04 July, 2016

Page 1

SECOND EDITION

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

|

Ashar 20, 1423, Ramadan 28, 1437

|

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 72

|

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


DT

News

2

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Remembering four lives cut short too soon n Tribune Desk Three Bangladeshis Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain, Abinta Kabir, and Ishrat Akhond, and an Indian Tarishi Jain were killed in the terror attack that unfolded on

Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain Friday night in Gulshan, Dhaka. Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain was son of Ms Simeen Hossain, CEO of Eskayef and grandson of Transcom Group Chairman Latifur Rahman. The 20-year-old was the younger of two sons of Simeen Hossain and Muhammad Waquer Bin Hossain and grandson of Latifur Rahman and Shahnaz Rahman. Faraaz was a 2016 graduate of Oxford College at Emory University and a student at Emory’s Goizueta Business School. He is reported to have come to Dhaka on May 18 for his summer holidays. He, along with two of his friends went to Holey Artisan for dinner when the cafe was stormed by gunmen. A report in New York Times said: “Early in the morning, the gunmen released a group of women wearing hijabs and offered a young Bangladeshi man, Faraaz Hossain, the opportunity to leave too, said Hishaam Hossain, Faraaz’s nephew, who had heard an account from the hostages who were freed. “Faraaz was accompanied by two women wearing Western clothes, however, and when the gunmen asked the women where they were from, they said India and the United States. The gunmen refused to release them, and Faraaz refused to leave them behind, his relative said. He would be among those found dead on Saturday morning.” Abinta Kabir, also an Emory University student, was daughter of Elegant Group Chairman Ruba Ahmed. She is from Miami, Florida but was born in

Dhaka and was a second year student at Emory University’s Oxford College. She was in Dhaka visiting relatives and a friend, according to social media reports. Abinta, 18, was a rising sophomore at Emory’s Oxford College campus and was expected to graduate in 2019. She went to Holey Bakery after Iftar to meet friends, Afsara Adiba said in a Facebook post. According to a report of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Anisha Pal, friends with both Faraaz and Abinta, said they were both active in the Student Activity Centre at Oxford and helped plan many social events including school dances, concerts and the Mr and Mrs Oxford pageant. David Leinweber taught Abinta just a few weeks ago at a summer history class at Emory. He got to know her well, as it was a small class of only a

Abinta Kabir handful of students. “She was disciplined, very smart and very likeable,” said Leinweber, an Emory associate professor of history. “You knew she was going somewhere.” He said she spoke of plans to go to Bangladesh and always referred to place with praise. Rifat Mursalin, who just graduated

Ishrat Akhond from Emory, came to know Faraaz after Faraaz offered to help him with a project on alleviating poverty in Bangladesh. “That’s the kind of person he was,” Mursalin said. “He offered to help out of the sheer goodness of his heart.” Sultana Begum, outgoing president of Bengal Association for Students at Emory said: “Everyone would just say they were the sweetest, nicest people. Both of them were known for it.” Ishrat Akhond worked at ZXY International FZCO. She was also involved in creative and cultural organisations including the Institute of Asian Creatives, Institute of Art and Culture and Dhaka Art Centre. Ishrat was a Bangladeshi arts promoter and trustee of the Institute of Asian Creatives (IAC). She was a supporter of the arts for more than 20 years. She had been holding a dinner meeting with Italian businessmen when she was killed in the siege, according to three of her friends who did not want to

be named out of fear of reprisals. One said: “She was such a loving person, such a good friend.” Others posted photographs and messages of disbelief and condolences

Tarishi Jain on her Facebook page. “She was also strong, fiercely independent, madly in love with life, full of dreams and aspirations,” Farzana Ahmed Sobhan, a friend, wrote on Facebook, according to a report published by The Washington Post. “She was fiery, never one to be

afraid of speaking her mind and standing up for justice. She must have been terrified, but she couldn’t have gone without a fight. I know that.” “In our Foundation, you can sponsor children,” Korvi Rakshand Dhrubo, the founder of JAAGO Foundation, a non-profit organisation that provides free education to low-income students, told The Washington Post. “So she paid for a child’s education for a year. That was her gift of appreciation.” According to her LinkedIn page, Akhond worked as a director of marketing and events for Westin Hotels and, more recently, as a director of human resources for a European apparel buying company. Her page lists her interests as “arts and culture,” “poverty alleviation,” “education” and “human rights.” Tarishi Jain, 19, is the daughter of Shri Sanjeev Jain of India. She passed out from American School Dhaka and was a student of the University of California at Berkeley, Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj confirmed. Tarishi Jain was awarded an internship by Eastern Bank Limited in 2016 and her project was on EBL-Commerce Growth Opportunity in Bangladesh. Her father, Sanjeev Jain, has been running a 20-year-old garment business in Dhaka. She had made a terrified call to her family in Uttar Pradesh from a toilet of the O’ Kitchen restaurant early Saturday. That was at 1:30am - Indian Standard Time - the last time her family spoke to her, reported the Khaleej Times quoting her family. Tarishi was the sole Indian national killed by the terrorists in the siege. The Jain family, based in Suhag Nagar area of Uttar Pradesh’s Firozabad district, on Saturday recalled the last conversation they had with her during the siege. They said Tarishi called at around 1:30am and told them she had locked herself in a toilet of the cafe as armed assailants opened fire. “She told us that gunmen were around and that she had locked herself in one of the toilets of the restaurant,” her uncle Rakesh Mohan Jain said. He added that they tried to connect her repeatedly but their calls went unanswered. It was finally answered at 6:30am, but no one spoke from the other end. l

Japanese victims came to do good n Shohel Mamun SEHRI & IFTAR

Ramadan 28 29 30

July 04 05 06

Sehri 3:44 3:45

Iftar 6:54 6:54 6:54

Source: Islamic Foundation

Seven Japanese citizens, who were killed in Holey Artisan Bakery attack, had been working with the feasibility team of the ongoing metro rail project in Dhaka. Confirming their job identities to the Dhaka Tribune, Executive Director of the Dhaka Transport Coordination Authority Kaikobad Hossain yesterday

said the seven particularly worked at Line 1 and 5 of the metro rail project. He also said: “The seven were staff of ALMEC Corporation, a Tokyo-based urban and transportation consultant firm which was assigned to the feasibility study of the project. Another Japanese, who was rescued alive, is the team leader of the feasibility team. “They had been staying in Bangladesh since 2014 with the job at

Strategic Transport Plan revision, and after ending it they joined the metro rail project.” Metro Rail Project Director Mofazzel Hossain said: “A hindrance erupts with the incident and it is irrecoverable loss for our country.”

Quader: Demise of Japaneses will not affect the project During a visit to Dhaka’s Sydabad Bus

Terminal, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said the demise of seven Japaneses citizens would not affect the metro rail project. “The Japanese government knows the attack on the Gulshan cafe is the part of a global terrorism,” he said. Meanwhile, a team of the Japan International Cooperation Agency met the minister in the evening. Irigaki, vice-president of JICA, led the team. l


3

DT

News

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Candlelight vigil for Holey Artisan victims today n Tribune Desk A candlelight vigil will be held today in remembrance of the innocent civilians who lost their lives in Friday’s horrific terror attack at the Holey Artisan cafe in Dhaka’s Gulshan.

The unusual death of pizza chef at Holey n Abid Azad The relatives of Saiful Choukidar,40, are still waiting to get his dead body from the Combined Military Hospital, he was the assistant pizza chef at Holey Artisan who died during the terrorist attack on Friday. The terrorists executed 20 hostages, shot dead two police officers and injured at least 20 policemen before a joint raid, dubbed “Operation Thunderbolt” brought the siege to an end on Saturday morning. Six attackers were killed during the combined operation while one was arrested alive. However the police IGP claimed he is confirmed that the five attackers had JMB connections while the other’s will be confirmed after further investigation. Among the 20 hostages, 9 were Italian, 7 Japanese, one Indian and 3 were Bangladeshis. Several eyewitnesses and victims said five out of the six attackers who died were aged in their early twenties all dressed casually. The police however provided the names and photos of five of the attackers, Akash, Bikash, Don, Badhon and Ripon although they said six had been killed during Operation Thunderbolt. The confusion begins with the police releasing five pictures of the attackers, which included a picture of Saiful dressed in his chef whites. Saiful’s death now begs more questions because he does not fit the profile of the attackers while he did fit the profile of the people the gunmen had spared but he was not. Ali Arsalan, one of the proprietors of Holey Artisan Bakery said “It appears Saiful Choukidar, Assistant Pizza Chef is no more. We are

searching for the body now.” There is also the fact that in the pictures provided by the so called Islamic State (IS) of the attackers, Saiful’s picture is not present. Saiful’s cousin Titu Dewan said: “My cousin Saiful was employed there for a year. Earlier, he worked in hospitals while also having a small business in his village. He lived in Germany for almost ten years and returned home around 2007” “When went to CMH on Saturday evening after the rescue operation we found Saiful’s dead body but the authorities refused to hand it over, we were surprise when we found out that his picture was included with the attackers” he told the Dhaka Tribune. Saiful had four siblings, one of his brothers had recently moved to Malaysia as a migrant worker. “He was a good man, living happily with his wife and two daughters while his wife is expecting another child. There is no complains and allegations against him in our village” he also told the Dhaka Tribune. Arsalan said: “Saiful was a cheerful employee, we did not notice any negative characteristics about him. On Friday afternoon, when I went to pick up a pizza, he told me that we need more pizza chefs as the demand was rising.” He also said on Friday there were about 20-25 employees on duty at the restaurant. “We request that everyone pray for them and especially for Saiful and his family during this difficult time and that media refrain from contacting or pressuring them from speaking now. They will need counselling and assistance in due course and we will do our best” Arsalan said. l

The vigil will be held at 8pm and people will gather in locations near Road 79 as access to the road has been blocked by law enforcement officials after the grisly attack. A Facebook event named “Candle Light Tribute to the lost souls of the Holey Artisan Gulshan mass

homicide” organised the vigil. The event invited people to participate “in this peace gathering towards morality, humanity and compassion for those who are not amongst us anymore.” It called on people from all walks of people to combine, unify

and merge against savagery and spread the invincibility of love, accord and pacifism in the society in order to take a step towards eroding violence, promoting peace and paying homage to the beautiful lives lost in the terror attack. l


DT

News

4

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

‘It was a joint attack by JMB, Ansarullah men’ n Mohammad Jamil Khan Primary investigation suggests that some members of banned militant outfits Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team carried out the Gulshan terror attack jointly on Friday following in-depth reconnaissance at the restaurant. Some of them directly took part in several other operations – including the bomb attack on a temple and the murder of a converted freedom fighter in northern Bangladesh – conducted recently in the name of international terrorist group Islamic State. The law enforcers are yet to disclose details of the six attackers killed during the Operation Thunderbolt on Saturday morning, nearly 10 hours after the hostage situation ensued. The police only gave the names of five of them. Another suspect named Sourav is undergoing treatment in police custody. Meanwhile, two teams of the Criminal Investigation Department went to O’ Kitchen and Holey Arti-

san Bakery on Road No 79 of Gulshan 2 yesterday morning and collected evidence. A bomb disposal team of DB police also visited the spot. No case was filed over the attack that killed at least 20 hostages and two police officers until yesterday. IS, however, claimed responsibilities for 24 murders, their 25th attack since last year. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said that the attackers belonged to the homegrown militant groups. Police chief AKM Shahidul Hoque yesterday said the process of filing a case was under way. The Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crimes Unit would investigate the case. “We have collected CCTV footage from the area and are analysing it,” he added. An investigating official said that even though the killing style was similar with the previous attack on bloggers and religious minorities, “we never experienced such a massive destruction before. Moreover, taking people hostage at gun-

point and killing them is also a new trend,” the officials said requesting anonymity. The investigators so far interrogated 27 people including eyewitness and hostages. Nearly nine hours before the attack, militant group Ansar Al Islam hinted about a massive attack in the Gulshan diplomatic zone where security measures had been tightened following the murder of Italian aid worker Cesare Tavella on September 28 last year. IS claimed the murder. “It will be first in #Bangladesh to attack in diplomatic zone, taking hostage and largest operation against the crusaders and its allies,” they said in a tweet at 11:02am on Friday. This group earlier known as Ansarullah Bangla Team believed to be representing the Bangladesh wing of al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS). On the other hand, the involvement of JMB members was found in most of the attacks claimed by IS since last year. The victims include

foreigners, and non-Sunni and non-Muslim preachers. After the attack on a Madaripur college teacher in which an attacker was held last month, detectives suspect that members of outlawed militant group Hizb ut-Tahrir might be involved in the targeted killings too. Hizb ut-Tahrir recently called on the Muslims to wage all-out war to uproot the government and establish Caliphate in Bangladesh. The aim of the two other top militant groups is the same – establishing Islamic rule. About the warning issued by Ansarullah, the IGP said they had no previous information about the attack. “The information found in Twitter is false,” he said, reiterating that the law enforcers had been looking for five of them – all JMB members – for their involvement in some other recent attacks. “We are not sure about the other attacker who was killed in the operation. “We are trying to trace the mastermind behind the attack,” the IGP said yesterday after visiting the

injured at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Regarding IS link, the police chief said that the attackers might have established connection with international groups “but we are not aware about it. We will be able to clarify the matter after investigation.” The detectives are now trying to trace the source of the sophisticated arms the militants used in the attack. Asked about the detained attacker, a high official of an investigating agency declined to comment until they could interrogate him. “We are hopeful to get some information after his treatment.” The official said that the welltrained terrorists had analysed the restaurant for a long time before launching the attack. Their main target was to kill the foreigners. “We are also suspecting that the attackers sent someone inside the restaurant before the attack to relay information about the foreign guests,” the official told the Dhaka Tribune seeking anonymity. l

Khaleda reiterates need for national unity n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

As part of beefing up security after the grisly terror attack at Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s Gulshan on Friday night, people living in nearby areas are subjected to searches by the police, The photo was taken yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

PM to pay homage to victims of Gulshan attack n Abu Hayat Mahmud Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will pay homage tomorrow to the victims of Gulshan terror attack on Friday. The premier will pay the homage at Army Stadium in Dhaka around 10am, says the PM’s Press Secretary

Ihsanul Karim. Senior leaders of Awami League will also pay homage after the premier’s tribute. Besides, the people of all walk of life including different political parties, cultural and social organisations will pay tribute from 10am

to 12pm, says a press release. At least seven militants stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone Gulshan on Friday night and killed 20 foreigners. All the attackers were Bangladeshi citizens and students of private universities. l

Describing the Gulshan terror attack as a national crisis, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia has suggested that the government immediately form an anti-terrorism unity burying all sorts of divisions and make the country peaceful, safe and democratic. “It is not a big deal today who assumes the office or who stays in the office … We may not live in the future. But there will be the country … the nation. The country, the nation is at stake today. Whatever we say, nothing will be with us ... none of our achievements will last if we fail to curb militancy,” Khaleda said at a press briefing yesterday. “So, let us forget all the divisions and forge an anti-terrorism unity soon to build a peaceful, secured and democratic Bangladesh,” she told reporters following the party’ Standing Committee meeting. Saying that the nation was passing through a critical time, the three-time former premier mentioned that the whole country was at stake as the criminals are attacking imams, priests, clerics, pastors, bloggers and working class people. “Religious minorities are being attacked. Our religious harmony is being destroyed. No one is safe today. This fear, this killings should be stopped. Bloodshed must stop. We have to be united. People have to be united,” she said. Khaleda condemned the killings

at Gulshan hostage crisis and expressed deep shock at the deaths and injuries including the killing of two police officials. She thanked the armed forces for proving their ability and necessity once again in national crisis. She also thanked naval force, air force, police, RAB, BGB, fire service and intelligence officials and media people for their contribution during in the crisis. The BNP chief thanked the world community who expressed shock at the Gulshan terror attack and offered assistance to Bangladesh. “I hope that they will continue their assistance to tackle terrorism respecting our state’s sovereignty.” She said the persistent crisis was not a law and order problem, and that it cannot be addressed only by the law enforcement agencies. “The problem is deep rooted. The crisis will deepen if the measures taken to curb terrorism turns into harassing the political opponents. I am urging all the stakeholders to be aware of it.” Khaleda mentioned the absence of democracy, intolerance in politics, repressing measures taken by the state, absence of rule of law, economic deprivations and lack of quality education as the reasons behind the increasing terrorist activities. “It is not possible to eradicate terrorism from the society if the factors are not addressed through short- and mid-term steps.” l


Marco Tondat

Maria Riboli

Claudia Maria D’Antona

5

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Claudio Cappelli

Cristian Rossi

DT

News

Nadia Benedetti

Vincenzo D’Allestro

Simona Monti

Adele Puglisi

The cheerful Italians hushed in Gulshan n Tribune Desk

Italians dominate the numbers of foreign nationalities killed in the Gulshan O’ Kitchen hostage situation on Friday, according to official death toll. One Jacopo Bioni was unaccounted for till Saturday evening, feared dead or severely wounded, but an Italian news website La Repubblica reported on Sunday that he got in touch with his family in Italy late in the evening on Saturday, informing that he had not gone to the restaurant, the ground zero of the bloodiest terrorist attack in Bangladesh till date. According to Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, the victims are identified as Adele Puglisi, Marco Tondat, Claudia Maria D’Antona, Nadia Benedetti, Vincenzo D’Allestro, Maria Riboli, Cristian Rossi, Claudio Cappelli and Simona Monti. All were entrepreneurs or working in textile sectors in Bangladesh. Simona was expecting a baby. La Repubblica reported quoiting the victim’s acquaintances in Dhaka that there were 11 Italians at the time of the assault. One Diego

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN MONDAY, JULY 04

ed by La Repubblica. “For many hours I hoped for a miracle, but in the end I had to face facts. She’s dead, probably killed by a single gunshot,” Gian was quoted as saying by the Italian news website. “I came out from that place devastated,” he confessed after identifying the body of Claudia, who according to Gian was wrapped with a plastic sheet on a stretcher at CMH outdoors, under a monsoon rain swing. “I saw beyond the reduced corpses in a pitiful state,” he said. A law graduate from Turin University, Claudia was the manager at Fedo Trading Ltd, a buying house in Dhaka. Originally from Italy’s Piedmont, she had opened a sales office years ago in India’s Chennai. But the desire to stay close to Gian had led her to move to Dhaka, reports La Repubblica. One of Claudia’s acquaintance, Esha Aurora, described her as a warm, kind, friendly and loving person. “She opened her home to near strangers and was always ready to help. Claudia was the life of the

Rossi was a kitchen staff at the restaurant and he jumped off the roof to the next building as soon as the attackers started shooting indiscriminately. The other 10 were there to dine. One Gian Galeazzo Boschetti, who was out in the garden attending a phone call at the time the attack begun, managed to hide himself in a bush inside the property. But the fate of his wife Claudia Maria D’Antona, a volunteer of the Green Cross, was sealed. Claudia’s body is still in the Combined Military Hospital (CMH) mortuary, the Dhaka Tribune was able to confirm. La Repubblican reports that Gian and Claudia lived in Bangladesh for about 20 years and ran a textile company. They were also involved with an Italian humanitarian organisation called Interethnos Interplast Italy (III). Every year, they host bunch of Italian plastic and cosmetic surgeons, who come here to operate on burn or acid victims for 2-3 weeks. “Our team were able to do extraordinary things for those women, thanks to Gian and Claudia,” one Paolo Morselli of III was quotDhaka

33

27

Chittagong

31

27

Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:50PM

31

26

Rangpur

30

25

party and a great lover of dogs,” a sombre looking Esha said while talking to the Dhaka Tribune. The militants had no mercy even for Simona Monti, 33, who was expecting a baby. She had been working too for a Dhaka-based buying house. Diego Rossi, the Italian-Argentine chef who managed to escape, described Simona as ‘muy simpatica’ (very nice in Italian). She was supposed to leave for Sicily on Saturday. Among the other vicitms, Nadia Beenidetti, 52, was the managing director of Studio Tex Ltd

Khulna

32

26

Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:16AM

33.0ºC Srimangal

25.5ºC Rangpur

Source: Accuweather/UNB

32

27

PRAYER TIMES

at Baridhara, and Vincenzo D’Allestro, 46, was the managing director of a buying house at Gulshan. Adele Puglisi, was a quality control manager of Artsana Chicco that had factory in Dhaka. She was set to return to Catania, Sicily on any day. Cristian Rossi, 47, was director of a company active in the apparel sector in Bangladesh and China. He was a faher of two twins of just three years. Maria Rivoli, 33, was on a business trip to Dhaka and Claudio Cappelli, 45, was also working for a Dhaka-based buying house. l

Sylhet

30

25

Cox’s Bazar

29

Fajr: 3:54am | Jumma: 1:15pm Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 7:04pm Esha: 8:45pm Source: Islamic Foundation

26


DT

News

6

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

6 countries advise citizens to stay vigilant in BD

surrounding Holey Artisan Bakery and, if possible, to stay in their homes. At least seven terrorists stormed Holey Artisan Bakery in the diplomatic zone at Gulshan in Dhaka on Friday night, killing 20 hostages, 17 of whom were foreign nationals. Among the victims, nine were Italians, seven Japanese, two Bangladeshis, one Bangladeshi-American and one Indian. Two top police officers were also killed during the initial stage of the attack and at least 30 were injured. After nearly 11 hours of standoff, Bangladeshi commandos launched a rescue mission on Saturday morning and rescued 13 hostages, killing six gunmen and arresting another, according to the ISPR. l

cover quickly.” Friday’s attack was made by a group of terrorists who took about 50 people hostage inside the cafe. The Russian government said in a statement: “What happened in Dhaka once again proves that it is necessary to immediately combine efforts of all the global community to fight international terrorism.” British Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire tweeted: “Utterly condemn appalling and senseless #BangladeshAttack.”

European Commission High Representative Federica Mogherini in a statement said: “Last night’s terrorist attack in Dhaka, killing and wounding Bangladeshi citizens and foreign nationals, including several Europeans, is a direct challenge to our global community. “In this dark hour, we stand in solidarity with the people and the government of Bangladesh, as well as with the authorities and populations of countries who have also suffered in this attack.” l

A grief-stricken woman breaks down in tears yesterday when paying tribute to the victims of the terror attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan, Dhaka. She said she was friends with several of the victims slaughtered during the 11-hour terror siege MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU cording to the advice posted on the website of British High Commission in Dhaka on Saturday. It also suggested its nationals to minimise their presence on the street and to travel by vehicles where possible. Australian nationals were asked to continue to avoid the Gulshan 2 area for the time being, remain vigilant and follow the advice of local authorities, according to its travel advisory. It has advised the Australian officials in Bangladesh to exercise a high degree of caution especially when in public places, locations frequented by foreigners, and during gatherings. Canadian authorities have asked its nationals to exercise extreme vigilance in Dhaka and avoid the

Gulshan 2 area, as well as areas and establishments known to be frequented by foreigners. It also asked its nationals to be aware of their surroundings at all times and follow the advice of local authorities and monitor local media. Canadian citizens requiring consular assistance were also requested to contact the High Commission of Canada in Dhaka at +8802-55668444 or dhaka.consular@international.gc.ca. The German Embassy in Dhaka, on their Facebook page, recommended its citizens to widely avoid the areas surrounding Holey Artisan Bakery. Earlier on Saturday, it asked its nationals to stay in their homes until further notice. The Spanish Embassy on Friday urged Spaniards to avoid area

n Abu Hayat Mahmud

Awami League-led 14-party alliance has claimed that the terrorists, who attacked the Holey Artisan Bakery at Dhaka’s diplomatic zone on Friday night, were trained activists of Shibir, the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. The ruling alliance made the allegation at a press conference held at political office of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Dhanmondi in Dhaka. Senior leaders of the alliance made the statement after a meeting yesterday afternoon. “The six killers, who have been killed during gunfight with law enforcement agencies are Bangladeshi. One of them was a student of a Jamaat-Islami financed university. So it is crystal clear that who have inspired and financed the attackers. All of them were Jamaat-Shibir activists,” said Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, who also spokesperson of the 14-party. Referring to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s statement over the Gulshan killings, Nasim said she had taken side of the killers terming the killings as a bloody coup. Prime minister did not say what type of killings were those. But Khaleda Zia said it was a bloody coup. Khaleda Zia’s such type of speech will inspire militants, he said. Nasim, also presidium member of the Awami League, announced that the 14-party alliance would hold a rally at the pavement of the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital, protesting terrorism and militancy. Meanwhile, Workers Party President and Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon said Khaleda’s proposal for talks with the government over militancy issue was an eyewash only. “In her statement, the BNP chief Khaleda Zia has criticised the government rather slamming Gulshan killers. So it proves that the BNP could not believe in talks,” he added. l

n Syed Samiul Basher Anik At least six countries – Australia, Canada, Germany, Spain, the UK and the US – have instructed their citizens currently residing in Bangladesh to stay vigilant when moving around. They have issued the warning through different statements posted on their relevant websites and on social media platforms. The US Embassy in Dhaka on Saturday recommended all its nationals to remain vigilant in their movements and activities, inside the diplomatic enclave and anywhere else in Bangladesh. It also urged the US nationals to avoid the area around Holey Artisan Bakery at Road 79 in Gulshan 2, where the terror siege took place from Friday night through early Saturday morning. It has also reminded its citizens that the US government personnel are not permitted to visit many public places and to travel on foot, motorcycle, bicycle, rickshaws or other uncovered vehicles on public thoroughfares and sidewalks. They are also not permitted to attend large gatherings in Bangladesh, including events at international hotels. “The US embassy encourages US citizens to adopt similar security measures,” said a notice issued by the embassy after the hostage situation ended on Saturday. Meanwhile, the UK has issued a foreign travel advice in Bangladesh where it advised UK citizens to remain vigilant and follow the advice of local security authorities. Due to the hostage incident, the authorities have also specifically advised its citizens not to visit any areas where foreign nationals are known to congregate, such as public areas of international hotels, large supermarkets, restaurants and clubs, until further notice, ac-

14 party: Killers were JamaatShibir activists

Global support for Bangladesh to fight terrorism n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Bangladesh has been offered support from all over the world to combat the new face of terrorism which was never seen in the country. “We are not alone. Countries from Asia, Europe and the Americas have extended their support and expressed solidarity with Bangladesh,” Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. He said in the morning that he had a meeting with Japanese State

Minister for Foreign Affairs Seiji Kihara and discussed how to tackle extremism. “This is a global phenomenon and all of us should work unitedly to fight the menace,” Shahidul said. The new face of terrorism involved a terrorist attack on the Holey Artisan cafe in Dhaka’s Gushan on Friday which killed 20 people, including 17 foreigners. Just after the attack, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi phoned Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina and expressed solidarity with the Bangladeshi people and its government. After the attack which resulted in the death of an Indian national, the Indian premier tweeted: “The attack in Dhaka has pained us beyond words. I spoke to PM Sheikh Hasina and strongly condemned the despicable attack. “India stands firmly with our sisters and brothers of Bangladesh in this hour of grief. My thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray that those who are injured re-


7

DT

News

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

[Clockwise from top-left] There are just two public CCTV units on the half kilometre stretch of road leading to Holey Bakery. The bakery itself had only two CCTVs, one in the bakery section and another outside over the patio cafe. The dining area of O’Kitchen, the site of the carnage, had no CCTV units PHOTO: COURTESY

GULSHAN MILITANT ATTACK

‘High security’ in diplomatic zone apparently ineffective n Mohammad Jamil Khan Gulshan, Baridhara and Banani, also known as the diplomatic zone of Dhaka, boasts many check posts and close circuit camera coverage. Despite all this, how did the gunmen manage to carry out the attack at the heart of the diplomatic zone on Friday? The law enforcers are now looking at loopholes in their security management after the seven militants stormed into Holey Artisan Bakery and killed the people inside, mostly foreign nationals. DMP officials informed that there are nearly 18 permanent and 11 temporary check posts manned by uniformed and undercover officials in Gulshan. Related sources say the fact that these heavily armed militants could enter the area and carry out the attack is the failure of the law enforcers on duty on Friday. Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, home minister, in this regard, how-

ever, said instructions have been given to take necessary steps in ensuring security in the diplomatic zone; if anyone is seen not carrying out their duties properly stern action will be taken against them. Sources at Dhaka Metropolitan Police say that Gulshan has nearly 109 IP CCTV cameras installed by law enforcers while more than a thousand are installed by private security firms in different homes and business establishments. Anisul Haque, Mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation, said they have already started collecting CCTV footage and analysing it to find out where the militants entered Gulshan from. If the militants entered from the back of the lake, then finding footage will be hard because there is no CCTV cameras installed there, he said when addressing reporters during a visit to the crime scene. “We can have some real clarification after the investigation is completed,” added the Mayor.

Five police officials are used to monitor CCTV camera footage 24 hours. However, they still do not have a clue how the criminals entered Gulshan on Friday

Even though nearly 750 police officials have been deployed to secure the diplomatic areas, another 250 undercover police officials are keeping the area under surveillance. Moreover, every security

agency including police, Rapid Action Battalion, National Security Intelligence and Director General of Defence Intelligence has their correspondents in the area: the militants managed to escape their watch. There are nearly 500 members of the Armed Police Battalion and Special Security Battalion to keep the area under watch. Motorbike patrols constantly drive through the streets of Gulshan. Inspector General of Police, AKM Shahidul Hoque, said they are trying to figure out how the militants entered the diplomatic zone despite all of this security. Concerned officials said when the Italian national Cesare Tavella was killed in Gulshan, road 90 on September 28 last year, “special attention” was also given by police soon after. Before this, on March 5 of 2012, a Saudi Arabian official Khalaf Al Ali was also shot dead in Gulshan. Rafiqul Islam, assistant commis-

sioner of DMP Gulshan division, said they have identified major points in Gulshan area where CCTV cameras have been installed. Five police officials are used to monitor the camera footage 24 hours. However, they still do not have a clue how the criminals entered Gulshan on Friday. They are examining the footage, he added. A high official of Gulshan police, requesting anonymity, said there are no CCTV cameras installed around the lake area; there are no check posts either. People entering from the Natun Bazar area usually cross the lake and enter Gulshan where there are no check posts. The militants might have entered from there, he said. Security analyst Major General Abdur Rashid thinks law enforcers need to take security measures around the surrounding areas of the diplomatic zone such as Norda and Badda, he said. l


DT

8 World

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Flash floods kill 43 in northern Pakistan Overnight flash floods killed at least 43 people in northern Pakistan, the majority in a remote village that did not receive an evacuation warning before the waters hit washing away most of the settlement, officials said Sunday. The heavy monsoon rains began late Saturday and were concentrated mainly in the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. -AFP

INDIA

40 feared dead in rains, landslides in northern India

At least 40 people were feared dead following a downpour that triggered flash floods and landslides in northern Indian Uttarakhand state over the weekend. Several more people were still missing, a spokesman at the state chief minister’s office, Om Prakash Sati, said on Sunday, with remote Chamoli and Pithoragarh being the worst affected districts in the state. -REUTERS

CHINA

China plans military drills running up to court ruling China will hold military drills around the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, the maritime safety administration said on Sunday, ahead of a decision by an international court in a dispute between China and the Philippines. Tensions have been rising ahead of a July 12 ruling by an arbitration court hearing the dispute between China and the Philippines over the South China Sea. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Philippine police kill 10 in Duterte’s war on crime Philippine police have killed 10 people with suspected links to drugs since President Rodrigo Duterte took office, authorities said Saturday, in a brutal start to his controversial war on crime. Police in Bulacan province neighbouring Manila said they launched an anti-drug trafficking blitz on Thursday. -REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Qaeda fighters kidnap USbacked rebel chief in Syria US-backed rebels on Sunday accused al-Qaeda-linked fighters of storming their headquarters in northwestern Syria and kidnapping their commander and dozens of other combattants. In an online statement, Jaish al-Tahrir (Liberation Army) said its commander, Mohammad al-Ghabi, was abducted from his father’s home in the town of Kafranbel by Al-Nusra Front jihadists on Saturday evening. -AFP

INSIGHT

BJP courts isolated Assam n AFP, Guwahati

Ranjiv Kumar Sharma says his home state of Assam in India’s isolated northeast is experiencing a “silent invasion” of Muslims from neighbouring Bangladesh that only Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist party can stop. For years Sharma has been working with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a hardline Hindu group, to pave the way for Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to take power in the tribal-dominated region, where it won its first state election last month. Analysts say the victory in Assam, an ethnically diverse state with a large Muslim minority where the BJP’s brand of religious nationalism had previously held little sway, is a sign that the party is becoming a truly national force. It has done so by adapting its Hindu nationalist message to local concerns - in Assam, a perceived influx of Muslim migrants from neighbouring Bangladesh that the BJP’s campaign promised to tackle. Impoverished Assam has a history of violent conflict between indigenous tribes and settlers, and although many have been there for generations, fears persist that they could threaten the region’s distinctive culture. But long before campaigning began, the RSS had been quietly preparing the ground, setting up hundreds of schools and medical facilities in poor communities whatever their religion. “We knew the BJP would win,” Sharma told AFP at one such school in the state capital Guwahati as hundreds of smartly-uniformed children lined up to begin the school day with a traditional Sanskrit prayer to the Hindu goddess of knowledge Saraswati. “For the last four years, we have worked hard here.” The BJP’s promise of economic development won support across religious lines in Assam, one of India’s poorest states, where the centre-left Congress party has traditionally held sway. Mohammad Abdul Matin campaigned for the party in his home district of Nellie, scene of one of contemporary India’s bloodiest massacres in 1983 when around 2,000 suspected migrants were butchered in a single day. Nearly all were Muslim, and many were children. Matin is a Muslim, but was undeterred by the BJP’s aggressive stance on settlers, whom the party has been careful to distinguish

Indian schoolchildren take part in morning prayers at Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh run Sankardev Sishu Nikatan School in the Betkuchi area of Guwahati AFP from what it calls “Assamese” Muslims. “The main thing with the BJP is not Hindu or Muslim. Modi-ji sees everyone as equal,” the 52-yearold rice seller told AFP. “Look at this road. Still after 15 years (of Congress government) this road is not built,” he said, pointing in disgust at the dirt track that leads to his village.

Sealing the border

The RSS, seen as the BJP’s ideological fountain-head, styles itself as an organisation devoted to protecting India’s Hindu culture. But critics say it has a history of fuelling religious tensions, particularly with the country’s large Muslim minority. That has raised concerns in a state that suffered deadly communal violence as recently as 2014 and in 2012, when rioting forced thousands to flee their homes. The new state government has moved quickly to make good on its promises of tackling immigration even if many experts doubt that Bangladeshis are currently crossing the border in large numbers. Earlier this month it announced it would seal Assam’s porous bor-

der with Bangladesh, a virtual impossibility given that large sections of it are on a river that frequently changes course. Authorities are also working to determine which of its 31 million inhabitants are there illegally, an exhaustive process that began under the previous administration. Himanta Biswa Sarma, a senior minister in the new BJP-led state government, said he expected the final number to be “big -- a lot more than a million”, and anyone found living in Assam illegally would be deprived of a vote. But he rejected suggestions the party’s focus on migrants could exacerbate tensions in the state. “If someone is detected, we’ll release them from the voter list. Then we’ll think what else we can do,” he told AFP in Guwahati. “But there’ll be no social unrest, there’ll be no provocation... because our society has evolved.”

Stage set to expand

The BJP now hopes to replicate that success across the northeast starting with Manipur, an insurgency-wracked state on the border with Myanmar that will hold elections early next year.

The task of coordinating the fight has been given to Sarma, who defected from Congress only a year ago and is credited with helping win the election for the BJP. “Now the stage is really set for the BJP to expand to other northeastern states,” he said, expressing confidence the party could also win control of Meghalaya and Mizoram, both majority-Christian states. The BJP needs to win support in areas outside its traditional heartland in India’s Hindi-speaking north and west to consolidate its grip on power in the world’s largest democracy, a hugely diverse country where myriad regional parties compete for power. That means finding leaders with local appeal and forming alliances with regional parties with established support bases - a move political analyst Satish Misra warns could backfire. “When you bring in too many leaders from non-RSS background, then there’s a conflict inbuilt,” he said of the party. “The person who’s coming from the other party into the BJP finds it often alien, because the RSS calls the shots.” l


9

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Email probe: FBI interviews Hillary n Reuters, New York The Federal Bureau of Investigation interviewed Democratic US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton for three and a half hours on Saturday as part of the probe into her use of a private email server while serving as secretary of state, her campaign said. The interview at FBI headquarters in Washington followed a week of intense public focus on the investigation and on Clinton’s viability as a presidential candidate, with four months to go to the election. Her campaign has tried for months to downplay the controversy as a distraction. In an interview broadcast on MSNBC, Clinton said she was happy to do the FBI interview, which her spokesman earlier described as “voluntary.” “I’ve been answering questions for over a year” regarding the private email server, Clinton said. It was not clear if the questioning of Clinton signalled an imminent conclusion to the investigation in a pivotal time for

the presidential race. It does follow FBI interviews of several of Clinton’s former staff members, as well as her top aide Huma Abedin. Clinton is expected to be formally nominated as the Democratic candidate for the Nov. 8 presidential election at the party’s convention in less than four weeks. “Timing of FBI interview, between primaries and convention, probably good timing for @ HillaryClinton,” tweeted David Axelrod, a former senior adviser to President Barack Obama who served as the chief strategist for his two presidential campaigns. “Best to get it behind her.” Clinton is currently the front-runner for the White House with polls showing her leading presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. In a tweet on Saturday, Trump said it was “impossible for the FBI not to recommend criminal charges against Hillary Clinton. What she did was wrong!” He also criticised Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, for meeting privately with

USA

Trump tweet attacking Clinton employs image of Jewish star Donald Trump on Saturday tweeted an image of rival Hillary Clinton alongside hundred-dollar bills and a Jewish star bearing the words most corrupt candidate ever!, prompting outrage and bafflement on social media. Critics said the image featuring the star harkened back to centuries-old anti-Semitic stereotypes, such as the belief that Jews are greedy. -REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Hillary Clinton Attorney General Loretta Lynch earlier this week, which Lynch later said she regretted, though she said they did not discuss the investigation. “What Bill did was stupid!” Trump tweeted. The FBI is investigating whether anyone in Clinton’s operation broke the law as result of a personal email server kept in her Chappaqua, New York, home while she

REUTERS

was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. One of the questions is whether they mishandled classified information on the server. Clinton and her staff have struggled to respond to accusations that her use of the server in violation of State Department protocol means she is untrustworthy. Trump has said the investigation should disqualify her from being president. l

With Russia as an ally, Serbia edges towards Nato n Reuters, Belgrade Serbia is performing a delicate balancing act between its European aspirations, partnership with Nato and its centuries-old religious, ethnic and political alliance with Russia. Belgrade is being wooed by the West which has sought to bring it into the fold since the fall of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. Serbia is now a European Union membership candidate and the bloc is its top trade partner and benefactor. Belgrade is also quietly moving towards Nato despite the reservations of most Serbians but it is wary of damaging its loudly proclaimed friendship with Russia that wants to boost its influence in the region and which is hostile to the military alliance. “Serbia cannot entirely turn to Nato, it will maintain the maximum level of cooperation with it, without changing its (membership) status,” said Genady Sysoev, Balkan correspondent for Russia’s Kommersant newspaper and an expert on Moscow’s policy in the region. “Serbia cannot turn to Russia because ... no Serbian leadership would risk losing Western investment and aid.” Serbia is one of the few Balkan countries not in the 28-member Nato which is hugely unpopular among Serbs after its 1999 bombing campaign to drive Serbian forces out of Kosovo. Alliance peacekeepers are also still deployed in Kosovo, Serbia’s former southern province,

DT

World

Teacher blockades force Mexico to airlift food into cut-off villages Mexico’s air force has flown tonnes of grain to the southern state of Oaxaca as protests by teachers opposed to education reform spread across the country and road blocks led to dwindling food supplies in some remote regions. Tension in the state intensified after 8 people died last month in clashes between police and the protesting teachers. -THE GUARDIAN

UK

Tories urged to offer assurances to EU citizens living in UK Leading figures from the leave and remain campaigns have called on the Tory leadership candidates to make an unequivocal statement that EU citizens living in the UK are welcome after a spate of hate crimes since the referendum. There are between 2 million and 3 million EU citizens living in the UK and 1.2 million British citizens living in other EU countries. -THE GUARDIAN

EUROPE

Sarkozy sets up French presidential bid by quitting party role

Serbian paratroopers descend to the ground holding Serbian and Russian, left, national flags during a training exercise in Belgrade, Serbia REUTERS whose independence in 2008 has not been accepted by Belgrade. But in 2006 Serbia, which adopted military neutrality, joined Nato’s Partnership for Peace programme and in 2015 Belgrade signed the Individual Partnership Action Plan - the highest rung of cooperation between the alliance and a country not aspiring to join. “Serbia has demonstrated great enthusiasm for the partnership with Nato, relations between Nato and Serbia will be developing,

benefits for Serbia will increase,” Gordon Duguid, Deputy Chief of the United States mission to Serbia, was quoted by the Tanjug news agency as saying on June 28. Serbia is however, highly emotional about non-Nato member Russia, an ally that, for example, prevented Kosovo from becoming a member of the United Nations, at Belgrade’s request. Serbia also shares Slavic and Orthodox Christian traditions with Russia and depends on it for ener-

gy. The largest Serbian oil company, Naftna Industrija Srbije, is majority-owned by Russia’s Gazprom and its gas imports come from Russia. As a token of good relations, Belgrade in 2012 also allowed Moscow to set up a base for rapid response in emergency situations such as forest fires and floods in Serbia’s southern city of Nis. The Serbian military is loosely based on Russian technology, a legacy of former Yugoslavia’s ties with the Soviet Union. l

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced plans to quit his role as head of France’s Les Republicains party on Saturday, setting up a potential bid to become head of state for a 2nd time. Supporters of Les Republicains and other right and centre-right parties will vote in November to decide who will be their candidate in the 2017 presidential election. -REUTERS

AFRICA

Israel’s Netanyahu seeks new allies in Africa trip Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Africa this week, where Israel has found much-needed partners in the battle against Islamic militants and allies in countering the rising Palestinian influence at the United Nations. Netanyahu will also visit the site where his brother was killed in a 1976 military raid on a hijacked airliner in Uganda. -AP


DT

10

World

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

BREXIT FALLOUT

5 facts explain why Brexit may break UK n Tribune International Desk Aside from triggering turmoil in Europe, Brexit has exposed the fault lines dividing the UK’s four constituent pieces: Wales, Northern Ireland, Scotland and England. Add London to the mix, and Brexit makes clear that there’s nothing inevitable about a United Kingdom going forward. These five facts explain why.

1. Wales

2. Northern Ireland

Like Wales, Northern Ireland depends on the EU for significant subsidies—nearly 90% of its farmers’ incomes come from EU coffers. Unlike Wales, North Ireland decided not to bite the hand that feeds, voting to Remain with 55.8% of the vote. But Northern Ireland has more at stake than financial concerns. Predominantly-Catholic Ireland originally ‘exited’ the UK back in the 1920s, while predominantly Protestant Northern Ireland remained part of the UK. But Northern Ireland still has a sizeable Catholic community that continued to push hard for Irish reunification. After decades of violence, a peace was in place by the late 1990s. Crucially, because both the UK and Ireland were members of the EU, there was no real need for borders between Ireland and Northern Ireland, once a flashpoint for violence. The Brexit vote has put that in jeopardy. Sinn Fein, the pro-Irish reunification party, has already called for a referendum on reunification. Fortunately for the UK, demographics are working against reunification at the moment, because polls suggest older voters are less supportive. But

in another 10 or 15 years.

3. Scotland

Scotland is a much more immediate flight risk. It not even two years since Scotland voted to ‘Remain’ part of the UK with a stronger-thanit-sounds 55% of the vote. It helped in 2014 that the Scots are staunchly pro-European—62% voted ‘Remain’ in the Brexit referendum—and voting to leave the UK would have meant leaving the EU The irony that the UK has now voted itself out—and the Scots along with them—has not been lost on Edinburgh (74% ‘Remain’). In a snap poll commissioned by The Sunday Times, 52% of Scots say they would vote to Leave the UK in a new referendum. The number might be higher, but economic realities make another Scottish referendum unlikely at this point. An independent Scotland would rely heavily on oil sales to fund its economy, to the tune of nearly 20%. In June 2014, oil sold at $115 per barrel; today it sells at less than $50.

4. England

At the end of the day, the Brexit vote was decided in England, which makes up 84% of the UK’s overall population of 64.1 million (Northern Ireland = 2.9%; Scotland = 8.3%, Wales = 4.8%). Both migration and control of finances are legitimate concerns, and longstanding ones for the UK—outgoing PM David Cameron even renegotiated the UK’s membership in the EU a few months ago to better address them. It was not enough to placate the English, who

BIGSTOCK

In Wales, the ‘Leave’ side won with 52.5% of the vote. In the grand scheme of things, Wales poses nowhere near the threat that Scotland or North Ireland do to the UK—less than 5% of Welsh people want to declare independence from Great Britain. For comparison, 18% of Texans say they’d like to declare independence from the US as recently as 2009. As for its attitudes toward the EU, the irony is that Wales receives more payout from Brussels than it puts in—a net benefit estimated at $325m per year. EU funding has created 36,970 new jobs for Welsh workers, and has helped more than 556,000 Welsh into work training. And the EU’s funding—$5.8bn to the UK—sustain many projects and communities throughout the UK Whoever inherits the government will inherit a lot of communities with EU-sized expectations; it will be difficult to deliver on them all, especially with the recession that Brexit may well trigger.

voted to Leave at 53.4%. But outside London, England has numerous communities that have been propped up by EU funding and subsidies. Cornwall is a county of 500,000 people that depends on $80m a year from Brussels, but 56% of the county voted to Leave. Like Wales, it was only the day after the vote that the head of Cornwall’s Council scrambled to receive assurances—in writing this time—that Cornwall would continue to see this money. The UK could have survived Wales voting with its heart instead of its head; England in

another matter.

5. London

Then there is London, an island of pro-European sentiment within an English sea of anti-EU anger. It’s no surprise that 60% of Londoners voted to Remain. London makes up just 12.5% of the UK’s overall population, but it’s responsible for 22% of the UK’s overall GDP thanks in no small part to its connections to the broader European economy. Also, London is home to 37% of those who live in the UK but were born abroad. The real Brexit process, which

will include negotiations with European leaders about the future UKEU relationship, won’t begin until the fall. But it’s clear that Brexit has already given two constituencies with historical grievances more incentive to look beyond life in the UK Some decisions should be taken with the long game in mind. As we’ve just been reminded, that’s a perspective that voters don’t always bear in mind. l

[This is an excerpt from a Time article, which can be found at http:// ti.me/29oxG5V]


Q&A

What happens next in Australian elections? Australia’s two major parties have so far failed to win a majority in the 150-seat House of Representatives to rule outright after national elections on Saturday, with a result not likely for several days. Here are some facts explaining the current situation:

What happens next?

The Australian Electoral Commission has counted less than 80% of the ballots. Millions of postal and absentee votes are still being processed, with counting to re-commence Tuesday after they are packaged up and returned to each electoral district. This is the earliest a result could emerge, but it may take weeks. If neither of the two main players -- the Liberal/National coalition or Labor -- wins 76 or more lower house seats, there will be a hung parliament.

A hung parliament?

A hung parliament is where no single political party has a majority in the lower House of Representatives. This last occurred in 2010 when the centre-left Labor party of Julia Gillard formed the first minority government since World War II with the support of independents. Experts say hung parliaments can be brittle and sometimes do not last the three-year full term.

Kingmakers?

The prospect of a hung parliament has shone a spotlight on potential kingmakers -- independents and politicians from minor parties who have won lower house seats and whose support may be needed for a government to be formed. So far there are five. It potentially makes them very powerful, with the government likely to offers deals to form an alliance or offer support for their minority agendas to get them onside.

Who are they?

Bob Katter is an independent MP and a maverick rural politician who supported the Liberal/National coalition when they were in opposition in 2010 and is open to working with them again. Another independent, senator Nick Xenophon, recently established his own party which has secured a seat through candidate Rebekha Sharkie. Xenophon is a centrist and anti-gambling campaigner and has said he is open to negotiation. The Greens have one representative in Adam Bandt and could potentially have another. Both the Liberals and Labor have previously ruled out forming a multi-party government with them, but they may now have no choice. The Greens said it was “inconceivable” they could form government with the conservative coalition. Cathy McGowan, a farmer and former teacher, and Andrew Wilkie, an ex-intelligence officer, are both independents and have declared they have no intention of helping any of the major players form government.

What’s happening in the Senate?

Canberra called a “double-dissolution” poll to force all senators to face election at the same time after gridlock in the upper house when the government tried to pass legislation. But forecasts point to more independent and minor party senators being elected than before, causing further headaches for the government, which will need the support of some of them to introduce laws. The Greens are set to get nine seats, with up to three for Xenophon’s party, while anti-immigration firebrand Pauline Hanson is tipped to secure one to two. Five other seats are currently projected to go to other independents including Jacqui Lambie, an outspoken former soldier who has campaigned against face coverings, and a long-time journalist and broadcaster Derryn Hinch, known as the “human headline”. l

Source: AFP

11

DT

World

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016


DT

12 Business

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

TOP STORIES Ashok Leyland plans to set up assembly unit in Bangladesh Hinduja Group Flagship Company Ashok Leyland plans to explore some overseas investment destinations including Bangladesh to set up units for assembling vehicles, an Indian daily has said. PAGE 13

Business leaders urge swift response to Brexit worries Financial movers and shakers gathered in France on Saturday urged a clear and timely political response to lift the uncertainty caused by Britain’s shock vote to leave the European Union. PAGE 13

7 steps university students need to know to prepare for today’s job market As of last year, a third of Bangladeshis, i.e., over 50 million people, were aged 15 or younger. We call this the demographic dividend and pin great hopes on its intrinsic ability to propel our country to growth. However, the demographic dividend will pay off only if our youth are properly educated and vocationally trained. PAGE 14

China soccer boom sparks online gambling craze In China’s eastern city of Hangzhou, Mr Li could barely watch as Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo lined up a penalty kick in a finely-balanced Euro 2016 group match against Austria. Li had reason to be nervous: he had bet tens of thousands of yuan on Portugal to win. PAGE 14

Digital nomads land dream jobs thanks to Estonian startups Upwardly-mobile, tech-savvy young professionals across the globe are swapping their briefcases and brogues for backpacks and sneakers, setting themselves up as digital nomads who can operate from wherever their laptops can go. PAGE 15

Hoteliers beef up security after Gulshan attack n Ishtiaq Husain

The authorities of five-star hotels in Dhaka have increased their overall security after the Holey Artisan carnage that left 20 people killed, mostly foreigners. During visits to different luxury hotels in Dhaka yesterday, it was seen that the authorities had taken additional security measures to protect their guests who comprise mainly foreigners. The hotels have increased the number of security personnel at the entrance with more arms. “We have beefed up our security arrangement after the horrific event at Gulshan to make sure that our guests are safe. We have deployed more armed staff not only at the entrance but around boundary walls,” Salman Kabir, assistant director of Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in Dhaka, told the Dhaka Tribune. Asked if the Friday event would hurt the Bangladesh tourism industry, he said it was difficult to comment on the matter right now although the occupancy rate had dropped from the usual rate due to the Eid holidays. An official of Westin Hotel at Gulshan, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak with the media, said the hotel management had taken additional security steps after the Artisan cafe event.

COURTESY

“We always maintain high security within the hotel to keep our guests safe. But Friday’s incident prompted us to take further initiatives for security.” He said the government forces had also been deployed around the hotel premises to ensure maximum security of the guests. An official of Radisson Blue Ho-

tel said they didn’t have any lack of security from the beginning of its journey. But they also went to take extra care in ensuring guests’ security after the country’s worst terror attack on Friday, he added. Asking not be quoted, another official of Sonargaon Hotel said most of the times, additional armed security personnel may

create panicky situation among guests. Considering this, the hotel management is not interested in the deployment of too many forces in the hotel area. “The Gulshan attackers targeted foreign nationals which is alarming for us, as we have foreign guests at the hotel. Security is our top priority,” said an official of hotel Sarina. l

Lots of RMG workers yet to get Eid bonus, wages n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Hundreds of subcontracting RMG factories are yet to pay the Eid festival bonus and wages to their workers for the month of June, trade union leaders claimed yesterday. The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), however, denied the allegation, saying there are some factories which have not paid yet, but their number is not so high. These factories are neither the member of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) nor Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association. According to DIFE, there are over 1,100 RMG units, which are neither members of BGMEA nor BKME, and do not export directly. The union leaders said most RMG units produce products for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Indian markets while other factories are

working on subcontract basis. “As of Sunday there are about 350 RMG units, which did not pay Eid bonus and wages for the month of June,” Nahidul Islam Nayan, general secretary of Sammilita Garments Sramik Federation, told the Dhaka Tribune. But the owners have said they are trying to manage fund to pay the workers’ dues before Eid so that they can enjoy the festival, he added. “The claim of non-payment by 350 factories is not trustworthy as our team did not find such data on wages and bonus payment,” said Syed Ahmed, inspector general of DIFE. There were some factories which were in trouble and did not pay their workers, but following the inspection and pressure of DIFE, they made their payment, said Ahmed. “We are concerned over the non-payment of bonus and wages

by a good number of subcontracting factories,” Sirajul Islam Rony, president of Bangladesh Garment Workers Employees League, told the Dhaka Tribune. Some factories also did not pay wages for the last two-three months, which might lead to an untoward incident, he apprehended. To avert labour unrest centring the non-payment, Rony urged the government to take steps and ask

the financial institutions to help the owners by providing funds for paying the workers’ dues. On the other hand, BGMEA claimed that their member factories have paid bonus within the time frame and the wages are being paid. The workers’ leaders also said the member factories have paid bonus while 50% to 60% owners paid wages. l


DT

13

Business

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Ashok Leyland plans to set up assembly unit in Bangladesh

Kuwait to tap foreign debt markets to finance deficit

n Tribune Business Desk

n AFP, Kuwait City

Hinduja Group Flagship Company Ashok Leyland plans to explore some overseas investment destinations including Bangladesh to set up units for assembling vehicles, an Indian daily has said. Exiting non-core areas, the company said it will focus on its core business of commercial vehicles in domestic and overseas market including a new assembly unit in Bangladesh, the Business Standard reported on July 29, quoting news agency IANS. The company is the 2nd largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles in India, the 4th largest manufacturer of buses in the world and

the 16th largest manufacturer of trucks globally. In his message to the company shareholders, Chairman Dheeraj G Hinduja said: “A portfolio rationalisation which is already in process would see progressive exit from non-core and non-performing businesses.” He said the company will have a renewed thrust in international markets in target clusters with dedicated products. “The capacity of the Ras Al Khaimah (UAE) plant is almost getting doubled this year. To cope up with increasing demand, a new assembly unit in Bangladesh is in the offing and further units in Africa are under active consideration,” he said.

According to him, the company is reappraising the defence business with two pronged strategies as well as broadening the offerings to address the government’s ‘Make in India’ requirements. According to Ashok Leyland, discussions are on with Nissan Motors to resolve the uncertainty on continuing the three joint ventures – Ashok Leyland Nissan Vehicles Ltd, Nissan Ashok Leyland Powertrain Ltd and Nissan Ashok Leyland Technologies Ltd. Ashok Leyland is the major supplier of commercial vehicles in Bangladesh. The company received order in 2014 from Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) for 88 AC buses under the first Indi-

an Line of Credit (LoC) scheme offered for the improvement of urban transportation in Bangladesh. The order also came close on the heels of the recent order to supply 50 Vestibule buses to BRTC. Hinduja Group flagship company Ashok Leyland on Friday reported a 7% increase in total sale at 11,108 units in June 2016. The company had sold 10,429 units in June last year. The sale for its heavy and medium commercial vehicles rose 8% to 8,685 units last month as against 8,016 units in the year-ago period, the company said in a BSE filing. Light commercial vehicle sales remained flat at 2,423 units compared with 2,413 in June last year. l

Walton makes record sale during Ramadan n Tribune Business Desk

The country’s electronics giant ‘Walton’ registered about 65% growth in its overall sales during this Ramadan compared to that in the previous year. The Walton officials said the sales of refrigerators and LED televisions have increased substantially during this holy month. In addition, there has been a remarkable growth in the sale of mobile phone, air conditioner, blender, juicer, microwave oven, rechargeable fan, table and ceiling fan, rice cooker, pressure cooker,

LED bulb, light, switch-socket and other home and kitchen appliance, they added. Usually, the demands for electronics and electrical products, specially fridge and television, have gone up across the country on the occasion of Eid ul-Fitr. The sweltering summer heat led the demands for refrigerators and AC to go up. Amdadul Haque Sarker, executive director (Marketing) of Walton Group, said they sold out more than two lakh refrigerators, which are higher than the sales target of two lakh fridges this Ramadan. About 1.40 lakh fridges were sold

last year, he said. The ‘intelligent inverter’ technology’s non-frost refrigerators are playing a significant role in increasing the company’s fridge sales. Besides, television sales are also high. They have registered about 300% growth in the sale of LED televisions against the sale of corresponding month in the previous year. Eva Rezwana, executive director and chief coordinator of Marketing Department of Walton Group, said introduction of new models of products in Ramadan and declaration of six-month credit install-

ment facility with zero interest resulted in the rise of the company’s sale in the current month. She claimed that Walton has been able to grab a lion’s share of the country’s electronics demands in this Ramadan. Md Muktadir Billah, in-charge (small appliances) of Walton Group, said the sale of Walton brand home appliances has increased substantially during this Ramadan compared to that in the previous year one as the local brand showcased a wide range of products in the local market. The current month sales have already surpassed the target. l

Kuwait said yesterday it plans to tap the international debt market through bond issues to finance its budget deficit after recording a first shortfall in 16 years. The oil-rich Gulf state plans to “borrow up to three billion dinars ($10bn) in US-denominated bonds from international markets, in both conventional and (Islamic) sukuk issuance,” Finance Minister Anas al-Saleh told parliament. The ministry will borrow another two billion Kuwaiti dinars ($6.6bn) in both conventional and Islamic instruments from the domestic market, Saleh said. It will be the country’s first foreign debt in around two decades. The borrowings will take place during the 2016/2017 fiscal year, which began April 1 and end next March 31, the minister said, without giving specific dates. Saleh said the finance ministry has already borrowed $2.5bn from the domestic market. Saleh, who is also acting oil minister, said Kuwait recorded its first budget deficit of 5.5bn dinars ($18.3bn) in the 2015/2016 fiscal year. The emirate is also projecting a shortfall of $28bn in the current fiscal year. Kuwait posted healthy budget surpluses for 16 consecutive fiscal years until oil prices began to slide two years ago. Oil income made up around 95% of public revenues. l

Business leaders urge swift response to Brexit worries n AFP Financial movers and shakers gathered in France on Saturday urged a clear and timely political response to lift the uncertainty caused by Britain’s shock vote to leave the European Union. A raft of top business leaders and intellectuals have gathered in the southern French city of Aix-enProvence for a three-day meeting to discuss how to react to the fallout from last week’s “Brexit” vote. Participants swiftly agreed on at least one thing - nobody is quite sure what is going to happen next, the underlying source of their worries. Britain has not yet begun the process of disengaging itself from the European Union, with arguments raging after the country was split 52% to 48% in the referendum. Renault-Nissan automaker giant head Carlos Ghosn said the loss of Britain in itself from the EU bloc

said Ghosn, not least regarding the post-Brexit future of Nissan’s factory employing 8,000 in the north east of England.

‘Could cause damage’

Total Chief Executive Officer Pouyanne attends St Petersburg International Economic Forum 2016 REUTERS was not so much the problem as that the uncertainties such a move would provoke. “Worried? Yes,” said Ghosn. “Not because of Brexit but worried by the uncertainty that has engendered.” For Ghosn, “companies, good

or bad, are capable of adapting to everything. all kinds of situations.” But with Britain’s new status regarding the European Union not clear he said firms would have to live with uncertainty. “We are going to navigate as we go along,”

Oil giant Total’s CEO Patrick Pouyanne said for his part that Brexit would “not have a direct impact” as likely sterling weakness could bring down production costs for the group’s North Sea operations. “On the other hand, Brexit will have European growth impacts on the macro-economic front and that could cause damage,” Pouyanne said. “There is an element of more uncertainty, instability, in a world which is already facing up to a range of geopolitical difficulties, with Daesh (Islamic State), Ukraine, a swathe of financial crises and now Brexit.” US ratings agency SP Global Ratings cut its rating for the EU by one notch last Thursday citing the uncertainty created by the Brexit vote.

“The only message I would like to transmit is we have to act fast,” said Pouyanne or risk allowing uncertainty to “destroy confidence” in the whole bloc.

Time to make decisions

Politicians indicated they understand that message and its urgency. “The first thing to do is lift the uncertainty as soon as possible so that economic actors are able to take decisions quickly, including decisions pertaining to investment and development,” French Minister of Finance Michel Sapin said Friday. “Today,” Sapin added, I feel economic actors are demanding political decisions -- perhaps a revamping of politics?” Paris is looking to use Brexit as a chance to bolster the attractiveness of France and Prime Minister Manuel Valls gave an interview to Saturday’s Le Parisien in which he set out France’s stall to that end. l


DT

14

Business

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

E

N

T

E

R

P

R

I

S

E

A

N

D

S

O

C

I

E

T

7 steps university students need to know to prepare for today’s job market n Sajid Amit As of last year, a third of Bangladeshis, i.e., over 50 million people, were aged 15 or younger. We call this the demographic dividend and pin great hopes on its intrinsic ability to propel our country to growth. However, the demographic dividend will pay off only if our youth are properly educated and vocationally trained. Take the case of our tertiary education sector, for instance. Over the last 15 years, undergraduate and post-graduate degree offering universities have witnessed a tremendous expansion. Enrolment has tripled since 2000 and surpassed 2 million students in 2012. However, 2 million is only 13.23% of university-age students, which means that as the country’s per capita income increases, the demand for tertiary education, and the size of the education sector will increase massively. Universities may keep pace with the growing demand for education. However, the greater

challenge lies in the employment structure of the Bangladesh labor market. Our labor market has a predominance of low-productivity, low-wage, and informal sector jobs. Therefore, the real question is what happens to the tens of thousands of university graduates once they complete their degree programs and compete for a limited number of jobs? This is an ugly underbelly of our much touted demographic dividend. Private and public sector jobs will not be created overnight and there is no magic wand of job creation in the hands of the corporate sector or for that matter, the government. While universities are already ramping up their career services function, it is essential that students also do their bit. So, if you are a university student reading this, what can you do to prevail in a challenging job market? Entrepreneurship is an option, but certainly not an easy one, if you don’t have connections through family or a certain amount

of professional experience. Therefore, in addition to exploring your academic interests and intellectual inclinations to their logical limits (I would never suggest forsaking such), it is essential you are also career-oriented during your time at university. Here are seven important steps you can take to prepare for the job market in a time of demographic dividend: First and foremost, identify your skills and interests. Talk to a mentor. Getting an impartial opinion will be crucial. We are often not the best judge of our skills. Identify companies you admire. Research them. Talk to people who already work there. That person could be a cousin, uncle, distant relative, or an older friend. Network actively and professionally. If you are on LinkedIn, and you are approaching strangers to talk to them about their companies, better make sure your approach, writing, and introduction are rock-solid. We as a people are yet to be known for our approach-

ability to strangers, rightly or wrongly. While you are at it, identify professors who are known to have industry connections, take their classes, offer to help them in myriad ways, and when the time comes, chances are, they will return the favor. Prepare a CV by the end of your first year. Of course the CV will undergo various iterations. But have a CV in hand. Make sure the formatting is consistent, clean, and crisp. Use either Arial or Times New Roman fonts. Other fonts shouldn’t exist for you, unless you work in graphics. Actively, actively, seek out internships, paid or unpaid. The role of an internship should be to make a strong impression on your recruiter. It even helps to intern for smaller companies as long as your direct boss is someone who is (a) well-networked and (b) helpful. Learn Microsoft Office like your life depends on it. You need to own Microsoft Word, Power Point, and Excel. Even if you do not fancy a career in finance, Ex-

Y

cel will make a difference. Most people, whether they admit it or not, are not a fan of numbers. And last but not least, take English courses, to improve your spoken and written English. English is the language of commerce and business communication, and Mandarin is unlikely to upset the current order of things. So drop those courses in Chinese and take English language learning as seriously as you take anything else. Ultimately, career preparation ought to start early. A strategic approach will considerably level the playing field, considering many students will have family companies to fall back on, or recourse to advice and contacts at home. The trick is to not doubt that even the smallest step can help. If you are a university student, the question is not whether the challenges outlined earlier will become reality for you, but how you are going to respond when they do. l Sajid Amit is Director, Center for Enterprise and Society, ULAB.

China soccer boom sparks online gambling craze

‘Oil supply, demand should be in balance by 2017’

n Reuters, Hong Kong

n AFP, Beijing

In China’s eastern city of Hangzhou, Mr Li could barely watch as Portuguese striker Cristiano Ronaldo lined up a penalty kick in a finely-balanced Euro 2016 group match against Austria. Li had reason to be nervous: he had bet tens of thousands of yuan on Portugal to win. With 10 minutes to go in the game in Paris, Real Madrid star Ronaldo hit the post, the game ended in a draw, and Li lost the money he had bet using Tencent Holdings Ltd’s popular messaging app WeChat. Amid a surge of Chinese interest in global soccer, a side-effect has been a record spike in illegal gambling online, prompting multi-million dollar busts by police on betting rings, and tech giants like Tencent and Alibaba Group Holding Ltd cracking down on gambling activity on their apps. “There are so many gamblers, groups and platforms during the European Cup, though, that I think it’s really hard to find all of them,” said Li, who asked only to use his surname as most gambling online in China is illegal. Li said he used a private chat

group on WeChat, where most of the betters were friends. Winnings were distributed via bank transfer, Alibaba-linked Alipay, WeChat or ‘red packets’, digital versions of traditional envelopes stuffed with cash. In the run-up to the UEFA European Football Championship final in Paris next Sunday, Chinese police say they have seen a surge in illegal gambling online. In a single bust last week, police in southern Guangdong arrested 147 people and froze funds worth nearly 100m yuan ($15m). On Sunday, the Public Security Ministry said it had detained 236 people across four provinces involved in illegal online betting on the championship. Alibaba and Tencent acknowledge the issue and have anti-gambling systems in place to spot illegal behavior. Ant Financial, the Alibaba affiliate which operates Alipay, has a three-tiered system to spot gambling, with computer systems analyzing user behavior and a line of human checks. “If we find suspicious accounts, then we are going to freeze the account directly. It only takes a

few hours from the first to the last step,” said spokeswoman Miranda Shek, adding the firm was looking to add more anti-gambling staff. Reiterating a previous statement, Tencent said it is doing more to stamp out gambling on its platforms like WeChat, including restricting groups suspected of gambling behavior and punishing individual account holders. It said it has put limits on more than 8,000 WeChat groups, and has limited the payment and ‘red packet’ capabilities on more than 6,000 accounts.

Soccer boom

A soccer investment boom in China has helped propel interest in the game. Chinese firms have invested in overseas clubs, player agencies and media rights firms, and global soccer stars have moved to China in multi-million dollar deals. “With the European Cup everyone’s betting on soccer, but also over the last couple of years China’s soccer market has developed rapidly. Big investments and star names create a real lure,” said Hu Naijun, an assistant professor at the University of Science and Technology Beijing. l

The global oil market should see supply and demand in balance by 2017 though it will remain structurally well-supplied for the next couple of years, US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz said on Friday. Speaking to reporters after meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih at the G20 energy meeting in Beijing, Moniz said the two men agreed that despite short-term production impacts, oil supply still exceeds demand. “Unless there are big surprises we are still in a situation of more production than demand. The gap is narrowing as global demand grows slowly,” Moniz said. “His (Falih’s) statement is that balance in supply and demand will probably be reached in the end of this year. That’s reasonable, but it could also go into next year.” However, when that balance comes, there will still be large supplies due to historically high reserves, he added. As prices recover to the $50 to $60 a barrel level, more drilling rigs will be deployed and more wells will be completed in the US, he said, af-

ter companies scaled back production as oil prices dived under $40. “So structurally the market looks pretty well supplied, there is no reason to think there will be big changes over the next couple of years,” he said. On oil policy, Moniz said al-Falih made clear that Saudi Arabia is looking to long-term price setting in the oil markets to follow markets and not quotas. Moniz also said during the G20 meeting this week the US advocated a timeline for ending subsidies for fossil fuels by the middle of the next decade or 2030, but the countries failed to reach a timeline for the subsidy phase-out. Officials from the United Nations and European Union, plus 200 non-governmental organizations, urged the G20 this week to end years of talks and follow the Group of Seven industrialized nations by setting a date to end subsidies on coal, gas and oil. With growing supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Australia and with the US starting to export LNG, the indexing of LNG to oil prices is weakening which means there will be a more competitively priced spot market, he said. l


DT

15

Business

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Digital nomads land dream jobs thanks to Estonian startups n AFP, Tallinn Upwardly-mobile, tech-savvy young professionals across the globe are swapping their briefcases and brogues for backpacks and sneakers, setting themselves up as digital nomads who can operate from wherever their laptops can go. Jobbatical and Teleport, two recent tech startups, promise to take the guess-work out of digital job hunting on a global scale. Both hail from tiny tech titan Estonia and are part of a crop of cutting-edge online sites catering to digital nomads, typically young males who work remotely and move around regions like Southeast Asia every few months. Their creators insist the startups have the potential to shake things up on the global job market, similar to how Estonians previously transformed global communications with Skype and digital international money transfers via Transferwise. Tallinn-based entrepreneur Karoli Hindriks said she launched Jobbatical two years ago to fill the growing gaps she noticed in global recruiting. With employment offers from Greece, to Thailand and Costa Rica among others, it takes just a few clicks of the mouse for product or account managers, programmers and other tech professionals to land a dream job, whether programming in Malaysia’s tropical paradise of Penang or managing an adventure travel operation in Bali. Jobbatical targets “adventurous tech, business, and creative professionals with

over five years of working experience,” Hindriks told AFP at the Latitude59 technology conference in Estonia’s capital Tallinn. She points to “a generational mindset shift” as key to her client base of 70,000 unique users each month across 150 countries. “The Millennial’s view of success isn’t necessarily a house, a well-paying job and a picket fence. “There’s a huge shift towards defining success as working in terms of things that one truly believes in, and appreciating experiences over material possessions.” New technologies, less expensive international travel and communications mean that moving around to work is “becoming smoother and cheaper than ever,” she added. Most Jobbatical offers involve positions that, like sabbaticals, last around 12 months, creating a revolving client base. The company takes a “success” fee of five percent of the annual salary upon hiring.

Surf more than Internet

Vicente Gracia, a much-travelled 28-yearold business strategist from Chile, has been surfing more than just the Internet since he began using Jobbatical. Dissatisfied with the terms he was being offered by South American companies, Gracia used it to find a job based in Bali. “New generations are looking for more than just a paycheck,” Gracia told AFP via Skype. A keen surfer, he now enjoys riding the waves on a Bali beach every morning during

a break in his commute to work. “For me, being able to prioritise my career and a healthy lifestyle is crucial.” Insisting that Jobbatical is unique, Hindriks shuns comparisons to online job sites like Monster, insisting that “it’s like comparing Craigslist to Airbnb.” Describing Jobbatical as a “matchmaker for companies”, Hindriks insists that shortterm “jobbaticals” encourage professionals to choose countries off the beaten path - like her own Estonia - that they may not have considered were the positions permanent. “If you look at the reality, there are no permanent jobs any more, so in that sense we’re bringing honesty to the conversation,” she said.

Peace of mind

Teleport meanwhile takes stock of the personal preferences and expectations of digital job-seekers and then suggests ideal places for them to live and work. Teleport “scouts”, or local experts, are just a click away to iron out any wrinkles. For a modest fee, they can help with everything from visas to finding the right apartment or the nearest vegan restaurant. A veteran tech entrepreneur who headed up Skype’s Estonia operations from 200512, Teleport CEO Sten Tamkivi insisted his startup goes further than competitors like NomadList, which essentially works like a traditional travel guide. l


DT

16

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Ramadan Special

Ramadan: Our heart is already there in nano bits

Amplified EKG or heart beat. “Sound is the source of all being; vibration is the basis of all our reality. If you examine the basic tenets of the various religions and mystical paths on this planet, they all have awareness that sound is the principal creative force in the universe,” (Jonathan Goldman).

n Shireen Pasha I go to a tree and say: Dear tree, can you give me a poem? The tree says: If you can pierce My bark and merge into my marrow, Perhaps you will get a poem. I whisper into the ears Of a decaying wall: Can you give me a poem? The old wall whispers back In its moss-thickened voice: If you can grind yourself Into the brick and mortar of my body, Perhaps you will get a poem. I beg an old man Bending on my knees: Please give me a poem. Breaking the veil of silence, The voice of wisdom says: If you can carve the wrinkles Of my face onto your own, Perhaps you will get a poem. Only for a few lines of poetry, How long must I wait before this tree, In front of the crumbling wall, And the old man? How long will I be bending on my knees? -For a few lines of Poetry by Shamsur Rahman, translated by Syed Najmuddin Hashim I like to translate the Bengali concept “matribhumi,” literally as Mother (Matri) Bhumi (Earth): Mother Earth, not motherland because we are connected in ways that are

actually beyond the limits of this planet. The terror we continue to witness in Bangladesh, in South Asia, in the world leave us searching for the poetry, the breath, the beat, the bit that will support our faith in the symbiosis that is at the heart of creation. O, God Again and again, you have sent your messengers as sages to this world unkind they taught us to have mercy for all taught us to love all taught us to free the poison from our mind they are honourable, they are memorable yet, waiting on the doorway in today’s moment-miserable I turned them away my reverence, fading away I have seen the hidden jealousy like the night of black travesty destroying the helpless - with merciless cruelty I have seen the sin of unabated strong causing the voice of justice to hide and cry along I saw the misery of the youth in pain battering their head on unyielding stone, in vain today, my voice is speechless my flute is tuneless, the prison, black as the night of moonless darkness have dragged my world into nightmarish hopelessness so I ask you with tearful eyes my Lord those who have poisoned your air, have shrouded the lights of your glow have you ushered your mercy upon them? have you really loved them?

-”Question” by Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore wrote “Question” in response to the British partition of Bengal. We continue to partition, a struggle now at the nano level. But how can you partition the sound of the heart, through which we are all willingly or unwillingly connected? “Who can comprehend Your endless *Leela! Allah! who can comprehend Your endless Leela?! -Lalon In June of this year, 11,000 people across Bangladesh were arrested over a period of four days as an effort to crack down on terror. On Friday, twenty people were murdered, twentyfive people were injured at a family friendly cafe in Dhaka. I think of the jailed and their lack of right to a free and fair trial. I think of the murdered in the cafe, the twentyyear-old young man who had an option to leave the cafe but didn’t because he didn’t want to abandon his friends and the countless others who were all in Bangladesh for the love of the place. My heart pounds turning to Golden Bengal - not that of nationalism, father land, but that of eternal nature, mother earth. I lay down my heart for mother earth. Beat again mother earth, beat again. You are my heaven My passion My prayer My soul’s bliss The calm that I seek In every heart beat -I see my God in you by Salim Sulaiman l


17

DT

Interview

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

“South Asia should be the next wave of impressive civic society developments” Producer/director Shireen Pasha, in a candid conversation with Steve Clemons

n Shireen Pasha Leaving my heart with mother earth, I picked up my brain and called on Steve Clemons, the Washington editor at large for The Atlantic and editor of Atlantic Live. He writes frequently about politics and foreign affairs. He is the senior fellow and the founder of the American Strategy Program at the New America Foundation, a centrist think tank in Washington, DC, where he previously served as executive vice president. He writes and speaks frequently about the DC political scene, foreign policy, and national security issues, as well as domestic and global economic-policy challenges. I wanted to know more about ISIS, South Asia, and the future of Bangladesh from a foreign policy expert. My intuitive love of Bangladesh was no longer enough. I needed to arm myself with knowledge. The following is the transcript of my interview with Steve regarding terrorism and ISIS in Bangladesh. I cannot offer words of condolence or say that our Eid will be amazing and joyous but I can say that we will heal, ever stronger, ever more together because our heart is already there in nano bits. Is it IS (Islamic State), ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) or ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant)? All three. They call themselves all three; US media is trained to use ISIS. I use ISIS. President Obama uses ISIL. Putin says ISIS is a mercenary group. What is your analysis? Who is funding them? That’s too simplistic. ISIS is an amalgamation of different disaffected groups of people coming together: the residue of leadership from Saddam Hussain’s army; pockets of Salafasits; Mujahideens from the war with the USSR; alienated youth. Of course, the leadership wants to grab money, power, and land, while promoting Salafism (“A school of Sunni Islam that condemns theological innovation and advocates strict adherence to shari’a and to the social structures existing in the earliest days of Islam”).

Bangladesh was on track to becoming a market society but it is now struggling to be a pluralistic system (which would support a market society).

Why is ISIS interested in Bangladesh? ISIS attracts “ascending and aspiring” followers in Bangladesh, which would be in the interest of ISIS because it is trying to brand itself as a global organisation. Bangladeshi terrorism is different. There are probably local groups who want to affiliate with ISIS but these people have not trained in Syria, and quite different from the terrorism we have seen in Western Europe. ISIS doesn’t have any qualms about killing Muslims. It wants to show that it has the power to destabilise those who will not follow Islamic State norms, for example, Bangladesh, which is already under a government that has been ineffective and slow in coordinating intelligence with its western partners in addressing terrorist actions. The two leading parties in Bangladesh have been knocking each other senseless for years. Politically, Bangladesh is not a pleasant place. There are several radical groups with roots back to Pakistan, as well as groups such as Ansar al-Islam, who wants to connect with al-Qaeda. When the hacking down of secularists began, Bangladeshi society largely did not galvanise around them, yet are quite triggered by the cafe murders. This is sad because terrorism of this sort has been going on for the last 2.5 years, especially political assassinations. This is a wake up call. Bangladeshi citizens need to understand that they are stakeholders in their society. For example, when you see that 11,000 people have been arrested over a period of four days, you have to know that this will breed future insecurity. There is no country in the world where there are 11,000 active terrorist members. The current government is using terrorism as an excuse to pursue their own political objectives and suppress any opposition. When you arrest 11,000 people, radical groups can then start to drive wedges further into the country. The United States will now focus more on encouraging the Government of Bangladesh to bring back stability.

Considering the incredible amount of money in private hands, to the point where private individuals can imagine taking their own mission to Mars, have you come across any research into how private wealth also funds private armies? This is one of the giant problems. The very rich oil sheikhs are doing this. I have written a piece about **Prince Bandar of Saudia Arabia covertly sending money to ISIS. Just this last week, Bob Casey, US Senator from Pennsylvania, introduced legislation to push the American government to find ways in holding private funders of mercenaries accountable for terror. How can we find out more about what the world wants from Bangladesh? Create a news flow that’s a mixture of newspapers, journals, social media. For example, I use Google translate to follow the local newspapers in India and Pakistan.

Steve Clemons

Photo: The Atlantic

South Asia should be the next wave of impressive civic society developments. Bangladesh is thought to be one of the next 11. South Asia in general is looked upon to be growing in economic opportunity

What is the future of South Asia and what sort of role is Bangladesh imagined to play, or needed to play? South Asia should be the next wave of impressive civic society

developments. Bangladesh is thought to be one of the next 11. South Asia in general is looked upon to be growing in economic opportunity. It is such a promising situation. It is the place where the future middle class will be.

How does the Bay of Bengal fit into Nato’s strategy to manage a pro-NATO world view? How does NATO coordinate their strategy with India’s strategy for the region? I don’t know, but I can tell you after I attend the Nato Summit in Warsaw next week. Great, looking forward to that interview. *Leela is a Sanskrit word meaning the divine play of God, in which things can be suddenly turned on its head or the expected can occur but with unexpected consequences in an infinite number of algorithms.” **Article by Steve Clemons in The Atlantic: ‘Thank God for the Saudis’: ISIS, Iraq, and the Lessons of Blowback, http://www. theatlantic.com/international/ archive/2014/06/isis-saudi-arabiairaq-syria-bandar/373181/ l


DT

18

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Education

Programming as a hobby n Faisal Rahman

programming languages will be the better choice for a position than someone whose knowledge is confined to only one. “A CSE student should find time on their own to improve their skills and learn languages other than the one being taught to them already. Diversity is what will separate them from others,” says Mr Jaber.

Computer Science and Engineering is one of the most popular degrees students go after for their undergraduate studies. Not everyone, however, is able to achieve as much as they thought they would when they started their undergrad studies. CSE students usually have a lot of questions regarding how to stand out and compete with others after graduating. That’s where Shams Jaber, founder of The Tech Academy, comes in to answer a few questions. Shams Jaber says, “I see a lot of problems in the education system, and the lack of hardware development in our country is what motivated me to start The Tech Academy.” He believes in bringing about change and he thinks the best way to do that is by

Reaching one’s true potential The number of CSE graduates is increasing rapidly in Bangladesh. As a matter of fact, for the past few years, our country has been one of the leading countries for outsourcing. We have progressed quite a lot in the IT sector but there is still a long way to go. According to Jaber, “Software tech and web development have already come a long way. The fields of game development and hardware are yet to be explored.” The first company to achieve this or the first group of people to find success in this field will have the largest probability of being successful in our country in the long run. However, there is a lack of motivation as well as resources which makes this feat a bit more difficult than it sounds.

A CSE student should find time on their own to improve their skills and learn languages other than the one being taught to them already. Diversity is what will separate them from others

starting young. The Tech Academy is for those young minds or anyone in general with an interest in programming or working with hardware and building creations of their own.

Does CGPA really matter?

Most undergrad students spend most of their time concentrating on getting a high CGPA. Regarding this, Jaber said, “In reality CGPA does not define skill when it comes to CSE. Companies look for a particular skill set rather than CGPA.” He further said that, “A certificate is nothing but a piece of paper, it does not define

Benefits of programming

Shams Jaber, founder of Tech Academy someone’s true potential and should be acquired by a student from various sources.” That being said, one can benefit from having a good CGPA. It is of some influence and makes it easier to get interviews. Other than that, it also portrays the person as someone very responsible and dedicated.

Required set of skills

The difference between an average programmer and an excellent programmer is judged by how skillful they are. This includes how good they are at analysing and solving problems, and how diverse their field of knowledge is regarding different programming languages. A university will not

teach a student different languages during the four years of their degree, they will rather teach them how to think like a programmer and guide them in developing their analytical skills. In the real world, this knowledge will not suffice as the competition keeps getting tougher. A person who is skilled in different

The qualities that a programmer develops is something that the general public can make good use of if they learn the basics of programming. A programmer is taught to break down a problem and analyse it and then find a solution. Doing this step by step allows programmers to judge and make critical decisions with minimum risks. Having these qualities benefits a person in their day to day lives by improving problem solving skills, critical thinking, and decision making. Learning a programming language might sound hard but it really is not, since high level languages are based on words that we use very frequently, and therefore, is very easy to get the hang of. One can either learn by themselves through online tutorials or enroll in courses that lasts for a few weeks. Anyone without any prior knowledge about programming can just as easily learn programming by following such tutorials and courses. l

Article printed under special arrangement with www. developers-haat.com


19

DT

Education

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

An introduction to programming n Faisal Rahman People think that a modern computer is a very smart machine but it is, in fact, quite the opposite. A machine that cannot think and make decisions by itself cannot really be called smart. However, a computer is amazing when it comes to obeying and following instructions given to it by the user. The credit for allowing a computer to work smoothly, therefore, goes to the programmers who write thousands of lines of codes, and they do this by the help of different programming languages. Shams Jaber, founder of The Tech Academy, sheds some light on the basics of programming.

Programming language

A programming language is a formal constructed language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer. The only instructions a computer can understand is machine language which consists of the numbers 1 and 0. This was the first ever language created and it is still the only way a computer can process and understand instructions. However, the direct use of machine language eventually died out because of the complexity of its usage. So, what programming languages are used now? Over the years, a lot has changed since machine language was first introduced. Programming is not as difficult as it used to be, it is much more forgiving since making a mistake does not mean that the user has to write the whole program all over again.

Types of programming languages

Before reaching to where we are now, the development of programming language went through three phases: 1) Machine language 2) Assembly language 3) Higher level language Machine and Assembly languages are considered to be low-level languages since they used binary coding and there was no implementation of a translator program. It was very easy to make a simple mistake and extremely hard to find and fix it. This is one of the reasons why there were very few programmers back then. Learning machine language was extremely difficult and even expert programmers made

mistakes, which also explains why the use of it died out after the creation of higher level languages. To make things less complicated, higher level languages were created. In higher level languages, a single line of code translates into hundreds of lines of code in machine language which ultimately saves time and also minimises the scope of making mistakes. Python, Java, C, and C++ are some of the high level languages used today. As it has been mentioned earlier, computers can only understand machine language and that is still the case today. Higher level languages are in fact, translated to machine language first so that the computer can understand and execute commands. This is done

A programming language is a formal constructed language designed to communicate instructions to a machine, particularly a computer.

by a translator program which translates high level language to machine language.

High level languages

There are over 2000 high level languages available but only a handful of them are frequently used. The most notable ones are Python, Java, C, and C++. Even though all these programming languages fall under high level languages, they have a lot of differences. Even though structures may seem similar but different languages have different syntaxes. Learning one language does not mean one can write a code in another one without proper training.

How to write a program

There are a few steps to writing

Shams Jaber, founder of Tech Academy a program. A program is written so that a problem can be solved. So first, we need to identify the problem and analyse it in order to find a solution. It is said that programming is not just about writing a few lines of code, it is about finding a complete solution to a problem so that the same program does not need to be fixed again anytime soon. Below are the four steps to writing a program.

known beforehand.

Algorithm: Firstly, we write an algorithm which is the formula or steps that are required to solve the problem. Figuring this out first saves time as the program can be written faster if the algorithm is

Coding: The third stage is writing the code. To do this one must first know the proper syntax to write in that language. For example, if someone wants to write the program in Java, they must know

Flowchart: Next, we move on to flowcharts. They are a graphical representation of a computer program in relation to its sequence of functions. No matter how complex a program is, drawing a flowchart simplifies it and breaks down the program into steps which makes it easier to write when coding.

the keywords and structure of how a Java code is written. Otherwise, the probability to make a mistake is very high. Debugging: The fourth and final stage is debugging. In a high level language, there is always a debugger built in with the language itself. The job of a debugger is to read through the whole program and find any errors made which then displays the error so that the user can fix them. Without debugging, no one can be sure whether their program is error free or not. Hence, this is a very important step in writing a program.l


DT

20 Editorial

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

TODAY

A heavy price to pay By putting blame on the opposition parties and their putative agenda to embarrass the government in the past, we have allowed our law enforcement agencies to lose focus on the real danger lurking in the country PAGE 21

They have won nothing Those who wish to take up arms to subjugate humanity are no more than annoying insects, their rogue acts mere bumps in the road to progress, nothing more PAGE 22

REUTERS

A hero for our times

Tic tac toe, don’t let the bullet find you To prevent such occurrences in the real sense of the meaning, we as a nation, as a people, need to become vigilant, stand united, and not let this festering anger and hate divide us further apart into the blurred lines of intolerance and isolation PAGE 23

Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ DhakaTribune. The views expressed in Opinion articles are those of the authors alone. They do not purport to be the official view of Dhaka Tribune or its publisher.

F

araaz Ayaaz Hossain was only 20 years old when he was killed in the terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery on July 1, but he died a man. In his bravery and selflessness he has provided all Bangladeshis with an inspiration for generations to come and a lesson in how to live our lives. He has shown us that grace and nobility still exist in this world and that we will not be defined by the actions of a handful of misguided and murderous youth. As the nation wonders with horror how it could have given birth to the killers, who represent the very worst of humanity, and what it says about a society that did so, we can take comfort in the fact that Bangladesh also produced a young man like Faraaz. It is his name and deeds that should live on, and he who we should think of when we think of that fateful night. We cannot even imagine the pain and sorrow of his parents and other family as they mourn the death of this remarkable young man, and while nothing can ever take away their anguish at seeing his promising young life cut short so cruelly, they can at least be proud of how he died and take comfort in the knowledge that they raised him to be a true man, with the spirit of a warrior and the heart of a lion. The terrorists offered him the opportunity to save his own life and walk away to freedom, but when they refused to let his two friends, Abinta Kabir and Tarishi Jain, leave as well, he elected to stay with them and share their fate rather than save himself. He refused to abandon them and was found dead the next morning, alongside them, when the commandos raided the compound and brought the siege to a close. Faraaz died a hero. Nothing will bring him back and that is a true tragedy. But, as the nation mourns in the aftermath of the Friday night atrocity that has shaken the faith of the entire country, we should all take pride in the fact that one such as Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain lived among us, and in this moment of shame and shock for the nation was able to show the world the best of Bangladesh and what it means to be a true Muslim.

Faraaz has shown us that grace and nobility still exist in this world and that we will not be defined by the actions of a handful of misguided and murderous youth


DT

21

Opinion

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

A heavy price to pay We deserve the truth, not more political blame games

n Ziauddin Choudhury

A

fter months -- probably years -- of denial and self-deception about the existence of militant radicals tied to foreign groups, our government woke up to the reality that everybody had been warning us about all along. This raid and hostage situation in the Gulshan cafe may be unprecedented in Bangladesh’s history, but in the annals of recent terror history, this is just one more incident. Could this horror have been avoided? Perhaps yes, perhaps not. What is undeniable, however, is that this is a terror act that was waiting in the wings for a long time, and it finally happened. Sad that it took two young police officers’ lives and made victims of innocent national and foreign citizens, many of whom were working in Dhaka for a living. More than two dozen lives were in great danger. We hoped that somehow a total blowout would be averted, but knowing that the militants who were occupying the cafe had yet to make any statement regarding their objectives, there were only speculations about the outcome, none of which was pretty. Various claims have been made regarding the affiliation or sponsorship of these terrorists, ranging from the Islamic State to al-Qaeda to local homegrown groups -- the usual suspects. Foreign media has, in the meanwhile, made Dhaka a centrepiece of the latest terror attacks, and are attributing the attack to either of the two infamous international militant groups. Additionally, the foreign media is also pointing out our government’s failure to listen to the signals that the country has been receiving from the wave of individuals, foreigners, bloggers, and religious minorities being killed. In fact, this incident has stirred up critics to come out full force to blame the government for the failure to reign in budding militants in the country. Coming in the wake of Istanbul attack, we could not fully rule out the presence of foreign elements among these attackers. But what is certain to happen is that this will bring, in its wake, more deaths, and it has turned the city into a gloomy and melancholy place at a time when everyone is about to celebrate the end of a holy month with festivity. The

We need to address the real problem before more shots are fired

BIGSTOCK

By putting blame on the opposition parties and their putative agenda to embarrass the government in the past, we have allowed our law enforcement agencies to lose focus on the real danger lurking in the country

blood that has already been shed has cast a pall of gloom. This was only darkened further with the ensuing losses. We will probably be splitting hairs for days to come trying to figure out how it happened, and there will be more blame games going around. But if there is one lesson to be learned from this tragedy, it is that surveillance alone cannot stop such acts of terror. We may have hundreds of guards and policemen keeping eyes on the people trying to prevent the rogues from attacking. But it takes only one determined group of people to outwit and outsmart these guards

through their ability to network and amass enough firepower to launch such a blitz. Terror acts of the kind that just happened do not happen all of a sudden. These take days and months of planning, preparation, and assembly. I have written before, and I reiterate it now, that radical extremism of the kind that is now on display globally does not crop up suddenly in a country without a nexus of ideas that run across. The terrorists who took over the Gulshan cafe, and carried out their nefarious acts, were all our own citizens, but they drew their inspiration from a bigger

cadre of militants with a mission that threatens all countries of the world, irrespective of cast, creed, or religious belief. It is sad that our government, despite its commitment to fight and contain global terrorism, has failed to recognise the enemy within. By putting blame on the opposition parties and their putative agenda to embarrass the government in the past, we have allowed our law enforcement agencies to lose focus on the real danger lurking in the country and getting bolder by day. There has been much evidence of the growth and strength of

these elements in the past, but for strange reasons, our authorities continue to ignore them. The cost of political blame gaming is heavy as we can see from this incident. Neither rhetoric nor political blame game can replace real action to contain the cancer of radical militancy. I am not suggesting that terrorism of the kind that is threatening the world today can be prevented easily, but at least our energy can be better spent and resources better used to fight the cancer of militancy, if our politicians agree to put aside their differences and fight together. I am praying and hoping that there is no more bloodshed. But what I am hoping most is that there will be transparency in police action, and we will get to know who the perpetrators were. Let there be no murkiness to explain this to the nation. We deserve the truth. l Ziauddin Choudhury has worked in the higher civil service of Bangladesh early in his career, and later for the World Bank in the USA.


22

DT

Opinion

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

They have won nothing As atrocious as the terrorist attack was, our nation will keep progressing towards tolerance

We need to stand united against religious intolerance

n Ziaur Rahman

J

uly 1, 2016 will be etched in the history of Bangladesh as a day of darkness and despair. This is the first alleged act of ISIS, a rogue organisation that had been claiming to have set foot in Bangladesh for a while now, despite the government’s categorical denial. We mourn these senseless killings of our citizens, our law enforcement units, and our foreign citizens but we should realise that we are currently at war with delusional humans, who claim to wield the holy power of God, reciting the Qur’an like a war-cry. They shun the fact that the peaceful religion of Islam, and indeed all great religions of the world, promote love, peace, harmony, and mercy. The heavenly books believe in solace, comfort, and preaching happiness, putting humanity on the highest pedestal with an effervescent flow of respect and compassion. Machetes, bombs, and bullets are the exclusive purview of terrorists, and the only lives they deserve are behind bars until sanity prevails, but that too remains in grave doubt. The damage has been done, but we need to explore exactly what the method behind this madness

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

We need to make it be heard that Bangladesh will not bow down to fear and repression at the hands of cowards who have failed to follow the path of tolerance. Let the message be clear: Those who wish to take up arms to subjugate humanity are no more than annoying insects, their rogue acts mere bumps in the road to progress, nothing more was. We noticed that there were no ransoms claimed, so what they had done was for their own coldblooded doctrine and philosophy -- a philosophy of spreading anarchy in the name of a religion. Unfortunately, these acts are never really about religion, as they spread the wrong message and taint all that is good about a religion in the process. As a result, we see the balance of social harmony tipping in the wrong way, and believers of that faith, globally, getting branded in a bad way. This has been the unhappy consequences stemming from the fault lines created in the global political arena, and the brunt of that is being felt globally in Paris, Ankara, etc, and now in Dhaka. This is a global disease and the world needs to sensibly and surgically deal with it. While we may feel bitter at our government for its inadequate

response, right now we have to work together as a country. Many comments fly around in social media, but “blame-gaming” has never yielded anything good. Our country, its politicians, and its vital organs must work together right now. We need to understand that democracy must be allowed to emerge in times such as this. Responsible politics is the only way forward. Religion should be practiced, but with a heavy emphasis on the development of the soul and in teaching that the beauty of all religions is to strive for universal harmony. The religious institutions of Bangladesh should officially denounce these acts of violence and teach their students that dialogue, not repression or brutality, is the answer. No philosophy from the barrel of a gun has ever endured in the history of the world. Those deranged seven or eight individuals will become nothing but an ugly

statistic, mark my words. Bangladesh needs to address the issue of religion and its teachings in a well thought-out fashion. Any deviant form of religious practices should be protested and reasoned with logic. Religion is being used as an instrument for warmongering and citizens should rise together, speak up about the true essence of religion, and that it is about spreading love and fellowship, not hatred and death. When a society loses its moral compass, these unexpected forms of outbursts take shape. We need to dig deep into the psyche of our nation and focus on why such disturbing and nonsensical behaviour is being manifested; we need to explore whether things such as socio-politico-economic repression and intolerance in drowning dissenting voices have a role to play. The education policies set by the government can also be revisited to that end.

Now is the time for responsible citizenship and responsible politics. We need to stop crying wolf when we do not know how strong or how entrenched the wolf is. By bringing so much attention to these nefarious acts of terror we are, in turn, inviting even more fear, and thus playing into the hands of ISIS or other such organisations. We cannot let these events reach a point where the entire nation is gripped by fear. Let us put an end to these calamities. Let us stop all the rhetoric and build bridges of friendship and peace. A united country can and will weather the storm. In the name of religion, what these wayward souls have done is nothing short of an act of cowardice -- let history judge these wretched animals. We need to make it be heard that Bangladesh will not bow down to fear and repression at the hands of cowards who have failed to follow the path of tolerance. Let the message be clear: Those who wish to take up arms to subjugate humanity are no more than annoying insects, their rogue acts mere bumps in the road to progress, nothing more. l Ziaur Rahman is CEO, IITM, a consulting, training, market research, and survey firm.


DT

23

Opinion

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Tic tac toe, don’t let the bullet find you Their unpredictability is their strongest weapon, but we have a shield: Our unity

The Gulshan attack has left Dhaka suspended in a state of fear

n Nusmila Lohani

N

ight time is usually the time when people can let loose their tight shackles to the corporate world or the minimum wage-paying jobs in the West -- it is when music pours in, laughter ensues, and all the trouble in the world is forgotten in a synchronised rhythm, with countless others on some dance floor. Unless a madman (or a SWAT team) decides to open fire and change the world forever. It’s travelling. More often than not, there is a rather cheery feeling being at airports, be it waiting to meet a loved one after a long time or getting through the immigration point to a new adventure. For me, airports are usually associated with a very real visceral sense of excitement to “get to see the world.” Unless suicide bombers cause an uproar around the corner and all hell breaks loose. It’s getting close now. Cafes and restaurants are the only common recreational outlets in the city, where one can get away from the unimaginable traffic outside (via the traffic), and 9-to-5 jobs to spend a few hours with friends chattering about nothing and sipping a latte before calling it a night.

They’re the places where one unwinds, soaks in the soothing ambience and friends’ laughter … until something happens. It has hit home. In less than 30 days, we all stood witness to the Orlando massacre at a nightclub, then Istanbul’s airport attack, and now a restaurant in Dhaka that was held hostage and destroyed by a few men’s whims. All the while, in the background, drones and barrel bombs fall on Syria, and Boko Haram claims more lives than the biased media grants news coverage to in Africa. To say the least, things seem to be escalating at a disturbingly accelerating pace. And now, we, I mean you and I, are suspended in a state of fear. These massacres and killings have found their way into the country I call home. Now, the news wrung of bloodshed about a foreign country no longer feels unfamiliar, because Dhaka has now, unfortunately, become a part of that bloodied club. While governments play out their decisive plans, layered under homophobia, Islamophobia, the refugee crisis -- basically all things bloody, hateful and inhumane -we are suspended in a state of fear. Saturday was the first time in 45 years of Bangladesh history that

REUTERS

79, Gulshan 2. Multiple overseas calls did nothing to quiet down my worries, did not allow my mind to rationalise and understand simple facts that she is in fact indoors, safe, and blocks away from the brutality. I wrestled with a unique, powerful surge of irrationality, but alas, still was suspended in that evermore state of fear. Then, I heard how three of my friends were stuck on Banani bridge on their drive back home because of the roadblocks. They were there late into the night, waiting anxiously to let the authorities let them through, waiting out in the open in uncertainty and fear of what’s next. And that is exactly what they want: To breed fear, so that we never step out, so that we hesitate to speak up against terrorism (home-grown, internationally famous, whatever), and cower in fear and allow it to dictate our lives. They want to breed fear because it is just that which will help its motive and agenda: To

To prevent such occurrences in the real sense of the meaning, we as a nation, as a people, need to become vigilant, stand united, and not let this festering anger and hate divide us further apart into the blurred lines of intolerance and isolation

the nation, and its citizens abroad, stood still, glued to news portals online or on TV sets, carried heavy hearts, and prayed for its people. Over 20 people were held hostage to the whims of mad men to show the world their righteous, delusional “Islamic” ways in a location dubbed as the most secure “diplomatic” zone in Dhaka. It was unexpected, and that is why we are suspended in a state of fear for evermore. Nightclubs, airports, or cafes, you name it, and they seem to have washed them in blood. The unpredictability of such heinous acts must be one of their biggest advantages. We can all rest assured that Bangladesh really has been infiltrated now, if not by the infamous ISIS itself then by its ideals. I say “now” because this was the first attack that has claimed so many lives (22), that took so many hours to conduct operations to

save lives (13) -- that for once and for all we can assure the sceptics and the outright naysayers that Bangladesh is not exempt from the monstrosity which is consuming the world at large. While the government attempts to negate bad press, while the experts and analysts delineate what this means, you and I are suspended in a state of fear. It is the unpredictability, rampant occurrences of such kind, and the utter bloodshed that make me worry about stepping into airports and cafes. It is no longer the dark alleys that make me feel as afraid as public crowded places do, and it doesn’t stop there. I am not only afraid for my personal security or my whereabouts, but I have to constantly worry about my family and friends everywhere and all the time. Last night, I feared for my mother who lives close to Road

divide and conquer. We live in dark times, and, I expect, with what we stood witness to last night, that things will only get worse in terms of theories, policies, debates, anger, hate, and fear. To prevent such occurrences in the real sense of the meaning, we as a nation, as a people, need to stay vigilant, stand united, and not let this festering anger and hate divide us further apart into the blurred lines of intolerance and isolation. The monsters have hit home, we need to remain aware and cautious, get our facts checked, and not give in to that unique overwhelming panic. Through the havoc, we still have to relentlessly thrive and overpower this gut-wrenching fear, only then we can beat the monsters at its bloody game. l Nusmila Lohani is a Sub-Editor at the Dhaka Tribune.


DT

24 Sport

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

TOP STORIES

Conte bids farewell to Italy Newly-elected Chelsea tactician Antonio Conte bowed out as Italy coach on Saturday after a Euro 2016 shootout defeat by Germany sounding almost broken-hearted that he was leaving behind a “fantastic” group of players. PAGE 25

Shakib’s Jamaica overcome St Kitts Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan began his Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 campaign on a winning note as his side Jamaica Tallawahs defeated St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by five runs at Warner Park in St Kitts. PAGE 26

Root, Buttler set up England win over SL Joe Root and Jos Buttler laid the platform for England’s dominant 122-run win over Sri Lanka in the fifth and final one-day international in Cardiff on Saturday. Root topscored with 93 as England made 324 for seven. PAGE 27

Italy and Germany observe a minute of silence to commemorate the people killed in a terror attack in Dhaka, Bangladesh, prior to their Euro 2016 quarter-final at Nouveau Stade in Bordeaux, France on Saturday AP

Loew’s ‘fighters’ break Italy hoodoo n AFP, Bordeaux Joachim Loew hailed his team of “fighters” as Germany finally broke their Italy hoodoo by seeing off the Azzurri in a penalty shootout in Saturday’s Euro 2016 quarter-final. Jonas Hector hit the crucial German penalty to seal the world champions’ 6-5 victory in Bordeaux to claim an historic win over Italy. It was the first time Germany have beaten the Azzurri in nine attempts at a World Cup or European Championships finals. “From a fighter’s point of view, it was amazing what the side did,” said Loew as Germany reached

the semis at a Euro finals for the third time in a row. The match finished 1-1 after extra-time as Mesut Ozil’s superbly-worked second-half goal was cancelled out by Leonardo Bonucci’s 78th-minute penalty. Man-of-the-match Manuel Neuer was Germany’s hero in the shoot-out, saving shots by Bonucci and Matteo Darmian in the marathon 18-penalty battle. But the world champion’s efficiency deserted them at crucial times at the Stade de Bordeaux. Thomas Mueller, Mesut Ozil and Bastian Schweinsteiger failed to convert their shoot-out spotkicks as nerves got to die Mannschaft’s stars.

But Loew was full of praise for Hector and 21-year-old Joshua Kimmich who nailed their penalties under intense pressure. “The experienced players missed and the younger guys came through, so that’s quite positive,” Loew said. “If you want to criticise anything, sometimes we lost the ball too easily. “We had a chance for a second goal, but Buffon produced a save and then an Italian player stopped Mueller.” Germany will face either France or Iceland in the Marseille semi-final next Wednesday as they chase a fourth European crown. They will be without cen-

Where are the Dhaka cricketers? Despite being the centre of Bangladesh cricket, Dhaka is unable to produce players like it used to. The domination of the cricketers from different districts both in the domestic and national side is currently the common scenario. PAGE 28

Germany players celebrate winning the penalty shootout against Italy in the Euro 2016 quarter-final at Nouveau Stade in Bordeaux on Saturday REUTERS

tre-back Mats Hummels, who is suspended after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament. There is also a question mark over midfielder Sami Khedira, who was forced off early, while striker Mario Gomez picked up a leg injury. “It wasn’t great to see Sami come off after just 15 minutes,” admitted Loew. “He had problems with his hamstring, I don’t know if it is serious. “Gomez had muscle problems, but I can’t say too much about it. “We have to recover and look after some players because a game like this affects the body.” Loew pulled a surprise before kick-off by naming a three-man defence in a deviation from the 4-2-3-1 formation, which beat Slovakia 3-0 in the last 16. Loew said he decided to switch after watching Italy beat Spain in the previous round and after Germany beat Italy 4-1 in a friendly in March with the formation he used on Saturday. “It was necessary. You have to change the side after a game like Slovakia which was very different,” explained Loew. “We tried to close down the centre for Italy. “After I saw the Spain game, that was my first thought. “After the World Cup, I realised we had to change a little bit.”l


25

DT

Sport

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Germany break Italy hoodoo at major finals

RESULT 1-1

Italy

Germany

Bonucci 78-P Ozil 65 Germany win 6-5 on penalties

ITALY

GERMANY

Lorenzo Insigne

Toni Kroos

Simone Zaza

Thomas Muller

Andrea Barzagli

Mesut Oezil

Graziano Pelle

Julian Draxler

Leonardo Bonucci

Bastian S’teiger

Emanuele Giaccherini

West Germany faced Italy for the first time at a major finals in Chile. Their opening group game of the tournament finished goalless against an Italy side featuring the late Cesare Maldini.

1970 World Cup West Germany 3 Italy 4 aet

Mats Hummels

Marco Parolo

Joshua Kimmich

Mattia de Sciglio

Jerome Boateng

Matteo Darmian

1962 World Cup West Germany 0 Italy 0

Jonas Hector

Germany’s youth show experience beyond years n Reuters, Evian Germany’s younger generation can rightfully feel they are the ones to be trusted when the world champions line up for a Euro 2016 semi-final next week after they stood up to be counted in the country’s first tournament victory over Italy on Saturday. Coach Joachim Loew has remained loyal to the core of his World Cup-winning squad for much of the tournament but it was his emerging players who showed nerves of steel to secure a famous quarter-final victory in Bordeaux. In a nerve-wrecking 6-5 win on penalties, Germany missed more spot kicks in a matter of minutes than they had in their entire shootout history as some of Loew’s most trusted servants surprisingly failed to find the target. Mesut Ozil, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Mueller, who have played a combined 274 matches for Germany, all fluffed their lines but still lived to fight another day thanks to their team mates. For Ozil, who opened the scoring in the match that ended 1-1, it was his second missed penalty of the tournament, while Mueller has yet to find the net in two European Championships despite boasting a proud record of 10 World Cup finals goals. Schweinsteiger, hailed as a hero of the 2014 World Cup win, was last to miss, firing over the bar with a woeful attempt that could be considered a symbolic changing of the guard. The 31-year-old injury-plagued skipper has struggled for form at Manchester United. l

Germany’s Manuel Neuer makes a save during the penalty shootout against Italy during their Euro 2016 quarter-final in Bordeaux on Saturday REUTERS

Conte bids farewell to Italy n Reuters, Bordeaux Antonio Conte bowed out as Italy coach on Saturday after a Euro 2016 shootout defeat by Germany sounding almost broken-hearted that he was leaving behind a “fantastic” group of players. He heaped praise on them for their performance against the Germans which ended in a 6-5 quarter-final loss on penalties after the game finished 1-1 following extra time. “It was a tough match from every perspective. We showed heart to overcome the obstacles,” Conte told a news conference. “It is a shame to go out in this fashion because it is a lottery. However a top side go through and I think they are the best side in the

world from every angle. “We believed we could do it, obviously afterwards in the dressing room we were hugely disappointed.” Conte now takes the reins at Premier League side Chelsea after two years at the helm of the Italian national side. While his Azzurri squad was not filled with the array of talent available in previous campaigns, they surpassed expectations by beating fancied Belgium, knocking out holders Spain and on Saturday taking their old rivals down to the wire. After a Germany win seemed inevitable when Mesut Ozil fired them into the lead in the 65th minute, the Italians stepped up the pressure and equalised 13 minutes later with a penalty and they could

even have snatched a winner. “Football can bring you joy and can leave a bad taste in your mouth. These players will always have a place in my heart,” Conte added. “The players have left a significant mark on this tournament and shown that with desire and hard work, you can achieve something.” The dapper Conte was in reflective mood as he contemplated the end of his tenure with the national team. He said he believed his greatest victory was to have worked with this squad and staff. “These have been fantastic years for me. We really created a magical family atmosphere and it’s a shame it all ends tonight.” l

Karl-Heinz Schnellinger’s late equaliser forced the semi-final into extra time. West Germany then went 2-1 ahead through Gerd Mueller, although goals from Tarcisio Burgnich and Luigi Riva put Italy back on top. Mueller struck again to level, but Gianni Rivera grabbed Italy’s winner after 111 minutes to settle the ‘Game of the Century’.

1978 World Cup West Germany 0 Italy 0

Neither team was able to find a way past iconic German goalkeeper Sepp Maier or Italy legend Dino Zoff as the second-round group stage match finished goalless in Buenos Aires.

1982 World Cup West Germany 1 Italy 3

Goals from Paolo Rossi, Marco Tardelli and Alessandro Altobelli powered Italy to a third World Cup title in Madrid, with Paul Breitner netting a late consolation for the West Germans.

1988 European Championship West Germany 1 Italy 1

Andreas Brehme cancelled out Roberto Mancini’s opening goal as hosts West Germany fought back for a point to kick off the tournament in Duesseldorf.

1996 European Championship Germany 0 Italy 0

Germany held on to claim a point despite the second-half dismissal of Thomas Strunz to finish top of their group, with Italy crashing out after Vladimir Smicer netted a late equaliser for the Czech Republic against Russia.

2006 World Cup Germany 0 Italy 2 aet

Germany’s hopes of lifting the World Cup on home soil were dashed in the semi-finals when extra-time goals in Dortmund from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero sent Italy through to the final.

2012 European Championship Germany 1 Italy 2

Italy head coach Antonio Conte reacts during the Euro 2016 quarter-final penalty shootout against eventual winners Germany in Bordeaux on Saturday REUTERS

An inspired Mario Balotelli consigned Joachim Loew’s side to a semi-final exit in Warsaw. The mercurial Italy striker netted twice in the first half with Mesut Ozil’s stoppage-time penalty not enough for Germany. l


DT

26

Sport

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Argentines take to streets, demand Messi return n Reuters, Buenos Aires Hundreds of Argentines protested in the pouring rain on Saturday, demanding that soccer star Lionel Messi return to Argentina’s national team after he unexpectedly quit following a loss in the regional Copa America final. Messi, a five-time World Player of the Year, has played in three Copa America finals, in 2007, 2015, and 2016, as well as in the 2014 World Cup final, losing every time. During the finals match with rival Chile last week, he missed Argentina’s opening penalty in the shootout after the game ended 0-0 and was in tears sitting near the team dugout. “I think this is it. It’s over for me on the team,” he told reporters shortly after the match. Nevertheless, Argentines, at the urging of public figures such as President Mauricio Macri and Argentine soccer great Diego Maradona, gathered Saturday evening around the Obelisco, a monument on one of Buenos Aires’ central avenues where fans traditionally celebrate sporting victories.

Waving banners that lauded Messi in superlative terms, they begged the star to don the national squad’s iconic blue and white stripes once again. “There’s a saying that there’s a Messi every 500 million years and we’re enjoying that, so we have to be grateful that we live in this time,” said fan Santiago Bordero. After Argentina’s loss against Chile in the final, which took place in New Jersey, Messi returned to Argentina and spent time in his native city of Rosario. He then went to the Bahamas on vacation, while many Argentines awaited further statements from the star. Argentina’s national squad returns to action in September when it takes on traditional rival Uruguay in a qualifying stage match for the 2018 World Cup. Ranked third among teams in South America’s Conmebol soccer federation, Argentina is currently qualifying. However, after the team scored only five of 12 goals in its last four matches when Messi was out due to injury, Argentines had been anxious to see him return to the field.l

Fans gather in front of the Obelisk in support of Argentina’s player Lionel Messi, who recently announced his retirement from international football, and to ask him to come back to the national squad in Buenos Aires, Argentina on Saturday REUTERS

ICC wants women’s cricket at 2022 Pakistan ask ICC for Commonwealth Games funds boost n Reuters The International Cricket Council will apply for the inclusion of women’s cricket at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Durban, South Africa, the governing body has said. Cricket has struggled to venture into new markets away from its traditional strongholds and the influential Indian board’s reluctance to embrace multi-sports events as a means to increase exposure has hindered growth. Following a presentation by the

Commonwealth Games Federation, the ICC board agreed to apply for a women’s competition at the Durban Games during its annual conference in Edinburgh on Saturday. “It will enhance the profile of the sport and create additional exposure and experiences for female cricketers,” ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, a former head of the Indian board, said in a statement. South Africa won the men’s event when cricket took place at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia, the only time the sport has been included in the programme.

The Asian Games remains the largest multi-sports event that features cricket and the last two editions included both men’s and women’s competitions. The ICC has also been exploring the possibility of getting cricket added to the Olympic programme. “There will be further discussions on cricket’s potential participation in the Olympic Games following further meetings with the International Olympic Committee later in the year,” the governing body said.l

n AFP, Karachi Pakistan’s cricket chief revealed on Saturday his board have requested the game’s administrative body set up a fund to ease the losses incurred by not being able to stage home matches. Apart from five limited over matches against minnows Zimbabwe last year, Pakistan have not hosted any major team since terrorist attacks on the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009. They have been forced to play their home matches on neutral

venues of the United Arab Emirates incurring reported losses of around $100 million in seven years. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Shaharyar Khan said his board have put forward the case during the annual conference of the International Cricket Council which ended in Edinburgh on Saturday. “The PCB has circulated its case during the meeting that we deserve a fund as we incur losses by playing our home matches in UAE and the ICC has promised to consider the request,” Khan told AFP. l

Shakib’s Jamaica overcome St Kitts & Nevis in CPL n Tribune Report

Jamaica Tallawahs’ Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan pulls during their CPL game against St Kitts and Nevis on Saturday INTERNET

Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan began his Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 campaign on a winning note as his side Jamaica Tallawahs defeated St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by five runs at Warner Park in St Kitts last Saturday. Asked to bat first, Jamaica posted a respectable 153/7 with captain and opening batsman Chris Gayle leading the way with his 36-ball 51, featuring four fours and three sixes. Stumper-batsman Kumar Sang-

akkara made 26 while all-rounder Andre Russell chipped in with a quickfire 20-ball 34 at the end to propel Jamaica to a fighting total. Shakib disappointed with the willow, having been dismissed by left-arm chinaman Tabraiz Shamsi

CPL BRIEF SCORE JAMAICA TALLAWAHS 153/7 (Gayle 51, Russell 34, Shakib 7) beat ST KITTS And NEVIS PATRIOTS 148/7 (Simmons 29, Williams 3/23, Shakib 1/25) by five runs

for a 15-ball seven. In reply, St Kitts and Nevis were restricted to 148/7 with Jamaica’s Kesrick Williams (3/23) turning out to be the wrecker in chief. Shakib more than played his part with the leather, conceding just 25 runs from his quota of four overs, besides picking up the wicket of Jonathan Carter (27 off 18 balls). Jamaica’s second game of the 2016 edition is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 5am (Bangladesh standard time) against Trinbago Knight Riders at Port of Spain.l


27

DT

Sport

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

QUICK BYTES

SCORECARD

Siddikur finishes 59th in Taipei Bangladesh golfer Siddikur Rahman concluded his campaign yesterday at the Yeangder Tournament Players Championship in Taipei’s Linkou International Golf and Country Club at 59th position, tied alongside six others. Siddikur carded two-over-par 74 in the fourth and final round to take his overall aggregate to two-overpar 290, 14 shots behind eventual champion Carlos Pigem of Spain. The 31-year old golfer from Madaripur earned $1,500 for his joint 59th place finish.

Total (all out, 42.4 overs)

DAY’S WATCH TENNIS STAR SPORTS 1 6:00PM Wimbledon Championships 2016 Round of 16

202

Bowling Woakes 9-0-36-0; Willey 8.4-0-34-4; Jordan 7-0-40-0; Plunkett 8-0-44-3; Rashid 10-0-41-2

Leicester sign Mendy

–REUTERS

B 15 45 34 66 15 1 29 17 23 8 3

Fall of wickets 1-9, 2-66, 3-83, 4-105, 5-105, 6-141, 7-170, 8-194, 9-195, 10-202

–AFP

Poland midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak has signed a five-year contract with Paris St Germain, the French champions said in a statement yesterday. The 26-yearold Krychowiak, a member of the Poland team who were eliminated by Portugal in the quarter-finals of the European Championship in France.

324

SRI LANKA R Perera lbw b Willey 6 Gunathilaka lbw b Plunkett 48 Mendis run out (Bairstow/Buttler) 22 Chandimal b Willey 53 Mathews b Plunkett 13 Tharanga b Rashid 0 Shanaka st Buttler b Rashid 22 Prasanna c Willey b Plunkett 5 Lakmal c Morgan b Willey 10 Pradeep c Woakes b Willey 7 Bandara not out 1 Extras (lb7, w8) 15

Former Arsenal midfielder Mikel Arteta confirmed yesterday he has accepted a coaching role under new Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. The 34-year-old Spaniard is retiring after a five-year stint with the Gunners, during which time he won two FA Cups. “Following recent media speculation surrounding my future I can confirm that I will be leaving Arsenal and retiring from playing to take up a coaching position at Manchester City,” Arteta wrote on Twitter.

Poland midfielder Krychowiak joins PSG

Total (7 wkts, 50 overs)

B 34 56 106 18 28 45 9 4

Bowling Lakmal 10-0-65-1; Bandara 10-0-83-1; Pradeep 8-0-59-1; Gunathilaka 10-0-48-3; Prasanna 10-0-52-0; Mendis 2-0-13-0

Arteta joins Man City coaching staff

–AFP

R 34 51 93 20 22 70 17 9 8

Fall of wickets 1-67, 2-108, 3-137, 4-182, 5-291, 6-314, 7-324

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Premier League champions Leicester have signed former France Under-21 midfielder Nampalys Mendy from Nice on a four-year deal, both clubs confirmed yesterday. The 24-yearold, who helped Nice to fourth place in Ligue 1 last season, has signed for an undisclosed fee which is reported to be around 16 million euro ($17.8m). “I am very happy to come to Leicester City. The team have just enjoyed a great season and it’s excellent to be here,” Mendy told the club’s official website.

ENGLAND Roy c Perera b Lakmal Vince st Chandimal b Gunathilaka Root b Pradeep Morgan c Mendis b Gunathilaka Bairstow c Shanaka b Gunathilaka Buttler b Bandara Woakes not out Plunkett run out (Pradeep) Extras (lb4, w4)

England’s Joe Root in action against Sri Lanka during the fifth and final ODI in Cardiff, Wales on Saturday

REUTERS

Result: England won by 122 runs Man-of-the-match: Jos Buttler (ENG) Series: England win five-match series 3-0 Man-of-the-series: Jason Roy (ENG)

Root and Buttler set up England win over Sri Lanka n AFP, Cardiff Joe Root and Jos Buttler laid the platform for England’s dominant 122-run win over Sri Lanka in the fifth and final one-day international in Cardiff on Saturday. Root top-scored with 93 as England made 324 for seven. Together with man-of-thematch Buttler, who made a typically rapid 70, he put on 109 for the fifth wicket.

Sri Lanka’s chase never got going and they were bowled out for 202 with more than seven overs to spare. That gave England a convincing 3-0 series win, with one tie and one no result. It was further proof of the progress England had made in ODI cricket since their humiliating first-round exit from last year’s World Cup, which included a ninewicket thrashing by Sri Lanka in Wellington.

For Sri Lanka this latest series loss came after a 2-0 reverse in a threeTest campaign against England. It emphasised the worth of England’s battling tie in the ODI series opener at Trent Bridge. Mathews opted to bowl first Saturday after winning the toss on a green-tinged pitch. Man-of-the-series Jason Roy, who scored a superb 162 on his Surrey home ground during England’s six-wicket win at The Oval on

Three hundred up and counting n Reuters, London World number one Serena Williams kept her Wimbledon title defence on track yesterday, downing Germany’s Annika Beck 6-3 6-0 with a crushing display of power and booming serves to chalk up her 300th grand slam victory. Williams looked in no mood to follow men’s top seed Novak Djokovic out of tournament after his shock defeat on Saturday and treated the middle Sunday party crowd to an imperious 51-minute performance.

Warning her last-16 opponent, Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova, that there is more to come, she said: “I thought it was good, I still want to get out to a little bit of a faster start but I was really focused and calm today.” Williams was broken by unseeded Beck in her second service game but then stepped it up and never looked back. She thundered down the biggest women’s serve of the grasscourt major so far at 123 mph (198 kph), followed by an ace, to seal the first set against the 22-year-old.

The 34-year-old American, who said she had been helped by suffering a scare in round two against compatriot Christina McHale, romped through the second set in 20 minutes as Beck’s resistance crumbled. The match brought her 300th grand slam win - something that seemed to take her by surprise. The statistic, just one of dizzying array for the six times Wimbledon champion, takes her past Chris Evert on 299 and leaves her behind Martina Navratilova on 306 after what has been a disappointing spell. l

Wednesday, again looked in good touch with a run-a-ball 34. But there was to be no third hundred this series after his 112 not not out at Edgbaston, with Roy hoisting paceman Suranga Lakmal to deep square leg. James Vince, opening in place of the injured Alex Hales, marked his maiden ODI innings with a stylish fifty before getting himself stumped off spinner Danushka Gunathilaka.l

Tsonga beats marathon man n Reuters, London A Frenchman being involved in a long - or rather very, very long fifth set epic against John Isner at Wimbledon had a feeling of deja vu about it. However, Jo Wilfried Tsonga made sure he did not end up on the losing side as his compatriot Nicolas Mahut did six years ago after he saved a match point to beat the American marathon man 6-7(3) 3-6 7-6(5) 6-2 19-17. A backhand volley finally carried Tsonga into the fourth round.l


DT

28

Sport

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Where are the Dhaka cricketers? n Mazhar Uddin Despite being the centre of Bangladesh cricket, Dhaka is unable to produce players like it used to. The domination of the cricketers from different districts both in the domestic and national side is currently the common scenario. The local cricketers of the capital are lagging behind at the moment despite producing some legendary cricketers like Jahangir Shah Badshah, Raqibul Hasan, Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury and Yousuf Rahman. Later it was Mehrab Hossain, Javed Omar, Mohammad Ashraful and Shahriar Nafees who took up the game in the capital. Currently only fast bowler Taskin Ahmed and Arafat Sunny, who learned the game at Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium, are Dhaka representatives in the national team. Even the Dhaka league system, the main domestic tournaments in Bangladesh, doesn’t have many players from the city itself. Mehrab Hossain Jr and Marshall Ayub, who also represented Bangladesh, are now regular in the domestic circuit along with Asif Ahmed Ratul and Al Amin. But even 10 years ago, cricket in Dhaka was boosted by “academies” where youngsters learned the game from coaches in grounds

Young cricketers listen to their coach in an academy in Dhanmondi. Cricket in the capital city is on the wane despite many of these academies MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK across the city. As cricket in Bangladesh progressed internationally, the interest among the parents rose and they started to think of making their son a cricketer. But many of these new training academies do not have quality coaches while most of these facilities do not meet even the minimum standards required to learn

the game. These academies have also been turned into business ventures with the owners or coaches more inclined to adding more new new faces and keeping the interest of the parents. But according to senior coach Wahidul Gani, who was a mentor to Ashraful and Nafees through his Ankur Cricketers Academy, there is

a lack of quality and commitment from the Dhaka players which is hindering the capital from producing cricketers. “I think the type of sincerity and commitment are missing from most of the Dhaka players when compared to the other players from different parts of the country. The capital’s social life has changed

over the years and the youngsters are busy in other areas,” said Gani. “At the same time we should also consider that the lack of facilities and grounds at the moment in Dhaka is another big reason and obviously, there will be more cricketers from Dhaka if the facilities improve,” he added. BCB director Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby, a long-time organiser, said the lack of fields in Dhaka is a major hindrance. He emphasised on the school level to bring out more players from Dhaka. “Comparatively there are now fewer facilities and grounds in Dhaka than before. This has been the main reason to bring out more cricketers from the capital. I think the authorities need to look at this matter seriously. At the same time if we can arrange more school cricket, even inter-class competitions, they can actually give a lot of boost to the young boys in Dhaka, who hardly have time for participating in sports,” he said. The Dhaka players’ decline in numbers can actually mean that cricket is healthy in every other part of the country and cricket is not dependant on Dhaka in that regard. But it is no excuse for the authorities who should work harder to produce players from Dhaka, which is cricket’s home in Bangladesh.l

BCB president Nazmul hopeful over England tour n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is presented to the fans yesterday at the Etihad stadium REUTERS

Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan believes the ongoing situation in the country will get better in the next three months and thinks England will tour the country as per the schedule in October this year for two Tests and three one-day internationals. England’s tour of Bangladesh came under threat after the England and Wales Cricket Board showed security concerns following last Friday night’s terrorist attack in Dhaka which left 20 people dead. The ECB through a statement in the media last Saturday said it will follow the government advice before their scheduled tour to Bangladesh this September-October. Nazmul while talking to the media yesterday said, “It is a very unfortunate incident for Bangladesh. We never imagined such a thing could happen in this country. I don’t know how to describe my feelings in words. “I have seen England’s reaction, which is quite normal. We would have done the same thing if we were

in their position. There are two very important issues in this regard - you would have noticed that after the Paris attacks, the game didn’t stop. Sport will go at its pace. England are coming after three months by which time, the situation in Bangladesh will get better.”

I have seen England’s reaction, which is quite normal. We would have done the same thing if we were in their position Paris came under a series of coordinated terrorist attacks which had killed at least 130 people in November 13 last year. Parameters of the Stade de France in Saint-Denis were also hit by the attack during the Fifa international friendly between Germany and hosts France. The country came out of the shock and is now hosting the Euro 2016. “It is hard to say which place is safe now. Safety can be an issue in England after three months. We

will strengthen our security. If we can ensure that, cricket should not have a problem,” added Nazmul following his return to the country from the International Cricket Council meeting in Edinburgh. Nazmul also said there was no discussion over the proposed twotier Test structure and that a decision is still pending. According to the BCB supremo, the discussion was mainly held in the CEC (Chief Executive Committee) meeting where only Bangladesh had opposed the notion. “There was no decision regarding the two-tier Test structure. Absolutely no discussion in any of the meetings. As far as I know, only the CEC meeting discussed it. Bangladesh are the only country to have opposed this idea. We explained our position. But at the end of the day, it doesn’t matter who has opposed and who hasn’t. The decision will be taken through a vote so if one or two doesn’t vote, it doesn’t really matter,” he said before adding, “I don’t think it will be easy to pass such a thing in the ICC. The issue isn’t so easy. It is a tough process.”l


CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Spirit (3) 3 Obstruct (6) 8 Prayer ending (4) 9 Fish eggs (3) 10 Purify (6) 11 Vibration (6) 14 Inclines (5) 17 Speed and rhythm (5) 20 Soldier’s lodging (6) 24 Arachnid (6) 26 Perfect score (3) 27 Wise man (4) 28 Country (6) 29 Young goat (3)

DOWN 1 Corrosion (4) 2 Labyrinth (4) 3 Brave man (4) 4 Inactive (5) 5 Tool (5) 6 Vast age (3) 7 Emits fumes (5) 12 Cereal (3) 13 Cleaning implement (3) 15 Sick (3) 16 Golf mound (3) 17 Examines (5) 18 American state (5) 19 Abnormally fat (5) 21 Country (4) 22 Welsh national emblem (4) 23 Ugly amphibian (4) 25 Church seat (3)

DT

29

Downtime

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 11 represents S so fill S every time the figure 11 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. A B C DE FG H I J K L MN O P Q RST UVWXYZ

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


DT

30

Showtime

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Jamal’s story

n Mosharraf Kabir In line to the trend of making TV plays on Eid, prominent television host, writer and producer Hanif Sanket, brings froward Dhonnobader Onnobad this time around. The play starring Jakia Bari Momo and Mir Sabbir in lead roles will be aired on ATN Bangla on Eid at 8:50pm. The creator and host of the television show Ittyadi has directed the play that contains a social message wrapped in comedy. It is based on a character “Jamal,” a boy who lives in a remote area of the country and comes to Dhaka in search of work.

However, Jamal, who dreams to become a “hero,” cannot manage to get any work without paying bribe. Ordinary village girl Parul loves Jamal. Different events start occurring as Jamal tries to become a hero. Sayeed Babu, Solayman Khoka, Ziaul Hasan Kislu, Shubhashish Bhowmick, Shirin Alam, Shamima Naznin, Tarik Swapan, Jamil, Sima, Nazrul Islam and Shahriar Najim Joy will be seen in other roles in the play. The play has been shot in Audio Vision’s own shooting spot in Savar. The title track of the play has been written by Mohammad Rafiquzzaman while Mehedi has composed its music. l

Irfan shows condolences to Gulshan victims n Showtime Desk Recently, actor Irfan Khan visited Bangladesh in order to shoot a new film. Dhaka has become very familiar to him as well. After the terror attack in Gulshan last Friday, he was just as shocked. The actor took to social media to express his condolences to the families of the victims. He also lashed out at the terrorists for bringing a bad name to Islam by carrying out such activities and questioned the silence of the Muslim community. He posted: “Incident may be held in one place but religion gets cursed by the whole world. Religion never supports killing and some people are killing others and taking the name of the Almighty in the month of Ramadan! How pathetic is that?” Irfan Khan also irked Muslim clerics with his remark against Qurbani in the month of Ramadan, and has now condemned the recent attack by the ISIS at a restaurant in Dhaka.l

Fly to New York with Toukir and Bipasha n Showtime Desk Celebrity couple Toukir Ahmed and Bipasha Hayat are going to host a television program for the first time. On the occasion of Eid, they will be seen throughout seven days on Asian TV. Lux Asian Celebrity Lounge is going to be a celebrity show where almost 28 celebrities will be participating. Winners from each episode will get a chance to fly with Toukir and Bipasha to New York. This unique celebrity program is organised by Asian TV and the episodes will be shot soon. The official contracts are already signed. “This the first time I am coming in front of audience as a host with Bipasha. We are excited. We hope this show will be attractive and popular among all the shows of Eid,” said Toukir. This program is going on air at 8pm on each of the seven days. l

Katrina might finally join social media n Farhan Shahriar When most of the Bollywood trending celebrities have social media accounts, Katrina Kaif has kept herself been away from it. In many of her interviews, she had said that till now, she has been able to fight the temptation of making a social media account but it looks like that will change soon. She is seriously considering joining social media to keep in touch with her fans. A source close to her reported that she realises now that it’s one of the most powerful tools to convey one’s thoughts and opinions and she has decided to jump in and test the waters. She is giving top priority to promote Baar Baar Dekho on social media first, a film which will be released this September. The reasons behind joining social media are more personal than professional. Moreover, she wants to have a great platform to express what she wants, as well as connect with her fans directly. First, she plans to join Facebook and Instagram, followed by Twitter. She will be handling the accounts herself and not through managers or organisations. l


31

DT

Showtime

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Dhaka Attack: Celebrities react on social media Suborna Mustafa, Maqsoodul Haque, Mostofa Sarwar Farooki, Rahul Bose, Dia Mirza, Soha Ali Khan, Karachi based filmmaker and former Indian cricket stars are amongst those who expressed thir condolences and reacted on Twitter and Facebook.

n Showtime Desk Celebrities from many parts of the world reacted on social media to the terror attack in Dhaka over the weekend. Famous personalities from various fields gave a voice to their condemnation of the terrorists behind the Dhaka attack and their call for solidarity after seven militants opened fire on the Holey Artisan Bakery in the Gulshan neighbourhood and diplomatic area of Dhaka, killing 20 hostages. Noted actor Suborna Mustafa was found active on social media since the attack progressed; one of her posts in Facebook reads, “Let us not drag ALLAH & RELIGION into last night’s occurance, it was an act of terrorism. Period. Seems we have memory of a goldfish. Remember what Hefazat did in Dhaka in the name of Islam? Islam had no part to play then, and had no part last night. Money, fanatics and politics at its worst is in play here, NOT RELIGION. Let us not fall prey to this.” Musician and activist Maqsoodul Haque lost a friend of his in the attack. Haque tweeted, “Among the 26 people killed in the #DhakaAttack is my friend Ishrat Akhond. Please pray for her soul.” Filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki posted several messages on his Facebook account. Before posting a write up with his insight on the matter in Bangla, the filmmaker posted a short message during the hostage situation, “Let’s stop playing political cards and stand together. Let’s dig deep and

find the root to this evil and stamp it out. It’s already late.” Quantico writer Sharbari Ahmed tweeted, “Remember we are Bangladeshi FIRST, Muslim second! And our Islam will not tolerate this. #DhakaAttack.” Nemesis vocal Zohad Reza Chowdhury said that he is “not feeling good” on the whole matter. One of his posts reads, “Lots of love and prayers for those who survived and also for those who tragically lost their lives.” Model actress Suzena Zafar wrote, “What religion is this! Killing people in the name of Allah and taking the practises of prayer and fasting off. Islam is a religion of peace, not a religion to kill people.” Singer Somnur Monir Konal posted with raw emotion, “I am not convinced to consider that the attackers are Muslim. Islam is a religion of peace, humanity, mutual-honour and equality. No true follower of Islam can do such gruesome job marring holiness of the month of Ramadan. Terrorism has no religion!!” TV personality and model Farhana Nisho posted, “Please Allah help all of us and fill our hearts with lots of love for each other. Only love can save this world. May Allah keep all of us safe and healthy. Ameen.” Academy Awards winning Pakistani filmmaker, journalist Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy tweeted on July 1, “#Dhaka you beautiful city I’m sorry to see the shed blood tonight #DhakaAttack.” Indian actor Rahul Bose, who played a role in a Bangladeshi

film last year and stayed in Dhaka for a week, tweeted, “Spent weeks in 2014 in #Dhaka filming #Under Construction Lived in #Gulshan. How quickly the world can change. My condolences w/the affected.”

Bollywood actress Soha Ali Khan took to Twitter to react on the terror attack by saying, “My thoughts, prayers are with the people of #Dhaka.Terrorists falsely invoke religion to spread fear anger and division Don’t let them win.” Another Bollywood actress Dia Mirza wrote, “Compassion. The greatest gift we can give ourselves. Don’t let the pain turn you away. Embrace it. Work towards love. #DhakaAttack” Former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble tweeted, “Another senseless act of terrorism. Thoughts and prayers with all

those affected in the #DhakaAttack” Another Indian cricketer VVS Laxman wrote, “One more barbaric attack by terrorist to kill innocent people. My heartfelt thoughts & prayers with all those affected in the #DhakaAttack” l

WHAT TO WATCH

The Expendables 2 Zee Studio 3:30pm Mr Church reunites the Expendables for what should be an easy paycheck, but when one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat. Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris

Who Am I? HBO 4:00pm A secret agent loses his memory after falling from a crashing helicopter. He is then chased by a number of other agency operatives, but he has no idea why. Cast: Jackie Chan, Michelle Ferre, Mirai Yamamoto, Ron Smerczak, Ed Nelson

Faster WB 7:40pm An ex-con gets on a series of apparently unrelated killings. He gets tracked by a veteran cop with secrets of his own and an egocentric hit man. Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Billy Bob Thornton, Carla Gugino, Moon Bloodgood, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Maggie Grace

Baby’s Day Out Star Movies 9:30pm Baby Bink couldn’t ask for more; he has adoring (if somewhat sickly-sweet) parents, he lives in a huge mansion, and he’s just about to appear in the social pages of the paper. Unfortunately, not everyone in the world is as nice as Baby Bink’s parents; especially the three enterprising kidnappers who pretend to be photographers from the newspaper. Cast: Kevin Showker, Joe Mantegna, Lara Flynn Boyle, Joe Pantoliano, Brian Haley

Toy Story 2 Zee Studio 9:30pm When Woody is stolen by a toy collector, Buzz and his friends vow to rescue him, but Woody finds the idea of immortality in a museum tempting. Cast: Tom Hanks (Woody), Tim Allen (Buzz Lightyear), Joan Cusack (Jessie the Yodeling Cowgirl), Don Rickles (Mr. Potato Head), Jim Varney (Slinky Dog) l


DT

32

MONDAY, JULY 4, 2016

Back Page

HOTELIERS BEEF UP SECURITY AFTER GULSHAN ATTACK PAGE 12

DHAKA ATTACK: CELEBRITIES REACT ON SOCIAL MEDIA PAGE 31

Nearly 120 killed in overnight Baghdad blasts claimed by Islamic State n Reuters Nearly 120 people were killed and 200 wounded in two bombings overnight in Baghdad, Iraq, most of them in a busy shopping area as residents celebrated Ramadan, police and medical sources said yesterday. The attack on the shopping area of Karrada is the deadliest since US-backed Iraqi forces last month scored a major victory when it dislodged the so-called Islamic State (IS) from their stronghold of Falluja, an hour's drive west of Banghdad. It is also the deadliest so far this year. A refrigerator truck packed with explosives blew up in the central district of Karrada, killing 115 people and injuring at least 200. The IS claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement circulated online by supporters of the ultra hard-line Sunni group. It said the blast was a suicide bombing. Karrada was busy at the time as Iraqis eat out and shop late during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends this week with the Eid-ul-Fitr festival. The toll climbed during the day as rescuers pulled out more bodies from under the rubble and people succumbed from their injuries. In a second attack, a roadside explosive device also blew up around midnight in a market in alShaab, a Shia district in the north of the capital, killing at least two people, police and medical sources said. Iraqi forces on June 26 declared the defeat of IS militants in Falluja, a historic bastion of Sunni insurgency, following a month of fighting. Now the militants are "trying to compensate for their humiliating defeat in Falluja," said Jasim alBahadli, a former army officer and security analyst in Baghdad. Falluja was the first Iraqi city to fall to Islamic State in January 2014. Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the next target of the Iraqi forces is Mosul, the de facto capital of the militants and the largest city under their control in both Iraq and Syria. l

Dhaka Tribune

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.