05 July, 2016 by DhakaTribune

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

Ashar 21, 1423, Ramadan 29, 1437

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 73

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

Five terrorists unmasked n Tribune Desk Details are now emerging about the perpetrators of Friday's barbarous attack. Police, family and acquaintances have given the Dhaka Tribune confirmation about the identities and background of five of the seven terrorists who carried out the carnage at Gulshan's O' Kitchen Restaurant that night. A case was filed yesterday under the anti-terrorism act by Gulshan Sub-Inspector Ripon accusing unidentified persons as well as the five slain attackers in connection with the Holey Artisan Bakery massacre, confirmed Gulshan SI Sujon. Starting Saturday night, Facebook users in Bangladesh began matching the five photos of terrorists released by Islamic State's news agency Amaq with the identities of three Bangladeshi men. Yesterday, police in Bogra confirmed the identities of two others. The Dhaka Tribune has verified the information social media has turned up about the first three. The picture that is emerging is that most of them came from affluent families in Dhaka and studied at top schools or universities. The other two are from lower income families in Bogra.

More on page 2

Jica may withdraw from Bangladesh

Khairul Islam Payel

Shafiqul Islam Uzzal

SEHRI & IFTAR Ramadan 29 30

July 05 06

Sehri – 3:45

Iftar 6:54 6:54

Source: Islamic Foundation

Meer Saameh Mubassher Nibras Islam

(Top) Photos show five attackers of Dhaka's Holey Artisan Bakery. Hours after the attack began, SITE Intelligence Group tweeted these photos – reportedly released by IS' news agency Amaq (Bottom) These are the Facebook photos of three of the attackers – Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Saameh Mubassher and Nibras Islam. Photos of the other two – Shafiqul Islam Uzzal and Khairul Islam Payel – could not be found as of yet.

Police HQ has also released a set of photos of five terrorists killed in the drive. Only four of the photos match those released by Amaq. Very little has emerged which explains what turned the middle-class into depraved murderers. All five men share one peculiar quality: all went missing between three and six months before they reappeared at the site of the terror attack last Friday.

Nibras Islam

This young man has been missing since January 2016.

NOTICE All offices of the Dhaka Tribune will remain closed for three days from today for Eid. Therefore, there will be no issue of the daily on July 6, 7 and 8. If Eid vacation extends, Tribune will not come out on July 9 too. However, our ONLINE service will be on to keep readers updated.

Rohan Imtiaz

The Dhaka Tribune wishes all its readers, advertisers, hawkers and well-wishers a very happy Eid-ul-Fitr

All five men share one peculiar quality: all went missing between three and six months before they reappeared at the site of the terror attack last Friday Nibras studied at Turkish Hope School and then went to North South University. Then he quit halfway and left the country for Monash University in Malaysia. Nibras was initially recognised by his peers on social media. Since then Dhaka Tribune has spoken to several friends and acquaintances who have confirmed his identity. One acquaintance told the Dhaka Tribune Nibras was a social person and a good football player. This source had played a match with Nibras at the Turkish Hope School grounds late last year. He was the son of Nazrul Islam, a businessman in Uttara.

and sports secretary of the Awami League's Dhaka Metropolitan unit. Jamal Uddin Meer, officer-incharge of Mohammadpur police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that Rohan's family had filed a GD with the police station after he went missing. “After a long investigation we found evidence that he might have joined a militant group. We also informed the airports so that he could not leave Bangladesh,” the OC said. “He was a good boy. He said his prayers regularly, he was very well-behaved,” Nuru Mia, caretaker of the building where Rohan lived, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Rohan Imtiaz

This boy was an 'O' Level candidate at Sunnydale School. The general diary filed by his family at Gulshan police station said that on the afternoon of February 29 this

Rohan was missing since February 2016. He finished school in 2014 from Scholastica School. He was a resident of Lalmatia. His father Imtiaz Khan Babul is the youth

Meer Saameh Mubasher

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

News

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

Attackers followed Islamists on the net, then disappeared n Tribune Desk Two things seem to be common to most of the Gulshan attackers: they watched Islamist videos online and, months before carrying out last Friday’s carnage, they ran away from home. Put together, these two strands could be the crucial link to understanding how violent extremists are “created.” One of the men being identified as a Gulshan attacker by his peers, Nibras Islam, was an online follower of several prominent and controversial Islamists. Local media have reported that a second, Rohan Imtiaz, had paraphrased prominent television preacher Zakir Naik as having “urged all Muslims to be terrorists” in a Facebook post. This could not be verified independently by the Dhaka Tribune since the alleged

attackers profiles are no longer accessible to the public. Little is known about the formative training of the alleged attackers. They were all young, Bangladeshi men from reasonably wellto-do households. They appear to have been exposed to Islamist propaganda widely available on the internet. At least three of them suddenly went missing earlier this year. And they remained out of sight until the terror attack last Friday. Nibras Islam went missing in January, Rohan Imtiaz went missing in February and Meer Saameh Mubasher went missing on February 29, according to their families. The details on two other attackers, named as Ripon and Bikash by police, are even more scant, with little currently known about them. Nibras was a Twitter follower of

Anjem Choudary and Shami Witness, according to his Twitter account. He opened his account on Twitter in October 2014 and started following the two Islamists the same month. Anjem Choudary is a Pakistani-British Muslim political activist currently facing charges for allegedly trying to stir up public support for Islamic State. Shami Witness is a civilian who has been tweeting about Syria since November 2011, according to a report by the Business Insider on January 21, 2014. The report claimed that Shami was a supporter of Islamic State. He was arrested in December 2014 and is facing trial for running propaganda for IS.

Appeal to report the missing

Rapid Action Battalion Director General Benzir Ahmed requested

the public to inform law enforcement agencies if their family members have gone missing. “If anyone in your family is missing, do not fear that police will detain your son. Inform law enforcers about it. We can save his life and the lives of others if they can be found,” he said to reporters after surveying security arrangements at Dhaka’s National Eidgah. Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has urged citizens to report suspicious activity on social networking sites. Anyone with information on threatening, suspicious or provocative online activity and suspicious posts, IDs, links or cyber terrorism-related threats on social media are requested to report to the DMP, according to a DMP Facebook post. The public has been asked to report via email to cyberunit@dmp. gov.bd. l

Jica may withdraw from Bangladesh n Wall Street Journal A Japanese governmental agency that carries out aid projects in developing nations may withdraw from Bangladesh after seven Japanese workers were killed Saturday in a terrorist attack in the capital, Dhaka. The Japan International Cooperation Agency is involved in dozens of projects in the South Asian nation, including building bridges, roads and railways and improving water and sanitation systems.

A JICA spokeswoman said the agency is considering withdrawing from Bangladesh after the most recent killings. The seven Japanese who were confirmed dead included three engineers sent by Oriental Consultants Global Co. and another from Katahira & Engineers International. Both firms are based in Tokyo. One Japanese person was rescued from the cafe where the attack took place, officials said. “All of the victims had been in

Five terrorists unmasked year Sameeh got down from the car while on his way to a coaching centre, complaining that the traffic was too bad. He was not seen again until the attack. His Father told the Dhaka Tribune that a CCTV footage that police found had captured Sameeh on a rickshaw at Banani Road 11 sometime after he got out of the car. The family had good relations with the boy, his father said. “We had the feeling that and our son might have been involved with something very bad. We tried hard but could not stop him,” he said. “Even the police could not find them. They were only found after they committed a crime. Allah knows how strong these people were who could break a parent’s

Bangladesh and were eager to aid the country,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters Sunday. “This is a matter of greatest regret,” he added. JICA President Shinichi Kitaoka said those dispatched to Bangladesh had been advised to remain extra vigilant after a Japanese citizen was killed in the northern part of the country in October. According to JICA’s latest annual report, Japan spent ¥49.3 billion ($479 million) on aid projects in Bangladesh between April 2014

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

and March 2015, including grants. The agency “has implemented assistance programs which will accelerate economic growth and help overcome the vulnerability” that Bangladesh is facing today, it said. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Koichi Hagiuda said Monday that victims’ family members and government officials, including JICA staff, had arrived in Dhaka. Japan has asked the local government to offer support in returning the deceased to Japan as soon as possible, he said. l

Mother wants her son back n Kamrul Hasan Masuda Begum has been searching for he son Jakir Hossain Shaon, assistant Chef at Holey Artisan Bakery since the attack last Friday. The last communication Shaon had made with his mother was on the phone hours before the attack took place. Upon getting news of the attack, Masuda rushed to the spot and has been there for the past two days looking for her son Shaon. Financial Manager of the restaurant Sajedur Rahman said they had found Shaon and would hand him over to the family soon. Shaon has been missing since the attack, his family members could not ensure his whereabouts till yesterday where he was located at Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 3pm. Masuda recognised her son’s face in the photo given of the detainees and broke out in tears and said: “Sir, he is my Shaon, please return my child.” One of the owners of the restaurant, Shahjada Mehedi assured her that he was alive and told her that Shaon was under medical treatment. Saon’s father Abdus Satter, a guard at Meghna Dipo in Narayanganj, said his younger son Abdullah worked at Sahjada Mehedi’s home. Upon his request Mehedi gave Shaon a job at the restaurant a year ago as an assistant chef. OC (Investigation) of Gulshan police Station Salauddin told the Dhaka Tribune that they were unaware of his admission to the hospital and the DMP and DB could better clarify the matter. No comment was made about the matter by the DB yesterday. IGP said on Sunday that the detainees had provided primary information for the investigation. They would provide confirmed information once the investigation is completed. l

Security beefed Medina hit by up ahead of Eid suicide bomb

love despite their strongest effort.”

questioned.

n Mohammad Jamil Khan

n BBC

Shafiqul Islam Ujjal

Khairul Islam Payel

Law enforcers have taken all-out initiative to cover the entire country with security blanket to ensure a safe Eid-ul-Fitr celebration. Special security measures have also taken for top political leaders, high officials and foreign nationals living in Bangladesh, according to sources. The decision has been taken concerning the gruesome militants attack at restaurant in Dhaka’s Gulshan area that left 22 people killed including two policemen, added sources. As per the decision, additional forces were already deployed and makeshift check posts were set up along the residential areas of political leaders and foreign nationals. l

A suicide bombing has been reported outside the Prophet’s Mosque, al-Masjid an-Nabawi – one of Islam’s holiest sites – in Saudi Arabia’s city of Medina. Social media footage showed a blazing vehicle and billowing smoke. The Prophet’s Mosque is the burial place of the Prophet Muhammad and Medina the second-holiest city in Islam after Mecca. Earlier, at least one explosion rocked the eastern city of Qatif, where many minority Shia Muslims live. A suspected suicide bomber also died after detonating a device near the US consulate in the city of Jeddah on Sunday. l

Ujjal, a graduate of Bogra Government Azizul Haque College, had been missing since January, 2016. Ujjal’s father Badiuzzaman, of Dhunat’s Baniajan village, recognised him when he was shown the IS photo, but could not confirm if any of the dead men was his son. Ujjal is the youngest of three sons. His family says two years ago he started living with his brother Asadul Islam, a garments worker, in Ashulia, and started teaching at one Madari Madbar KG School. Six months ago he left home for Dhaka and there had been no contact since. Police said the family was being

Madrasa student Payel, had been missing since January, 2016.He passed his Dakhil exams in 2014 from Bihigram DU Central Fazil Madrasa. Bogra Detective Branch Inspector Amirul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune the 20-year-old Piyal was a listed terrorist the police had been looking for. One of his associates, JMB member Abdul Momin, was arrested in April with an AK-22 rifle. His family, from Brikushtia Dakkhinpara village, are poor farmers. Police have not let anyone speak to the parents as they are being interrogated. Payel’s elder sister Hosne Ara told the Dhaka Tribune he had been out of touch with the family for six months. l

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

Rude awakenings n BBC Bangla Soon after pictures of the suspected Gulshan terrorists started circulating around the internet, Imtiaz Khan Babul found out that one of the young men shown in the photos was none other than his own son – Rohan Ibne Imtiaz – who had been missing for more than six months. Talking to the BBC Bangla, Babul – a businessman in Dhaka – said: “My older brother died on Friday. We were having a family discussion about his Qulkhani when someone phoned me on Saturday said my son’s photo was among the pictures released by the IS [Islamic State] following the attack on Holey Artisan [Bakery]. I was stunned upon hearing this. I ran home. “I saw it on Facebook and was confirmed: My son’s picture was among the photos of the five people.” Hours after the hostage situation began, SITE Intelligence Group tweeted photos of five attackers – reportedly released by IS’ news agency Amaq. The five – all clad in black and wearing keffiyeh headdresses – were posing with an assault weapon and standing in front of an IS flag. Twenty hostages as well as two police officers were killed when suspected militants from the so-called Islamic State attacked Gulshan’s Holey Artisan Bakery on Friday.

‘Missing since December’

Babul said: “My son Rohan has been missing since December 30 last year. At that time, my wife and

There are many other boys like him missing. Boys from educated families, sons of officers and public servants I were in Kolkata for medical reasons. On the night of the thirtieth, his [Rohan’s] two sisters came back home from an event to find that Rohan had left the house. “When they asked the guard, he said Rohan had gone out with a college bag in the evening. When asked, he [Rohan] said [to the guard] he was going to the university. After hearing this, I returned to Dhaka on the first [January]. “I spoke to all my relatives and all his friends that I knew, but found him nowhere. Then I filed a GD with the police. I also met the honourable home minister and spoke with him. I spoke with the IGP, RAB, and all the sources available. I searched and handed out pictures, but we found no trace of him. There was no information of his whereabouts, no communication. I tried a lot, searched a lot. “He is my only son. As a father, I did everything I could. I went to the home minister at least four times. He also tried a lot, but there was no sign of Rohan. “He had a passport, but there was no visa for another country. He kept the passport in his possession.

But I informed immigration and made sure that he could not leave the country with that passport.”

‘No clue whatsoever’

Asked whether there was ever any hint that Rohan was being influenced by radical Islamists, Babul said: “My son offered prayers five times a day ever since he was in class five. He started going to the mosque with his maternal grandfather. But we never imagined something different. There was never any books or something of that sort in the house. We never noticed it. “I looked after my son until he gave the A Level. But was it really possible to monitor him once he started going to the university? Still, we went to his room sometimes, but never noticed anything.” Asked to explain how Rohan was steered to militancy, his father said: “I cannot find any clue. We are stunned by the sudden turn of events. It is such a sad, embarrassing incident. What can I say? Police officer Sheikh Maruf helped me so much in the search [for Rohan], but he was shot and injured in this attack. I cannot explain how embarrassing it is. “I stay busy with business, Rohan’s mother is a teacher and she also stays busy. Maybe that is why we could not look after him. But we did not understand it then. There was never any quarrel or dispute with him. He studied, produced good results, his teachers congratulated us – we thought everything was fine. I cannot comprehend how all these happened.”

News ‘Many others like him’

Babul, however, added a word of caution. “Let me mention one thing. While I was searching for my son, I saw that there were many other boys like him missing. Really good boys. Boys from educated families, sons of officers and public servants. They also cannot find any trace [of their sons]. I know several people like these. I used to share my sorrows with them.” Without any answer, the father can only speculate about the radicalisation of his son. “Maybe it all happened through internet, but I do not know for sure. I can only guess. I cannot think of anything other than the internet. We did not see anything at all.” l

According to a New York Times report, police called Meer Hayet Kabir, an executive with a foreign company in Dhaka, on Sunday asking him to go to the Combined Military Hospital morgue to identify a body that was possibly that of his 18-year-old son, Meer Saameh Mubasher. He said he just could not bear to make the trip. “How will we arrange a funeral for him in these circumstances?” he asked in an interview in his family residence close to the diplomatic zone. “Who will come?” “I will have to apologise to the whole world on behalf of my son,” he said. Kabir had already been in close touch with police since Mubasher disappeared on Feb 29. l

Netizens identify scion of AL family as terrorist n Abu Hayat Mahmud After his disappearance five months ago, Rohan Imtiaz, the son of a prominent ruling party member, briefly re-emerged from obscurity to be catapulted into infamy. Killed in Operation Thunderbolt, Rohan is being identified as one of the attackers of Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s Gulshan last Friday by a growing body of visual identifications on social media. His father, Imtiaz Khan Babul is the youth and sports secretary of the Awami League’s Dhaka Metropolitan unit and was a party-nominated candidate for the last Dhaka city corporation polls. His mother is a teacher at Scholastica School in Dhaka from where Rohan graduated in 2014. Rohan’s father told the BBC Bangla that he went on the internet and confirmed that his son was among the men whose photos were reportedly released by the socalled Islamic State following the Gulshan attack. Babul also said his son, who had never showed any signs of radicalisation, had been missing since December last year. Nuru Mia, the caretaker of the building where the family lived, said: “... [Rohan’s parents] left the house on Monday morning after Rohan was identified as a killer in the Gulshan attack.” Rohan went missing in February. His family filed a diary with Mohammadpur police station four months later on June 21. l

Piecing together the Dhaka terror attack Friday 8:45pm Terrorists arrive at Holey Artisan Bakery in two vehicles. Gunshots, explosions heard.

Two BGB platoons attempt to storm the bakery, but are forced to retreat in face of bullets. They, however, manage to drag some of the injured policemen to safety. 10:45pm

biul also dies. 1:33am

3:53am ISIS claims responsibility for Gulshan attack, SITE Intelligence Group’s Rita Katz tweets quoting IS news agency Amaq.

9:10pm A police patrol team are the first law enforcers to arrive at the scene. Two constables and a civilian shot in their legs.

IGP says all hostages had been killed within the first 20 minutes 10:30pm

At least nine employees of the bakery escape. RAB reach the spot. 11:20pm RAB chief Benazir Ahmed says they are trying to establish communication with the terrorists. He urges TV channels to stop their live broadcasts.

Saturday

10:40pm

After a long silence, three rounds of gunshots are heard again from inside the bakery.

2:30am 4:03am IGP, RAB DG, DMP chief, counterterrorism unit chief meets to plan the next move.

Law enforcers carry away an injured man – later identified as a bakery staff.

building, the video also showed some young men with guns standing in front of the bakery doors Around 7am Thirteen hostages, including three foreigners, are brought to safety. 7:30am

2.45am 05:30am Finding no solution, they head to the Prime Minister’s Office. The army chief is called in. 2:55am

12:05am SWAT reaches the spot and tries to enter the compound. Explosions heard. Banani OC Salahuddin Ahmed, DB AC Rabiul Karim and 18 other law enforcers injured.

jured in the attack, SITE tweets quoting Amaq.

Banani OC Salahuddin dies from his injuries.

SWAT rescues the bakery’s Argentine chef Diego Rossini and its in-house electrician from an adjacent building.

1:10am

3:14am

Injured DB Assistant Commissioner Ra-

ISIS claims 24 killed and 40 others in-

An army commando team arrives and sets up temporary camp.

A video, shot some time after daybreak, shows hostages walking out of the bakery premises. Captured from a nearby

A joint strike team, led by para commandos, storms the bakery. 7:40am Rapid gunfire heard. Sound of shots being fired continue for a further half an hour. 8:30am The drive, dubbed Operation Thunderbolt, ends with all six suspected attackers dead. Bodies of 20 hostages found inside the bakery.

News

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

Hostages were shot dead first n Tribune Desk The terrorists who attacked Holey Artisan Bakery and O’ Kitchen Restaurant in Gulshan 2, Dhaka on Friday had shot the victims dead before they hacked at them. Receiving instruction from an unknown mobile phone number, the attackers slaughtered, stabbed and hacked at the dead bodies to create a more horrifying image to put up online, sources at several law enforcement agencies told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. According to these sources, law enforcers suspect that the attackers initially planned to flee the scene after the carnage, but the instructions from the unknown number made them stay back. By the time they had the images they wanted, police had already surrounded the area and the terrorists got stuck inside. It also looks like they had a backup team outside the restaurant with whom they were communicating via walkie-talkies. Law en-

forcers are now looking for them, the sources said. Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Hoque at a memorial ceremony in Rajarbagh Police Line, Dhaka yesterday said the victims were killed within 20 minutes of the attack. “There are reports that we delayed the rescue mission, but we did not. We launched a rescue mission within 12 hours of the attack. In one such in-

be interrogated once they get better.” A case under the anti-terrorism act was filed with Gulshan police station last night against the five terrorists and unidentified attackers, police sources confirmed last night. Earlier on Sunday, the IGP said the case would be investigated by the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes unit of police.

and armed forces stormed into the bakery on Saturday morning and rescued 13 hostages, killing six of the terrorists and arresting one.

interrogated since speculations that they may have also been a part of the terrorist gang have been circulating on social media. But family members of the two vehemently refuted the rumours. A cousin of Tahmid’s, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune said Tahmid currently is a student

at the University of Toronto in Canada and came to Dhaka for holidays on Friday morning. “He went to the restaurant with two of his friends to have dinner on Friday night when the terrorists attacked the place. All three were rescued the next morning, and the detectives released his friends after interrogation, but Tahmid is still in their custody,” the cousin said. Hasnat Karim, the other hostage, also a former lecturer at North South University, was at the restaurant to celebrate a birthday party, said his father Rezaul Karim. He vehemently denied allegations of his son being involved with banned militant outfit Hizb utTahrir. “He studied abroad and has modern views.” Sources said police collected CCTV footages from the crime scene and surrounding areas and interrogated several people, including the rescued hostages, and are now scrutinising the footages to verify the social media claims. l

She added: “If any action were taken, the Home Ministry or the National Telecommunications Monitoring Centre would be aware of it.” Of the five attackers who stormed the bakery and killed at least 20 on the night of July 1, three of them – Nibras Islam, Meer Sabeeh Mubashsher and Rohan Imtiaz – have been visually identified on Facebook by their peers. From the night of July 2, Facebook users in Bangladesh, mostly friends and acquaintances of the

attackers started matching the five photos released by Islamic State’s news agency Amaq to the terrorists involved in the Gulshan attack. Early on Sunday, July 3, the Facebook pages of the three men disappeared from public view. Netizens are wondering who deactivated the profiles? Since the government denied they had been requested to shut the accounts down, it would appear that the page owners or their aides deactivated the accounts. But who did this or why remains unclear. l

os of the incident began emerging on social media. In some of the photos and videos, a bald man was seen smoking cigarettes in the balcony on the second floor of the restaurant, apparently with two of the terrorists, while in some other videos, he was seen having conversations inside the cafe and later walking out of its premises. Later, people familiar to Hasnat identified the bald man in the footage as Hasnat. Some of them said he was a lecturer at North South University but left the job at least five years ago. Many of them claimed that he was involved in the attack, but the Dhaka Tribune could not verify any of the claims independently.

One of the attackers, Nibras Islam, was a student of North South University before getting into Monash University in Malaysia. In 2012, Hasnat’s name came up in a report, published in a daily, which claimed four North South University professors were involved with banned militant outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia told the Dhaka Tribune that police were considering all the information surfacing on social media about Hasnat for the investigation. Director General of RAB Benazir Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune that they were investigating whether Hasnat was involved with Hizb utTahrir. l

Two hostages still in custody

Police sources said detectives still had two of the rescued hostages in custody: Tahmid Hasib Khan and Hasnat Karim. They said they were still being

‘The attackers initially planned to flee the scene after the carnage, but the instructions from the unknown number made them stay back. By the time they had the images they wanted, police had already surrounded the area and the terrorists got stuck inside’ cident at a shopping mall in Kenya, it took the authorities four days to rescue hostages,” the IGP said. Later speaking to reporters, he said police had detained two individuals suspected to be involved in the attack from the crime scene. “They were injured and are currently undergoing treatment. They will

According to Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate, seven terrorists took the diners and employees of Holey Artisan hostage on Friday night before brutally killing 20 people, 17 of whom were foreign nationals. The terror siege lasted nearly 11 hours before a joint commando team of law enforcers

Who deactivated the attackers’ Facebook accounts? n Tribune Report

Relatives of Gulshan attack victims burst into tears after namaz-e-janaza at a moque in Gulshan MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

After posts identifying the reported attackers of Dhaka’s Holey Artisan Bakery went viral on Facebook, the accounts of at least two of the alleged attackers suddenly disappeared. It is not clear why they are no longer accessible. “We did not receive any requests from the government to block the Gulshan attackers’ Facebook accounts,” State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim told the Dhaka Tribune.

Gulshan attack: Police quizzing hostage Hasnat Jamil Khan and n Mohammad Arifur Rahman Rabbi

The Detective Branch (DB) of police yesterday interrogated a man who was held hostage in Friday’s terror attack on Holey Artisan cafe in Dhaka’s Gulshan. Hasnat Karim, who worked for North South University in Dhaka five years ago, was taken into DB custody along with his wife and two children on Saturday night. The wife and children were released yesterday but Hasnat would face further interrogation, said police. DB Deputy Commissioner Mahbub Alam told the Dhaka Tribune: “We will question Hasnat about what he saw during the attack.”

A senior DB official said Hasnat’s Gulshan residence was raided yesterday following suspicious statements he had given during interrogation. “But he did not disclose any key information. We have seized his laptop during the raid.” Hasnat’s father Rezaul Karim told the Dhaka Tribune: “We contacted police and they said my son is fine. They said they would interrogate him further but I requested them not to torture him.” Rezaul said Hasnat studied in New York and returned to Bangladesh in 2000. He said Hasnat worked for North South University five to six years ago but now only looks after the family business. Asked about Hasnat’s involve-

ment in militancy, Rezaul said: “My son is a highly educated person and is not involved in any sort of militant activities. What is being said about my son is nothing but misleading information.” Earlier, Rezaul told journalists his son went to celebrate his grandchild’s birthday at the restaurant and became a victim of the siege. Friday’s terror attack claimed 22 lives, including two policemen. The horrific hostage situation ended after 11 hours on Saturday morning when commandos carried out an operation inside the restaurant and killed six out of the seven gunmen.

Hasnat spotted with terrorists

A few hours after the commando operation ended, photos and vide-

Spotlight

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

The Nation Mourns n Tribune Desk Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday paid homage to the victims of the terror attack in Holey Artisan Bakery. She placed floral wreath and observed a minute of silence on the altar of a podium erected in memory of the victims at Army Stadium in the capital as a two-day state mourning in memory of the victims ended yesterday, reports BSS. Sheikh Hasina talked to the relatives of the deceased and conveyed sympathy to them. Ambassador of United States in Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat, Japanese Ambassador Masato Watanabe, High Commissioner of India Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Ambassador of Italy in Dhaka Mario Palma also paid tributes to the victims. Meanwhile, the mortal remains of 19-year-old Indian victim Tarishi Jain were cremated in New Delhi’s Gurgaon on Monday afternoon. Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj received the coffin on behalf of the Jain family at Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday afternoon.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina places floral wreath on the altar of the podium erected in memory of the victims

Two caskets of Bangladeshi nationals Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain and Ishrat Akhond, covered with Bangladesh national flag and casket of one Bangladesh origin US citizen Abinta Kabir, covered with Bangladesh and US flags, were kept on the raised platform

PHOTOS: MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Sheikh Hasina talks to envoys of the United States, Japan, India and Italy A family member carrying away the coffin of Abinta Kabir Family members of the three Bangladeshis and others pay their tributes to the deceased

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN TUESDAY, JULY 5

Dhaka

Chittagong

Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:50PM

Rangpur

Khulna

Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:16AM

33.0ºC Rajshahi

24.4ºC Tangail

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES

Sylhet

Cox’s Bazar

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

News

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

Man kills wife, son

n Bipul Sarker Sunny, Dinajpur A man allegedly slaughtered his wife and son to death over a family feud at Dakhkhin Joydebpur village in Sadar upazila early yesterday. The deceased were Bakul Akhter, 27, wife of the alleged killer Soharab Ali Bhutto, and their son Bijon Babu, 4. Police and locals said Bhutto, son of late Heyatullah Sarkar of Dakhkhin Joydebpur village, married Bakul, daughter of Akkas Ali, of the village five years ago. Bhutto was a drug addict and it was a matter of discontent in the family, said police. An altercation ensued between the couple on Sunday night after Bhutto returned home taking drugs. At one stage, Bhutto slaughtered his wife to death with sharp weapons and later, killed his son Bijon in the same way as the child began scream seeing the slaughtering of his mother. On information, police recovered the body and sent it to hospital morgue for autopsy. Dipen Chandra, sub-inspector of Kotwali police station, said the police arrested the alleged killer from the village in the morning. A case was filed. l

Risking lives, home-bound people travel atop roof of train to celebrate Eid-ul- Fitr with their family members. The picture was taken yesterday from Chittagong Railway Station RABIN CHOWDHURY

Vacationers leaving Dhaka this time facing less hassle Mamun and n Shohel Ashif Islam Shaon

Holidaymakers who left Dhaka for their village homes by bus, train and launch yesterday said they faced less hassle compared to the previous year. Bus terminals in Dhaka saw a huge rush of passengers in the afternoon, but the home-bound people said they were still happy and did not have to face any major trouble as many left for home earlier because of the nine-day Eid vacation. However, some buses at Gabtoli terminal and some trains at Kamalapur railway station left after the schedule. Some passengers at Mohakhali bus terminal claimed they had been charged extra fares. Passengers boarding launches said they were a bit scared in the wake of the accident in the Kirtonkhola River of Barisal that killed five people early yesterday.

Extra bus fare alleged

Buses bound for northern districts mostly failed to leave Gabtoli terminal on schedule yesterday. Hanif Paribahan official at the terminal Mosharraf Hossain said the departure of buses bound for Rangpur, Gaibanda, Sirajganj and

Pabna was delayed by one to two hours. “However, we do not call it a delay. The number of passengers is soaring and will decrease by evening,” he said. No advance tickets were sold from counters at Sayedabad terminal, and passengers were seen running from one counter to another to collect tickets. Misbah Ahmed, who bought a ticket of Khulna-bound Sundarban Paribahan, said he had to pay extra. “A ticket usually costs Tk350400 but now they are charging Tk550-600,” he said. But passengers travelling to nearby districts such as Narsingdi, Kishoreganj and Narayanganj said they did not have to pay extra fare.

Train delayed

The departure of a few trains was delayed by one to three hours at Kamalapur station yesterday but most of the trains left on schedule. Passengers said the delay was short compared to Eid-time journeys of the past years. “In 2013, I waited for six hours at the station for the train. So a delay of one or two hours is not a big matter to me,” Rangpur-bound passenger Azizul Haque Khan told the

Dhaka Tribune. Kamalapur station’s Station Master Nripen Chandra Saha told the Dhaka Tribune Rangpur-bound Rangpur Express, Khulna-bound Sundarban express and Lalmonirhat-bound Lalmoni Express faced a delay of one to three hours. Some 67 trains leave Kamalapur station every day, and 28 of them are inter-city services. More than 50,000 passengers are leaving by train from this station ahead of Eid, officials said.

Tight security at Sadarghat

Security was ramped up at Sadarghat launch terminal in Dhaka, with RAB and police deployed there along with magistrates. All the launches left the terminal for their respective destinations after the passengers got on board. There was a huge rush of passengers at the terminal yesterday noon but officials said no anomaly was reported. Shipping Ministry Secretary Ashoke Madhab Roy told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have taken some measures to prevent launch accidents this year. Also, we have deployed more law enforcement officials and improved the overall management system.” l

Over 20 villages flooded in Bhola n Ahad Chowdhury Tuhin, Bhola

High tide coupled with depression in the Bay of Benagl has caused flooding of more than 20 villages in Bhola Local sources said due to the high tide, water of Meghna and Teutulia rivers started to rise in many areas of Tamajuddin and Sadar upazilas yesterday. When the Meghna River crossed its danger level, portions of Hazikandi-Chowmuhani roads went under water disrupting communications. At least 15 villages got flooded by tidal water as town protection dyke breached at several points at noon in Tamajuddin upazila. When contacted, the upazila chairman Ahidulla Jasim said

homesteads in many areas of the upazila had been marooned as the water crossed the danger level. At least 30,000 people were victim due to flood and they were trying to find another places for shelter. At least five villages were flooded in Sadar upazila after a dyke damaged in the morning. Water Development Board Executive Engineer Babul Akter said the water was flowing in many areas above 3-4 feet high. Elsiaha, Rajapur of Sadar upazila, Bhabainpur of Doulatkhan and Boromanika area of Borhanuddin upazilas went under water. Locals living in the areas urged the government to repair the damaged dykes immediately. l

Two held over attempted murder of Hindu priest in Satkhira n UNB Detectives on Sunday night arrested two young men from Dhulihar and Waria village of Sadar upazila in connection with the murder attempt of a Hindu priest of a local temple at Bajuadanga village of Sadar upazila. The arrestees were identified as Jahidur Rahman, son of Rajaullah, a resident of Dhulihar village, and Nur Bashar, son of Abdul Bari, a resident of Waria village of Jhaudanga

union parishad of the upazila. DB arrested them from their respective houses at night. Meanwhile, the attempted murder case has been handed over to DB police and officer-in-charge Enamul Haque has been made the investigation officer. Earlier Bhabosindhu Bar, 55, a Hindu priest of a local Bharmarajpur Radhagobindo temple, was stabbed by unknown assailants at the village early Saturday. l

News

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

For Tonu’s family, Eid is no gaiety n Mohiuddin Molla, Comilla

Eid brings joy and pleasure for the Muslims around the world but for the family of slain Comilla Victoria Government College student Sohagi Jahan Tonu, the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr will not be a festival of celebration. Every year, her family members celebrate Eid at the Comilla Can-

tonment residence but they will do it at their village home this year. Tonu’s mother Anwara Begum told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday evening that she was very upset and still remembered her daughter all the time every day. “I do not know how I am fasting or cooking or eating. She [Tonu] keeps coming back to my mind no matter what I do,” she said.

Anwara said none of the family members bought any new dress for Eid and Tonu’s two brothers were still upset. “Last year, Tonu did Eid shopping for all the family members. She was the one who would choose new clothes for all of us. I only bought a panjabi for my fatherin-law this year and we will be at Mirzapur village in Muradnagar

‘Police playing hide and seek over Musa’s arrest’ Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong Police were playing hide and seek over the arrest of Kamrul Islam Sikadar Musa, the prime suspect of the killing of Superintendent of Police Babul Akter’s wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu, said Musa’s wife Panna Akhter, “I went to my relative’s house in city’s Bandar area along with my two children and my brother-in-law Saiful Islam Saku on June 22 while Musa was picked by plainclothes police in the morning. But police say they don’t arrest Musa”, alleged Panna at a press briefing at Chittagong Press Club yesterday morning. The mother of two boys at the press briefing said: “If he (Musa) is the prime accused, he should be brought to book.” “Why is he not shown arrested in the case? why wouldn’t he be produced before the court despite his arrest.” she raised questions. “The police arrested Musa’s brother Saiful Alam Sikdar alias Saku from Bandar area during arrest of Musa but they are now saying Saku

was arrested from Rangunia on July1 after nine-day of his arrest. The police still do not produced Musa before the court”, claimed Panna. “As a wife I am waiting to see him alive”, added she. According previous reports published in the Dhaka Tribune, two people including the younger brother of police informant Kamrul Islam Musa, prime suspect in the Superintendent of Police (SP) Babul Akter’s wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu murder, were arrested by detectives in the murder case from Ragunia upazila in Chittagon. The arrestees were Shahjahan Mia, 28 son of late Kabir Ahmed and Saiful Alam Sikdar alias Saku Sikdar, 45, said Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP)’s Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operation) Debdas Bhattacharia. Saku is a businessman and Shahjahan is a vagabond, said the police official. Chittagong Metropolitan Magistrate Nowrin Akter Kakon sent the two to jail after they were produced before the court with a ten-day

remand prayer, CMP’s Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) (Prosecution) Nirmalendu Bikash Chawakrabarty said. Debdas said Shahjahan’s name had come up in the confessional statements of Motaleb Mia Wasim and Anwar who directly took part in the killing, while investigators found that Saku had provided the motorcycle used in the murder to Musa. DB Assistant Commissioner (AC) Kamruzzaman said they were grilling Saku and Shahjahan to gather more information regarding the killing and to find Musa. Police arrested Ehteshamul Haque Bhola who allegedly supplied two firearms to Musa to kill Mitu and his cohort Monir from Bakalia’s Rajakhali and recovered two firearms believed to have been used in the murder. Mahmuda Khanam Mitu was stabbed and shot dead by three bike-riding assailants some 100 yards from her house in GEC area, heart of the Chittagong city on June 5 while she was going to drop her son at the school. l

Fazli mango trade gains momentum n Tribune Desk Amidst onrush of huge sellers and purchasers the market of fazli, king of mango, has gained momentum in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts, famous for mango production in the country, on the last leg of the ongoing vibrant mango trading. In addition to creating employment for over one and half lakh people, transaction of more than Tk 1,500 crore has been done centering the mango farming, trading and transporting during the peak season.

Likewise, large numbers of people are seen engaged in creating new mango orchards on the cultivable lands in the vast barind tract and char areas. At present, if any one visits wherever and whenever in the two districts he or she will see mango and its vending and many people and the visitors in particular purchasing the delicious fruit whatever the price is. According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), there are around 19 lakh mango trees on 25,000 hectares of land in the two

districts. Additional Director of DAE, Rajshahi Fazlur Rahman told BSS that every of the mango trees were bloomed immensely this season but some of those were affected due to adverse weather. Despite of this, he said the DAE had set a target of production of 2.5 lakh tons of mango in the current season. The businessmen are now getting optimum price of Fazli mango as all other early varieties have almost disappeared from the market on the last leg of the mango season. l

upazila on the Eid day.” The neighbours act like they want to avoid interacting with us out of fear, according to Anwara. “We the family members are under close observation.” Recalling how Eid was in the past for the family, she said: “Tonu would prepare a variety of food items on the day of Eid. She liked cake, noodles, kebab and samosa.

She would also serve these foods when relatives and neighbours visited our house during Eid. “Tonu’s father likes biriyani and she would also cook that. Now her father weeps when he offers prayers and so do I.” Anwara said Criminal Investigation Department officials had assured that they would speed up investigation after Eid. l

8 World

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Maldives slaps ban on journalists A court has slapped a two-year ban on journalists who triggered the closure of the Maldives’ only newspaper when they resigned en masse and set up an independent online publication over an ownership dispute. The Civil Court ruled on Sunday that no former employee of the Haveeru Media group could work for any media outlet in the country for the next two years. -AFP

INDIA

PM Modi to fill cabinet vacancies Tuesday Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will expand his cabinet on Tuesday, largely filling up vacancies caused by ministers resigning or moving to other roles. Modi is widely expected to choose some of his team from the most populous state of Uttar Pradesh where elections will be held early next year, aiming to give it more political heft in the government. -REUTERS

CHINA

China to crackdown on fake news from social media

China’s internet regulator will launch a crackdown on the reporting of news gathered from social media, as part of what the government calls a campaign against fake news and the spreading of rumours. In a statement late on Sunday, the Cyberspace Administration of China said that online media cannot report any news taken from social media sites without approval. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Thailand sets up security centres ahead of referendum

Thailand’s military government has set up security centres around the country ahead of an August referendum on a new constitution. The centres are the latest measure rolled out by the government as Thailand prepares to vote on a new constitution that critics fear will entrench the military’s influence -REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

More than 200 dead in ISclaimed Baghdad blast At least 213 people were killed in Sunday’s Baghdad suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group, making it one of the deadliest ever militant attacks in Iraq. The suicide car bombing, which ripped through a crowded shopping area and sparked infernos in nearby buildings, also wounded more than 200 people. -REUTERS

INSIGHT

File 17: A glimpse into 28 pages about Saudi’s 9/11 connection n Tribune International Desk Amid the clamour a year ago to release 28 still-secret pages of a congressional inquiry into the September 11 attacks, the government quietly declassified a little-known report listing more than three dozen people who piqued the interest of investigators probing possible Saudi connections to the hijackers. The document, known as “File 17,” offers clues to what might be in the missing pages of the bipartisan report about 9/11. “Much of the information upon which File 17 was written was based on what’s in the 28 pages,” said former Democratic Senator Bob Graham of Florida, co-chairman of the congressional inquiry. He believes the hijackers had an extensive Saudi support system while they were in the United States. “File 17 said, ‘Here are some additional unanswered questions and here is how we think the 9/11 Commission, the FBI and the CIA should go about finding the answers,’” Graham said. Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir denies any allegations of Saudi complicity, telling reporters in Washington earlier this month that there is “no there there.” Former President George W Bush classified the 28-page chapter to protect intelligence sources and methods, although he also probably did not want to upset US relations with Saudi Arabia. Two years ago, under pressure from the families of those killed or injured on September 11, and others, President Barack Obama ordered a declassification review of the 28 pages. It’s unclear when all or some may be released. The report by the two researchers, one of several commission documents the National Archives has reviewed and released, lists possible leads the commission could follow, the names of people who could be interviewed and documents the commission might want to request in looking deeper into the attacks. File 17, first disclosed by 28pages.org, an advocacy website, names people the hijackers were in contact with in the United States before the attacks. Some were Saudi diplomats, raising questions about whether Saudi officials knew about the plot. The 9/11 Commission’s final report stated that it found “no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi of-

THE 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT AND THE SECRET PAGES Ü In late 2002, congressional legislation signed into law by President George W Bush created the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, more commonly known as the 9/11 Commission. The independent, bipartisan commission was charged with preparing a complete report of the circumstances surrounding the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, including US preparedness and immediate response, and with providing recommendations to guard against future attacks. Ü The 9/11 Commission began its first hearings in New York City in the spring of 2003 and presented its findings in a public report released in July 2004. Ü The report outlined the failings of numerous government agencies, particularly the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Pentagon and the National Security Council, in acting on existing intelligence in order to protect and defend the nation from such threats. Ü Among a long list of recommendations designed to guard against future attacks, the 9/11 Commission advocated a comprehensive restructuring of US intelligence agencies and an increased emphasis on diplomacy between the United States and the Islamic world. Ü The so-called “28 pages” are locked away in a secure basement room at the Capitol and although they can be read by members of Congress, the pages remain classified.

Sources: 9/11 COMMISSION REPORT, NBC, DAILYMAIL ficials individually funded” al-Qaeda. “This conclusion does not exclude the likelihood that charities with significant Saudi government sponsorship diverted funds to al-Qaeda,” the report said. Releasing the 28 pages might answer some questions, but the disclosure also could lead to more speculation about the key Saudi figures investigated by the US after the attacks. A look at some of those named in the declassified report and what the 9/11 Commission concluded:

Fahad Al-Thumairy

An imam at the King F a h a d Mosque in Culver City, California, al-Thumairy was suspected of helping two of the hijackers after they arrived in Los Angeles. He was an accredited diplomat at the Saudi Arabian consulate in Los Angeles from 1996 to 2003. The 9/11 Commission said al-Thumairy reportedly led an extremist faction at the mosque. He has denied promoting jihad and told US investigators that he never helped the hijackers. The 9/11 Commission said that despite the circumstantial evidence, “We have not found evidence that al-Thumairy provided assistance to the two operatives.” On May 6, 2003, al-Thumairy tried to return to the US from Saudi Arabia, but was refused entry on suspicion he might be connected with terrorist activity.

Omar Al-Bayoumi

A Saudi national who helped the two hijackers in California. Al-Bayoumi told investigators that he and another man drove to Los Angeles from San Diego so that he could address a visa issue and collect papers at the Saudi consulate. Afterward they went to the restaurant in Culver City where he heard the two hijackers speaking in what he recognised to be Gulf Arabic and struck up a conversation with them. The congressional researchers’ report said: “Al-Bayoumi has extensive ties to the Saudi government and many in the local Muslim community in San Diego believed that he was a Saudi intelligence officer.”

Osama Bassnan

A close associate of al-Bayoumi who was in frequent contact with the hijackers and lived in an apartment complex across the street from them in San Diego. Bassnan vocally supported Osama bin Laden. The staffers’ found that Bassnan, a former employee of the Saudi government’s educational mission in Washington, received considerable funding from Princess Haifa al-Faisal, wife of Prince Bandar bin

Sultan, former intelligence chief in Saudi Arabia and the kingdom’s US ambassador from 1983 to 2005. The 9/11 Commission said there was no evidence the money was redirected toward terrorism.

Mohdhar Abdullah

The staffers’ report said Abdullah translated for the two hijackers and helped them open bank accounts and contact flight schools. Interviewed many times by the FBI, Abdullah said he knew of the two hijackers’ extremist views but said he did not know what they were planning. The 9/11 Commission said: “During a post 9/11 search of his possessions, the FBI found a notebook (belonging to someone else) with references to planes falling from the sky, mass killing and hijacking. Further, when detained as a material witness following the 9/11 attacks, Abdullah expressed hatred for the US government and stated that the US brought ‘this’ on themselves.” The commission also learned of reports that Abdullah bragged to other inmates at a California prison in the fall of 2003 that he knew the hijackers were planning an attack - reports the commission nor the FBI were not able to verify. He was deported to Yemen in May 2004 after the US attorney for the Southern District of California declined to prosecute him on charges arriving out alleged comments made in prison. l

UKIP’s Farage to step down after Brexit takes place

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

USA

FACTBOX

How the UK’s Tories elect a leader, who’s running Britain’s governing Conservative Party has begun the process of electing a new leader and presumptive prime minister, after David Cameron said he would resign following the country’s vote on June 23 to leave the European Union. Below is a summary of the process for the leadership election, and some information about the five candidates.

n Reuters, London The leader of Britain’s Eursceptic UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage said on Monday he would stand down after having realised his ambition of winning last month’s referendum in favour of Brexit. “I have never been, and I have never wanted to be, a career politician. My aim in being in politics was to get Britain out of the European Union,” he told reporters. “So I feel it’s right that I should now stand aside as leader of UKIP. “During the referendum campaign, I said ‘I want my country back’. What I’m saying today, is, ‘I want my life back,’ and it begins right now.” It is not the first time Farage has quit as leader of the party. He stood down in May 2015 after failing to win a parliamentary seat in last year’s general election, only to withdraw his resignation three days later. He said he would continue to support the party, and continue to watch Brussels “like a hawk” during the negotiations around Britain’s exit from the EU. He reiterated his view that Britain’s new prime minister needed to be from the “Leave” campaign but declined to back a specific candidate out of Andrea Leadsom, Michael Gove or Liam Fox. Current frontrunner Theresa May backed “Remain”. Farage, 52, has been a member of UKIP since its 1993 birth and was first elected to the European Parliament in 1999. l

The election process The five candidates will now go forward to a vote of Conservative lawmakers on July 5. The candidate with the least support in that vote will be eliminated. Lawmakers will vote again on July 7 and July 12, until only two candidates remain. The final two candidates will then be put to a vote of the party’s membership of around 150,000 people. The winner, the candidate who receives more than 50% of the vote, will be announced on September 9. All have ruled out holding an early parliamentary election. The next one is due in 2020.

The candidates Stephen Crabb, 43, Remain campaigner Brought up by a single mother in public housing in Wales, Crabb was educated at state schools and paid his way through university by working as a building site labourer, working-class roots that have earned him the title of “blue collar ticket” in some newspapers. He worked as a marketing consultant before being elected to parliament in 2005. He has held the job of work and pensions

minister in Cameron’s government for just three months, having previously been the minister for Wales.

Liam Fox, 54, Brexit campaigner Long a figure on the right wing of the Conservative Party, Fox was born and raised in Scotland and attended the local state school before studying medicine at the University of Glasgow. He worked as a doctor and civilian army medical officer before becoming a Conservative lawmaker in 1992. Fox was defence secretary from 2010-2011, when he resigned over his friendship with a businessman who posed as his adviser. A government investigation found he had breached the ministerial code by allowing an “inappropriate blurring of lines between official and personal relationships”. He has also held the posts of junior foreign office minister and Conservative Party chairman.

Michael Gove, 48, Brexit campaigner Gove was brought up in Scotland and studied at Oxford University before becoming a journalist. He worked at the BBC and the Times newspaper, where he was assistant editor. He was also chairman of the centre-right think tank Policy Exchange before being elected to parliament in 2005. Now justice secretary, Gove also served as edu-

cation secretary for four years. Gove was a leading campaigner for Brexit alongside former London mayor Boris Johnson.

Andrea Leadsom, 53, Brexit campaigner Leadsom studied political science at Warwick University before working in banking and finance for 25 years, including roles at Barclays and fund manager Invesco Perpetual. She was elected to parliament in 2010 and worked as a junior minister in the finance ministry before her current role as a minister in the energy department.

Theresa May, 59, Remain campaigner The stateschool educated daughter of a Church of England vicar, May is an Oxford University graduate who began her career at the Bank of England, before becoming a local councillor. She entered parliament in 1997 and in 2002 became the first female chairman of the Conservative Party, when she gained a reputation as a reformer for saying that Conservatives needed to shed their reputation as the “nasty party”. A party stalwart seen as a safe pair of hands, May is the clear bookmakers’ favourite since ex-London mayor Johnson pulled out of the race. l

Source: REUTERS

US lawmakers confident in fairness of Clinton email probe Top lawmakers from both major US political parties said on Sunday they trusted the Justice Department to appropriately handle its probe of presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s private email server, after a heavily criticised meeting between Clinton’s husband and the US attorney general. Republican Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain said on CBS show “Face the Nation” that they would respect Attorney General Loretta Lynch’s decision on whether to prosecute Clinton, the likely Democratic presidential nominee. Congressman Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, also said

REUTERS

n Reuters, New York

he respected the process, though he acknowledged Lynch’s private meeting last week at an airport with former President Bill Clinton was unfortunate. Lynch said on Friday that she would accept whatever recommendations the career prosecutors working on the case made about whether to prosecute Clinton. The lawmakers’ endorsement for the process follows Clinton’s

World

meeting Saturday with investigators at the FBI’s Washington headquarters, where she answered questions for three and a half hours as part of the probe into use of her private email server. The FBI is investigating Clinton’s email use and whether laws were broken as a result of a personal email server kept in her Chappaqua, New York, home while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013. Lawmakers and political strategists speculated on Sunday that the FBI’s interview of Clinton signaled its investigation could be nearing its end. But the FBI offered no information about the status of the probe or who its targets may be. Clinton has long in-

sisted she is not a target. Clinton herself said in comments to MSNBC on Saturday that she “was pleased to have the opportunity to assist the department in bringing its review to a conclusion.” Her rival, presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump, said it was “impossible” for the FBI not to recommend criminal charges against her. The two have already begun an acrimonious battle ahead of the presidential election on November 8. Democrats are hoping the issue will be resolved before their fourday convention in Philadelphia that begins July 25, which is expected to culminate with Clinton’s nomination for the presidential race. l

Donald Trump blames dishonest media Donald Trump responded on Monday to a swirling controversy over an apparently antisemitic tweet featuring Hillary Clinton which he subsequently deleted. Using Twitter again, Trump said: “Dishonest media is trying their absolute best to depict a star in a tweet as the Star of David rather than a Sheriff ’s Star, or plain star!” -THE GUARDIAN

THE AMERICAS

Poll: Colombians divided on peace deal Colombians are divided on a potential peace deal between the government and the FARC rebels, an Ipsos survey showed Sunday, amid scepticism about political participation by the guerrillas. A poll by Ipsos showed that 36% of Colombians would vote in favour of a deal, while 25% would vote against and 36% would abstain. 3% were undecided. -REUTERS

Osborne targets business tax cut in Brexit fightback British Finance minister George Osborne said Monday he would seek to slash corporation tax over fears of a corporate exodus following the country’s shock decision to leave the EU. Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne could extend planned cuts to Britain’s levy on company profits to under 15%, the Treasury said Monday. Prior to the vote, tax rates on corporate profits were already set to be cut from 20% to 17% in 2020. -AFP

EUROPE

Lithuanian leader vetoes strict IVF law Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite on Monday vetoed strict legislation on in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), saying the proposed law favoured by the influential Catholic Church ignores modern medicine. Adopted last week, the legislation would limit the number of embryos that can be used in IVF to three, forbids screening them for genetic disorders before implantation and bans freezing them. -REUTERS

AFRICA

Tanzania launches crackdown on child marriage Tanzanian men who marry schoolgirls or get them pregnant now face 30 years in prison as the government takes tougher measures to tackle child marriage and teenage pregnancy. Tanzania has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy and birth rates in the world, and 21% of girls aged 15 to 19 have given birth, according to a 2015/16 government survey. -REUTERS

World

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

INSIGHT

China, Russia, Mongolia sign tripartite economic partnership deal n Tribune International Desk

Overshadowed by the news of the British referendum on European Union (EU) membership held the same day, on June 23 Presidents Xi Jinping of China, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj of Mongolia signed a trilateral economic partnership agreement in Tashkent, Uzbekistan during the 11th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The agreement consists of 32 proposed projects, and outlines the creation of a joint investment centre to assess the financial requirements and feasibility of each by the end of 2016. According to the official press release on Elbegdorj’s website, a key part of the agreement involves cooperation on improving roads and other forms of transportation in the region. The agreement proposes regular consultations with third-party transport agencies, including railway companies. The deal also affirmed that the future trilateral relationship between China, Russia, and Mongolia would not be limited to “transport and customs issues” but perhaps extend to agriculture, tourism, emergency preparedness, and more. Mongolia plans to host the next round of talks on the implementation of the economic corridor in the fall, after the highly-anticipated Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Ulaanbaatar this summer. After a roadmap for the agreement was signed in November 2015 in Ufa, Russia, many expected an official agreement to be signed during this year’s SCO meeting. The economic corridor, aimed at greater trade integration, is in line with the individual policies in all three countries: China’s “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR), Russia’s Trans-Eurasian Belt Development (TEPR), and Mongolia’s Prairie Road programme. The leaders of the three countries first met in September 2014 to discuss the corridor in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Putin said in the initial meeting with his Chinese and Mongolian counterparts: “The natural geographic proximity of Mongolia, Russia and China makes it possible for us to implement good long-term projects in infrastructure, the power sector, and the mining industry. We have what to discuss with each other. Naturally, we deem it important, expedient, and useful to start a permanent dialogue.” Mongolian Foreign Affairs Minister Lundeg Purevsuren said “Each of the 32 projects is the most important” when asked about Mongolia’s priorities entering the agreement. Purevsuren said that the trilateral

KEY FACTS OF THE DEAL Ü China, Russia and Mongolia signed a development plan to build an economic corridor that will boost transport links and economic cooperation among the three neighbours.

ALTAI GAS PIPELINE Gazprom is in negotiations with China on supplying gas via the western route in the volume of 30bn cubic metres per year and possibly increasing it later to 100bn cubic metres per year Nadym

Ü Presidents Xi Jinping of China, Vladimir Putin of Russia, and Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj of Mongolia signed a trilateral economic partnership agreement in Tashkent, Uzbekistan during the 11th meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO).

Sources: THE DIPLOMAT, SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST, REUTERS

cooperation represents a new era of economic opportunity for Mongolia, which will continue to capitalise on its strategic location as an intermediary between East Asia and Europe. Last week, also at the SCO meeting in Tashkent, Putin asked Mongolia to back down from a planned $1bn hydropower project on a tributary of Mongolia’s Selenge River, which flows into Russia’s Lake Baikal, the world’s oldest and deepest freshwater lake. The project, funded in part by a loan from the China Export-Import Bank and in partnership with China’s National Development and Reform Commission, has been temporarily put on hold. It is unclear if the hydroelectric project will be affected by the new trilateral partnership. Purevsuren reaffirmed Mongolia’s commitment to the Egiin Gol plant but also said his country is dedicated to acting in accordance with principles of environmental protection, which is a product of Mongolia’s nomadic culture.

Gas pipelines in operation Booster stations in operation Planned booster stations

Alexandrovskaya booster station Tobolsk

Vertikos Vertikos booster station

Tyumen

Parabel booster station

RUSSIA

Ü The economic corridor, aimed at greater trade integration, is in line with the individual policies in all three countries: China’s “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR), Russia’s Trans-Eurasian Belt Development (TEPR), and Mongolia’s Prairie Road programme. Ü The plan comes after Chinese President Xi Jinping said Chinese companies invested nearly $15 billion in countries participating in Beijing’s new Silk Road initiative last year, up one-fifth from 2014.

Planned Altai gas pipeline

Purpeyskaya Gubkinskaya booster station booster station Ortyagunskaya Vyngapurovskaya booster station booster station Aganskaya booster station Nizhnevartovsk Surgut Alexandrovskoye

Ü The agreement consists of 32 proposed projects, and outlines the creation of a joint investment centre to assess the financial requirements and feasibility of each by the end of 2016. Ü A key part of the agreement involves cooperation on improving roads and other forms of transportation in the region. The agreement proposes regular consultations with third-party transport agencies, including railway companies.

Novy Urengoy

Parabel Chazhemto

Chazhemto booster station Volodino booster station

Omsk

Novosibirskaya booster station

Gas supplies to China Western route- Altai pipeline The route envisages constructing a new pipeline to transport gas from Western Siberia to north-westem China

Supplies per year Length

Tomsk

Novosibirsk

Barnaul

30bn cubic metres 30bn cubic metres

Novokuznetsk Zarinskaya booster station Biysk Gorno-Altaysk Peschanaya booster station

2,800 km (1,740 miles)

Chuyskaya booster station

Eastern route - Power of Siberia pipeline On Nay 21, 2014 a $400 billion contract was signed on transporting gas to China vja the Power of s,berla pipeline Capacity Supplies per year Length Contact

Krasnoyarsk

Kemerovo

KAZAKHSTAN

Capacity

Volodino

MONGOLIA

61bn cubic metres 68bn cubic metres 4,000 km (2,485 miles) 30 years

CHINA

Source: Gazprom (www.gazprom.ru)

Munkhsoyol Baatarjav, CEO at the Institute for National Strategy, said the trilateral agreement “is a good start for Mongolia in terms of cooperation with two giant neighbors.” Baatarjav, who is currently running for parliament as an independent candidate, said the deal represents a valuable opportunity for Mongolia to expand its economy

and solve infrastructure challenges. Other analysts are sceptical about the future impacts of the agreement on Mongolia, which currently has the weakest economy of the three nations. Dr Julian Dierkes, director of the Programme on Inner Asia at the University of British Columbia’s Institute of Asian Research and author of the popular Mongolia

Focus blog, described Mongolia’s dilemma: “Economic possibilities on the one hand, [and, on the other,] trepidation about a situation where two powerful, sometimes overbearing neighbours agree.” l

This is an excerpt of a The Diplomat article, which can be accessed through http://bit.ly/29HYVYc

EU and British flags are adjusted before the EU summit in Brussels on June 28

REUTERS

INSIGHT

In or Out? Brexit limbo gives EU a headache n Reuters, Brussels The European Union says it will not be "paralysed" after Britons voted to leave, but Brussels policymakers say uncertainty over Britain's future is already complicating the lawmaking process for the rest of the EU. As London waits, possibly for months, for a successor to Prime Minister David Cameron to start negotiating an exit that will retain its easy access to EU markets, some Europeans fear that Britain could obstruct legislation to strengthen its hand. "We cannot afford to be stuck in limbo. The British must not hold the EU to ransom," former Belgian premier Guy Verhofstadt told the European Parliament in a Brexit debate last week. But despite his call, echoed across Brussels, for Britain to launch the two-year process of withdrawal, Cameron has left that to whoever the party chooses to replace him in September. Some frontrunners for Conservative leader say they see no hurry to trigger Article 50 of the EU treaty, the start of formal negotiations to leave the bloc, and some Britons want the referendum result reversed. "It's slightly surreal," a British diplomat conceded, as EU leaders rule out any discussion of Brexit terms before Article 50 is live, so that EU officials and diplomats are in a vacuum. One gag doing the rounds in Brussels recalls "Schroedinger's cat": as the physicist's imaginary pet was both alive and dead, so Britain is both in the EU and out, at the table but silent. The official line from a British government spokesman is: "We remain a part of the EU until negotiations are concluded." But British officials admit that on matters that will not affect Britain once it has left -- most issues -- they can have little say, leaving only shortterm business -- next year's EU fishing quotas, say -- in which diplomats are speaking out.

'Bloody awkward'

Legally, British ministers retain full voting power in European councils, including a veto on some issues, and, in 751-seat EU parliament, Britain's 73 members keep voting. But a Briton has already resigned a key parliamentary role on climate change, long an issue Britain has led on. Legislation due this month to spread the burden of cutting carbon dioxide emissions could be held up, some officials say, while they

rework the sums to exclude the bloc's second-biggest economy without knowing when, or even if, it will leave. That Brexit has begun is evident in the European Commission, the EU executive, where British nominee Jonathan Hill resigned, costing London a key role overseeing financial regulation that was seen as helping the City against the euro zone. Cameron's successor can still nominate another commissioner, but cannot expect a major job; EU officials, stung by Britain's shock vote, sneer that London may get "commissioner for ballet". At the level of summits of national leaders, too, Cameron saw himself frozen out when the other 27 met on Wednesday in his absence. For now, without Britain the European Council cannot make law, but such meetings will be common once London triggers Article 50, which keeps it out of negotiations with itself. The divorce is unprecedented and it is unclear whether Britain should be excluded only from explicit talks on Brexit or from other debates -on trade policy, say -- in which any EU decisions today may affect Britain as an outside power. More troubling for some is that Britain might, depending on who will lead it, not trigger Article 50 and use its insider rights as leverage to force negotiation on a deal for itself. "They could just be bloody awkward," a senior EU official said, fearing Britain could hold councils to ransom. Another senior official said that if Britain does not launch Article 50 this year and dares be obstructive in the EU to force negotiations, then the Union could look at its legal options.

Parliamentary questions

The European Parliament is also struggling with Brexit. Though last week, the parliament's German speaker, Martin Schulz, has told lawmakers there will be no change in Britons' rights, until Britain finally leaves. However, MEPs formal rights are few; influence comes from holding office on committees or steering through legislation. Those posts are shared among multi-national groups and lame-duck Britons may have to give way to party colleagues from other states, at least by a mid-term reshuffle of jobs in December. Whatever British MEPs do, some of their staff are already voting with their feet: "I'm looking for a job," a second parliamentary aide said. "Have you got any ideas?" l

World

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

12 Business

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

TOP STORIES

Uniqlo suspends Dhaka travel, others reviewing operations

Terror attack, rain and long holiday mar Eid sales Retail sales registered sharp decline during Eid shopping this year when traders usually witness brisk business during the month of Ramadan, retailers said yesterday. PAGE 13

UK to slash corporation tax to cushion hit from Brexit

Dhaka’s upscale hotels make Eid offers The city’s luxurious hotels have announced a set of attractive offers and discounts to their valued guests ahead of Eid ul-Fitr vacation. PAGE 14

n Reuters Foreign companies with nationals working in Bangladesh’s garment and building industries have suspended travel to the country and told workers there to stay at home after a deadly attack by Islamist militants on a restaurant in Dhaka on Friday. The hospitality sector is also seeing cancellations, hotels are tightening security and foreign embassies are looking at reducing staffing after the attack claimed the lives of nine Italians, seven Japanese, an American, an Indian and some Bangladeshi nationals. Fast Retailing Co, the Japanese owner of the Uniqlo casual-wear brand, said it will suspend all but critical travel to Bangladesh and has told staff there to stay indoors. Bangladesh’s $26bn garment industry has been bracing for the fallout of Friday’s killings, fearing major retailers from Uniqlo to Marks and Spencer and Gap could rethink their sourcing plans after the latest attack targeting foreigners. One of the world’s poorest countries, Bangladesh relies on garments for around 80% of its exports and for about 4m jobs, and ranks behind only China as a supplier of clothes to developed markets like Europe and the United States. Uniqlo has 10 Japanese staff in Bangladesh, one of its major production hubs outside China, and was among the first to confirm it will tighten travel restrictions already in place after attacks last year. A spokeswoman said all but critical travel was suspended. “Obviously this is generating a lot of concern with all the brands my company works with,” said Shovon Islam, the head of Sparrow Group, which supplies top brands like Marks & Spencer and Gap. He said that after a foreigner was killed in Bangladesh last year, some overseas companies had

View of the logo of fast Retailing’s Uniqlo casual clothing store in Paris, France. Uniqlo has 10 Japanese staff in Bangladesh, one of its major production hubs outside China REUTERS pared back travel to the country and asked for meetings to be held in Bangkok, New Delhi and Hong Kong instead. “This time the intensity of the threat is much higher and we will definitely see companies altering their plans,” Islam said.

‘Heartbreaking’

“There’ll definitely be an impact on the garment industry,” said Sudhir Dhingra, head of Orient Craft, based in the Indian city of Gurgaon. “I was just speaking to a top label which said its official who was supposed to visit Bangladesh to inspect an order has refused to go.” Bangladesh garment exporters who dealt with some of those killed in Friday’s attack were still coming to terms with what had happened. “I was doing business with six

‘Tax haven route won’t work for postBrexit UK’

BGMEA: Almost all factories pay bonus, wages

The United Kingdom is unlikely to try to lure international investment by becoming a tax haven after it leaves the European Union, according to an internal memo prepared by the body responsible for the drafting international tax rules. PAGE 15

n Tribune Business Desk Garment owners’ association BGMEA claimed that 99.95% readymade garment factories paid festival bonus to their workers on the occasion of Eid-ul-Fitr while most factories except two or three paid

wages for the month of June. “Ahead of Eid, 99.95% RMG owners have already paid festival bonus to their workers and most of the owners except two or three have paid wages for June,” said Md Siddiqur Rahman, president of  PAGE 14 COLUMN 3

of the nine Italians who died. It’s shocking and heartbreaking,” said Meshba Uddin Ali, managing director of Wega Fashion Sweater Pvt Ltd. Amos Ho, a senior manager at Pou Chen, one of the world’s largest makers of trainers for brands like Nike, Adidas and Puma, said: “We’ve urged our employees to be cautious. They have to pay attention to their personal safety.” Industry analysts have suggested clothing brands may now consider shifting out of Bangladesh to less unsettled countries in Asia, such as Cambodia and Sri Lanka. No major companies have yet signalled official plans. “There are no plans on changing any sourcing, but we are following developments closely,” Sweden’s H & M said in a Sunday statement echoed by other big retailers.

Reducing staffing

Both the United States and British embassies in Bangladesh may reduce staff numbers, one diplomatic source said, and ask only essential staff to stay on. Japanese construction companies Obayashi Corp and Shimizu Corp, both with more than a dozen employees working on bridge projects in Bangladesh, said they advised staff to stay indoors. At least two 5-star hotels in Dhaka, which cater primarily to business clients, said they had seen a spike in cancellations since Friday’s attack. “Whenever people book it’s usually within two or three days of their visit to Dhaka and now nobody is doing any bookings at all,” said a source at one of the hotels, noting this week is typically quiet due to the upcoming Eid celebrations. l

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

Terror attack, rain and long holiday mar Eid sales n Kayes Sohel Retail sales registered sharp decline during Eid shopping this year when traders usually witness brisk business during the month of Ramadan, retailers said yesterday. Terror attack, rain and a nineday-long Eid holiday that began on July 1 were blamed for the big slump in sale this year. The city’s shopping centres are usually packed from two weeks before Eid ul-Fitr, the biggest religious festival for the Muslims, but this year they saw far less foot traffic. In the last Saturday morning, troops stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery restaurant in Dhaka’s Gulshan area, a diplomatic zone, ending an 11-hour standoff with gunmen, leaving 28 people dead, including six attackers. The frequency of attacks has increased in recent months, but those murders generally only involved a handful of assailants and the latest attack appears to have been on a much bigger scale and the first time that people were held hostage. “Every year, we have a steady inflow of customers.... but this year the situation is different,” said Rezaul Kabir, a retailer in the city’s Malibag area. “This year, our business has gone down by almost 40%. For long Eid holiday, the city dwellers have left the city a week ago before Eid.”

Traders report poor sale during Eid shopping following terror attack, rain and long Eid vacation Probir Somadder, owner of an outlet of leather products in Bashundhara shopping mall, said the turn up of customers started to improve slightly a day before terror attack. “The attack sours my sale this year. Moreover, inclement weather has also added to my wounds too,” he said. Redwan Shifo, manager at the Yellow outlet in Dhanmondi, said:

“Sales have come down to a half after the incident since Friday night. The impact still continues.” Arif Hossain, owner of a makeshift shop on the footpath in Mirpur area, said sales are very low as there were sporadic rainfalls over the past two days ahead of Eid. Aslam Parvez, head of salesman at East West, a clothing retailer shop in the New Market area, said:

MEHEDI HASAN

“I used to get more than 200 customers daily during these days, but now it has dropped to 75-80, which shows the lack of interest.” Abdul Samad, a store manager at an electronics outlet, said: “Usually from two weeks before the Eid, the market remains open till late night, but this year we shut our shops by 11pm because of security reasons.” l

BSEC puts out guideline on derivative instrument n Kayes Sohel Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission has released guidelines on financial derivatives in order to bring new instruments for giving more choice to investors in the capital market. Currently, the country’s stock exchanges lack new trading instruments to hedge the risk of investor investment as they are only on equity-based. The new trading instrument is expected to be available in the market in next two years after enactment of laws by the commission, according to the BSEC officials. Under the guidelines released recently, before launching the derivative market, the exchanges will have to establish all infrastructures required for launching derivative platform, ensure settlement guarantee fund, investors’ protection fund and training of brokers and market participants on derivatives.

Dhaka Stock Exchange Director Shakil Rizvi said: “We have already developed the market for launching the new products.” Before enacting the law, everything necessary for launching the financial derivatives will be ready, he hoped. “It is expected that these new derivative products will provide investors with a larger range of risk mitigation products and create more activity in the markets.” According the guidelines, trading, clearing and settlement should be made in automated electronic system. An investor will not be eligible to invest in the derivatives market without having necessary knowledge and training on derivatives. Derivatives are defined as forward, future, option or any other hybrid contract of fixed duration linked to the value of a specified real or financial asset or an index of securities.

The value of a derivative is derived from the value of the underlying assets which can be securities, commodities, bullion, currency, live stock or anything else. The guidelines include specific type of derivative products, designing and contract specification. As per the guidelines, there will be four types of derivatives contracts — forwards, futures, options and swaps. Forwards contract will take place between two entities at today’s price where settlement will take place on a specific date in future. Future derivatives contract is an agreement between two parties to buy or sell an asset at a certain time in future at a certain price. Options are of two types — call and puts. The call gives buyers the rights but not the obligation to buy a given quantity of the underlying asset at a given price on or before a given future date while the puts

Business

gives buyers the rights but not the obligation to sell a given quantity of the underlying asset at a given price on or before a given date. Swaps are private agreements between two parties to exchange cash flows in the future according to a prearranged formula. They can be regarded as portfolios of forward contracts. The two commonly used swaps are interest rate swaps and currency swaps. Stock exchanges will have to prepare separate trading platforms for the trading of derivatives where clients will get different options to generate orders which will be executed electronically, the guidelines said. For ensuring smooth clearing and settlement of derivative contracts and to mitigate counterparty risks, clearing and settlement of derivative trades should be undertaken by a central counterparty clearing and settlement company. l

DCCI condemns Gulshan attack n Tribune Business Desk The Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) has condemned the deadly attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in the city’s diplomatic zone last Friday that killed 20 innocent people. The DCCI expressed its solidarity with the nation grieving for the members of the bereaved families who lost their beloved ones, said a press release yesterday. “We condemn such heinous act of killing of innocent and unarmed people. This is a pernicious act against humanity.” “As a Muslim majority nation, we, the Bangladeshis, consider this as a sinister design to malign our culture and image of a tolerant and moderate society,” said the statement. DCCI declares its full support to the government measures taken to tackle this unforeseen and tragic event. The platform for the business community also urged the government to restore confidence in foreigners by taking measures and clearing the issues. “We believe that the government will do everything possible in transparent and tangible way and take measures to build confidence in foreign and domestic investors for the greater interest of the nation,” said the DCCI. It also urged the prime minister to mobilise all segments of the country in finding best possible way out to handle the situation. l

Potato exporters get new leadership

n Tribune Business Desk Bangladesh Potato Exporters Association (BPEA) has elected Sheikh Abdul Kader as its president for the next two years. The newly elected committee will lead the organisation for 201618 period. The leadership has vowed to ensure better support for the export to get a better price. “I will work with all my board members so that we can increase our export by exploring new markets,” said Sheikh Abdul Kader. The platform for potato exporters made the decision at its board executive meeting held in the capital recently, said a press release. The executive meeting was presided over by Mustaq Ahmed, chairman of election board. It also elected Shamsul Haque Esa as senior vice- president, Md Abdul Hamid, vice-president, and MD Zakir Hossain, secretary general of the BPEA. Kazi Munni has been elected as joint secretary, KM Morshed organising secretary and Mollah Faridul Islam finance secretary. l

Business

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

UK to slash corporation tax to cushion hit from Brexit n

AFP, London

British Finance minister George Osborne said yesterday he would seek to slash corporation tax over fears of a corporate exodus following the country’s shock decision to leave the European Union. Chancellor of the Exchequer Osborne could extend planned cuts to Britain’s levy on company profits to under 15%, the Treasury said yesterday, confirming a weekend report in the Financial Times newspaper. Last month’s shocking Brexit vote triggered political turmoil and warnings that the country could be plunged into recession. Prior to the vote, tax rates on corporate profits were already set to be cut from 20% to 19 next year and to 17% in 2020. But the new target, which has no timetable, would give Britain the lowest rates of any major economy, and put it closer to the 12.5% rate in EU member Ireland. “We must focus on the horizon and the journey ahead and make the most of the hand we’ve been

Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne dealt,” Osborne told the newspaper. Scott Corfe, an analyst at the Centre for Economics and Business Research, said the cut would be a sensible move. “With signs that the economy is set to slow drastically, there is a strong case for fiscal stimulus and measures which assure companies that the UK is an attractive place to do business,” he told AFP.

AFP

“While a cut in corporation tax would cost the government money initially, over the medium-to-long term it would be a revenue raiser given the increase in economic activity that it would stimulate.” Osborne has been steadily cutting corporation tax since 2010, when the rate stood at 28%. His plan to bring it down to below 15% received an angry retort

from John McDonnell, finance spokesman for the main opposition Labour Party. “Instead of turning the whole country into a giant tax haven and playground for the ultra-rich, the chancellor needs to get a grip on the real problems,” he said. Osborne, along with outgoing Prime Minister David Cameron, had spearheaded the “Remain” camp which sensationally lost the June 23 referendum on Britain’s membership European Union. While Osborne wants to take an axe to corporation tax, the chancellor last week said taxes in general would have to rise. He also scrapped the Conservative government’s promise for a budget surplus by 2020, sparking forecasts of more austerity pain. Analysts were quick to point out that even without Brexit, Osborne was unlikely to have met the ambitious target. His own future as finance minister is also far from certain amid the race to find a new Tory leader and prime minister. l

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

BGMEA: Almost all factories pay bonus, wages Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, at a press conference yesterday. He said 75% of the factories went into vacation and others would close by 4pm Monday for Eid-ul-Fitr. BGMEA president said they had received information from industrial police, Dhaka Metropolitan Police and commerce ministry that 350 RMG units might face trouble paying bonus and wages. He said after having that information, BGMEA had brought 1,200 factories under close monitoring. Siddiqur said BGMEA inspected 1,319 factories and found 44 of them “problematic.” “Then we stepped to resolve the crisis in these 44 factories.” Trade unions said at least 20% of garment factories had still not paid wages for June. However, they said almost all factories paid festival bonus.

“As far as I know almost all factories have paid festival bonus before Eid, but around 20% of factories have not paid wages for June yet,” Sirajul Islam Rony, president of Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League, told the Dhaka Tribune. “Hope all the factories will pay the wages by today,” he said. State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Mujibul Haque earlier urged factory owners to pay bonus by 26 June and pay wages before Eid. At the press conference, BGMEA expressed deep condolence to the family members of the Holey massacre victims, many of whom were involved with garment business. In reply to a question, BGMEA president said: “It’s too early too comment on the attack’s impact on business. Still, it could have a little impact.” l

Dhaka’s upscale hotels make Eid offers n Ishtiaq Husain

The city’s luxurious hotels have announced a set of attractive offers and discounts to their valued guests ahead of Eid ul-Fitr vacation. The Westin Dhaka announced a sixteen-day special offer that began on July 1. During this time, guests can book deluxe rooms at Tk11,111 and Junior suite at Tk18,888. The rate includes buffet breakfast at seasonal tastes or buffet suhur, complimentary use of gym and swimming pool, 20% discount on spa, 40% discount on lunch at seasonal tastes and late check-out till 6pm. Hotel Le Méridien is inviting guests to take advantage of the long weekends and holiday to enjoy quality family time in the hotel and experience the celebration by staying in its holistic comfort and making use of the uncompromising service it has to offer. A family of four—two adults and two children—may enjoy one night accommodation any weekend between June 30 and July 31, 2016 with complimentary Buffet Breakfast/Buffet Sehri (if staying during Ramadan) at only Tk11,900, inclusive of service charge and VAT. The package also includes welcome drinks and chocolates in the room upon arrival, use of Fitness Centre and Skyline Infinity Pool, and uninterrupted High Speed Internet Access (1.5 Mbps) throughout the hotel as well as complimentary 30-minute Thai massage for two adults. The guests may also enjoy 20% discount on food and 15% discount on beverage consumption during their stay. The offer is valid for locals and expatriates with valid work permit. The hotel is offering an Eid BBQ in its rooftop-terrace restaurant Olea at Tk3,600 per person. Discount offer from 15% to 50% is available with various bank and telecommunication partners. The hotel is also offering its Buffet Lunch in the day dining restaurant at a specially discounted rate of Tk1,999 per person from Eid ulFitr 2016 to July 31. Radisson Blu Water Garden hotel is offering a package including couple accommodation for one night, Suhur set menu or buffet breakfast, complimentary usage of swimming pool and gym at an attractive price of Tk13,333 inclusive of all. Hotel Amari offers run from July 4 to July 9. You can book a superior queen deluxe room and enjoy free upgrade to deluxe lake view room at Tk10,999 for single or double occupancy. This rate includes complementary buffet breakfast for a couple with 25% discount on food only at Amaya and Cascade and 30% discount on breeze spa treatment. l

Business

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

‘Tax haven route won’t work for post-Brexit UK’ n Reuters, London The United Kingdom is unlikely to try to lure international investment by becoming a tax haven after it leaves the European Union, according to an internal memo prepared by the body responsible for the drafting international tax rules. The head of tax at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, which advises developed nations on policy, said the UK could use its freedom from EU rules to slash corporate tax but the political price would be high. The idea the country may cut tax on multinational companies’ profits, which could also help them avoid tax on profits made elsewhere in the EU, has been raised by some accountants and policy experts since the country voted to leave the bloc. “The negative impact of the Brexit on UK competitiveness may push the UK to be even more aggressive in its tax offer,” the OECD’s head of tax, Pascal Saint-Amans said in the memo, details of which were seen by Reuters. “A further step in that direction would really turn the UK into a tax haven type of economy,” he said, adding that there were practical and domestic political barriers to doing this. The OECD declined to comment on his memo, dated June 24, and a separate one seen by Reuters, written soon afterwards, on the outlook after the June 23 vote for Value

A masked demonstrator leaves a Starbucks coffee shop in central London in 2012 Added Tax in the United Kingdom, which is made up of Britain and northern Ireland. The UK is already in the process of cutting its corporate tax rate to 17%, compared to an average among other OECD members of around 25%. As part of its stated aim to be the most competitive Group of 20 major economies on tax, the UK has also introduced tax breaks that allow companies pay lower tax rates on some income and no tax on earnings from tax haven subsidiaries. To significantly improve its appeal to businesses, the UK would need to significantly cut its tax rate or introduce a system of “generous” tax rulings, the OECD said. Outside the EU, the UK could selectively offer foreign investors

REUTERS

one-off tax deals – something prohibited by EU law. The European Commission is taking legal action against Ireland and Luxembourg for allegedly giving sweetheart tax deals to companies like iPhone maker Apple and burger chain McDonalds that allowed them to shift profits from other EU nations. The countries and companies deny breaking any rules.

Public mood

Corporate tax avoidance has risen to the top of the political agenda in Britain in recent years, following revelations about the complex tax structures used by big companies like Starbucks and Google. That may make further tax leniency a hard sell to the British pub-

lic. “The mood of the people is certainly not about giving more benefits to large MNEs (Multi-National Enterprises), making it a hard move to any new government,” SaintAmans wrote in the memo, circulated to senior OECD officials. Saint-Amans also noted that the UK may not be able to afford to cut its tax rates much because the pressure on public finances “which may only increase with the negative impact of the Brexit on UK growth”. So-called tax havens are usually small countries with access to larger markets. Lowering tax rates actually boosts government revenue because the profits which escape tax have almost all been earned overseas. But cutting taxes costs the UK money because multinationals earn significant profits in the country, and these would otherwise yield taxes. Also, since tax havens are usually small, the investment they attract has an outsized impact on their economies. The levels of employment attracted to Ireland and Luxembourg combined by their tax policies would have little impact on employment in the UK, home to at least 12 times more people. Some on the right of the ruling Conservative party – in the ascendency following the surprise referendum vote – have campaigned for eliminating corporate income tax altogether in the hope it will boost investment and jobs.

Yet Chas Roy-Chowdhury, Head of Taxation at ACCA, the professional body for accountants, agreed with the OECD analysis. He added that if the UK did try to offer tax rulings or introduce tax incentives that were contrary to the EU’s rules against unfair tax competition between members, it could actually put companies off due to worries about retaliation. “Any tax policy will be closely aligned with what the EU does because that will create much greater certainty for businesses. So while the Brexiteers (anti-EU campaigners) may be talking about all this autonomy, I think the reality is there will be very close alignment with the EU,” he said. The OECD highlighted one area where the UK may be able to become materially more competitive. Currently, most EU businesses are allowed to reclaim value added tax (VAT), a kind of sales tax applied across Europe, which they pay on inputs like office supplies and equipment. However, financial services providers cannot since they do not have to charge their clients VAT. The VAT memo said that unfettered from EU VAT rules, the UK could take a different approach. “It might now consider reviewing its domestic rules to remove the VAT burden on its financial services industry, which would create a major competitive advantage for the City compared to other financial centres in the EU,” it said. l

Feature

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

Seeing with the heart Thoughts of a “Bangladeshi foreigner”

n Julian Francis

Dickens’ description of the Christmas holiday as “a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of other people below them as if they really were fellowpassengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys” should be the very essence of Christmas today, not at the greedy commercialised level, but in people’s hearts and homes. As I have been associated with Bangladesh since 1971, my friends sometimes refer to me as a ‘Bangladeshi Foreigner’ and I hope that connecting all these feelings, observations and senses of my heart makes some sense and will encourage people to reach out to those who have less, not just at particular times of the year such as Eid and Christmas, but always. l

any years ago, when Eid-ul-Fitr came quite close to Christmas, it was interesting to observe the joy of festivities with family and friends and the giving and receiving of gifts. The giving is, of course, related to ‘Zakat’ by which, as I understand, 2.5% of one’s ‘disposable income’ (e.g. cash, savings and jewellery) should be given away, once a year, to the extreme poor and orphans. As a foreigner living and working for over 25 years in Bangladesh, I see similarities between Eid and Christmas, such as the family coming together at a special time of the year, special foods, the joy of giving and remembering those who have very little. My work in the early 2000s was connected with assisting the very poorest in a Government project, Adarsha Gram, which was assisted by the European Union and provided houses, homesteads and livelihoods to homeless and landless families, particularly those who had lost their homes through river erosion. Despite the many administrative and bureaucratic difficulties in managing such a project, the experience was enriching as well as humbling. Later on from 2006 until 2012, I continued to work with the same category of extreme poor people with the DFID and AusAID supported Chars Livelihoods Programme in the north west of the country. Over those years with Adarsha Gram, I commuted from my comfortable apartment in Banani to the project’s office in Nilkhet passing the 5 star Sonargaon Hotel twice a day. At the nearby roundabout, two young girls with disabilities would greet me on most days with bright eyes and smiling faces offering bunches of flowers or tea towels in return for some taka. In a way, they became part of my extended family and part of my routine. The joy of giving clothes to them at Eid is difficult to explain. One of the two girls could see in one eye and the other could not speak at all. Their fathers had abandoned the families blaming the respective mothers for giving birth not only to daughters but to daughters with disabilities. The two girls lived in very poor unhygienic slum dwellings, so their happy

smiling faces were all the more remarkable. The reader may be wondering where these rambling thoughts of the heart are going to take her or him! It was a coincidence that all those years ago I was taking four different parts in Dhaka Stage’s production of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” which was originally published in the week before Christmas in 1843. The book was written by Dickens drawing on his own experiences of growing up in very poor family circumstances. His father had been imprisoned for being in debt and Charles was taken out of school by his mother and was sent to a shoe polish factory at the age of 12 years and earned 6 shillings a week. The book was written at a time when there was much poverty in Victorian London, much child mortality and, until a proper sewer system was completed in 1875, there were frequent outbreaks of cholera and other diseases. A Christmas Carol is about a businessman, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is a penny-pinching miser in the first degree. He cares nothing, for the people around him, and mankind exists only for the money that can be made through exploitation and intimidation. He particularly

As a foreigner living and working for over 25 years in Bangladesh, I see similarities between Eid and Christmas, such as the family coming together at a special time of the year, special foods, the joy of giving and remembering those who have very little

detests Christmas which he views as ‘a time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer’. Scrooge is visited, on Christmas Eve, by the ghost of his former partner Jacob Marley who died seven Christmas Eves ago. Marley, a miser from the same mold as Scrooge, is suffering the consequences in the afterlife and hopes to help Scrooge avoid his fate. He tells Scrooge that he will be haunted by three spirits. These three spirits, the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, succeed in showing

Scrooge the error of his ways. His glorious reformation complete, Christmas morning finds Scrooge sending a Christmas turkey to his long-suffering clerk, Bob Cratchit, and spending Christmas day in the company of his nephew, Fred, whom he had earlier spurned. Scrooge’s new-found benevolence continues as he raises Cratchit’s salary and vows to assist his family, which includes Bob’s disabled son, Tiny Tim. In the end Dickens reports that Scrooge became ‘ as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew’.

Julian Francis, in 2012 awarded by the Government with the ‘Friends of Liberation War Honour’ has had a close association with Bangladesh since 1971, and has worked with many poverty alleviation programmes

Opinion

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

The day that started like any other We must mourn those who lost their lives, and work to build a world that does them justice

n Matthew Guilford

s I walked into my favourite bakery in Dhaka on Friday afternoon, I had only one thing on my mind: Finding the right bread to pair with olive oil. I had returned to Bangladesh the previous morning after a week and a half of vacation in Italy with my mother, and was looking forward to sharing my haul of Italian food with a friend over a home-cooked dinner. Traffic was busier than a typical Friday afternoon, since the approach of the Eid holiday brought with it the last minute rush of shoppers that will be familiar to Americans; imagine a suburban mall the Saturday before Christmas, and it will give you a sense of the atmosphere. Fortunately, Holey Bakery didn’t disappoint. As I looked over the display case filled with limeglazed donuts, sesame bagels, and apple tarts, I zoomed in on a stack of ciabatta loaves, and knew I had hit the jackpot. A minute later, I was walking out of the glass door, ciabatta in hand along with a croissant for good measure. I crossed the broad grass lawn on the way to the car, and my favourite waiter from the adjacent restaurant smiled and waved. “Eid Mubarak!” he shouted, and I returned the greeting, wishing him a happy holiday before plunging back into the noisy scrum of Dhaka traffic to finish shopping for dinner supplies. Five hours later, seven heavily armed young men stormed the bakery and restaurant, and began shooting indiscriminately. But I can imagine what the scene looked like an instant before they entered: A table of college students sharing stories from their studies in America; a group of Japanese engineers discussing a project to create Dhaka’s first subway system; Italian textile workers having dinner with friends before heading back home to their young families. By the next morning 20 hostages -- both foreign and Bangladeshi -- as well as police officers would be gone, dozens more would be injured, and a city of 15 million people would be full of fear and sorrow. Over the past days, I have struggled to come to terms with what the events of Friday night can and should mean. Of course, there is the “there but for the grace of God go I” feeling of guilt and relief and shame -- the

Holey Bakery will never be the same again same emotions that I felt being in Boston after the marathon attack or in Bangkok following the Erawan Shrine bombing. Even more, there is the fury and pain for the lives cut short, the dreams unfulfilled, the families left bereft of the victims, the place that has lost some of its innocence. At the same time, there is a defiance and determination that is stirring in many of us that love Bangladesh: We must not let the world do a second injustice by giving the terrorists what they want. That scene at Holey Bakery the moment before the terrorists arrived was a microcosm of so many of the great things about our world today. Thousands of young Bangladeshis have experienced new cultures, encountered new worldviews, and brought back valuable skills by studying overseas. Hundreds of infrastructure projects have improved quality of life for everyday people in Bangladesh by bringing local and foreign experts and resources together. And the garments industry has helped millions of Bangladeshi women become financially independent and self-sufficient. Engaging with the world has made Bangladesh strong and confident, and it has helped her people escape poverty, disease, and illiteracy.

This progress is anathema to the thugs who brutalised Dhaka on Friday and to their backers and supporters. They desperately want Muslim families in Bangladesh and elsewhere to be worse off, to be poorer, to be sicker, and to be ignorant. They think that they can use terror to achieve this, and that if they do they can create a clash of civilisations between East and West. I have lived in Bangladesh long enough to be absolutely certain that the terrorists are wrong, and that they will fail. First of all, there are nearly 150 million Muslims living in the country today. Seven were involved in Friday’s attack. The numbers are akin to the Branch Davidians in Waco representing all Christians in America. The idea that they are igniting a “movement” just does not add up. But what is in people’s hearts matters even more than statistics. And like every other expat I know, I constantly bear witness to the openness, inclusiveness, and generosity of the people of Bangladesh. This comes in both small moments of human connection like the broad smile of a school student in a village or an elderly woman in a hospital, as well as in selfless commitments, like my driver pledging to me that: “Don’t worry, brother, if something bad happens, I will die first.” These

I have lived in Bangladesh long enough to be absolutely certain that the terrorists are wrong, and that they will fail

values are at the bedrock of Bangladeshi culture, and they cannot be altered by acts of violence, no matter how heinous. Those of us from and in the West must do our part as well, now more than ever. In the coming days and weeks, there will be pressure to act on the pain, sorrow, and fear we feel by pulling back from Bangladesh and other countries hit hard by terror. And some so-called leaders may, instead of suggesting real, serious approaches, cynically offer quick “solutions” that further divide and isolate us from each other. We cannot undo the tragic events at Holey Bakery on Friday night. But we can decide how to respond, and we can choose to build bridges instead of tearing them down. We must mourn and pay tribute to those we have lost. And then we must get back to the hard work of building a world that does them justice. l Matthew Guilford is Chief Marketing Officer, Telenor Health.

Tech

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

The next Android upgrade We finally have a name for the next Android software update. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Nougat

n Mahmood Hossain There was a time when Android would roll out one update after another, with some of the most delicious names. For the longest time we only knew of Android N, not knowing exactly what that “N” stood for. Now that Google has revealed the new Android Nougat, there’s a few features we can’t wait to start using on Android phones. The personal assistant Google’s new Assistant software will give the user a more subversive dialogue, going back and forth, unlike Google Now which only lets you search for certain things. This new feature will go as far as booking a reservation for you at your favourite restaurant through extensive research. Snap of a finger Instant Apps is a feature that lets you access or use certain apps without downloading or installing immediately. These are incredibly useful for digital payment transactions, like you can use for Google Pay. Instead of using a certain app or software in a given website, you can easily complete a transaction without having to install it on your phone.

characteristic for a few years now, but now this nifty little feature will be available for the entire market. It’s something that was missing for most since Apple’s iOS 9 gave this ability to the iPad Air 2, iPad Mini 4 and iPad Pro. In addition, Google is also adding a picture-in-picture option when you decide to play and view a video. Again, this is similar to what can be found in the iPad Air. What this means is you’ll be able to watch a YouTube video while you browse through other apps like Facebook or Twitter. Notification reply This feature was brought over from the Android Wear smartwatches. Users will be able to reply to texts messages from the notification shade that either drops down or pops up on your display. You’ll be able to reply right away and go back to whatever you were doing on your phone. Apple’s iOS has had this feature for a while, but you’ll be able to use it soon enough once the updates start rolling out. It was only a matter of time both operating systems would catch up to each other by implementing one another’s established features.

It doesn’t matter which operating system you use, getting things done faster and with the least bit of hassle are only a couple of things tech companies are focusing on

More than one Multi-windows will, for now on, be standard in all new Android phones. Looking at two apps at once, in split screen, is going to be a staple feature for the current generation and the new phones to come. How each brand of phone incorporates it into their native design is going to be the fun part. Samsung and LG have had this

Bundle of joy The notifications convenience continues as this new feature allows you to avoid all that clutter and mess of alerts on your phone. With the new update, developers will now be able to bundle together notifications from their own apps. Once the multiple alerts and notifications are bundled up, you’ll be able to tap the bundle and have it expand to view the

individual alerts. And yes, again, the iOS has a similar feature but it’s always a welcome on all platforms, especially for the Android. Energy on the road Marshmallow introduced consumers to a feature called Doze, which automatically saves battery life once the phone is in idle, whether you’re using the phone or sitting still. With Nougat, Doze on the Go feature will kick in even when your phone is in motion. For example, the battery saving capability will start even if you place your phone in your pocket and go for a short jog. Google is also working on Project Svelte that aims to reduce the amount of memory it uses on Android devices. It’s all about efficiency this time around. Goodnight Another one of those “borrowed” characteristics from Apple, found in its Night Shift feature, Night Mode seeks to reduce eye strain from viewing bright displays at night. This lovely feature tints your screen yellow, which will keep your attention and focus more than you’d get in the usual blue tinted display. See you tomorrow The reason for the long gaps inbetween upgrades is that most of

desired technology has already found its way into our devices. It doesn’t matter which operating system you use, getting things done faster and with the least bit of hassle are only a couple of things tech companies are focusing on. As usual, nothing is perfect. Video streaming still hasn’t completely taken over Blu-Ray discs for example. There are too many corners to take care of and too much ground to cover

before Blu-Ray even sees the exit sign and goes obsolete Although, there are plenty of things to improve, these are welcome additions to updated devices through all platforms. Ultimately, these devices will try to mimic the actions of an actual personal assistant. Sure, they won’t be able to perform every little details a human being can complete, but it will come pretty darn close. l

Auto Connect

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

The awe-inspiring design of the Hot V Turbo A setup that goes a long way into designing small scale engines, as well as cutting down manufacturing costs

n ASM Foysal Making its debut in the early 80s, courtesy of Ferrari’s Formula 1 program’s 126 series engines, hot V turbo engines have been brought back to life by the likes of Mercedes and Porsche in their iteration of performance cars: The Mercedes-AMG GT and the Porsche Panamera. “Hot Vee” sound like a timid little pet, pink and flamboyant, that might have been named by an 8-year-old girl with a ponytail, but let me assure you the hot V is no less than a raging monster. So how does a hot V engine setup work? How does wedging turbos between the“V” of the engine help with the forced induction? Traditionally, one would expect the exhaust ports of a vehicle to point outwards, not with the hot V setup though; more recently found in the brand new Porsche Panamera, a hot V engine has an exhaust system that points towards the engine. Placed meticulously between the rows of cylinders are turbochargers, and pointed directly towards them, aiming the centre line of the engine block, are the exhaust ports. What this means is that the turbos are placed at a closer vicinity to all the action, ie the combustion of the engine instead of them being bolted on the outside of the engine. The careful engineering of this design has proven to be rather effective and we shall look into the depth of the Hot V to find out exactly how.

this setup a little lesson in physics is in order; for a given volume of air or any gas, the pressure they exert decreases with temperature. So if the temperature of the gasses coming out of the exhaust decreases, so does the velocity due to a lack of pressure, this in turn reduces the number of rotation the turbocharger blades can make. Hence, as a general rule of thumb, turbochargers are placed on a warmer area of the engine bay. This gives rise to a problem, almost all the components in a car requires cooling, so a turbocharger has to be placed in a position where the other components are not soaking in that heat. Typically, additional piping is used to achieve this, but the extra piping contributes to more heat loss. The hot V setup eliminates that need. Not only does it require no additional piping, the

Heat Dissipation The fins in the Turbochargers are like the blades of a windmill, insofar they are both rotated by air forcing their way through them. Turbos, however, are fed by the dissipated gases from the engine and therefore, how fast they rotate depend on the velocity of the gasses that passes through. To understand the mechanism of

short distance to the turbo from the exhaust means that there is less tubing for the heat to dissipate from. The catalytic converters, which converts toxic gasses to less toxic ones, are placed within the V as well, since they work best when hot. The efficiency of the catalytic converter and the turbos are substantially increased in this V arrangement as opposed to the conventional setup.

BMW for example. In order to cut cost, they tend to design one engine block and use it on many of its models with slight alterations to account for the model variation. With the hot V setup, there are no turbos or subsidiary components needlessly hanging out the side of the engine block. This also takes out the bulk of the engine’s weight giving it a lower centre of gravity and allowing the vehicle to run more efficiently.

The ‘hot inside V’ configuration of the Porsche Panamera

The engine of the AMGMercedes ‘GT.’ A 4.0L V8 that employs a ‘hot inside V’ turbocharging configuration that places two turbos between the banks of cylinders for compactness and improved throttle response

Manufacturing Costs “The smaller the better” theory is not only limited to technological advancement; it extends to car engines as well. Small engines with large power outputs are more favoured than big loud huffing and puffing engines struggling to churn out 150 BHP. The hot V setup

goes a long way into designing small scale engines as well as cutting down manufacturing costs. Powertrain from one chassis type can be easily transplanted to another one, thanks to the smallbundle created by a hot V setup. This also allows an engine type to be used in several of a company’s model range. Take

Better degree of Control The firing order of a V-formation engine makes it difficult to control the spooling of the turbos. A large amount of additional piping needs to be used in traditional turbo setup to keep the rotational speed stable and more predictable. In the hot V setup, having the turbos this close to the exhaust ports can provide additional control over the setup. With this balance between the engine and the turbochargers, throttle response is much sharper, making the car itself much easier to control. With Mercedes producing its 4.0-litre V8 for the AMG GT, as well as Porsche familiarising the idea to its new Panamera, the hot V setup is mounting in popularity and admiration with manufacturers. Turbocharging has come a long way from the days of delivering subpar power to the Ferrari F40. Fast-forward 20 years and we have engines designed to barely feel “turbocharged”. The hot V setup is a stepping stone into the world of ghost turbocharging, to the point that engines don’t even feel the adverse effects of the turbocharger much less the drivers. The day may not be far when all the V engines rolling out of the manufacturing lines are implementing the forced induction method. l

20 Editorial

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

TODAY

What drives this madness? The fact that a peaceful gathering of people in a serene corner of our town enjoying a night out with friends and loved ones were killed off in a flash, and with such swift planned barbarity, means we have already failed quite considerably as a society PAGE 21

Wake up, Bangladesh The time has come for us to stand together as a nation and build a united front against terrorism. All parties and individuals who believe in a liberal, progressive and peaceful Bangladesh need to rise above their differences PAGE 22

BIGSTOCK

A time for reflection

The creation of a monster The same system that exploits the weak, persecutes minorities, and ignores the disenfranchised has created a monster we no longer know how to fight 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.

t is with mixed emotions that the nation will observe this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Eid-ul-Fitr. More than most years, people will value the opportunity to spend time with their family and loved ones, and to pause for reflection as well as celebration while marking the end of Ramadan. The shock and sorrow caused by the senseless slaughter in Gulshan will reverberate for a long time to come. As we mourn the dead, we must remember that it is only small groups of individuals who commit the brutal acts of terrorism which have blighted so many different parts of the world in the last year. Their actions do not defeat the good intentions and peaceful outlook of ordinary people. Instead, they are a reminder to the world of the need to resist the misuse of ideology and religion to spread fear and violence. It is in this spirit that we recall the month of personal fasting, prayer, and self-discipline observed by Muslims. Ramadan helps to remind all people, whatever their beliefs or religion, to remember the less fortunate and to show generosity and solidarity to fellow humans in need. Eid at the end of Ramadan brings out the best in people. In addition to being a religious festival, it is also a major cultural landmark and public holiday. We hope all people in Bangladesh will have a peaceful and safe break and make the most of the opportunity to spend time with family. We wish all our valued readers a very heartfelt Eid Mubarak.

Their actions do not defeat the good intentions and peaceful outlook of ordinary people. Instead, they are a reminder to the world of the need to resist the misuse of ideology and religion to spread fear and violence

Opinion

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

What drives this madness? Bangladesh’s future hangs in the balance

n Matthew Islam

hat drives young terrorists? These are relatively young men who went into one of the most happening cafes in the country, and began what will usher in a new dark era for merciless executions in our country’s historical fabric. It’s early to say with the whirlwind of information floating around, but these men weren’t from a wanting background. They were like us in many ways, at least as far as most that knew of them can remember. Allegedly, they loved, laughed, lived good lives. They loved football, games, get-togethers, eating out, music, cartoons etc. They were socially active. They were just like other boys of the same age. One even stated on their alleged Facebook profile as recently as late 2014, that he was against Saudi planes attacking other Muslims. At least two of the alleged attackers were young men with what seems to be very little, if any outwards signs, to such monstrosity lurking within. According to some people who claimed to have known them, they simply didn’t seem to have a propensity towards violence or fit the profile of a would-be terrorist. Yet, here we stand as a nation, at the beginning of July 2016, shell-shocked from the absolutely unfathomable level of barbarity they have committed. The innocent lives they took of our brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and friends. Some of these attackers allegedly had been missing since early 2016. There is of course a pattern, which our law enforcement officers will have to spot and investigate rigorously. That is by far the most vital work here, as we pick up the pieces going forward because we have to stop recruitment of young men like them. We have to stop the national pastime of finger-pointing too, and let the professionals do their jobs. This is, however, a long process, and there is a lot we can do ourselves in the interim. We should start with not shying away from introspection. We must address the causes that lead us to losing our own to those who would love to see us burn as a society. Those who would love to see our tradition of plurality, secularism, and

tolerance destroyed. We have to ask ourselves what led to their radicalisation? Who recruited them, and how? We need to do that as a nation after the mourning has ended, so that we can spot young men and women like the attackers more successfully before they radicalise; so that we can spot better who are likely to want to abandon life itself, and take others out with them. We must address the mental health, disenfranchisement, and discord of our youth more pro-actively, starting with those getting out of school. Parents of young ones need to be extra vigilant to the changes within their children, and be more pro-active in talking to them, living as examples of the values they want to see in their children. Kindness, love, and morality need to be taught by actions. This is the new war and we can no longer sit on the sidelines. We must resist our own demons or our demons will ensure that it is our kids who take our rotten legacy forward. We all have a stake in it, and not just to the extent of expressing rage online. This is not to say that paying attention prevents such radicalisation completely, but if nothing else can be done, you can help the relevant authorities from your own knowledge in perhaps reducing the likely fallout from it. This is not in judgement of any parent who, despite being a good example and doing everything

Don’t let children fall prey to the 21st century evil

The fact that a peaceful gathering of people in a serene corner of our town enjoying a night out with friends and loved ones were killed off in a flash, and with such swift planned barbarity, means we have already failed quite considerably as a society

right, has lost their child to hate, mindless violence, and brutality. The fact that a peaceful gathering of people in a serene corner of our town enjoying a night out with friends and loved ones were killed off in a flash, and with such swift planned barbarity, means we have already failed quite considerably as a society. We haven’t just failed now, we have failed from when they started attacking us for the freedoms we love, and didn’t do anything about. We failed when we forgot to

value every life that was lost before this as a result of the senseless violence, and when we justified -- in our discourse -- lives being lost in other conflicts around the world. We failed when we allowed our kids to fall out under the radar and walk away when we weren’t looking. We failed when we didn’t hear their concerns because we were busy with life. We failed when we didn’t stand up in front of them as examples of people that they would want to become. We failed them as they failed us.

So as sorry as we are, it is time for us to start fighting back for our country, our heritage by living as better and kinder human beings. Loudly. Plural in our thoughts and actions. Proud of our diversity, history of inclusiveness and culture. Loving of our fellow man and his right to live free and without fear. We need to imbue every moment with kindness that is designed to encourage others to follow. We need to change our education system to be more

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holistic in including morality again, stressing that getting a good living at the end of it is not the only goal but the goal is to be a good human being first. This should happen in school, but more so when our kids are out of school. We now need to be extra vigilant of the ever-present dangers, of the 21st century boogeymen that are out to get our children. They have a head start on us, and they are turning us against each other at an alarming rate. So, we must come together now more than ever to push back on an individual level. The fate of Bangladesh’s very future hangs in the balance.l

Matthew Islam is a writer, entrepreneur, barrister-at-law, and a Dhaka Tribune columnist. He can be contacted on twitter via @matthewislam or www. facebook.com/thematthewislam.

Opinion

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

Wake up, Bangladesh How can we bounce back from the tragedy of July 1? Bouncing back

Dhaka won’t break

RAJIB DHAR

n Iftikhar Rashid

ust like 9/11 and 7/7, 7/1 will be etched in our memories as a dark day forever. It has been a difficult time for everyone following roundthe-clock development since the Islamist terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka on July 1. We all know at least someone who has lost their family or friends. Two of the victims murdered by the terrorists were acquaintances of mine, including a police officer who was killed in the line of duty. Another friend’s nephew was one of the fortunate hostages who were rescued unharmed by the security forces. We are left shell-shocked in the aftermath of this tragedy. We realise once again in this difficult time how small Dhaka’s social circle is and the need for us to stand by each other.

Close to home

The Holey siege was a fullblown terrorist attack targeting Bangladesh and hitting us close to home. Many of us have frequented this café and restaurant known for its exquisite ambience. There was always something very tranquil about the place, but it will sadly never be the same again. Bangladesh has not witnessed a terrorist attack and hostage crisis of this scale in the recent past. They killed youth, travellers,

The time has come for us to stand together as a nation and build a united front against terrorism. All parties and individuals who believe in a liberal, progressive and peaceful Bangladesh need to rise above their differences to protect national security and foreigners in their attempt to terrorise us and establish an Islamist theocracy.

Wake-up call

The bitter reality is that there are hardcore radicals with extreme hatred and intolerance breeding within our society who are determined to cause bloodshed. No doubt terrorists represent a minuscule population, but we need to admit there is a problem if we are going to find a solution to the ongoing terrorist threat. Bangladesh is facing a long war against terrorism and there can be no room for complacency even if there is interim counterterrorism success. In other words, we have to always be one step ahead of the terrorists. We have to stop looking at radicalisation only as an outcome or product that can be eradicated overnight, but as a complex process involving local and international groups, ideological narratives and communication channels. In this digital age, we need to move beyond the redundant

binaries of “homegrown vs transnational” and “political vs religious” in understanding the evolving nature of Islamist terrorism. Islamist terrorists today have multiple layers of identities and motivations that may be homegrown, transnational, political, and religious, both interchangeably and simultaneously in an increasingly interconnected world. In the backdrop of terrorist trends becoming simultaneously decentralised and deterritorialised, the ongoing debate on “IS vs no IS” is an unnecessary distraction and non-issue undermining counter-terrorism efforts in Bangladesh. There is evidence of increasing terrorist mobilisation in urban environments targeting youth from upper middle class or upper class backgrounds, often studying in private schools and universities. We need to rethink our conventional assumptions that terrorist threats emanate only from poverty and madrasas, thereby developing counter-

terrorism strategies addressing militant indoctrinations in privileged segments of society through study circles veiled as intellectual activism. Roles of families and schools need to be emphasised to support counter-terrorism measures by identifying early warning signs to reverse the radicalisation process before it leads to terrorism. Values of respect, dignity, lawfulness, tolerance, and secularism need to be inculcated amongst the younger generation to prevent terrorist mobilisation. Most importantly, the need of the hour is bi-partisan political consensus to fight terrorism in Bangladesh. The time has come for us to stand together as a nation and build a united front against terrorism. All parties and individuals who believe in a liberal, progressive and peaceful Bangladesh need to rise above their differences to protect national security. In this respect, our two main political parties have large countrywide networks that can be effectively used.

Some say Dhaka will never be the same again. We have to come together to support each other -- those who love their loved ones, youth who are understandably panic-stricken, foreigners who may feel insecure, and each and every one of us still reeling with shock -- to collectively regain our strength as a nation. We need to bounce back to go about leading our daily lives as we used to, living our chosen lifestyles, visiting all the places we want to without being intimidated by Islamist terrorists. We cannot let the terrorists win and this is precisely why the government was right to go ahead with the inauguration of the Dhaka-Chittagong four-lane highway by the Prime Minister in the following day after the attack. We have proven how Bangladesh- our government, leaders and people -- will not succumb to Islamist terrorism. This is the same reason why United States President Barack Obama continued with his prior agenda in Cuba despite the Brussels attack earlier in the year. We need to keep confidence in our military, security forces and law enforcement agencies who have handled the hostage crisis with courage and dedication. We have lost two brave officers in this terrorist attack -- a reminder of how members of various security agencies risk their lives day and night to protect our security. Most importantly, the memories shared in social media show the victims of the terrorist attack epitomised the best of Dhaka’s youthful vigour, vibrancy and joie de vivre. They were full of life and we owe it to their memories to rekindle the unique spirits and energy that makes Dhaka so special. Having said that, let us mourn our losses, reflect on the overall state of our society, and renew our commitment to fight religious obscurantism threatening our country’s founding values as well as everything we stand and aspire for. 7/1 may have been a turning point, but we will not let the terrorists win. Bangladesh deserves better and we will triumph. l Iftikhar Rashid is a political and security analyst based in the National Centre for South Asian Studies, Melbourne, Australia. He is a PhD Candidate, Monash University, Director, Institute of Conflict, Law and Development Studies.

Opinion

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

The creation of a monster How did it get to this point? and communal harmony is the way of life for people of many religions across the nation. But there is also a darker side to our beloved Bangladesh that we have continuously and persistently wiped out of our collective memory. The doctoring of history books in Bangladesh is common knowledge to us all, so it is not surprising that we, the majority, have slowly but surely erased the stories where we are the oppressing majority. We let one act of violence after another fade from our memories, until something so terrible happened that it has scarred our collective memories and forced us to take notice. Every time we looked away when a person from a minority group was attacked, we took one step closer to July 1. It would be simplistic to say that erasure and alteration of collective memory is the only state of events that have led to this day,

monster we no longer know how to fight. Even the projects of development mirror the system we have created -- short-term quick-fix solutions that assume every individual is an economic unit that needs to be empowered, and white-washes the political and social issues that need to be addressed to reach the most vulnerable and oppressed. Starting from our schools, we applaud the highest scores and the best performance, and ignore critical thinking and creativity. We constantly tell our children that they are destined for success -that they are ambitious, confident, and strong -- we say that you, you and only you, are special and in all the noise the “we” gets lost. We forget to tell our children to be humble, to be kind, and to have open minds. Mass media and consumer culture has replaced political

The same system that exploits the weak, persecutes minorities, and ignores the disenfranchised has created a monster we no longer know how to fight Our human rights record is shameful

REUTERS

n Shuprova Tasneem

he horrific incidents of this Friday have wounded the entire nation and left us in mourning. While we struggle to come to terms with what happened, one of the most common questions being asked is, how did it come to this? But truth be told, how did we not think this would happen? Acts of violence have been escalating recently. First they came for the secularists and atheists, then the religious minorities, then the LGBT activists, and now they’ve finally come for us. While the sheer level of violence at Holey has left us shocked and numbed, this attack also means our bubbles have burst. But even before the recent spate of violence, and even before the rise of radical Islam across the world, our slate was not clean. The truth is, minorities have been persecuted in Bangladesh for a long time, and we turned a blind eye as long as it was the sort of terrorism that happened to others. Why is it that only a handful of people talk about the persecution

of the indigenous populations? How many of us remember the massacres at Kaukhali, Logang, Naniachar and many more? What about recent incidents of communal violence, like Ramu? We all know the mass murder of the Hindu population carried out by Pakistan in 1971, but what about their continued persecution in modern day Bangladesh, and the burning and looting of their homes and temples across the country as recently as 2014? Why have we forgotten the desecration of Ahmadiyya mosques, and how people actually campaigned to have them removed from Muslim graveyards? Will the Biharis who lost their family members in the arson attack in 2014 ever get justice? Will we ever speak of the Rohingya refugees languishing on our borders as anything more than just unfortunate outsiders? Is it really a surprise that on the day the massacre at Holey took place, a Hindu priest in Jhenaidah and Buddhist monk in Bandarban were also brutally murdered? Yes, we are a multi-cultural country and yes, co-existence

but it is a crucial part of a much greater problem that is rotting the entire system, not just in Bangladesh, but across the world. The language of human rights has been replaced by the language of economic development, of financial emancipation, and rates of GDP growth. We live in a world where nations are destabilised to prop up the weapons industry, and leaders trade lives in exchange for oil. In our world, we close borders to refugees and push them on boats and let them drift out to die at sea. We live in a world where political establishments spend millions on militarised security and weapons of warfare, while investments in social welfare and the pursuit of knowledge are watered down every day. We live in a world where we turn a blind eye to any number of atrocities, as long as it supports the neoliberal economic system that we accept, without question, to be the Atlas that supports our world. And now, the same system that exploits the weak, persecutes minorities, and ignores the disenfranchised has created a

participation and revolutions with maxed out credit cards and the latest smartphone technology. Our heroes are not humanitarian leaders, philosophers, or writers -- but the individuals who lied the best at job interviews, who did whatever was necessary to beat their competition and won the race to the top. The language of human rights and of the collective has been decimated by the free market, and this has created an ideological vacuum that has slowly been filled in by extremist beliefs, both religious, and of the national farright. The ideology of the individual has poisoned us, and our leaders have fooled us into gladly being the collateral damage in a dangerous game of chess they are playing to decide who gets the world. We, all of us, have created and are part of the system that is now starting to crumble from within. Why are we so surprised when we are faced with the chaos that follows? l Shuprova Tasneem is a Feature Writer at the Dhaka Tribune.

24 Sport

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

TOP STORIES

Of superpowers and supermen The semifinal line-up for the first ever 24-nation Euro has been confirmed and Wales remain the only surprise in their debut tournament. PAGE 25

France book Germany date Olivier Giroud scored twice to take man-of-the-match honours as France thrashed Iceland 5-2 on Sunday to set up a Euro 2016 semi-final clash against world champions Germany. PAGE 26

Federer floors form player Johnson Roger Federer felled high-flying Steve Johnson at Wimbledon yesterday, knocking the wind out of the powerhouse with a 6-2 6-3 7-5 win in the fourth round. PAGE 27

Kumble praises Kohli’s aggression India’s new coach Anil Kumble yesterday said he loved Virat Kohli’s aggression, backing his captain to play his natural brand of cricket which has come in for criticism in the past. PAGE 28

Tamim Iqbal has had to battle hard on and off the field to reach his 2015 form

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Tamim Iqbal, the changemaker n Minhaz Uddin Khan

It was hardly a challenge for Tamim Iqbal to set cricket as his ambition at an early age. Born and raised in a family where sports was given a lot of importance, Tamim knew the path to walk on. His father, the late Iqbal Khan was a talented footballer and sports organiser, and always had a strong influence on him. But his dream took shape of reality when his uncle Akram Khan became a national hero in 1997 through the ICC Trophy win which ensured Bangladesh’s first ever appearance in the World Cup. And if that wasn’t enough, a few years later Tamim saw his elder brother Nafees Iqbal make his debut for Bangladesh at the MA Aziz stadium, a Test venue located just opposite of Tamim’s residence in Chittagong. Though there was no shortage of inspiration at home for the young Tamim, to establish himself as one of the finest openers in international cricket took him some doing. And it wasn’t done in a flash. Tamim has been playing for Bangladesh for nearly a decade, having made his debut in February 2007. Among Test openers during his time in international cricket, Tamim is the seventh highest scorer with 3,118 runs. Among the openers who have made

more than 3,000 runs, Tamim has played the second lowest number of Tests (42) while having the fourth highest strike-rate. He is Bangladesh’s highest run-getter in all three formats, currently. In 2015, Tamim struck two ODI hundreds and his maiden Test double-century, all against Pakistan.

There were many occasions when Tamim spent hours in the nets under Hathurusingha’s supervision, just like Siddons had done from 2008 to 2011 Tamim’s best year in terms of total runs in Tests and ODIs was 2010, in which he struck hundreds against England and India. Tamim’s journey has had many ups and downs which tested his patience and showed his ugly side. He has got into trouble on a number of occasions but to his credit, it didn’t take him long to realise the mistakes. He has been quick to apologise to cricket fans whenever he knew that he had

done something wrong. If 2010 and 2015 were profitable for Tamim, it was not long when he had seen the worst. In 2014 he faced a tough time on the field. More than the bad patch with the bat, it was the criticism that frustrated him. As Tamim later said, he was fine with general criticism about his batting form but what was tough to swallow was the maligning that his family had to face, particularly the theory that he was in the national team for his uncle Akram, who is a Bangladesh Cricket Board director. There were times when he reacted to questions from the media, and stopped talking to the media for large stretches too. He bounced back mightily after a tough 2015 World Cup campaign, reacting strongly after reaching a hundred in the first ODI against Pakistan in April that year. He struck a hundred in the next game, and then came along his double-century in the first Test. Tamim, who credited Jamie Siddons for his rise as an international force, listened closely to what new coach Chandika Hathurusingha had to say about him. There were many occasions when Tamim spent hours in the nets under Hathurusingha’s supervision, just like Siddons had done from 2008 to 2011. Among the things that the me-

dia picked up since his 2015 comeback was his willingness to speak to the media on the day before the match. Tamim is normally very articulate but due to either superstition or to shun himself from the public, he wouldn’t talk to the media on the eve of any international match. Now, he has understood that speaking to the media doesn’t really matter. Those close to him have also observed some subtle changes in his character. A better sense of responsibility, patience and accepting things as they come has been noticed by many. He also said he is giving more value to his training and fitness as he gets older, which is probably another reason why he has improved as a batsman since 2015. Tamim is a food-lover and it has come naturally from the family. But with the passage of time, he started giving paramount attention to fitness. And in the last 14-15 months he was witnessed in his best shape. Given his form and renewed hunger, Tamim will remain a force that bowlers around the world will continue to work on. He will always be Bangladesh’s first line of attack, when previously openers from the nation were more into defending the ball. More importantly, Tamim has changed how Bangladeshi batsmen are perceived at the international stage. l

Sport

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

SEMI-FINALS

There will be another semifinal where the battle of two Real Madrid superstars can eventually give us a new potential champion. Threetime Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo will face Gareth Bale, his clubmate and the world’s most expensive footballer in the high-voltage game

V PORTUGAL

WALES

Stade des Lumieres, Lyon July 6, Wednesday 8pm local time (1am BST) * Bangladesh standard time

HEAD-TO-HEAD PORTUGAL

WALES

Fifa ranking

Matches

Wins

Losses

Draws

Goals scored

Goals against

Of superpowers and supermen n Fazley Rabbi Moon The semifinal line-up for the first ever 24-nation Euro has been confirmed and Wales remain the only surprise in their debut tournament. They will now take over the fairytale mantle after Iceland’s run was ended by France in the last quarterfinal on Sunday. France started the tournament with average results. Things turned worse when they benched their best players – Paul Pogba and Antoine Griezmann – during their group stage game against Albania. But they came back strongly as a team and made themselves a solid contender for the trophy. Griezmann has got better and better and is now the tournament’s top scorer with four goals.

The host nation boosted their confidence with a scintillating performance against Iceland where Olivier Giroud, who scored twice against Iceland, and Dimitri Payet, who also scored and assisted, supported the team with their important contributions. Coach Didier Deschamps seems to have found the right formula in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Griezmann playing close to Giroud up front and is likely to continue with the same formation against Germany, one of the most consistent teams in world football, in the second semifinal on Thursday. Germany will be a different team from the one that beat Italy as they are going to miss a number of important players. Their defence will be missing the suspended Mats

Hummels, who had contributed greatly to Germany’s four-match run without conceding a goal prior to Italy who scored against them in the quarter-finals. Coach Joachim Loew could return to a four-man backline with Benedikt Hoewedes, solid so far, partnering Jerome Boateng in the centre with Jonas Hector and Joshua Kimmich as full-backs. There will be no Mario Gomez who muscled his way into the starting lineup while midfielders Sami Khedira and Bastian Schweinsteiger are both doubtful for the game against France after suffering injuries against Italy. Despite all these worries, their team game led by Mesut Oezil gives them high hopes of playing another major final.

SEMI-FINALS

V FRANCE

GERMANY

Stade Velodrome, Marseille July 7, Thursday 8pm local time (1am BST) * Bangladesh standard time

HEAD-TO-HEAD FRANCE

GERMANY

Fifa ranking

Matches

Wins

Losses

Draws

Goals scored

Goals against

In contrast to the France-Germany match, there will be another semifinal where the battle of two Real Madrid superstars can eventually give us a new potential champion. Three-time Ballon d’Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo will face Gareth Bale, his clubmate and the world’s most expensive footballer in the high-voltage game. Portugal have reached the last four without winning any of their five games inside 90 minutes and there were not any truly convincing performances from them. But, backed by a solid defence, the likes of Ricardo Quaresma, Nani and Ronaldo could strike at any moment. They have not lost in 12 competitive internationals since coach Fernando Santos joined at the start of the Euro 2016 qualifying cam-

paign. The team revolves around Ronaldo even though he sometimes appears to be a domineering presence on his teammates and his insistence on taking every freekick has caused them to waste precious attacking opportunities. On the other hand, debutants Wales were mainly carried on Bale’s shoulders but the attacking responsibilities seem to be spreading through the team with captain Ashley Williams, Hal Robson-Kanu and Sam Vokes scoring in their superb quarter-final victory over Belgium. Still, Bale remains the attacking talisman, a focal point for so much of their forward play, but there is enough talent elsewhere for them not to be considered a one-man side. l

Sport

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

TALKING POINTS Fast and furious After a series of wins that needed last-minute goals, France took control of the game from the start. Olivier Giroud fired the tournament hosts ahead in the 12th minute - the first time France have scored in the first half. And they never let Iceland hit back. The performance was a tough lesson for any England player watching. Paul Pogba, who headed the second goal, played fast and furious after a disappointing start to Euro 2016. With two goals in the final two minutes of the half by Dimitri Payet and Antoine Griezmann, France had already killed off their opponents.

Iceland run out of steam

France’s Paul Pogba heads the ball to score his side’s second goal during their Euro 2016 quarter-final against Iceland at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, France on Sunday AP

Iceland ‘hopeful’ after Euro giantkilling n AFP Gylfi Sigurdsson highlighted Iceland’s pride at confounding expectations at Euro 2016 despite the disappointment of a 5-2 quarter-final defeat by France on Sunday. “I’m very proud. It’s been a fantastic tournament, something special for a small team like us,” said the Swansea City man. “We’ve probably overachieved. It is something no one expected us to do, which is good because it gives kids back home hope that this is possible and hopefully in the future we’ll be back in the finals.” And Sigurdsson believes this generation of Icelandic players can now reach the country’s first ever World Cup in Russia despite the limits of their tiny 330,000 population. “We have problably 10-15 players who are at a really good age and we’ll be looking forward to the World Cup qualifiers which aren’t too far away. The future will be bright for Iceland and we can continue to progress over the next few years,” he said. Arnor Ingvi Traustason said the team’s Euro 2016 heroics had put the country “on the map”. However, the Rapid Vienna midfielder insisted defeat should not diminish Iceland’s pride at making their mark. l

Giroud nets twice as France book Germany date n AFP

Olivier Giroud scored twice to take man-of-the-match honours as France thrashed Iceland 5-2 on Sunday to set up a Euro 2016 semi-final clash against world champions Germany. Giroud fired France ahead after just 12 minutes at a rain-drenched Stade de France and got his second after the break as the hosts put down the tournament giantkillers who beat England 2-1. Paul Pogba headed his first goal of the tournament before Antoine Griezmann fed Dimitri Payet to score the third and then made a brilliant chip to become the tournament’s top scorer on four goals. Iceland put on another neversay-die performance though. Kolbeinn Sigthorsson and Birkir Bjarnason exposed France’s defence and Giroud was quick to pay tribute to his opponents. He could well have had a hattrick but was brought off after his second goal because he has a yellow card hanging over him and could not risk a second booking and a suspension. Didier Deschamps’ men will take on Germany in Marseille on Thursday for a place in the final, while Iceland will return home as heroes after a remarkable run in

their first appearance at a major tournament. Iceland, who had never beaten France in 11 attempts, kept faith with the side that shocked England, making European Championship history as the first team to name an unchanged line-up for their first five matches. Samuel Umtiti became the first French outfield player to make his international debut during a major finals since 1966 as the Barcelona-bound defender replaced the suspended Adil Rami. Moussa Sissoko filled in for N’Golo Kante, who was also serving a one-match ban, on the right side of midfield as Deschamps stuck with the 4-2-3-1 that helped France fight back to beat the Republic of Ireland in the last 16. Sluggish starts have been a hallmark of France matches in the tournament, but the hosts quickly seized control and Iceland goalkeeper Hannes Halldorsson had to smother Payet’s early effort at the second attempt. It took less than a quarter hour for France to make the breakthrough though. Giroud raced onto Blaise Matuidi’s floated ball over the defence and drilled through Halldorsson’s legs. Iceland, who fought back in style against England after conced-

ing an early opener, could not replicate that response and fell further behind on 20 minutes. Griezmann’s right-wing corner found a leaping Pogba who towered above Jon Dadi Bodvarsson to power in his first goal of the European Championship. Bodvarsson fired over the bar after Aron Gunnarsson’s long throw but caused trouble inside the French penalty area. But Les Bleus had wrapped up their place in the last four by half-time. After Giroud knocked down a looping cross to Griezmann, the Atletico Madrid striker teed up Payet whose low drive whistled into the far corner two minutes before the break. Griezmann tucked away France’s fourth on the stroke of the interval, running onto Giroud’s pass and lifting the ball over Halldorsson. Sigthorsson scored for the second game running after poking in Gylfi Sigurdsson’s cross on 56 minutes. But France replied with Giroud beating Halldorsson to a Payet freekick immediately before the Arsenal striker was withdrawn. Iceland were rewarded for their perseverence though as they grabbed a second goal when Bjarnason headed in Ari Skulason’s cross on 84 minutes. l

It was another brave never-saydie Iceland performance but they looked jaded, as if they have not had time to recover from their glorious 2-1 win over England. Captain Aron Gunarsson had one of the rare threatening moments with his trademark long throw-in into the France penalty area and Jon Dadi Bodvarsson volleyed the ball just over. His throw in the second half eventually led to Iceland’s goal by Kolbeinn Sigthorsson. Even when losing badly, they poured forward looking to score. Iceland have made their mark.

Dynamic attack Difficult to choose which of the French players is most on form heading into the crunch semi-final against Germany on Thursday - and that must please French coach Didier Deschamps. Man-of-the-match Olivier Giroud scored two great goals from his only two chances, rising majestically above the Iceland defence to head his second before he was taken off. Antoine Griezmann brutally exposed the Iceland defence with his chipped goal that was the 100th scored at Euro 2016.

Defence doubts The only worry for Didier Deschamps must be his defence. How did they fall for the Aron Gunarsson throw that led to Iceland’s first goal? Substitute Sverrir Ingason had a clear chance for a second that produced a world-class save by France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Birkir Bjarnason was completely unmarked when he headed Iceland’s second goal.

Going out with grace With Viking-like horned helmets, big beards, and a serious sense of fun, Iceland’s fans charmed everyone they met from Marseille to Paris at Euro 2016. Before Sunday’s match several thousand gathered at bars outside Paris nightspot Moulin Rouge for what most already suspected would be one last party in France. l

Sport

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

Federer floors form player Johnson

DAY’S WATCH TUESDAY

TENNIS Star Sports 1, 4 6:00PM

n Reuters

Wimbledon Championships 2016

CRICKET Star Sports 1 11:30PM Sri Lanka Tour of England 1st T20I

WEDNESDAY

TENNIS Star Sports 1, 4 6:00PM Wimbledon Championships 2016

CRICKET Sony SIX 4:30AM Caribbean Premier League T20 St Kitts & Nevis v Barbados

Star Sports 2 11:30PM Natwest T20 Blast 2016 Gloucestershire v Surrey

THURSDAY

TENNIS Star Sports 1 6:00PM Wimbledon Championships 2016

FOOTBALL Sony Six 1:00AM Euro 2016 : Semi Final 1 Portugal v Wales

FRIDAY

CRICKET Star Sports 2 11:30PM Natwest T20 Blast 2016 Surrey v Somerset

TENNIS Star Sports 1 6:00PM Wimbledon Championships 2016

FOOTBALL Sony Six 1:00AM

Euro 2016 : SEMI Final 2 Germany v France

CRICKET Sony Six 4:30AM

Caribbean PREMIER League T20 Guyana v Jamaica

Switzerland’s Roger Federer in action against USA’s Steve Johnson at the Wimbledon Championships yesterday

Morgan admits ‘big concern’ over Bangladesh n Cricinfo Eoin Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, has admitted there are “big concerns” over the security of the team’s tour to Bangladesh later this year following last week’s terrorist attack in Dhaka. The ECB have said they will follow government advice - and guidance from their highly regarded head of security Reg Dickason - to decide whether the tour will take place as planned with England due to fly out on September 30. “I think it is quite a big concern at the moment,” Morgan said. “We’ve always left the big decisions to the ECB. They write reports, send guys out to see if it’s safe then come back to the players to see if they’re happy or unhappy. But certainly it’s a concern at the moment.” When asked about the potential of moving the tour to a neutral location, Morgan said: “I think that could be feasible if that came to it.” On Sunday, the BCB president Nazmul Hassan said he understood the reaction to the attack but hoped that the tour would still go ahead. “I have seen England’s reaction, which is quite normal. We would have done the same thing if we were in their position.” l

REUTERS

Roger Federer felled high-flying Steve Johnson at Wimbledon yesterday, knocking the wind out of the powerhouse with a 6-2 6-3 7-5 win in the fourth round. Despite considerable pre-match hype about Johnson, fresh from victory at the Nottingham grasscourt event, there was to be no Independence Day party for the burly American, as Federer showed more than enough to suggest he remains on track for a record eighth Wimbledon men’s singles crown. While Andy Murray-supporting Brits have been rubbing their hands with glee over Novak Djokovic’s shock third-round defeat, the biggest beneficiary of the Serb’s removal may yet prove to be third seed Federer, who yesterday drew level with Martina Navratilova on a record 306 grand slam singles match wins. In the quarter-finals, Federer will play Croatian ninth seed Marin Cilic who advanced after his opponent, Japanese fifth seed Kei Nishikori, retired injured while trailing 6-1 5-1. l

‘Rough ride awaiting Amir’ n AFP

England captain Alastair Cook believes Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir will face a tough reception from fans should he return to Test cricket at Lord’s later this month. Left-arm fast bowler Amir’s exciting career came to a shuddering halt at Lord’s in 2010 when, during a Test against England, he and new-ball partner Mohammad Asif were caught bowling no-balls to order on the instructions of captain Salman Butt as part of a sting operation carried out by a tabloid newspaper. All three received five-year bans from cricket and, together with sports agent Mazhar Majeed, jail terms. Amir, who served three months in an English young offenders institute, has only featured in the game’s shorter formats since his return to Pakistan duty in January. But the 24-year-old’s career could come full circle when the first of a four-Test series against England starts at Lord’s on July 14. Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq has backed Amir, currently playing in the team’s opening tour match against Somerset in Taunton, to become the best bowler in the world. But Cook says he will likely have to deal with some taunts from

spectators first. “I’m sure there will be a reaction and that is right,” said Cook at a sponsor’s event. “That is part and parcel, that when you do something like that there are more consequences than just the punishment - that is something for him to cope with, whatever comes his way.” Opening batsman Cook, who played in the controversial 2010 Lord’s Test, added: “It won’t affect us as a side, we will concentrate on what we can concentrate on. “The media will ask questions about it but it will not affect us.” Meanwhile Cook reiterated his call for future fixers to be hit with lifebans while saying he had no qualms

about playing against Amir again. “Whether I agreed or disagreed with the punishment, he got it, served his time and he is absolutely right to come back. “You’d have to speak to him. What he did wasn’t good, but he served his punishment then. “It hasn’t happened and the ICC (International Cricket Council) haven’t made any big statements, but if I was in charge if you got caught once that would be it - one strike and you’re out.” England paceman Stuart Broad made his highest Test score of 169 during the now infamous match at Lord’s, an innings that was quickly overshadowed by the spot-fixing furore. l

Sport

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

Report: Messi to return for Argentina in November n Agencies Lionel Messi has rethought his sensational decision to retire from international football, according to Argentinian newspaper La Nacion. Following his country’s latest loss in a competition final against Chile in the Copa America, in which he missed a spot-kick in the penalty shootout, Messi said that he was done with the national team after gaining a fourth silver medal in major competitions. In the last three years, Messi and Argentina have finished runners-up to World Champions Germany in 2014, and have also lost in the last two finals of the Copa America, being beaten by Chile on penalties on both occasions. Messi, 29, has now reported-

ly rethought his decision to retire early from national duty, and could play in Argentina’s World Cup qualifiers in November, missing their matches in September. Messi’s decision to end his international career had been the subject of much speculation and comment, and Brazilian legend Pele recently urged Messi to reconsider his international retirement. “In the last 10 years, no doubt he was the best player. What happened to him happens in football. Only the one who kicks the penalty can miss the penalty”, he told Sky Sports. “He got very upset but maybe wait a little bit and he’ll forget because this has happened with a lot of good players. A lot of good players have missed penalty kicks. The

last 15 years, for me, he was one of the best players in the world and this is more important.” Messi’s Barcelona teammate Luis Suarez has also commented on the premature retirement, stating that he is “sure” that the Argentine forward will reverse his decision, and even Argentina president Mauricio Macri has chimed in, reportedly congratulating Messi for his role in La Albiceleste’s run to the final. Messi became his country’s leading goal scorer during the Copa America, notching his 55th goal against the USA during Argentina’s 4-0 win. His only tournament success with Argentina remains the 2008 Summer Olympics, where they won gold after beating Nigeria 1-0 in the final, with PSG forward Angel Di Maria scoring the decisive goal. l

Phelps veteran presence on fresh-faced US Olympic team n AFP

Michael Phelps will bring down the curtain on his stellar Olympic career in Rio, heading a US swimming team packed with newcomers eager to stamp themselves the future of the sport. Phelps and his gang of ageing warriors that includes Ryan Lochte, Nathan Adrian and Anthony Ervin have one thing in common with the 30 first timers: They all must

swim faster than they did at the eight-day US trials if they want to dominate in the competition pool as they have in Games past. US men’s head coach Bob Bowman, who has guided Phelps throughout a career that spans four prior Olympics that yielded 22 medals, 18 of them gold, believes they can. “One of the things that we have always done well, better than anyone else, is improve from the trials to the Games,” Bowman said. “And

I’m confident we’re going to do that again. “And quite frankly we’re going to have to do that if we want to have the kind of Olympics that we are expected to have and want to have.” The United States topped the swimming medals table in London 31 total, 16 gold. While the trials that concluded on Sunday produced a string of tight races and the compelling drama that comes of knowing only

the top two in each event will book Olympic berths, the times were not especially fast. No world records were broken and just one American record was set by Josh Prenot in the 200m breaststroke. Katie Ledecky, the surprise 800m gold medallist in London, underscored her freestyle dominance with victories in the 200m, 400m and 800m free while Maya DiRado won both women’s med-

leys and the 200m backstroke to book three individual swims in her first Olympic Games. Phelps was the only other swimmer to win three events at trials the 100m and 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley. “I thought his times this week were mediocre,” Bowman admitted, but added he was “crystal clear” on what needed to be done in the weeks leading up to Rio to rectify that. l

Aggressive? Love it, says Kumble of India’s Kohli n AFP India’s new coach Anil Kumble yesterday said he loved Virat Kohli’s aggression, backing his captain to play his natural brand of cricket which has come in for criticism in the past. Kumble was speaking ahead of India’s four-Test tour of West Indies, his first assignment with the national team since his appointment last month. “I love his aggression. I was no different. I was also aggressive (though) very different in terms of the way we probably come across on the field,” he said at a news conference in Bangalore on the eve of departure. “I’d be the last person to curb someone’s natural aggression. But of course we all know how important it is to be the ambassador of India and to be a part of the Indian cricket team,” said the former spin-

ner, who was India’s most successful bowler in Test and ODI cricket. Kohli, 27, who took over as Test captain from Mahendra Singh Dhoni against Australia last year, was at the forefront of on-field confrontations during that series, prompting tough scrutiny of his leadership style. While some critics tagged him as firebrand and a spoilt brat, Kohli has been credited with instilling a more positive mindset among the team, currently ranked second behind Australia in the Test rankings. Kumble however cautioned his players from crossing the “thin line” and reminded them of their status as role models to adoring fans back home. “Of course we all know how important it is to the ambassadors of India and to be a part of the Indian cricket team,” he said. “That everybody in the team understands and we will ensure that,” he said. l

Indian Test cricket team captain Virat Kohli dives to take a catch during the team’s practice session at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore yesterday. The Indian team is taking part in a preparatory camp ahead of their West Indies Test tour AFP

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Pretended (4) 4 Church recess (4) 8 Encountered (3) 9 Tart (4) 10 Thunder god (4) 11 German river (5) 12 Flying toy (4) 14 Make brown (3) 15 Flow back (3) 17 Ovum (3) 19 Short sleep (3) 21 Brightness of colour (4) 23 American state (5) 26 Untamed (4) 27 Grotto (4) 28 Marsh (3) 29 Paradise (4) 30 Repose (4)

DOWN 1 Literary ridicule (6) 2 In a frenzy (4) 3 Worth (5) 4 Tree (3) 5 Self-possession (5) 6 Heavenly body (3) 7 Before (3) 11 Of the kidneys (5) 13 Dance (5) 16 Outlaw (6) 18 Burial place (5) 20 Strength (5) 22 Drink (4) 23 Frozen treat (3) 24 Father (3) 25 Female bird (3)

Downtime

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 20 represents P so fill P every time the figure 20 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

Showtime

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

Eid with Tarzan and Ice age

Eid specials on TV | single episode drama | mistake. Written and directed by Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Raj, the drama casts Jahid Hassan, Moushumi Hamid.

n Showtime Desk Star Cineplex Bashundhara is set to excite cinema lovers with a line up of fun films. Cineplex has released The legend of Tarzan on July 1, on the same date as the world release. Also, they are going to release Ice Age: Collision Course before the world premier. It is going to be an exciting moment for the Bangladeshi audience.

years ago. Directed by David Yates and written by Adam Cozad and Craig Brewer, its cast comprises Alexander Skarsgård as the title character, Samuel L Jackson, Margot Robbie, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadbent and Christoph Waltz.

Tarzan is a famous fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilisation only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan first appeared in the novel Tarzan of the Apes (magazine publication 1912, book publication 1914), and subsequently in twentyfive sequels, several authorised books by other authors, and innumerable works in other media, both authorised and unauthorised. This time, The Legend of Tarzan is a 2016 adventure based on the fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs almost 101

Ice Age: Collision Course is a 2016 American 3D animated adventure film directed by Mike Thurmeier and Galen T Chu and written by Michael J Wilson. It is the fifth instalment in the Ice Age film series and a sequel to 2012’s Ice Age: Continental Drift. The film stars Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Keke Palmer, Jennifer Lopez, Simon Pregg and Chris Wedge all reprise their roles from previous films. New additions to the cast includeJesse Tyler Ferguson, Adam DeVine, Nick Offerman, Max Greenfield, Stephanie Beatriz, Melissa Rauch, Carlos Ponce, Michael Strahan, Jessie J and Neil deGrasse Tyson. The film is scheduled for release in the United States on July 22, 2016, by 20th Century Fox in 2D and 3D. l

Golpota Purano Hobe Na Maasranga TV, Third Day of Eid, at 10:30pm Pulok’s wife Ayesha feels that her husband doesn’t accommodate enough time for her. So she buys five days from Pulok by paying him his five day’s salary. They go on a holiday in Cox’s Bazar for five days. During these five days Ayesha ignores Pulok, comes home late at night, eats outside and doesn’t give Pulok time. Pulok realises his

Sharariitu NTV, Fifth Day of Eid, 11:30pm For the first time, noted actor Afzal Hossain and model-actress Mehzabien Chowdhury paired up for a TV drama. Directed by Imraul Rafat, the TV drama depicts Afzal Hossain as a realist painter who decides to draw the painting of a girl in the backdrop of six different seasons. After some searching for his desired model, he finally finds Abantika, played by Mehzabien. Shibu Kumar Shil wrote the screenplay for the drama based on a story idea by Imraul Rafat.

Dhoris Na Morey Jabo Boishakhi TV, Fourth Day of Eid, 7:35pm Unable to handle the pressure of poverty and the inability to marry off his daughter, a father named Fayez finally decides to commit suicide. Right before, the angel of death appears before him, awarding Fayez a wish. Once the wish is granted, Fayez tries to become successful. Written and directed by Tariq Anam Khan, the drama casts Tariq Anam Khan in the lead role.

Dukkhito Maasranga TV, Fourth day of Eid, at 10:30pm Masum who lives in Old Dhaka and wastes all his day by fooling around, loves Riya, who lives in the same area. But Riya despises his habit of annoying and scaring people. Masum one day explains the reasons behind his actions and eventually Riya

Bhinnorokom Prem Maasranga TV, Sixth day of Eid, at 10:30pm Khushi and Joy are two cyclists who study at the same university. Joy has a crush on Khushi but falls short of words everytime he goes to Khushi to express his feelings. He tries many tactics to win over Khushi but all end up as blunders. At one point, Khushi’s father grounds her in her home. However, the two end up falling in love with each other. Written and directed by Asif Iqbal Jewel, the drama casts Nayeem and Shokh. l

it is a puzzle for Shoummo to find the real Bithi. Written by Moshiul Alam and directed by

Rusho Rakib, the telefilm casts Apurbo, Momo and Shompa Reza. l

| telefilm |

| reality show |

Krishoker Eid Anondo With a unique combination of game, humour and information, Channel I brings to you, one of its signature show Krishoker Eid Anondo. Shykh Seraj, the originator of the popular agriculture-based show Hridoy e Mati O Manush, has added new flavours to the Eid special programme, this time shot at Sandwip, an island along the south eastern coast of Bangladesh in the district of Chittagong. The farmers will be seen engaging in different games on Horishpur field situated on the

Mon Kharaper Drishyaboli RTV, Fifth Day of Eid, 8:30pm Actor Riaz and Mou paired up for the TV drama Mon Kharaper Drishyaboli. The story of the TV drama follows Raiz, whose wife recently departed in a foreign country to pursue her career. On the other hand, Riaz unexpectedly meets his old friend Mou. Written and directed by Koushik Shankar Das, the TV drama avoids theatrical treats and depicts the lives of the characters more realistically instead. The drama also casts Mehrin Islam Nisha, Fakhrul Bashar Masum and Mili Bashar.

has a change of heart. Written by Litu Sakhawat and directed by Sakhawat Shibli, the drama casts Chanchal Chowdhury, Oporna and Amirul Islam Chowdhury.

estuary of the Bay of Bengal and the Meghna River. The show will be aired at 4:30pm, on the second day of Eid. l

Bhalobashar Ogniroth MaasrangaTV, Sixth day of Eid, at 2:40pm Shoummo’s mother wants Shoummo to get married and shows him pictures of potential matches. But Shoummo is reluctant. One day when Shoummo was returning from Sylhet, he is introduced with a beautiful girl named Bithi. He falls in love at first sight but returned without her phone number. After returning home he finds Bithi in a photo that his mother had brought to show him. He wants to get engaged with Bithi but finds that Bithi has a twin sister. Now

Two bands with different plans

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

GP Music brings Eid 100

n Farhan Shahriar

What makes your ears feel good? Good music with good composition? Yes, that’s right. The combination of all these elements leads to the creation of good music. Two of the most trending and successful Bangladeshi bands that follow this lead is Shunno and the band Lalon. Both of the bands have been producing unique style of music and this is has allowe them to earn exposure and gain fame. Showtime had a quick chat with them to find out their plans for Eid.

To make Eid celebrations more delightful, GP Music is presenting music lovers of Bangladesh with GP Music Eid 100, an exclusive collection of hundreds of albums and singles. GP Music’s latest collection, which follows the theme “Non Stop Celebration, Non Stop Music,” includes tracks by artistes like Tahsan, Shafin Ahmed, Kumar Bishwajit, Bappa Mazumder, Julee, Balam, Nancy, Kona, Joy Shahriar, Adit, Fuad, Mala and others. Moreover, there will be exclusive songs by promising young musicians like Imran, Minar, Pritom, Earnnick and more. The coveted release list also includes a brand new single from celebrated band Artcell, together with a new album by popular band Obscure. Bangladeshi artistes living beyond the border are also bringing their collection to GP Music Eid 100. Lokkhi Terra, Shikhor Bangladesh All Stars and Shapla Salique who are representing Bangladesh in the international arena will be making their marks on the music lovers’ playlists this Eid. In

is bringing the new track to their listeners. Also, they will be working with new songs, composing songs for a new album along with making a music video for the new singles. After Eid, we will see Shunno live in a few of the upcoming concerts. They won’t perform in rock nation this year.

Shunno Alternative rock band Shunno is planning to do television shows this Eid 2016. However, they didn’t sort out the channels yet.

Alongside that, they’ve already released a new single “Jhoriye Dao” which is available in the Robi Yonder Music Bangladesh app. Right now, their first priority

Lalon Folk rock fusion band Lalon is planning not to do any shows this Eid. They will be active again after Eid. Currently, they are working on two albums: Tribute to fakir Lalon Shai which consists of groovy and unplugged tracks. The other one is Shadakalo. They will come up with back to back shows and live concerts right after Eid. Moreover, they will also not perform in the upcoming rock nation. l

Showtime

addition, the collection features songs by international musical sensations like Papon and Subhamita.

GP Music Eid 100 is a joint collaboration of the Independent Artiste Community and major record labels of Bangladesh like G Series, CMV, CD Choice, Eagle Music, Gaanchill Music, Sangeeta, Soundtek and more. Aside from hundreds of new album and singles, GP Music will also feature artiste-curated special playlists along with GP Music Billboard Hot 50 — a list of 50 most streamed songs of the year so far. GP Music is available on both Play Store and App Store for android and iOS users. The service can also be used from computer through its website www.gpmusic.co. l

Back Page

TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016

UNIQLO SUSPENDS DHAKA TRAVEL, OTHERS REVIEWING OPERATIONS PAGE 12

TWO BANDS WITH DIFFERENT PLANS

PAGE 31

Bhutan opposition AQIS urges Indian Muslims to mount lone wolf attacks protests BBIN n transport deal Reuters, New Delhi

n Tribune Desk Afraid of pollution and environmental destruction, the opposition party and members of Bhutan civil society oppose the ratification of the Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and India (BBIN) motor vehicle agreement. The National Assembly, the lower house of the Bhutanese parliament, ratified the agreement, but in the face of stiff resistance. Of the 41 MPs present and voting, only 28 voted in favour of the agreement. Transport ministers of the four countries signed the agreement in June 2015 in Thimphu. The agreement has been ratified by all the other concerned countries. The idea of the BBIN bloc was initially approved during the 18th Saarc summit in Nepal in 2014. The BBIN motor vehicle agreement is supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which has argued that it would lower non-tariff barriers and benefit all the countries involved. The motor vehicle agreement was seen as a first step in a regional trading bloc that would include joint power projects, including hydro-power projects. According to the plan, the participating countries were supposed to negotiate, outline and finalise the necessary state-to-state or regional agreements by the end of 2015.

Anxiety in Bhutan

Unusually, Bhutan objected. During the winter session of the parliament, the governing People’s Democratic Party (PDP) failed to secure enough votes for ratification.Since the signing of the agreement, the members of Bhutanese civil society, especially netizens, have openly criticised the incumbent government for inviting what they call a grave threat to the country, while truckers and other drivers raised their concerns during public consultations since they fear that Bhutanese truckers and bus drivers would lose business.

Opposition says little gain, big losses

In an interview, opposition leader, Pema Gyamtsho, said: “The question we have to ask is; is there a need of BBIN for a small country like Bhutan?” This was especially the case because environment conservation is a prime mandate in Bhutan’s Constitution, and it is one of the four pillars of Gross National Happiness (GNH) based on which every developmental activity is drawn and implemented by the government. Bhutan has a commitment to remain carbon neutral, and some environmentalists have said that joining BBIN would also make this difficult. Pema Gyamtsho said: “We are concerned that because of our location, and size in terms of economy and population, number of vehicles, size and length of road.” “Economically we do not see any benefit from joining BBIN,” said the opposition leader. Environmentally it would be a disaster. There would be increased pollution including solid waste, and forests, water and land would come under severe pressure, he said. “We would not be able to enforce our otherwise strict regulations.” The government, however, claims that it will be able to safeguard both the country’s environment and the transport industry by negotiating protocols, so that they would not automatically allow entry of vehicles. This would, though, defeat the very purpose of the agreement. The nod by the lower house of Parliament is only the first step in the ratification process. The agreement will now have to be ratified by the upper house — called the National Council. l

A regional branch of al-Qaeda urged Muslims in India to revolt and carry out lone wolf attacks, a US monitoring site reported, days after the rival jihadi movement Islamic State claimed responsibility for Bangladesh’s worst militant attack. The call by al-Qaeda in the Indian

Subcontinent (AQIS) follows warnings by security officials and experts that the two groups are trying to outdo each other in the region and claim the mantle of global jihad. An online audio message purportedly from Asim Umar, the head of AQIS, said Indian Muslims must follow the example of youths in Europe and strike against Indian police and senior

officials, holding them responsible for communal violence. “Start Jihad with the strength which Allah has already granted you. Kill the senior officers of institutions and administrative departments that get (people to) start these riots,” AQIS said, according to US intelligence group SITE. Reuters could not verify the authenticity of the recording. l

The article was first published in thethirdpole.net, and an excerpt of it is being republished under Creative Commons’ AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 England & Wales License.

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