26 Aug, 2016 by DhakaTribune

SECOND EDITION

A month of eviction devastation n Abu Hayat Mahmud Helal Uddin, a self-made and hard working businessman, is at his wit's end. He was the owner of Everest Restaurant in Uttara, a fledgling business that was running on loss, but slowly making its name. He and his partner had invested Tk30 lakh in the restaurant. On July 25, all his dreams came undone when the arm of a backhoe loader came crashing down on his decorated storefront. It was the first day of an eviction drive by the city development authority against all commercial establishments located in three of Dhaka's upscale neighbourhoods. That day Rajuk closed down 10 businesses on that road. Helal is by no means the only victim of Rajuk's sudden vigour, spurred by supposed security concerns after the terrorist attack at a Gulshan restaurant on July 1. In the last 30 days, Rajuk has carried out around 15 drives in Dhanmondi, Gulshan and Uttara Residential Model Town, demolishing or shutting down restaurants, schools, hotels and all sorts of establishments. Helal cannot figure out how to  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

The month-long eviction drive by Rajuk has seen many such scenes of demolition. Here in a file photo, the front of a commercial establishment is bulldozed as part of the drive in Gulshan MEHEDI HASAN

'You'll die and cause our deaths too' n Bangla Tribune

Mohitul who sued Mujib killers dies n Tribune Desk AFM Mohitul Islam, a personal assistant to Bangabandhu who filed the murder case, died at a hospital in Dhaka yesterday. He was 63. Mohitul breathed his last at 2:55pm at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. Mohitul was kept under life support at the ICU of BSMMU for the last 28 days. But his condition deteriorated on Tuesday. He was admitted to the hospital  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Bangabandhu's personal secretary AFM Mohitul Islam was there at the Dhanmondi 32 residence on the fateful August 15 night when Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family were killed. He was one of the few survivors. After 1975, he tried repeatedly to file a case for the August 15 killings – but was denied every time. Finally, in 1996, he became the plaintiff of the Bangabandhu killing case which eventually delivered the long-awaited justice in 2010. Mohitul, a witness to many of the country's historical moments, died yesterday. Following the execution of several killers of Bangabandhu, Mohitul recollected some of the challenges he faced. “I tried to file a case once on October 23, 1976. I went to the Lalbagh police station to file a case without the government's permission. After listening to the case description, the duty officer slapped

me and said 'you will die and cause our deaths as well'.” During the hearing of the Bangabandhu killing case, Mohitul told the court: “I believed that the killers would at least spare the kid,

When I stood in line, Russel came and grabbed onto me. He asked me ‘Bhaia, they won’t kill me, will they?’ [Sheikh] Russel. It is from that belief I told Russel 'No Bhaia, they will not kill you'.” Mohitul was one of the few eyewitnesses who described the gruesome assassination of Bangabandhu and his family. Standing as a plaintiff, Mohitul told the court how Maj Faruk asked

something to Maj Bajlul Huda – who was positioned at the gate during the murders. Maj Bajlul Huda replied: “All are finished.” Mohitul described how Bangabandhu and his family stood courageous and served the people until their dying moments. No family member asked for mercy from the murderers carrying out a heinous killing spree. When Fazilatunnesa Mujib saw Bangabandhu's body on the floor, she told the killers: “You should kill me right here.” On September 26, 1975, self-declared president Khandaker Mushtaq issued the indemnity ordinance to protect Bangabandhu's killers. After the then BNP government approved the ordinance as a law in 1979, there had not been any talk about Bangabandhu's murder or a trial; but it all changed after 1996. After many attempts over the years, on October 2, 1996, Mohitul finally filed an FIR with Dhanmondi police station. During years when  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

INSIDE

Ctg toxic leak threatens to destroy aquatic life A huge amount of ammonia gas emitted from a state-owned fertiliser factory in Anwara, Chittagong has taken a heavy toll on the aquatic life in the surrounding areas and threatens to do further damage.  PAGE 5

Italy quake death toll nears 250 The death toll from a devastating earthquake in central Italy reached at least 241 people yesterday and could rise further after rescue teams worked through the night to try to find survivors under the rubble of flattened towns.  PAGE 32

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Dhaka, Riyadh vow boosting military cooperation n Tribune Desk “We want to go ahead further for bolstering military cooperation, and there could be high-level visits of defence personnel between the two brotherly countries,” said the Saudi deputy minister of defence. Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia have vowed to strengthen the military cooperation between the two brotherly countries for their mutual benefits.

Mystery shrouds over the death of two siblings n FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

Police recovered the bodies of two siblings from a house of a slum in Chittagong city’s Railway Colony under Khulshi police station yesterday. The deceased were identified as Kamrul Islam, 36 and Nurul Absar, 34, both sons of Ledu Mia hailing from Comilla, told Officer-inCharge (OC) Nizam Uddin of Khulshi police station to Dhaka Tribune. “Both the brothers were the day laborers while their bodies were found in a room locked from inside in a slum of Railway Colony at around 7:30pm, “ said OC Nizam Uddin. Assistant Commissioner (AC) Jahangir Alam of Panchlaish Zone of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) said: “Their deaths are mysterious as the bodies did not bear any mark of injury.” l

The views came when visiting Saudi Deputy Minister of Defence Mohammad Bin Abdullah Al-Aish paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official

Ganabhaban residence yesterday morning, reports BSS. Various aspects of cooperation in different sectors including defence were tabled at the meeting, Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. “We want to go ahead further for bolstering military cooperation, and there could be high-level visits of defence personnel between the two brotherly countries,” said the

Saudi deputy minister of defence. The premier reiterated Bangladesh’s commitment to protecting of two holy mosques of Saudi Arabia. “We would extend all sorts of cooperation for protecting of the Masjid-Al Haram in Makkah and Masjid-e Nababi in Madina,” said Sheikh Hasina. Describing Saudi Arabia as a “great friend” of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina said Saudi Arabia

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

‘You’ll die and cause our deaths too’ Bangabandhu’s achievements were being removed from the country, Mohitul was brave enough to try and file a murder case. Recalling the traumatic experience of August 15, Mohitul had said that all survivors – each one of them injured and in a bloodied state – were forced to stand in a line at Dhanmondi 32 until 10am. Later an army vehicle carried everyone to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Three days later, Mohitul managed to sneak out through the back of the medical ward, only to be captured again. Mohitul was provided police protection after he filed the Bangabandhu killing case in 1996, but the added security measure was withdrawn after the BNP-led government came to power in 2001. It meant a return of the sufferings Mohitul had to endure between 1975 and 1996. The plaintiff had to go into hiding as unknown people regularly came to his home looking for him. But through it all, Mohitul re-

lived his traumatic memories to let Bangladesh know the truth about the horrible atrocities committed on August 15. Earlier, Mohitul told this correspondent how he got the job as Bangabandhu’s personal secretary. “I was a member of Mujib Bahini during the Liberation War.” When he surrendered his weapon to Bangabandhu, Mohitul initially got a job as a branch assistant. “On one occasion, when I brought a file from the chief secretary’s office to Bangabandhu, he took a liking to me and assigned me as his personal assistant at his Dhanmondi 32 residence. The work was receiving calls on behalf of the president and following protocol. “The house’s handyman Motin woke me up [on August 15] and told me the president was calling me. After a few moments, Bangabandhu came down himself. I dialled the phone call which turned out to be the last one of Bangabandhu’s life,” Mohitul recalled. “As soon as Sheikh Kamal came

has special place in the hearts of Bangladeshi people. When the Saudi deputy minister said his country wants to protect its border, the premier said there is an international standard academy of Border Guard Bangladesh through which the Saudi border guards could be provided training. The Saudi deputy minister also sought Bangladesh’s technical cooperation for the development Saudi Air Force. l

Mohitul dies

down, several killers entered the house. Within moments, they opened fire and his [Kamal’s] body became still. Their bullets also injured several others including myself and a constable of SB. The killers then pulled us by the hair and forced us to stand in a line. “When I stood in line, Russel came and grabbed onto me. He asked me ‘Bhaia, they won’t kill me, will they?’ I gave him assurance. I felt the this innocent child would be spared. He was crying to go to his mother. But one of the killers promised to take him to his mother before shooting him,” Mohitul said. On November 19, 2009, the Appellate Division upheld 12 death sentences issued by High Court and rejected appeals from five death row convicts in the Bangabandhu killing case. In 2010, five of Bangabandhu’s killers – Syed Farooq Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Mohiuddin Ahmed – were hanged to death for their crimes. l

on July 11 with kidney complications. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have expressed deep shock at his death. A residential personal assistant to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Mohitul filed the murder case on October 2, 1996 when the Awami League came to power 21 years after the assassination of Bangabandhu. The delayed trial process began after Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina scrapped the infamous Indemnity Act which until then had protected the killers from justice. Mohitul lodged the complaint with Dhanmondi police, and later testified as a prime witness in the case on July 6, 1997. According to his last wish, he would be buried beside his parents’ graves at Kashimpur village under Monirampur of Jessore, said his nephew Mahbubul Islam Pitul. His first namaz-e-janaza was held on the hospital premise and another at Mirpur 14. l

However, some owners are unwilling to give up just yet. Proprietor of a demolished restaurant in Dhanmondi said: “I have a legal and valid trade licence from the city corporation. So I have filed a writ petition with the court to get a stay order on the eviction.” He said despite the crores he had lost in the demolition, he planned to restart the business if the court stayed an order on the Rajuk’s drive. On April 4 Rajuk announced that all of Dhaka city’s unauthorised commercial establishments, including bars, residential hotels and private universities will be moved from residential areas within the next six months. Urban planning experts have criticised this decision, saying instead of carrying out a sudden drive to evict establishments that will likely leave many people without jobs, the government and Rajuk should instead move forward with a well thought-out plan.

According to Hotel, Guesthouse and Restaurant Owners’ Association of Bangladesh and the Tour Operators’ Association of Bangladesh, some 500 budget hotels, guest houses and restaurants have been established in Dhaka with an investment of around Tk5,000 crore and around 100,000 people are working there. Some 3,000 foreign guests stay in the existing residential hotels and guest houses and take their meals in the nearby restaurants. Data from the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industries says there are 350 residential hotels, guest houses and restaurants in Gulshan and Banani. Altogether they have an investment of around Tk525 crore and employ hundreds of people. For this reason the apex trade body Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) has urged the government to suspend the eviction drive. l

A month of eviction devastation get back on his feet from this cruel turn of fate. “There is no alternative income source in my family. I have been destroyed,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. He had 38 employees. “Most of my employees have not managed to find suitable jobs and several have left Dhaka and returned to their home villages,” Helal said. According to information given by the owners, Rajuk has so far shut around five residential hotels, 17 restaurants, eight educational institutions and 38 other establishments including offices, showrooms, super-shops, stationary shops, grocery stores, fast food outlets, bakeries, community centres, beauty parlours, saloons, clinics, pharmacies and a gym. Another 40 businesses have been demolished by Rajuk’s eviction teams. Most owners are small businessmen, who now feel that setting up their businesses in these posh are-

as might have been the biggest mistakes of their lives. Around 1,000 people who worked in these places have lost their jobs. Approximately 20,000 students attend these institutions and may now be forced to relocate in the middle of the school year. According to the estimates given by the owners they have cumulatively suffered losses worth about Tk35 crore. Some businesses are facing massive costs if they want to stay open. Md Nuruzzaman, the assistant manager of Uttara Platinum Residence, a residential hotel, said they had contacted Rajuk, who said their plot will have to be converted to non-residential by paying a conversion fee. Currently, the residential to commercial conversion fee is Tk50 lakh per katha of land and Tk30 lakh for residential to non-residential conversion in Gulshan, Banani and Baridhara. In Uttara and Nikunja areas, the fees are Tk 25 lakh

and Tk15 lakh. Rajuk authorities would not say what the rate for Dhanmondi area was, but one official, seeking anonymity, said it would be Tk25 lakh per katha. Rajuk started the eviction drive on July 25 and plans to continue it until August 31 against around 2,000 establishments in Gulshan, Uttara and Dhanmondi. Ignoring recommendations from the country’s apex business leaders, business owners and prominent urban planners and architects, the city development authority has been continuing the eviction drive in the residential areas. Riad, former chef of Buckaroo Restaurant, also a student of International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT) in Uttara, said he was distraught and terrified. “I cannot find a suitable job after I lost the job at Buckaroo last month. My only hope is that Buckaroo will open again,” he said.

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Police hunting Ansarullah ‘big brothers’ n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Following the arrest of Moinul Hasan Shamim, a key suspect in publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan murder, the law enforcers are now looking for some top leaders of banned outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team. The names of some “big brothers” were gleaned from Shamim alias Sifat alias Samir alias Imran during remand in custody. “Now the police are conducting drives to arrest the ‘big brothers’ who were involved in planning and training of some killing missions, including publisher Dipan murder,” DB Deputy Commissioner (south) Mashrukur Rahman Khaled told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

During primary interrogation, Shamim admitted to have meeting Maj (sacked) Syed Md Ziaul Haque, the military commander of Ansarullah, for a couple of times. The government had earlier announced a bounty of Tk20 lakh on Zia. He was sacked from the army for his involvement in a failed coup in December, 2011. According to Shamim, Zia had given the team, that executed Dipan murder, motivational speeches on the necessities of waging an armed jihad. Ansarullah is believed to be representing al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) in Bangladesh. Its members have carried out 13 attacks since 2013 and killed 11

people including war crimes trial campaigners, secular writers and LGBT rights activists. A senior police officer, involved in Dipan murder probe, said that Shamim had also told the police about Mukul Rana alias Shariful alias Shakib alias Sharif alias Saleh alias Arif alias Hadi 1, the military and IT trainer of Ansarullah killed in a gunfight with police in Dhaka on June 19. Mukul Rana took part among others in the attack on secular writer Avijit Roy and his wife Rafida Ahmed Bonya on February 26, 2015. Apart from Zia, Shamim also gave information on some other “big brothers” of the outfit, which is now known as Ansar al-Islam in-

cluding Sagar and Imtiaz (organisational name). Detainee Shamim gave information about one of his trainers Salim alias Iqbal alias Mamun alias Hadi 2 – a suspected accused in the murder of Nazimuddin Samad, Xulhaz-Tonoy, Dipan, Oyasiqur Rahman Babu and Niladri Niloy. Police had declared Tk5 lakh bounty for his arrest. Following the training, Shamim was made an important leader of Ansarullah Bangla Team, said the police official. Shamim hails from Madhabpur village under Chhatak of Sunamganj. He was a student of Sylhet’s Madan Mohan College. Chhatak police had arrested Shamim earlier in 2010 for distrib-

uting leaflets of banned militant outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir. He, however, was released on bail. He got involved with Ansarullah in 2014 upon an invitation by a person. He moved to Dhaka in mid2014. His family had no idea about his activities, detectives said. Shamim rented a house at Uttara where he got training for around 3-4 months. Later he killed Shanto Mariam University student and music teacher Morshed Babu at Savar on January 4, 2015 and later took part in the attack on publisher Dipan on October 31. During the training sessions, Shamim said, the big brothers used to call for armed jihad to establish Khelafat. l

MoU signed for Brand Managers Summit

n Tribune Desk

As a sluice gate Farakka Barrage was opened water level in the rivers began to rise alarmingly. Different areas of Rajshahi have already gone under water much to the sufferings of people in the district. The picture was taken yesterday

BNP backs anti-Rampal movement n Tribune Report

The BNP has urged the government to stop construction of the Rampal coal power plant formally extending its support to the ongoing programmes of the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports. The party said it would announce action programmes protesting the 1,320MW power plant considering the behaviour of the government. “We are extending our support to their [National Committee] programmes,” Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told reporters yesterday. He was speak-

ing to reporters after placing floral wreaths at party founder Ziaur Rahman’s grave in the capital. On Wednesday, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia asked the government to shift the power plant from near the Sundarbans and choose renewable energy sources. From an agitation programme at the Central Shaheed Minar on August 20, the National Committee announced to observe Dhaka March on November 24 if the government does not cancel the project by this time, and a grand rally in Dhaka on November 26. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and then Indian premier Manmohan Singh unveiled the foundation

plaque of the project on October 5, 2013 disregarding protests. On July 12 this year, Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (Pvt) Limited signed an agreement with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL), India to build the $1.49 billion plant on the bank of the Pashur River. Financed by Indian Exim Bank, the plant is set to start producing electricity in 2019. The government maintains that they would use high-end technology to mitigate environmental hazards. Replying to a query, Fakhrul said: “The matter whether we will oppose the project on the streets depends on the government’s be-

haviour. We have already placed our demand and will wait for the government’s response.” About the ruling party leaders claims that the BNP opposes the Rampal project as Khaleda is alienated from the people, Fakhrul said: “The Awami League is trying to divert the issue. BNP and Khaleda Zia are always in favour of the country’s interests.” He mentioned that the party chief had called for generating more electricity but not by destroying the Sundarbans. “We think the people of the country are agreed that the government should shift the power plant from Rampal,” Fakhrul added. l

Artistry Marketing & Communications and the Dhaka Tribune have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the upcoming Brand Managers Summit 2016. The MoU was signed at the Dhaka Tribune office by Artistry CEO Partha Pratim Choudhury and Dhaka Tribune Head of Sales Moshiour Rahman. The Summit will be held on October 7 at the Westin Ballroom. The day-long event aims at bringing top strategic advice and insights for professionals. There will also be a Brand Managers Award, first of its kind in Bangladesh. The focus of the summit is to address brand managers and marketing professionals by sharpening their strategic thinking skills in order to drive the growth of their brands. The speakers at the first ever Brand Managers Summit are British American Tobacco CEO Shehzad Munim, Standard Chartered Bank CEO Abrar Anwar, MasterCard Vice-President Gitanka Datta, Igloo CEO Kamrul Hasan, Aamra Networks Head of Business Muhammad Solaiman Shukhon, Director Amitabh Reza and Dhaka North City Mayor Annisul Huq. l

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Kerry coming to Dhaka to take relationship to next level n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

US Secretary of State John Kerry is coming to Dhaka with a strong intention to lift the relationship to the next level, not only for the current administration but for the next government in Washington. “We have a very strong partnership and what’s the next level. He is coming here, [it] is not only about our current administration but bridging to the next,” US Ambassador to Dhaka Marcia Bernicat said.

She was talking with journalists after a meeting with Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque Wednesday. John Kerry is coming to Dhaka on August 29 on a one-day visit to highlight the longstanding and broad Bangladesh-US relationship. He will focus on strengthening the bilateral partnership on democracy, development, security and human rights. Bernicat said the leadership of the two countries meet and exchange their views on a regular basis.

Still no policy on using Energy Security Fund n Aminur Rahman Rasel Any sort of policy is yet to be finalised on how to use the country's Energy Security Fund, even though almost a year has passed since the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) decided to create the fund. As per the draft guideline, for the sale of each cubic metre of gas, Tk1.01 is supposed to stored in the special fund. The interest on the savings will also be kept in the fund along with the surcharge and profit on the fund money.

When the limited gas reserved will be on the wane in the near future, then this fund would come in handy in meeting the country's energy demand In that way, a total Tk2,500 crore is estimated to be saved for the energy security fund annually. Although the gas distribution companies have been keeping a separate account on how much they had contributed on the fund, no fruitful steps have so far been taken to spend that money. According to the draft guideline, money from the fund – which came into effect from September 1 last year – is supposed to be used for research work on developing the energy sector. Sources said the energy regulator was still unsure on the spending criteria for the fund.

However, there are scopes to utilise the fund to bring liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and to meet energy deficiency in the future. The chairman of the BERC, AR Khan, said a part of the money earned by selling gas should be kept for investing on measures that could ensure energy security for the future generation. When the limited gas reserved will be on the wane in the near future, then this fund would come in handy in meeting the country's energy demand, he said. The BERC chief said that a policy on using the Energy Security Fund would be finalised soon. Along with the fund, the energy regulator wants to ensure priority of gas usage by stopping gas theft and the misuse of valuable resources. AR Khan said the Energy Security Fund had a broader scope than the Gas Development Fund, which can only be used for exploration and extraction of the country’s gas. In August 2009, the BERC created the Gas Development Fund through an 11.22% hike in gas prices to increase the financial capacity of state-run gas exploration companies. At the moment, there are financial constraints in constructing LNG and LPG terminals in Bangladesh. But the government has plans to construct four LNG terminals – for which it will need an investment of nearly Tk50,000 crore. Besides, there are also plans for projects to increase the supply of LPG in the country. However, because of fund crunch, work in these projects have not made much progress. l

Kerry will focus on strengthening the bilateral partnership on democracy, development, security and human rights “Our leadership meets and talks about this, that happens on regular basis. It happened in G-7, it hap-

pened in New York,” she said. About the current bilateral relationship, Bernicat said in her view it is strategic but she empahsised on partnership aspect. “I want to emphasise the partnership part because it’s not oneway relationship,” she said. She said both the countries can contribute positively, together or separately, in a way that supports each other. About the strategic relationship, she said: “I know that the strategic level involves different level of

talks and everything, but when we talk about security and trade, we are not just talking about today or what Bangladesh and US can do together. We are also talking about things like what will be Bangladesh’s role in the region.” Praising the peacekeeping operations of Bangladesh, she said: “You put your people, your skilled military and police on the line everyday to keep peace around the world. So, we talk about how to expand that, how to play that role, that’s strategic.” l

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Ctg toxic leak threatens to destroy aquatic life

Water and leaves of surrounding areas turned yellow under the impact of ammonia gas emitted from a state-owned fertiliser factory on Monday night. The picture was taken yesterday from Rangadia under Anwara upazila DHAKA TRIBUNE

n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong A huge amount of ammonia gas emitted from a state-owned fertiliser factory in Anwara, Chittagong has taken a heavy toll on the aquatic life in the surrounding areas and threatens to do further damage. Locals said ammonia-mixed water from around the dislodged gas tank at Di-Ammonium Phosphate Fertilizer Company Ltd was pouring into a nearby canal which goes into River Karnaphuli. There is a creek running beside the fertiliser factory which is linked to Gobadia Khal. Locals said the ammonia-mixed water turned the canal water yellow and eventually loads of shrimp and other fish died. The stench of rotting fish has spread all over the adjoining areas. MA Kayum Shah, chairman of Baroshata Union under Anwara upazila said they had came across dead snakes and frogs beside the fertiliser factory. “The toxic gas caused a massive damage to the environment. Trees within a one km radius from the tank have shriveled up and died.

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

PARTLY CLOUDY FRIDAY, AUGUST 26

Rotten fish are spreading odour in the area,” said the UP chairman. Kayum alleged that the massive amount of water that had been sprayed by authorities to keep the ammonia from the air was pouring out into all water bodies in the area. District Fisheries Officer Prabhati Deb said the fertiliser factory must treat the ammonia water before releasing it into nearby water bodies. The fertiliser company’s MD Amal Kanti Barua claimed that they were continuously monitoring the air and water quality in the area. “I want to assure you that no untreated sprayed water will find its way into the nearby water bodies, river or the sea. We will use lime to neutralise the water in the fish enclosures,” Amal Kanti said.

killed 35.8 metric tonnes of shrimp and other fish belonging to 40 fish farmers, worth Tk1.27 crore, the report said. Muhammad Edris Ali, an associate professor of chemistry at Chittagong Hazi Md Mohsin College, said maximum caution should be exercised while applying water to dilute the level of ammonia in the air. “Ammonia is a highly corrosive chemical compound. The pH level increases and dissolved oxygen decreases simultaneously if ammonia gets mixed with a little amount of water, like a pond. We have to ensure that the aquatic environment will not be in peril due to the emission of the toxic gas in the air,” said the teacher. “We have already seen fishes dying due to the toxic gas. The plants in the surrounding area have also turned black and shriveled. So we have to make it sure that no untreated sprayed water will find its way into the nearby water bodies. It is also preferable to reuse the sprayed water,” suggested the teacher, who is also a researcher on the Karnaphuli.

35 tonnes of fish and shrimp dead

The claim of the official is, however, belied by the primary damage report prepared by the district Fisheries Office. As per the report, the leak caused damage to 192 hectares of fish enclosures. The ammonia has Dhaka

Chittagong

Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:22

Rangpur

Ponds turn caustic

A team from the Chittagong Department of Environment (DoE) found that the levels of pH, dissolved oxygen (DO) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) in the water samples collected from nearby water bodies were well above tolerable levels. The DoE team collected the water samples from 11am till 7:30pm on Tuesday. The collected samples were tested in the Chittagong DoE laboratory on Wednesday. The tests revealed that the pH level of the two ponds adjoining the fertiliser factory stood at 9.94 and 8.54 respectively. The DO level of water collected from the two ponds stood at 1.39 and 4.00, where the normal level is above 4.5. The COD level was at 324 and 264, where the normal range is below 200. The DoE team also collected air sample and the average level of ammonia in the air during eight hours of examination was recorded at 92ppm. The air sample was collected using ‘High Volume Sampler’ from 170 metres north-west of the source of emission. l Khulna

Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:38AM

39.0ºC Sayedpur

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25.1ºC Cox’s Bazar

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES

Ctg gas leak probe team fails deadline n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong Although three days have passed since a technical probe committee was formed to investigate the recent gas leak in Chittagong, the investigators have failed to meet their deadline for submitting a report. The Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation (BCIC) formed the 10-member committee, led by a BCIC director (technical and engineering), on August 23 and asked it to submit its findings within three days. But probe officials are now saying that they need a couple of more days to hand in their report. The probe body was asked to ascertain the accident’s reason and extent of damage, assess whether there was any risk from the three reserve tanks of the fertiliser company, and to place recommendations for averting future incidents. On Monday night, at least 52 people fell ill after toxic ammonia gas was leaked from DAP Fertiliser Company Ltd located at Rangadia area in Anwara upazila. BCIC authorities claimed that the reserve tank contained 250 tonnes of ammonia at the time of the accident. Abu Taher Bhuiyan, member secretary of the probe committee, said the investigation was still going on, and added that it was more important to tender an impartial and complete report than a hurried one. “We are only supposed to investigate and then submit the report. The BCIC authorities will decide about making the report public,” said Bhuiyan, who is also the managing director of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Factory Ltd (CUFL). SK Shafi Ahmed, former chief operations officer of Kafco, said they were talking to all officials and employees concerned at the fertiliser factory to pinpoint the reason. “This is highly a technical issue. However, we are hopeful of concluding the investigation within the stipulated time,” Shafi said. Despite repeated attempts, BCIC Chairman Mohammad Iqbal could not be reached on his phone. Prof Dr MAA Shoukat Choudhury, who teaches chemical engineering at Buet, confirmed the Dhaka Tribune that the investigation report was not submitted yesterday, but said it might be handed in on Sunday. It may be mentioned that the BCIC authorities formed two separate committees on Tuesday to probe into the gas leak. l Sylhet

Cox’s Bazar

Fajr: 5:05am | Jumma: 1:15pm Asr: 5:00pm | Magrib: 6:36pm Esha: 8:30pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Locals demand repair of Saghata road immediately

RMG workers go berserk for due payment

n Tajul Islam Reza, Gaibandha

Raihanul Islam Akand, n Md Gazipur

About five kilometres of Saghata road from Jumarbari Girls High School to Nolchhia village has remained in a dilapidated state since the road has been damaged by the recent past flood. Consequently, people who have to use the road for travel everyday, are suffering to a great extent. Local people said they along with Water Development Board had tried to save the road from flood water putting sand bags on it, but all of their efforts went into vain. During a visit on the road, this correspondent found that a number of big potholes had developed on the road making it unfit for vehicular movement. Rustom Ali, chairman of Jumarbari union parishad, told the Dhaka Tribune school-going children were suffering most. Children of eight villages use the road to go to their educational institutions, but now they have to face difficulties while going to the schools and colleges. Rustom Ali said flood water

Workers of a garments factory in Gazipur blocked the Arambag-Habiul Road yesterday morning in the city demanding their due payment. According to local sources, the workers of Habiul Garments Ltd have not got their salary for three months. The authorities of the factory announced that they would give the payment on August 1. According to the announcement, the workers gathered in front of the factory in the morning. But they found the gate locked and a notice for closing the factory. Since then, they went to the area and asked the authority to open the factory. As the authorities did not open the factory and the workers have been unpaid for a long time, they blocked the road. Abul Khalek, supervisor of industrial police, said the agitated workers blocked the road till 2.30 pm. “When we managed them to sit with the authorities, they withdrew the strike,” he said. l

Many portions of Saghata road have been washed away by flood water recently, making the road unfit for vehiclur movement. The photo was taken yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE receded, but the authorities concerned did not take any measure to repair the road. Jainal Abedin, a resident of Jumarpara village, said about 20,000 people of Jumarbari and Holdia union parishads use the road. People

of the locality had to walk on the road due to its poor state. Khorshed Alam, a trader at Jumarbari Bazar, said he had to bring goods from district headquarters in an alternative way spending additional money.

Sabiul Islam, engineer of Local Government Engineering Department, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had already informed the authorities concerned about the matter. He said after getting fund, they would start repair of the road. l

Locals block highway protesting land grabbing Tazul Islam, n Md Gaibandha Members of Rangpur Sugar Mills Workers’ and Sugarcane Cultivators’ Welfare Association blocked the Rangpur-Bogra Highway yesterday in the district protesting grabbing the land of Gobindaganj Sugar Mill by local influential people. According to local sources, the people of the associations brought out a procession around 11am in Gobidaganj Intersection area and blocked the highway till 12pm causing a long-tailback. Local Awami League leader and Mahimaganj UP chairman Abdul Latif Prodhan, AL lead-

er Anwarul Haque, Sormik Kormochari Union President Abdul Matin, its secretary Mostafizur Rahman, vice-president Abdus Salam, Joint Secretary Faruk Hossain among others spoke on the occasion. The speakers said the government had taken steps to develop the sugar mills across the country. But a section of unscrupulous people are disturbing the government for their personal interest. They urged the government to free the grabbed land of the mill immediately for greater interest of the people. The speakers also threatened for going on a tougher movement if the land is not freed immediately. l

Four-year-old girl killed Taieyb Ali Sarker, n Md Nilphamari Unidentified miscreants killed a four-year-old girl slitting throat at Balapara village, Dimla upzila, Nilphamari. Police recovered the body of Sukhomoni, daughter of Insan Ali, a resident of the village, from

a bush on Thursday morning. Insan Ali said his daughter Sukhomin remained missing since Wednesday afternoon after she went to play at a local play ground. OC of Dimla police station Moazzem Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that they had detained father of the girl for interrogation. l

News

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

WATERWAYS STRIKE

Govt, owners meeting ends without solution Mamun with Anisur n Shohel Rahman Swapan No decision has come from a meeting that took place between the government and launch owners association over the deadlock regarding strike in waterways across Bangladesh. The river vessel workers under the banner of Water Transport Workers’ Movement Committee went on an indefinite strike on Monday night to press home their several-point demands, including fixing of minimum salary for the river transport workers atTk 10,000 and stoppage of extortion on river routes. To end the deadlock, a meeting

was held at Dhaka’s Labor Department from 10:30am to 1.15. But no solution has come from the meeting. After the meeting, Director of Labour Department FM Ashrafuzzaman told journalists that the standstill would end soon. He said they would sit for an another meeting soon with the vessel workers as well as owners. Chaired by Ashrafuzzaman, the meeting was attended by Launch Owners Association’s President Mahbub Uddin Bhuiyan and its Vice-President Badiuzzaman Badal. Mahbub Uddin Bhuiyan said: “We have been discussing the issue for the last couple of days. We will inform the media about updates soon”.

Meanwhile, people had to suffer as river vessel workers continued their strike on the day for the third consecutive days. People were seen crossing rivers taking alternative modes of transport, including speed boat and trawler, defying ban on the movement of small vessels on Meghna sanctuary. The Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) banned plying of all types of small vessels in around 3,000 km of Meghna and Tetulia Rivers in Bhola and Patuakhali for seven months. The ban came into effect on March 15 and will continue till October 15, to avoid accidents in country’s southern coasts.

The ‘danger zone’ routes are Elisha-Mozu Chowdhurir Haat, Char Alexander-Daulatkhan, Char Alexandar-Mirzakalu, Char Alexandar-Aslampur, Manpura-Tajumuddin, Manpura-Shashibhushan, Dasmina-Char Kalmi of the Meghna River and Dasmina-Char Mantaj of Meghna and Tetulia Rivers. Now people are availing unsafe manual or motorised boats, trawlers, speed boats to cross river, as a strike is going on, said Dr Mizanur Rahman, member-secretary Barisal Nagorik Parishad. Moreover, cargo loading and unloading were suspended at Karnaphuli River and the outer anchorage of Chittagong port yesterday. A total of 611 goods-laden light-

er vessels were stranded across the country as loading and unloading of goods were halted following the strike, said port sources. Lighter vessel workers previously enforced another wildcat strike on April 20 to press home a 15-point demand which included raising minimum wage. After six days of deadlock, the strike was withdrawn after a meeting between Shipping Minister Md Shajahan Khan and cargo ship workers, where the wage was increased to Tk10,000 from Tk7,000. Workers of oil tankers are not participating in current strike as the oil tanker owners’ association accepted the new wage, sources said. l

Two alleged terrorists were killed in a ‘gunfight’ between his cohorts and members of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) at Jamtoil in Kamarkanda upazila of Sirajganj early yesterday. The deceased were identified as Sanowar Hosain and Lutfar. Additional deputy inspector general of police Sahabuddin, commanding officer of Rab-12, said on a tip-off that a gang of terrorists, including Sanowar Hosain and Lutfar, was staying in the area, a team of the elite force launched a drive there at about 3am. Sensing the presence of the Rab team, the duo and their cohorts opened fire at them, prompting the elite force to retaliate with gunfight. Sanowar Hosain and Lutfar were caught in the line of fire and died on the spot while their other associates managed to flee the scene. Later, the elite force recovered the bodies. l

MEHEDI HASAN

2 killed in Sirajganj ‘gunfight’ n Tribune Desk

Schoolboys at Balurchar village under Sirajdikhan in Munshiganj are crossing a river over a bamboo made bridge risking their lives. The picture was taken yesterday

Thousands marooned due to waterlogging Tauhid-Uz-Zaman, n Md Jessore

Thousands of people have been marooned in Bhabodaho, Monirampur, Abhaynagar and Keshobpur under the district due to flood water and waterlogging. According to local sources, more than 60 educational institutions have been closed and 20,000 fishing farms washed away due to heavy downpour. Vast areas in the district have been inundated due to the torrential rainfall some days ago. Due to the August 9, 10, 11 rainfall, thousands of ponds, fish en-

closures and marshes were washed away and huge fields of vegetables and croplands were flooded. The flood-affected people took shelter on high roads. A total of 40 villages went under water and 12 educational institutions have been declared closed in Prembag, Sundori, Cholishia, Paira and Naopara area under Abhaynagar. More than 770 fishing farms out of 17, 227 have been washed away and 30 hectre croplands damaged. 200 homesteads went under water.The people of the area have to incur losses Tk20 crore. In Monirampur, 10,650 hec-

tre-cropland have been damaged and 38 educational institutions declared closed. The flood-affected people in the area have to count losses Tk170crore. Bibhad Ranjan, chairman of Haridaspur union said more than 22 villages of the union had been marooned. Standing paddies on 2000 hectare of land and jute on 450 hectare have been damaged in Keshobpur. More than 3,000 fishing farms have been washed away. Aman paddy, 500 mother fish and 100 fish fries have been

washed away at Harinabeel in Sadar upazila. Jessore-5 constituency Member of Parliament Swapan Bhattacharya said more affected areas were Kultial, Neharpur, Hardaskathi and Shamkur of Monirampur. Boikunta Bihari, who is working as a co-coordinator among the people against water logging in Bhabodaho area said six upazilas of the district had been marooned like 2005 and 2006 due to negligence of the authority. “Maximum drainage systems of the district are lying uncared. If proper steps are not taken, we will

go on a greater movement,” he said. Workers’ Party President Ikbal Kabir Zahid, also an activist against the water logging, said due to corruption of the officials of Water Development Board, flood water and waterlogging were regular incident in the district. WDB Engineer Probir Kumar Goshwami said they could not set up a machine of tidal river management in Bilkopalia under Bhabodah as locals protested. When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Humayun Kabir said they had taken steps to remove the water in the areas within three days. l

8 World

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Militant attack leaves 13 dead in Afghanistan A brazen, hours-long militant attack on the American University of Afghanistan ended early Thursday after at least 13 people were killed and dozens were wounded in the assault on the sprawling campus on Kabul’s outskirts. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the assault but suspicions are pointing to the Taliban. -AP

INDIA

127 killed, thousands homeless in UP, Bihar Swollen Ganga upset lives of 500,000 people in 424 villages of 3 eastern UP villages, while the river began receding in Patna though 24 of Bihar’s districts continued to be under water on Wednesday. Two people perished in the last 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh which had 150 villages completely marooned. -HT

CHINA

China concerned about Indian missiles on border China’s Defence Ministry said on Thursday that it hoped India could put more efforts into regional peace and stability rather than the opposite, in response to Indian plans to put advanced cruise missiles along the disputed border with China. India claims the plan is to equip regiments deployed on the China border with the BrahMos missile to build up military and civilian infrastructure capabilities there. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Security Council discusses N Korea missile launch The UN Security Council held a closed-door meeting on Wednesday at the request of the US and Japan to discuss North Korea’s latest missile launch. North Korea fired a submarine-launched missile on Wednesday that flew more than 310 miles (500 km) toward Japan, in defiance of UN sanctions. -REUTERS

Colombia, FARC rebels reach deal to end half-century of bloodshed n Reuters, Bogota/Havana Colombia's government and Marxist FARC rebels reached a final peace deal on Wednesday to end a five-decade war which once took the resource-rich country to the brink of collapse. Under the historic agreement to end one of the world's longest conflicts, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) will lay down arms and reintegrate into civilian life. More than 220,000 people were killed in the conflict, tens of thousands disappeared and millions fled their homes because of the violence. The accord, which was reached after almost four years of talks in Cuba, sparked celebrations in parks and bars in the Colombian capital, Bogota. It will now go to a plebiscite vote on October 2. "Today I can say - from the bottom of my heart - that I have fulfilled the mandate that you gave me," said President Juan Manuel Santos, 65, who was re-elected in 2014 on the promise of a peace deal. "Colombians: the decision is in your hands. Never before have our citizens had within their reach the key to their future," he said in a televised address. Most opinion polls suggest Colombians will back the deal but Santos, who has staked his legacy on peace, will face fierce opposition from powerful sectors of the country who believe the only solution is to finish the FARC militarily. The deal is opposed by two former Colombian presidents, including popular right-wing hardliner Alvaro Uribe. In Bogota, several hundred people gathered around a giant

Leftist rebels of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) patrol by a roadway near to San Vicente de Caguan on January 9, 1999 REUTERS

Under the deal, the FARC will have non-voting representation in Congress until 2018 screen in the rain to listen to the announcement, waving Colombian flags and banners. "I'm so happy. It was time to end the war," said Margarita Nieto, a 28-year-old accountant. "I know what is coming will be hard, but together we can cope." Others are more sceptical about the terms of the agreement, especially the participation of FARC rebels in politics and the fact that they will not serve jail time for crimes committed during the war. Under the deal, the FARC will

MIDDLE EAST

UN: Chemical attacks carried out, mustard gas used in Syria A UN investigation has established that President Bashar al-Assad’s forces carried out at least 2 chemical attacks in Syria and that IS used mustard gas as a weapon. The panel was able to identify the perpetrators of 3 chemical attacks carried out in 2014 and 2015, but was unable to draw conclusions in the other 6 cases that it has been investigating over the past year. -AFP

People celebrate after Colombia’s government and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) rebels reached a final peace deal on Wednesday to end a five-decade war, in Bogota, Colombia REUTERS

have non-voting representation in Congress until 2018 and can participate in elections. From then on, the 7,000 former rebels will have to win votes like any other political party, Santos said. "We have won the most beautiful of all battles" lead FARC negotiator Ivan Marquez said following the announcement in Havana on Wednesday. "The war with arms is over, now begins the debate of ideas." The two sides had signed a ceasefire in late June. US President Barack Obama spoke by phone with Santos on Wednesday to congratulate him on the deal, the White House said.

Peace Dividend

The FARC took up arms in 1964 to fight against deep economic and social inequalities and, funded by the cocaine trade and kidnappings for ransom, swelled to as many as 17,000 fighters at the end of the 1990s, controlling large swathes of the country. But the FARC were hit hard by Uribe's government from 2002, when he launched a US-backed offensive that killed many guerrilla leaders and halved their ranks. An agreement with the FARC does not guarantee an end to political violence. Talks between the smaller, leftist National Liberation Army and the government have stalled. Criminal gangs born out of right-wing paramilitary groups that were active during the worst periods of the conflict have since taken over some key drug trafficking routes. Still, violence is at its lowest level in decades. l

EIGHT HUMANITARIAN CONSEQUENCES OF COLOMBIA’S WAR Ü There are nearly 8 million war victims registered on the government’s official register, the majority of whom have been forcibly driven from their homes by the warring sides. Ü With 6.7 million people uprooted, Colombia has one of the world’s highest displaced populations. Indigenous groups and Afro-Colombian communities have been disproportionately affected by displacement. Ü More then 230,000 children have been forced to flee their homes since peace talks with the FARC began in November 2012. Ü Around 7,850 child soldiers have fought in rebel and paramilitary ranks. Ü Over the decades, rebel groups have planted landmines to push back government troops making Colombia quite literally a minefield. It’s not known exactly where all the landmines are. Ü After Cambodia and Afghanistan, Colombia has the third highest number of landmine casualties, with 11,440 people, including civilians, children and soldiers killed or injured by landmines since 1990. Ü Rape has been used as weapon of war by all factions. Around 14,000 women, men and children have been victims of sexual violence. Ü At least 40,000 Colombians have disappeared without trace during the conflict. Reported by Thomson Reuters Foundation. Sources: Colombian government’s victims’ unit, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), United Nations Children’s Agency (Unicef)

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Myanmar soldiers seal off ancient temples damaged by quake n Reuters, Bagan Truckloads of soldiers and squadrons of police sealed off some of the centuries-old Buddhist pagodas around Myanmar’s ancient capital of Bagan on Thursday, a day after at least 187 of the brick temples were damaged in a powerful earthquake. President Htin Kyaw flew to Bagan to meet local residents as authorities scrambled to assess the full extent of the damage from the 6.8 magnitude quake that shook buildings across the Southeast Asian country and beyond on Wednesday. “The earth shook for about five minutes,” said Soe Lwin, who was inside the Sulamani temple or “Crowning Jewel”, one of Bagan’s most visited sites, with about 15 other tourists when the quake struck. “One Spanish girl got lightly injured, so we helped her. After that, we ran outside of the pagoda and saw some parts falling down,” said Soe Lwin, who cut short his trip for fear of aftershocks hitting the area. Although tremors from the quake were felt as far away as Thailand, Bangladesh and eastern India, initial assessments showed the wider damage was limited. “The overall humanitarian impact has been relatively low despite the earthquake’s magnitude,” said Pierre Peron, spokesman for the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in a statement. “No major needs have been identified and there has so far been no request for international assistance.” UN OCHA and the Red Cross

Leading Indian fertility doctors and surrogate mothers Thursday criticised a move to ban commercial surrogacy, saying it will severely limit options for childless couples and women who carry others’ babies as a way out of poverty. India’s cabinet on Wednesday cleared a bill to restrict surrogacy services to Indian married couples, following concerns over the “rent-awomb” industry exploiting impoverished young women. The bill seeks to bar foreign, single and homosexual would-be parents from surrogacy services in India and states that only women who are close relatives of a beneficiary can act as surrogates. Gita Makwana, 33, who became a surrogate mother in 2010 after hav-

USA

Assange warns of forthcoming Clinton leaks WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has warned that his anti-secrecy campaign will release new documents concerning Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, which could be significant for the election. Asked whether the leaks would be a game changer for the vote, Assange said that I think it’s significant. It depends on how it catches fire in the public and in the media. -AFP

THE AMERICAS

Brazil’s Senate opens Rousseff’s impeachment trial

People walk past a damaged pagoda after an earthquake in Bagan, Myanmar on August 25 confirmed three people had been killed - two children and one resident from two towns close to the epicentre. The quake struck near the town of Chauk, on the Ayeyarwaddy River south of Bagan and about 175 km (110 miles) southwest of the country’s second city Mandalay, at around 5 pm (1030 GMT) the US Geological Survey (USGS) said. “We continue to provide assistance to injured people, but we don’t see this as a major disaster,” said Amanda George from the International Red Cross in Myanmar. The government’s Relief and Resettlement Department was leading the response, and has found four schools damaged in

northwest Myanmar, UN OCHA and local authorities said. A hospital was damaged in Pakkoku, where one person was injured, and other buildings were affected, while two houses collapsed near Chauk, said UN OCHA.

Damaged Pagodas

In a short address to the media and local residents in Bagan, President Htin Kyaw said United Nations cultural body UNESCO, Japan and China have offered to support the restoration of the damaged temples. “We have to record and repair the damage to the pagodas, but it will have to be done systematically. It will take time, but we will do our best,” said Htin Kyaw.

REUTERS

Work would not be able to start until after the monsoon at the end of October, he said. As police cordoned off temples and soldiers moved in to start clearing up, tourists took snaps of the damaged buildings. But hotel and tour operators said the impact on the industry was likely to be small. They have not been contacted by tourists with cancellations, they said, and would remain operating as normal. Myanmar is in a seismically active part of the world where the Indo-Australian Plate runs up against the Eurasian Plate. A magnitude 6.9 tremor hit northwestern Myanmar in April but caused no major loss of life. l

Indian IVF doctors criticise commercial surrogacy ban n AFP, Ahmedabad

World

ing one child of her own, said the bill would remove avenues for women like her to escape poverty. “When I became a surrogate I got three lakh rupees ($4,475) as compensation,” Makwana from Anand in Gujarat state, a centre for India’s surrogacy sector, told AFP. “I used it to repair my house and educate my child. But with the new rules coming in, women who want to become surrogates to support their families, will not be able to do so,” she said. Dr Himanshu Bavishi, President of Indian Society for Third Party Assisted Reproduction in Ahmedabad, said the decision was “regressive, unfortunate and careless”. “What the government has done is gone for cheap popularity, saying that it’s a move to protect poor, exploited

women,” he told AFP. “This (surrogacy) in fact gives millions of poor women across India a chance to make a reasonably good amount of money at any one point of time without doing anything rash.” India, with cheap technology, skilled doctors and a steady supply of local surrogates, is one of relatively few countries where women can be paid to carry another’s child. Some 2,000 infertile couples enlist the help of Indian women to carry their embryos through to birth every year, according to the government. Dr Nayna Patel, the medical director of Akanksha Hospital and Research Institute in Anand, said that while more regulation in the field was welcome, under the bill “virtually no woman” would be able to be-

come a surrogate. “For an infertile couple, surrogacy is a life-changing opportunity. But the bill will snatch away these opportunities from them,” said Patel, whose clinic has handled over 1,120 surrogacy cases over the past decade. She added that a group of IVF experts and gynaecologists were studying the bill and plan to make a representation to the government before it is introduced in parliament. However, a few experts welcomed the bill Thursday, saying that it would bring more transparency to a largely unregulated industry. “This will put an end to unethical practices and commercial surrogacy. There is nothing wrong in it,” said Dr Manish Banker, an IVF specialist in Ahmedabad. l

Brazil’s Senate opened the impeachment trial of suspended President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday and will hear witnesses for and against the leftist leader who is expected to be removed from office next week on charges of breaking budget laws. Rousseff, Brazil’s first female president, will appear before the 81 senators next Monday to defend herself, but her opponents are confident about her departure. -REUTERS

London mayor criticises burkini ban London Mayor Sadiq Khan spoke out against the banning of the Islamic burkini swimsuit in France as he headed to Paris Thursday for talks with his French counterpart. Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, spoke out after some 30 French towns banned the burkini, triggering a fierce debate about women’s rights and secularism. -AFP

EUROPE

Czech PM backs European army The Czech Republic supports deeper European defence cooperation that could eventually lead to the creation of a European army, Czech PM Bohuslav Sobotka said after meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Thursday. Sobotka said more European security and defence cooperation, in addition to Nato, was a priority to protect external EU borders and respond to growing security threats. -REUTERS

AFRICA

Unicef: 49,000 children to die this year in Nigeria Unicef said on Thursday that nearly half a million children around Lake Chad face severe acute malnutrition due to drought and a 7-year insurgency by Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria. Of the 475,000 deemed at risk, 49,000 in Nigeria’s Borno state, Boko Haram’s heartland, will die this year if they do not receive treatment, which is appealing for $308m ((£233m) to cope with the crisis. -REUTERS

World

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

ANALYSIS

Poll: Hillary Clinton leads Donald Trump in key swing states n Reuters, New York If the US presidential election were held today, Democrat Hillary Clinton would win the key swing states of Florida, Ohio and Virginia and have a 95 percent chance of beating Republican Donald Trump to become America’s first female president, according to the Reuters/ Ipsos States of the Nation project. The project, which combines opinion polls with an analysis of voting patterns under different election scenarios, shows Clinton currently beating Trump in the popular vote by six percentage points and ahead in 19 states, including most of the larger-population ones that heavily influence the outcome of the election. At the moment, Clinton would win at least 268 votes in the Electoral College, the body that ultimately chooses the next president, just two shy of what she needs to win the White House. On average, the former secretary of state would win by 108 electoral college votes. Trump would win at least 21 states, many of them with smaller populations, giving him a minimum of 179 electoral votes. The election is still 10 weeks away, and a great deal could change prior to November 8. The candidates are running about even in eight states, including Pennsylvania, Michigan and North Carolina, and the polling sample is too small to determine the winner in Alaska, Wyoming and Washington DC. But Trump would need to win the 21 states currently in his column and sweep all of the remaining “tossup” states to win the presidency. That is a steep challenge for Trump, whose bare-knuckled, anti-establishment campaign helped him win the Republican Party’s nomination but has so far failed to build broad support with voters.

If Trump cannot draw in far greater numbers of women, moderate Republican voters and minorities, he will almost surely lose the White House race, according to the polling project. Consider, for example, what would be an ideal scenario for Trump: white men with below-average incomes showing up in record numbers on Election Day. This group strongly favours the real-estate mogul, yet even if all of them vote it wouldn’t hand Trump any of the states currently slated for Clinton or any of the toss-up states. Clinton would still win the election. The Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation project is driven by an online survey that gathers responses from about 16,000 people per week. Respondents answer questions about their demographic background, their party affiliation and their choice for president. Their responses are weighted according to the latest population estimates, and each respondent is ranked according to their likeli-

hood to vote. Once the poll is complete, the project tallies the levels of support and estimated error for both candidates, and then runs multiple election simulations given their respective support. A separate set

international trade agreements. His personal attacks, including his criticism of the parents of a Muslim-American soldier killed in action, have undermined his support within the Republican establishment.

'There’s always a chance of an October surprise – something definitive and striking about Clinton – that could change the race' of simulations is run for each state and Washington DC. The project runs more than 25 million simulations to determine the chances that one candidate would win. Representatives from the Clinton and Trump campaigns did not respond to requests for comment on the project.

October surprise?

A polarising candidate, Trump has called for a more extensive border wall with Mexico, a ban on Muslim immigrants and a rejection of

Still, Clinton is far from guaranteed a victory in November. A majority of Americans have an unfavourable opinion of both Trump and Clinton, and nearly one out of four likely voters says they do not support either of them for president, according to a separate Reuters/Ipsos poll. The candidates are scheduled to square off in a series of televised debates, and a poor showing by either could quickly change the dynamic of the race. A strong showing by a third party candidate could

also influence the outcome. Democratic Party operatives also fear there may be more revelations about ties between wealthy foreign donors to the Clinton family charity, the Clinton Foundation, and the State Department under her stewardship. Clinton has denied any impropriety but Trump has seized on the disclosures as a new line of attack against his rival. “There’s always a chance of an October surprise – something definitive and striking about Clinton – that could change the race,” said Tom Smith, who directs the Center for the Study of Politics and Society at the University of Chicago. “But, short of any scandals by the Clintons, I just don’t see any way that Trump catches up.” If Trump were to rely heavily on support from white voters, he would face an extremely narrow path to victory. Even if all male and female white voters showed up at the polls, and turnout among blacks and Hispanics was half of what it was in 2012, respectively, the project shows Clinton would still be favoured to win. It appears that Trump’s best chance is to turn out Republican voters in huge numbers and hope that a lot of Democrats stay home. There’s only one problem with this: Republicans appear to have turned out as strongly as Democrats only once in presidential elections since at least 1976. That was in 2004, when the electorate was made up of 37 percent of Republicans, 37 percent of Democrats and 26 percent of Independents, according to exit poll data collected by the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research at Cornell University. “There’s still a lot of this demolition derby of an election to go,” said Donald Green, a political scientist at Columbia University. “A lot of people who support Trump don’t have a very good record of voter turnout, and who knows if they show up this time. l

Britain sees highest asylum claims in more than a decade Reuters n Thomson Foundation, London

More than 36,000 asylum seeker claims were made in Britain in the first half of 2016, according to government figures published on Thursday, the highest number in over a decade. Between January and June

this year, 36,465 people applied for asylum in Britain, a 41 percent increase on the same period in 2015, which had nearly 26,000 claims. The number of unaccompanied children seeking asylum in Britain rose to 3,472, a 54 percent increase since 2015, representing 10 percent of all asylum claims

so far this year. The last time Britain had such a high number of applications was in 2004, when 39,746 people sought asylum. Over a million people fleeing wars and conflict in the Middle East, Africa and Asia reached the European Union (EU) last year in the continent’s biggest migration

crisis since World War Two. The largest number of asylum claims in Britain came from people who have left Iran (4,910), Iraq (3,199), Pakistan (2,992), Eritrea (2,790), Afghanistan (2,690) and Syria (2,563). The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said nearly 3,500 refugees were resettled in the first

half of the year. Across the EU, Germany received 665,000 asylum seeker claims over the past 12 months since June 2015, by far the greatest number, followed by Sweden (149,000) and Hungary (131,000). Britain had the eighth highest amount of asylum applications in the EU, according to ONS data. l

Study: Asia’s ageing population to cost $20 trillion n AFP, Singapore Asia’s population is ageing faster than anywhere in the world, a study said Thursday, warning the swelling ranks of the elderly will cost the region $20tn in healthcare by 2030. Health systems, businesses and families across Asia-Pacific will come under huge pressure as some 200 million people pass the age of 65 by then, according to the Singapore-based Asia Pacific Risk Centre. Yearly spending on caring for the elderly is expected to reach $2.5 billion -- five times the cost in 2015 -- the study said. “The Asia-Pacific region is ageing at a faster rate than any other region in the world,” said APRC executive director Wolfram Hedrich. Surging growth in Asia over the past few decades prompted an baby boom in many Asia-Pacific countries, creating a large and cheap labour force that in turn boosted productivity and incomes. But that trend is now reversing as the baby-boomers age, leaving the young to look after them -- either by staying at home or paying for their care.

“Many Asia-Pacific countries are transiting from a period when they reaped a ‘demographic dividend’ to one where they face the prospect of paying a ‘demographic tax’,” the study said. By 2030, there will be 511 million elderly people in the region, out of 3.8 billion, according to the study. Japan will become the first “ultra-aged” country, with elderly people accounting for 28 percent of its population, while a fifth of people in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan will be 65. The APRC warned governments would need to invest heavily to care for their ageing populations, warning current levels are “unsustainable” as medical costs are growing faster than the economy in many countries. Asia’s ageing rate is “an unprecedented challenge,” said the study, which covered 14 Asia-Pacific markets. “The problem is big, it’s very urgent,” said Hedrich, adding that finding solutions will be complex. “What we want to achieve with this report is to act as a broad call of action for governments, individuals, insurers, healthcare professionals and organisations to start acting now.” l

World

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

12 Business

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

TOP STORIES

Govt plans to invest pension funds n Asif Showkat Kallol

CCCI, Gujarat chamber sign MoU to boost bilateral trade The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost bilateral trade relations between the traders of Bangladesh and southern part of Gujarat in India. PAGE 13

Japanese seek bargains as economy limps Three years of so-called “Abenomics”, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s bold stimulus program, has failed to dislodge a deflationary mindset among businesses and consumers. PAGE 14

Brexit a boon for Berlin’s fintech talent pool Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has spurred a surge in the number of financial service industry workers now based in the UK applying to work in Berlin’s burgeoning fintech scene, several of the city’s startups told Reuters. PAGE 15

The government plans to invest public pension funds to reduce the risk of its fiscal financial burden. To bring dynamism in the process, a committee will be formed soon for amending 1974 public retirement law and later an executive order might be issued to make the plan effective, if necessary, official sources said. A pension fund is a common asset pool run by a financial intermediary on behalf of a company and its employees, to generate stable growth over the long term and provide pensions for the employees when they retire. “The main objective of creating this scheme is to ease financial risk of the government,” said an official in the Finance Ministry.

Robi’s earning record high in April-June

SOME FACTS OF PENSION FUND OPERATION Public pension fund size estimated at Tk16,535cr Pension authority to be formed Scheme to be made mandatory for public sector, But voluntary for the private sector Pension ID to be issued In this context, the government will also create universal pension scheme for harmonising between private and public pension schemes. According to the proposed scheme prepared by the Finance Ministry, a pension authority will be formed to operate the pension fund that may be contributed by both the private and public em-

ployees and firms. The government primarily estimated that the size of the public pension fund will be Tk16,535 crore,. To operate the pension fund, the pension authority will set up pension enrollment office, record keeping agency and select trustee, custodian, fund manager and annuity service provider. The scheme proposes that this universal pension scheme would be made mandatory for the public sector and voluntary for the private sector. Under the plan, pension enrollment office will cater pension ID to the public and private employees and central record keeping agency will maintain all ID and data, and accounts information. As a trustee of the fund, bank will receive subscription from

pensioners and firms owners. Fund manager will provide all kinds of facilities. The pension fund will be transacted through the nominated trustee bank and central record agency will share information with the fund manager. Annuity service provider will provide financial services to the pensioners and also give policy to the pensioners at the stage of their old age. Life insurance will provide proper policy to their customers. In some cases, the government will provide annuity services to the pensioners. At present, many countries use this system for commercial purpose. In USA, pension funds are being invested in stock market. l

FBCCI leaders to meet Muhith on Aug 31 to talk about unsettled issues

n Tribune Business Desk

n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

Robi Axiata Limited earned a record amount of Tk1,240 crore in the second quarter this year, according to the company’s latest financial report. The operator made the report public in a statement relased yesterday. “We experienced a stable mobile revenue during the second quarter of 2016,” Robi Managing Director and CEO, Supun Weerasinghe, said. SIM biometric re-registration initiative, however, negatively impacted the growth momentum of the business, he said, adding that nevertheless, the company is continuing to invest in modernisation of 2.5G/3.5G network and its expansion across the country. The operator invested 560 crore in 2.5G/3.5G network expansion. “During the first half of 2016 we continued to bring most innovative and affordable product offers in the market. Robi introduced Yonder music service aiming to provide a total music experience that combines exclusive content from famous local artists along with a comprehensive collection of international music.” The operator witnessed TK3.42 crore net loss in second quarter due to accelerated depreciation resulting from network modernisation in Chittagong-Comilla region. Robi active subscriber base remains flat in Q2 2016, standing at 27.4 million. l

The Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) will meet Finance Minister AMA Muhith on August 31 to place a set of demands including reduction of package VAT by 50% for the ongoing fiscal year 2016-17. The government had almost doubled the package VAT for traders and businesses by 100% with implementation of FY’17 budget that has come into effect from July 1. Currently, the package VAT for shops located in Dhaka and Chittagong city corporation areas is Tk28,000, which was Tk14,000 in last fiscal year. Shops in other city corporation areas are now paying Tk20,000 which was previously Tk12,000. In the same manner, shops in municipality areas are paying Tk14,000 from previous Tk7,200. The rate is now Tk7,000 for traders in other areas of the country, which was Tk3,600 in FY’16. The FBCCI will urge the finance minister to revise the rate by half and make it final at the rate that was in effect till FY’16, an office bearer of the apex trade body told the Dhaka Tribune, seeking anonymity. The other demand from the trade body includes allowing businesses to pay 3% VAT on the turnover up to Tk5 crore. Currently, 3% VAT is allowed on the turnover from Tk35 lakh to Tk80 crore.

The FBCCI will also seek withdrawal of VAT from different products including biscuit, bread, cake, napkin which were earlier enjoying VAT exemption facility till FY’16.

‘We need a permanent solution to the VAT issue and hope that the committee will be able to reach a consensus,’ The products fall under VAT net from the ongoing fiscal year. “In the current budget, there are some issues, which are heating up the country’s business. The aim of the meeting is to rationalise the issues through discussion for the sake of the country’s business especially the small and

medium enterprises,” FBCCI First Vice-President Md Shafiul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune. “We need a permanent solution to the VAT issue and hope that the committee comprised of business leaders and NBR will be able to reach a consensus,” Shafiul said. Business people allege that they are harassed by VAT officials, while the government officials say the businesses are not complaint. “Both of the claims are not true,” he said. “We want to resolve the allegation to give a better solution to the business people as well as the government.” On Tuesday, FBCCI held meeting with NBR where the apex trade body placed the unresolved issues and sought cooperation from the board of revenue. The business people have given assurance that they would help the NBR collect VAT and the joint committee will work together to devise ways to settle the issues in a better way, said the business leader. l

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Plan to rebuild Bangladesh’s image in JATA expo after terror attack n Ishtiaq Husain

Bangladesh Tourism Board will hold an image-building programme styled as “Showcasing Bangladesh” in the sidelines of JATA Tourism Expo next month in the Japanese capital Tokyo, official sources said. Dhaka terror attack which targeted mainly foreigners including Japanese prompted the authorities to make the plan. The event will begin from September 22. Earlier, BTB also held a meeting with different stakeholders in the backdrop of deadly terror attacks which could hurt the country’s tourism prospects. Meanwhile, the government plans to discuss the security issue further with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jaica) and

Japan Association of Travel Agents (JATA). BTB will have a crisis management team to deal with the current situation prevailing since the Dhaka attack which forced many foreigners to cancel their planned trips to Bangladesh. “Understanding the present situation, we have decided to arrange an image-building programme in Japan to restore confidence of Japanese people about Bangladesh,” said Nikhil Ranjan Roy, BTB director (joint secretary). Officials said Bangladesh pavilion in the event will carry a message “Stop terrorism, boost up tourism.” BTB will also organise a seminar in the Japanese city of Osaka on September 29. The topic will be “Bangladesh’s tourism and the gov-

ernment steps against terrorism.” Bangladeshis living in Japan and Japanese who are involved with development projects in Bangladesh will participate in the seminar.

‘There should be a big programme in Japan highlighting Bangladesh’s positive things and its potentials’ “There should be a big programme in Japan highlighting Bangladesh’s positive things and its potentials. About terrorism, we all have to understand that Bangladesh is not separate from global terrorism

map,” said Masud Hossain, managing director of Bengal Tours. According to the tourism industry insiders, around 20,000 Japanese tourists used to travel Bangladesh every year. “Japan is a big market for us. We must be careful so the long-time relation between our two nations will not be compromised,” Masud said. Bangladesh embassy in Japan will help the BTB organise the “Showcasing Bangladesh” programme. On July 1, militants stormed an upscale restaurant in the capital’s diplomatic zone. According to the government report, nine Italians, seven Japanese, one Indian and three Bangladeshis were killed in the attack. l

Marcel sales jump ahead of Eid-ul-Azha n Tribune Business Desk

Marcel, a local manufacture of electronicproducts and home appliances, has already seen a sharp rise in sales as Eid-ul-Azha is approching. According to officials, Marcel posted about 40% growth in first 20 days of August from the same period one year ago, says a press release. The sales of refrigerators, LED televisions and air conditioners in July went up by 55%, 350% and 45% respectively against the sales of the same month of the last year. Eid-ul-Azha, one of the largest Muslim festivals, will be observed next month. After the end of Eid-ul-Fitr, Marcel released new models of 20-inch LED television, which is featured with Dolby sound box on the left and the right side of the TV and thus the local brand named this model as “Boom Box.” In addition, it also introduced silver version’s 19, 24, 28 and 32-inch LED televisions. Mosharraf Hossain Razib, head of marketing for north zone of Marcel, said: “The demands for deep fridge, refrigerators and televisions are hiked before Eid-ul-Azha. Forecasting such extra demands, the company undertook all sorts of preparations.” Shamim Al Mamun, head of marketing for south zone of Marcel, said: “Marcel is manufacturing refrigerators with large space based deep. Thus, the demands for Marcel brand refrigerators are increasing day by day as the people have not to buy another deep fridge for preserving fishes and meats.” l

Officials exchange papers after signing a Memorandum of Understanding on bilateral trade relations between Chittagong chamber and India’s Gujarat chamber. The MoU was signed in Chittagong yesterday COURTESY

CCCI, Gujarat chamber sign MoU to boost bilateral trade Mizanur Rahman, n FM Chittagong The Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI) and the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to boost bilateral trade relations between the traders of Bangladesh and southern part of Gujarat in India. CCCI President Mahbubul Alam and President of the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry BS Agrawal inked the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations at Bangabandu Conference Hall of the World Trade Centre in the port city yesterday. Before signing the MoU, a meeting tilted B2B (Business-to-Busi-

ness) was held between the businessmen from Chittagong and the delegation of Gujarat Chamber to share their expectation, ideas and problems in doing business. Gujarat Chamber delegation had earlier visited different industries in Chittagong city’s EPZ, Pahartali, and other area on Wednesday. Addressing the meeting, CCCI President Mahbubul Alam urged the Indian delegation to invest in Chittagong considering the geographical advantages and the facilities being provided by the government. Indian business delegation chief BS Agrawal said: “Bangladesh has a good position in the international market for its readymade garments and the country will get more benefits from importing synthetic,

Business

fabrics from Gujrat and by setting up industries under joint venture initiatives.” Agrawal also invited a CCCI delegation to Surat, the textile hub of Gujarat, to see the business potentials there. Presided over by CCCI President Mahbubul Alam, the meeting was addressed, among others, by CCCI’s Senior Vice-President Md Nurun Newaj Selim, Vice-President Sayed Jamal Ahmed, Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh in Mumbai Samina Naz, Indian High Commission’s First Secretary Rakesh Ramon, AK Khan and Company Ltd Managing Director (MD) Salahuddin Kashem Khan, BSRM’s MD Ameer Alihussain, BGMEA’s Director ANM Saifuddin and OOCL’s GM Captain Gias Uddin Chowdhury. l

Summit Power’s share trading suspended sine die n Tribune Business Desk The country’s twin exchanges— DSE and CSE— have decided to suspend trading in share of Summit Power for an indefinite period. The decision was taken on Wednesday when Summit Group’s three subsidiaries merger plan became effective. According to the merger scheme, Summit Power, a subsidiary of the Group and the country’s first private power generation firm, acquired shares of its three power generation units—Summit Purbanchol Power Company Limited (SPPCL), Summit Uttranchol Power Company Limited (SUPCL) and Summit Narayanganj Power Company Limited (SNPCL). “The decision was taken after surveillance team found that capitalisation of Summit Power was miscalculated after merger. Share trading of the company will remain suspended until further notice.” On Wednesday, share prices of Summit Power fell marginally 0.6% to over Tk32 a share. Earlier on last March 16, Summit Power announced merger with three of its subsidiaries as part of a new business strategy of its parent company, Summit Group. The High Court approved the amalgamation on July 14. To acquire the units, Summit Power exchanged its 1.309 shares for one share of SPPCL, 1.668 shares for one share of SUPCL and 1.475 shares for one share of SNPCL. Share value worked out for non-listed subsidiaries, SUPCL and SNPCL, at their weighted average of net asset value as of 2015 and average market price for six months to December 31, 2015. For listed subsidiary, SPPCL, share value was fixed on the basis of share value at its weighted average of net asset value as of 2015. Established in 1997, Summit Power, a listed company, operates 11 power plants at different locations across the country, having a total capacity of 317 mega watt electricity. Under the SPPCL unit, two power plants—Jangalia Power and Rupganj Power—produce 66mw under 15-year power purchase agreement with the government. Under the SUPCL unit, two power plants – Ullapara Power and Maona Power Plant – generate 44mw electricity under the same agreement. Under the SNPCL, Madanganj Power Plant with capacity of 102mw electricity production was set up to provide electricity to Bangladesh Power Development Board under Build, Own and Operate basis using Heavy Fuel Oil. l

Business

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Japanese seek bargains as economy limps n Reuters

Three years of so-called “Abenomics”, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s bold stimulus program, has failed to dislodge a deflationary mindset among businesses and consumers. As the world’s third-largest economy falters again - with a stronger yen gnawing at overseas profits and domestic consumption sapping companies’ confidence to invest or sufficiently raise wages firms that increased their prices in the hope of a sustained recovery are rethinking their strategy. Many consumers, with little extra to go around, are opting for cheaper products - welcome news for the discount retailers who flourished during two decades of economic stagnation. Housewife Yuko Narita, 48, says she is tightening the family purse strings and scouting around for sales on daily goods and clothing. “There’s a sense the economy is stalling and companies’ earnings are

Excavators are seen at a construction site in Tokyo bad this year, so I’m holding off from spending on big items,” she said. Nobuko Jin, a 75-year-old parttime worker who receives some pension, says she is cutting back and just buying necessities. “I get the feeling prices are creeping up. I wonder where the benefits of

REUTERS

Abenomics are going. I’m trying to spend less,” she said. Discount store operator Don Quijote Holdings, which sells everything from cosmetics and clothing to toilet paper, has seen business revive as the economy loses momentum. It expects oper-

ating profit to rise more than 4% in the year to next June. “Household spending won’t be strong. That’s when consumption centers on discount stores, so it’s a tailwind for us,” said Mitsuo Takahashi, the firm’s chief financial officer. Restaurant chain operator Skylark Group has cut prices on some items and is offering more cheap lunch menus to lure family diners. And Fast Retailing Co, owner of the Uniqlo casual wear brand, reversed course this year after two years of price hikes hurt its clothing sales. Its latest quarterly operating profit rose 18.6%. “We’ll continue with our (new) strategy and bring down prices this autumn and winter,” said Ken Okazaki, the company’s chief finance officer. At discount furniture and home accessories retailer Nitori Holdings, chairman Akio Nitori said his company won’t raise prices. “Once you lose consumers to your competitors with price hikes, it’s hard to lure them back,” he said. l

Le Méridien Dhaka picks Saeed Ahmed as hotel manager

n Tribune Business Desk

Le Méridien Dhaka has appointed Saeed Ahmed as its hotel manager recently. Prior to his joining the post, Saeed worked as executive assistant manager and director of Sales & Marketing for Radisson Blu Dhaka Water Garden. Saeed has previously been with the Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. chain and earned fame. Initially, he joined the then Dhaka Sheraton Hotel as an assistant sales manager in 1996. In his 26 years of illustrious career, he has gained diversified experience in sales and marketing working in various capacities with organisations such as the British High Commission. l

CORPORATE NEWS

Sena Kalyan Sangstha (SKS) and Al Bawani Co Ltd (ABCL) of Saudi Arabia have recently signed an agreement to work in joint venture in construction industry, said a press release

AB Bank has recently organised an experience sharing event in Dhaka for the participants of a Chinese language course offered by Institute of Modern Language at University of Dhaka. The bank’s chairperson, M Wahidul Haque was present on the occasion

Business

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

German firms see Brexit clouds approaching n AFP, Frankfurt Germany is waking up to the threat of Brexit and could see weaker growth in 2017, analysts said yesterday, after a key business confidence survey showed a sharp decline. The Ifo economic institute’s closely-watched index fell to 106.2

in August from its July level of 108.3, reaching its lowest point since December 2014. Analysts surveyed by Factset had been expecting a slight rise to 108.5. “The German economy has fallen into a summer slump,” Ifo president Clemens Fuest said in a statement, noting that all sectors

A branded balloon and mug are seen in the office of pro-Brexit group pressure REUTERS

Brexit a boon for Berlin’s fintech talent pool n Reuters

Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has spurred a surge in the number of financial service industry workers now based in the UK applying to work in Berlin’s burgeoning fintech scene, several of the city’s start-ups told Reuters. The German capital is jostling to position itself as a hub for the financial technology fintech - industry and is home to some 70 companies, more than double the number in Frankfurt, the country’s traditional financial centre. Employers say it is easier to lure bankers to Berlin than to get techies to move to Frankfurt, with potential talent attracted by affordable living, shorter commutes and the widespread use of English. “We’ve had more than 50 senior applications coming from London in the past six weeks,” Ramin Niroumand, co-founder and managing partner at fintech company builder FinLeap, said. Around 70 percent of those applicants had a background in financial services, FinLeap said, adding it had invited 20 to interview so far and offered five a job. FinLeap, which has launched nine fintech start-ups over the past two years including online insurance broker Clark and Savedo, a market-

place for investment products, said it typically receives around 800 applications per month. Berlin had a fintech workforce of around 13,000 in 2015, around a fifth of the size of the UK sector which employed 61,000 people, according to Ernst and Young. One in eight jobs in the German capital is created by the digital sector, according to Berlin’s Economics Senator Cornelia Yzer who has been actively campaigning in London for British start-ups to move. Britain voted to leave the EU on June 23 - a decision economists said could tip the bloc’s second largest economy into recession but which has so far had a tamer immediate impact on consumers than many had predicted. Toby Triebel, chief executive and co-founder of Spotcap, an online lending platform for small businesses, said the number of applicants from Britain had doubled to around 20% since the Brexit vote, with many coming from the finance sector. Many are younger people with one to two years’ experience working at a start-up or in London’s fintech sector who are unnerved by the current situation, Spotcap said, adding it had also received some unsolicited applications from very senior banking applicants. l

surveyed except construction had reported a drop in the index. August’s sharp drop contrasts with a smaller decline in July, when German business surprised forecasters by appearing to shrug off anxiety over Britain’s late-June vote to quit the European Union. The latest correction was all the

more unexpected after an investor survey by the ZEW institute in mid-August showed a recovery from the huge Brexit slump in confidence in July. Ifo’s headline figure is produced from two figures representing companies’ feelings on the current business environment and the outlook for the next six months.

The sub-index measuring current business fell to 112.8, two points below its July level. Confidence in the future outlook also took a two-point blow, falling to 100.1 from 102.1 in July. Manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers all reported falling confidence in August. l

Feature

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Reenactment of a cultural gem Sadaf Saj Siddiqi, owner of Jatrik said that Behular Lachari is a wonderful depiction of the prevalence of female power and pluralism in a seemingly male dominated and superstitious rural parts of Bangladesh. She said that his particular festival represents the wonderfully colourful and tolerant sides of this country. “You have to understand that this is being practiced there even before the advent of Islam or Hinduism. We want to promote this rich culture to the world,” she said. This year, Sadhona and Jatrik organised this trip on the last day of Srabon. Rashed Khan Menon, Minister of Civil Aviation and Tourism, Liakot Ali Laki, director general of Shilpakala Academy along with other high officials from the government joined the entourage. After seeing the ritual and performance for the first time, Menon said that he would make sure that this festival would be included in the annual cultural calendar of Bangladesh. “This is something we can represent to the world as a part of our rich cultural heritage,” said the Minister.l

PHOTO: SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

n Mahmood Sadi On a regular day, Araf Ali works as a butcher at Akuabazaar in Kalihati upazila of Tangail but when the last day of Srabon (monsoon in the Bangla calendar) comes, the artist inside this 30-something hardheaded man shines through.

doesn’t work). Nonetheless, on the day of the reenactment, this man of mild manner and short stature becomes the centre of attraction among villagers. Behula’s husband Lakhindar got bitten by a poisonous snake because of Chand Soudagor (Lakhindar’s fathers) refusal to

This annual ritual is not just a dance to us. Rather, it’s a way of showing respect to the snake goddess

His face, weathered from years spent working as a butcher, finds a new softness after he wears layers of make-up, albeit amateurish in nature. Clad in women’s clothes, he becomes a “shokhi” (companion) of Behula - the newly wed wife of Lakhindar. Behula too, is portrayed by another man named Israfil. To the villagers of Akuabazaar, Israfil is a known as “badaimma” (a man who

worship serpent goddess Manasha. She tries to win Lord Shiva’s approval through dance. Pleased with her dance, Shiva negotiates with Manasha to give back Lakhindar his life. Under a gloomy “srabon” sky, placing Lakhindar’s snake bitten body infront of her, Behula starts the dance along with her shokhis (all portrayed by men). Their desynchronised

moves were accompanied with a loud orchestra consisting of a harmonium, keyboard, drum and dhols which somehow superseded the beautiful lyrics: “Amare pagol korlo chan…” (His love leaves me moonstruck). The villagers, who gather in numbers, don’t care. To them, the Behular Lachari performance taking place was not just a burlesque dance; rather it’s a century old tradition that is prevalent in rural parts of Tangail and Ghatail. To them, it’s an ode to the serpent goddess Manasha.

A tradition for all

Incidentally, the ode to Manasha was given by all, irrespective of cast and religion. Almost all the casting members of the dancing troop are Muslim. Monir, their leader, a portly fellow in his early 30’s who plays the role of Lakhindar is a proprietor of a steel cabinet workshop in the village market. “I am also an ‘Ojha’ (a healer). It’s my family profession,” Monir said, adding that not everyone can become an Ojha as the power has to come through inheritance. Monir claims to have healed hundreds of snake-bitten people in his lifetime. “This annual ritual is not just a dance to us. Rather,

it’s a way of showing respect to the snake goddess.” In this region, Monir’s troop is not the lone group which annually performs Behular Lachari. Rather, there are at least twelve troops like this that performs the ritual in different villages on the last day of Srabon. A part of this ritual is to float on a boat with the troop and stop at seven ghat’s (anchorage points). This is done as a reenactment of Behula’s epic journey where she floats in a raft with her husband’s dead body and stops at ghats named Chander Ghat, Shiver Ghat, Pakhir Ghat, Kaker Ghat, Bagher Ghat, Shial Ghat and Lebu Dhopanir Ghat to offer puja to Manasha. At each ghat, Behula stops and offers puja to Manasha. This reenactment of Behula’s epic journey along with the ritual dance is portrayed in a rainy season festival known as “Shaoner Dala.”

An attempt to promote it to the world

Shadhona Cultural Circle and cultural tourism company Jatrik work in a combined manner to promote this festival to the world as they believe this rich cultural ritual of rural Bangladesh has the capacity to garner the attention of people from all over the world.

• Renowned scholar and writer Kaiser Haq who also went to the festival with us said that the ritual which was observed was a version of the original BehulaLakhindar’s story. Kaiser in his book The Triumph of the Snake Goddess tried to depict the comprehensive retelling of this epic tale of Behula-Lakhindar in modern English. He offered a composite prose translation of Manasa’s story, based on five extant versions. • The Manasamangal texts, redacted between 13th and 15th century, is about the victory of the primordial Female Deity, later assimilated into the Brahmanical pantheon. In it, Chand Saudagor refuses to worship Manasa, who pledges to cut off his progeny. After killing off six sons, she decides to kill the seventh on his wedding night by sending a serpent into his armored bridal room. When Behula, the bride, wakes to find her husband dead, she refuses to accept Manasa’s admonishment, and takes the corpse on an epic journey on a tiny raft to get her husband back.

Feature

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Home gardens -

ensuring food security in a changing climate

n Sohara Mehroze Shachi Gamini Dissanayayake has owned his vast home garden in Kandy, Sri Lanka for many generations, “paramparahs” as he says. He proudly displays freshly plucked nutmeg and betel leaf from his garden, and the towering jackfruit tree that is the garden’s centerpiece. “From one tree we make an income of around twenty five thousand rupees per year,” he says. The January to March dry season leads to fruiting in JuneJuly. But in recent years there have been rains in February, affecting the fruiting cycle. “We can’t fetch a good harvest,” Dissanayayake says, adding that he knows from decades of experience that the climate is changing. There has been a slow and ambient rise of temperature in Sri Lanka, 0.01 – 0.03 degrees Celsius per year, which is reducing pollen viability. Research conducted in the University of Peradeniya of Kandy has shown that there are more frequent occurrences of extreme weather events, with increasing number of dry days, high intensity rains and tornado winds. The wet areas are getting wetter and the dry areas drier, which are having serious implications on food production. Kandy’s case is representative

of South Asian agriculture, which is usually intensive with a large number of farmers growing a small amount of produce each. A significant component of the smallholdings in the region comprise of home garden systems – 14.3% of the total area of Sri Lanka in 2014 comprised of home gardens and the figure is growing. “Home garden is a very good land use system that helps balance the landscape. Sustainability of the Kandyan home garden is mainly due to the system structure – having perennials, the ecological functions and the ability to fulfill the socio economic needs,” says Dr Ranjith Punyawardene from the Department of Agriculture of University of Peradeniya. South Asia’s home gardens comprise of a complex sustainable land use system with multiple farming components. It also involves bee keeping, poultry and cattle farming, hydroponics and rainwater harvesting etc. It effectively utilises limited spaces for crop production and ensures systematic rainwater drainage. And according to United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) findings, home gardening would increase crop production in adverse climatic conditions. The Asia Pacific Network on Global Change Research’s (APNGCR) project titled “vulnerability of home garden systems to climate change and its impacts on food security in South Asia” was implemented in one site of Bangladesh, one in India and three sites of Sri Lanka to shed more light on this issue. The changes in temperature and rainfall, current status of the diversity in home gardens, socioeconomic characteristics of home gardeners, and the extent to which climate shocks have influenced the usage

PHOTOS: COURTESY

of adaptation strategies by the home gardeners under changing climate were studied under this project. “The conclusion of the project is that home gardens are climate resilient. People are aware of climate change and they are adapting,” said Professor Buddhi Marambe, director of the Agriculture Education Unit of the University of Peradeniya. Despite the evidence that climate change has taken place in the past 50 years, the composition of home gardens in Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh has not changed substantially. Home gardeners have already adopted various strategies to adapt to climate change, such as minimising soil erosion by conserving moisture when there isn’t enough rain through mulching, whereby coconut leaves are laid around tree trunks. They have also applied techniques such as changing planting dates, technology and use of new breeds. “Strengthening and enhancing the Kandyan home garden systems in the coming years so that it continues to provide quality

The conclusion of the project is that home gardens are climate resilient. People are aware of climate change and they are adapting

ecological habitats and other social and economic functions, and connects wild and other cultivated habitats will be important for the future adaptation of this globally important landscape and ecofriendly option of living,” said Gamini Pushpakumara, dean of the faculty of agriculture of University of Peradeniya. However, adaptation has its limits when there are drastic changes in yield in the face of exacerbating impacts of climate change. “It’s going to be a warmer world,” said Nalaka Gunawardene,

journalist trainer, media researcher and columnist, “the question is how do we contain it from getting to the worst possible scenario.” l Sohara Mehroze Shachi was selected as a fellow by the Asia Pacific Network for Global Change Research to represent Bangladesh at the SAARC media visit on climate change home garden systems and food security in Kandy, Sri Lanka.

Feature

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Factors potential investors care about most n Feature Desk Companies that are in the process of purchasing a startup do not make decisions instantaneously. As a startup, you need to keep regular contact with acquirers to figure out what matters most to them.

Your customer base

What really matters is your customer base. Your products or services might be amazing, but if you are failing to attract your target customers to purchase them, you are losing value. If your startup is going to be acquired, your customer base is the first thing they will look into. Know that they have the ability to simply copy your business model, but if you have a strong presence in the market, it would be more lucrative from them for take you over. If you have a stable grip on your customers, your potential acquirers, investors and strategic partners won’t be able to ignore you. Hence, you need to grow and strengthen your customer relations and management. Slowly but surely, you will be able to grow your audience and give your future ideas the chance to succeed.

Industry expertise and experience

The next thing acquirer will look for is your team’s expertise and experience. You need to have significant product knowledge

PHOTO: BIGSTOCK

and industry understanding. This will add immense value to your startup. It saves a lot of time and effort

for the buyer.

Existing relationship with the acquirer

You cannot just expect to get into business with people who don’t know you. You need to build a long-term relation and a base of

trust with your acquirer. Position yourself in a way so that investors come to you, not the other way around.l

Some advice to keep your startup on track all your work in the best way. Your goals need to be very specific and for each goal, you should plan for possible actions. You also need to set a planned completion date and assign a specific person to complete each action. Put your actions under "to-dos" and check them off your spreadsheet/list once you have completed them.

Focus your efforts

n Feature Desk When starting your business, you need to juggle between lots of tasks. You need to prioritise on the work-related activities and take planned steps for the future of your startup. You need to effectively choose where you put

your time and effort. Here's some advice to help keep your startup on track.

Know your priorities

First of all, you need to be very clear about your goals and write them down. Do not just keep them in your head and expect to manage

Do not work on everything at the same time. Complete one task before going to the next one. If you try to start working on all your ten or 15 priorities at once, it will only create chaos in your work. Instead of planning to wrap up 20 of your goals at the same time, complete two to three at a time and move on to the next.

Prioritise tasks that build your core business For the viability of your business,

you obviously need to bring in revenue. Now you might not get it right in the first time. So all you need to do is try your best and get feedback. Make changes accordingly and improve each time. Figure out ways to get more customers by getting testimonials or developing case studies. You need to improve your product offerings and customer service in order to build a consistent cash flow.

Work for the future

While you focus on tasks that involve the current growth of your business, do not lose sight of the future. If your business grows, you will need more employees, larger space, more production equipment and capitalisation. You will also require additional marketing effort and other skills and knowledge. So you need to include some long-term goals in your spreadsheet.

Outsource additional tasks

If you do not have sufficient time to complete everything on your "to-do" list, you must outsource some of the tasks. Some of your marketing efforts, administrative or accounting efforts could be included for outsourcing. Of course, you will have to allocate extra budget if you want others to perform your tasks. But if the value of the extra time you are gaining is more, then you should opt for outsourcing. l

Articles reprinted under special arrangement with SD Asia.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

| meeting |

| agreement|

Country’s first maritime university’s 2nd senate meeting

Hotel Bengal Blueberry sings MOU with Crown Cement Hotel Bengal Blueberry and Crown Cement Group signed an agreement on August 3, 2016. The CEO (Bengal Group of Hotels) Shameem Hasnain Huda and Talukder Shahirul Islam, deputy general manager (Administration) of Crown Cement Ltd signed the agreement on behalf of their

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Maritime University, Bangladesh’s first ever specialised university of the country organised its second annual senate meeting at the university’s temporary campus on August 24, 2016 at Pallabi in the capital. The Vice-chancellor Rear Admiral A S M Abdul Baten chaired the meeting which was attended by members of the senate. In the meeting, the university’s budget of the fiscal year 2016-2017, second annual report, appointment rules, service rules and accounts

manual etc were ratified by the senate. It is mentionable that the university is conducting two international standard masters programs namely, LLM Maritime Law and Master in Port & Shipping Management. They have also successfully conducted two certificate courses on “Dangerous Goods Handling and Transportation” and “Marine Insurance and Claim”. Besides, the university is going to launch an honours programs on “Oceanography” and MBA (Major in Maritime Business) within short period of time. The

senate members expressed their deep satisfaction at the progress of the university and opined that after completing education from the university, the students will be able to build their career as skilled maritime professionals at home and abroad. The university is determined to create the necessary maritime human resource base for the nation for the creation of a specific knowledge and innovation community for the “blue economy”, added the vicechancellor. l

Carousel of Chaos

BEPZA exceed export target in 2015-16 with $6.67b

US$114.74 million and Uttara EPZ US$188.8 million. It is also mentionable that in the exported US$6113.49 of 2014-15 fiscal year Chittagong EPZ earned US$2383.76 million, Dhaka EPZ US$1997.5 million, Karnaphuli EPZ US$709.74 million, Adamjee EPZ US$467.37 million, Comilla EPZ US$274.63 million, Mongla EPZ US$84.26

million, Ishwardi EPZ US$108.26 million and Uttara EPZ was US$87.99 million. Eight EPZ’s of BEPZA consists of only 2307.27 acres of land. From this very small area, BEPZA is making a huge impact to Bangladesh’s economy. In 2015-16 fiscal year BEPZA contributed about 20% to the total national export. l

respective organisations. Among others Senior Front Office Manager Md Abul Khair Tapon, Assistant Manager-Sales and Marketing Shamsuzzoha Noyon, Md Fakhrul Alam and Assistant ManagerMarketing and CommunicationsJoy Ahosan were present.l

| exhibition |

| target |

Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) exceeded the export target by US$676 million against the export target US$6000 million for 2015-16 fiscal year. BEPZA have exported goods worth US$6676.32 million from the enterprises of eight EPZ’s. In the previous year ie 2014-15 it was US$6113.49 million. This shows an increase of 9.21% in recently concluded fiscal year comparing with the previous fiscal year. In 2015-16 fiscal year, the enterprises of Chittagong EPZ exported goods worth US$2419.71 million, Dhaka EPZ US$2183.9 million, Karnaphuli EPZ US$823.28 million, Adamjee EPZ US$562.91 million, Comilla EPZ US$308.33 million, Mongla EPZ US$74.66 million, Ishwardi EPZ

Biz Info

Carousel of Chaos, a special exhibition of art and funky merchandise is going to be held on August 26-27. An expansive collection of artwork ranging from the classical to the traditional to the eclectic as well as the surrealistic and abstract, will be showcased while merchandise will include everything from stickers

to bookmarks to mugs to night lamps. The Carousel of Chaos define themselves as “a ride for the misfits, the rebels and the wild things!” “We express ourselves through art, coming in all forms, shapes and sizes. We want to introduce a new kind of atmosphere where everyone can engage in the arts and get inspired. There is no requirement for you to have any prior experience with the world of art,” a spokesperson from the event stated. The artists include Humairah Shams, Nudrat Khan, Inaka Mahmud, Tasneem Tabassum Athoi, Marzana Mahmood, Kaynat Chowdhury, Tanvir Ahmed and Farhia Hoque. The event will continue from 3pm onwards over this weekend at Road 35, House 41, Level 1, Park Shore Apartments, Gulshan-2. l

20 Editorial

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

TODAY

Going for gold Sporting success can have a transformational effect on a nation, giving its people pride in identity and achievement PAGE 21

What will it mean for fiction writers? Literary disagreement, even when laced with emotion, should not spill over into police attention or criminal courts. Laws must not burden writers with shackles that prevent them from freely imagining history in their writing PAGE 22-23

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.

Farakka still a fracas

t is encouraging to hear one of India’s own chief ministers slam the Farakka Dam. Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar has recently criticised the construction of the barrage, which has been situated across the Ganges River for over 40 years. Nitish Kumar has said that the damages far outweigh the benefits, and rightly so. The construction of the barrage is harmful for both nations. A writ petition filed by various Indians has claimed that the damages caused by the Farakka Barrage come to around Rs3,226 crore annually via increasing water levels and salinity. In Bangladesh, a country so reliant on agriculture, the Farakka Barrage’s destructive effect on its soil is all too real a problem. The drying up of some of its water bodies, coupled with the rise of salinity causes irreparable damage to farmers and their livelihoods. Though the Ganges Water Sharing Treaty, which provides Bangladesh with 35,000 cusec of water in alternate three 10-day-periods, has helped the situation somewhat, it is not enough. This is on top of the fact that the promised amount of water is oftentimes not provided during lean periods. Our country continues to suffer as a result of its continued existence, and it is imperative that a more beneficial solution is brought on, one that benefits both sides. It further reiterates the need for continued co-operation between both parties. We hope that Nitish Kumar’s comments and the petition are the first of many from the Indian side which hasten the progress towards a more viable solution.

In Bangladesh, a country so reliant on it agriculture, the Farakka Barrage’s destructive effect on its soil is all too real a problem

Opinion

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Going for gold We need to focus on badminton and table tennis

Why has Bangladesh performed so poorly so far?

REUTERS

sponsors. “Going for Gold” or “Mission 2036” has a nice ring to it. But we have to choose wisely in picking the sports on which to concentrate. Bangladesh should plan and invest in disciplines where, in terms of physique, our athletes shall not be at a disadvantage. We should pick sports where we have significant popular participation. Sports where mental concentration, reflex and agility, as opposed to height and strength, are the determinative factors. Sports which, at least for effective participation at grass root levels, do not require major infrastructure, but rather planning and organisation. Sports where athletes from Asia dominate, and where we have a clear path, in terms of regular regional and continental competition, to climb the ladder. In short, we should pick badminton and table tennis, which have a total of 27 medals on offer.Badminton and table tennis do not require massive infrastructure or space.

the common spaces of apartments. Vacant lots can be used as badminton courts. The “moholla” or “parar club” culture of yore can be revived. Indeed, mass participation of young people can be effective in dealing with many social ills. Most importantly, the federations should have an integrated calendar for all these events to ensure percolation of talent, so that the best can be identified, patronised, and set apart for full time training. If this is done consistently, it will only be a matter of time before a nation of 160 million and counting produces a champion. Sporting success can have a transformational effect on a nation, giving its people pride in identity and achievement. West Germany’s unexpected success in the 1954 World Cup heralded its emergence from the ignominy of World War II. Successful hosting of the 1964 Tokyo and 1988 Seoul Olympics saw Japan and South Korea secure their positions as leaders of the

n Mustafizur Rahman Khan

angladesh is the most populous country in the world not to have won any medal in the Olympics yet. Most regard this as an embarrassment. But they should not. For it is in international sport that disparity of wealth and opportunity manifests most graphically. Of course, there are notable exceptions. Since the 1960s, countries of East Africa have been able to consistently produce Olympic champions in middle and long distance running, despite impoverishment. But this is because they have been able to take advantage, through training and dedication, of specific physiological attributes possessed by their people. In the end, success in international sports depends upon investment and planning. Bangladesh has never had either. Even wealthy nations, with rich sporting traditions, have struggled when their focus has gone awry. In the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, Great Britain won only one gold medal, and came 36th in the table. But by concentrating in the past 20 years on sports where it had tradition and prospect, Great Britain has not only recovered past glories, but has surpassed them, finishing second in the medal table

Sporting success can have a transformational effect on a nation, giving its people pride in identity and achievement

at Rio, beating China, Russia, and Germany. Bangladesh is no longer the country that it was 40, 30, or even 20 years ago. Despite the odds, we have developed. Bangladesh is now among the 40 largest economies in the world. On key socio-economic development indices, such as longevity, infant mortality, primary health care, and access to potable water, we have surpassed India and Pakistan. Our government is much more resourceful now than it was even 10 years ago. A burgeoning consumer economy has brought with it the prospect of significant corporate sponsorship for sports. It is time we take advantage. Taking a cue from Great Britain, it is possible, by focusing investment and planning on sports where we have realistic prospects, to have a Bangladeshi athlete on an Olympic podium in 20 years. Indeed, this can take the form of a mission statement, either on the part of the Ministry of Sports, or a consortium of corporate

They have significant popular interest and participation in Bangladesh. India and East Asian countries have enjoyed considerable success in these sports. Regular competitions are held at the South Asian and Asian levels. The East Asian countries are in a position to provide technical and coaching support. One can also consider archery and shooting, in addition to sports with weight divisions, such as boxing, judo, taekwondo, wrestling, and weightlifting, though these require investment and infrastructure, and are also not popular in terms of participation. After choosing the sports in which to concentrate, we should organise competitions at the upazilla, district, divisional, and national levels. Competitions should be held at school, college, and university levels. Corporate leagues can be held. In cities bereft of playgrounds, table tennis can be organised in

industrial world. An Olympic champion for Bangladesh can inspire a generation to achieve new heights. During the 1980s and 1990s, the winters of my youth were spent watching club cricket at the Dhanmondi Cricket Stadium, while my ears were glued to the transistor listening to the Tests in Australia and India. If someone told me then that within 20 years, there would be a dashing youngster from Chittagong scoring a 100 at better than a run a ball for Bangladesh in a Test at Lord’s, I would have reacted with a rude expletive. Yet Tamim Iqbal has happened. If we get our act together, we may well see, in our lifetimes, a tear rolling down the cheek of a Bangladeshi girl standing proudly in the middle of the podium on the greatest stage in the world, as the red and green flag is hoisted to the strains of the most beautiful national anthem of them all. l Mustafizur Rahman Khan is a freelance contributor.

Opinion

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

FROM THE ARCHIVES

What will it mean for fiction writers? We cannot punish writers for works of imagination. This article was originally publised on June 18

Why should there be shackles imposed on our imagination?

n Mahmud Rahman

t was either 2007 or 2008. While browsing the bookstalls at the Ekushey Book Fair in Dhaka, I came across one featuring books on the Liberation War. Some of the titles were familiar, others new to me. I asked a man behind the display why they didn’t carry Shaheen Akhtar’s novel Talaash. He replied that they did not consider the book to be pro-Liberation War. I could not elicit any details. I found his remarks ironic since around the same time, a writer in Shaptahik 2000, a weekly magazine, had listed Talaash as one of the 10 significant books on the war. I’m wary of such lists, but I do agree that Talaash is a vital novel about 1971 and its aftermath. I have read this book more than once, translated part of a chapter, and also helped edit the English translation published as The Search by Zubaan Books India. The novel opens before the

war. After a scandal in the village, a young woman named Mariam is sent off by her parents to attend college in Dhaka. She falls in love with Abed, a student leader, who scorns her for her lack of politics but doesn’t mind sleeping with her as often as he can.

BIGSTOCK

fate far from liberation. Though the new government declares women like Mariam as Biranganas, they are scorned by society. Some of Mariam’s peers commit suicide, some leave with the Pakistani soldiers, and others survive selling their bodies.

was not a virgin. Approaching the novel from the standpoint that the Pakistani military had destroyed “the honour of our women,” it didn’t sit well with him that the novel’s protagonist was someone already having sex. All signs suggest that the

Fiction has a complicated relationship with history. Those of us who are fiction writers do not pretend to be historians but our fiction can draw on history

When the war breaks out, Mariam joins thousands of others who flee the city. Unfortunately, the Pakistani army captures her and for the duration of the war she is held in a school building where she and other women are tortured as sex slaves. The end of the war brings release from captivity but a

Talaash is the story of Mariam’s struggle to refuse any of these fates over the next 30 years. Asking around, I found hints of why some people objected to Talaash. There were people who thought the book maligned student leaders. One reader had trouble with the fact that Mariam

parliament will soon pass the Liberation War Denial Crimes Act. This law will give anyone the right to file a complaint with the police or the courts. While history is defined as settled, the law’s clauses about history are vague, and it goes on to consider it a crime to be “representing the

liberation war history inaccurately or with half-truth in textbooks or in any other medium.” Other writers have expressed anxiety about what this means for the freedom to research the complex and polyphonic history of the entire movement for independence. I share those concerns, but as a writer of fiction, I also fear for the burden this will impose on creative writers. Ordinary people learn about history not just from textbooks but also from stories, novels, plays, and films. I am haunted not just by what I saw and heard in 1971, but also by narratives I have read in books. My sense of the texture of 1971 is rooted in personal experience but it has also been enhanced by the efforts of many writers. Bangladesh owes an immense debt to such writers. Of course there will be critical debate over works of fiction. On any book you can find a range of opinion, and in reading fiction, taste can be highly personal

and subjective. Until now, most criticism about 1971 fiction has remained verbal or on the page. But what happens when writers fall under the shadow of the proposed law? What if someone who feels that Talaash is not sufficiently proLiberation War decides to file a case that the book “represents history inaccurately or with half-truth”? In our highly litigious society, it is not unknown for random individuals, either with personal axes to grind or the desire to curry favour with the powerful, to file defamation cases. The proposed law is setting the stage for malicious “denial of history” cases. Given that the law is written with vague references to “events” and “truth,” it opens the door to abuse and harassment. Consider another scenario. Mahmudul Haque’s novel Jibon Amar Bon is one of the most significant works of fiction from Bangladesh. It was first published in a magazine in 1973, not long after the country became independent. When I first read the novel, I was struck by its unsentimental approach to the liberation movement. The story is set entirely in March 1971, during the upheaval that led to the breakout of the war. In Translation Review, Shabnam Nadiya wrote this about Jibon Amar Bon: “Post-war disillusionment is

perhaps inevitable; but Khoka’s prewar apathy was the first attempt to capture a consciousness that ran counter to the glorious nationalist narrative being constructed. With the world around him exploding in the passion of protest against Pakistani domination, Khoka remains disdainful. He justifies his detachment saying that the same mob once welcomed the military dictator Ayub Khan. Seemingly oblivious, Khoka fits in nowhere and his choice is to remain enmeshed in his life of friends (whose impassioned debates make him think of the futility of humans), his beloved sister Ronju, and the woman of his desire, Neela. Yet hinted through the mirror of this detachment is a dire imagining of post-war Bangladesh of easy money, elaborate corruption, a burgeoning middle class bent on grabbing opportunities provided by “public sentiment.” “Khoka’s detachment is destroyed when he loses his sister to war; life leaves none untouched, despite our illusory distance. We don’t know how Ronju dies, for Khoka’s recall lacks clarity. All we know is Khoka’s mistake: ‘All he had wanted was for Ronju to survive … His sad country could never have given Ronju the right to live’.” Nearly a decade ago when Mahmudul Haque was still alive

and I was in Dhaka, I had many conversations with him about everything under the sun. I had asked him about reactions to Jibon Amar Bon. He said that it had been well received by some, criticised by others. “One day,” he told me, “I was stopped while riding in a rickshaw. A man stepped out of a car and asked me to accompany him. I asked, ‘Why do I have to come with you? You know where I live and work. I’m going to work now, you can meet me there.’ The man was from an intelligence agency; someone had brought the novel to their attention.” Through one of his friends, Mahmudul Haque met Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the prime minister’s office. The prime minister was informed that the author had been receiving some flak over a novel he had written. When he asked what the book was about, Mahmudul Haque had

Opinion

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

go and sank itself into my being. “Kerosene” was an effort to use fiction to come to grips with that experience. People can like or hate my stories. Just as some might consider Talaash or Jibon Amar Bon or a dozen other published narratives as insufficiently patriotic. But literary disagreement, even when laced with emotion, should not spill over into police attention or criminal courts. Laws must not burden writers with shackles that prevent them from freely imagining history in their writing. I fear that the proposed law will come down as a restraint on writers, preventing them from exploring the complexity of our history through stories and novels. This will not serve the country well at all. Fiction has a complicated relationship with history. Those of us who are fiction writers do not pretend to be historians but our

What if we enter the minds of those we may consider on “our side” but who reveal in their interiority a complex mix of emotions, not just courage and resolve but also shame, cowardice, small-mindedness? The tool chest of fiction writers is vast. It may not even be constrained by fact. Some, for example, explore alternate histories. What if a writer chooses to write a novel imagining a history where it was the Pakistanis who won? Or one where the Indian army decided to stay and maintain an occupation? Or where a radical regime came to power? Any of these scenarios would be factually untrue, but fiction writers can use scenarios like these to tell stories about the multifaceted time that Bangladesh had gone through in 1971. Yet, if the Denial Law comes into effect, someone daring to take on these imaginative challenges would

Literary disagreement, even when laced with emotion, should not spill over into police attention or criminal courts. Laws must not burden writers with shackles that prevent them from freely imagining history in their writing

replied, “to answer that properly, you would have to read the book but where could you find that sort of time?” He related to me that Mujib had replied, “we freed the country. We are an independent country, people will write what they will. If someone harasses you, let them know that we have spoken.” Nothing further happened after this meeting. If the Denial Act comes into place, a hostile critic could demand Jibon Amar Bon be banned because it’s guilty of “denying events that were for the preparation of the liberation war between March 1, 1971 to March 25, 1971 and that it represented the war ‘inaccurately or with half-truth’.” I have written several stories related to the 1971 war that appear in my book Killing the Water. In the story “Kerosene,” a liberation fighter is part of a mob burning down a warehouse filled with women and children belonging to a minority community of whom many had collaborated with the occupying army. The story is allegorical, set in an imagined place, but readers familiar with 1971 will recognise that it’s written about our own atrocities towards the “Biharis.” There are many who would like to deny this shameful aspect of our history. When I wrote this story, I recalled a story I had heard when I stepped over to Agartala in 1971, a story of shame that refused to let

fiction can draw on history and interrogate history in ways that historical texts cannot. In fiction, writers often seek to explore truths in unconventional ways. Some writers prepare for their historical fiction with detailed research. Others draw from experience or start from an impressionistic view of events and rely more on their imagination. In each case, an author searches for truths through the tools of fiction: Characterisation, description, narrative, imagination. History cannot be reduced to a mere chronicle of events. Behind events lie the actions of human beings. Behind those actions, or passivity, lie a complicated mix of consciousness, will, accident, reaction, emotion, thought. Historical researchers can try to unravel that blend, seeking threads, answers, and patterns; but there is a large area of the unknown -- what goes on in the minds of humans? -- that fiction writers can use imagination to probe more boldly than others. What if in the course of writing fiction, we enter into the minds of heinous people like Pakistani military men or collaborators? What if we make efforts to build such characters not just as embodiments of evil but as fleshed out characters? What if someone takes offence at such examples and interprets these as misrepresenting history?

be targeted by those who only see a simplistic story line for 1971. Then the police and courts would wade into this territory, mostly unfamiliar to them, to determine judgements and sentences. Is that where the legal system, already pressed hard to deal with crime, should devote its resources? It’s hard enough when Islamic fundamentalists have created an atmosphere when every writer has to watch what they say about religion. It would be an additional burden when lawmakers, driven by a different kind of rigid mindset, pass a law that may penalise writers for writing about 1971 in unorthodox ways. Those writers who experienced 1971 are passing. There are yet many stories to be written about the times of war and the country they bequeathed. It will mostly fall on younger writers, those who didn’t directly experience the war, to draw from historical research and their own inclinations and imagination. What burden is the state putting on those who would want to write on the canvas of 1971? Do we really want to impoverish the literary possibilities about 1971 or for those who refuse to conform, do we want to send them to jail for their creative efforts? l Mahmud Rahman is the author of Killing the Water: Stories and the translator of Mahmudul Haque’s novel Black Ice.

24 Sport

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Mashrafe’s Red clinch first practice match

TOP STORIES

n Tribune Report Raqibul, the brightest star He was the only Bengali cricketer selected to play for Pakistan. Raqibul Hasan was on the verge of making his Test debut for Pakistan before Bangladesh’s Liberation War in March 1971. PAGE 25

Ronaldo: Last season ‘best of my career’ Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted he didn’t believe his country could win Euro 2016 and said that last season was probably the best of his glittering career. “To be honest I didn’t think Portugal could win the Euro.” PAGE 26

Green team’s wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim plays an inside-out shot over cover during their game against Red team at Sher-e-bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Dilshan to retire after Australia series Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan will quit international cricket after the ongoing limited overs series against Australia, the swashbuckling opener announced on Thursday. “I have decided to retire,” Dilshan told. PAGE 27

Barcelona sign Cillessen Barcelona have completed the signing of Dutch international goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen from Ajax, the Spanish champions confirmed on Thursday. The Catalans confirmed they had signed the 27-year-old on a 5-year contract for a fee of 13m euros. PAGE 28

The Mashrafe Bin Mortaza-led Red team beat the Nasir Hossain-led Greens by three wickets at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday. This was the first of three practice matches played among the Bangladesh preliminary squad players. Batting first, the Green team had a shaky start losing five wickets with only 41 runs on the board. But wicket-keeper batsman Mushfiqur Rahim led from the front to lift his side with his 90 and put up a 100run partnership with Nasir for the sixth wicket. His 109-ball innings included nine fours and one over boundary. On the other hand, captain Nasir added 47 runs to the tally which aided the side to post 194 runs in 47.4 overs. Pacer Taskin Ahmed bagged four wickets for the Red team giving away only 18 runs in 7.4 overs. Mashrafe too two wickets. In reply, the Green team started the chase losing three early wickets with only 19 runs on the board. But Mahmudullah came to the rescue with unbeaten 62 runs off 92 balls and aid the side to pick a three-wicket win. l

England players to meet security chief over Bangladesh tour fears n Agencies, England’s cricketers will meet the ECB’s head of security, Reg Dickason, today at their team hotel in London to be briefed about their forthcoming tour of Bangladesh. As the volatile security situation stands, England are expected to be given the go-ahead to tour Bangladesh, although certain players may decline to take the risk. But another atrocity in the country – anything remotely on the lines of the July 1 attack by five gunmen on a café in Dhaka – will lead to a cancellation. England’s one-day squad of 15 players will attend the meeting, including captain Eoin Morgan, who has said that some players might not go on the tour. “People have missed tours in the past so you have to make guys feel safe to go,” Morgan said earlier this week, referring to Andy Caddick

and Robert Croft who withdrew from England’s tour of India in 2000. “There’s always room for a personal decision.” England Test captain Alastair Cook will also attend, along with

turning after Dickason had reported his findings. Bangladesh’s one-day captain, Mashrafe Mortaza, has added his voice to those who want the tour to go ahead – starting with three

One England player even more unlikely to tour Bangladesh and India this autumn is Ian Bell, who is due to sign a contract with the Big Bash franchise Perth Scorchers members of the team management and Andrew Strauss, now the director of cricket. When England had to decide whether to return to India to resume their tour after the Mumbai massacre in 2009, Strauss was a leading advocate for England re-

one-day internationals, followed by two Tests in Dhaka and Chittagong. But to improve security, England’s one-day warm-up game, which has been scheduled for Fatullah, could be transferred to the stadium in the Mirpur suburb

of Dhaka, where the international games will be staged. That would reduce the journey times from the team hotel to the ground and the risk involved in travelling through densely built-up areas. Australia cancelled their tour of Bangladesh last year and withdrew their Under-19 team from the Youth World Cup, but Dickason’s visit and security assessment persuaded England’s Under-19 team to go. One England player even more unlikely to tour Bangladesh and India this autumn is Ian Bell, who is due to sign a contract with the Big Bash franchise Perth Scorchers, having turned himself into something of a T20 specialist. Bell’s championship score of 45 against Durham left him with one first-class century this season, not enough to tempt England’s selectors even in the current dearth of middle-order Test batsmen.l

Sport

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Cricket gets reality show n Tribune Report Bangladesh’s first television cricket reality show, called the Gazi Tyres Cricketers Hunt will start from September 1 in eight divisions of the country. The talent hunt was officially launched yesterday at a local hotel in Dhaka. The primary selection process will start from Chittagong on September 1 then move to Sylhet Mymensingh, Barisal, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur and Dhaka which will end on September 29. Those interested to participate in the competition can find the registration form online at Gazi Tyres Facebook page (www.facebook. com/GaziTyresBD). There is also facility for spot registration. Those only above 15 years and have no experience in playing in any Dhaka based league will be eligible to participate in the competition. Gazi TV will televise the whole

contest as a reality show conducted by coach Mohammad Salauddin, also Gazi Group Cricketers’ director of coaching. The primarily selected players, which could be up to 80, from the eight divisions will first be finetuned by former national cricketers and coaches at the BKSP. From there the top 20 or 25 contestants will get selected who will be awarded a four-year long contract. The cricketers here will be trained and groomed and make them emerge as proper cricketers. The top contestants and will also be awarded a yearlong Gazi Golam Dastagir Scholarship. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) vice-president Mahbub Anam, chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury, game development chairman Khaled Mahmud, Gazi Group director Gazi Golam Ashria and Gazi Group executive director M Salauddin were present during the launching ceremony. l

Dignitaries of Bangladesh Cricket Board and Gazi Group are present during the launching ceremony of the Gazi Tyres Cricketers Hunt DHAKA TRIBUNE

Raqibul, the brightest star n Mazhar Uddin He was the only Bengali cricketer selected to play for Pakistan. Raqibul Hasan was on the verge of making his Test debut for Pakistan before Bangladesh’s Liberation War in March 1971. The teenager who was known for his sound technique was also

the 12th man of the Pakistan Test side back in 1969-70 against New Zealand in Dhaka. Born in January 1st 1953, Raqibul was selected for the Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan (BCCP) XI in February 1971 against the touring Commonwealth XI where Raqibul, the only Bengali player, became the poster boy during the second match played in Dhaka and the reason was obvious. Raqibul, a first year politics student at the Dhaka University, however made just one run each but still he managed to catch everyone’s attention when he walked out to to the field with Joy Bangla written on

his bat. After three days of cricket, the last day of the match was interrupted by the angry protesters. The match was abandoned as the city of Dhaka was literally on fire. Raqibul had fled to Kolkata soon after and when he returned to the independent nation, he went on to become the captain of the national side. Like he was a regular for the East Pakistan side in the late 1960s, Raqibul played for Bangladesh in all their important matches after Independence. He went on to make his ODI debut for Bangladesh at the 1986 Asia Cup but only played two international matches. In nine first-class matches, Raqibul made just a single fifty. Six of these matches were for East Pakistan, and one each for the BCCP XI, Dhaka University and President’s XI. His son Sajid Hasan also played age-group and club cricket and went on to tour with Bangladesh in Hong Kong in 1993. The fatherson duo also played club cricket together. After he had finally hung up his boot, Raqibul introduced himself as a cricket administrator and later a match referee. He is also an everpresent TV personality, discussing cricket in various TV shows. When contacted by Dhaka Tribune, he declined to speak despite several requests. Raqibul remains as one of the brightest names in the history of Bangladesh cricket. l

Guardiola stands by unpopular Hart decision n AFP, Manchester Manchester City’s fans must accept hardnosed decisions like the sidelining of goalkeeper Joe Hart if the club are to make progress in the Champions League, manager Pep Guardiola has warned. City’s 1-0 win over Steaua Bucharest on Wednesday sealed their place in the competition’s group phase, but supporters used the game to voice dissent over Guardiola’s treatment of Hart. The England goalkeeper, who is due to be replaced by Barcelona’s Claudio Bravo, was serenaded throughout, but Guardiola said he had been hired by City to make difficult decisions. “I’m here to take decisions. I was honest with Joe, I was honest with the club, I was honest with all the players in the squad,” said the Catalan, whose name was also chanted by City’s fans. “I have to take decisions and I can’t deny what I feel. When the fans are unhappy, I can completely understand that. What Joe has made in this club is much more than I did in my past, which is just one month here, and I’m pretty sure what I will do with this club. “Because there are a lot of players who are so important. Guys like Yaya (Toure), like Samir (Nasri), like David Silva, like Gael Clichy, like (Aleksandar) Kolarov make this club like this. “This club has just once in their

life gone more than the group stage, to the semi-finals. It was last year with Manuel (Pellegrini). “So it’s not a club for the European history. These guys who were here create this step and I respect (them) a lot. But I’m here and I have to take decisions. “You can’t think when I was in Barcelona, in (Bayern) Munich all my decisions were right. Time showed I made mistakes. But I have to take it. “That’s why Manchester City contacted me and asked me to be the new manager. I accepted. If I accept, you have to follow me. You have to play the way I want to play.” City’s fans sang “Don’t sell Joe Hart!” and “City’s number one!”, while a second-half chorus of “Stand up if you love Joe Hart!” drew almost the whole stadium to its feet. l

Sport

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

RESULTS APOEL

1-1

FC Copenhagen

Sotiriou 69 Santander 86 Copenhagen win 2-1 on aggregate

M’gladbach

6-1

Young Boys

Hazard 9, 64, 84, Ravet 79 Raffael 33, 40, 77 Gladbach win 9-2 on aggregate

Rostov

4-1

Ajax

Azmoun 34, Erokhin 52, Klaassen 84-P Noboa 60, Poloz 66 Rostov win 5-2 on aggregate

Manchester City

1-0

Steaua Bucharest

Delph 56 Manchester City win 6-0 on aggregate

Salzburg

1-2

Dinamo Zagreb

Lazaro 22

Fernandes 87, Soudani 95 Dinamo Zagreb win 3-2 on aggregate after extra-time

Manchester City’s Fabian Delph scores their first goal against Steaua Bucharest during their UEFA Champions League qualifying play-off second leg at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England on Wednesday –REUTERS

Ajax misery, Gladbach, City storm into UCL group stage n Reuters, Berne Four-times European champions Ajax missed out on the Champions League group stage after losing 4-1 to Rostov as Manchester City and Borussia Moenchengladbach eased through the playoffs on Wednesday. Austrian champions Salzburg failed to make it through the qualifiers for an astonishing ninth time in a row, losing out to Dinamo Zagreb while FC Copenhagen completed the 32 teams for Thursday’s group stage draw in Monaco. Raffael and Thorgan Hazard both scored hat-tricks as Gladbach

mauled Swiss opponents Young Boys 6-1 to complete a 9-2 aggregate win. Gladbach never looked back after Hazard gave them a ninth-minute lead and two quickfire goals by his Brazilian team mate put them 3-0 ahead after just 40 minutes. Manchester City, 5-0 up from the first leg against former European champions Steaua Bucharest, completed the job when Fabian Delph’s second-half header gave them a 1-0 win in the return. England goalkeeper Joe Hart, dropped for City’s first two league games of the season, was picked by manager Pep Guardiola and given

a rapturous reception by the home supporters. Rostov, who qualified for the first time, completed a 5-2 aggregate win against Dutch side Ajax who fell in the qualifying rounds for the second season running. Roared on by a fervent home crowd, the Russian side took a 34th-minute through a sublime Serdar Azmoun header and Aleksandr Yerokhin made it 2-0 when he emphatically headed home a free kick. Christian Noboa bundled in a third before Dmitry Poloz sent the home fans into raptures as he beat the offside trap to make it 4-0.

Davy Klaassen scored a late consolation for Ajax from a penalty after the hosts had Fedor Kudryashov sent off. The real drama was in Salzburg where the hosts, who have dominated Austrian football since energy drinks manufacturer Red Bull took over in 2006 but never qualified for the Champions League since, faced Dinamo with a 1-1 draw in the bag from the away leg. It seemed that this was finally to be their night when Valentino Lazaro put them ahead with a superb individual goal, running from the halfway to fire a shot inside the near post.

Dominant Salzburg had a penalty claim turned down and should have put the game to bed but, with three minutes remaining, were stunned when Chilean forward Junior Fernandes scored with a deflected shot. Five minutes into extra-time, Fernandes sent El Arabi Hilal Soudani clear and the Algerian forward scored at the second attempt. Cypriot champions APOEL Nicosia, quarter-finalists four years ago, went ahead through Pieros Sotiriou but Federico Santander equalised for Copenhagen with four minutes left to earn a 1-1 draw and 2-1 aggregate win. l

Ronaldo: Last season ‘best of my career’ Sturridge frustrated with n wide role under Klopp AFP, Paris

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo has admitted he didn’t believe his country could win Euro 2016 and said that last season was probably the best of his glittering career. “To be honest I didn’t think Portugal could win the Euro. But match by match I started believing it was possible. In the end we deserved it, we played as a team and our players are to be congratulated,” said Ronaldo in an interview with UEFA.com. “Before the Euro we expected Portugal to have a good European Championship, get through the group stage, get through the quarter-finals and from there we saw everything as a bonus,” added the 31-year-old, who came off injured

in the first half of the 1-0 extra-time win against hosts France. “It was the pinnacle of a difficult season for Real Madrid in which we were ultimately able to win the biggest trophy in club football. “In terms of trophies, it was possibly the best year of my career,”

added the Portuguese. Ronaldo was also full of praise for former French superstar Zinedine Zidane, who took over as coach of the Spanish giants in January. “Zidane was key. He’s a great professional, a great person and, in my opinion, his biggest quality is his ability to give his players a sense of calm. We were 12 points behind Barcelona and we ended up just one point adrift. In the Champions League we did what we had to do –- and went on to win it. What more could you ask? Zidane deserves a lot of credit.” Ronaldo is the record goal-scorer in the Champions league with 94 strikes. He is one of three nominees for UEFA’s award for the best player in Europe last season alongside Bale and Griezmann. l

n Reuters Liverpool’s Daniel Sturridge has urged manager Juergen Klopp to deploy him in his favoured centre forward position, where he operates on “autopilot”. The 26-year-old scored twice after coming on as a substitute in their 5-0 win against Burton Albion in the League Cup, but faces stiff opposition from the likes of Divock Origi and Roberto Firmino to play in the centre attacking role. Sturridge struggled to make an impact from the wing in the 2-0 defeat against Burnley during their English Premier League match last weekend, and the England interna-

tional felt that he would be most effective when playing in front of goal. “Everyone knows where I enjoy playing the most,” Sturridge told British media. “I’m a player who plays on instinct, and in the middle I have clarity on movements and things that I have been doing for years. I am on autopilot there. “Of course it is more difficult for me to play wide. Well, I have to do a job for the team. That’s not saying I am happy to do it. That’s saying I have got to do a job for the team.” Liverpool face Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane in their next league game on Saturday. l

Sport

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Dilshan to retire after Australia series n Reuters, Colombo

QUICK BYTES AFC CUP PLAY-OFF QUALIFIERS

Russel finish campaign with 4-3 defeat Bangladesh Premier League champions Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra faced a 3-4 defeat against FC Tertons of hosts Bhutan in their final Group C match of AFC Cup Play-off Qualifiers today at Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan yesterday. Jean Jules Ikanga scored a brace and Shakhawat Hossain Rony scored for Russel, who got ousted from the qualifying round with only one point. Tertons went through from the group with four points after this win. Russel started their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Tatung FC of Chinese Taipei on Tuesday. –TRIBUNE DESK

Ireland’s Keane to end international career Ireland’s most prolific goal-scorer Robbie Keane announced his retirement on Wednesday after an 18-year career in which he scored 67 goals for his country to put him 15th on the list of all-time international marksmen. The 36-year-old said in a statement he would retire from international football following Ireland’s friendly against Oman on Aug. 31. “It has been a wonderful journey for me to have played with the Irish team for over 18 years since I made my senior international debut back in 1998,” Keane said. –REUTERS

Smith rests, Warner skippers Aussies in SL Australia’s Steve Smith has been rested to focus on next month’s tour of South Africa leaving David Warner to lead the side for the remainder of the Sri Lanka series. Smith captained Australia to an 82-run loss in the second one-day international Wednesday which tied the series 1-1. “I hate missing cricket, but in the long run it will do me a world of good,” said Smith who returns home with three one-day internationals and two T20s still to be played. –AFP

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL TEN 1 12:45AM Sky Bet EFL 2016/17 Burton Albion v Derby County

TEN 2 12:45AM French Ligue 1 2016/17 Olympic Marseille v Lorient Bretagne

SONY SIX 12:45AM La Liga Santander Real Betis v Deportivo La Coruna

Pakistan’s Sarfraz Ahmed drops a catch off England’s Jason Roy during their Royal London One Day International at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, England on Wednesday AP

England beat Pakistan in rain-hit first one-dayer n Reuters England beat Pakistan by 44 runs on the Duckworth/Lewis scoring method in a rain-affected first oneday international in Southampton on Wednesday. Pakistan made 260 for six in their 50 overs and England moved on to 194 for three in 34.3 overs, Jason Roy making 65 and Joe Root 61, before rain brought a premature end to the match. Pakistan captain Azhar Ali, who

BRIEF SCORES PAKISTAN 260 for 6 (Azhar 82, Sarfraz 55) ENGLAND 194 for 3 (Roy 65, Root 61) England win by 44 runs (DLS method)

won the toss, hit 82 to lead his team to a below-par total in bright sunshine and ideal batting conditions. Azhar started slowly but increased the tempo to strike nine fours before top-edging leg-spin-

ner Rashid to Ali at short fine leg. Babar Azam scored 40 and Sarfraz Ahmed 55 but the touring side never really broke the shackles imposed by a disciplined England attack in which Rashid was the most successful bowler with figures of 2-51. England lost Alex Hales for seven but Roy flayed six fours and a six and shared a second-wicket partnership of 89 with Root. Morgan finished on 33 not out with Ben Stokes on 15. The second game is at Lord’s on Saturday. l

Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan will quit international cricket after the ongoing limited overs series against Australia, the swashbuckling opener announced on Thursday. “I have decided to retire from the ODIs after the third match in Dambulla (on Sunday) and will play the two Twenty20s and then retire completely,” Dilshan told local media. After the conclusion of the fivematch ODI series, Sri Lanka and Australia will play two Twenty20 matches on Sept. 6 and Sept. 9. Inventor of the famous “Dilscoop” ramp shot, Dilshan played the last of his 87 tests in 2013 before quitting the longer format with 5492 runs and 39 wickets. “I together with my committee wish to extend our sincere appreciation and wish him the very best in his future endeavours,” Sri Lanka Cricket president Thilanga Sumathipala said in a statement. According to media reports, the former captain was persuaded to retire as Sri Lanka build a new team under Angelo Mathews with an eye on the 2019 World Cup. Dilshan made his one-day debut against Zimbabwe in 1999 and went on to play 329 ODIs, amassing 10248 runs that included 22 hundreds, with an 86-plus strike rate. He has also scored 1884 runs in 78 Twenty20 Internationals and was Sri Lanka’s top scorer in this year’s World T20 in India. l

BRIEF SCORES SRI LANKA 288 (Mendis 69, Mathews 57, K Perera 54, Zampa 3-42, Faulkner 3-45) AUSTRALIA 206 (Wade 76, Aponso 4-18, T Perera 3-33) Sri Lanka win by 82 runs

Federer, Nadal to team up in Laver Cup n AFP, New York Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal will play doubles together in a new competition pitting Europe against the Rest of the World in a Ryder Cup-style tennis team event. The Laver Cup was launched in New York on Wednesday with Federer and Nadal, who have won 31 Grand Slam titles between them, both committed to the event which will be held for the first time in Prague from September 22-24 next year. Former Grand Slam heavyweights Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe will be the captains. Organisers of the tournament, named after Rod Laver, the last man to achieve the calendar Grand Slam in 1969, are hopeful that the

current top two in the world -- Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray -will also be persuaded to play. “It’s going to be unbelievable to be on the same side of the net as Rafa finally. It’s a great feeling not facing the big forehand,” said 35-year-old Federer, who attended the launch despite injury ruling him out of the US Open which starts in New York on Monday. Under the format of the Laver Cup, which will be played every year except in an Olympic season, there will be four matches each day -- three in singles, one in doubles. Europe would start as favourites based on current rankings -at the moment there are only five non-Europeans in the world top 20. The leading player outside of Europe is Canada’s Milos Raonic.l

Sport

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

11th Ascent Cup begins in style n Tribune Desk The 11thEdition of the Ascent Cup was inaugurated in a solemn ceremony with Madiha Murshed, CEO of Ascent and Managing Director of Excalibur Entertainment shaking hands with the team members of Gemcon and Neo Zippers. The National Anthem was then played and a round of applause followed.

GEMCON 4-2 NEO ZIPPER

The first match of the tournament kicked off with Gemcon facing off to debutantes Neo Zipper, who it must be said, gave a fine account of themselves against the current champions. It was end to end football with slick passing from both teams and in the end of the first half, the score was locked at 1-1. But as we have seen time and time again in the Ascent Cup, the cream always rises to the top, and Gemcon finished the tie off at 4-2. Gemcon’s Munna on a brace while Rikto and Monu also getting on the scoresheet. Ujjal scored 2 for Neo.

CENTRO TEX 1-6 MTB

Stalwarts Mutual Trust Bank were up next against a plucky Centro Tex who found out the hard way how difficult life is for first timers in the Ascent Cup, especially when pitted against seasoned opposition. By the second half, it was one way traffic towards the Centro goalkeeper, who was seen picking the ball from the back of his net innumerous times. MTB’s Neaymur Rashid still was in fine form along with Iftekhar who scored a scintillating hattrick. It’s back to the drawing board for Centro who will no doubt give a

better performance in their next match against Neo Zipper.

BANDO DESIGN 9-1 AARONG DAIRY

Tournament favourites Bando Design went on a demolition derby against Aarong Dairy,routing them 9-1 in the 3rd match of the day. CEO and Captain Imran scored all 9 of their goals, who looks like shoo-in for this years’ golden boot. But this was only made possible by the immaculate service he receives from his teammates, namely Mobarak, Mamun and Shakil. This was by far the master class shown by any side in this years’ spectacle, and a statement of intent to the other teams in the tournament. For Aarong Dairy, it was a day to forget and regroup for their next match.

MEENA SWEETS 7-1 GALAXY GROUP

Newcomers Meena Sweets made their debut by presenting 7 laddoos to Galaxy Group who also happen to be firsttimers in this tournament. Right from the whistle, Meena Sweets could be seen using the expanse of the field with their special brand of passing and flair which was reminiscent of the Brazil side of the 70’s to 80’s. In the end of regulation time, the score stood at 7-1. We wonder how Meena will fare against stiffer opposition. But let us not take anything away from a spirited performance from Galaxy Group. One of the moments captured on the 1st day of the games was their CEO, Reza Ameen waving a giant flag from the gallery. We wish them all the best for their remaining games.

Barcelona sign Cillessen n AFP, Barcelona Barcelona have completed the signing of Dutch international goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen from Ajax, the Spanish champions confirmed on Thursday. In a statement on their official website the Catalans confirmed they had signed the 27-year-old on a five-year contract for a fee of 13 million euros (£11.1 million, $14.7 million), rising to a potential 15 mil-

lion euros. Barca said Cillessen flew to Spain on Thursday morning to undergo a medical and would be officially unveiled on Friday. Cillessen made a farewell appearance for Ajax on Wednesday in their 4-1 Champions League playoff defeat to Rostov in Russia. The Dutchman will compete with Marc-Andre ter Stegen for the number one jersey in Luis Enrique’s side.l

An action from the match between Ascent Group and Brac Bank yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE 4-5 STERLING GROUP

The encounter between Dhaka Tribune and Sterling Group was by far the best match we witnessed today. The match was played at breath neck speed with goals abundant in both halves. In the end it was the industriousness of Sajib and Rion, who both scored a brace for Sterling which proved the difference. Moon of Dhaka Tribune put in a performance with 2 goals.

SWISS CONTACT 2-1 ORION GROUP

Our old friends Swiss Contact locked horns with new kids on the block, Orion Group in a hard fought but low scoring contest, which saw the veterans shading the match towards the end. Kais and Niaz

both converted for the NGO. Kayes pulled one back for Orion.

GREEN DELTA 7-2 ORION POWER

Meanwhile, Nipul Barua and Green Delta were on song against their match against the second team Orion put out this year. The current Plate champions showed no mercy to a hapless Orion Power, as they trounced them 7-2 in a one-sided affair. Ferdaus of Delta scored a prolific hattrick. Orion Power will be left to lick their wounds and fight another day.

RUNNER GROUP 6-0 BRAC

We welcome back Runner Group with their iconic Japanese nationals, Akhiro Ueda and Jun Sato who gave us whirlwind view of their

skills as they made small work Brac. Brac had very little to show for their efforts but put in a spirited performance nonetheless. But the day belonged to Runner and their samurai duo.

IIDFC 7-1 ASIATIC 3 SIXTY

It was a walk in the park for veteran team IIDFC as they were all over Asiatic 3 Sixty in a 7-1 romp. Shamim of IIDFC on a spectacular hatrick. l

MORE RESULTS METRONET ASCENT GROUP NRB GLOBAL SECUREX

1-3 5-1 0-6 9-0

ENERGYPAC BRAC BANK CITY BANK

Everton boss Koeman rules out Hart move n AFP, London

City sign goalkeeper Bravo from Barcelona

Everton manager Ronald Koeman has dismissed talk of a move for out of favour Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart. Hart is set to leave City after being reduced to a fringe role since Pep Guardiola’s arrival as manager and the England international had been strongly linked with a switch to Everton. With City signed Barcelona keeper Claudio Bravo to replace him, it seemed the 29-year-old had made his farewell appearance 24 hours earlier in a Champions League play-off win at Eastlands. But Hart’s next destination remains uncertain after Koeman distanced himself from a potential deal for the former Shrewsbury keeper.l

Manchester City have signed Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo from Barcelona for an initial 18 million euros ($20.3 million), the clubs confirmed on Thursday. The 33-year-old agreed a fouryear contract to join City as new manager Pep Guardiola continues his major overhaul of the 2014 Premier League champions. “Claudio is a fantastic goalkeeper and an excellent addition to our squad,” Guardiola told. “He has experience and great leadership qualities and is in the prime of his life. He is a goalkeeper I have admired for a number of years and I’m really happy he is now a City player.” Bravo moved to Barcelona from

n Reuters, London

JAAGO

Real Sociedad in 2014 and enjoyed great success, winning the Spanish title in 2015 and 2016 and the Champions League in 2015. The Spanish champions said Bravo had moved for an initial 18 million euros plus a further two million in add-ons. They signed his replacement Jasper Cillessen. “It is not easy to leave a club like Barcelona where I had two fantastic years, but the opportunity to work with Pep Guardiola was too good to refuse,” Bravo said. “Now I will challenge the other great goalkeepers the club has and together I hope we can win many trophies.” The keeper, who has 106 caps for Chile and won the Copa America in 2015 and 2016, became City’s 11th signing of the transfer window. l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Skin eruption (4) 5 Corrodes (5) 9 Whole (6) 10 Gratuity (3) 11 Agitate (4) 12 Thickness (5) 14 Wild (5) 16 Copied (4) 19 Consumes (4) 21 Articles (5) 24 Puff up (5) 27 Lubricates (4) 29 Mine (3) 30 Meal course (6) 31 Not flighty (5) 32 Pay attention (4)

DOWN 1 Repose (4) 2 Insect (3) 3 Smother (6) 4 Employ (4) 5 Backslide (7) 6 Eyelid affliction (3) 7 Neckwear (3) 8 Lively frolic (5) 13 Drink (3) 15 Disconcerted (7) 17 Longing (6) 18 Utters gratingly (5) 20 Afflict (3) 22 Destructive insect (4) 23 Employed (4) 25 Humour (3) 26 Greek letter (3) 28 Sheltered side (3)

Downtime

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 21 represents V so fill V every time the figure 21 appears. You have two letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares. Some letters of the alphabet may not be used. As you get the letters, fill in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check off the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

SUDOKU How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

Showtime

Deepika beats Priyanka

without a Hollywood debut

Short Film Forum to showcase films from the last 30 years

n Nazia Lopa Deepika Padukone is not just India’s top-paid actress, she is also among the top 10 highest-paid actresses in the world, according to Forbes. The actress is the only Indian on the list with earnings of $10million. The list is headlined by Jennifer Lawrence, with total earnings of $46 million. Making her Hollywood debut along Fast and Furious star Vin Diesel, Deepika Padukone will appear in 2017 in xXx: Return of Xander Cage. Noting the gender pay gap in the Indian movie industry, “a discrepancy not uncommon in Hollywood,” Forbes said that although a top Indian male star might earn close to $5million a movie, prominent Indian actresses rarely clear $1million a film. The one Bollywood star we expected to see on the list was Priyanka Chopra. She is the lead star of ABC’s Quantico and will be soon making her Hollywood debut with Dwayne Johnson-starrer Baywatch. However, Priyanka failed to make it to the top ten. Media has been abuzz with a rivalry between Priyanka and Deepika given the fact that both the actresses will be seen making their Hollywood debuts soon. Hollywood actress Melissa McCarthy, 45, is this year’s biggest dollar gainer year over year; her earnings are up $10million on 2015′s estimate thanks in part to a reported eight-figure payday for Ghostbusters. This year, the Mike & Molly star recorded her biggest annual paycheck to date, out-earning Scarlett Johansson (at number three, $25million). For the second year in a row, the odds are in her favour: Jennifer Lawrence is once again the world’s highestpaid actress, notching $46million pretax over 12 months – $13million more than second-ranked Melissa McCarthy, who pocketed $33million. Lawrence’s impressive earnings consists largely of a profit slice from the big box office gross ($653.4million) of her final Hunger Games installment and a mammoth upfront fee for the forthcoming Passengers. Her total is down 11.5% from $52million in 2015, but she remains the girl on fire, financially speaking. l Source: Forbes

n Showtime Desk This year, Bangladesh Short Film Forum (BSFF), the organisation of independent filmmakers of the country marks its 30 year anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, the BSFF has organised a two-day program titled “30 Years of Independent Film” where extolled short films from the last 30 years will be screened. The two-day program will be inaugurated today at the National Art Gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy at 10:30am.

Zakir Hossain Raju, the president of Bangladesh Short Film Forum, said that the opening day will feature discussions and reminiscence from the founding members. On the second day, the selected films from the last 30 years will be screened. Selected films from the ‘80s will be screened at 10:30am while films from ‘90s at 3pm and contemporary films at 5:30pm. To take part in the program, interested individuals have to register, which can be done on the spot. l

Star Cineplex temporarily closed

n Showtime Desk Star Cineplex is one of the city’s more popular haunts for movie aficionados. Recently, Bashundhara City, the mall that houses the Cineplex caught fire. Fire broke out on sixth floor of the mall. At least seven shops at level 6’s, Block C was completely burnt. Cineplex is at level 8. Although Cineplex was not damaged by the fire, as an aftermath of the fire, the floor has been shut down, with the rest of the mall. Cineplex’s spokespersons have decided to take time to rehabilitate before opening again.

Star Cineplex is the first multiplex movie theater in Bangladesh. Show Motion Limited, incorporated on December 19, 2002, pioneered the modern Multiplex Movie Theater industry with STAR Cineplex brand in Bangladesh. To develop the country’s entertainment sector, local and foreign promoters of Show Motion Ltd started the first international quality stateof-the-art multiplex cinema theatre on October 8, 2004 in Bangladesh at Bashundhara City Mall at Panthapath, Dhaka. l

Holding out for a hero n Showtime Desk

Nowadays heroes can be seen participating in a lot of TV advertisements alongside taking part in ramp modelling and photoshoots. As a result, today’s heroes are more than that - they’re models too. Fair and Lovely Men Channel I Hero powered by Bangladesh Army’s night episode will be aired today, where participants will be judged by acting in a TVC for the Fair and Lovely Men brand. These TVCs are made according to three Fair and Lovely Men TVC stories. The TVCs are directed by Wahid Anam and Rayhan Khan. Wahid Anam shared: “As newcomers, the participants are really talented. I hope and wish

n Showtime Desk Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher has confirmed a debut solo album for next year after the artiste signed a major label deal with Warner Bros. Gallagher hinted at his return to music last May, but denied that he would go solo. “I’m very excited to be signing with the mighty Warner Brothers; looking forward to making some super sweet sounds,” said Gallagher. “Keep the faith!” he added. Phil Christie, president of Warner Bros Records UK, added, “Liam’s one of the all-time greats; brilliant, distinctive, controversial and captivating.” “The album he’s currently recording is big, bold and heartfelt, and it feels important and

culturally relevant,” Christie says. “Such a strong return for one of the UK’s most loved artists.” Gallagher recently spoke to Q about his new album, revealing that he’s working on new music with “two lads he knows.” He elaborated, “One’s a multi-instrumentalist and he can play anything. Not that there’s much to play on these songs. One guitar, acoustic. One guitar, electric. Drum kit, keyboard about that big [measures out 12 inches between his hands]. That’s your lot. Proper sparse, really pumping. How it should be. We’ve demoed some songs.” “I am not embarking on a solo ‘career,’” Gallagher went on to clarify. “Everyone should know that. There are just 10, 11 songs I’ve written that are eligible to be recorded. They’ve got flair, attitude, the melodies are sick and the words are funny. We’ll record them this year and release it next year. It’ll shock people. You won’t be scratching your chin. It’s not Pink Floyd and it ain’t Radiohead. It’s chin-out music!”l

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

WHAT TO WATCH Journey 2: The Mysterious Island HBO 11:18pm

them luck and a bright future.” Raihan Khan said, “I have been with them since the beginning. That’s why they have been really cooperative with me. A few small mistakes apart, their performances were quite good.” Not only will participants take part in TVC’s, they will also participate in fashion shows and take up ramp modeling. The fashion show is choreographed by fashion choreographer Luna. The judges will score them based on the TVC and fashion show. Popular advertisement maker Gazi Shuvro will be present as guest judge alongside the main judges of the show, Actor Riaz and Actress Tania. This episode will be aired tonight at 9:35pm on Channel i. l

Liam Gallagher announces solo album

Showtime

Sean Anderson partners with his mom’s husband on a mission to find his grandfather, who is thought to be missing on a mythical island. Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Dwayne Johnson, Michael Caine, Luis Guzmán, Vanessa Hudgens Godzilla Movies Now 9:30pm

Prince’s Paisley Park to be opened to the public

The world is beset by the appearance of monstrous creatures, but one of them may be the only one who can save humanity. Cast: Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Juliette Binoche, Sally Hawkins, David Strathairn, Bryan Cranston Fantastic Four Star Movies 11:39pm

n Showtime Desk Fans of Prince will be able to wander around his Paisley Park compound this autumn, when the late music icon’s home is opened to the public. Bremer Bank officials, who were appointed special administrators for Prince’s estate following his death in April, have announced the gates to the singer’s private estate and production complex will open for daily public tours from October 6. The decision was made by Prince’s family, in conjunction with the Bremer Bank bosses. The late star’s sister Tyka Nelson said, “Opening Paisley Park is something that Prince always wanted to do and was actively working on. “Only a few hundred people have had the rare opportunity to tour the estate during his

lifetime. Now, fans from around the world will be able to experience Prince’s world for the first time as we open the doors to this incredible place.” Visitors will get a guided tour of Paisley Park’s main floor, which features Prince’s recording and mixing studios. Prince’s body was found slumped in an elevator inside the Paisley Park compound just outside Minneapolis, Minnesota. His death was ruled an accidental overdose of powerful painkiller Fentanyl, according to the late legend’s official autopsy findings. Reports suggest he was taking the pills in an effort to cope with the pain of an ongoing hip issue. The “Purple Rain” hitmaker staged a party for fans at Paisley Park just days before he died. Guests who attended the bash claimed Prince seemed pale, gaunt and exhausted. l

A group of astronauts gain superpowers after a cosmic radiation exposure and must use them to oppose the plans of their enemy, Doctor Victor Von Doom. Cast: Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans, Laurie Holden, Julian McMahon Ocean’s Eleven WB 5:01pm

Danny Ocean and his eleven accomplices plan to rob three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously. Cast: George Clooney, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts l

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26, 2016

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A drone photo shows the damages following an earthquake in Pescara del Tronto, central Italy yesterday

REUTERS

Italy quake death toll nears 250 as rescuers search demolished towns n Reuters, Amatrice The death toll from a devastating earthquake in central Italy reached at least 241 people yesterday and could rise further after rescue teams worked through the night to try to find survivors under the rubble of flattened towns. The 6.2 magnitude quake struck a cluster of mountain communities 140 km (85 miles) east of Rome early on Wednesday as people slept, destroying hundreds of homes. The Civil Protection department officially revised the death toll down to 241 from a previous 247 given earlier on Thursday morning. Officials said they expected to confirm more deaths as the search operation continued. Trucks full of rubble left the area every few minutes, including one in which a dusty doll could be seen lying on top of tonnes of debris. Yesterday, the sun rose on frightened people who had slept in cars or tents, the earth continuing to tremble under their feet from aftershocks, hundreds of which have struck since the quake. Two registered 5.1 and 5.4, just before dawn. “I haven’t slept much because I was really afraid,” said 70-year-

old Arturo Onesi from the town of Arquata del Tronto, who spent the night in a tent camp for survivors and rescue workers. On Thursday afternoon a violent aftershock measuring magnitude 4.3 sent rescuers fleeing from debris and stones that fell from the severely damaged bell tower of the 15th century church of St. Augustine in Amatrice. The aftershock, which struck fear and panic in survivors, detached the church’s facade, leaving it dangerously unstable over the main street where rescuers work. The original earthquake was powerful enough to be felt in Bologna to the north and Naples to the south, both more than 220 km (135 miles) from the epicenter. Many of those killed or injured were holidaymakers in the four worst-hit towns - Amatrice, Pescara del Tronto, Arquata del Tronto and Accumoli - where seasonal visitors swell populations by up to tenfold the summer. That makes it harder to track the deaths. One Spaniard, five Romanians, and a number of other foreigners, some of them care-givers for the elderly, were believed to be among the dead, officials said. Aerial video taken by drones showed swathes of Amatrice, last

year voted one of Italy’s most beautiful historic towns, completely flattened. The town, known across Italy and beyond for a local pasta dish, had been filling up for the 50th edition of a popular food festival this weekend. The mayor said the bodies of 15-20 tourists were believed to be under the rubble of the town’s Hotel Roma, which he said had about 32 guests when it collapsed on Wednesday morning.

Girl Found Alive

About 270 people injured in Wednesday’s quake were hospitalized, the Civil Protection department said, adding that about 5,000 people, including police, firefighters, army troops and volunteers, were involved in post-quake operations. Rescuers working with emergency lighting in the darkness saved a 10-year-old girl, pulling her alive from the rubble where she had lain for about 15 hours. Many other children were not so lucky. A family of four, including two boys aged 8 months and 9 years, were buried when a church bell tower toppled into their house in nearby Accumoli. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s cabinet was meeting on Thursday

to decide emergency measures to help the affected communities. “Today is a day for tears, tomorrow we can talk of reconstruction,” he told reporters late on Wednesday. The death toll appeared likely to rival or surpass that from the last major earthquake to strike Italy, which killed more than 300 people in the central city of L’Aquila in 2009. While hopes of finding more people alive diminished by the hour, firefighters’ spokesman Luca Cari recalled that survivors were found in L’Aquila up to 72 hours after that quake. Most of the damage was in the Lazio and Marche regions, with Lazio bearing the brunt of the devastation and the biggest toll. Neighboring Umbria was also affected. All three regions are dotted with centuries-old buildings susceptible to earthquakes. Italy sits on two fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active countries in Europe. The country’s most deadly earthquake since the start of the 20th century came in 1908, when an earthquake followed by a tsunami killed an estimated 80,000 people in the southern regions of Reggio Calabria and Sicily. l

Bangladesh is set to start a trial run of the BBIN (Bangladesh-Bhutan-India-Nepal) route on Saturday with the transportation of cargo. India is likely begin a trial run of passenger vehicles on August 29. The BBIN motor vehicle agreement was signed in June 2015 which allows cross-border movement between the four of the nations without the need for trans-shipment of goods from one country’s truck to the other’s at the border. The initial cross-border movement of vehicles will be limited between Bangladesh and India. The first Bangladeshi cargo vehicle bound for New Delhi via Kolkata will begin it’s journey from Dhaka’s Kamalapur international bus depot on Saturday afternoon and is scheduled to reach Kolkata on August 29. India’s passenger vehicle will start from Kolkata towards Khulna on August 29 when the cargo vehicle arrives from Bangladesh. The first cargo vehicle is going to transport RMG goods and cross the border at Benapole-Petrapole. Expo Freight Ltd (EFL) a freight forwarding and logistical solution company along with Najrul Transport will be operate the cargo service for this trail run. “All our preparations for the cargo trial run is complete,” said SK Ehsanur Rahman, executive marketing, EFL. This trial is in accordance with the BBIN agreement, saying the road transport and highway division press release, adding that an expert team from the division would accompany the cargo vehicle. During the journey, the expert team will observe Indian cross-border policy, immigration and customs system, highway’s condition, speed limit and load capacity. BBIN will potentially increase intra-regional trade with in South Asia by almost 30% and with the rest of the world by over 30%, according to a joint statement. The four nations have already completed a survey of the entire route. An Indian cargo vehicle recently passed through Bangladesh in another trial run by the Indian road transport authorities. l

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