Saturday, January 28, 2017

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017 | Magh 15, 1423, Rabiul Saani 29, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 271 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages plus 8-page sports supplement | Price: Tk10

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Padma Bridge work progresses satisfactorily

VOL1, ISSUE 1 | SatUrday, JanUary 28, 2017

Sports Tribune

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Ask your hawker for the first issue of our Sports supplement

Dog lovers take to streets against culling › 4

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Padma Bridge work progresses satisfactorily n Shohel Mamun As a top priority project of the government, the construction work of 6.15km long Padma Multipurpose Bridge is moving in full swing to connect 19 southern districts of Bangladesh with capital Dhaka through road and railway by December 2018.

The process of assembling the superstructure of the mega project began as scheduled, taking another step forward towards its successful construction by the deadline.

With test piling nearing to an end, the piling of the bridge has already started in a number of spots, sources said.

To date, around 39% construction of the bridge has been completed, including approach roads, service area and toll plaza.

“We hope to get done with the construction the bridge by 2018 since the work is going on in full swing. However, we may take a little more time since we had to face some challenges during the outset of the construction due to heavy current in the river,” said Shafiqul Islam, project director of Padma bridge.

During a recent visit to the project site, it was found that piling was being done through huge floating cranes and electric hammers.

A number of workers were filling geo-bags with sand to dump those into the river.

Two plants were set up manufacturing concrete blocks and geobags.

“As many as 13,301,248 geobags have been manufactured with 2,127,500 concrete blocks being produced to fit on the river bank to resist erosion,” said a project official.

Some machines meant for the piling work were noticed to be out of order, which the authorities then said would be replaced in a short time.

“It will need a couple of months more to replace the faulty machines and this is why the project was facing delay in construction,” said an official.

However, Dewan Abdul Kader, executive engineer of the project, claimed that the replacement issue would not cause any hassle to the progress of the construction.

“We have four pile producing machines. One of those which is not working will be replaced by one from China in two months,” he said, adding, a hammer would be imported from Denmark some time soon to replace a faulty one.

Development of main bridge The construction embodies six components significantly including the development of the main bridge, which had begun on November 14, 2014 under the Chinese construction company China Ma-

Massive cranes can be seen stationed at a juncture of the Padma Multipurpose Bridge. 39% of the construction work has already been completed jor Bridge Engineering (CMBE) Ltd with a cost of Tk12,136 crore aiming at finishing the work within 48 months.

As per the latest development, around 33% of work of the component was completed in 25 months.

The main bridge will stand on 41 spans of 150-metre length each.

While visiting the construction yard at Mawa end, it was seen that workers were busy assembling the super-structure imported from China.

Kader said: “Two ship carrying truss No 1, 2 and 3, each with the length of 150 metres, arrived at Mawa construction yard recently, and the truss No 1 has already been assembled. Another ship with a fourth truss has arrived at Mongla Port from China.”

Some 268 piles are required to construct the base of the bridge while warren truss will be installed to carry concrete on the upper deck of the bridge as superstructure.

“Test piling is almost complete with main piling already going on.

But, it becomes difficult to do piling accordingly since it takes up to 128 metres where the estimated depths for the area near the bank and in the centre of the river are 117 metres and 101 metres each,” said Kader.

Development of river training

The progress of river training work is slower than that of the main bridge since it witnessed 26% com-

pletion so far.

“The Padma has huge current like the Amazon River. So, training the river is way too tough, which is a major cause of slow progress in the overall project,” said the engineer.

In order to do the river train-

ing, the government has inked a Tk8,707 crore deal with another Chinese company called Synohidro Ltd. Mobilisation of drilling rig and associated equipment and procurement of materials are going on in this regard which needs the riv-

RAJIB DHAR

er to be dredged on its banks along around 14.5km stretch with 50 million cubic metre of sand lifted.

The bridge would increase the gross domestic product (GDP) growth by 1.2% while poverty rate may drop by 0.84% annually after the bridge is opened to public. l

Will Padma Bridge be completed by deadline? n Shohel Mamun The government is giving highest priority to construct the much-hyped 6.15km-long Padma Multipurpose Bridge by the deadline in December 2018.

But, is it possible to complete the fast-track project within the time mentioned?

Most of the mega projects including Dhaka-Chittagong and Dhaka-Mymensingh four-lane upgrade projects missing several deadlines in the last couple of years raised eye brows.

However, after 39% completion of the bridge in two years, questions centring the rest of the project being finished pops up.

Amid growing assumptions and predictions, the project officials hint that the deadline may go for an extension.

“We have faced trouble during test piling due to poor soil condition.

According the design, each pier was

needed for six piles, but we had to use up to sixteen piles against a pier,” said Dewan Abdul Kader, executive engineer of the project.

“Test piling begun on March 1, 2015 which was scheduled to complete in a year. The test piling is still going, though we started the main piling in some areas,” he added.

“We have do the work on the basis of the sand condition on the riverbed.

If the condition is bad, we need extra time. We must take the time since to do the work properly. If the base is not well-built, the bridge will not last long.”

The constructed portion of the project covers approach roads, service area and toll plaza, which are easier to construct compared to the main bridge and river training components.

The construction of the main bridge and river training work is in progress amid facing poor soil condition, strong current and erosion threats, though.

“Though we hope to complete the project by the deadline, the construc-

tion, which is going on in full swing, may be delayed due to some natural causes,” said Shafiqul Islam, who is the project director.

According to the latest plan, around 64% of work will complete by this June 2017 with the construction reaching 89% by the 2017-18 fiscal year, thus, ending at the following one.

Hence, the construction will also continue in the year 2019, meaning that it will still take a lot more time to finish fast and last.

Moreover, the 12-km approach road which will connect the bridge between Mawa and Janjira has already completed. But, there may be further delay since the work for connecting the bridge though the Padma rail link project started recently, following land acquisition.

However, the Railway Minister Mujibul Haque, of late, said: “We expected that Padma bridge along with railway connectivity will be inaugurated within the scheduled time.” l

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

‘Sincerity needed in fulfilling commitments to indigenous people’ n Adil Sakhawat The complicated relationship between the indigenous population and the government was discussed at length yesterday at the inaugural ceremony of Indigenous Cultural Programmes at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University.

President of Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, popularly known as Santu Larma spoke about the cultural, economic and political repression and discrimination the indigenous population is subjected to: “The people from at least 54 indigenous communities living in Bangladesh cannot achieve self determination or fully assimilate into society without having their identity being accepted.”

The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) elaborates the complex legal language used to define the indigenous population in Bangladesh as the government of Bangladesh does not recognize indigenous peoples as “indigenous.” The Small Ethnic Groups Cultural Institution Act 2010 uses the term “khudro nrigoshthi” (small ethnic groups) to refer to the indigenous peoples.

However, in the definitions sec-

tion, when explaining the meaning of the term “khudro nrigoshthi,” it uses the term “adibashi,” the Bengali equivalent of indigenous. A 2011 amendment to the Constitution refers to the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh as “tribes,” “minor races” and “ethnic sects and communities.”

Chief guest of the two-day programme, Cultural Minister Asaduzzaman Noor, said: “Bangladesh is historically an ethnically diverse country and there is a long standing tradition of multiculturalism here.”

He also said the government needs to be sincere in fulfilling their commitments towards the indigenous population.

PCJSS military arm, the Shanti Bahini fought government forces in the Hill Tracts until a peace accord was signed in 1997 with the Awami League government, leading to the disarmament of the Shanti Bahini and enabling the PCJSS to return to mainstream politics.

Santu Larma, who surrendered arms to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 1997 prior to signing the accord, said: “We, the indigenous people, can never achieve our rights until Bangladesh gets a people-oriented and non-communal government.”

A group from Santal community performs dance during Adivasi Sangskriti Utsab held at Charukala Bakultala in Dhaka University yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN Minister Noor said his ministry is opening a number of cultural centres for indigenous people in different parts of Bangladesh: “We want to preserve and promote their culture to the whole country and the world.”

To which Santu Larma asked how can such economically marginalised people survive to present

BNP: Some EC search panel members loyal to government n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The proposals put forward by BNP and many other political parties have been ignored in forming the search committee that will reconstitute the Election Commission (EC), BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told a press briefing yesterday.

The committee would not be able to recommend qualified people as some of its members are loyal to the government and Awami League, he said in reaction to the search panel at the press briefing at BNP’s Nayapaltan headquarters in Dhaka.

President Abdul Hamid formed the committee on Wednesday.

The six-member panel comprises Appellate Division Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain as convener, High Court Division Justice Obaidul Hassan, Public Service Commission Chairman Muhammed Sadique, Comptroller and Auditor General Masud Ahmed, Transparency International Bangladesh Trustee Board member Prof Syed Manzoorul Islam, and Chittagong University Provice Chancellor Shireen Akhter.

Justice Mahmud headed the 2012 research committee that recommended members for the incumbent EC, led by Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, which drew a lot of flak over how it conducted polls during its four-year tenure.

“The people hoped the search committee... would be formed with non-partisan, neutral and undisputed persons but the expectation was not fulfilled,” said Fakhrul.

BNP in its previously announced 13-point proposal for the new EC, demanded the search committee be led by a retired chief justice and other members include a retired appellate division judge, a retired secretary, an educationist or a non-partisan civil society member, and a female representative.

BNP’s doubts

“Selection of the new search committee’s convener, who led the 2012 committee, indicates that the government wants an unqualified, controversial EC again,” the BNP secretary general alleged.

About Obaidul Hassan, Fakhrul said he was a former leader of pro-

AL’s student front Bangladesh Chhatra League and claimed that he was popularly known as a pro-AL practitioner in his law profession.

He went on to say: “His [Obaidul’s] father Akhlakur Rahman was elected a member of the Awami League’s provincial council in 1970. His younger brother is now working as a personal secretary to the prime minister.”

Fakhrul said: “The committee’s female member [Shireen Akhter] was elected a member of Chittagong University Teachers’ Association in 2014 from the AL-backed teachers’ panel. She was also a leader of Cox’s Bazar Mohila Awami League. So she can no way be impartial.

“Her father was the founder of Cox’s Bazar district Awami League.”

“So, expecting the search committee to select non-partisan, neutral, honest and courageous people for the next EC will be tantamount to insanity,” he said.

Replying to reporters’ queries, he said they would neither reject nor accept the search committee.

He also said his party would not seek a review of it either. l

their culture without constitutional and political rights.

A large portion of the Peace Accord had yet to be implemented making the situation very tense with the government.

The minister expressed his support at the event say: “We know the indigenous population has suffered

a great deal but mutual cooperation can better this predicament.

No country can fully develop by neglecting a section of it’s society.”

IWGIA estimates there are 3 million indigenous people from at least 54 different ethnic groups speaking 35 different languages in Bangladesh. l

ATN News files complaint against police n Arifur Rahman Rabbi A complaint has been filed with Shahbagh police regarding the police assault on two journalists of private television channel ATN News during the eight-hour hartal at Shahbagh on Thursday.

ATN News Deputy Manager Mosharraf Alam Siddique filed the complaint hours after the vicious assault that triggered outrage among journalists.

The organisation’s Editor (Input) Shahidul Azam confirmed the matter to the Dhaka Tribune.

Shahbagh police OC Abu Bakkar Siddique told the Dhaka Tribune that police received the complaint and filed it as a general diary last night.

The OC said the complaint was made specifically against ASI Eershad Mondol, constables Sabuj Khan, Moklesur Rahman, Hossain Kabir and another 10 or 12 unidentified police members.

“Due to some rules and regulations, we could not file a case directly. So we filed it as GD and are investigating the matter,” said the OC.

Demonstrators and supporters of the eight-hour hartal against the Rampal project also vehemently condemned the police brutality.

Images of the assault flooded social media platforms, triggering an outpouring of anger and censure toward the police.

After a primary investigation, the authorities suspended ASI Ershad Mondol and identified 10-12 other suspects, including constables Mokhlesur Rahman, Hossain Kabir and Sabuj Khan, for their involvement in the incident.

DMP Ramna division Deputy Commissioner Maruf Hossain Sardar told the Dhaka Tribune that they have already formed a probe committee to investigate the matter and they have been asked to submit a report to him.

“I have written to the deputy commissioners of the Public Order Management and have asked them to take action regarding the complaint,” said the DC. Meanwhile, journalists are planning to hold a protest rally and form a human chain at Shahbagh today in protest of the police attack on the two ATN News journalists. l

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Dog lovers take to streets against culling n SM Najmus Sakib Hundreds of animal lovers yesterday formed a human chain in the capital protesting the recent culling of street dogs by Chittagong City Corporation and demanding immediate end to such inhuman practice.

The hour-long programme at Saarc Foara on Kazi Nazrul Islam road in the capital was jointly organised by three animal welfare organisations, under the banner of “All Organisations of Animal Welfare and Responsive Citizens.”

Citing a High Court (HC) rule delivered in 2014 banning dog culling,

The HC rule delivered in 2014 clearly states that unnecessary killing or injuring of an animal in brutal way are punishable Carrying banners, festoons and placards – with various slogans like “Shame against dog culling in Ctg”, “Dogs are Allah’s creation, don’t hurt them”, or “Culling dogs ignoring court order is contempt of court”, or “Don’t kill animals, the country is also for them” – participants of the human chain chanted slogans demanding immediate end to the dog culling by the CCC in and around the port city.

Rakibul Hoque Amil, coordinator of the human chain, told the Dhaka tribune: “The HC rule delivered in 2014 clearly states that “unnecessary killing or injuring of an animal in brutal way are punishable”.

The protestors raised three demands to meet shortly from the human chain which are immediate end to the ongoing dog culling across the country; modifying the brutality towards animal law of

1920 in accordance with contemporary demands; and introducing anti-rabies vaccine to tackle dog bites and using modern technology instead of culling to control dog reproduction.

Rakibul said: “From January 23, the CCC launched a dog culling drive killing hundreds of dogs including pregnant ones and puppies, and dumped the bodies in dustbins which is unlawful and inhuman.

A number of CCC councillors, on condition of anonymity, reportedly said that the corporation cannot kill dogs openly due to the HC ban; but the process is going on secretly in different areas as the residents in those areas demanded that they do so.

“People in many areas always complain about the street dogs as those bite people on their way to offer Fajr prayers in mosques,” said a councillor, adding, “Students cannot go to schools fearing dogs.”

Obhoyaronno-Bangladesh Animal Welfare Foundation in 2014 filed a writ petition with the HC, which later issued a rule banning dog culling. l

Animal lovers form a human chain on the capital’s Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue yesterday protesting the secret large-scale culling of stray dogs by Chittagong City Corporation in the port city SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Deadly blast in Chittagong flat leaves 2 in critical condition Hussain and FM Mizanur n Anwar Rahaman, Chittagong Three people suffered severe burns in a deadly gas explosion in a residential building in Chittagong early yesterday.

The fire service officials could not immediately ascertain the reason behind the blast in the Dewan Bazar area, however, police said it was caused by overnight gas accumulation from the burner.

The injured Arif, 27, his sister Tanima Afrin Ifty, 16 and their grandmother Chhamuda Khatun, 60, were whisked off to the Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH).

Fokhrun Nesa, the on-duty doctor of the Burn Unit of the CMCH told the Dhaka Tribune that both the granddaughter and the grandmother were in critical condition, sustaining third degree burns all over their body.

“The elderly woman also sustained head injuries as something heavy fell on her head.

The patients could not be shifted to the ICU as no beds were available there, but we are keeping the patients under close observation,” said the physician.

Fire service sources said the fire broke out following an explosion at around 5:17am at flat 301 of the building ‘Madrasa Bhaban’.

Jasim Uddin, deputy assistant director of Chittagong Fire Service and Civil Defense, told the Dhaka Tribune: “On information, four vehicles rushed to the spot and brought

the situation under control at 6:30am. A team from the fire service is investigating the accident and we will prepare a report on our findings.”

Neighbours alleged that the blast could have been from explosive materials.

SM Mostain Hossain, CMP deputy commissioner (south), refuted the claim and told the Dhaka Tribune that experts from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and members from the Bomb Disposal Unit of Chittagong Metropolitan Police jointly conducted an investigation.

“The explosion occurred due to gas accumulating inside the flat. We have talked to Ifty, a resident of the flat, and she said she went to light the burner in the early morning.

“We also discovered the key of the burner open following the accident. All windows and doors of the residential building remained closed and that’s why the accumulated gas could not escape,”the police official said.

“We have not found any evidence to support the claims of explosives. The members of the bomb disposal unit and the CID have collected evidence from the site. If there was any explosive material, the blast would leave clear markers. Moreover, no splinter was found on the injured bodies,” he added.

The six-storey residential building, owned by one Md Saleh, was donated to Madrasa Arabia Khairiya and Orphanage under Islamic law for charitable purposes, known as a waqf estate. l

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

A glimpse into police history n Kamrul Hasan

While the notoriety of criminals lives long in the memory, it is a sad fact that the tireless efforts of the men and women who attempt to catch them often goes unsung.

However, with the opening of the Liberation War Museum of Police, people now have the opportunity to see the glorious history of Bangladeshi law enforcement from its origin up to the end of our war for independence.

The museum will be free to visit for freedom fighters, students in uniform and children under five years of age.

The museum is comprised of three portions, spread out between the basement and the ground floor.

While the basement houses the museum proper, the ground floor includes a corner in honour of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and a library with something in the region of 2,000 books on the liberation war.

The basement is split into six different galleries which are organised chronologically. Through these galleries, visitors can not only learn the origins of the police, but also view various relics from their history.

These relics range from the dif-

An inside view of the recently inaugurated Bangladesh Police Liberation War Museum where weapons, documents and pictures related to police’s role during the war are exhibited. The museum is located at Rajarbagh Police Lines in Dhaka MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

readers during official hours- 10am to 6pm (Summer) or 10am to 5pm (winter) and 3pm to 6pm on Fridays.

The museum will remain closed on Wednesdays.

written by then IGP Abdul Khalek, ordering police to ignore Pakistan’s call to rejoin the force and instead continue the battle for freedom.

In addition, the 3,000 sq-feet library shall remain open to public

ferent uniforms worn by police during British and Pakistani regimes to a number of weapons and equipment that have seen service.

One of the most significant historical artifacts on display is the letter

The museum began its journey on the ground floor of the Police Telecom building beside Rajarbag police lines in 2013, with limited resources.

Later, in 2015, Inspector General of Police (IGP) AKM Shahidul Haque laid the foundation stone for the new museum at the eastern border of the police line, and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the well designed and resourced museum on January 23 of this year.

The musuem is the result of ceaseless effort from police’s Additional Deputy Inspector General (Establishment) and President of the museum founding committee Habibur Rahman, and Assistant Inspector General (AIG -PHQ) Abida Sultana who is secretary general of the committee.

Habibur Rahman said the museum would not be possible without the contribution of the martyred polices’ family members and the supervision of the IGP, adding that it would help the new generation learn history in a more accurate way.

ASP Israt Jahan of PHQ media, told the Dhaka Tribune that police sections had already been informed so that they could provide relics and keep the development of the museum continuous. l

Huge discount brings upsurge in last-hour sales at DITF n Rafikul Islam Thousands of visitors thronged the Dhaka International Trade Fair yesterday, as sellers offered huge discounts in a bid to secure maximum profit at the eleventh hour of the fair.

Exhibitors are eyeing to reach a voluminous sales target thru luring discounts to ensure upsurge in last-minute sales at the monthlong trade exposition at Sher-eBangla Nagar in the capital.

“Highest number of visitors thronged the fair today (Friday).

We are offering maximum discount on our products to boost sales,” said a number of exhibitors at different pavilions and stalls of the fair.

They said lucrative discount offers have achieved their intended goal of bringing huge number of consumers to the fairground to buy their (sellers) products.

Smart Tex Marketing Executive Md Rakibul Islam said: “The response we have got to our 10% to

estimated price of the blazer was Tk3,200.

The furniture brands like Regal, Brothers, Nadia, Hatil, Akthar and Partex are also receiving positive response over their 10%-15% discounts.

According to sellers, plastic products, kitchenware, bikes, electronics, home appliances, aluminum products, melamine products, cosmetics, clothes, and shoes top the list of sales.

Razib Dhar, sales executive of

PRAN, said sales have increased this week comparing to the previous ones. Discounts, cheap price and quality of products have contributed to huge upsurge in last-minute sales.

However, the 22nd edition of the Dhaka International Trade Fair was inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on January 1.

This year a total of 21 countries are participating in the month-long fair organised by Ministry of Commerce. l

A massive crowd queues in front of the DTIF main gate yesterday waiting to enter the premises on the last weekend of the month DHAKA TRIBUNE free. Actually I have come with my friend to visit the fair,” said Hasan Ahmed, a visitor from the capital’s Bokshibazar area.

Blazer and readymade garment stalls are also offering 50% discount, or Tk200-Tk1,000, on each product. M/S Shathi Enterprise, a blazer stall, hanged an announcement that reads “Akheri offer: Blazer Tk1,500”. Previous

70% discount offers is more than expected. Besides, we have reserved new products for attracting shoppers from home and abroad.”

Different cosmetic and foodstuff stalls are making “buy one and get one free” offer while countrypavilions like Dubai, Iran and Korea are offering 5% to 50% discount.

“I have bought a UAE-made 300ml body spray and got another

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

LIGHT RAIN SATURDAY, JANUARY 28

Dhaka

28

14

Chittagong

27

17

Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 5:42PM

24

12

Rangpur

25

13

Khulna

28

13

Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 6:41AM

30.1ºC Sylhet

14.5ºC Barisal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

29

14

PRAYER TIMES

Sylhet

28

13

Cox’s Bazar

28

18

Fajr: 6:10am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 4:30pm | Magrib: 5:50pm Esha: 7:45pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Family outcast for two years n M Kamal Mridha, Natore A family has been living as outcast for around two years in Natore after the head of the family, an elderly woman named Aleya Begum, ignored the village arbitration’s decision to seek pardon to the local mosque’s imam over an altercation.

No villagers are communicating with the family and the only earning member of the family is unable to find job anywhere as a day labourer. The family is also unable to grow crops in their land due to the barricade put up by the village arbitrators.

They now live an inhuman life.

Aleya’s grand-daughter Ankhi was an Arabic student at the local mosque around two years ago. One day, Ankhi and a neighbour’s girl locked into an altercation over the sitting arrangement in the class.

Aleya went to meet the mosque’s imam resolve the matter. The situation became worse when she got into a

quarrel with him.

After hearing this, village arbitrators Abul, Nurul Islam, Nabi, Nurul Amin and Syed called a village meeting where they asked Aleya to beg pardon to the imam.

And when she refused, the arbitrators declared the family as outcast.

harvested around 3 mounds of jute last year instead of 10-15 from my land, and also thrashed only 8 mounds of paddy instead of around 30. I had joined the Chhatni village society but the village arbitrators threw us out of the society following a request of Bhobani village arbitrators about three months ago.

Aleya requested the law enforcers as well as the government to take step to relive her family and herself from this misery Aleya said her only son Shahin is a day labourer and often works as a mason.

And the villagers have refused to employ him ever since the altercation; they have even put up barricades on their land in the village.

“I have around 33 decimal of land near my residence, and around 50 decimal of land by the swamp. I only had

Now I am living an inhuman life with my family,” she said.

When asked the Bhobani village’s arbitrators Nurul Islam and Abul confirmed that Aleya and her family was outcast as she had threatened to hit the imam with slippers.

Nurul and Abdul also said the family had disregarded the village decision.

They also confirmed about not allowing anyone to employ Aleya’s son Shahin. Nurul Islam informed that the family had destroyed a drain trying to irrigate their land.

Mawlana Nazrul Islam, Imam of the mosque alleged that Aleya had rushed to the mosque and shouted out slang words to him following the quarrel between Ankhi and the other girl.

However, he said the woman did not say to hit him with her slippers.

Later, Aleya ruled out the allegation of destroying the drain and said they had destroyed the drain as rats had made holes in different parts of it. And as the drain was adjacent to her land, she had requested them to restore it, but they paid no heed to her plea.

Aleya requested the law enforcers as well as the government to take step to relive her family and herself from this misery. She also claimed they might have no other option other than committing suicide if the condition remains the same. l

Sunamganj clash leaves teenager dead n Tribune Desk

A teenage boy was killed and 50 people were injured in a clash at Srihail village in Shalla upazila yesterday afternoon.

The deceased was identified as Md Sajal Miah, 18.

Police said there had been a long-standing dispute between Arup Miah, son of former chairman of Sadar union parishad Oliur Rahman, and Md Dalim Miah of the village over several issues.

The two groups locked into a fierce clash around 3:15pm when a chase and counter-chase took place, leaving over 50 people, including Sajal, injured.

Critically injured Sajal, a supporter of Dalim Group, was taken to Shalla Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead.

On information, police rushed in and brought the situation under control. l

Acute manpower shortage cripples Kurigram n Ariful Islam, Kurigram Government establishments in Kurigram are limping due to acute manpower shortage.

About half of the total posts are lying vacant in the district administration, the district judge court, sadar hospital, the social welfare department as well as other public offices, causing public sufferings and damage to developmental activities.

Only 18 officials are working at the district administration office against 38 posts, whereas only two assistant commissioners are there against nine posts, according to sources at the district administration.

Besides, 59 positions out of 305 posts of third grade and fourth grade staff are lying vacant at the administration.

Khan Mohammad Nurul Amin, deputy commissioner of the district, said: “We have been struggling to run administrative as well as developmental activities due to the shortage in required number of manpower. No employee is interested to live in Kurigram. They want postings in big cities. I haven’t got any solutions despite informing to the Ministry of Public Administration about the crisis.”

At the district judge court, only seven judges are working for 14 sanctioned positions, while one chief judicial magistrate and two senior judicial magistrates are against nine

posts at the chief judicial magistrate court.

According to sources at the courts, people have been suffering, as it has been taking a long time to deal the cases with the less number of judges.

On the other hand, beneficiaries to different programmes under the government’s social welfare department are not getting the services timely for the same reason.

Md Emdadul Haque Pramanik, deputy director at Kurigram social welfare office, said though there were a total of 18 posts under the department, nine posts at upazila level, including the post of social service officer at the sadar hospital, are lying vacant.

Kurigram Sadar Hospital, the only hope for 20 lakh people of the district, is somehow running its activities only with 20 physicians against 42 posts. Among 21 posts of consultants, 12 remain vacant.

Shahinur Rahman Sardar, residential physician at the hospital, said: “We have been facing acute problems to provide medical treatments to patients due to physician crisis.

We have informed the Directorate of Health Service of the crisis and sought the physicians for the vacant posts in vain.”

Besides, activities at other government offices in the district, including Public Works department, are being hampered due to manpower crisis, according to sources at the offices. l

2 killed in Habiganj road accident n Md Noor Uddin, Habiganj A man and his son were killed and 20 others injured as a bus fell into a roadside ditch in Kandigao area, Nabiganj upazila of Habiganj yesterday.

The deceased are Joshim Uddin, 30, and his son Zahid Mia, 6. Sherpur highway police SI Sekander Ali said: “A Sylhet-bound bus of Taj Poribohon fell into a roadside ditch as its driver lost his control over the steering around 7am, leaving 22 people injured.” l

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Miscreants set Gaibandha school on fire n Tazul Islam Reza, Gaibandha

A schoolboy is seen reading the burnt page of a book after a fire broke out at Gono Unnayan Academy High School located in Kunderpara area of Gaibandha yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

A secondary school in remote Kunderpara area of Gaibandha district was set on fire by miscreants early Friday.

Local people tried to douse the fire but failed in their attempt.

The fire burnt everything in the school, including 77 admit cards of examinees made for SSC examination and around 20,000 certificates of previous SSC and JSC examinees, to ashes.

According to school authorities, estimated loss from the fire is Tk10 millions.

Md Asaduzzaman Asad, headmaster of Gono Unnayan Academy High School, said: “Some local people had been intervening into the school’s activity.

Some were planning to establish a new school and miscreants might have torched the school following the reason.”

The school was established in

2003, aimed at making the poor and unprivileged children of the char in the Brahmaputra River literate, he said, adding that it had 573 students.

Kamarjani union parishad Chairman Abdus Salam said the school had been playing a vital role especially in girls’ education but miscreants set it on fire over enmity.

Gaibandha Additional Deputy Commissioner Shamsul Azam, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Aleya Ferdous Jahan and sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Mehedi Hasan, among others, visited the spot yesterday morning.

ADC Shamsul Azam said steps would be taken so that the students can continue their classes from today.

“Contacting Dinajpur Education Board authorities, new admit cards for the 77 students will be arranged,” he assured.

OC Mehedi Hasan said they were investigating whether the incident was a sabotage. l

Stolen newborn rescued Government mulling over setting from doctor’s wife up tannery village in Mirsarai n Dulal Abdullah, Rajshahi

Police has rescued a stolen newborn yesterday which was in the possession of the wife of a local doctor. According to a local couple, the rescued child is theirs and was stolen eight days ago from a hospital in Rajshahi. The police has taken custody of the baby and would house it at the Victim Support Centre until the parental claim is verified.

In the rescue operation, police followed a lead from the CCTV footage of Matri Sadan Urban Primary Health Care (MSUPH) located at Nowdapara. It is believed that the newborn is the same child that was stolen from the hospital about a week back.

The child was recovered from the possession of one Shahin Akter Shuvra, wife of Aktaruzzaman, who is a physician of Bagmara Health Complex. Police found the child from Shuvra’s residence at Tikapara Bashar Road, which led to her arrest.

Sushanta Chandra Roy, assistant commissioner of police from Motihar zone told the Dhaka Tribune: “We suspect that the woman (Shuvra) had stolen the child.”

Day laborer Nasir Uddin and his wife Mukti Khatun from Char Shyampur of Pabna upazila in Rajshahi, have claimed to be the parents of the child. Mukti had given birth to a boy at MSUPH on January 19, and on the same day, a woman stole the child posing to be its aunt.

Spokesperson of Rajshahi police, Iftekhar Alam said that in case there are no other claims to the child, it will be handed over to Mukti Khatun and her husband.

“In case anyone else claims custody of the child, we would have to resort to DNA tests to identify the actual parents,” he added.

According to eye witnesses, police took position in front of the house at 12:30pm yesterday and rescued the child from inside the house.

Earlier, police had also arrested Tohura Khatun, who allegedly stole the child posing as an aunt. l

n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

The government is mulling over setting up a leather village at Mirsarai Economic Zone in Chittagong against the backdrop of dying tannery industry in the region.

After the year of 2000, the industry started to fall due to several reasons like want of skilled manpower, lack of investment and recently, the issue of effluent treatment plant (ETP) to treat the waste before disposal, according to tanners in Chittagong.

There were a total of 18 tanneries in Chittagong before 1971.

After the Independence of Bangladesh, the number of tanneries rose to 21, said the tanners.

The lone survivors--Madina Tannery and Riff Leather Ltd-were also sealed off by Department of Environment (DoE), Chittagong, on June 17, 2015 and August 1, 2016, respectively for not complying with environmental rules, they added.

However, Paban Chowdhury,

executive chairman of Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), said: “The government has undertaken an initiative to build industries in Mirsarai Economic Zone in a planned way, involving both local and foreign companies. The total area of the economic zone would be 30,000 acres and the zone would have modern facilities. We have a target to set up 100 economic zones in next 15 years, which is expected to generate 10m jobs and $40bn exports.”

Welcoming the initiative, the tanners and rawhide traders said new business opportunities would be created with the establishment of the leather village in Chittagong.

Sekander Mia, president of Chittagong Rawhide Warehouse Traders’ Cooperative Association Ltd, said: “The initiative to set up a leather village is a long overdue.

Despite having all potentials, no leather village has been constructed in Chittagong.”

“The tannery village will rejuvenate the moribund tannery in-

dustry. Chittagong will turn into a commercial capital in true sense if all necessary infrastructural development takes place for the leather village,” said the rawhide trader.

Many renowned enterprises have already applied for plots in the economic zone for setting up their leather units, according to sources in BEZA. Paban said entrepreneurs from China, Hong Kong and Taiwan had already expressed their interests to establish tannery industries in the economic zone.

According to the Chittagong Rawhide Traders Association, there are now around 200 rawhide warehouses in Chittagong and 20,000-25,000 people are directly and indirectly involved with the rawhide business.

The region supplies around 35 per cent of the total rawhide in the country.

The rawhide traders further informed that they procured around 5.50 lakh rawhides during last Eidul-Azha. l

Coal vessel capsize: Owner seeks 60 days for salvage work n Hedait Hossain Molla, Khulna The owner of a lighterage vessel that capsized off the coast of Sundarbans with over 1,000 tonnes of coal on January 13, has asked the Mongla Port authorities to give him two months to finish salvage operation.

Port authorities say they will consider Kazi Golam Faruk’s appli-

cation after their chairman returns from Dhaka.

Harbour Master Commander Md Walliullah said Faruk had already consulted a Chittagong-based salvage firm before seeking time on Tuesday.

“He has specifically mentioned in his application that he will salvage the vessel within this period,”

Waliullah said.

Faruk will likely get the time, the harbour master added. The owner said he was doing everything he could to pull out his vessel.

Between 1984 and 1999, five other vessels had sunk near the fairway buoy. They could not be salvaged.

‘MV Aishgati’ sank about 850-feet from the port’s main channel when

carrying coal to Jessore. The capsizal did not affect the port’s traffic.

It was scheduled to travel to Noapara via the Passur channel in the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest.

In March last year, a vessel carrying 1,235 tonnes of coal sunk on the Shela River. A year before that, a cargo vessel shipping 510 tonnes

of coal capsized in the Passur channel. Both vessels were salvaged by their owners.

The government has been adamant about closing Sundarbans waterways to commercial traffic despite concerns that incidents such as the 2014 oil tanker capsize on the Shela River could wreak havoc on the forest’s already critical ecology. l

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

SOUTH ASIA

Psychiatrists warn Pakistan over execution of schizophrenic An international group of psychiatrists called on Pakistan Friday not to execute a prisoner suffering from schizophrenia, days before his temporary stay of execution is set to expire. The World Psychiatric Association said it was extremely concerned by the plans to execute Hayat, warning his death would be an irreversible miscarriage of justice. AFP

Trump hosts first foreign leader as May visits White House n AFP, Washington, DC

India’s top court Friday rejected a petition seeking a nationwide ban on cow slaughter, a flashpoint issue for Hindus who consider the animal sacred. The Supreme Court dismissed an activist’s proposal to prohibit the slaughter of cows across India, a measure that would have effectively banned beef consumption in the nation of 1.25bn. AFP

President Donald Trump makes his debut as a statesman Friday, welcoming British Prime Minister Theresa May as the first foreign leader to visit his White House.

The meeting will be a pivotal moment in trans-Atlantic relations, which have been rocked by Trump’s election and his willingness to rethink Nato, the UN and other foundation blocks of the liberal world order. May’s trip is part influence campaign and part charm offensive.

She is expected to give Trump an engraved quaich, a ceremonial cup exchanged by Scottish highland chiefs, in a nod to Trump’s Scottish ancestry. His mother was born on the island of Lewis. May hopes to win the neophyte president’s support for collective security arrangements that have underpinned European security since World War II.

CHINA

Post-Brexit trade

INDIA

India SC: No to national ban on cow slaughter

EU slaps China with new steel anti-dumping duties The EU slapped definitive anti-dumping duties on steel products from China and Taiwan on Friday, as it broadens its campaign to protect struggling steel manufacturers in Europe. The measure is part of an EU push against China, which makes more than half the world’s steel, for allegedly flooding global markets in violation of international trade agreements. AFP

ASIA PACIFIC

Death toll climbs to 90 in floods in Thailand Floods in southern Thailand since early January have killed at least 90 in a dozen provinces, while four people remain missing, a report by the country’s Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Department said Friday. The report said over 1.8m people have been affected and the worst-affected provinces are Nakhon Si Thammarat, with 14 dead, and Surat Thani, with ten. EFE

MIDDLE EAST

Turkish fire kills 10 civilians in IS-held Syria Ten civilians, including a child, have been killed in Turkish air strikes and shelling in and around a Syrian town held by the IS, a monitor said Friday. The bombardment hit the northern town of AlBab and the nearby area of Tadif, both held by IS, on Thursday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. AFP

But Trump’s break with decades of US support for multilateral trade deals and his preference for bilateral accords could be manna for May, who is struggling to negotiate UK’s complex exit from the

British PM Theresa May speaks during the Congress of Republican Member Retreat on January 26 in Philadelphia EU. Faced with exit from the European single market, the UK government is scrambling to secure bilateral deals around the world.

Netting a commitment from Trump for a US-UK agreement would be a major coup and help justify her visit to British voters.

May is hoping the prospect of a US deal, while complicated, will also help dispel fears among a divided public that Britain may be economically worse off by leaving

Europe’s single market.

The right stuff

May arrived in the US on Thursday and received a rapturous welcome from Republican lawmakers gathering in Philadelphia with a speech urging them to “beware” of Russia, and warning US allies to “step up” and play a greater role in global security.

May hailed strong security ties between the two countries, and

AFP

said their relationship had “defined the modern world.” Acknowledging rising tensions between the US and China, she said fears of the “eclipse of the West” would not be fulfilled if UK and the US continued to stand together.

May said Nato member states should contribute their fair share, a complaint made by the former and current US administrations, but defended the alliance from Trump’s claims it was “obsolete.” l

ANALYSIS

Trump’s border wall faces reality check n Tribune Desk

US-MEXICO TRADE IN GOODS

President Donald Trump’s vow to accelerate construction of a “contiguous, physical wall” along the Mexican border is slamming into a Washington reality- who’s going to pay for it and how? Not us, say the Mexicans.

Instead, US taxpayers will foot the bill, starting with money already in the Department of Homeland Security account that amounts to a small down payment. Then it’s up to the Republican-led Congress to come up with $12bn to $15bn more, according to an estimate offered by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, on Thursday from a GOP issues retreat in Philadelphia.

GOP leaders refused to commit to paying for the wall with spending cuts elsewhere in the budget. That could mean costs would be paid for by adding to the government’s $20tn debt.

Press Secretary Sean Spicer Thursday floated the idea of a 20% tariff on Mexican imports.

It is true there is a small amount available now in the Department of Homeland Security accounts dedicated to “border security fencing, infrastructure, and technology”, $100m, by one

Trade balance In billions of dollars US imports from Mexico US exports to Mexico 296

Top exports in 2015 In billions of dollars Vehicles 271

240 198

134

Machinery

212 177

US trade deficit: $59 billion

129 2006

2009

22 Electrical machinery

2012 2014 2016

(Jan-Nov)

congressional estimate, that would permit work to get immediately under way.

So far, thanks to spending in the late 2000s, Congress has provided about $2.3bn to construct 654 miles of fencing and vehicular blockades.

But Trump has promised a wall, not just fencing, and it’s not a universally popular idea by any stretch.

GOP members of the appropriations committees are more likely to take a green eyeshade approach to the

41

74 63

49 42 Mineral fuels (oil, gas, coal) 14 19 Optical and medical instruments 12 Plastics 17 money since they are familiar with the likely trade-offs. Hundreds of miles of the border are so rugged and inhospitable that it doesn’t make sense to even try to build.

And in Texas, almost all of the land along the border is privately owned.

When former President George W Bush tried to build border fencing starting in 2006, he faced stiff opposition from local ranchers and farmers, many of whom took the government

to court on plans to use their land.

In many areas along the Rio Grande the fencing is built well inside the US, as far as a mile north of the Rio Grande, to ensure that the structure doesn’t interfere with the flow of the river or is built on solid ground. The middle of the channel marks the internal border and a 1970 treaty with Mexico requires that structures built there not interfere with water flow.

The existing blockade, roughly 350 miles to block pedestrians and 300 miles to block vehicles, has already been built along the southern border.

That fencing was built in the areas that are most vulnerable to illegal crossings.

Cost estimates prepared a decade ago already varied widely. A 2009 Government Accountability Office analysis put costs at $6.5m a mile for pedestrian fencing and $1.8m per mile for vehicular blockades. An actual wall constructed of concrete and steel would be more costly and difficult.

Trump has repeatedly promised that Mexico will pay for his wall, though neither he nor his allies in Congress are able to articulate how. The president of Mexico is emphatic that his country will not pick up the tab. l

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

NYT: Trump orders review of use of black site prisons n AFP, Washington, DC The Trump administration is drafting an order allowing the CIA to reopen overseas “black site” prisons used to torture suspects after 9/11, media reported Wednesday, although the White House denied creating the document.

The three-page order would undo many of the restrictions on handling detainees put in place under president Barack Obama to roll back practices authorised during George W Bush’s administration, The New York Times reported.

A Trump spokesman denied that the document had originated in the White House. “I have no idea where it came from, but it is not a White House document,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters.

The Times published a copy of the draft executive order, entitled “Detention and Interrogation of Enemy Combatants,” on its website.

‘Torture works’

Trump raised the possibility of reinstating harsh interrogation practices while campaigning for president, declaring last February that “torture works” and vowing to bring back waterboarding and “much worse.”

In December, after meeting with retired general James Mattis, Trump said he was “impressed”

US ‘BLACK SITE’ PRISONS Stare Kiejkuty, Poland Detainees held:

Vilnius, Lithuania At least 3 Feb 2005-Mar 2006

5 from Jan-Apr 2003 More arrived later Opened Dec 2002 Closed Sep 2003

Guantamano Bay, Cuba Separate from US military detention facilities At least 5 Sept 2003- April 2004

US defence chief James Mattis still favours the current rules banning the use of torture in prisoner interrogations, the Pentagon said Thursday, the day after President

Bucharest, Romania At least 7 Sept 2003-Nov 2005

Thailand 2 Mar-Dec 2002

2003

Donald Trump reaffirmed his belief it “absolutely” works. In a written response to questions during his confirmation hearing, Mattis said he supported using the US Army Field Manual, which forbids torture, as the single standard for military interrogations.

Poland, Lithuania won’t host any new CIA jails

Poland and Lithuania said on Thursday they would not allow

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34 Apr 2004-Sept 2006

the US to locate new secret prisons on their soil if President Donald Trump chooses to reinstate an old CIA programme that detained and interrogated terrorism suspects abroad.

Both eastern European countries are close allies of the US and hosted now-defunct “black site” jails that were used during President George W Bush’s “war on terrorism” after the attacks on September 11, 2001, in New York. l

Red tape chokes off drilling on Native American reservations n Reuters, North Dakota When the US oil boom hit North Dakota a decade ago, wells sprang up quickly on the edges of the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation, an expanse of prairie and rolling hills three times larger than Los Angeles.

Tribe members here, facing a 40% unemployment rate and sending their children to 1950s-era school buildings, were eager to tap some of state’s most promising reserves. But layers of federal regulation, applying only to tribal lands, slowed them down for years, frightened away investors and cost them millions of dollars.

Now, with US President Donald Trump in office and oil prices rising, their frustration is fuelling a renewed push to streamline approvals for drilling and mining on Indian reservations.

Clearing regulatory hurdles for a single project on tribal lands can take as many as 50 steps, compared to a half dozen for oil wells on private property. The process can take three times as long to complete, according to tribal leaders, lawyers specialising in Native American issues, oil company execu-

Government Accountability Office found that the problems went beyond the processes in law and regulations.

Poor management by the Bureau of Indians Affairs has hindered energy development and resulted in lost revenue for tribes, the office concluded.

Tribal opposition, solidarity

This file photo shows, Native American activists rally in front of the White House on September 13, 2016 to stop the Dakota Access Pipeline REUTERS tives and federal regulators.

The stakes are high. Native American reservations cover just 2% percent of the nation’s surface, but by some estimates contain as much as a fifth of all US oil and gas reserves, along with vast coal stockpiles. Some tribes, for environmental or cultural reasons, have shunned the idea of developing these reserves, but many others want to tap the vast wealth beneath their homelands.

Wait, wait, wait The US holds title to about 56m acres

Trump: Meeting with Mexico would be fruitless US President Donald Trump said Thursday that his cancelled meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto would have been “fruitless” if Mexico will not treat the US “with respect.” “Unless Mexico is going to treat the US fairly with respect, such a meeting would be fruitless and I want to go in different route.

We have no choice,” Trump said at a gathering in Philadelphia. XINHUA

Venezuelan opposition quits negotiations with govt

Afghanistan

64 Sept 2002-Apr 2004

Mattis holds fast against torture

USA

THE AMERICAS

12 Mar 2006-Mar 2008

with Mattis’s argument that building trust and rewarding cooperation by detainees worked better than waterboarding. Mattis has since been sworn in as secretary of defence.

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of tribal lands, a vestige of the treaties made between 1778 and 1871 to end wars between indigenous Indians and European settlers. The tribes have rights to the land, and the resources under the surface, but they do not own it.

On Fort Berthold and other reservations, energy development requires a uniquely large number of easements and environmental permits, all of which must be approved by multiple federal agencies in a process overseen by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

A 2015 report by the nonpartisan

A substantial segment of the Native American community continues to oppose energy development on tribal land or would like to see it limited. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in North Dakota has galvanised the US environmental movement with its ongoing protests against a pipeline constructed near its reservation. But many tribes that supported the Standing Rock protests were motivated by protecting a tribe’s right to govern itself rather than by opposition to fossil fuel development.

Tribes are also seeking to curtail what they call unjust taxation of energy projects on tribal lands by states in which their reservations are located.

For many tribal leaders, the desire for more control over drilling projects is as much about self-determination as money. l

The Venezuelan opposition party, the Democratic Unity Roundtable, announced on Thursday it was abandoning negotiations with the government, indicating these talks were now a “closed chapter.” The reason to quit the talks were given as the government having not fulfilled its commitment promised in earlier talks since October 2016. XINHUA

UK

British MPs urge May to tackle Trump on climate change British lawmakers have written to Prime Minister Theresa May, urging her to challenge US President Donald Trump on his views on climate change when the two leaders meet on Friday. Trump has dismissed climate change as a “hoax” and vowed during his presidential campaign to pull the United States out of the 2015 Paris Agreement designed to curb greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. REUTERS

EUROPE

Hollande: Trump rule poses challenges for Europe French President Francois Hollande said Friday that US President Donald Trump’s administration poses “challenges” for Europe. “Let’s speak very frankly, there are challenges, there are the challenges the US administration poses to our trade rules, as well as to our ability to resolve conflicts around the world,” Hollande said in Berlin. AFP

AFRICA

Al-Shabaab attacks Kenya army base in Somalia Somalian extremist group al Shabaab said its fighters killed dozens of Kenyan troops when they attacked a remote military base in Somalia on Friday, while Kenya’s army dismissed the report and said scores of militants were killed. A spokesman for al Shabaab, which often launches attacks on troops of the African Union’s AMISOM force, said its fighters killed at least 66 Kenyans at the base in the southern town of Kulbiyow, near the Kenyan border. REUTERS

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Egypt: The war of attrition against revolutionaries n Tribune Desk After the Egyptian revolution, a strong Egypt was established by Muslim Brotherhood dissident and former presidential candidate Abdel-Moneim Aboul Fotouh in declared opposition both to his former party and the military, Hussein reportedly stands accused of belonging to a “banned organisation”, which is often code for the Brotherhood.

As the Muslim Brotherhood is now regarded by the regime in Egypt as a terrorist group, al-Naggar runs the risk of being added to a “terror list”, which involves a ban on travelling abroad and the freezing of personal assets, as occurred to the legendary retired Egyptian footballer Mohamed Aboutrika, who is alleged to have provided funding to the Brotherhood.

Strong Egypt’s al-Naggar is also accused of calling for protests, which is a democratic and constitutional right (article 73). However, protests are effectively outlawed

by Egypt’s draconian anti-protest law, parts of which, though not all, were recently deemed unconstitutional by the Supreme Constitutional Court.

Crackdown on civil society

Al-Naggar is not an isolated case.

Last month, for example, authorities arrested and subsequently released on bail the prominent feminist and grassroots activist Azza Soliman, who, like many other activists, was already the victim of a

who was not only an active participant in the revolution of January 25, 2011 but also led efforts to document it for future generations.

A crumbling regime

Egyptians who packed Cairo’s Tahrir Square have found that their revolution has ground to a halt travel ban and the freezing of her assets. The unfolding case against Soliman was described as “a chilling escalation against independent civil society in Egypt” by Mohamed Lotfy of the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedoms.

Egypt is unlikely to experience, though it is still possible, on the sixth anniversary of the revolution

the kind of mass mobilisation it witnessed in 2011 and 2013.

Egypt is experiencing a continued and intensifying war of attrition against opposition figures, revolutionaries, grassroots activists and NGO workers, not to mention journalists and media professionals, in a bid to deprive civil society of its most vital resource:

REUTERS

its dedicated and hard-working human resources. This has led to fears that Egypt’s once-vibrant civil society is under “existential threat”.

“The state of civil society today is infinitely worse than during the early days of the revolution, or even during [Hosni] Mubarak’s dark years,” asserts Khaled Fahmy, the prominent Egyptian historian

But why is the state cracking down so ferociously? “The overall logic is to eviscerate these organisations and to subject society in general to the state agencies, and to allow the army and its companies a bigger role to play in society and the economy,” Fahmy said.

This crackdown, as well as the rise of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as a kind of Mubarak-on-steroids, has led to widespread disillusionment and disenchantment among revolutionaries, as well as the population at large. “Before, I was ready to die for this country, now I just want to leave,” one Egyptian who took part in the January 25 demonstrations was quoted as saying. His words are echoing a sentiment I have heard from quite a number of Egyptians who took part in the revolution.

This despondency, coupled with the weakening of civil society and the disarray it has created, mean that Egypt is unlikely to experience, though it is still possible, on the sixth anniversary of the revolution the kind of mass mobilisation it witnessed in 2011 and 2013.

These self-inflicted wounds are likely to pave the way to the next chapter of the Egyptian revolution and, though weakened, civil society is ready to retake the reins when the dams break once again. l

Trump’s hopes for Syria safe zones may force decision on Assad n Reuters, Washington President Donald Trump’s push to create safe zones in Syria could force him to make some risky decisions about how far to go to protect refugees, including shooting down Syrian or Russian aircraft or committing thousands of US troops, experts said.

Trump said on Wednesday he “will absolutely do safe zones in Syria” for refugees fleeing violence. According to a document seen by Reuters, he is expected in the coming days to order the Pentagon and the State Department to draft a plan to create such zones in Syria and nearby nations.

The document did not spell out what would make a safe zone “safe” and whether it would protect refugees only from threats on the ground, such as jihadist fighters, or whether Trump envisions a no-fly zone policed by America and its allies.

If it is a no-fly zone, without negotiating some agreement with Russia Trump would have to decide whether to give the US military the authority to shoot down Syrian

or Russian aircraft if they posed a threat to people in that zone, which his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, refused to do.

In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Trump did not consult with Russia and warned that the consequences of such a plan “ought to be weighed up.”

Tens of thousands of troops

Trump’s call for a plan for safe zones is part of a larger directive expected to be signed in coming days that includes a temporary ban on most refugees to the US and a suspension of visas for citizens of Syria and six other Middle Eastern and African countries deemed to pose a terrorism threat.

During and after the presidential campaign, Trump called for no-fly zones to harbour Syrian refugees as an alternative to allowing them into the US. Trump accused the Obama administration of failing to screen Syrian immigrants entering the US to ensure they had no militant ties.

Any safe zone in Syria guaranteed by the US would almost cer-

Syrians walk along a damaged street in Aleppo's Tareeq al-Bab neighbourhood on January 18 tainly require some degree of US military protection. Securing the ground alone would require thousands of troops, former US officials and experts say.

Anthony Cordesman, a military expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank, cautioned that a safe zone

inside Syria could become a diplomatic albatross that would force a Trump administration to juggle a host of ethnic and political tensions in Syria indefinitely. The draft document gave no details on what would constitute a safe zone, where one might be set up and who would defend it.

AFP

Jordan, Turkey and other neighbouring countries already host millions of Syrian refugees. The Turkish government pressed Obama, without success, to create a no-fly zone on Syria’s border with Turkey but now is at odds with Washington over its support for Kurdish fighters in Syria. l

In this November 30, 2016 photo, a Kachin Independence Army (KIA) soldier sits inside the bomb shelter along the bunker at the front line of Alen Bum near Laiza, the headquarters of KIA in Kachin State AP

Humanitarian groups seek halt to war in northern Myanmar n Tribune Desk Twenty-two humanitarian and development groups have called for a halt to fighting between Myanmar’s government and ethnic rebels in the country’s north and for the protection of civilians affected by the conflict. The groups signing the statement, circulated Thursday, include the International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, Plan International and Save the Children.

“We are alarmed about incidents of civilians being killed, injured and displaced due to intensification of military operations and use of heavy artillery in close proximity” to populated areas, the local and international groups said. There have been reports that civilians who fled to internal displacement camps have found them-

selves caught in the combat.

Kachin state and northern Shan state have been wrecked by intense fighting since November, with the government employing airstrikes and artillery attacks. It is fighting guerrillas from the Kachin minority and three other ethnic groups seeking greater autonomy.

Khon Ja, a Kachin activist, said the government has not allowed humanitarian groups to have access to thousands of displaced civilians. The military rejected the allegation.

“There is no organisation that the government wouldn’t allow, if they work and ask according to the rules and regulations,” said Maj Gen Aung Ye Win in the Commander-in-Chief’s Office.

The groups also called for all sides to “constructively engage in a mediated peace dialogue to achieve sustaina-

ble peace in Myanmar.”

Yanghee Lee, the UN’s special envoy on human rights, last week criticised the government’s heavy-handed response to conflicts with ethnic minorities. She said the government denied her access to some of the more troubled areas in the north during a 12-day mission to Myanmar.

“It is evident that the situation in Kachin and at the northern borders is deteriorating. Those in Kachin state tell me that the situation is now worse than any point in the past few years,” Lee said.

The unrest in Kachin and northern Shan states is just one of the simmering conflicts in Myanmar. The government has cease-fire agreements with other ethnic rebel groups which it is seeking to turn into a comprehensive peace agreement. l

Saudi court dismisses Mecca death crane case n AFP, Riyadh

A Saudi court on Thursday dismissed charges against 13 accused over a crane collapse that killed dozens at Islam's holiest site, a newspaper reported on its website. The prosecution objected to the ruling and asked to appeal, said the Okaz daily, which has closely followed the case.

The accused included at least one Saudi "billionaire" and nationals from Pakistan, the Philippines, Canada, and several Arab countries, Okaz and Saudi Gazette newspapers reported when the trial began in August. Five months on, the criminal court in Mec-

ca on Thursday said it did not have jurisdiction to hear cases involving "safety breaches", Okaz reported.

There was no clarification why today's report referred to 13 accused, while 14 have previously been mentioned.

They were charged with "negligence leading to death, damaging public property and ignoring safety guidelines" at the site of the Grand Mosque crane collapse in September 2015, Okaz and Saudi Gazette said.

During severe winds a construction crane toppled into a courtyard of the mosque. It was one of several cranes the Saudi Binladin

Group had employed as part of a multi-billion-dollar expansion to accommodate increasing numbers of faithful.

At least 109 people died, including foreign pilgrims, leading King Salman to suspend the firm for several months from new public contracts.

Okaz and Saudi Gazette reported last week that Judge Abdulaziz Hamoud al-Tuairki had rejected a plea from defence lawyers to prevent newspapers from covering the case.

The court would in the next two weeks review the entire case, the newspapers said at the time. l

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Book Review

To bask in the dawn of a liberated land Readers will remember the freedom fighters only with honour and love

n Shakib Lohani

D

usk, Dawn, and Liberation is a profound historical fiction which undertakes us to a journey through the days of struggle and courage of the people of the then East Pakistan during our liberation war.

Masud Ahmed’s unique narrative is compulsive reading because of the historic details vividly penned in such an impartial but spirited way, that his incredible array of characters from history come alive on every page of the book.

When he was portraying the persona of retired General AM Yahya Khan, who took power as the president of Pakistan in 1969, he put forward the emptiness of a

from Dhaka University.

After more than nine drama and short films made based on his stories, more than 19 publications of short stories and novels by reputed publishers, he became a versatile writer who proved his prowess in whichever form of literature he ventured onto.

Masterfully, he portrayed the patriotism and aspirations of Asad, a student of journalism, who came to Dhaka to live with his father, a government officer and staunch supporter of Pakistan.

The difference of opinions and the way they looked at the ongoing crisis created by the military junta emerged vehemently in every conversation between the father and son.

The older generation who witnessed the partition of India

Maidan. The author with his powerful portrayal, stitches together the historical moments, inter-weaving occurrences in such an eloquent manner that every reader becomes a part of that time.

“Since we have given blood, we will give more of it. The struggle this time is for emancipation.

The struggle this time is for independence!”

People across the country were waiting for such a passionate speech; it unraveled their deepest aspirations and so the difference of opinions between Asad and his father grew further.

One can appreciate the way the author described the persona of the Father of the Nation, during his first meet with the governor of East Pakistan, Admiral Ahsan on February 27, 1971 -- who invited

At the end of the narration, every reader is bound to surrender to the pain of the gruelling memories of 1971 that live on history pages and through authors like Masud Ahmed. The weight of the impact is profound because of the author’s delicate literary craftsmanship and vivid details For our freedom fighters, we can now bask in the dawn of liberated land hollow confused man, indulging himself in liquor during the crucial moments of national crisis.

The influence of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, the Machiavelli of Pakistan politics, on the military regime was visible in his conversations with the president in different stages as was visible from their belligerent military actions in the Eastern part of the country, after Sheikh Mujibar Rahman won a landslide victory in the 1970 election.

In the process of unfolding history, the chronicler’s style of storytelling mesmerises the reader to total absorption.

He was so truthful in narrating the history that in description of the good deeds of Vice-Admiral Syed Mohammad Ahsan during his two years tenure as the Governor of East Pakistan, who was humiliated, ultimately sacked, and sent back; the reader will find a soul full of humanity among the otherwise cruel and desperate Pakistan army.

His narration covered the lives of the powerful generals who gave orders and the low ranked officers and soldiers who carried them out.

Masud Ahmed is an English Language and Literature graduate

on the basis of religion, was taking time to realise and understand the true face of the ruling Pakistani junta.

The oppression of Muslims at the hands of British rulers and the upper caste Hindu populace, who were accomplice of the ruling establishment for so long, created the feeling of unjust suppression deep down in their depleted hearts.

The younger generation, like Asad, was confronting the wrong doings, biased and inhuman treatment by the Pakistanis with agony and despair.

The same feeling was permeating in the minds of the elders very quickly, leaving behind very few like his father.

The book can also be read as an allegory of the history of our Liberation War. Masud Ahmed beautifully crafted his story lines, episode by episode under pressure to generate enthusiasm among his readers, all the while maintaining the historical truth.

Every day the youth of the country like Asad were getting more and more agitated.

Then they heard the historical speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on March 7, 1971 at Racecourse

him for an urgent discussion.

“He stepped down on the cobbled path and there was a majestic aura in his gait. He was wearing a white cotton punjabi; his eyes showed affection and love.

There was a strong personality exuding out of him but there was no cool pride there.”

The author puts us in tears when he takes the readers to Srimangal, Moulavibazar, and Hobigang of greater Sylhet district, showing us vividly what happened during the “Operation Moonlight.”

Under direct supervision of Brig Mukhtalib Rana in the month of May in 1971, the Pakistani army chalked out a blueprint to annihilate the entirety of Hindu population from that area.

The description of how cowardly the war-trained Pakistani army swooped on hapless innocent civilians was articulate: “He swiftly opened the door and watched the outside with panicky eyes. All houses of the neighbourhood were ablaze.

Its torched wooden frame and structure of the roof were now falling. He turned around with a scream, ‘Ma’ and started for the bedroom.”

And then, the author described

the planned killing of intellectuals in precise accuracy: “Following his green signal, enthusiastic masked groups armed by General Jamshed crashed in many selected houses later on the early hours of December 14.

They picked up the listed people from those houses, blindfolded them, and transported them to unknown destinations.

They were the best of the intelligentsia of their community.

People found their maimed and rotten dead bodies two days later at the killing sites of Rayerbazar.”

During the war, the Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, played a decisive role. She was intelligent, bold, and courageous.

Interestingly the author mentioned Indira Gandhi in many places as The Aryan Lady, epitomising her as a cool conquering warrior of modern time.

The cruel war of destruction and annihilation seemed to be a child’s play to the Pakistani Army against the innocent civilians.

But when they started confronting courageous, trained freedom fighters in numbers much bigger than their anticipation, the steam of their brutality started to

fade.

Peter J Armstrong rightfully wrote in his review, “I had spent some time in Bangladesh, but knew little about the country’s tortured, difficult birth, until I read this book. It is an extraordinary story, told in a balanced impartial way, in spite of the terrible things done to those who wished only to speak their own language, in their own country, and who wished to be the master of their own destiny.”

At the end of the narration, every reader is bound to surrender to the pain of the gruelling memories of 1971 that live on history pages and through authors like Masud Ahmed.

The weight of the impact is profound because of the author’s delicate literary craftsmanship and vivid details.

Readers will remember the freedom fighters and millions of people who sacrificed their lives to bask in the dawn of liberated land.

And they will remember them only with honour and love. l Shakib Lohani had a career in Integrated Marketing Communication for more than three decades, and is also the Vice President of PEN, Bangladesh.

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13

Opinion

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

New momentum for climate negotiations How can we develop our climate policy regime?

M Faisal and M Hafijul n Arif Islam Khan

B

angladesh has been playing an active role in developing the international climate change policy regime, involving negotiation processes since the first Conference of Parties (COP1) of the UN Framework of Convention of Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Bangladesh, with its negotiating partners of other Least Developed Countries (LDCs), is working to promote the interests of LDCs in global negotiations for structuring climate policy, which are both least responsible for climate change and least able to deal and cope with its adverse impacts.

The adverse impacts of climate change are causing harm to the lives and livelihoods of millions

the vulnerable communities.

So, considering the importance and challenges involved with shaping the international and national climate policy regime, Bangladesh can structure its negotiation team with sectoral experts having adequate knowledge with the UNFCCC processes, and skills on policy making and diplomacy to act at international and national levels.

The developed countries are employing skilled sectoral experts to act at the UNFCCC negotiations processes and creating challenges for negotiators of LDCs like Bangladesh to uphold their country’s interests due to their limited skills and expertise.

And hence, recently some of the developing countries are structuring their negotiation team by engaging relevant experts and professionals.

A country-specific negotiation policy framework therefore needs to be developed, taking into account issues and challenges involved with global negotiations processes of people of the countries and inflicting significant economic and non-economic losses and damages, particularly in developing countries like Bangladesh.

In response to growing concerns about climate change and global collective efforts to address the issue, the UNFCCC (known as Convention) was adopted in 1992.

Thereunder, the Kyoto Protocol (KP) was adopted in 1997 at COP3.

Moreover, the Paris Agreement on Climate Change was adopted in 2015 at COP21, with an ambitious collective goal to limit temperature increase well below two degrees Celsius with efforts to limit warming to 1.5C. However, the success of effective implementation of the Paris Agreement depends on developing further international rules and regulations; and the national legislative approaches taking into account the nature of substantive commitments made by parties.

The Paris Agreement provides a new momentum for multilateral negotiation processes for developing international policy regime on climate change, which is also crucial for developing national policy regime to protect

A core team of negotiators exists in some countries, including some developing countries, and such national negotiators consist of sectoral experts, skilled diplomats from different public agencies, and also external experts from the civil society, private sectors, academic, and research community. There have been core teams of negotiators consisting of sector experts, supporting LDCs at UNFCCC negotiations processes for the last five years.

Current trends related to forming a negotiation team for UNFCCC negotiation reveal that the Ministry of Environment and Forests leads the Bangladesh delegation to the UNFCCC negotiation processes, and the negotiation team consists of government officials from different relevant ministries and line agencies including Ministry of Foreign Affairs and experts from the academic community and the civil society.

But the decisions related to the nomination of Bangladesh delegates for various sessions of the climate negotiations is made on an ad hoc basis, and there should be standard rules of procedures to nominate the delegates from Bangladesh and to

What can be done on the national policy level? act on behalf of the country.

So, Bangladesh can take necessary initiatives for structuring its negotiation team through developing a negotiation policy framework or guidelines, which would enable them to contribute effectively at the UNFCCC processes and to translate it to national policy regime on climate change.

A country-specific negotiation policy framework therefore needs to be developed, taking into account issues and challenges involved with global negotiations processes, so that the negotiation team can work in accordance with specific Terms of Reference identified in the negotiation policy frameworks.

Bangladesh can form a core team of negotiators and the composition of such a team can consist of sectoral experts on issues such as mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, climate finance, climate change and sustainable development, reduction of emission from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+), land use and land use changes in forestry (LULUCF), foreign affairs and diplomacy, transparency and compliance, and so on.

In each expertise area, there should be at least two to three members to support the negotiation and diplomacy processes. This team can be led by the head of the delegation of Bangladesh in UNFCCC climate negotiating processes and the members of the team will be working in accordance with

a Terms of Reference agreed between the MoEF and these members. The MoEF can also consider to set some selection criteria to form the core negotiation team.

In case of developed countries, it is found that the core team of negotiators are supported by experts to understand the technical issues involved in the decision-making process in UNFCCC. So, like the core negotiation team, Bangladesh can also form a Technical Expert Group (TEG) to provide technical advice to the members of the core team of climate negotiation.

Technical experts need to be selected based on expertise in the crunch issues of climate negotiations and can be formed with similar modality with the negotiation team.

This TEG for UNFCCC climate negotiating processes would be coordinated by head of the delegation of Bangladesh and they will be working in accordance with terms of reference agreed between MoEF and these members.

Detailed terms of reference need to be developed for each expert members.

Moreover, to streamline the negotiation team, the government could consider deploying a “climate change envoy� for the country to lead and guide the negotiation team and multilateral and diplomatic negotiation processes.

The government could also consider engaging more people from other relevant ministries and line agencies (eg Ministry of Finance,

BIGSTOCK

Disaster Management Department, Sustainable Renewable Energy Development Authority, etc) and private sectors (eg Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries, Infrastructure Development Company Limited etc) in the process.

Development partners, particularly the UN, bilateral and multilateral organisations, could also collectively support its negotiation team in various ways.

These development partners could consider supporting the team through (i) providing support to members of the team each year to enable their active participation in COPs and associated high-level events; (ii) enhance bargaining and diplomacy capacity through various capacitybuilding activities; (iii) promoting south-south and north-south cooperation among like-minded developing countries and LDCs in climate negotiation and diplomacy for enhancing common interest among those countries; and (iv) train young negotiators so that there is never a shortage of good negotiators in future.

However, Bangladesh needs to adopt a policy/guideline to structure the country climate negotiators, and thereafter, Bangladesh can collaborate with development partners to assist in implementing such policy effectively. l Arif M Faisal is a Program Specialist (Environmental Sustainability & Energy), UNDP Bangladesh. M Hafijul Islam Khan is an Executive Director, Centre for Climate Justice-Bangladesh (CCJ-B).

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14

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Climate Change

‘It would have been better for me to die in that cyclone’ n Istiakh Ahmed

“I

t would have been better for me to die in that cyclone” he says quietly.

This is not the answer most of us working in development would expect, or even hope for.

Bangladesh has made incredible strides in reducing casualties from cyclones over the last several decades.

Why on Earth would someone say they would have preferred to die?

I met Abdul Somed Molla in the summer of 2014 on a small coastal island called Mazer Char. He was an old man with an orange tinted beard.

When I found him, he was sitting quietly on the bank of the river, the clouds looming in the distance. I asked him what was wrong, and he told me there was a cyclone signal 3. Nothing major, but of course, at that time you couldn’t tell -- the cyclone could always worsen.

Abdul was anxious, because the signal reminded him of how years before a cyclone had destroyed his life. That was the one in which he wished he had died.

Before cyclone Sidr hit, in 2007, Abdul was, relatively speaking, a rich man. He owned a small piece of land and thirteen cows. They provided him about a hundred liters of milk each day, which he could then sell for a liveable income.

Abdul survived the cyclone, by climbing onto a tree, but sadly his

COURTESY/GIBIKA, ISTIAKH AHMED

And as that happens, we need to make our disaster risk reduction systems more robust. We need to make sure that after a cyclone occurs, people can keep on living, keep on making a daily wage, supporting their families. It’s not just about surviving, it’s about thriving cows did not. And when he return home, there was nothing left to be called a house.

In his own words, he explained: “If, during that time, God had taken my life, I wouldn’t have to worry now. It would have been better for me to die in that cyclone.

Everyone here feels that way.

Instead of being washed out, God should have just taken our lives.

“What should we eat now? I have no money, no paddy, no rice, no cattle; nothing to sell, nothing to eat. I would have been better off

dead.”

After Sidr, Abdul started catching shrimp from the river, doing anything he could for even a meagre income.

Since catching shrimp fry is banned by the government, he often finds himself in trouble authorities. He also does labour work when he can.

Abdul’s life is nothing like it once was. He won the battle, but lost the war. He may have survived the cyclone, but lost everything else.

I don’t think he should have died in the cyclone. In fact, no one should have. We all know how well Bangladesh has done in reducing the death toll when it comes to cyclones, through early warning systems and cyclone shelters, but now we need to move one step forward. We need to protect people’s livelihoods, not just lives.

Otherwise, there will be more people like Abdul, sitting on a rock, fretting about the destruction the next cyclone may bring.

Attributing natural disasters to climate change is a developing field. We cannot yet tell whether or not a cyclone is influenced by climate change, because cyclones have always occurred in this region. But scientists are fairly certain, as the oceans warm up, climate change play some role.

Whether in making cyclones more frequent, more intense, or both.

And as that happens, we need to make our disaster risk reduction systems more robust. We need to make sure that after a cyclone occurs, people can keep on living, keep on making a daily wage, supporting their families. It’s not just about surviving, it’s about thriving.

Last time I visited Mazer Char, I could not find Abdul. I asked around for him, but nobody knew where he went. I looked at his empty house, and tried to imagine what if he had not lost much of his land to the river, and his cows to

Sidr. Would he have had to leave his home then? I am not sure, but at least he would have had the choice. l Istiakh Ahmed is the coordinator, “Livelihood Resilience” program at International Centre for Climate Change and Development, and currently working on Gibika, a research-to-action project, through which this story was found.

This page has been developed in collaboration with the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and its partners, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). This page represents the views and experiences of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Dhaka Tribune or ICCCAD or its partners.

15

DT

Kids

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

colour these

i

ii

ILLUSTRATIONS: BIGSTOCK

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16

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Kids

| fiction |

Depressed n Naveen Rahman Larissa and her family watch as their home slowly gets destroyed.

Everyday, their friends and relatives join them. Soon, if it carries on this way, they may have no place to live at all.

It was not like this aways. about 50 years ago, they had an abundance of space; they had all the food and clean water that they could possibly want. And as many friends as far as the eye could see.

People would come from all over the world to discover as much as they could about this mysterious forest. Thousands upon thousands of species are yet to be discovered.

Such an abundance of life, truly, is one of nature’s greatest feats.

A magical place, the monkeys, the birds, the butterflies and the fish, known to Larissa only as friends will soon have no place to go. The great Amazon is slowly dying, and with it, all the colours and life that is home to millions like Larissa.

Let us all take note to make sure that; they exist for all to see for many years to come. l PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

Art by Sharmin Akter Shova

Animal facts

17

DT

Kids

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

diy

Go green!

Readers, it is very important to take care of our very own Mother Nature. After all the wonderful things she provided us with, it is our duty to not be ignorant and careless.

Things you need: • Clear 2-litre soda bottle • Small flowerpot • Potting soil • Seeds • Saucer • Craft stick marker (sticks from Chocbar ice-cream) • Scissor

Kangaroos Kangaroos can grow between three and eight feet tall, and they can weigh between 18 to 100 kilograms, depending on the species.

• As herbivores, they regurgitate grass and shrubs and chew them again before swallowing.

• They are the only large animals that hop around for travelling.

• When sensing danger, they alert others by loudly thumping their feet on the ground.

• A female kangaroo gives birth to a “Joey,” once a year, which can be anywhere from

fun science

Step 1

Cut the top half from the clear two-litre soda bottle.

Step 2

Find a small flowerpot that fits inside the bottle. Make sure the flowerpot is filled with potting soil. Plant the seeds according to the packet’s instruction given.

Consider herbs, which can be transplanted outside and are fun to trim.

Step 3

Place the pot in a saucer and poke in the craft stick marker. Put the bottle over the pot and be sure to water your plant accordingly. l

the size of a grain of rice to the size of a honeybee.

• The tiny, hairless and blind new-born instantly crawls into its mom’s pouch where it nurses and continues to develop for 120 to 400 days.

• They have great hearing abilities, and like cats, they can rotate their ears to catch tiny sounds.

• Kangaroos can’t walk backwards, but they are good swimmers. l

pet tips

Mystery markers!

How to do it: Draw a wavy line an inch above the bottom of each towel strip, using a different colour pen on each. Dip each strip into the water so that the bottom edge of the paper towel is submerged, but not the line of ink.

Hold it in place as the water creeps up the towel. The ink marks will spread, revealing the different dyes that make up each colour.

You will need: • Bowl of water • Paper towels, cut into strips • Three or more different coloured markers, including black

Be careful not to cut yourself!

Explanation: Most colours are actually made up of several different dyes. As the paper towel draws the water out of the bowl, the water molecules bond with the different ink molecules and spread them. The process of separating these dyes is known as chromatography. Grab a black marker and discover the several blue and red smears that make it! l

Toilet trained Fido Training a dog to do its business outside is difficult, particularly because they don’t use a litter box like cats. If you want to stop your precious canine from making a mess out of your room, here’s what you could do to potty train him: Potty spot Take your dog to a big grassy spot to do his deed. This way he’ll be able to move around freely when answering nature’s call. Do not take him to a park to do his deed; you risk getting thrown out.

to do. Take him outside every 2-3 hours for a walk. He’ll soon get the hang of it.

Pay attention Once he’s gotten trained, you have to pay attention to his gestures; your dog won’t be able to tell you that he needs to go to the loo, you have to observe and understand or else he’ll just be making a mess out of your room. l

Loo time After 10-30 minutes of eating or sleep ing, take him outside for a walk. Remember to accompany him and wait after he gets comfortable with what he’s about PHOTOS: VARIOUS SOURCES

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18

Kids

SATURDAY,JANUARY 28, 2017

book review

toy

Fantasy of life

From target to prey!

Author: Keith McGowan Genre: Fantasy Age: 9-12 The Story Siblings Sol and Connie escape from their house, in search of their long lost aunt. Instead, they are soon lost in a scary forest and fall into a witch’s trap! When Sol gets cursed and starts turning into a deer, both the siblings find themselves in a wild chase to save their lives, as the wicked witch decides to come after them and find her prey.

PHOTO: EA

It is not often when we come across something unique, which just might take our breath away.

Readers, this week we bring you “The Game of Life.” This is a game in which consists of a track where players are supposed to spin their wheel with numbers one to 10. The game is filled with small colourful pieces and also three-dimensional objects. As the game progresses, the player

Is it a good read?

Although it is a bit scary, The Witch’s Curse is a funny and heartfelt treat for its readers. With detailed illustrations and positive messages on determination, resourcefulness and sibling love over sibling rivalry, this book is a must read and a definite suggestion for all. l

PHOTO: AMAZON

video game

music

SCOOBY DOOBY DOOO!

Whether you are a five-year-old or a young adult, you can never be too old for Scooby Doo. Scooby Doo! First Frights brings to you the ultimate Scooby Dooby madness of all time. Separated into four episodes and several chapters, the storyline involves a lot of ghost busting and discovering real culprits behind the masks. Scooby and his team have to solve several mysteries in places like amusement parks to castles and islands.

transits to “being married” or “having children.” Each game also includes bank and insurance policies.

Who doesn’t love to show off with their abundant play money? Moreover, the game has lots of variations, which the players can enjoy. Accordingly, there are also online versions as this board game isn’t available in Dhaka. At the end of the day, it is just another excuse to spend time with our dear ones. l

There is always a criminal who scares away people from these places by disguising themselves as ghosts and phantoms. Now, it’s up to Scooby and his gang to solve these mysteries and reveal the culprit to the world. From fast paced chase scenes to ghost fighting, clue hunting and puzzle for, this game is spooky but a fun treat all. So what are you waiting for? Grab those Scooby Snacks and go Zoink! l

Viennese Vegetable Orchestra

1. Originated in Europe by an Austrian one-of-a-kind musical group who play instruments made up of fresh vegetables.

2. Instead of guitars and drums, the orchestra plays Cuke-ophones, radish-marimbas, carrot flutes, pumpkin basses, leek violins and other freshly made instruments.

3. The instruments create their own brilliant universe of sounds.

4. A lot of people were inspired from it to try on other things: toothbrush, vacuum cleaner.

This utilisation of fresh produce created a buzz worldwide. l

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

| expo |

| health |

Smartphone and Tab Expo 2017

Lifespring to host mental health awareness program

PHOTO: COURTESY

Samsung Mobile Bangladesh introduces the multi-player VR gaming zone and an augmented reality photo booth at its pavilion in Smartphone and Tab Expo 2017. It also showcases its New superphone the Galaxy C9 Pro for the first time at the Expo.

Besides, customers can prebook this smartphone in the Smartphone and Tab Expo 2017, and the Dhaka International Trade Fair 2017.

The Smartphone and Tab Expo 2017 has become one of the most anticipated events for the smart device industry of Bangladesh. This is the 7th time that this kind of event is taking place in Bangladesh where the best smartphones and tabs of the industry are brought under one

roof for the valuable customers.

Samsung Mobile Bangladesh has become the Platinum partner this year. The three-day event started from the 26th and will continue till January 28, 2017 at Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC).

Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Honourable State Minister, ICT Division, Ministry of Post, Telecommunication & Information Technology along with Architect Yeafesh Osman, Honourable Minister, Minister of State for Science, YoungWoo Lee, General Manager, Samsung Electronics Bangladesh and Muyeedur Rahman, Head of Mobile, Samsung Mobile Bangladesh visited the Samsung’s pavilion and experienced all

the exciting new activities of the experience zone. Samsung Mobile Bangladesh also unveiled the latest addition to its smartphone lineup – the Galaxy C9 Pro. Samsung’s pavilion in Smartphone and Tab Expo 2017 is located at the Carnival Hall, which is located at the left side of the entrance of the BICC. The pavilion features multi-player VR gaming zone where visitors can enjoy exciting games such as FIFA, Social Trivia, Need for Speed and many more. In addition, there is an augmented reality photo booth that has been set up at the Samsung pavilion where visitors can take pictures with a surprise background and enjoy the new experiences.

Customers will also get a free bag and a jacket or a sweater with purchase of devices of Samsung from Smartphone and Tab Expo 2017.

Young-Woo Lee, General Manager of Samsung Electronics Bangladesh said, “We are delighted to be the platinum sponsor of Smartphone and Tab Expo 2017. At Samsung, we are always looking for ways to enhance user experience and drive consumer delight. Samsung always thrives to deliver the most advanced technology. This is our priority. We have set up a unique user experience at the Samsung pavilion this year. I invite you all to visit the Samsung Pavilion and experience some amazing things.”l

DT

Biz Info

LifeSpring has a vision to serve those who are in dire need of being connected to a mental health support network. The initiative has been blessed with a panel of highly qualified psychiatrists and psychologists who are able to provide this service.

LifeSpring offers its clientele, an easy and direct access to psychological counselling from certified psychiatrists.

The organisation dreams of a country where social stigma is no longer attached to those suffering from mental health issues and is not ignored, but is rather considered pivotal towards sustainable growth and development.

Lifespring is going to organise their first mental health awareness program, “Break The Shackles,” on February 3 at Midus Centre Dhanmondi 27(old), Dhaka, from 10:00am to 5:00pm.

The list of esteemed speakers include the likes of Prof Dr Mohit

Kamal, head of psychotherapy, National Institute of Mental Health who will talk about addiction and the youth, Prof Dr Jhunu Shamsun Nahar, chairman of psychiatry and head of psychotherapy, BSMMU on the topic, controlling our emotions, Dr Mekhala Sarkar, sssistant professor of psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health on stress and life’s challenges, Tajdin Hassan, head of marketing, The Daily Star will advise participants on career navigation, while Dr Shusama Reza Rakhi, chief inspirational speaker of LifeSpring will talk about happiness. Finally, Yahia Ameen, president of Lifespring will discuss about the attitude of gratitude.

For registration, please contact: 01924764580 You can also find Lifespring on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ lifespringinstitute Link for the event: www.facebook.com/ events/916624788474545/?ti=cl l

PHOTO: COURTESY

| seminar |

DBDS organises seminar on development The Dhaka University Debating Society recently organised a seminar where the former governor of Bangladesh Bank and a member of the faculty of Development Studies, Prof Dr Atiur Rahman lectured over 500 students from different schools, colleges and universities on development and economics among other topics. l PHOTOS: COURTESY

DT

20 Editorial

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

TODAY

Marches, then and now As much as some people despise the idea of old fashioned politics of engagement, coalition-building, and compromise, the stark truth remains that without such nitty-gritty work, no amount of marches, sit-ins, and Facebook campaigns amount to much PAGE 21

Let’s do some Banglami We do realise the universal appeal of the book fair held only in Dhaka. Thousands of Bangladeshis are seen coming from other districts to come and visit the mela PAGE 22

Spectators watching this game of mutually destructive chess being played in Islamabad can see beyond the players themselves, beyond the action in the foreground 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 and they are not the official view of Dhaka Tribune or its publisher.

The importance of a good EC

T

Facing the dark

Be heard

BIGSTOCK

he first step to holding credible elections is the formation of a neutral Election Commission.

For the EC to do its job well, it must be above and beyond any political bias, and must ensure sure fair play.

If history is a guide, then this looks to be a tall order. In the past, the EC has been seen with suspicion, and has often been accused of colluding with the party in power.

However, a legitimate political process is not possible without a level playing field, and that can only come about through ensuring an unimpeachable EC and a satisfactory election.

We are confident that a properly functioning and empowered EC is possible -- India manages to hold the largest democratic process in the world through the constitutionally upheld institution of the EC, and does so without the partisan blame games that we see in Bangladesh.

It would be a wonderful thing for Bangladesh to be able to replicate that success.

Indeed, it could change our whole political culture, which right now is rife with mistrust, accusations, and counter-accusations.

The EC must, first and foremost, never abuse its power, if it is to gain public confidence.

This calls for nominating the right commissioners who will work towards building back the integrity of the commission.

The selection process for EC officials must be transparent.

If officials are seen to have partisan leanings, it is a foregone conclusion that the election will be controversial.

As we take steps towards forming the 11th Election Commission, let us hope that Bangladesh can turn over a new page and hold free and fair elections, and uphold the true spirit of democracy.

A legitimate political process is not possible without a level playing field, and that can only come about through ensuring an unimpeachable EC and a satisfactory election

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21

Opinion

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Marches, then and now The flowery poetry of marches isn’t enough to bring meaningful change

Millions protested, but how far was the reach?

n Esam Sohail

M

orale boosting, a sense of camaraderie, and fellowship are important facets of the human experience in civilised societies; indeed, these facets become crucial in times of stress or crises. Hence, I understand, and even sympathise with the millions who marched across the United States -- and indeed around the world -- after President Donald J Trump took office.

Policy priorities of the TrumpPence administration, especially in the domestic sphere, seem to be at polar opposites of those who were marching; the communication style of the new administration is also at complete odds with the manner of discourse many had become accustomed to.

But forgive me if I remain a decided sceptic of the concept of the “million-man/woman march” as a change agent in 2017. Sure, the civil rights marches of the 1960s and 1970s did alter the trajectory of American policy, in the direction of justice, I might add.

Those were very different days, however, in a fundamental aspect of opinion mobilisation: Mass communication was almost entirely the monopoly of about 10 major print and broadcast

organisations. The professional leadership and corporate ownership of these organisations -- be it ABC News or New York Times -- has largely similar worldviews, and the organisations themselves were respected by Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike, even when disliked by them.

REUTERS

based on geography and class, there is no such thing as “massmedia” in the sense that it was understood 40 years ago.

Add to that the fact that newspapers are read far less frequently while dedicated “narrow cast” platforms like Facebook and Twitter fill in the gaps, and it is easier to come to terms with a stark

In the absence of a truly broadbased, generally trusted massmedia, the efficacy of agenda setting and opinion mobilisation of such marches is limited.

The challenge of this generation of marchers is arguably greater than those activists who thronged the thoroughfares with placards 40 or 50 years ago.

As much as some people despise the idea of old fashioned politics of engagement, coalition building, and compromise, the stark truth remains that without such nitty-gritty work, no amount of marches, sit-ins, and Facebook campaigns amount to much

So, when all these 10 or so organisations focused on the abuses of discrimination, police overreaction in civil rights protests, or the rampant and legalised racism known as “Jim Crow,” almost the entire country from New York to Los Angeles tuned in, and some amongst them demanded action.

That mass-media landscape is long gone in America, and indeed elsewhere. With a proliferation of media outlets that heavily cater to small slices of the population

reality: The marches on January 21 may have drawn participants in the millions, but too many others are paying attention to different topics of interest.

Interwoven with this splintering of the traditional concept of “mass media” is the existence of competing narratives of lived reality which have been chiseled into finely tuned echo chambers whose symphonies are played with relish by partisan provocateurs on talk radio, cable television, and popular blogs.

They cannot rely on the conscience of a country by remote control. The passion of marching and peacefully protesting, if channeled into further work, can yield results.

Concrete change can only come with the largely thrill-free, tedious, and often boring legwork of retail politics outside the glare of the spotlight or even simple attention. It often means joining the local units of political parties and going door-to-door to canvass for candidates for small offices

who, eventually, graduate into bigger and more significant policymaking positions.

Sometimes, this involves lobbying elected and appointed officials on upcoming policy changes. Giving money to legal aid groups who protect the individual against the state is also part of this unheralded work of “resistance.”

And so are countless others.

The bottom line is that, in the time we live, the flowery poetry of marches needs the studious legwork of prose to accomplish meaningful change in representative democracies.

As much as some otherwise respectable people -- especially the generation known as “millenials” -- despise the idea of old-fashioned politics of engagement, coalition-building, and compromise, the stark truth remains that without such nitty-gritty work, no amount of marches, sit-ins, and Facebook campaigns amount to much.

This is all the more true in pluralist, constitutional, representative democracies with robust ecosystems of interest groups, cross-cutting cleavages, and multi-furcated mass-media. l Esam Sohail is an educational research analyst and college lecturer of social sciences. He writes from Kansas, USA.

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Opinion

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Let’s do some Banglami Can we be crazy enough about our language?

LARGER THAN LIFE

n Ekram Kabir

I

was quite impressed by coming across the word “Banglami” in a magazine.

Very different. We usually don’t use the word Banglami anywhere.

I don’t know whether the Bangla dictionary has it or approves of it. But to me, it was like a fresh wind of the morning.

Many call it “Banglamo.” I was wondering how I could use this word in a more public way and started thinking about how to use the word.

I went for a status on Facebook to figure out what others understand when they hear this word.

Almost all the responses were negative; they all cited examples of our national bad habits; to them, our bad habits could be called Banglami.

However, one person said Banglami is being too Bangali, or becoming crazy with Bangla.

Another person said Banglami could be to ensure the use of Bangla in our mass media.

Yes, we could always start being too much of a Bangali, but I was thinking of becoming crazy for Bangla.

Crazy about Bangla books, Bangla writing, and setting up libraries across the country.

Many of you would ask: “What’s so crazy about them? Millions throng to Boi Mela each February; people buy books and many writers are still writing books!”

Most people would tell me off by saying that there’s nothing new about being mad about Bangla.

Yes, we have been going to Amar Ekushey Boi Mela for several decades. Usually, the venue for this mela has been Bangla Academy.

As the participation in the fair increases and the more and more people are visiting the premises, the mela had to be expanded to the Suhrawardi Uddyan.

This year, the academy said the fair area would further expand as the number of publishers have also increased.

We do realise the universal appeal of the book fair held only in Dhaka. Thousands of Bangladeshis are seen coming from other districts to come and visit the mela. By looking at those people,

Crazy about our books it’s quite clear that there’s a thirst among people regarding the Boi Mela.

Despite people’s love for this, the mela is still confined only to Dhaka.

I know only a few places outside Dhaka where publishers and government officials think of arranging the mela. In most of the districts, there’s nothing during February.

Imagine how nice it would be if we could arrange melas in all the districts. If we could, the entire Bangladesh in February would be a land of books.

Yes, it’s true that it requires quite a lot of funds in order to organise book fairs in each district.

However, I know of a public library that arranges book fair every year. Doesn’t matter if they have enough money for this purpose or not, the Khulna Public Library arranges a boi mela every year.

We do have many public libraries across our country and they surely can organise smallscale book fairs in their premises.

A small-scale mela would require a small fund and the public libraries could afford it.

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

We do realise the universal appeal of the book fair held only in Dhaka.

Thousands of Bangladeshis are seen coming from other districts to come and visit the mela. Despite people’s love for this, the mela is still confined only to Dhaka

What they need is the willingness to do that. This the Banglami I’d love them to do during February.

If we consider all the schools across Bangladesh, thousands have their own libraries. The libraries may be small but there are libraries in the schools.

We could encourage the parents of the students to donate two books to their children’s school.

Two books would only cost Tk300.

The school authorities would then donate the books to another school -- preferably in the village -- that doesn’t have any library.

If a school has 500 students and they donate two books each, the number of books would become a thousand, and a thousand books are good enough to build a library

in another school.

After building the library, the teachers could even arrange a reading competition in that school!

Just imagine what kind of commotion would be created if all the schools organise reading contests across the country.

This is another form of Banglami I’d love for the school authorities to initiate.

There are so many things that we could do from our love of books and our language.

Take a writing campaign, for example. What if teachers arrange a letter-writing campaign for the students?

All the students would write one letter-to-the-editor on a subject they feel isn’t right in the

localities they live.

And then the teachers would send all those letters to the newspapers.

The newspapers would be happy to publish all those letters written by the children, wouldn’t they?

When the children see their names printed in the papers, their happiness would be something to watch.

That’s how we could teach them how to write better. That’s another Banglami act I’d love for our teachers to initiate.

Banglami, to me, is to become crazy about our language, literature, and books. l Ekram Kabir is a fiction writer.

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Opinion

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Facing the dark A game of political chess is being played in Pakistan

n FS Aijazuddin

A

nyone who wishes to understand the drama being enacted at the Supreme Court in Islamabad should watch the film Shatranj Ke Khilari, Satyajit Ray’s brilliant adaptation in 1977 of Munshi Premchand’s equally brilliant short story.

Set in Nawab Wajid Ali Shah’s effete court of Lucknow, it is centred around a game of chess, played obsessively by two noblemen –- Mirza Sajjad Ali and Mir Roshan Ali. Fixated, these two remain oblivious to what is happening around them. They play to their destruction.

In the Pakistani plagiarised version, two leaders with more money than common sense are locked in a dispute from which neither can hope to emerge the victor. Determined not so much to win as to ensure that their opponent loses, they seem to be ready to risk all at the roll of a lawyer’s brief.

In no country in the world could litigants expect an apex court to listen to one case continuously for so long, without the prospect of an end to a wind tunnel of arguments. This indulgent luxury is not available to the common litigant. There are thousands of cases yet to be adjudicated by just the principal seat of the Supreme Court in Islamabad.

Comparisons can be odious, and none could be more pointedly so than the parallel proceedings in the UK Supreme Court which recently concluded the case on Brexit. The full eight-member bench began its hearings on December 5, 2016.

The lawyers were given four days in which to complete their arguments. The final judgement (no more than 101 paragraphs) on this complex constitutional issue was handed down on January 24, 2017, six weeks later.

During that same period of time, the Panama-gate prosecutors have yet to establish a watertight nexus between the prime minister, his sons and their sister.

No one can fault the burning sense of purpose that motivates the leader of the PTI to bring the prime minister to book for keeping incomplete records of his property transactions. Some might accuse him even of doing the right thing -- for the wrong reason.

If these two modern mirs are to play political chess, certain rules have to be followed. One of those must be that if an elected prime

Nawaz Sharif has a few things in common with the current American president minister is to be removed from office, it should be by those who elected him to that office.

Courts are there to apply the law, to adjudicate, not to destroy opponents. They cannot train legislators to observe the law.

Across the Atlantic, a USelected president is attracting similar anti-forces determined to oust him from office. Groups of disgruntled Americans are taking to the streets to disgorge their bile against Donald Trump.

Their placards may carry whatever protests they can devise; they may shout whatever antiTrump slogans they can invent, but President Trump intends to do exactly whatever he chooses to do.

His first decisions -- the abolition of the TPP treaty, the decision regarding anti-abortion legislation, his gauntlet to the press -- are a clear indication that, like that other media-savvy president Ronald Reagan, he intends to behave as another Teflon-coated president.

Pakistan’s prime minister seems to have gone one step further.

Not only does he enjoy a Teflonlike imperviousness to gratuitous accusations and personal attacks, he has a velcro-like adhesiveness to his prime ministership. Perhaps, he believes that third time is lucky.

REUTERS

Spectators watching this game of mutually destructive chess being played in Islamabad can see beyond the players themselves, beyond the action in the foreground. They can see shadows of imperialism gradually taking over, just as once the East India Company did More likely, he follows the old proverb that “many questions, if left unanswered for a certain time, will answer themselves.” He may genuinely believe that if he leaves questions unanswered, in time they will answer themselves. At a personal level, that may be a fine convenience. At a national level, it cannot substitute for official policy.

Spectators watching this game of mutually destructive chess being played in Islamabad can see beyond the players themselves, beyond the action in the foreground. They can see shadows of imperialism gradually taking over, just as once the East India Company did, when arm’s-length trading converted into economic subjugation and finally into an imperial supremacy.

Cynics would assert that -- to take CPEC as one example -- the public is being straddled with a

yoke of obligations, the terms of which are being unconscionably withheld from them, that freedom of choice is being handcuffed, and that they are being shackled into a cramped posture of subservience.

It took Pakistan over 60 years to develop their stock exchanges.

It has taken less than 40 days to surrender 40% ownership of the Pakistan Stock Exchange to a foreign company.

Every political leader, national and provincial, would do well to memorise a closing dialogue between the two dispossessed mirs in Satyajit Ray’s film: “After nightfall, we will go back home.

We both need darkness to hide our faces.” In which darkness do these leaders propose to hide their faces? l FS Aijazuddin is an art historian. This article was previously published in Dawn.

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24 Sport

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Hyderabad to host lone Bangladesh Test

TOP STORIES

n Tribune Report

Ponting predicts Aussies will struggle Australia will struggle on their tour of India where they will play four Tests against the world’s top-ranked side in spin-friendly conditions, former captain Ricky Ponting has predicted. PAGE 25

Five-star Barca stroll back into Cup semis Barcelona eased into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for a seventh consecutive season 6-2 on aggregate as Denis Suarez scored twice in a 5-2 win over Real Sociedad on Thursday. PAGE 26

Safarova, MattekSands clinch doubles Second seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova took out the Australian Open women’s doubles title yesterday to be crowned Grand Slam champions for a fourth time. PAGE 27

Spain’s Rafael Nadal hits a return against Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov during their men’s singles semifinal match on day 12 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne yesterday AFP

Nadal edges classic to reach Federer final n AFP, Melbourne

Williams sisters to fight for Aussie Open An Australian Open electrified by the revivals of seasoned champions will bathe in the warm glow of nostalgia today when the Williams sisters contest the women’s final at Rod Laver Arena. PAGE 28

Rafael Nadal set up an Australian Open final against his great rival Roger Federer after edging Grigor Dimitrov in a classic five-set semi-final which stretched for nearly five hours yesterday.

Nadal pulled off one of his greatest victories in denying Bulgaria's Dimitrov, 6-3, 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-7 (4/7), 6-4 in four hours and 56 minutes in front of a rocking Rod Laver Arena crowd. Nadal showed his incredible fighting qualities to claw back from 0-30 down in the ninth game of the final set to break Dimitrov's serve with two

tremendous chases to put away the winning volley to lead 5-4.

Dimitrov bravely saved two match points as Nadal served out for the match before the Spaniard clinched victory, sinking to his knees in relief and jubilation. Nadal said it was a "privilege" to face Federer in their ninth final, and first since the 2011 French Open.

"It's a very special thing, I think for both of us to be in the final of a major again and have another chance to compete with each other again after a couple of years having some problems," he said.

"I think both of us never thought we were going to be here

again in the final of the Australian Open."

Nadal, who downed Federer in the 2009 final, won through to his fourth Australian Open final and his 21st Grand Slam final. He leads Federer leads 6-2 in their major finals. The 30-year-old Spaniard has been out of the Grand Slam limelight since his last title success at Roland Garros in 2014, as injuries sidetracked his glorious career.

Nadal is bidding to win his second Australian Open title and become the first man in the Open Era - and only the third man in history – to win each of the four Grand Slam titles twice. l

Hyderabad will host Bangladesh's solitary Test match against India after much speculation regarding the venue as the BCCI and BCB agreed on the itinerary of the Tigers' inaugural tour of their neighbour.

Bangladesh will set foot in India this Thursday before taking part in a two-day practice match against India A on February 5 at Gymkhana Ground in Secunderabad.

The Tigers will play the historic Test match, starting February 9, against the host at Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. The visitors are scheduled to return home on February 14.

India have toured Bangladesh five times for a bilateral series but the Tigers have never visited their neighbour since playing their maiden Test match back in 2000.

Earlier, the one off Test match between Bangladesh and India was put into doubt after the Indian media reported that the Hyderabad Cricket Association is facing a cash crunch while there were talks that the Test is likely to be shifted to Kolkata.

Meanwhile, the Tigers returned home after completing their month-long tour of New Zealand.

Bangladesh lost all the eight games against the Kiwis. The national selectors have already announced the 30-member preliminary squad for the upcoming tours of India and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh will be looking to correct their mistakes from the New Zealand tour and get over the injury concerns, namely Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, who is recovering from a thumb injury, while Imrul Kayes and Mominul Haque are also recuperating from injuries.

PRELIMINARY SQUAD

Abdul Mazid, Anamul Haque, Al Amin Hossain, Alauddin Babu, Ebadat Hossain, Imrul Kayes, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Liton Das, Mahmudullah, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mustafizur Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain, Nasir Hossain, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Nurul Hasan, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Isalm, Shakib al Hasan, Subashish Roy, Shuvagata Hom Chowdhury, Soumya Sarkar, Sabbir Rahman, Taijul Islam, Taskin Ahmed, Tamim Iqbal, Mehedi Hasan Siddique and Tanbir Hayder l

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Sport

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

5th Bangladesh Cricket League begins today n Tribune Report The fifth edition of the franchise-based, four-team first class tournament, the Bangladesh Cricket League, gets underway today with the match between Walton Central Zone and Islami Bank East Zone at Shaheed Chandu Stadium in Bogra.

In the other game on the same day, BCB North Zone will face Prime Bank South Zone at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium.

The tournament was originally

scheduled to begin in September last year but the franchises refused to take part without the national cricketers.

“I think we cannot compromise with the schedule, not even for a single domestic tournament, because of the availability of the national players. It's high time we come out of the past traditions and follow the calendar,” said national selector Habibul Bashar.

The tournament will miss the services of most of the national

players as the Tigers have a busy schedule ahead. They will visit India to play a one-off Test match, starting from February 9, before touring Sri Lanka in March.

SQUADS

Walton Central Zone: Shamsur Rahman, Saif Hasan, Rokibul Hasan, Marshal Ayub, Taibur Rahman, Shuvagata Hom, Tanbir Hayder, Mosharraf Hossain, Mohammad Sharif, Shahidul Islam, Abdul Mazid, Shahadat Hossain, Mohammad Shari-

fullah, Zakir Ali and Dewan Sabbir.

Prime Bank South Zone: Abdur Razzak, Anamul Haque, Shahriar Nafees, Fazle Mahmud, Tushar Imran, Mohammad Mithun, Al Amin Jr, Mosaddek Hossain, Ziaur Rahman, Sohag Gazi, Al Amin Hossain, Nazmul Islam, Salman Hossain, Towhidul Islam and Moinul Islam.

Islami Bank East Zone: Mehedi Maruf, Liton Das, Alok Kapali, Tasamul Haque, Yasir Ali, Zakir

Hasan, Ifran Sukkur, Mohammad Saifuddin, Abul Hasan, Abu Jayed, Saqlain Sajib, Rahatul Ferdous, Ebadat Hossain, Sadman Islam and Shahanur Rahman.

BCB North Zone: Naeem Islam, Junaed Siddique, Jahurul Islam, Mahmudul Hasan, Sadman Islam, Nasir Hossain, Dhiman Ghosh, Ariful Haque, Farhad Hossain, Sanjamul Islam, Shafiul Islam, Saddam Hossain, Yeasin Arafat, Farhad Reza, Suhrawardi Shuvo and Taijul Islam. l

U-16 women play three warm-ups today n Tribune Report

Bangladesh U-16 women's football team will play three matches in the opening day of the J-Green Sakai U-15 Women's Football Festival in Osaka, Japan today.

The young girls will play their first match against AC Imabari in the morning before facing Cerezo in the second game in the afternoon. Their third straight game is against NGU Nagoya FC Ladies, less than two hours after the kick-off time of their last game. Bangladesh play Amagasaki Ladies tomorrow before the knockout stages begin.

Bangladesh team reached Japan last Wednesday night and played a warm-up match against Sakai Academy a day later where they won 2-1, thanks to goals from Sirat Jahan Shopna and Mousumi Jahan.

The Japan tour is part of Bangladesh U-16 team's preparation for the AFC U-16 Women's Championship, scheduled to be held in Thailand from September 9-23. l

Action from the fourth edition of the Walton National Baseball Championship in the capital’s Paltan ground yesterday

Roman reaches Int'l Archery knockouts n Tribune Report

Ponting predicts Australia will struggle in India

Archers from more than 15 countries around the world will be competing for nine gold medals in the inaugural edition of the ISSF's International Solidarity Archery Championship that started at Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium yesterday.

The last time Bangladesh hosted an international archery tournament was six years ago in 2011 where participants from 15 countries took part. But this time around, the number of nations is bigger with 68 archers from 17 countries registered for the event. l

Australia will struggle on their tour of India where they will play four Tests against the world's topranked side in spin-friendly conditions, former captain Ricky Ponting has predicted.

Steve Smith's men will travel to India next month having been beaten 4-0 four years ago.

They were also whitewashed 3-0 in Sri Lanka last August in similar conditions prompting Ponting to issue a grim outlook for the team.

"I think they'll struggle," the 42-year-old, who played 168 Tests for Australia told Sky Sports. "Every

n Reuters, Melbourne

team that goes there struggles.

"It's become harder and harder for visiting teams to go to India.

They probably make wickets to suit them more than ever before."

The last time India lost a Test at home was against England at the end of 2012 and Virat Kohli's side have won their last five series to climb to the top of the Test rankings. South Africa, New Zealand and England have all lost series in India in the last 15 months and Australia's last success in the country was in 2004 when they won a four-Test series 2-1.

"I went there for a lot of tours and we obviously played in some tough

conditions," added Ponting. "But the wickets were good for the first couple of days of the game and then they started to turn. But now, even looking at what happened in Sri Lanka, whenever the Australian team tours anywhere on the subcontinent you can guarantee the wicket is going to turn, and turn quite a bit, from day one of the game."

Following the 3-0 drubbing in Sri Lanka, Australia's Test team plunged into a crisis with successive home defeats to South Africa. After a national outcry forced wholesale changes, they recovered by winning the final Test against South Africa before beating Pakistan 3-0. l

MD MANIK

Gregarious beat Gregs in Fed Cup Basketball n Tribune Report The Gregarious defeated The Gregs Club by 80-47 points in the Federation Cup Basketball Tournament 2017 at Dhanmondi Basketball Gymnasium in the capital yesterday. Christopher and Shafin caged 22 and 14 points respectively for the victors while Antu scored eight for the Gregs.

Meanwhile in the day's other match, The Shaons outplayed Bokshi Bazar 68-28. Earlier last Thursday night, the Gregarious beat favourites Dhaka Gladiators 68-49 while Shaons defeated Dhumketu by 76-51 points. l

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Gerrard not sure he will make grade as a manager n AFP, London

Manchester United’s Paul Pogba scores against Hull City during their EFL Cup semifinal second leg at The Kingston Communications Stadium on Thursday

REUTERS

Mourinho mocks Klopp as Man Utd reach final n AFP, Kingston Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho took a sarcastic swipe at his Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp after his side booked their place in the League Cup final.

A day after Liverpool had been bundled out of the competition by Southampton, United progressed with a 3-2 aggregate win over Hull City despite losing 2-1 in Thursday's second leg.

Klopp said the wind had made conditions difficult in Liverpool's 1-0 loss to Southampton on Wednesday and Mourinho made an acerbic reference to that remark when he was asked if United were the favourites for the trophy.

"I don't think we are favourites against nobody," he said.

"It doesn't matter where we play, against who, we are never favourites. Normally the stadium is windy and it's difficult."

Mourinho also tried to claim that his team's unbeaten record remained intact despite their defeat at Hull, who prevailed on the night courtesy of Oumar Niasse's 85th-minute goal. It was United's first loss in 18 matches, but having disagreed with the decision that led to Tom Huddlestone putting Hull ahead from the penalty spot, Mourinho claimed the outcome had been invalid.

"We didn't lose. It was 1-1. I only saw two goals," the United manag-

RESULT Semi-final second leg

Hull

2-1

Man United

Huddlestone 35-pen, Pogba 66 Niasse 85 Manchester United won 3-2 on aggregate

er told his post-match press conference at a chilly KCOM Stadium.

"I saw (Paul) Pogba's goal and their (second) goal was a fantastic goal. Great action, great cross and the guy in the far post coming. 1-1."

Huddlestone put Hull in front in the 35th minute after Marcos Rojo was adjudged by referee Jon Moss to have tugged Harry Maguire's shirt. Mourinho refused to divulge his thoughts on the penalty, but

suggested United's control of the tie had been unfairly taken away

by Moss.

"I don't want to speak about the penalty, but I don't want also to speak about the performance," said the Portuguese, whose side will tackle Southampton at Wembley on February 26.

"Because to speak about the performance again, I have to say the game was in the pocket, the game was under control and something happened to open the game."

Hull’s Jake Livermore has joined West Bromwich Albion and top scorer Robert Snodgrass is reported to be on the verge of signing for West Ham United, prompting Silva to admit he is powerless to intervene. l

England great Steven Gerrard says that only time will tell whether he measures up as being good enough to be a football manager.

The 36-year-old, capped 114 times and a rampaging midfielder in his pomp, begins his new career in February as a youth coach at his beloved Liverpool, who hired him earlier this month.

Gerrard, who won the Champions League, UEFA Cup, FA Cup and three League Cups but never the Premier League title with Liverpool, turned down an offer from third-tier MK Dons for him to become their manager last November. He thought it was too soon to launch himself into managing a club.

"There's no rush, no timescale," said Gerrard, who is working towards achieving his UEFA A coaching licence, which would allow him to manage a Premier League club.

"The silly thing for me would be to rush and go in when I'm not ready. I've got incredible people around me and hopefully in the future there'll be some exciting opportunities.

"I've a lot of dreams and aspirations to be the best I can be in terms of coaching and management, but we'll have to wait and see if I'm going to be good enough." With me and Liverpool there will always be an emotional pull," he said.

"But the decision to go back as a coach and what that entails, I couldn't really make that decision on sentiment or emotion because I'd have been doing it for the wrong reasons." l

Five-star Barca stroll back into Cup semis n AFP, Barcelona Barcelona eased into the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey for a seventh consecutive season 6-2 on aggregate as Denis Suarez scored twice in a 5-2 win over Real Sociedad on Thursday.

Already leading 1-0 from the first leg, Barca gave Sociedad a mountain to climb as Denis Suarez finished off a great team move with the only real chance of the firsthalf before Lionel Messi converted from the penalty spot.

Juanmi and Willian Jose grabbed a pair of consolation goals for the visitors either side of Luis Suarez's third for Barca before Arda Turan and Denis Suarez rounded off the

RESULT Barcelona

5-2

Real Sociedad

Denis Suarez 17, 82, Juanmi 62, Messi 55-pen, Willian Jose 73 Luis Suarez 63, Arda Turan 80 Barcelona win 6-2 on aggregate

rout.

"After the first goal the space opened up. They had a high line, and if you give the three we have up front space, then they kill you," Denis Suarez told BeIN Sports Spain.

The 28-time winners join Atletico Madrid, Alaves and Celta Vigo, who dumped out Real Madrid on Wednesday, in Friday's semi-final draw. l

Barcelona’s Arda Turan (R) shoots to score against Real Sociedad during their Spanish King’s Cup match at Camp Nou Stadium, Barcelona Spain on Thursday REUTERS

27

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

DAY’S WATCH

Safarova, Mattek-Sands dance to doubles title

CRICKET

STAR SPORTS 2 2:08 PM KFC T20 Big Bash League Final Perth Scorchers v Sydney Sixers

STAR SPORTS 3

n AFP, Melbourne

7:20 PM England Tour of India 2016 2nd T20

TEN 1 HD 2:00 PM Sri Lanka Tour of South Africa 2016/17 1st ODI

FOOTBALL STAR SPORTS HD 4 8:16 PM Bundesliga 2016/17 VfL Wolfsburg v FC Augsburg

STAR SPORTS SELECT HD 1 8:16 PM Bundesliga 2016/17 RB Leipzig v TSG 1899 Hoffenheim

STAR SPORTS SELECT HD 2 8:16 PM Bundesliga 2016/17 Werder Bremen v FC Bayern Munich 11:16 PM Bayer Leverkusen v Borussia Dortmund

TEN 1 2:50 PM A-League 2016/17 Brisbane Roar FC v Western Sydney Wanderers 9:00 PM Sky Bet EFL 2016/17 Reading v Cardiff City

TEN 1 HD 12:50 AM French Ligue 1 2016/17 Stade Rennais v Nantes

TEN 2 9:50 PM French Ligue 1 2016/17 Olympique Lyonnais v Losc Lille Sa

SONY ESPN 11:30 PM The Emirates FA Cup 2016/17 Southampton v Arsenal 1:30 AM Serie A TIM 2016/17 Inter Milan v Pescara

SONY ESPN HD 6:00 PM The Emirates FA Cup 2016/17 Liverpool v Wolverhampton Wanderers 11:00 PM Serie A TIM 2016/17 Lazio v Chievo Verona

SONY SIX 9:10 PM La Liga Santander 2016/17 Alaves v Atletico Madrid 11:30 PM Eibar v Deportivo La Coruna 1:40 AM Leganes v Celta Vigo

NEO PRIME 12:30 AM Dutch League 2017 Heracles Almelo v PSV Eindhoven

TENNIS SONY SIX 2:30 PM Australian Open 2017 : Day 13 Womens Singles Final & Men’s Doubles final

Bethanie Mattek-Sands of US and Czech Republic’s Lucie Safarova dance as they celebrate winning Australian Open doubles final against Czech Republic’s Andrea Hlavackova and China’s Peng Shuai at Melbourne Park, Melbourne yesterday REUTERS

Second seeds Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Lucie Safarova took out the Australian Open women's doubles title on Friday to be crowned Grand Slam champions for a fourth time.

The American-Czech pairing battled past 12th-seeded Andrea Hlavackova, also from Czech Republic, and China's Peng Shuai 6-7 (4/7), 6-3, 6-3 on Rod Laver Arena.

Mattek-Sands and Safarova got the decisive break in 4th game of the deciding set to go 3-1 up after Hlavackova sent down a double fault.

There was no looking back, with Mattek-Sands clinching the title with a volley as they jumped for joy and then celebrated with a dance routine in front of the trophy. It was their fourth major title together, and ninth overall, after winning at Melbourne and Roland Garros in 2015 and at the US Open last year. l

Leipzig to flaunt Bundesliga future n AFP, Berlin

Ralf Rangnick says the Bundesliga will flaunt its future today when his second-placed RB Leipzig face unbeaten Hoffenheim with both aiming to chase down leaders Bayern Munich.

"We are proud, modern and attractive, sexy even," Leipzig's director of sport, who has taken the Red Bull-backed upstarts from the fourth division to Germany's top tier, told daily FussballBild.

"The size of the city, the number of fans, sponsors and media interest means Leipzig has a big dimension.

"We can be more than just a re-

gional team in the long term," he added, with RB -- who enjoyed a record start to their first Bundesliga season with 13 games unbeaten -on course for next season's Champions League.

They are three points behind Carlo Ancelotti's Bayern, but eight ahead of Hoffenheim in third.

Hoffenheim earned a 1-1 draw at Bayern in November and are the only team in Germany's top flight still with an unbeaten record after seven wins and 10 draws this season. Their emergence has not gone unnoticed at Bayern, who snapped up burly centre-back Niklas Suele and defensive midfielder Sebastian

FIXTURES

Wolfsburg Ingolstadt Werder Bremen Darmstadt RB Leipzig Leverkusen

v v v v v v

Augsburg Hamburg Bayern Munich Cologne Hoffenheim Gladbach

Rudy for next season.

Under Julian Nagelsmann, 29, the youngest coach in Bundesliga history, Hoffenheim are a tough team to crack.

"It's going to be a huge challenge," said Leipzig coach Ralph Hasenhuettl.

Argentina's Veron plays again at 41 n AFP, Buenos Aires Former Argentina and Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron makes his official return to the pitch on home soil yesterday -- aged 41 -- with his beloved boyhood club Estudiantes.

Veron retired as a professional player in May 2014 and has served as director of sports and now chairman at the club, based in La Plata, south of Buenos Aires.

He is donning the team's shirt again to try to win the Copa Libertadores, Latin America's premium club competition -- and to promote work on his club's new stadium.

"I will always feel like a football player," he told reporters ahead of

Friday's match, an official pre-season friendly against Argentine rivals San Lorenzo in Mar del Plata.

On Tuesday he warmed up by playing in a closed-door friendly match against Bolivian side Sport Boys, which ended 1-1.

He had also played a Florida Cup match with Estudiantes in the United States on January 15.

"I felt better than I expected after such a long time," he said after that game.

Veron played for top Argentine side Boca Juniors and European clubs including Lazio, Manchester United and Chelsea before hanging up his boots. He said he will donate his salary as an Estudiantes player to the club. l

Germany's in-form strikers, Leipzig's Timo Werner and Hoffenheim's Sandro Wagner, will go head-tohead. Both have hit 10 goals each this season and the hot-shots are hoping to fire their way into the plans of Germany coach Joachim Loew at Leipzig's Red Bull Arena.

Leipzig will be missing Scottish winger Oliver Burke, who has a cold.

Also Saturday Bayern are at strugglers Werder Bremen, who are just above the relegation places.

Bayern - for whom winger Franck Ribery will be hoping to be involved - have won their last five games against Bremen, scoring 22 goals without reply. l

Xavi extends Qatar contract n AFP, Doha

Barcelona great Xavi Hernandez has agreed a year’s extension to his contract with Qatar’s Al Sadd, according to a statement posted on the club’s website on Thursday.

The club said that the 2010 World Cup and four-times Champions League winner would remain in the Qatar Stars League (QSL) until at least 2018.

“Xavi had earlier joined the team at the start of the 2015/16 season after signing a two-year contract,” read the statement.

“With this extension, he is now set to complete three years at the club.” l

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Sport

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Williams sisters add another chapter to great sibling rivalry in Aussie Open final VENUS WILLIAMS

SERENA WILLIAMS

World ranking: 17 Age: 36 (17/06/1980) Career titles in total: 49 Career Grand Slam titles: 7 Wimbledon: 2000, 2001, 2005, 2007, 2008; US Open: 2000, 2001 Career prize money: $34,435,058 s Despite being written off numerous times, a healthy and motivated Venus Williams has once again proved the doubters wrong by becoming the oldest Australian Open finalist in the Open era. She is now in her 15th Grand Slam final, winning seven and losing seven.

First major final was at the US Open in 1997, where she lost to Martina Hingis. Venus lost in the first round at Melbourne last year but made the semi-finals at Wimbledon and the fourth round at the other two majors. A former world number one, she will move back into the top 10 if she wins in Melbourne on Saturday.

World ranking: 2 Age: 35 (26/09/1981) Career titles in total: 71 Career Grand Slam titles: 22 Australian Open: 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015; French Open: 2002, 2013, 2015; Wimbledon: 2002, 2003, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2016; US Open: 1999, 2002, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014 Career prize money: $81,761,761 s Deposed by Angelique Kerber as world number one last year, Williams will regain the top ranking if she wins her seventh Australian Open title. Beating sister Venus in the Melbourne Park decider will also take her Grand Slam haul to an Open-era record of 23, surpassing Steffi Graf. Was beaten in the Melbourne final last year by Kerber. She went on to make the French Open final in 2016 and win Wimbledon, but was knocked out in the semi-finals of the US Open. A shoulder injury prevented her from playing again until the season-opening Auckland Classic this month.

Path to Final

Path to Final

1st rd: bt Kateryna Kozlova (UKR) 7-6 (7/5), 7-5 2nd rd: bt Stefanie Voegele (SUI) 6-3, 6-2 3rd rd: bt Duan Yingying (CHN) 6-1, 6-0 4th rd: bt Mona Barthel (GER) 6-3, 7-5 QF: bt Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova (RUS x24) 6-4, 7-6 (7/3) SF: bt Coco Vandeweghe (USA) 6-7 (3/7), 6-2, 6-3

1st rd: bt Belinda Bencic (SUI) 6-4, 6-3 2nd rd: bt Lucie Safarova (CZE) 6-3, 6-4 3rd rd: bt Nicole Gibbs (USA) 6-1, 6-3 4th rd: bt Barbora Strycova (CZE x16) 7-5, 6-4 QF: bt Johanna Konta (GBR x9) 6-2, 6-3 SF: bt Mirjana Lucic-Baroni (CRO) 6-2, 6-1

n Reuters, Melbourne An Australian Open electrified by the revivals of seasoned champions will bathe in the warm glow of nostalgia today when the Williams sisters contest the women's final at Rod Laver Arena.

Melbourne Park was where Venus and Serena Williams first clashed in a tour match in 1998 and nearly 20 years on, the Americans will add another chapter to tennis's greatest sibling rivalry.

In 1998, they were teenagers with cornrows and coloured beads in their hair sharing in an awkward second round encounter that 17-year-old Venus won in two sets.

Venus hugged her sister, younger by a year, at the net and apologised for having to "take (her) out".

Today, 35-year-old Serena will

Eight all-Williams finals Year 2001 2002 2002 2002 2003 2003 2008 2009

Tournament US Open French Open Wimbledon US Open Australian Open Wimbledon Wimbledon Wimbledon

Winner Venus Williams Serena Williams Serena Williams Serena Williams Serena Williams Serena Williams Venus Williams Serena Williams

bid for a record 23rd grand slam title in the professional era while Venus will strive for her eighth, and first in almost nine years.

Serena drew level with Germany's Steffi Graff on 22 when she claimed her seventh Wimbledon title last year but her crowning moment was delayed when, as top seed, she was upset in the U.S. Open semi-finals by Czech Karolina

Score 6-2, 6-4 7-5, 6-3 7-6 (7/4), 6-3 6-4, 6-3 7-6 (7/4), 3-6, 6-4 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 7-5, 6-4 7-6 (7/3), 6-2

Pliskova.

Serena no longer cares to talk about the record and stiffened when asked about it after her semi-final victory over Mirjana Lucic-Baroni, as if the weight of such an achievement might prove too heavy.

But a seventh title at Melbourne Park would add further credit to Serena's claim as the greatest of

all time, despite being one short of Australia's Margaret Court, whose 24 major titles were split between the amateur and professional eras.

For 13th seed Venus, her first grand slam final in eight years is already a stunning victory of perseverance in the face of her struggles to manage Sjogren's syndrome, an auto-immune disease that causes fatigue and joint pain.

Both players stormed into the semi-finals without a set dropped.

Today's final will be the Williams sisters ninth at a grand slam and their first since Wimbledon in 2009, where Serena won in two sets.

Venus spent four years in the wilderness from 2011-14, a period in which she was unable to surpass a fourth round at any of the majors.

But since a drought-breaking quarter-final at the 2015 Australian

Open, Venus has risen again.

"I think people realise this is an amazing job, so it's best to keep it," she said of her longevity.

Whether she can still beat the best will be decided on Saturday, where she will bid for her first Australian Open title, 14 years after her only other final at Melbourne Park ended in a three-set loss to her sister.

Serena, who holds a 16-11 winning record over Venus over their careers and leads 6-2 in the grand slam finals, is favourite to win but knows better than to underestimate her sister's competitive spirit.

"She's my toughest opponent -- nobody has ever beaten me as much as Venus has," she said.

"This is a story. This is something that I couldn't write a better ending.

This is a great opportunity for us to start our new beginning." l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Weaving machine (4) 6 Floor covering (3) 7 Circle of light (4) 9 Slight parody (4) 10 Citrus fruit (5) 11 Cut off (5) 12 Self (3) 14 Subject of discourse (5) 17 Scope (5) 20 Top card (3) 21 Traffic light (5) 23 Clock faces (5) 25 Valley (poet) (4) 26 Single occasion (4) 27 Help (3) 28 Fasting period (4)

DOWN 1 Inferior (6) 2 Prayer (6) 3 Silent (4) 4 Sweet potato (3) 5 Put on (3) 7 Brave man (4) 8 Sound reasoning (5) 10 Permit (3) 13 Street urchin (5) 15 Procession (6) 16 Join firmly (6) 18 Strong wind (4) 19 Printers’ measures (3) 22 Wicked (4) 23 Female rabbit (3) 24 Perform (3)

29

DT

Downtime

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

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

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

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30

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

Showtime

A chronicle of identity loss n Farhat Alam Brishty When one’s identity is lost, it may seem that his or her life no longer exists. The message is loud and clear in Tauquir Ahmed’s Oggatonama: The Unnamed.

It is a story of human struggle for survival, their longing for a life free of miseries and the meaning of their true identity.

Ahmed explores the despair and aspiration of the rural psyche, and tells a story that needed to be told.

The plot revolves around a misidentified death. The police inform Sheikh Abdul Hakim (played by Abul Hayat) that his son, Abdul Wahab, who worked in the Middle East has died in an accident three days ago. But Hakim talked to his son just the previous night over the phone.

Then, who was the person that died? It turns out that Kifayet Uddin Pramanik’s (played by Fazlur Rahman Babu) son Asir Uddin Pramanik, too, went to the Middle East in search of livelihood

with a forged passport by Abdul Wahab’s name.

If you think the shock ends here, you are certainly in for greater blows. You’re headed towards a journey loaded with greater perplexes. The demanding journey to get the dead body, apparently, ends up bringing the wrong one. The discovery of the wrong body takes place when it’s revealed that the body wasn’t circumcised while washing it.

Ahmed skillfully combines the tragic with the comic to convey the solemn concern of identity loss in his film. The rest of the film goes on to illustrate the endeavor of finding the lost identity.

But why does one have to lose his identity, his family name, in order to live abroad? Why is one forced to be the “unnamed”?

Oggatonama invokes many questions. It emphasises: a person is his identity. And he is killed when it is taken away from him by the struggles of life.

The film ends in a humane

note with Asir’s father deciding to perform the last rites of the unidentified deceased. The misplaced body was certainly not of a Muslim’s, but that does not stop the mourning father to acknowledge his rights.

Ahmed delivers the important message of humanity through an underprivileged, uneducated villager - messages that many educated societies choose to ignore.

Watching the film you might feel things are not firmly put together. The lack of coherence and association between elements misses the mark in drawing the audience’s genuine immersion.

However, the film clearly demonstrates the irresponsible approach, corrupted principles and the failed system of the country. Through its intriguing story, thought provoking dialogues and impactful performances, Oggatonama stands as a bold rebel against the system. It tells you the story you did not know but you wanted to know about.l

Frances Bean Cobain’s new modeling gig

Batman’s flop

n Showtime Desk The 24-year-old daughter of late Nirvana front man Kurt Cobain and singer Courtney Love was recently picked up as the face of Marc Jacobs.

The fashion mogul announced Frances Bean Cobain as the face of his spring/summer 2017 campaign.

The designer recalled on social media, “I first met Frances Bean when she was 2 years old at a dinner with her mom (Courtney) and Anna Sui in 1994 at Bar Six in NYC.” “I have always wanted to work with Frances.

Her beauty, uniqueness, and strength are something I have long admired and respected.

Few things remain as constant as my continued inspiration from those whose honesty, integrity, courage and curiosity lead them to explore and venture beyond preconceived boundaries,” he added.

Frances tried her hand slightly in modeling since she was a pre-teen, first delivering a pose in Elle in 2006 dressed in her father’s iconic sweater and checkered pajama pants.

Even though the girl with the big name has ease in front of the camera, Cobain told Vogue she doesn’t intend on making this venture in front of the camera a permanent gig.

“I don’t think I’ll be modeling for anybody else for a very long time—this is 100 percent outside my comfort zone,” she told the magazine. “I wouldn’t have done it with anyone other than Marc.”l

n Showtime Desk We’re sure Ben Affleck isn’t having the smoothest process of making the new Batman movie. It’s become even more difficult after his $75 million loss as Live By Night was a complete flop.

The old school gangster film was very costly to make, being Affleck’s passion project. He wrote, directed, produced and acted in the film, which is a story that revolves around a Florida rumrunner. Critics did a good job of ripping the film apart, calling it dramatically inert and a muddle.

WB, the studio behind the success of Affleck’s past films, has taken a huge loss with this not-so-great outing for the filmmaker.

The film itself cost approximately $65 million, with

only gathering a little over $16.5 million globally. Live By Night is adapted from a Dennis Lehane novel. It co-stars Elle Fanning, Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana and Chris Cooper, and centres on a Prohibition-era criminal who battles with the Ku Klux Klan and rival gangs as he struggles to corner the market on hooch.

Warner Bros has a longstanding relationship with Affleck, giving way to hits like Argo and The Town. Affleck also gained popularity as his portrayal as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the divisive Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and Suicide Squad.

He will also be reprising the role in the upcoming Justice League movie that might break or make the current DC cinematic universe later this year.l

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Showtime

SATUREDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

WHAT TO WATCH Tomorrowland Star Movies 5:00pm Bound by a shared destiny, a teen bursting with scientific curiosity and a former boygenius inventor embark on a mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory.

Cast: George Clooney, Britt Robertson, Hugh Laurie

The Great Wall at Star Cineplex

Harry Potter and the HalfBlood Prince HBO 4:18pm As Harry Potter begins his sixth year at Hogwarts, he discovers an old book marked as “the property of the Half-Blood Prince” and begins to learn more about Lord Voldemort’s dark past.

Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint Focus WB 7:45pm

n Showtime Desk The Matt Damon starrer, The Great Wall was released in

Bangladesh yesterday, January 27 and is now available for movie enthusiasts at Bashundhara City’s Star Cineplex.

Interestingly, the film is yet to be released in its country of origin, USA. The official release date for USA is February 17. The last time something like this happened was when Princess Diana’s biopic, Diana, which was released two weeks prior to the USA.

The Great Wall tells us the story behind the iconic wall in China which is also one of the seven wonders of the world.

The wall stretches almost 5,500 miles and took about 1,700 years to finish construction.

The film has been produced as a joint initiative by China and the United States of America (Legendary Entertainment, China Film Group Corporation, Atlas Entertainment).

The epic historical fiction action-adventure film has been directed by Zhang Yimou and stars Matt Damon, Jing Tian, Andy Lau and Pedro Pascal among others, in important roles.

The film has been a topic of discussion and criticised on social media for having an American actor play the lead role in a story that revolves around the history of China. l

Hotel Transylvania Zee Studio 9:30pm Dracula, who operates a high-end resort away from the human world, goes into overprotective mode when a boy discovers the resort and falls for the count’s teenaged daughter.

Cast: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Andy Samberg

IN TUNE

n Showtime Desk We listen to music on almost every occasion. It moves our bodies, our souls and gives way to inspiration in almost every department in our lives. So why not take this time to update our playlists for the weekend. Here are the chart toping songs from Billboard, iTunes and Spotify, accounted from this past week.

Billboard 1. “Bad And Boujee” – Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert 2. “Shape Of You” – Ed Sheeran

3. “Black Beatles” – Rae Sremmurd Featuring Gucci Mane 4. “Closer” – The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey 5. “Starboy” – The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk 6. “Bad Things” – Machine Gun Kelly x Camila Cabello 7. “Paris” – The Chainsmokers 8. “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) – Zayn / Taylor Swift 9. “Don’t Wanna Know” – Maroon 5 Featuring Kendrick Lamar 10. “24K Magic” – Bruno Mars

In the midst of veteran con man Nicky’s latest scheme, a woman from his past - now an accomplished femme fatale - shows up and throws his plans for a loop.

Cast: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro

The Conjuring Movies Now 9:30pm iTunes 1. “Shape Of You” – Ed Sheeran 2. “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) – Zayn / Taylor Swift 3. “Paris” – The Chainsmokers 4. “Bad Things” – Machine Gun Kelly x Camila Cabello 5. “24K Magic” – Bruno Mars 6. “Down” – Marian Hill 7. “I Feel It Coming” – The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk 8. “This Town” – Niall Horan 9. “For Her” – Chris Lane 10. “Say You Won’t Let Go” – James Arthur Spotify 1. “Shape Of You” – Ed Sheeran

2. “Paris” – The Chainsmokers 3. “Castle on the Hill” – Ed Sheeran 4. “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker) – Zayn / Taylor Swift 5. “Rockabye” – Clean Bandit Featuring Sean Paul and AnneMarie 6. “Starboy” – The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk 7. “Say You Won’t Let Go” – James Arthur 8. “Closer” – The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey 9. “Despacito” – Luis Fonsi 10. “I Feel It Coming” – The Weeknd Featuring Daft Punk l

Paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren work to help a family terrorised by a dark presence in their farmhouse.

Cast: Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga, Ron Livingston

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Back Page

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017

TRUMP HOSTS FIRST FOREIGN LEADER AS MAY VISITS WHITE HOUSE PAGE 8

NADAL EDGES CLASSIC TO REACH FEDERER FINAL PAGE 24 PM Hasina on a joyful rickshaw-van trip in Gopalganj n Tribune Desk A photo of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with her nephew Radwan Mujib Siddiq and his family on a rickshaw-van ride in Gopalganj attracted Facebook users yesterday.

Bangladesh Awami League posted the photo on its official Facebook page yesterday afternoon.

In the photo, the premier is seen carrying Radwan’s son on her lap while Radwan sits beside her and his wife and daughter at the back of the van.

Taking a trip around places she was most fond of, Hasina looks very happy, apparently reminiscing of the old days in Gopalganj, her paternal home district.

The photo also reveals security officials on the side – guarding the van as it moves forward.

As of 8:30pm last night, the photo received more than 81,000 likes and reactions and more than 15,000 shares on Facebook. l FOCUS BANGLA

Good Samaritan dies saving US scientists claim hydrogen ‘metal’ mother, child n Arifur Rahman Rabbi

An elderly Bangladesh Railway staff lost his life while saving a woman and her child from an on-coming train right outside Dhaka Cantonment Railway Station area, on Friday.

The deceased was identified as Badol Mia, 55, from Gafargaon, Mymensingh. Badol was a rail-gate supervisor for the area between the Dhaka Cantonment Station and the Dhaka Airport Railway Station and a technical assistant for railroad maintenance for about 30 years, according to Mamun Mia, Badol’s son.

Quoting an eyewitness, Railway Police Kuril area in-charge, Sub-Inspector Akbar Hossain, told the Dhaka Tribune that Badol was doing maintenance work on the Kuril-Bishwa Road railroad around 1pm when he noticed a woman

Badol Mia

and a child crossing the rail lines nearby, completely unaware of an approaching train.

Though he managed to rescue the mother and her child from a fa-

tal end, he was unable to save himself, Akbar confirmed.

Railway police have yet to confirm the woman and child’s identity, he added.

Badol’s body was taken to Dhaka Medical College for an autopsy.

Badol’s namaz-e-janaza will be held at the Kamalapur Railway Station premises before he is taken to be buried at his ancestral home in Gafargaon, said Mamun.

Mamun also told the Dhaka Tribune that they are a family of five brothers and three sisters. Like his father Badol, he has been working at the Bangladesh Railway on a contractual basis for 15 to 17 years and was recently made a permanent staff member.

“The railway authorities have assured us that they will provide a job to another of my brothers as a replacement for our father,” said Mamun. l

n Tribune Desk

According to a BBC report, Harvard scientists claim to have manipulated hydrogen into a form where it behaves like a metal.

Ranga Dias and Isaac Silva are the researchers behind the potentially ground breaking discovery, who reported their experiments in this weeks issue of Science Magazine.

Theoretically, this find may have a myriad of applications, ranging from the creation of zero-resistance wiring, which would revolutionise the storage and transmission of energy, to super-powered rocket fuel.

Dias and Silva formed this “wonder material” by squeezing a sample of molecular hydrogen between two diamonds in a diamond anvil cell (DAC). The pressure created in this DAC was equivalent to five million earth atmospheres, or

495 gigapascals, while it was also chilled to -270 degrees Celsius.

“It’s the first time solid metallic hydrogen has ever existed on Earth,” Prof Silvera told the BBC. While only a miniscule amount of the metal hydrogen was produced- less than a cross-section of a human hair- the researchers believe that ways to boost output may be found in the future.

However, the claim was met with skepticism from the broader scientific community almost immediately.

Eugene Gregoryanz from Edinburgh University described the research as “complete garbage” In addition, Jeffrey McMahon from Washington State University expressed concern that even small samples may be impossible to recover from the DAC. “Whether it is possible is an important open question,” he said. l

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