at a BEZA meeting held on September 19, at which a WB representative told the BEZA that private zone developers would be able to borrow money from the IPFF project. “At this stage of economic zone development in Bangladesh, it is advisable that the project take responsibility of the mode of financing for the economic zone developers,” the letter reads. It said supporting developers would spur investment in the economic zones and help the govern-

ment achieve its goal of reducing poverty and generating employment by attracting foreign direct investment. Over the last two years, BEZA has issued 12 licences to corporate houses and another six more are expected to be issued within the next six months. l

the first two months of the current fiscal year, according to the Export Promotion Bureau data released yesterday. The earnings amounted to $531.48m in the same period last year. However, the total export earnings of the country stood at $6.32bn with a 6.88% rise during the period, which was $5.91bn in the same period a year earlier. As per the EPB data, the country earned $189m from goods and services export, which was the highest, $107.14m from while telecommunication, computer and information services, $66.18m transportation and $73.33m from business services. In the last fiscal year, service sector earnings were not included in the export earning figure. Earlier, EPB has taken initiative to include it in the country’s total exports value. The aim of the move is to include service sector in total export figure and give a real picture of the country’s overall earnings from export. According to Bangladesh Bank data, in the last fiscal year, the country earned $3.19bn from service sector exports with 12.85% rise from the previous year’s $2.83bn. The total export volume in the year was $34.25bn, growing 9.77% from a year earlier. In FY2014-15, the total earning amounted to $31.20bn. After the inclusion, the total export volume in the last fiscal year stood at $37.3bn. Bangladesh’s service sector earnings come from transportation of passengers and goods, freight, travel, business, communication, construction, insurance, financial services, computer and information services, royalties and licence fees, entertainment, cultural and recreation services and government services. l

Business

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Purchase limits for state-run firms likely n Asif Showkat Kallol

The government has planned to limit the purchase of goods and services by the state-owned companies, official sources said. The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division under the Ministry of Planning recently proposed to include a provision

for fixing the purchase limit of the companies under the Company Act 1994. “The government has decided to limit the purchase by the stateowned firms after the proposal,” an official told the Dhaka Tribune. He said the IMED proposal will be placed at the cabinet committee on economic affairs meeting Wednesday.

According to the proposal, it is compulsory to follow the Section 3 (c) of the Public Procurement Act 2006 and the Public Procurement Rules 2008. “There is no clear statement about issuing public procurement for companies under the Company Act. As a result, the power of the board of directors of the companies

Digital World 2016 begins today n Ishtiaq Husain

The country’s largest digital expo-Digital World 2016-begins today at the International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB) in the capital to showcase the technology-based innovations and achievements and facilitate in a single platform for sharing ICT knowledge and idea. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will inaugurate the 3-day flagship annual event of the country’s ICT sector with the theme ‘Non-stop Bangladesh’. The ICT Division is organising the flagship annual event with assistance of the Bangladesh Computer Council (BCC), Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) and A2I programme of the Prime Minister’s office.’ Around 400 exhibitors from dif-

ferent countries including Bangladesh will participate in the event. Among them, many are policy-makers, senior government officials & ministers, industry leaders, civil so-

Around 400 exhibitors from different countries will participate ciety spokespersons, investors and multinational software vendors. Representatives of ICT companies, international ICT associations, international development agencies, local software development firms will be present alongside multinational and local companies, Govt. departments &

agencies implementing successful ICT & e-Governance projects. Representatives from renowned IT training institutes as well as University faculty members and students will also be present. Different ministry will showcase e-Services in order to feature the development of e-governance in achieving the vision 2021 “Digital Bangladesh”. Its purpose is to exhibit government online service, as well as exchange information between the government and a variety of recipients, citizens, business and also other government. The expo mainly focuses on the prompt and accelerated transformation of Bangladesh, from being a traditional government to a digital one in a convenient, efficient and transparent manner. This year about 40+ stalls will exhibit various e-Services provided by the government. l

for permission is transferred to the cabinet committee on economic affairs.” IMED made three recommendations on imposing limits on the purchase of services and goods by the state-run firms. The amount of the state-owned enterprises for the purchase of services is Tk500 crore. In the case of purchasing

goods the limit will be Tk200 crore. Regarding the purchase of intellectual and professional services, the state-run companies’ board of directors can approve the purchase up to Tk50 crore while the category-based financial measures must be approved by the cabinet committee on economic affairs fixing specific limits, the proposal said. l

Court asks CID to submit probe report on reserve heist case n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court again asked the Criminal Investigation Department to submit the probe report of the Bangladesh Bank reserve heist case on November 16. Metropolitan Magistrate Md Maruf Hossain Tuesday passed the order after CID’s Additional Police Super Muhammad Raihanul Islam, investigation officer of the case, failed to submit the report before the court. The scheduled day for submission of the report was October 18. On March 22, Metropolitan Mag-

istrate Md Mahbubur Rahman allowed CID to conduct forensic test on three computer’s hard disks of Bangladesh Bank in the case. The three hard disks were seized from the central bank after the reserve heist incident recently. On March 15, the central bank’s Joint Director M Jubayer Bin Huda lodged the case with Motijheel Police Station against some unidentified people. The case was filed under the Money Laundering Act, Information and Communication Technology Act and Bangladesh Penal Code. l

Walton makes strong foothold in e-commerce n Tribune Business Desk Walton, a local manufacturer of electronics and home appliance, makes strong foothold in its e-commerce business with monthly sales of about Tk50 lakh per month. The e-commerce site of Walton gained popularity within a short span of time as a good number of buyers are now preferred to buy electronics products sitting at home, said a Walton press release. Conditional free delivery also attracted the consumers to shop using e-commerce facilities provided by the Walton. In October last year, Walton has launched the experimental operation of e-commerce site, which was inaugurated by Sate Minister for ICT Junaid Ahmed Palak at Walton Hi-Tech Industries at Chandra in Gazipur. E-commerce service was opened for customers from November last year. Since then, the sales of Walton products have been in an upward trend. “The e-commerce business is booming in Bangladesh. Although there is no perfect statistics, the number of e-commerce sites in

Bangladesh may be about one thousand, said E-commerce Association of Bangladesh (E-cab) president Razib Ahmed As a single brand, Walton is marking a good sing in e-commerce business in a short time, he said adding that there are also some other brands like Arong, Food Panda, Pran and Nitol are also experiencing sound business in e-commerce. “We are strongly committed to bring the advanced technology based electronics products at customers’ doorsteps,” said Md Liakat Ali, additional director (IT) of Walton Group. Now, customers can purchase Walton products from any corner of the country using our e-commerce site, said Liakat. Due to the launch of e-commerce operation, the expatriate Bangladeshis are also now able to purchase Walton products, he said adding that “Already, a good number of expatriate Bangladeshis has purchased Walton products through on-line.” For buying products through e-commerce, the customers have to browse www.waltonbd.com. l

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim speaks at a press conference in Dhaka yesterday. Story on page 1 MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Dhaka Bank, Gemcon sign MoU for payroll banking n Tribune Business Desk

Dhaka Bank Limited and Gemcon Group recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding for Payroll Banking Services. Dr Kazi Anis Ahmed, director of

Gemcon Group, and Md Shafquat Hossain, head of Consumer Banking at Dhaka Bank Ltd were present at the signing ceremony, said a press release. Among other high officials, Capt ZA Zakir (Retd), CFO of Gem-

con Group, HM Mostafizur Rahaman, vice president and head of Cards Business of Dhaka Bank Ltd, Fayyaz A Mustafa, SAVP of Payroll Banking of Dhaka Bank Ltd, and Firoz Alam, GM (Finance) of Gemcon Group, were also present. l

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Business

EU sees Canada deal next week despite Belgium split n AFP, Luxembourg A troubled EU-Canada free trade deal can be signed “next week” despite the last minute opposition of the Belgian region of Wallonia, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem said yesterday. In a shock vote, the small Belgian region of Wallonia on Friday blocked the deal, known as CETA - meaning that Belgium itself cannot sign up to the pact and leaving the deal in limbo after seven years of negotiations. The vote threatened to torpedo the deal’s

long-delayed signing by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Brussels on October 27 which would have opened the way for CETA’s partial implementation. “I am not sure we will be able to make a decision today, but hopefully we’ll move forward and can make a decision very soon,” Malmstroem said as she arrived for emergency talks with EU trade ministers in Luxembourg. The ministers’ meeting was held as four activists from Greenpeace hung by rope from the conference centre hosting the talks as police watched nearby. l

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

World markets climb on Fed uncertainty n AFP, London World stocks forged higher yesterday on uncertainty over the future path for US interest rate hikes, while London shrugged off news of surging inflation. Asian indices advanced as investors weighed the prospect of a US rate increase, and on the eve of key economic growth data in powerhouse economy China. In Europe, Frankfurt, London and Paris equities also pushed higher, as the faltering dollar lifted the energy and mining sectors, dealers said. “Equities are pointing north again today, buoyed by Fed rate hike uncertainty taking the dollar from its highs,” said Mike van Dulken, head of research at trading firm Accendo Markets. “This, along with ... UK inflation data, is helping materials prices

Traders work on the floor of the NYSE - notably Brent crude oil holding above $51 - and thus energy/miners,” he said. British annual inflation surged to a near two-year high of 1% in

REUTERS

September, official data showed Tuesday, as a tumbling pound raised prices of imported goods and attracted tourists. Meanwhile a weaker greenback

Business makes dollar-priced commodities cheaper for buyers using stronger currencies, which boosts demand and prices. In turn, that translates into rising revenues, profits and share prices for the broader resources sector. The gains came amid unease over this week’s key events that also include the last US presidential debate and a European Central Bank monetary policy meeting. Wall Street pulled back on Monday, despite better-than-expected earnings result from Bank of America. A below-par reading Monday on manufacturing in New York offset news that overall factory production grew for the third time in four months. While investors globally expect US interest rates will rise by the end of the year, the figures tempered expectations about the pace of rises after December. l

Honda to build new China factory n AFP, Tokyo

Honda said yesterday it will build a new factory in China, as the Japanese automaker expands its reach into the world’s biggest vehicle market. The firm, which already has several factories in China, would build its new plant in the city of Wuhan, a Tokyo-based company spokeswoman said, without supplying further details. The factory will start operating in 2019, the leading Nikkei business daily said. The plant will be able to produce 120,000 vehicles a year in the beginning, eventually doubling to 240,000 units, according to the report. That would be roughly a 20% boost from Honda’s current China factory capacity of 1.08 million units, excluding facilities solely for exports, the Nikkei story said. l

Feature

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

No, Bob Dylan isn’t the first lyricist to win the Nobel n Alex Lubet The Nobel organisation’s downplaying of Tagore’s significance as a musician is part of the same thinking that has long delayed Dylan’s receiving the prize. There’s been a great deal of excitement over Bob Dylan winning the 2016 Nobel Prize for Literature. It’s rare for artists who have achieved widespread, mainstream popularity to win. And although Nobels often go to Americans, the last literature prize to go to one was Toni Morrison in 1993. Furthermore, according to the New York Times, “It is the first time the honor has gone to a musician.” But as Bob Dylan might croon, “the times they are mistaken.” A Bengali literary giant who probably wrote even more songs preceded Dylan’s win by over a century. Rabindranath Tagore, a wildly talented Indian poet, painter and musician, took the prize in 1913. The first musician (and first non-European) to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, Tagore possessed an artistry – and lasting influence – that mirrored Dylan’s.

Bengal’s own renaissance man

Tagore was born in 1861 into a wealthy family and was a lifelong resident of Bengal, the East Indian state whose capital is Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). Born before the invention of film, Tagore was a keen observer of India’s emergence into the modern age; much of his work was influenced by new media and other cultures. Like Dylan, Tagore was largely self-taught. And both were associated with nonviolent social change. Tagore was a supporter of Indian independence and a friend of Mahatma Gandhi, while Dylan penned much of the soundtrack of the American civil rights movement. Each was a multitalented artist: writer, musician, visual artist and film composer (Dylan is also a filmmaker). The Nobel website states that Tagore, though he wrote in many genres, was principally a poet who published more than 50 volumes of verse, as well as plays, short stories and novels. Tagore’s music isn’t mentioned until the last sentence, which says that the artist “also left … songs for which he wrote the music himself,” as if this much-loved body of work was

no more than an afterthought. But with over 2,000 songs to his name, Tagore’s output of music alone is extremely impressive. Many continue to be used in films, while three of his songs were chosen as national anthems by India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, an unparalleled achievement. Today, Tagore’s significance as a songwriter is undisputed. A YouTube search for Tagore’s songs, using the search term “Rabindra Sangeet” (Bengali for “Tagore songs”), yields about 234,000 hits. Although Tagore was – and remains – a musical icon in India, this aspect of his work hasn’t been recognised in the West. Perhaps for this reason, music seems not to have had much or any influence on the 1913 Nobel committee, as judged by the presentation speech by committee chair Harald Hjärne. In fact, the word “music” is never used in the prize announcement. It is notable, however, that Hjärne says the work of Tagore’s that “especially arrested the attention of the selecting critics is the 1912 poetry collection Gitanjali: Song Offerings.”

Like Dylan, Tagore was largely self-taught. And both were associated with nonviolent social change

Dylan: All about the songs

It may be that the Nobel organisation’s downplaying of Tagore’s significance as a musician is part and parcel of the same thinking that has long delayed Dylan’s receiving the prize: uneasiness over subsuming song into the category of literature. It’s rumored that Dylan was first nominated in 1996. If true, it means that Nobel committees have been wrestling with the idea of honoring this extraordinary lyricist for two decades. Rolling Stone called Dylan’s win “easily the most controversial award since they gave it to the guy who wrote Lord of the Flies, which was controversial only because it came

next after the immensely popular 1982 prize for Gabriel García Márquez.” Unlike Tagore’s Nobel announcement, in which his songs were an afterthought, the presentation announcing Dylan’s award made it clear that aside from a handful of other literary contributions this prize is all about his music. And therein lies the controversy, with some saying he shouldn’t have won – that being a pop culture icon who wrote songs disqualifies him. But like many great literary figures, Dylan is a man of letters; his songs abound with the names of those who came before him, whether it’s Ezra Pound and T.S. Eliot in “Desolation Row” or James

Joyce in “I Feel a Change Comin’ On.” Why not celebrate Bob by being like Bob and reading something unfamiliar, great and historically important? Tagore’s Gitanjali, his most famous collection of poems, is available in the poet’s own English translation, with an introduction by William Butler Yeats (who won his own Nobel in literature in 1923). And YouTube is a great repository for some of Tagore’s most celebrated songs (search for “Rabindra Sangeet”). Many music lovers have long hoped that the parameters of literature might be writ a bit larger to include song. While Dylan’s win is certainly an affirmation, remembering that he’s not the first can only pave the way for more musicians to win in years to come.l Alex Lubet is the Morse Alumni Distinguished Teaching Professor of Music at the University of Minnesota. This article was originally published on The Conversation

Feature

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

How is a woman known? Lalon and his views on gender

n Shuprova Tasneem

tarting from this Sunday, October 16, thousands of people have travelled to the shrine of Fakir Lalon Shah at Chheuriya of Kushtia to pay homage to the great philosopher, spiritual leader and poet-musician. While not much is known about his life, it is mostly believed that Lalon died on October 17, 1890, at the age of 116, leaving behind somewhere between 2,000 to 8,000 songs of mystical, social and political content. Although he did not leave behind any written compositions, his songs have been passed down through generations of his followers, and is now receiving renewed recognition for his poetic expression and progressive thought. From Rabindranath Tagore to Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan, Lalon’s works have influenced many literary greats of our times. However, Lalon’s greatness is not just in his work, but is portrayed in his philosophy and way of life – he truly lived and inspired others to live a life of mysticism, set against social binaries of religion, caste, class and gender, and looking beyond the trappings of the materialistic world. But what exactly did Lalon think of women and gender?

Women in traditional societies

Through Lalon’s philosophies, Bauls preach of how the world is created by the same Creator – and if all the world is His creation, then why is there so much division and dissent? Why focus so much on material wealth and getting ahead at the expense of others, when we finally take nothing to the grave? From the very onset, there is a notion of releasing yourself from the bonds of self and truly believing that we are all equal – not just with regard to class and caste, but gender as well. However, Lalon has specifically spoken about the plight of women in traditional societies too. At a time when the norms of society were regulated by gender roles defined by the rules of the Hindu caste system and the rules of purdah in Islam in the late 18th and 19th centuries, Lalon did something very few men did during his time – he acknowledged the inequality in status that women were given. It is evident when he wrote in one of his most famous compositions, titled ‘Everyone asks, to which caste does Lalon belong’: “A Muslim is marked by the sign Of circumcision; but how should You mark a woman? If a Brahmin male

Is known by the thread he wears, How is a woman known?” Thus clearly identifying the lack of identity for a woman in our society at the time, when she tended to be defined by her male counterpart or family member. Rutger University’s Milly Sil has also written - “their (Bauls) songs embrace and preach oneness of all religion into humanism, universal brotherhood and also gender

Lalon did something very few men did during his time – he acknowledged the inequality in status that women were given

equality. It’s just like an estuary where different rivers meet and merge into the sea of oneness that is deeper, richer and more liberated.”

Spiritual freedom for all

According to Saymon Zakaria, folk expert and assistant director at Bangla Academy, Lalon has also written of specific women in his songs, especially Fatimah, thus reminding us of the women who have played important roles from within the religion itself, but who are seldom mentioned when discussing Islam. “Lalon also placed great emphasis on the respect that is accorded to mother - when he wrote of she who is ‘nobir boro, khodar choto (above the Prophet and lesser than God)’, he was clearly speaking of the Prophet’s mother,” he added. While some might argue that the emphasis on motherhood might just trap one in the same traditional rhetoric that binds

women to one role, that was definitely not Lalon’s intention. The fact that he truly envisioned a liberal society devoid of gender discrimination and traditional gender roles is also evident when he wrote - “kuler bou hoye mon ar kotodin thakbi ghore” (How long will you sit at home and be a wife). And this traps the essence of why Lalon’s philosophy was so radically progressive and continues to be relevant to this day – because of his total breakdown of roles imposed on one by society, and his believe in every person’s right to pursue their spiritual freedom as a priority, regardless of who they were and where they came from. It is astonishing when you think about – this wild, unlettered man, roaming the dirt tracks of rural Bengal who sang of a classless and gender equal society, long before the birth of the modern philosophy of feminism. l

Feature

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

A Bangladeshi poet in Serbia Attending the Smederevo’s Poet Autumn is to commit suicide, but I have found ways to adjust to my life by being involved in bringing more poets together, while I culture the urge to write. The journey of fighting the devil, as Ibsen put it, has allowed me to put my thoughts into words as I live my life of an immigrant, writing in my mother tongue. My first two novels are thus about immigrants in Sweden: Oi Ondhakar Ase (The Dark Sounds 2016) and Varatiya Meye (The Girl from India 2014).”

This year, a Bangladeshi poet was featured for the first time at the Smederevo’s Poet Autumn

n Reema Islam A Serbian city with a history that dates it to antiquity, the River Danube and a poetry festival, Smederevo sets the perfect tone for a cultural experience. The Smederevo’s Poet Autumn is an annual festival in its 47th year that brings in poets from across the globe to meet at this cross road between the Eastern and Western outposts of Europe. The Danube flows through Smederevo connecting it to the larger network of European nations as this multicultural city welcomes all for a festival of poetry, music and literature. This year, a Bangladeshi poet was featured for the first time at the Smederevo’s Poet Autumn. Poet, playwright, translator, essayist and social commentator Anisur Rahman is based in Sweden, and is a member of the Swedish Writers’ Union, the Playwrights Union in Sweden and Honourary Member of the Swedish PEN. Reading out his work in Bangla, Rahman was then translated on stage into Serbian. Poets from other countries included UK, Spain, Bulgaria, Iran, Italy, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Turkey, Macedonia, Poland, Argentina, Greece and Bangladesh. Every year, the poetry festival awards the Golden

Key, the Little Golden Key and the Golden String. The Golden Key was awarded to British poet Sean O Brien, and the festival also published five translated books, including one with Rahman’s work. The festival took off with a visit to the royal Palace of Milan Obrenovic, the Serbian king from the 19th century. The city also houses a fortress where the despot ruler Đurađ Branković (reigned from 1427-1456, CE) had installed special Venetian glass for his windows and an acoustic palace, to enjoy music all the better. A wine tasting tour of the famed vineyards of the region was followed by a performance of traditional Serbian dances in traditional gear from the early 20th century. School children have always been a major part of the festival’s outreach programs and poets were taken to schools to read out their books. As part of their vision to encourage readers, the festival organisers, Goran Djordjevic and his team including Aleksandra Djokovic, had distributed around 10,000 books all over local schools in the area. The students proved very animated with their questions as they got a chance to interact with the visiting poets. The festival invites poets to speak in their own language while

a Serbian translates it on stage and this year, Bangla and Persian were the two languages featured for the first time. Rahman presented two of his poems, which he felt could speak to an international audience. Speaking on his experience of writing in exile, Rahman quotes Baudelaire, who said “in order to become a writer, you need to capture your boyhood memories”. Rahman feels being a writer is a never ending journey, carrying

Story of Water and Stone I split the heart within my heart, Build a house from stone. I see my life inside– A devastating storm within. I see the sea in your eyes Rising above water level. Water embraces water Where you see our house. High tide strikes high tide, The sun absorbs water, Clouds suck clouds, And life strains to breathe.

mirrors on both sides - “but to be honest I have also received a lot of help from people back home like the president of the National Poetry Council of Bangladesh, poet Muhammad Samad, who was a resident professor at the University of Dhaka when I was studying there,” confesses Rahman. He added: - “Life is a journey and I consider my time in Scandinavia as a part of this. Poet Shahid Quadri said to emigrate

The poetry festival ran from October 11 to 13, 2016 and this year, the Warsaw poetry festival director from Poland visited, as part of a liaison between the Serbians and their counterparts in the region. Against the backdrop of a town with one of the largest lowland fortresses of Europe and an old tradition of celebrating cultural festivals, the Smederevo Poetry Festival enthralled local and international audiences likewise. l

Biz Info

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

| campaign |

Nusrat Faria to endorse Huawei P9

Huawei, the world’s second largest android smartphone brand, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the beautiful model and actress Nusrat Faria Mazhar. As a part of the MoU, under the banner of Jaaz Multimedia, Nusrat Faria will lead the digital campaign of Huawei’s flagship device Huawei P9. The reenforcement campaign follows the success of Huawei P9 in Bangladesh.

The signing ceremony took place at Huawei’s Corporate Office in the capital on October 18. Commenting on the development, Ingmar Wang, director of Device Business, Huawei Technologies (Bangladesh) Limited said, “Nusrat Faria is a Bangladeshi youth icon and is tremendously popular for her style and attitude, which is aligned to our brand philosophy. We at Huawei always strive to achieve perfection through blending technology with style.” Nusrat Faria said, “I am very happy to get the chance to work with the famous ICT brand Huawei. Smartphones have become an integral part of life for the youth, and I am excited to be a part of the success of the Huawei P9 which caters to the elegant consumers.” Huawei and Nusrat Faria signed the MoU only for Huawei P9 handset’s digital branding for six months. Through this MoU, Huawei has started working for the first time with Jaaz Multimedia. Both companies are willing to work on different projects in future. The Huawei P9 with its

immaculate photography features has become a lifestyle product worldwide. In Bangladesh, the product has also gained immense popularity. Nusrat Faria’s initial association with the Huawei P9 will attract many youngsters towards the elegant smartphone.l

| celebration |

The Westin Dhaka presents Wedding Festival 2016

Wedding Festival 2016, the glamorous two day event will take place on October 21 at the Grand Ballroom of The Westin Dhaka. The press conference for the event was held on the October 17, 2016 at the Bronze Room of the hotel where top officials of The Westin Dhaka, Festivity, Camerich Bangladesh, Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh, Volvo Bangladesh, other partners and media representatives were present. The press conference highlighted the event, the

sponsors and the partners of the festival. Camerich Bangladesh is the platinum sponsor of the event. The event is also powered by Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh and Volvo Bangladesh. The Daily Star, RTV, The Pages, Dhaka FM 90.4 and Telepress are among other valued partners of the event. Just before the wedding season, the wedding festival will showcase most of the premium wedding related brands under one roof during the exhibition. Guests will be

able to come and learn about various products starting from designer wedding wear to 5 Star catering options. Guests will also be able to get expert opinions from renowned consultants on wedding planning, menu selection, venue options, photography, videography, wedding makeovers and on other topics exclusively at the event. From wedding ensemble to jewelry, the exhibition will offer something for everyone as designers and brands from all over the country will flock in to showcase their artistry. Throughout the event, the guests will also be able to enjoy fashion shows, live music, DJ sessions, raffle draw and many other surprise attractions. During the festival, The Westin Dhaka will offer exclusive discounts for spot reservations on venue, menu and on many other wedding related services. For the convenience of the guests, the event is free for all and no prior reservation is required.l

| education |

Young Professional Fellows Exchange program 2017 in USA The University of Oklahoma’s Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication/Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth (CCEW) has partnered with the U.S. Department of State, the Center for Entrepreneurship Development (CED) of BRAC University, BRAC Myanmar and Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) and announced a five-week professional exchange programme in the United States, which includes a professional fellowship placement at an American small business organisation. The first Professional Fellows Exchange program for 2017 will be held in April/June 2017. Emerging leaders between the ages of 25 and 40 and in government, civil society or the private sector in Bangladesh/Burma/India, who have demonstrated expertise in economic empowerment and entrepreneurial/small business development in their respective countries, are eligible to apply. The dead line for the application is December 1, 2016. The program, funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of US State Department, will bring Bangladeshi, Burmese and Indian mid-level imminent leaders in youth entrepreneurship, start-up business ventures, business administration,

government, NGOs, business education, incubation hubs, community training programs or social enterprises into working small businesses in Oklahoma and associate them with one of America’s leading universities. The program aims to provide professional experience and training that will nurture participants’ talent and prepare them for more responsible leadership positions in their businesses, communities and society in general as they return to their countries. In addition, the program will provide US-based small business stakeholders an opportunity to collaborate with their Bangladeshi, Burmese and Indian counterparts as they participate in a two-week outbound exchange to the respective countries in summer 2017. Professor Elanie Steyn, Journalism area Head, Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, informed that priority will be given those who have an interest in shaping the small business, entrepreneurship and economic empowerment landscapes of the aforementioned countries and beyond. Further details and the online application form is available at https://ousurvey.qualtrics.com/ jfe/form/SV_3R9x4Gi42CjQWOx. l

20 Editorial

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

TODAY

Thailand as we knew it is finished The Thais’ passionate regard for their late monarch can come across as the deity worship characteristic of bornagain evangelicals in America or the enforced adoration common in North Korea PAGE 21

The truth behind the puja pictures Before we go on celebrating ‘religious harmony,’ we need to change the lens with which we view the issue in our country PAGE 22

Why do we -- whether supporting the Nobel choice or opposing it -- behave as if the Nobel Committee is the anointed arbiter of world literature? PAGE 23

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.

A partnership to take us forward

The politburo of literature?

Be heard

PID

he World Bank is a major partner in Bangladesh’s development journey. Under the prime minister’s leadership, Bangladesh has already made great strides towards alleviating poverty, reducing the child mortality rate, and improving the gender parity in education, all objectives outlined in the UN’s sustainable development goals. It is a testament to the resilience of our economy that the country boasts a healthy growth rate of 6%, in spite of being plagued by natural disasters such as severe cyclones. But there is still a lot that needs to be done. Our foreign direct investment numbers still lag behind potential, and we need to invest more in people, so we can have a more educated and healthy workforce. This is where the World Bank comes in. While the World Bank should not be dictating terms for Bangladesh, it can still be a valuable development ally. WB President Jim Yong Kim’s visit is a sign that we are about to embark on a fruitful and enduring partnership. With the new commitment of $72 billion, out of which an additional $1bn is slated for child care, Bangladesh’s aspirations of becoming a middle-income country seem within reach. This can be achieved through proper utilisation of the World Bank funds, investments in the improvement of our energy and transport infrastructure, and, most crucially, the private sector. The private sector has been Bangladesh’s economic backbone, with the RMG sector playing a prominent role, providing thousands of jobs, especially to women, reducing the gender gap. With a bigger role for the World Bank in Bangladesh’s development journey, we can hope for a new era of prosperity, and to truly leave poverty behind.

With a bigger role for WB in Bangladesh’s development journey, we can hope for a new era of prosperity

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Thailand as we knew it is finished With King Bhumibol’s passing, Thailand will never be the same again

Bhumibol wasn’t just a leader, he was truly loved

REUTERS

was organic and bottom-up. It was during the Cold War that King Bhumibol made his mark, when Thailand had to make its way in a treacherous neighbourhood, at once challenged by the threat of communist expansionism. Understanding the Cold War context and conditions and Thailand’s place in them is necessary to appreciate how and why Thais have a deep affection for and bonding with their late King. At the time, the pillars of the Thai state -- nation, religion, and monarchy -- struck a collective chord. The resulting unity and stability enabled economic development and kept communism at bay. Challenges to the established order, with the military-monarchybureaucracy triangulation as its anchor, were put down, including the left-leaning student-led movement in the mid-1970s. In that long period, Thai schoolchildren sang martial songs each morning in addition to the national anthem, an orderly time when we

n Thitinan Pongsudhirak

hen it comes to public readership, I was taught, more than 30 years ago, to write invariably in the third person. The time has come for change, and exception because there is no better way for me to describe what has just happened in Thailand. What was once unimaginable when I was a schoolboy eventually became inevitable, and now is undeniable in my midlife. After an extraordinary reign, Thailand is without King Bhumibol Adulyadej for the first time that almost anyone can remember. His passing means the Thailand that many Thais and I have known has come to an end. That Thailand is now at risk of being assessed on its most recent decade or two rather than in its entirety of 70 years. Although we are incentivised to think that the here and now and our immediate era are more important than what came before, putting Thailand in perspective requires a long look back and view the conditions and circumstances that prevailed at the time. A retrospect, in turn, can lay the basis for the viable and optimal prospects ahead. Indeed, some knives are already out just hours after the end of the reign. Sceptics, critics, detractors, and those with dissenting voices

The Thais’ passionate regard for their late monarch can come across as the deity worship characteristic of born-again evangelicals in America or the enforced adoration common in North Korea. To be sure, the late monarch enjoyed reverence and respect that was organic

who previously suffered under Thailand’s entrenched monarchycentred socio-political hierarchy, are up and about, ready to go on the march. Some of their qualms and critiques will be fair, but many will sound like they’re grinding axes, biased and bent on vindictiveness and retribution for the shortcomings of what transpired, and decidedly ignorant of alternatives that could have been worse. Global media competition to get the long-awaited Thai story out and to nab the juiciest scoops in the fastest fashion will intensify international scrutiny on Thailand under a tentative new reign. Because the Thai authorities, led by men in uniform, are illequipped to handle foreigners’ prying and probing eyes, it is likely that we will see tension between Thai stake-holders at home and the world outside. Nevertheless, the outside world

should know that King Bhumibol’s passing is a once-in-a-lifetime and intensely personal experience for most Thais. It is somewhat akin to John F Kennedy’s untimely death in 1963 that brought an end to a Camelot-like era for Americans when they felt good about themselves, their country, and its place in the world. It also may be similar to the demise of other father-like figures such as the Soviet Union’s Vladimir Lenin in 1924 and China’s Mao Zedong in 1976, or even South Africa’s Nelson Mandela and Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew more recently. Yet, the Thais’ passionate regard for their late monarch can come across as the deity worship characteristic of born-again evangelicals in America, or the enforced adoration common in North Korea. To be sure, in the Thai kingdom, the late monarch enjoyed reverence and respect that

knew what to expect and where our place in the Thai socio-political hierarchy was reinforced by socialisation and indoctrination in classrooms and living rooms where only state-run media could enter. Back then, running water was limited to certain hours, electricity blackouts were common, and television was available only during weekday primetimes and weekends. It was a lonely and foreboding, yet clear-cut, time when we saw Indochina being engulfed by communism and Myanmar turning inward. Apart from the defence treaty alliance with the Americans, we had nobody to turn to but ourselves. At that time, when Thailand needed strong and steady state institutions, and Thais were in need of national guidance, King Bhumibol became the individual uniquely fit for the task. He went all over the country to promote education, health care,

water management, infrastructure development, and many projects for public welfare. Such a role would not have been so important had it not been desperately needed. And any other individual put in that role may not have worked so hard, simply because he did not need to, and because there were more comfortable and convenient choices to choose from. But King Bhumibol did it anyway. People saw and have appreciated it since. After having done so much for so long, the late king earned and accumulated so much moral authority that the Thai people placed him at the apex of society. There will be views and arguments in the coming months and years that the political order set up around the late king on the back of the military-monarchybureaucracy axis has impeded democratic development and stunted democratic institutions, that economic development over the long reign was unfairly distributed, that Thailand is left with a military dictatorship and a much weaker monarchy to carry itself forward. These points are not invalid, and will be the grist for historians in the months and years to come. But how Thailand has been should be viewed in comparative terms. By the standards of its neighbourhood, Thailand has not fared so badly. Turbulence and tumult are not uncommon when a country transitions out of a 70-year-old political order. Having weathered imperialist times, two world wars, and the Cold War, Thailand now stands as a 70-millionstrong market with a $400 billion economy, with gifted geography as the centre of mainland Southeast Asia to boot. It has so much going for it now that derives from the Cold War years. The late monarch’s lasting legacy may well be the critical mass that has accrued over his reign, where there are too many stakeholders and vested interests in Thailand’s viability and survival for it to fail. l Reprinted by special arrangement. Thitinan Pongsudhirak is Associate Professor and Director of the Institute of Security and International Studies, Faculty of Political Science, Chulalongkorn University. This article previously appeared in the Bangkok Post.

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

The truth behind the puja pictures Religious harmony is a two-way street

n Samira Sadeque

ince the Durga Puja celebrations began a few days ago, two photographs have been making rounds on my social media: One shows a girl in a hijab, presumably standing on her toes, excitedly trying to ring the bell at a temple. The other one shows a little boy in his Islamic attire (tupi and panjabi), standing in front of a temple, absorbed in the puja celebrations. I’ve seen a lot of friends share these photos, excited at the sense of religious harmony that these photos apparently represent -- Muslim boy in Hindu temple, Hijabi girl ringing the bell during a puja. How much better could it possibly get, especially at a time when the nation is fumbling to reestablish its secular identity in the face of rising religious extremism? But there’s a problematic truth that is ignored when we brand these photos as a representation of “communal harmony” -- and ignoring how it further perpetuates our loosening grip over the secular values the country was founded on. Every time I came across these photos, a question kept coming back to me: Would it be equally easy for people from other religions to be present inside a mosque during Eid celebrations? Doesn’t religious harmony mean an equal access of nonMuslims into mosques as Muslims have to other religious spaces -- in this case, a Hindu temple? Don’t get me wrong, I believe in religious and communal harmony as any other secular Bangladeshi does. I have nothing against either of these people being in the temples during puja. I myself celebrate puja with as much excitement as I celebrate Eid -- it is, after all, one of the most festive times of the year. Neither am I suggesting that the Hindu families don’t celebrate Eid with their Muslim friends and neighbours. But it wasn’t until I saw these photos being shared in spirit of “communal harmony” that I realised how one-sided the lens with which we view this “harmony” is. These photographs show, at best, the granted access Muslims, the mainstream population in the country, have to the holy place and home of the minority religions. But since we’re talking about religious harmony, how often

Is this enough to bring religions together? do we welcome a woman with a sindoor or a purohit into a mosque? How often have you seen a nonMuslim being welcomed as openheartedly into a mosque during Eid? The only thing these photos prove, other than the undeniable hospitality of our Hindu brothers, is the entitled access Muslims enjoy in the holy spaces of other religions that are, at the same time, denied access into the holy space of Muslims in Bangladesh. That is the exact opposite of religious harmony. So, before we go on celebrating “religious harmony,” we need to

COURTESY

Before we go on celebrating ‘religious harmony,’ we need to change the lens with which we view the issue in our country. Because these photos don’t represent religious harmony -- they represent a mere privilege one religious community enjoys by virtue of being the majority in the country

change the lens with which we view the issue in our country. Because these photos don’t represent religious harmony -they represent a mere privilege one religious community enjoys by

virtue of being the majority in the country. l Samira Sadeque is a writer and journalist. You can follow her on Twitter @Samideque.

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

The politburo of literature? The Nobel committee does not singularly rule over the world republic of letters

Time for a new prize

REUTERS

for letters? Or was it seen as an interesting new fad, with people reserving judgment until it curated a list of awardees? I doubt people all rose to applaud when the first prize was announced in 1901 for the French poet René François Armand (Sully) Prudhomme. Yes, who? Though it broke new ground here and there -- awarding the prize to Tagore in 1913, for example -- and, to some truly deserving writers, for most of its first half-century, the Nobel Prize was known more for its misses rather than for its hits. It was more notable for who it left out. What did it mean when it awarded Pasternak, who’d been published outside Soviet censorship? Or then about Pablo Neruda, who’d sympathised with Soviet communism? It is probably after the Cold War sparks dimmed, and the Nobel broke ground reaching out to writers outside the mainstream, that many of us came to expect it as the arbiter of people of letters, only a small number were recognised. That’s vital to remember: Even in the Western tradition, more significant writers

n Mahmud Rahman

nother October, another Nobel for Literature, another round of controversy over the

awardee. Some years, we hardly know the person, so we scramble to find out something about them, looking for bits of their writing online. Other years, like 2016, it goes to a more prominent person. Some are elated, others find the choice intriguing, while still others express disappointment that it didn’t go to someone else they consider more deserving. But it is only one prize given to a single person, and truth be told, every year there are dozens of valid contenders from around the world. I believe that the weakest critique of the Nobel is the one that criticises it for not recognising someone outside the European mainstream. From there, a question naturally arises: Why do we -- whether supporting the Nobel choice or opposing it -behave as if the Nobel Committee is the anointed arbiter of world literature? Why do we act as if it’s the Politburo of the World Republic of Letters? In reality, the Swedish Nobel

The weakest critique of the Nobel is the one that criticises it for not recognising someone outside the European mainstream. From there, a question naturally arises: Why do we -- whether supporting the Nobel choice or opposing it -- behave as if the Nobel Committee is the anointed arbiter of world literature?

Committee is merely a handful of jurors from a small country of less than 10 million, speaking a language that is one of the smaller ones in the world. The current committee has five full members and two associates. They are all writers, some of them also professors, but I don’t know a thing about them or their writing. They are probably all white, and, for sure, all European and Swedish. It looks like three of the seven are women. Nominations come from writers and academics around the world, and the committee probably has staff that helps them select and read nominees. But, at the end of the day, given who they are, given where they are based, they will no doubt have a certain predilection for European/

European-origin writers, and, over the long haul, will privilege European languages. Sometimes, they break the pattern of what’s expected of them, and those are always the interesting choices. I understand that the Nobel Committee set up the Literature Prize to be the first global literary prize. That was certainly gutsy of them. It helped that this was virgin territory, and perhaps because there were no other contenders, the Nobel Literature Prize would become known as the world’s premier award for literary work. Of course, it helped that the prize was based in a small, more or less neutral, European country, outside of the big-power divisions of world politics. But did people immediately accept it as the premier award

have been left out by the Nobel than recognised. And if we are to mention under-represented literatures, the Swedes must be among the unhappiest lot: Their Academy has only rewarded seven over the life of the prize. Still, despite outliers -- two Japanese, two Chinese, a few from Africa and the Caribbean -- the Nobel mainly privileges Western European writers and languages. When it reaches beyond, those of us from the world beyond Europe and North America applaud. But when it doesn’t, we are unhappy. How long has it been since the decolonisation of most of the colonised world? How long has it been that Japan has emerged as a major economic power from its WWII defeat? Or a number of Asian countries to

emerge as developed economies? Or some African nations to rise as powerful countries? Why is it that no one outside the West, no one in the South or East, has come up with a literary prize that might be more open to recognising talent from other corners of the planet? Look at the alternatives to the Nobel. There are few. The Neustadt Prize is really the only other international award, and that’s run out of the University of Oklahoma. Both its jurors and its nominees are often quite interesting, but we don’t line up like clockwork every two years to await the Neustadt Prize like we do the Nobel. There are a few other prizes -- the Man Booker International Prize, the International Dublin -- but those tend to privilege the language English or translations into English. There are some prizes specific to other languages, such as French or Spanish, and there are also some regional prizes. In Asia, until 2008, there used to be a Magsaysay Prize in the Philippines for “journalism, literature, and creative communication arts.” There are plenty of billionaires and millionaires from the South and East today. No doubt, a few among them might even be partial to literature. Maybe. But why is it that no one has come forward to fund another international award that might be smarter than the Nobel? In the end, I think we are all complicit in handing over the role of “world arbiter of literature” to the Nobel Committee. Let’s admit it -- deep down, we all look towards Europe’s approval to decide what’s best in the world republic of letters. Our disappointment in the Nobel is a marker of our own insecurities, our lack of confidence. No doubt this will change one day. Perhaps someone in a country of the South and East, not tied up in international power politics, someone with passion and integrity, will bring forth a more inclusive international prize. Not just a copy of the Nobel, but a smarter prize. Until that day, we will perk up our ears every October and either celebrate or gnash our teeth at the latest decision from Stockholm. And after a new prize arrives, we will switch our glee or ire to that new prize. l Mahmud Rahman is a freelance contributor.

24 Sport

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Shakib: My role with the ball has changed

TOP STORIES

Uddin n Mazhar from Chittagong

Cook returns to break record Proud new father Alastair Cook will become England’s most capped Test cricketer tomorrow when he leads his country into battle against Bangladesh, only days after attending his daughter’s birth back home. PAGE 25

Old boys accept Mourinho tactics Former Manchester United players have queued up to pass judgment on their old team under Jose Mourinho, whose negative plan in a 0-0 draw at Liverpool on Monday sparked a lively debate over the club’s direction. PAGE 26

Waugh, Gillespie open to selector role Former Australia cricket captain Steven Roger Waugh and former fast bowler and Jason “Dizzy” Gillespie have both expressed an interest in succeeding Rodney Marsh as the country’s chairman of selectors. PAGE 27

Barca sharpen knives on Euro night Paris Saint Germain v Basel As coach of Sevilla last season Unai Emery beat Basel on the way to winning the Europa League. Now his current charges, French champions PSG, host them in confident mood thanks to Uruguay’s Edinson Cavani. PAGE 28

Bangladesh’s Shakib al Hasan bats in the nets during training in Chittagong yesterday

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Bangladesh trying hard to prepare Uddin n Mazhar from Chittagong Before the start of the ODI series against Afghanistan last month, Bangladesh had not played the 50-over format for nearly a year. The long gap showed in their performance as the Tigers, despite winning the series, looked rusty. The Tigers find themselves facing a similar situation yet again as they prepare to play their first Test match after nearly a 15-month hiatus. And once again, lack of match preparation is proving to be the biggest worry for the Bangladesh cricketers as they are yet to settle on their game strategy or team combination. Bangladesh last played a five-day game back in July, 2015 against South Africa. And when the most experienced cricketer of the side says he can hardly remember playing a longer-version game, the situation becomes

clearly evident for all to see. “We will find out how confident we are under match conditions. Till now, we’re all trying hard to prepare ourselves, and since we didn’t play four-day matches at the domestic level, I can hardly remember when I last played a longer version game,” Shakib told the media after their training session at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in the port city yesterday. “It is difficult for me, but let’s see what happens. I am trying to build up the proper mindset for Test cricket. Honestly speaking, there isn’t a great deal to prepare for, but the mind has to be ready,” he said. The 29-year old however, admitted that lack of match practice can be overcome as they recently played against the likes of Afghanistan and England, who are currently fourth in the International Cricket Council’s Test

rankings. “Earlier we used to play National [Cricket] League but now I don’t get the opportunity to play as you see we played one-day cricket after nearly a year where we took two-three matches to get adjusted. I hope we can adjust but we need to play a few matches but it’s difficult to say as it’s a different feeling to bowl or bat for a long period. Let’s see. I think it’s going to be a different challenge,” he said. “In my 10-year career it happened three times where we returned to Test cricket after a year so you can say I played seven years. And yes, obviously it feels new and different every time. As I said it creates a gap when you play after a long time but I hope we can complete our preparation pretty well and we have one more day [today]. As Test is the ultimate cricket, everyone is excited with that,” he added. l

The Bangladesh think tank will once again rely on their most experienced cricketer Shakib al Hasan in the bowling department in the upcoming two-match Test series against England. The selectors faced some difficulties to find out the best possible bowling options in the longest format of the game and made six changes, including four uncapped players, for the first Test, starting tomorrow. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam, youngster Mehedi Hasan Miraz and all-rounder Shuvagata Hom are the other specialist spinners in the squad while Mahmudullah and Sabbir Rahman are also expected to chance their arms. However, Shakib, who is the leading Tigers wicket-taker in Tests with 147 scalps in 42 matches at an average of 33, is not only expected to lead the spin department but also the overall bowling of the home side. When asked whether he will face added pressure, the champion cricketer informed that his role has changed, compared to the past, and that there are other specialist spinners in the squad who can make an impact with the ball. “No, I don’t think there’s any pressure as I don’t bowl that much compared to the past. Back when I used to bowl a lot I had a different role but now I don’t need to bowl that much and it’s not like I am playing as the main spinner in the side,” Shakib told the media yesterday. “Earlier, there was only one spinner in the side. Back then I had to play the role of the leading spinner in the team but now I don’t play that role. I will try to play the role which has been given to me at the moment,” he said. According to sources, Bangladesh might opt for one pacer in the playing XI in the first Test. And Shakib believes if the pitch offers any assistance to the bowlers then they very well have the ability to take 20 wickets. “A lot will depend on the pitch. When we play at home normally they try to prepare a flat wicket offering runs for the batsmen. But if there is something for the bowlers, like pacers or spinners, I am confident that our bowlers have the ability to take 20 wickets in a Test match. But if there’s a flat track then it’s hard for the bowlers to do something extraordinary,” said Shakib, who is Bangladesh’s third highest run-getter in Tests with 2823 runs from 42 matches at 39.76.l

Sport

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

New dad Cook returns to break England record n AFP, Chittagong

England cricketers, led by Test captain Alastair Cook, make their way to the team hotel yesterday

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Proud new father Alastair Cook will become England’s most capped Test cricketer tomorrow when he leads his country into battle against Bangladesh, only days after attending his daughter’s birth back home. Cook, widely tipped eventually to become Test cricket’s highest run-scorer, will win his 134th cap at the start in Chittagong of a twomatch series in which England will hope to maintain a perfect Test record against the hosts. Along with Australia, England are one of only two teams to have won all of their Test matches against Bangladesh since the former East Pakistan joined cricket’s top table 16 years ago. And after an impressive victory in the preceding one-day series, England will fancy their chances of extending that 100 percent record with the likes of Cook and fast bowler Stuart Broad back in the mix. Cook, who no longer plays ODI cricket, had been acclimatising with his teammates in Bangladesh before flying home last week for the birth of his second daughter. After arriving back in Bangladesh Monday, Cook took part in nets yesterday and then spoke of his pride at becoming a father again as well as his mixed emotions at returning to the fray so soon. The 31-year-old’s last outing in the sub-continent saw him lead England to an outstanding series win over India in 2012, while he scored 173 on his only previous Test in Chittagong in 2010. That series saw Cook captain

England for the first time before he took over full-time from Andrew Strauss. Cook, who will overtake Alec Stewart at the top of the list of Test appearances, could well be joined at the top of the order by a debutant after Ben Duckett and Haseeb Hameed both made strong cases for a call-up. His most recent opening partner Alex Hales has decided to sit out the tour for security reasons, following the lead set by England’s limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan. The 22-year-old Duckett in particular has impressed in the buildup to the series and will most likely get the call after notching up his fourth half century in the last five innings in the final warm-up match. But he will be vying for a place with 19-year-old Hameed, who has been dubbed “Baby Boycott” for an obdurate style that has evoked memories of the legendary Geoffrey Boycott. At the other end of the age scale, the 39-year-old spinner Gareth Batty could also find himself back in the starting XI more than 11 years after the last of his seven Tests. The veteran Surrey offbreak bowler is widely expected to be picked along with leg-spinner Adil Rashid and all-rounder Moeen Ali, to give England three spinning options. Bangladesh have picked four spinners and just two seamers in their 14-man squad as they try and overcome the loss of their star pace bowler Mustafizur Rahman, who is recuperating from surgery on his shoulder. l

Babu flouts BFF rules Sk Russel return to winning ways n Tribune Report

It has been two matches in a row in the Bangladesh Premier League that Mohammedan Sporting Club played without their head coach Josim Uddin Ahmed Josi. In his absence, manager Amirul Islam Babu was seen in the dugout doing the job of the head coach without having any playing or professional coaching experience before. Babu, also an executive committee member of the Bangladesh Football Federation, was also found to have breached the federation’s bylaws on several occasions in matchdays, including bringing in his son to the dug-out during the game against Uttar Baridhara yesterday. According to the BFF’s by-laws 10.1, “Only seven officials and nine substitute players among the registered nine officials and 35 players are allowed to sit on the substitute bench.”

Match commissioner SK Badruddin was informed about the situation following which Babu’s son was taken out of the technical area. According to by-laws 10.3, “All officials and players on the team bench must wear their accreditation card at all times.” But Babu was not seen wearing the card for a single time during the game. He also didn’t follow the Asian Football Confederation’s Equipment Regulations properly as well. There was also another rule in the by-laws 10.1 that states, “Registration of the following two officials in each match-day is mandatory: 1. Team Manager 2. Head Coach.” It has been two matches Mohammedan played without registering a head coach in their team list. The reality of the Black and Whites’ performance throughout the season is also a reflection of their non-professional activity in the technical area.l

n Tribune Report

Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra returned to winning ways after handing defending champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club their second consecutive defeat in the Bangladesh Premier League, courtesy a narrow 1-0 win, at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. It was Sheikh Russel’s second victory out of 11 matches as they got out of the relegation zone after the end of the first league phase. The result also put Uttar Baridhara at the bottom. On the other hand, Sheikh Jamal ended the half-way campaign at fourth place earning 19 points. Defender Nasirul Islam Nasir put Sheikh Russel ahead in the 16th minute. After collecting a through pass from Jamal Bhuiyan, Nasir sent the ball home between the legs of goalkeeper Mazharul Islam Hemel.

RESULTS Sk Russel

1-0

Sk Jamal

1-0

Mohammedan

Nasir 16

Baridhara Sabuj 84 - P

Sheikh Jamal went close to equalising when Anisur Rahman Sweet hit the sidepost at the hourmark. Sheikh Russel custodian Ziaur Rahman made a brilliant save in the 41st minute, fisting away a powerful Sarwar Zaman strike following a Linkon cross. Meanwhile, after a run of eight

straight defeats, Uttar Baridhara finally won as they edged past Mohammedan Sporting Club 1-0 in the first game of the day at the same venue. A late winner by Khalekuzzaman Sabuj meant that Uttar Baridhara registered their second victory of the league in their last match of the first phase after the newly-promoted club beat Sheikh Russel in their opening game of the league this season. In between, they lost all nine matches. In contrast, Mohammedan are third from bottom. The Black and Whites created their first real chance in the 34th minute when Cameroonian midfielder Nzekou Patrice’s shot was blocked by a Uttar Baridhara defender. Uttar Baridhara midfielder Sentu Chandra Sen had a glorious chance to take the lead in the 56th minute when he failed to shoot in front of an empty net. l

Sport

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Old boys accept Mourinho tactics n Reuters Former Manchester United players have queued up to pass judgment on their old team under Jose Mourinho, whose negative game plan in a disappointing 0-0 draw at Liverpool on Monday sparked a lively debate over the club’s direction. While Gary Neville predicted that United would not win the league this season, Ryan Giggs said he would accept the manner of Monday’s performance in which they had just 35 per cent possession, the lowest in any of their games since statistics were first collected in 2003. Although, bizarrely, Mourinho disputed that figure - insisting United had in fact enjoyed 42 per cent possession at Anfield - he also said it reflected his masterplan to control the game. Mourinho may find it harder to explain away another new low, however, because United’s tally of 14 points from eight games represents the Portuguese coach’s worst start to a campaign in 15 years. That total is also two points worse than United managed under Louis van Gaal at the same stage last year and is probably not what the club had in mind when they spent £145 million on his recommendations in the summer. Another former United player, Ray Wilkins, said the pressure of expectation on Mourinho is relentless. “He has to keep winning while changing the side,” Wilkins told Sky Sports. “It is not always easy when you are trying to establish yourself at a huge club. But he will

Manchester United’s Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea saves from Liverpool’s Brazilian starlet Philippe Coutinho during their Premier League match at Anfield on Monday night REUTERS be delighted by that point.” Mourinho has not been helped by the limited impact made by record signing Paul Pogba, who had another quiet game at Anfield, and Henrikh Mikhitaryan, who once again did not make the team as Mourinho opted for the strength and solidity of Marouane Fellaini. Apart from one half against Leicester City, in which he scored his only goal for United, Pogba has struggled to justify his world-record fee, and Mourinho still seems unsure how to employ him. On Monday it was another United midfielder, Ander Herrera, who

won man of the match for a killjoy performance that saw him prevent a far more talented player, Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho, from exerting more of an influence. That says much about how far United have fallen since the derring-do days of Alex Ferguson, whose attacking intent often led to late United winners in high-profile games. For now, United’s old guard in the media are sticking with the current manager as he seeks to shape his new team. “There is no reason not to trust Jose Mourinho as a Manchester Unitedfan,” said Gary Neville. If he said we won’t win the

title this season, but next, which I think is what he said at Chelsea, I think most United fans would accept that... as long as he does win it next season.” But judgments are increasingly instant in football and, for United, the big games keep coming. On Thursday they play Fenerbahce in the Europa League at Old Trafford, followed by a difficult Premier League trip to Mourinho’s former side, Chelsea, on Sunday. “He will get a rapturous round of applause,” said Wilkins, in reference to the Chelsea supporters. United’s fans might be a little more subdued.l

Jose hails Utd for silencing Anfield n AFP, Liverpool Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho praised his team for subduing Anfield after they held inform Liverpool to a dour 0-0 draw in the Premier League on Monday. “We controlled the game, not just tactically, but the emotion of the game,” Mourinho told Sky Sports. “That was probably the quietest Anfield I had and I was expecting it to be the other way. I think was a positive performance. “The reaction from their crowd was permanent disappointment. People expected us to come here and be really in trouble, which we were not.” He added: “If you analyse the game, you see the reason why we did it, playing (Ashley) Young and (Marouane) Fellaini. “We had control of the game. There were two amazing saves by David de Gea, it’s true, but they were out of context.”l

EPL STANDINGS Team

GP W D L GD PTS

Man City

Arsenal

1 10

Tottenham

5 3 0

Liverpool

5 2

17 16

Chelsea

Everton

4 3

Man United

4 2 2

Southampton 8

3 3 2

Crystal Palace 8

3 2 3

Watford

3 2 3

Misbah, Holder hail competitive D/N Test n AFP, Dubai Rival captains Misbah-ul-Haq and Jason Holder praised the fight till last attitude in the first day-night Test played with Pakistan upstaging West Indies by 56 runs in the final hour on Monday. Misbah said the match was good for Test cricket. “It was a good Test and good for the Test cricket with everything in it,” said Misbah after the victory. “You need Test matches like that and credit to West Indies to put such a fight.” Pakistan had amassed 579-3 declared in their first innings courtesy an epic 302 not out by opener Azhar Ali. West Indies conceded a 222-run first innings lead but hit back hard by dismissing Pakistan for a paltry 123 in their second knock, thanks

to a career best 8-49 by leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo. “West Indies batsmen showed good resilience and credit must be given to them,” said Misbah of the rival team who batted for 109 overs on a last day Dubai stadium pitch. This was the longest batting by a West Indies team in the fourth innings of a Test since their 105.1 over innings against India in Kolkata in 1978. Misbah admitted he was nervous and worried, with just 100 needed and Bravo at the crease. l

BRIEF SCORE PAKISTAN 579/3d (Azhar 302*, Sami 90, Babar 69) & 123 (Sami 44, Babar 21, Bishoo 8/49) beat WEST INDIES 357 (Bravo 87, Samuels 87, Yasir 5/121) & 289 (Bravo 116, Holder 40*, Amir 3/63) by 56 runs

Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq jumps after the successful run out of West Indies batsman Miguel Cummins as Yasir Shah celebrates on the final day of their first day-night Test at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Monday AFP

Sport

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

‘Summer to make or break Smith’s captaincy’ n AFP, Sydney Australian great Steve Waugh says the summer Test series against South Africa and Pakistan is shaping up as make or break for Steve Smith’s captaincy of the national side. “You always have a honeymoon

period, the first six to 12 months, everything is fantastic. You make all the changes and they work. Then the reality sets in and it’s a bit harder than that,” he told yesterday’s Sydney Morning Herald. “I think losing that series in Sri Lanka probably was a bit of a shock to the system. I thought our field-

Waugh, Gillespie open to chief selector role n Reuters Former Australia cricket captain Steve Waugh and paceman Jason Gillespie have both expressed an interest in succeeding Rodney Marsh as the country’s chairman of selectors. Cricket Australia said last week 68-year-old former Test wicketkeeper Marsh would not be seeking to stay on in the role when his contract expires next year and that Australia would have a new chairman of selectors before the next Ashes series. Australia will host the next Ashes series in 2017-18. Former paceman Gillespie is currently coaching Adelaide Strikers in Australia’s Twenty20 Big Bash League

after spending five years coaching English county side Yorkshire. “There is a national selector’s job up next year and I might put my name up for that,” he told News Ltd. “All I have done the last five years is select teams for Yorkshire. I wouldn’t rule anything out. If there are opportunities I will look at it.” Former Test captain Waugh, who announced his retirement in 2004, said he would be willing to discuss the job if an offer came his way. “I’d listen to it if the opportunity came up, but there are a lot of things you’ve got to throw into the mix and see whether it’s the right time,” Waugh told the Sydney Morning Herald. l

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL TEN 1 12:45PM UEFA Champions League Bayern v PSV

TEN 2 7:30PM UEFA Youth League Barcelona v Man City 12:45PM UEFA Champions League Barcelona v Man City

TEN 3 12:45PM UEFA Champions League Paris SG v Basel

KABADDI

STAR SPORTS 4

Kabaddi World Cup 8:20PM Bangladesh v Argentina 9:40PM Thailand v Japan

ing was very poor, which is unlike Australia, and that sort of set the benchmark for the rest of their cricket.” Waugh said Smith was the type of player who responds when the going gets tough and expects him to be thinking hard about how he will handle the South Africa and

Pakistan challenges. “(Smith) will be having a good look at himself, his captaincy style, which players he wants in the team,” he said. “These six Tests in Australia could well define his captaincy going forward. “I think if they have a good se-

ries in Australia and the team stays stable and they respond to his leadership then it’s great for him. “But if things don’t go well it will be a challenging time for him particularly after the last few losses.” South Africa arrived in Australia yesterday ahead of the first Test. l

Sport

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

Barca sharpen knives on massive Euro night Germany’s Borussia Moenchengladbach. They’ll need to be as Celtic are traditionally beaten by German opponents. André Schubert’s charges come to Celtic Park in desperate need of a win after defeats against City and Barcelona and in poor spirits after missing two penalties in a 0-0 draw with Hamburg on Saturday.

Paris Saint Germain v Basel

As coach of Sevilla last season Unai Emery beat Basel on the way to winning the Europa League. Now his current charges, French champions Paris Saint-Germain, host them in confident mood thanks to Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani - enjoying a purple patch of 15 goals in his last 11 games - and Brazilian playmaker Lucas. Both scored in a weekend win. Basel’s Iceland midfielder Birkir Bjarnason scored in his last match in Paris, albeit in a 5-2 defeat at the Stade de France against hosts France in the quarter-finals of the Euros. The Swiss champions warmed up with a 3-0 win over Luzern and can welcome back players whose legs were saved at the weekend.

Rostov v Atletico Madrid

Arsenal v Ludogorets Razgrad

Arsenal look a solid bet to continue their Champions League unbeaten start when they host Bulgarian outfit Ludogorets Razgrad. The Gunners were unfortunate not to win in Paris before form striker Theo Walcott scored a brace to beat Basel. Walcott scored twice again this weekend as a gritty Arsenal dug in for a 10-man 3-2 win over Swansea that saw them climb level with Man City at the top of the Premier League. One note of caution for the hosts is that Ludogorets took the lead in both their games, a 1-1 draw with the Swiss and a 3-1 home defeat by PSG. The Bulgarian champions are also on a seven game unbeaten run away from home.

Napoli v Besiktas

Napoli will become the first team to qualify for the last 16 if they

Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez attend a training session yesterday in Barcelona notch up their third straight win and Dynamo Kiev draw with Benfica. A superb opening 4-2 win over Benfica followed by a 2-1 defeat of Dynamo in Ukraine left coach Maurizio Sarri’s side coasting towards the knockout stages. Arkaduisz Milik, signed as a replacement for striker Gonzalo Higuain, has scored three goals in the competition for Napoli but is out for months with a knee injury. The Serie A side lost to Roma on Saturday, leaving them seven points off the league leaders Juventus. Besiktas, back in the competition for the first time since 2009/2010, were buoyed by a

1-0 win at Kayserispor to maintain their best domestic start in five seasons. Besiktas midfielder Gokhan Inler plans not to celebrate if he scores against his former club.

Barcelona v Manchester City

Pep Guardiola’s return to Barcelona, the club where he won the Champions League as both player and coach (twice) makes this game the tie of the season so far. Barcelona have won 12 straight Champions League games at home and with Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are all primed to play. Crucially for City playmaker Kevin de Bruyne

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola with Kevin De Bruyne during training in Manchester yesterday REUTERS

Guardiola’s emotional return n Reuters, Barcelona

Pep Guardiola’s formidable managerial skills will be put to the test again when his stuttering Manchester City side visit his former club Barcelona in a top-of-the-bill Champions League clash today. Former Barca captain Guardiola, the Catalan club’s most decorated coach with

14 trophies in a scintillating four-year spell, is set for his latest emotional return to the Nou Camp. He has been there as a visiting coach before when his Bayern Munich side lost 3-0 in a Champions League semi-final last year and now he faces an equally daunting task with City. Guardiola’s brilliant start in England which saw him

oversee 10 consecutive wins in all competitions has given way to a run of three games without victory, the latest seeing City miss two penalties in a 1-1 draw at home to Everton on Saturday. The Premier League leaders trail Group C pacesetters Barca by two points following a thrilling 3-3 draw at Celtic in their last Champions League outing. l

REUTERS

and Sergio Aguero will be at full fitness too after two draws and a defeat in the last three games. Captain Vincent Kompany also looks set for a start. Gerard Pique, in the news this week for his controversial role in Spain’s outfit and his ambitions to be Barcelona president, has also scored three goals in the last three games. Guardiola’s men drew with Everton at the weekend.

Celtic v Moenchengladbach

Celtic’s raucous fans carried the Hoops to a wild 3-3 draw with Pep Guardiola’s Man City last time out and will be a bankable asset against

Russia’s Rostov are seeking to build on their plucky home Champions League debut 2-2 draw against PSV after an opening 5-0 thumping by Bayern Munich. Rostov will be hoping for no repeat of the banana throwing incident that marred the PSV stalemate. They were beaten by Spartak Moscow in the domestic league on Saturday with red cards dished out to two of their players. The Russians are up against it after last season’s finalists Atletico sparkled in a 1-0 defeat of Bayern Munich. It lifted Diego Simeone’s impressive side into the group lead. A 7-1 humbling of Granada in La Liga means they travel to Russia in confident mood.

Bayern Munich v PSV Eindhoven

Bayern host PSV with Carlo Ancelotti slamming their “bad attitude” in Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Eintracht Frankfurt and club chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge describing the performance as “unacceptable”. They need a win to steady the ship after a last time out loss to Atletico Madrid left them in second, three points off the Spanish pacesetters. Franck Ribery misses the match with a leg injury. A win will be Bayern’s first in their last four outings.l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Arab coasting vessel (4) 6 By way of (3) 7 Long detailed story (4) 9 Enemies (4) 10 Strength (5) 11 Of the kidneys (5) 12 Finish (3) 14 Subject of discourse (5) 17 Henhouse (5) 20 Lyric poem (3) 21 Faithful (5) 23 Conductor's wand (5) 25 Band's engagements (4) 26 Mine entrance (4) 27 Acceptance (3) 28 Given shoes (4)

DOWN 1 Be unlike (6) 2 Carry too far (6) 3 Sagacious (4) 4 Jurisprudence (3) 5 Spoil (3) 7 Alone (4) 8 Icy cold (5) 10 Light blow (3) 13 Wanderer (5) 15 Language (6) 16 Stopped (6) 18 Narrow opening (4) 19 Weight (3) 22 Matures (4) 23 Sporting item (3) 24 Gratuity (3)

Downtime

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 17 represents C so fill C every time the figure 17 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

Showtime

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

DiCaprio to produce Captain Planet movie n Showtime Desk Apparently, Leonardo DiCaprio is ardent to see the 1990s cartoon series, Captain Planet, on big screen. Appian Way, the production company of the Oscar winner and environmental advocate, is reportedly teaming up with Paramount to resurrect the blue-skinned hero who struck fear into the hearts of environmental polluters everywhere. Paramount is in talks for the rights to the 1990s cartoon series, and is reportedly eyeing screenwriter Jono Matt and Scream Queens star Glenn Powell to write

the flick, the Hollywood Reporter reported. If everything goes well, DiCaprio will produce the project. The Captain Planet and the Planeteers TV show aired from September 1990 to December 1992, and told the story of five youths from across the globe who were sent magic rings, four of them with the power to control an element of nature and one controlling heart. The movie could be an ideal fit for environmentalist DiCaprio who, through his foundation, which he set up in 1998, has pledged millions to environmental groups over the years. l

World premiere of Bangladeshi short film in Brazil

n Showtime Desk Bangladeshi short film 20 Continuous Shots Followed by Siddharth, written and directed by Abid Hossain Khan, and produced by Khona Talkies, has been selected for the International Competition of the 26th edition of Curta Cinema Festival, one of the top film festivals of the world solely dedicated to short films. The film will have its world premiere at the festival.

Also known as Rio de Janeiro International Short Film Festival,

the Curta Cinema Festival will be held from November 3 to 9, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Abid Hossain Khan’s debut short film, 20 Continuous Shots Followed by Siddharth, is an experimental film about a young man named Siddhartha, who starts living in a slum finding the meaning of his existence in life. He sees the grey livelihood flowing like a sewer, juxtaposed with sounds of newsreel commentary, political speech, religious sermon, etc while those sounds seem more visible in 20 repeated and morbid shots followed by Siddhartha. Abid Hossain Khan acted as the main protagonist of the film. Mohammad Raju is the editor and Dibbyo Samadder is the director of photography. Furthermore, Abid has just finished shooting his second short film produced by Khona Talkies.. l

Ash-Ranbir’s romance censored

n Showtime Desk After getting into the Indo-Pak controversy, where a political outfit demanded a ban on one of the film’s actors Fawad Khan, it’s now the Pahlaj Nihalani-led CBFC’s (popularly called as the Censor Board) turn to trample over Johar’s romantic drama, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. According to a report, the intimate scenes between Ranbir Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s characters have been snipped off by the Board. A glimpse of the couple’s sensual chemistry could be seen in the ‘Bulleya’ song, but it seems that viewers won’t get to see any of it, once the film opens in

theatres on October 28. A source was quoted that Karan Johar wanted to make sure not a single moment was tampered with. However, the Censor Board members, while appreciating the film’s mature theme and high level of aesthetics, objected to some steamy moments between Aishwarya and Ranbir Kapoor. The source further told the paper that Johar put up a tough fight but the CBFC members would have none of it. Finally, the director relented and agreed

to delete 3 intimate scenes between Ranbir and Aishwarya, one of which is the same as shown in the trailer. Johar did have the option to go to the Revising Committee, which may have passed the film without any cuts, but from what it appears, he chose not to do so.l

CheckMate:

No one has to fight breast cancer alone

Showtime

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

WHAT TO WATCH

Colours FM joins the fight

nShowtime Desk LOOK for changes. Is there any change in shape or texture? TOUCH your breasts. Can you feel anything unusual? CHECK anything unusual with your doctor October is regarded as the Breast Cancer Awareness month, marked in countries across the world, it helps to increase attention and support for cancer awareness, early detection, and treatment, as well as palliative care of this disease. In Bangladesh, Colours FM 101.6 in association with Bangladesh Cancer Society, initiated a social media campaign named CheckMate. Breast cancer is a group of cancer cells (malignant tumour) that starts in the cells of breasts. Currently, there is not sufficient knowledge on the causes of breast cancer; therefore, early detection of the disease remains the cornerstone of breast cancer control. When breast cancer is detected early, and if adequate diagnosis and treatment are

available, there is a good chance that breast cancer can be cured. If detected late, however, curative treatment is often no longer an option. In such cases, palliative care to relief the suffering of patients and their families is needed. Through the CheckMate campaign, the concerns are trying to create awareness not only amongst women, but also men. Where we can see Nayla Nayeem call upon the curiosity of the male populace on Facebook, by declaring that she’s about to reveal something. Therefore, spreading speculations all over

the social media like wildfire with the anticipation of something erotic is going to happen. With hundreds and thousands of pairs of eyes waiting for the day, she reveals and explains the symptoms of breast cancer and the ways to spot them in three simple steps, “Look, Touch, and Check” – encouraging everyone to be aware, especially men to be aware and supportive of their mates. The majority of deaths (269,000) occur in low and middle income countries, where most women with breast cancer are diagnosed in later stages,

Shahtaj to feature in a TV drama serial nShowtime Desk Actress and singer, Shahtaj Monia Hashem has recently engaged herself for the first time in a TV drama serial. The drama serial titled, Hing Ting Chhot is currently being filmed at Pattaya, Thailand. Talking about working in a TV drama serial for the first time, Shahtaj said, “Not feeling extraordinary even though its my first drama serial. However, I am not sure whether I’ll be working in more drama serials in the future.”

Shahtaj, who started her career with the Banglalink TVC Call Drop and Alpenliebe Juzt Jelly, will be seen portraying a character named Hiya in the drama. Written and directed by Razibul Islam Razib, the cast of the drama serial is a mingle of experienced and young actors including Tariq Anam Khan, Tania Ahmed, Sazu Khadem, Farhana Mili, Tausif Mahbub, Shabnam Faria, Siam Ahmed, Lutfunnahar Asha and Arfan Ahmed. l

mainly due to lack of awareness of early detection and barriers to health services. In Bangladesh, the number is shockingly around 20,000 every year. It is no secret that discussions on this issue in Bangladesh are still vastly considered as taboo among many people. However, early warning signs of breast cancer may involve the discovery of a new lump or a change in the breast tissue or skin. Women should perform a self breastexam each month, and any changes or abnormalities should be discussed with a doctor or physician.l

Kingsman: The Secret Service Star Movies 9:30pm A spy organisation recruits an unrefined, but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program, just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius. Cast: Colin Firth, Taron Egerton, Samuel L Jackson Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation HBO 9:30pm Ethan and team take on their most impossible mission yet, eradicating the Syndicate – an International rogue organisation as highly skilled as they are, committed to destrpying the IMF. Cast: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Jeremy Renner Valkyrie WB 7:00pm A dramatisation of the July 20 assassination and political coup plot by desperate renegade German army officers against Hitler during World War II Cast: Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Carice van Houten

Thor 2: The Dark World Zee Studio 9:30pm When Dr Jane Foster gets cursed with a powerful entity known as the Aether, Thor is heralded of the cosmic event known as the Convergence and the genocidal Dark Elves. Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Tom Hiddleston

Back Page

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19, 2016

PLAN TO BORROW FROM FOREX RESERVES PAGE 12

BD TRYING HARD TO PREPARE PAGE 24

DICAPRIO TO PRODUCE CAPTAIN PLANET MOVIE PAGE 30

Sheikh Russel’s 52nd birth anniversary celebrated n Tribune Desk The 52nd birth anniversary of Sheikh Russel, the youngest son of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was observed yesterday. On October 18, 1964, Sheikh Russell was born at the family’s historic residence in Dhanmondi Road 32, now converted into a museum. It was there also that Sheikh Russel was killed along with most of his family members on August 15, 1975 when he was a fourth grader at University Laboratory School. Awami League and its associated bodies observed the day through various programmes, reports UNB. The ruling party leaders placed floral wreaths at his grave at Banani graveyard in the morning. Sheikh Russel Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad organised a discussion programme at the Krishibid Institution auditorium marking the birth anniversary, where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was present as chief guest. At the programme, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked all children of the country to attentively pursue their studies to make them worthy citizens required for a competitive future world, reports BSS. “You are the future leader of the country and you have to keep pace with the world. So you have to be attentive to your studies and to be prepared with modern science and technology-based education to take forward the nation,” she said. The PM also distributed prizes among winners of different sports and cultural competitions arranged on the occasion and later enjoyed a cultural programme performed by members of the parishad. l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina poses for a photo with children at the end of a discussion programme organised by Sheikh Russell Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad at the Krishibid Institution auditorium yesterday marking the 52nd birth anniversary of Sheikh Russel BSS

Robi-Airtel merger gets final nod from BTRC n Ishtiaq Husain Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has given the go-ahead to the long-awaited merger of mobile phone operators Robi Axiata Ltd and Airtel Bangladesh Ltd. The merger, first of its kind in Bangladesh, was approved at a regular meeting of the telecommunication regulator yesterday. Now the two companies will run as a single entity under the name Robi, with the second largest subscriber base in Bangladesh, sources told the Dhaka Tribune. Robi Axiata currently has over 26 million subscribers while Airtel has nearly 10 million, according to

BTRC data. Welcoming the merger approval, BTRC Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood said the merger would bring a positive change for the industry. The management of Robi hopes that the merger will be complete by the end of this year. Earlier on August 31, the High Court approved the amalgamation of the two mobile phone giants. Following the High Court’s approval, Robi Axiata’s Chief Corporate and People Officer Matiul Nowshad said: “This approval strengthens our ability to contribute to the process of realising the government’s vision of Digital Bangladesh at a much greater

scale. As a customer-centric company, we are excited by the prospect of serving a larger subscriber base with vastly enhanced network capacity.” The merger was signed by Malaysia-based Axiata Group Berhad and India-based Bharti Airtel Ltd in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in January. At the end of last year, the two operators applied to the BTRC to merge their companies in Bangladesh. Upon completion of the merger process, Robi Axiata Ltd will hold 68.3% controlling stake in the company while Airtel’s parent company Bharti Airtel will hold 25% stake. The remaining 6.7% stake will be

held by NTT Docomo of Japan, another shareholder of Robi Axiata. Robi and Airtel will have to fulfil some conditions mandated by the High Court as well as the conditions precedent defined in the merger agreement. After the merger, Robi will have to pay the government a merger fee of Tk100 crore and the spectrum fee of Tk507 crore. Apart from the merger fee, the Post and Telecommunication Division has also fixed the 2G spectrum fee at Tk33.8 crore per megahertz, a BTRC official said. The merger and spectrum fees were finalised at an inter-ministerial meeting chaired by Finance Minister AMA Muhith on July 13. l

WB president lauds BD’s achievements n Anisur Swapan, Barisal World Bank President Jim Yong Kim hailed the development of Bangladesh in poverty alleviation and women empowerment during his short visit to Barisal yesterday. Kim said as people of Bangladesh were hard-working, they never fell behind. He went Barisal to visit the WB

funded project in Rakundia village of Babuganj upazila and Bharshakathi village of Wazirpur upazila. The project named Notun Jibon (new life) began in 2012 under the supervision of Social Development Foundation (SDF), an autonomous and not-for-profit organization by the government under the Ministry of Finance, aiming to alleviate poverty of local women and lift

their standard of living. Kim expressed his satisfaction over the success of the project after talking to some women of Rakundia Gram Samity (Rakundia village association), who were benefitted from the project. Kim said Bangladesh would get more investment assistance from the WB. Later, He visited Bharshakathi Primary School and cyclone centre

at Uzirpur and also planted a coconut sapling on its premises. SDF Chairman NI Chowdhury and the project officials accompanied Kim. Meanwhile, our correspondent talked to Sheuli Begum, a beneficiary of the project at Rakundia village, about the visit of Kim. Sheuli said: “I am very happy that the World Bank president has

visited my home and talked to me.” Sheuli is doing well now with her three children. Her eldest son works at a factory, while the other reads in class eight. Her daughter is a student of class four. When Kim asked her whether she would arrange her daughter’s marriage at the age of 15, she asserted that she would never do it. l

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