07 Sep, 2016 by DhakaTribune

SECOND EDITION

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Bhadra 23, 1423, Zil-Hajj 4, 1437

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 133

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Jessore family on ‘missing militants’ list n Touhid Zaman, Jessore A trainer of banned militant outfit Hizb ut-Tahrir and five of its members – all from the same family – have remained missing for the last couple of months and are now believed to be working for militant groups. Jessore police yesterday disclosed a list of 11 missing militants from the district including the six, and also unveiled a poster with their photos and related information. The six, hailing from Old Kosba Kadamtola area of Jessore town, are Abdu Aziz's sons Tanjeeb alias Ashraful and Tanjeer Ahmed; daughters Masuma Akter and Maksuda Khatun; Masuma's husband Nazmul Hassan; and Maksuda's husband Shakir Ahmed. Police say the six and four other members of the outlawed group from Jessore who surrendered to the police recently, were trained by Hares Ali of College Road in Dha-

Tanjeeb

Nazimuddin

Tanjeer

Masuma

Hafez Ali

Mohiuddin

Musabbir

Mehedi Hassan

ka's Ashkona Dakkhinkhan area. Another trainer is identified as Musabbir alias Prakash alias Tonmoy from Dhaka's Uttara. The three others on the list are

FBI wants to interrogate Bangladesh militants n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman The Federal Bureau of Investigation has expressed interest to work closely with the Bangladeshi investigators dealing with recent militant attacks, a Foreign Ministry source says. As part of the process, the FBI wanted to let its members interrogate militant suspects arrested in recent months. However, the Bangladesh government has not shown any interest in this regard. “They [the FBI] have told us that they have much

knowledge and expertise in this matter and that they want to understand the militants' psychology. But the government has not yet responded positively,” a Foreign Ministry official said, declining to be named. According to the official, who was not authorised to talk to media on the matter, the West believes that the Islamic State or other foreign terrorist groups are directly involved in the recent terror attacks in Bangladesh. “Our government has been  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE

‘Robbers’ flee police enclosure in Gulshan

North gets a four-lane highway

The Gulshan break-in that plunged citizens into a deep terror anxiety yesterday morning ended as an embarrassing experience for law enforcers as the suspected robbers managed to flee.  PAGE 4

Giving a big push to Bangladesh’s infrastructure sector, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved a sub-regional road connectivity project.  PAGE 5

GM Nazimuddin alias Noksha Azim of Monirampur upazila, Mohiuddin of Chachra Berbari and Mehedi Hassan alias Zim alias Hussain of Sharsha area.

The houses of Tanjeeb and Hares had been used as training centres, Superintendent of Police Anisur Rahman told reporters yesterday. “We are very serious about the sensitive issues. We have conducted raids six to seven times to catch each of the militants,” Anisur said. Jessore police earlier pasted posters on the walls giving photos, names and addresses of five suspected militants who were missing. Of them, one youth returned home the following day with his newly-wed wife. Police also did not found his involvement in militant activities. Moreover, another militant named by Jessore police on the missing list, Kazi Fazle Rabbi, was killed in a raid by the police in Narayanganj along with Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the mastermind behind the Gulshan terror attack, on August 27.

The SP said that they would keep updating the list.

'Public prosecutors favoured them'

Talking to reporters, SP Anisur expressed frustration saying that Tanjeeb, who had been arrested on September 20 last year, was given bail in May this year as the public prosecutor concerned did not protest the bail plea. Tanjeer and Masuma were also arrested by the police, but they secured bail – thanks to the public prosecutors. “We have seen the copy of the bail orders where the judges mentioned that the bails were granted as the public prosecutors did not oppose the pleas. On the other hand, the principal of Jessore City College issued a testimony for Tanjeeb,” the SP said. “The government highups have been informed about these militants,” Anisur added. l

News

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

‘Make biometric attendance mandatory’ n UNB Health Minister Mohammad Nasim yesterday directed the authorities concerned to make the biometric attendance system mandatory at all public hospitals to ensure the presence of doctors, nurses, officials and employees. He issued the directive at a meeting on improving overall management standard of all government district and upazila hospitals held at the Health Ministry. The minister warned that hospital directors, civil surgeons, and upazila and family planning officers concerned will also be held responsible if there is any allegation of absence against anyone. Noting that the success of government programmes to ensure standard health services for people depends on doctors and nurses, he said no negligence will be tolerated in this regard. Nasim also asked the hospital directors to take stern action against the nuisance of brokers in hospital areas. He said the government will formulate a policy soon to discourage the establishment of private clinics and diagnostic centres near government hospitals. l

SP Babul Akter relieved from duties n Tribune Desk Superintendent of Police Babul Akter was relieved from his duties yesterday, nearly three months after his joining date. A Home Ministry gazette notification signed by Deputy Secretary Mohammad Ilias Hossain said that Babul had been relieved as per his resignation letter. Babul, who became popular through his anti-militant activities in Chittagong, earlier claimed that he had been forced to resign on June 24 under the circumstances. His wife Mahmuda Khanam Mitu was murdered on June 5 – the day he was supposed to report to the Police Headquarters as a newly-promoted SP. On June 24, SP Babul was picked

up by the police from his father-inlaw’s house, taken to the DB office for questioning in connection with Mitu murder and kept in custody for almost 15 hours – a move that created much hype. Rumours were there that he could be asked to resign for his alleged involvement in the murder. The ministry received his resignation letter on August 9, an official confirmed to the Bangla Tribune on condition of anonymity. Later, Babul went to Police Headquarters on August 3 – some 58 days after the murder – and met some high officials there. The following day he submitted to the ministry a letter seeking permission to resume his duties. On August 9, in another latter he prayed to the authorities for with-

drawing the resignation letter as he could not join his post because of tendering the resignation letter. Mitu murder still a mystery SP Babul's wife Mitu was stabbed and shot dead in front of her son near GEC intersection of Chittagong around 6:30am on June 5. Three killers left the scene on a motorcyle. Their daughter was at home while Babul was staying in Dhaka at that time. Police have arrested a number of suspects and remanded them in custody. Two of them made confessional statements before a court while two others were killed in an alleged gunfight with the police. But two key accused – police informant Kamrul Islam Musa alias Musa Sikdar and Kalu, have re-

Two DU students drown in Padma

n Tribune Desk

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Two Dhaka University students drowned in Padma River near Mainatghat in Dohar upazila yesterday. The deceased were identified as Abrar Tajuwar Nirjhar, 18, and Ahmed Hasan, 20, both first year students of DU economics department. Dohar police station OC Sheikh Sirajul Islam confirmed that the incident took place around 2:30pm. He said a group of DU students came to Mainatghat to spend some leisure time. The two boys at one point went to the river to bathe, however neither knew how to swim. They were washed away by the strong currents of Padma, he added. A firefighting team recovered the bodies around 5:30 pm. The OC said the bodies were later handed over to the relatives. l

Despite their differences, Bangladesh and the West are cooperating with each other on militant issues. During John Kerry’s recent Dhaka visit late last month, security was one of the key issues discussed. The matter is likely to be discussed further in the impending Bangladesh-US security talks. Kerry on August 29 said that the US believed that elements of Islamic State were “connected” to operatives in Bangladesh, promising help with intelligence and law enforcement after a wave of militant attacks. He said that the IS had wide contacts around the world, including in South Asia, adding: “They are connected to some degree with some of the operatives here, and we made that very clear in our conversations [with Bangladesh Prime Minister

Sheikh Hasina and other officials].” Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, however, directly contradicted him. “I told him that there is no such terrorist or militants from outside or who are connected with the [Islamic State], but there are militants inside our country and they are homegrown,” Kamal said. Another Foreign Ministry official said that Dhaka was considering some of the proposals for cooperation by Washington but it was not too keen about several others. “As part of the anti-terrorism cooperation, Bangladesh is interested in taking assistance from the US in the fields of exchange of information and training or increasing efficiency. But beyond that, the US has now shown interest in getting involved with anti-militancy investigations,” the official added. l

CORRECTION In a news story titled “Beefy border bribes make cattle costly” published in the Dhaka Tribune on September 5, 2016, a quote by 9 BGB Battalion Commanding Officer Lt Col Abul Hasan on border security was misprinted. The correct quote is: “We will not allow any illegal activities to take place on our side.” We sincerely regret the unintentional error.

mained absconding. Musa’s wife, however, claims that plainclothes police picked up Musa and his elder brother Saku on June 22. At least 10 teams of the police’s PBI, CID, DB, RAB and the Counter-Terrorism and Transitional Crimes Unit are working on the case. Investigation Officer of the case DB Assistant Commissioner (north) Md Kamruzzaman said that they had arrested seven people in connection with the murder and were trying to hunt down the other fugitives. “Babul is not proactive in making any contact with the police and the investigators,” he said, adding that rather the police were maintaining contact with him on a regular basis for the sake of investigation. l

An Indian Border Security Force delegation visits the Border Guard Hospital in Pilkhana, Dhaka yesterday

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

FBI wants to interrogate Bangladesh militants rejecting such claims outright,” the official said. “Everyone, from the prime minister to the ministers, has been saying that these militants are from local groups, not aliens. No foreigner is running militant activities here. But they [local militants] may have connection with the foreigners.” The official continued: “Many of the militants may have involved in militancy while staying or studying abroad. However, they [FBI] do not have any information that these militants have conducted terror attacks or are running terror activities in Bangladesh upon getting direct orders from any foreign terrorist group.” Bangladesh has witnessed a series of militant attacks on secular writers, rights activists, minorities, foreigners and law enforcers in the

recent months – the worst was on July 1, when terrorists killed 22 people, mostly foreigners, at an upmarket restaurant at the heart of Dhaka’s diplomatic zone. International terrorist group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the deadly attack. A week later, four people, including two policemen, were killed in a militant attack on a police check post near the Sholakia Eid congregation site. The government claims that a new faction of local banned militant group Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) was behind the two attacks. The group is also blamed for a number of targeted killings that took place since last year. Since the Gulshan terror attack, more than a dozen members of the

New JMB have been killed in raids and gunfights with the law enforcers. Some of them came from affluent families and had studied abroad. The FBI earlier extended support in testing the DNA samples of some militant attacks including the murder of US-based Bangladeshi secularist blogger Avijit Roy in February last year, claimed by another outlawed group Ansarullah Bangla Team. The Foreign Ministry official said that the government believed that these local militants may have slight communication with foreign terrorist organisations through e-mail or other medium. “But so far we have not come across anything that indicates that these militants receive direct orders from the foreigners.”

News

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Tarique, 3 others face sedition charges n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu The Detective Branch (DB) of police has pressed charges against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, former ETV chairman Abdus Salam and two journalists in a sedition case. The journalists are former ETV chief reporter Mahathir Farooki Khan and former special correspondent Kanak Sarwar. DB Inspector Emdadul Haque, also the case’s investigation officer, submitted the charge sheet before Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s court yesterday. The court fixed September 29 for the hearing of the charges. Emdadul showed Tarique, Mahathir Farooki and Kanak Sarwar as fugitives in the case and appealed to the court to issue arrest warrants against them as they did not secure bail. Abdus Salam is in jail. After Home Ministry's clearance on January 8 last year, Tejgaon police station SI Barhan Uddin filed the case against Tarique and Salam over broadcasting Tarique’s speech delivered at an event in London. Later, Mahathir Farooki and Kanak Sarwar were implicated in the charge sheet. l

Traders bring cattle on a trawler to Dhaka via the Buriganga River to sell them at the cattle markets of the city ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. The photo was taken in Postagola area yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

No highway extortion, to cattle traders' relief Jamil Khan, back n Mohammad from Chapainawabganj Cattle traders and truck drivers who frequently transport cattle from Chapainawabganj to Dhaka and Chittagong before Eid-ul-Azha are impressed with the recent fall of highway extortion. “Travelling has improved significantly in the last two or three years,” said Abul Kalam Azad, a cattle trader from Chapainawabganj's Mohipur village. “Before, we would be flagged down at 16-17 points between Chapainawabganj and Dhaka alone in order to pay 'tolls'.” Azad was preparing to make a trip to Chittagong with his cattle on Saturday when this correspondent approached him. He was loading his cattle – 16 of them – onto a truck with the help of the driver, Sumon. When this correspondent asked to ride along with them to Chittagong posing as his assistant, Azad agreed, although with a fair warning of rough journey. And it was quite rough: the truck started from Mohipur at 4:17pm on Saturday and reached the destination – Sagarika cattle market in Chittagong city – at 10:35am the next day. It was over 600 kilometres of driving for Sumon, the

truck driver. During the journey, Azad reminisced about his experience of cattle trading. “These trips used to be troublesome,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. “Roads used to be bad, and extortion was a common occurrence.” Spots that were especially problematic were in Rajshahi, Pabna, Natore, Sirajganj and Tangail districts. “That is not to say that we did not get extorted between Dhaka and Chittagong,” Azad added. Who were the extortionists? “Local influentials and goons,” Sumon replied. “Sometimes it was members of the local transport owners' association. Sometimes it was the highway patrol police.” But in the past few years, such extortions have reduced to almost nothing, said Azad and Sumon. “However, we do get harassed by traffic police if we fail to pass through Dhaka before sunrise, as trucks are not allowed to run in Dhaka during daytime,” he said. “We sometimes get stopped at Demra, Gazipur and Jatrabari, and on occasions we have to bribe them to avoid hassle.” There was some truth in their claim: throughout the entire journey, the truck was flagged down once by police in Sirajganj. When

the officials saw it was a cattle truck, they let it go without further ado. However, the journey was not entirely smooth. The truck was stopped at Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) check points in Sultanganj and Rajbari

‘Travelling has improved significantly in the last two or three years. Before, we would be flagged down at 16-17 points between Chapainawabganj and Dhaka alone in order to pay tolls’ under Rajshahi and Belpukur under Natore; the officials on duty asked them to show registration receipt. It is a document collected from the customs office after paying Tk500 per animal in order to sell Indian cattle legally. At Sultanganj and Rajbari, despite finding the documents in order, the BGB officials held them

back and demanded Tk100. Azad paid the money in order to resume the journey. What happened at the next check point was unexpected. At Belpukur check point, assuming that he would have to pay another Tk100, Azad sent both the registration receipt and the money to the officials guarding the check point. After verification, the officials sent both the papers and the money back. This brought a smile on both Azad and Sumon's faces. “This proves that honesty still exists, that there is still some good left in the world,” mused Azad.

A unique experience

Rough it may have been, but the trip posing as an assistant cattle trader was one-of-a-kind experience for this correspondent. When Azad was loading his cattle onto the truck, he also put a sack of rice there. Asked why, he said: “So that we can cook our own food when we reach Chittagong. Hotel food is not satisfying enough.” But when on the road, the truck made a few stops at road-side hotels that seemed to cater to only truck drivers. “Truck drivers don't stop at the hotels that are frequented by pas-

senger buses or other vehicles,” Sumon explained. “There are specific hotels we go to; regular people would not be able to stand the condition at these places.” This correspondent ate meals with Azad and Sumon and other truck drivers at a few of such hotels during the journey. The popular choice of food seemed to be rice and beef curry with an abundance of gravy. “We like gravy,” said Sumon, smiling. Besides the beef-and-rice meal, the truck drivers' fuel for the overnight journey is energy drinks and cigarettes. “I like Tiger and Speed energy drinks, and Derby cigarettes,” Sumon said. This was the third trip to transport cattle for Sumon, who said around 30 trucks have transported Eid cattle from Chapainawabganj to Dhaka and Chittagong since they started on Thursday. Asked, Sumon said he was charging Tk33,000 per trip this year. Asked why he was not taking his cattle to Dhaka, which was much closer, Azad said because he would get a better price in Chittagong. “Among my 16 cattle, four are big ones and each is expected to produce at least 220kg of meat. I am expected to sell them at Tk2-2.5 lakh each,” he added. l

News

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

‘Robbers’ flee through police enclosure in Gulshan n Kamrul Hasan

The Gulshan break-in that plunged citizens into a deep terror anxiety yesterday morning ended as an embarrassing experience for law enforcers as the suspected robbers managed to flee though the police had the building area cordoned off. Three men broke into an LG showroom beside Robi Tower in Gulshan 1 around 7am yesterday morning. Gulshan Inspector (investigation) Salauddin Bhuiyan told the Dhaka Tribune: “We had the building cordoned off as soon as we were informed that three people carrying backpacks entered an LG showroom in the building. “We are assuming that they might have been thieves,” said the inspector, adding that “the intruders had cut the grilles of a window and fled the scene without stealing anything.” Major Ishtiaq Ahmed, RAB Gulshan CPC company commander, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We entered the building around 11am and found no one inside the showroom except for two backpacks filled with 17 LG mobile phones.” “We are also assuming that the thieves came to steal documents from the security companies on the fifth floor,” he said. The LG showroom is on the first and second floor of the building and

Police stand guard outside the building that houses the LG showroom in Gulshan 1, Dhaka, after three men broke into the showroom in the morning RAJIB DHAR the fifth floor has two securities companies – Unireal Securities Ltd and Nexim – where law enforcers found documents in a scattered state. Sabur Molla, security guard of Brac Bank ATM booth on the ground floor, said Bulu, another guard of the booth, heard sounds from the stairs and went to check. He saw that a man was trying

to break the lock of the collapsible gate and when he approached, the intruder threatened him to death. Bulu immediately informed the matter to the police and they came to the scene in about 30 minutes, Sabur added. Inspector Salauddin said although they rushed to the scene, the thieves managed to flee.

Gulshan police OC Sirajul Islam said they have already communicated with the owners of the companies in the building and asked them to let police know if anything was missing. No case has been lodged till the filing of this report in the evening but police ensured that legal action would be taken. l

Titas cut 17,300 illegal gas lines in 2 months n UNB

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Ltd cut some 17,300 illegal gas connections, including that of a CNG station and 18 commercial establishments, in the last two months. During the period, the stateowned largest gas company which is responsible for distribution of natural gas in the capital and adjoining areas conducted a total of 290 drives to remove a total of 460km illegal gas pipelines used for illegal purposes. According to a statement of the Titas Gas, a drive was launched on August 22 on highway in Munshiganj to snap illegal gas connections to different highway restaurants, including Aima Restaurant, Night Moon Hotel and Restaurant, Uzan Bhati Restaurant, and Bausia Community Centre. The Titas team fined the illegal users Tk55,000. On August 17, a Titas team conducted a drive in Gazipur and disconnected illegal connections to nine restaurants while the connection of Bismillah CNG Station was disconnected on September 1 for its illegal use of valve at the station. A divisional team of Titas Gas on August 2 and 27 snapped connections to seven residential consumers in Gulshan 1 area for their use of gas for commercial purpose and illegal connections to some washing factories. l

CID arrests two members of fraud gang in capital n Kamrul Hasan Members of Criminal Investigation Department (CID) have arrested two members of a fraud gang for their alleged involvement in deceiving people in the name of providing jobs in the capital’s Motijheel commercial area. Additional Deputy Commissioner of CID Dhaka Metro (North), Minhazul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune: “Acting in a secret information that a fraud gang was used to deceive people by taking money from job seekers in the name of providing jobs, a team of CID conducted several drives in Motijheel commercial area yesterday from 5pm to 6pm and arrested Miraj Hossain Tushar, 28, and Ripon Miah, 28.” “The gang attracted the

job seekers by publishing eye catching advertisement in several job related newspapers including Chakrir Khobor, Chakrir Bazar to provide jobs,” the official said.

were rushed to Pran-RFL offices with their fake appointment letter recently. The CID official said: “The gang took Tk4,500 for security and training and later they

‘The gang took Tk4,500 for security and training and later they took Tk20,000 more saying that the job seekers will get motorbike from the company’ “The gang used to take money from people in the name of providing jobs at Grameenphone, Robi, Banglalink and other private companies including Pran-RFL for many days and even they had provided fake appointment letter of these companies,” he said. The information about the fraud gang disclosed when more than hundreds people

took Tk20,000 more saying that the job seekers will get motorbike from the company as they would work at the field.” However, the arrestees are mid level members of the gang and the ringleader of the gang managed to flee from the scene while CID conducted the drive. A case will be filed in this connection, said the ADC. l

News

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

North gets a four-lane highway Sohel and Shohel n Kayes Mamun Giving a big push to Bangladesh’s infrastructure sector, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved a sub-regional road connectivity project. Ecnec, chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has given green signal to a massive road expansion programme titled “SASEC Road Link Project II: Elenga-Hatikamrul-Rangpur Highway Four-Lane Upgradation.” The government has estimated the construction cost of the 194.40km-long road at Tk11,881.13 crore. The road will connect with India and Nepal through Banglabandha and with India and Bhutan through Burimari, aiming to boost sub-regional connectivity. Of the total project cost, Tk2,541.21 crore will come from the government fund while the rest Tk9,339.92 crore will come as project assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The project is one of the seven prioritised road projects of the government. The other six projects are Dhaka-Chittagong highway and construction of the Padma Bridge and its immediate approach roads, new four-lane Kanchpur, Meghna and Gumti

GOOGLE MAPS

Tender floated for maintenance of Barapukuria coal mine n Aminur Rahman Rasel The authorities of Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited (BCMCL) have floated an international tender for the management, production, maintenance and provisioning services (MPMP) aiming to produce minimum 3.2 million tonnes of coal in a period of four years. The tender was floated on August 23 while the last date for submission of it is October 10, said Habib Uddin Ahmed, general manager (Mine Operation) of the BCMCL. Talking to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, the BCMCL official said: “The authorities have floated the global tender as the present agreement with a Chinese consortium will expire by August, 2017.” On December 10, 2011, the BCMCL signed a deal with the Chi-

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

Chittagong

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DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:11PM

SEXUAL HARASSMENT

by August 2017 from the mine.” “We have adopted the Long Wall Top Coal Caving (LTCC) method for extracting coal from the mine on May 8, 2013, upgrading the Long Wall Mining system and the current method is considered ideal for thick seams.” “Productivity has been enhanced to a notable extent after the introduction of the LTCC method. In addition, it has allowed up to 80% recovery of additional coal,” he added. The PDB is the biggest consumer of the coal extracted from the mine. It procures 80% of the coal for using in the power plants near the mine, he added. The mine has an estimated reserve of about 390 million tonnes, stretching over a 6.68 sq-km area, according to a 1985 study of the Geological Survey of Bangladesh. l

nese company XMC, together with another consortium led by China National Import and Export Corporation (CMC), at a value of $200.98 million to extract 5.5 million tonnes of coal from the second slice by August 10, 2017. “The coal extraction work was suspended between March 31-May 23, 2014 because of equipment transfer procedure from 1212 to 1208 face while the production was suspended in between July and November, 2014 as water started coming out of 1205 face,” Habib Uddin added. “As a result, the total production of coal during the last four production years stood at about 3.3 million tonnes which amounts to 6.25% short of the given target of 3.6 million tonnes,” he further said. “But, we hope that we will be able to extract 5.5 million tonnes of coal

Rangpur

Charges accepted against AUST professor n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court yesterday accepted a charge sheet against Mahfuzur Rashid Ferdous, an associate professor of Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology (AUST) in a case filed on charges of sexual harassment. Judge Shafiul Azam of Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-2 accepted the charges and fixed September 28 for hearing on charge framing against him for sexually harassing his female students. On August 14 sub-inspector of Women Support and Investigation Division Afroz Irene Koli, also investigation officer (IO) of the case, submitted the charge sheet against Mahfuzur to the court. Khulna

Barisal

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TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:42AM

35.5ºC Sylhet

bridges, four-lane road between Benapole and the proposed Padma Bridge 2, four-lane Dhaka (Kanchpur)-Narsingdi-Sarail-Tamabil highway, and four-lane Baraierhat-Heako-Ramgarh highway. Briefing reporters after the meeting at the NEC conference room, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said this is a unique road network that will be established among four countries – Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal. Once it is completed, trade and commerce will increase significantly within the sub region, he said. He said the SASEC Road Connectivity Project is already underway as the 70km Joydevpur-Tangail-Elenga highway is being upgraded to four lanes. Under the project, the government will convert existing two lane highway into four-lane to establish a better road communication with SASEC corridors 4 and 9, Asian Highway 2, BIMSTEC 2, and Saarc Corridor 4. The highway would be upgraded through Kalihati upazila of Tangail, Sirajganj Sadar, Kamarkhand, Ullapara, Raiganj upazilas, Bogra Sadar, Sherpur, Shibganj upazilas, Gobindaganj, Polashbari, Sadullapur upazilas of Gaibandha, Rangpur Sadar, Pirganj and Mithapukur upazilas. As per the plan, the project will be completed by 2021 in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank. l

25.2ºC Rangamati

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PRAYER TIMES

The IO made 28 people as prosecution witness including five victims of sexual harassment by the professor. On May 3, Asadullah Al Sayem, a brother of a victim filed a case with Kalabagan Police Station against the accused on charges of sexual harassment. On May 4, he was arrested from his residence in the capital’s Eskaton area. On May 7, Mahfuzur was sent to jail after admitting to sexually harassing his female students before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court of Kazi Kamrul Islam. On May 9, AUST authorities fired him from the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) Department. l Sylhet

Cox’s Bazar

Fajr: 5:05am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 5:00pm | Magrib: 6:26pm Esha: 8:15pm Source: Islamic Foundation

News

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Pabna cattle traders hope to 44th death anniversary profit with home-reared cattle of Ustad Alauddin Khan n Md Emroz Khandakar, Pabna This year, the cattle of Pabna have been fattened through scientific and local methods instead of artificial and harmful ones, which will attract people to buy healthy cattle, hope the cattle traders of the district. Besides, lack of Indian cows in local markets ahead of Eid-ul-Azha has also made them expecting good profits in the sale of sacrificial animals, reports our correspondent after visiting the region and talking to the traders. Around 1,36,920 home-reared sacrificial animals are ready for sale ahead of Eid-ul-Azha in Pabna, whereas the region needs 1,32000 cattle, according to the District Livestock Department. As sufficient numbers of local cattle are already in stocks, the traders have not brought Indian cows, said Dr Abdul Gafur, the dis-

trict’s livestock officer. In past several years, the cattle traders of the region faced losses ahead of Eid-ul-Azha due to Indian cows and artificially fattened cattle that cause serious health hazards to consumers, according to the farmers and traders. The reports on the bad affects of

Around 136,920 home-reared sacrificial animals are ready for sale ahead of Eid-ul-Azha in Pabna consuming the meat of artificially fattened cattle were widely circulated by print and electronic media, which affected the cattle markets. As a result, the traders who brought hybrid and hefty cattle in the mar-

kets had to incur a huge loss. Aslam Bepari, cattle trader of Ataikula Hat (market) in Pabna, said, last year, he could sell only 80 out of 200 hybrid and fattened cows in Dhaka’s Gabtali cattle market. Many other cattle traders and farmers of the region faced the similar loss last year. Being aware of the fact, the cattle farmers and traders of the district have been fattening their cows by feeding them urea, molasses and straw (UMS) mixture to the cattle at a right proportion several months ahead of the Eid-ul-Azha this year, said Cattle Farmer of Atgharia Abdus Sattar. Dr Gafur claimed that the department had encouraged the cattle farmers of Pabna for fattening their cattle in scientific and local ways by providing them with proper training and suggestions, which has yielded good results. l

Correspondent, n Our Brahmanbaria

The 44th death anniversary of legendary musician of the sub-continent Ustad Alauddin Khan was observed in a befitting manner at his native house located at Brahmanbaria district town on Tuesday. On the occasion, music school ‘Sur Samrat the Alauddin Kha Sangitangan’ arranged discussion and cultural programme with lawmaker AM Obaidul Moktadir Chowdhury in the chair. General Secretary of the music school Monjurul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune that the music school was burnt to ashes by some fundamentalists at the beginning of the year, but the school authorities were trying to recoup the loss. On January 12, a gang of miscreants set the music school on fire burning down almost all the musical instruments and furniture.

The music school was established in 1956 by Ustad Ayat Ali Khan, another legendary musician and brother of Ustad Alauddin Khan. Allauddin Khan was born in 1862 and died on 6 September in 1972. Allauddin Khan was a multi-instrumentalist, composer and one of the most renowned music teachers of the 20th century in Indian classical music. l

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

EXPLOSION IN COMILLA HOSTEL

Police yet to know reason behind the explosion n Mohiuddin Molla, Comilla It has been 13 days since an explosion took place at a private hostel in Comilla’s Salmanpur area that left one person dead and two others injured, but police yet to determine the reason behind the blast. Fahmida Hasan Nisha, a student of Comilla university’s Economics department, died while being treated at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital in the early hours of Monday. Nisha sustained 45% burns injuries as an unknown object exploded in a room of a female students’

private hostel namely Proshanti in the early hours of August 13. A day later, police named her along with six other female students from the hostel for their alleged involvement with Islami Chhatri Sangstha, the female student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, students’ front of the Jamaat-e-Islami of Bangladesh. Detective Branch of Police detained six students of the university for interrogation. The detained students are Morjina Begum, Nurun Nahar, Shirin Akter, Ishrat Jahan, Piya and Saila Akter. Sub-Inspector of Sadar Dakhshin

police station Shahidul Bashar filed a case against Nisha and two other students of Comilla University in the early hours of August 24. Some Jihadi books were also recovered from the room after the blast. Tariqul Islam, uncle of Nisha, said: “Nisha was a brilliant student. She got scholarship in Class V and VII. Her parents dreams have been shattered with her death. Police also blaming her for the explosion without proper investigation. Nisha will not come back, but we want neutral investigation of the incident. We know that she was not involved in militancy. She was not a militant.”

Investigation Officer of the case Khademul Bahar told the Dhaka Tribune that they yet to know reason behind the blast. The cause behind the blast would be revealed after the Criminal Investigation Department handed over its report of forensic test. There is a widespread speculation over Nisha’s involvement with militancy. Comilla University sources said Nisha might have been killed in a bomb blast, as she was involved in militancy. However, sources at Dhaka Medical College Hospital said the explosion took place due to gas explosion. l

KIBRIA MURDER

Suspended Sylhet mayor gets bail n Asif Islam Shaon The High Court has granted bail to suspended Sylhet City Corporation mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury in finance minister Shah AMS Kibria murder case. A bench of Justice Syed Muhammad Dastagir Husain and Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah passed the order on Tuesday disposing of a HC rule that had asked the state authorities to explain why Ariful would not be granted bail in the case. The HC had issued the rule on August 09. Mainul Hossain, Abdul Hakim Kafi and Md Nizam Uddin stood for the defendant while Deputy Attorney General Dr Mohammad Bashir Ullah represented the state. Contacted, Barrister Kafi said: “Ariful has been in jail since 2014 and he has recently become seriously ill. A total of 32 witnesses gave deposition in the Kibria murder case but none of them said anything about Ariful’s involvement in the murder. Considering the facts, the HC granted the bail. Despite the order, Ariful will not be released from jail as he is accused in another lawsuit filed under the Explosives Act.” The deputy attorney general told the UNB that they would file an appeal against the bail with the Supreme Court. Ariful lost his mayoral office January last year following his surrender before a district court on December 30, 2014. On November 13 that year, police submitted a supplementary charge sheet against 35 people including 11 new in the Kibria murder case. l

News

With the approach of the second biggest festival of Muslims Eid-ul-Azha, the blacksmiths of port city Chittagong are busy round the clock making and sharpening different types of iron-made tools for the sacrificial animal. The photo was taken yesterday from Chowkbazar area AZAHAR UDDIN

12 minors drown in four districts n Tribune Desk

At least 12 minor children in Habiganj, Narayanganj, Rajshahi and Jhalokati districts drowned yesterday. In Habiganj, four children, including two siblings, drowned in separate incidents. The deceased were Rukon Mian, 8, son of Moulad Mian of Balgakhal village, Tania Akter, 12, daughter of Babul Mian of Shaesthanagar area in Sadar upazila and Marufa Begum, 2, and Maria Begum, 2, daughters of Bilar Mian of Slamat village. According to local sources, Rukon was playing near the pond adjacent to their house in the afternoon. At one stage, he fell into the pond. Later, locals found the floating body and recovered it. He was sent to Sadar Hospital where on duty doctors declared him dead. He was a student of local primary school. On the other hand, Tania drowned while she was having birth in the pond nearby the school adjacent to their house. Marufa and Maria, two siblings drowned while they were playing near the pond adjacent to their house. In Jhalokati, three children drowned in Rajapur area in the district, reports our correspondent. According to local sources, 18-month old Sufia Akter of Kathipara village and one-year old Tahira Akter of Boroia village drowned while they were playing nearby the pond. On the other hand Yasin, 1, son of Lokman Hossain of Angaria village died after he drowned in the pond near the house. Locals rescued them and those to local hospital where the doctors declared them dead. In Narayanganj, three children drowned the Brahmaputra River in Sonargaon upazila in the afternoon, reports our correspondent. In Rajshahi city, two children drowned while playing near a pond in Horgram area. l

Scanty supply of TCB essentials in Rajshahi n Dulal Abdullah, Rajshahi

Though there is a huge demand of the essential commodities supplied by the state-run Trading Corporation of Bangladesh (TCB) ahead of Eid-ul-Azha due to the reasonable prices of the products, the supply of the items is not sufficient in Rajshahi city. Consumers were seen waiting for the products in a long queue and some returned home in empty hands, as the stocks of the items were already finished, reports our

Rajshahi correspondent after visiting different points of the city. Samsun Nahar, one of the consumers, said she was waiting in a long queue in the city’s Binodpur market to buy oil and sugar but now returning home in empty hands, as the items were already sold. TCB’s dealers started the sale of three essential items—soybean oil at Tk80 per litre, sugar at Tk55 per kilogram and lentil at Tk89.95 per kg —from August 31, which will continue till September 8, according to the Rajshahi regional office of TCB.

One consumer can purchase maximum two kg of sugar and lentil, according to the office. TCB’s Dealer Wasim Reza said: “As TCB’s products are sold at lower rates than market’s rates and the quality of them is also good, people of all classes want to buy the essentials ahead of Eid-ul-Azha.” TCB has fixed 500 kg sugar, 200 kg lentil and 200 litres soybean oil for each dealer. If it would increase the amount, the demand of the consumers could be met up, he said.

Kabir Hossain, godown incharge of Rajshahi TCB, claimed that the goods were supplied as per the demand of the consumers. Dealers try to manipulate the market if they get the products on large scale, he alleged. A total of 17 dealers in the city had taken the products from TCB’s warehouse, said Anisur Rahman, in-charge of TCB Rajshahi division. “There will be no irregularities. The market will be monitored so that consumers get the products in a fair way,” he assured. l

8 World

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Sri Lanka seeks more time for ethnic reconciliation President Maithripala Sirisena pleaded for more time to bring about reconciliation and ensure accountability seven years after Sri Lanka’s ethnic war that claimed over 100,000 lives. He urged UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during talks to be patient with his administration on a promise of lasting peace and ethnic unity. AFP

INDIA

Protester killed in fresh Kashmir clashes A protester died from pellet gun injuries during fresh clashes with security forces Tuesday in Indian Kashmir, a day after the government said it would replace the weapons. The 21-year-old man was killed during clashes in Anantnag district southeast of the main city of Srinagar, in which police said scores were injured. There have been weeks of deadly unrest in the region. REUTERS

CHINA

China warns new Hong Kong lawmakers Beijing has warned new Hong Kong lawmakers not to back independence for the semi-autonomous city after young anti-China activists won seats for the first time in key weekend elections. Result saw activists pushing for more autonomy from Beijing secure a crucial foothold in the city’s Legislative Council. AFP

ASIA PACIFIC

Philippines president apologises for insulting Obama Philippines president Duterte said that he regretted his comments came across as a personal attack on the US president. US President cancelled his first meeting with Philippines counterpart Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday after the blunt-spoken Duterte described him as a son of a bitch, casting a shadow over a gathering of Asian leaders in Laos. REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Saudi top cleric: Iranians not Muslims Saudi Arabia’s top cleric Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh said Iranians are not Muslims, after Iran’s supreme leader launched a fresh tirade over the kingdom’s handling of the hajj pilgrimage. The grand mufti’s comments came a day after Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the Muslim world should challenge Saudi management of Islam’s two holiest sites in Mecca and Medina. AFP

Asean leaders adopt master plan on connectivity 2025 n Tribune International Desk Asean Leaders adopted the Master Plan on Asean Connectivity 2025 (MPAC 2025) in Vientiane, Lao PDR on Tuesday. The MPAC 2025, which succeeds the Master Plan on Asean Connectivity 2010, focuses on five strategic areas: sustainable infrastructure, digital innovation, seamless logistics, regulatory excellence and people mobility. The MPAC 2025 was developed in consultation with relevant Asean Sectoral Bodies and other stakeholders. The remaining initiatives from MPAC 2010 were evaluated and incorporated in the MPAC 2025.

Sustainable infrastructure

Given that Asean needs at least US$110bn of infrastructure investment each year to support future growth, the MPAC 2025 aims to help investors seize opportunities in sustainable infrastructure by improving project preparations, enhancing infrastructure productivity and supporting cities in adopting sustainable practices.

Digital innovation

Digital technologies in Asean could potentially be worth up to US$625bn by 2030, which may be derived from increased efficiency, new products and services. Capturing digital innovation requires the establishment

of regulatory frameworks for the delivery of new digital services; support for the sharing of best practices on open data; and equipping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) with the capabilities to access these new technologies.

ASEAN LEADERS

Heads of governments, Association of Southeast Asian Nations Hassanal Bolkiah Sultan Brunei

Seamless logistics

Improving logistics competitiveness will ease the movement of goods within the Asean community, increasing business opportunities for Asean citizens. MPAC 2025 aims to support this by identifying and addressing key bottlenecks on important trade routes in Asean.

Aung Sang Suu Kyi De facto leader Myanmar

Hun Sen Prime Minister Cambodia

Rodrigo Duterte President Philippines

Joko Widodo President Indonesia

Lee Hsien Loong Prime minister Singapore

Thongloun Sisoulith Prime minister Laos

Prayut Chan-O-Cha Prime minister Thailand

Najib Razak Prime minister Malaysia

Nguyen Xuan Phuc Prime minister Vietnam

Regulatory excellence

Asean Member States have reduced tariffs significantly, benefiting consumers in the region. The MPAC focuses on standards harmonisation, mutual recognition and technical regulations, as well as trade-distorting non-tariff measures in order to achieve regulatory excellence.

People mobility

The number of tourists from outside Asean could reach 150 million by 2025. The MPAC 2025 will focus on providing comprehensive information on travel options and simplifying visa application processes. It will also develop high-quality qualification frameworks in critical vocational oc-

cupations, which Asean Member States could implement according to their national circumstances, and encourage greater mobility of intra-Asean university students. “The Master Plan on Asean Connectivity 2025 is ambitious, but it is also practical. We have designed strong implementation mechanisms to ensure that effective coordination takes place among various agencies and we can see real change happen over the next 10 years,” said Saleumxay Kommasith, Minister of Foreign

Affairs of Lao PDR and Chair of Asean Coordinating Council which oversees connectivity matters for the regional body. With a young population, a strategic location and a range of technologies it can leverage, if implemented effectively, the MPAC 2025 will only bring more economic and educational opportunities for the peoples of Asean and can prove that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. l

Source: asean.org

Myanmar Buddhists jeer ex-UN chief on peace mission n AFP, Sittwe Hundreds of Buddhists jeered former UN chief Kofi Annan as he arrived in Myanmar’s troubled Rakhine state Tuesday to examine a bitter religious conflict that has displaced tens of thousands of Muslim Rohingya. Annan has been tasked by the de facto leader of Myanmar’s new government, Aung San Suu Kyi, to head a commission charged with finding ways to heal wounds in the poor western state. But in a sign of the passions surrounding the issue, protesters turned out as he landed in the state capital Sittwe. Many booed and shouted “No Kofi-led commission” into loudspeakers as they swarmed around his convoy, carrying signs that read, “No to foreigners’ biased intervention in our Rakhine State’s affairs”. “We want decisions to be made by our own people. I don’t want foreigners to make decisions, that

is why I am peacefully protesting here,” May Phyu said. Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh, has been scarred since 2012 by bouts of communal violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and the minority Rohingya Muslim population. Their plight threatens to poison democratic gains in the former army-run country and has damaged Suu Kyi’s reputation as a defender of the downtrodden. More than 100 people have been killed - the majority of them Muslims - while tens of thousands of the stateless Rohingya have spent the past four years trapped in bleak displacement camps with limited access to health care and other basic services. The Rohingya are despised by hardline Buddhists, who say they have no right to citizenship and label them “Bengalis”, shorthand for illegal immigrants. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, has disappointed rights

groups who accuse her of failing directly to address the plight of the Rohingya in a sop to Buddhist nationalist sentiment. Last month she asked Annan to lead the advisory commission on solving the state’s troubles.

Listen first

The envoy, who has vowed to be impartial, met local Rakhine leaders and civil society groups in Sittwe shortly after his arrival. Recognising the highly-charged nature of the divisions in the state, he said his advisory commission would listen to all sides. “This first visit is an opportunity to listen and learn from you, the local people,” he said, as protesters continued to chant slogans outside the building where he made his brief remarks. The Ghanaian diplomat is also expected to meet Muslim leaders and visit a camp where tens of thousands of Rohingya languish in poverty.

But the region’s largest political group, the Arakan National Party, has ruled out meeting the former UN secretary-general and mounted a push in parliament on Tuesday to disband the commission. “We do not need to rely on any foreigner,” U U Hla Saw, a lower house MP from Rakhine, told lawmakers Tuesday. The near one-million-strong Rohingya are largely denied citizenship and the government does not recognise them as an official ethnic minority. Their appalling living conditions, including severe restrictions on movement, have pushed tens of thousands of them to flee, many via treacherous sea journey south towards Malaysia. Last week sitting UN chief Ban Ki-Moon called on Myanmar to grant citizenship to the group and respect their right to self-identify as Rohingya. But that question of identity remains incendiary for Buddhist hardliners. l

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Radical UK preacher Anjem Choudary jailed n Reuters Anjem Choudary, Britain’s infamous Islamist preacher, was jailed on Tuesday for five years and six months for encouraging support for Islamic State, ending years of frustration for police who had struggled to pin charges on him. Choudary, 49, and close associate Mizanur Rahman, 33, who received the same sentence, had been convicted by a jury in July of using the internet to urge followers to back the banned group, which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq. Long denounced by the press in Britain as a hate preacher, Choudary is also well-known abroad, making regular TV appearances in the wake of attacks by Islamist militants to blame Western foreign policy for targeting Muslims. His trial heard that in postings on social media, Choudary and Rahman had pledged allegiance to the “caliphate” declared by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and said Muslims had a duty to obey or provide support to him. “Their recent speeches and the oath of allegiance were a turning point for the police - at last we had the evidence that they had stepped over the line and we could prove they were actively encouraging support of IS,” said Haydon. Both men had denied the terrorism charges and said the case against them was politically motivated. They were convicted af-

ter a four-week trial at London’s Old Bailey criminal court, where they were sentenced by a judge on Tuesday. Choudary, the former head of the now banned organisation al-Muhajiroun, first drew widespread attention for praising the men behind the 9/11 attacks on the United States and for saying he wanted to convert Buckingham Palace, Queen Elizabeth’s official London residence, into a mosque.

Oath of allegiance

Despite such comments and his refusal to condemn attacks by Islamists, including bombings of the London transport system in 2005, Choudary has always denied any involvement in militant activity and had never been previously charged with any terrorism offence. Rahman had previously served two years in jail for encouraging followers during a protest in 2006 to kill British and US troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. Evidence presented during the trial included speeches posted online in which Choudary spelt out his arguments for recognising al-Baghdadi as the leader of Islamic State. The court had also heard that Choudary and Rahman had pledged allegiance to the group and used Mohammed Fachry, a convicted terrorist, to publish the oath on an Indonesian website. “The jury were sure that you knowingly crossed the line between the legitimate expression of your own views and the criminal

WHO IS ANJEM CHOUDARY? Ü As an acolyte of the extremist cleric Omar Bakri Muhammed, who fled the UK for Lebanon, Anjem Choudary, a British lawyer turned preacher, has been one of the most outspoken voices behind radical Islam in Britain for at least a decade. Ü In the mid-1980s, Choudary and Bakri founded al-Muhajiroun, a shadowy network that espoused a hard-line version of Islam, calling for sharia law in the UK. The radical group also cheered the 9/11 attacks, eventually leading to it being proscribed by the home secretary in 2010 under new legislation outlawing the “glorification” of terrorism. Ü Choudary, the son of a market trader from Welling, Kent, and former Southampton University student, re-emerged as a key figure in a number of other groups under names such as al-Ghurabaa, Islam4UK and Muslims Against Crusades. In 2010, he controversially called on Muslims to protest in Wootton Bassett, a town where deceased British soldiers were being honoured. Ü In 2015, Choudrary was charged with inviting support for the terrorist group Isis after allegedly promoting them through lectures which were published online. act of inviting support for an organisation which was at the time engaged in appalling acts of terrorism,” said the judge, Timothy Holroyde. Police said the group was suspected of being the driving force behind the 2005 London bombings, while Michael Adebolajo, one of the men who hacked to death British soldier Lee Rigby on a London street in 2013, had attended protests organised by Choudary. The group’s influence is believed to extend far beyond Britain. Those connected to it include Abu Hamza al-Masri, who was jailed for life in the United States

last year for terrorism-related offences.

Anjem’s take on Bangladesh

Anjem and his associates also demonstrated in front of the Bangladesh High Commission in London on March 1, 2013 bashing democratic practices and demanding Shariah Law in Bangladesh. The protests took place several weeks after youths organised a mammoth movement in Dhaka’s Shahbagh demanding death sentence for war criminals and a ban of Jamaat-e-Islami, a move that irked Islamists across the country. l

Afghan forces end siege after suicide attacks in Kabul n Reuters, Kabul Afghan security forces ended an 11hour standoff in central Kabul on Tuesday, shooting dead the last of a group of attackers who struck hours after a separate suicide bombing killed and wounded dozens of security personnel and civilians. The bloody episode began on Monday afternoon with a twin suicide bombing in a busy area of the capital near the Defence Ministry that killed 35 people, including several senior security officers, and wounded 103. That attack was claimed by the Taliban and was followed a few hours later by a car bomb in Share Naw, a business and residential area of the city close to the government and embassy district. After the blast in Share Naw, three gunmen barricaded them-

selves in close to an office of aid group Care International and a government complex. The target of the attack was not clear. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Share Naw attack, which caused only six injuries. Care International said in a statement its staff in Kabul were safely evacuated. When the explosion happened, all of our windows broke and for a minute I thought that the house had collapsed on us,” said Togrul Big who lives near the Care International compound and suffered a hand injury in the car-bomb blast. Mid-morning on Tuesday, after hours of standoff interrupted occasionally by sporadic gunfire, Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said Afghan special forces had killed all those involved in the attack. The violence highlighted the

precarious security in the capital just a month before a conference in Brussels where international donors are expected to pledge continued financial support to Afghanistan.

Officers killed

The Taliban’s ability to conduct coordinated attacks in Kabul has piled pressure on the Western-backed government, which has struggled to reassure a war-weary population that it can guarantee security. The attacks came less than two weeks after gunmen attacked the American University in Kabul, killing 13 people. Many casualties in the defence ministry attack were caused when security forces personnel and civilians who rushed to help victims of an initial explosion were caught

World

by a second blast minutes later. An army general and two senior police commanders were among the dead, a Defence Ministry official said. Another official said the deputy head of President Ashraf Ghani’s personal protection force had also been killed. Afghanistan’s foreign partners, concerned about the ability of the security forces to withstand Taliban violence, are expected to pledge support over coming years at the Brussels conference, three months after Nato members reaffirmed their commitment at a meeting in Warsaw. Outside Kabul, the insurgents have stepped up their military campaign, threatening towns including Lashkar Gah, capital of the strategic southern province of Helmand, as well as Kunduz, the northern city they briefly took last year. l

USA

Trump and Clinton clash over national security Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are battling over national security in the South’s top presidential battlegrounds. Trump released an open letter early Tuesday from 88 retired generals and admirals citing an urgent need for a course correction on America’s national security policy. A Clinton victory in Florida would make it virtually impossible for Trump to overcome her advantage in the race for 270 electoral votes. AP

THE AMERICAS

Santos confident Colombians will say yes to peace Colombia’s President Juan Manuel Santos says he is certain his government’s peace deal with evolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) insurgents will be approved in an October 2 referendum because, an imperfect peace is always preferable to a perfect war. The referendum will be held to put the agreement ending the 52-year conflict with the Farc. AFP

Black Lives Matter protesters shut London airport Black Lives Matter protesters chained themselves together on the runway of London’s City Airport on Tuesday, forcing all flights in and out of the business travel hub to be diverted for 6 hours. Police arrested nine people were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass, being unlawfully airside and breaching London City Airport bylaws. REUTERS

EUROPE

Germans test air defences in Latvia German and Latvian troops have begun a joint exercise in Latvia, not far from the Russian border, as part of a broad drive by Nato to shore up air defences against a possible Russian attack. Germany has around 80 troops and 400 tonnes of equipment, including a deployable mobile control centre, for the exercise. REUTERS

AFRICA

Tunisia fears jihadists returning home from Libya Tunisia, which estimates that about 4,000 of its nationals left to fight for jihadists groups, is concerned that many are returning to the country and could turn their focus on home soil. Tunisia’s defence minister said, North African countries should be cooperating more to stop IS fighters who are fleeing their Libyan stronghold of Sirte from returning to their homelands and causing trouble there. REUTERS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

World

FACT CHECK

Donald Trump on immigration DONALD TRUMP’S VISION OF ‘AMERICA FIRST’

n Tribune International Desk

Donald Trump’s mixed messages on immigration, which this week took in a demur speech in Mexico City and a vitriolic rally in Phoenix, have become a Rorschach test for Republicans, exacerbating tensions in the party as several of its leaders drift away from their party’s nominee and look toward a Democratic presidency. Disappointed by the harsh tone of Trump’s Phoenix speech, the Republican National Committee reportedly withheld planned praise, reports The Associated Press. A look at some of his statements and continuous changing stance on immigration Trump: “President Obama and Hillary Clinton have engaged in gross dereliction of duty by surrendering the safety of the American people to open borders.” Fact: Trump actually praised President Barack Obama in the past for deporting an unprecedented number of people during his first term, a record that does not square with an accusation of supporting an “open” border. Obama increased Border Patrol staffing to an all-time high of 21,444 agents in 2011 and his administration has virtually ended the practice of “voluntary returns,” or turning back Mexicans without any consequences. Both Obama and Clinton support a more lenient policy than Trump has proposed, but what they lay out is not an open border. Clinton has promised to extend Obama’s actions that would let people brought to the country illegally as children remain in the country, as well as to let some parents of US citizens stay. Both seek legislation that would allow most of the estimated 11 million immigrants in the country illegally to stay if they pass a background check, learn English and pay taxes. However, those who fail the background check or commit crimes would be deported. Trump: On people illegally in the US: “They’re treated better than our vets.” Fact: People in the country illegally do not have the right to work, vote or receive most government benefits. A modest number have been exempted from deportation because of an Obama administration action but most live under the risk of being removed from the country. Veterans are guaranteed government health care and because almost all are citizens, the right to vote and other government benefits. The quality of their care has been criticised by Trump and others but

Declare China a currency manipulator. Beijing’s illegal export subsidies. Scrap 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and renegotiate North American Free Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada.

people in the country illegally do DONALD TRUMP’S VISION OF ‘AMERICA FIRST’ not have equivalent rights to health care, except for emergency treatment. Public hospitals are required to provide emergency medical care regardless of immigration status. Trump: “When politicians talk Declarethey China a currency manipulator. Beijing’s illegal export subsidies. Scrap about immigration reform 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and renegotiate North usually mean the following: amnesty, open borders, lowerAmerican wages ... ItFree Trade Agreement with Mexico and Canada. should mean improvements to our laws and policies to make life better for American citizens.” Fact: No politician of either party who supports overhauling immigration laws supports “amnesty,” but the meaning of “amnesty” varies depending on who is talking. Wipe out $19m deficit Corporate tax rate: To The sweeping and bipartisan by boosting jobs and cutting be cut from current level of immigration bill that passed the government waste. Reduce 35% to 15%. Stop corporate national debt by buying governinversions, in which US companies buy Senate in 2013 was derided by opment bonds back at a discount, if overseas firms to reduce tax bills by ponents as amnesty, but supporters and when interest rates go up. US reincorporating abroad. Income tax: including GOP Senator Marco Rubio will never default on debt ‘because Under "1-5-10-15" tax plan, individuals of Florida disputed that, noting nuyou print the money’ earning less than $25,000 per year will merous requirements imposed on not pay income tax. Earnings up to immigrants in the country illegally $30,000 will pay 1% tax, $30,000 to along a 13-year path to citizenship, $100,000 pay 5%, $100,000 to $1m Build wall at US-Mexico border will be taxed at 10%, above $1m will including paying penalties. to keep out illegal immigrants. attract 15% tax Mexico will pay $10-$12bn cost The bill proposed spending tens or "face consequencof billions of dollars to double the Wipeagents out $19m deficit es"including new rule Corporate tax rate: To number of US Border Patrol to stop immigrants by boosting be cut from current level of and greatly increase border securi- jobs and cutting sending money back Repeal Affordable Care government 35%Act, to better 15%. Stop ty. And the nonpartisan Congres- waste. Reduceto Mexico unless they knowncorporate as debt by buying governinversions, in which US companies buy sional Budget Office national studied the Obamacare. Allow can prove lawful fully deduct bill and projected that it would ment bonds back at a discount, if in USoverseasindividuals firms totoreduce tax bills by presence health insurance premium Deport lower wages for the entire work-interest rates go up. and when US11 million reincorporating abroad. Income tax: payments from their tax returns. Save illegal immigrants force slightly over the fi rst 10 yearsdefault on debt ‘because will never Under "1-5-10-15" tax plan, better individuals $300bn by negotiating prices living in US and end birthright after becoming law, butyou would then print the money’ earning less than $25,000 per year will with drug companies and allowing citizenship for children born to illegal increase wages for the entire workaccess to safe medication pay consumers income tax. Earnings up to immigrants. Trump has backednot off on force by even more, at the same from oversea. Abortion: Appoint to $30,000 will pay 1% tax, $30,000 call for blanket ban on Muslim time boosting economic output and Supreme Court justices to challenge immigration to America, ban 5%, landmark $100,000 $1m Build wall at US-Mexico bordersaying$100,000 Roepay v. Wade1973to decision increasing the GDP. was ''just a suggestion" will be taxed at 10%, above $1m will to keep out illegal immigrants. that legalised abortion in US. Trump: On the number of people attract 15% tax Mexico will pay $10-$12bn cost in the US illegally: “Our government orExpand "faceProject consequenchas no idea. It could be 3 million, it US military: Increase power to could be 30m. They have no idea.” es"including Exile- federal new rule make it "so strong, so powerful, Fact: The government actually to stop immigrants prosecution and that nobody's going to mess CareMake allies in has an idea. The Homeland Securiprison for five years, back Repeal Affordable sending money with us". Nato: with no parole, for anyone ty Department estimates there are Act, better known as Europe and Asia pay US for their to Mexico unless they who uses a gun to commit a Obamacare. 11.4m people in the United States defence - or leave them to defend Allow can prove lawful crime. Empower law-abiding gun themselves. Terrorism: Bring illegally. Few in the immigration to fully deduct presence in USteachers individualsback ownersincluding use of waterboardingdebate challenge that estimate. health insurance premium inDeport class - to11 defend themselves. million banned under US law. "Cut off The figure comes from an analy"A tremendous mental healthpayments from theiroftax returns. Save the head" so-called Islamic illegal immigrants sis of the most recent Census Data. problem", not guns, is cause $300bn byState and "take their oil"prices for negotiating better living in US end birthright The government compares theand of America's mass shootings America with drug companies and allowing citizenship children born tospeeches, illegaldebates, number of people whom the Cen- forSources: donaldj1rump.com, Interviews, TV ads consumers access to safe medication sus reports as foreign-born with the Trump has backed off on immigrants. from oversea. Abortion: Appoint the scope, saying children must be going to end catch-and-release ... number of people whocall have been for blanket ban on Muslim Supreme Court justices to challenge quickly released but not their parmy administration, anyone admitted legally and immigration gained citi- toUnder America, saying ban Roe v. Wade1973through decisionJuly, ents. landmark From October who illegally crosses the border will zenship. The most recent wasestimate ''just a suggestion" 48,311abortion unaccompanied children dates to January 2012. It roughly be detained until they are removed that legalised in US. were arrested crossing the border matches the estimates of demog- out of our country and back to the from Mexico; many more children country from which they came.” raphers from the Pew Foundation, were caught with their families. Fact: Many of the releases in which issues its estimates more Expand Project US military: Increase power to Trump: On preventing people question were ordered by courts. rapidly than the government. Exile- federal make it "so strong, so powerful, from overstaying their visas and They were not a policy of the ObaExperts believe the number of prosecution and that nobody's going mess illegally: remaining in the to country people in the US illegally has been ma administration. prison for five years, with us". Nato: Make allies inthe biomA federal judge in Los Angeles “We will finally complete steadily declining as Mexicans and with no parole, for anyone Europe and Asia payvisa UStracking for their etric entry-exit system, others return to their home country ruled last year the federal governwhodwindle. uses a gunment’s to commit a of children and defence - or leave themdesperately. to defend For which we need detention and illegal border crossings Empower law-abiding gun were caught years Congress has required their mothers who Trump: On ending crime. the practice themselves. Terrorism: Bring biomeownersincluding teachers tric entry-exit visa tracking systems crossing the border illegally vioof releasing people who are caught back use of waterboardingin classpend- to defend it hasUS never completed. lated themselves. a 1997 court settlement. banned In butunder crossing the border illegally, law. been "Cut off The politicians are all talk, no action. an appeals ing a court appearance: “We are July, "A tremendous mental health court narrowed the head" of so-called Islamic

problem", not guns, is cause of America's mass shootings

State and "take their oil" for America

Sources: donaldj1rump.com, speeches, debates, Interviews, TV ads

Never happens, never happens ... In my administration we will ensure that this system is in place.” Fact: Trump is correct in focusing on visa overstays as a source of much illegal immigration. The biometric system he wants to complete, though, presents enormous logistical, technical and financial challenges, and he gave no details how he would address it differently than his predecessors. Congress mandated the system first in 1996 and only now has the Obama administration begun implementing it on select flights at nine airports and at a border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. The scope of the problem is immense - and not one that Trump’s proposed border wall could fix. The US admits more than 45m people annually on tourist, student and work visas. The government says 99% of them leave when required. But 1% overstay their visas, and that’s more than 450,000 people annually. Trump: after meeting Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto: “I shared my strong view that Nafta has been a far greater benefit to Mexico than it has been to the United States and that it must be improved upon. ... I expressed that ... we must take action to stem this tremendous outflow of jobs from our country. It’s happening every day, it’s getting worse and worse and worse, and we have to stop it.” Fact: The loss of manufacturing jobs is generally attributed to China, not Mexico. Some US companies have moved jobs to Mexico - the Carrier Corporation recently decided to relocate an air conditioning factory there from Indiana. But there is little data to show that the trend is getting “worse and worse.” Trump: “We didn’t discuss that. We didn’t discuss who pays for the wall, we didn’t discuss.” ... “We did discuss the wall. We didn’t discuss payment of the wall. That’ll be for a later date.” Pena Nieto on Twitter, in Spanish: “At the beginning of the conversation with Donald Trump I made it clear that Mexico will not pay for the wall.” Fact: Facts may depend on what your definition of a discussion is. If the Mexican president opened with a comment that his country won’t pay for the wall and Trump did not respond to it, that may not have been a discussion in his mind. But the subject, it seems, came up. The Trump campaign’s brief statement on the meeting did not quibble with Pena Nieto’s account. It said the meeting “was not a negotiation.” l

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

12 Business

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Money market cool despite Eid

TOP STORIES

n Jebun Nesa Alo

Various steps taken to create jobs State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim said the government is taking different initiatives to help the youth improve their skills and get jobs. PAGE 13

G20 promises to coordinate on economy

Leaders from the world’s top economies broadly agreed at a summit in China yesterday to coordinate macroeconomic policies, but few concrete proposals emerged to meet growing challenges to globalisation and free trade. At the two-day gathering in the scenic Chinese city of Hangzhou, the world’s most powerful leaders also agreed to oppose protectionism, with Chinese President Xi Jinping urging major economies to drive growth through innovation, not just fiscal and monetary measures. PAGE 14

Emerging market bulls push stocks higher World shares closed in on one-year highs yesterday as the prospect of prolonged cheap borrowing costs and a recent rise in oil prices set off a new emerging market bull run. PAGE 15

Capital market snapshot: Tuesday DSE Broad Index

4,563.7

0.1% ▲

Index

1,106.6

0.2% ▲

30 Index

1,751.6

0.2% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

4,252.8 -11.6% ▼

Turnover in Mn Vol

113.2

-4.8% ▼

All Share Index 14,021.3

0.3% ▲

30 Index

0.3% ▲

CSE

Selected Index

12,733.6 8,535.4

0.3% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk

284.7

6.4% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol

9.1

8.7% ▲

The call money market remains cool even ahead of Eid as banking sector is still awash with excess liquidity. The lending and borrowing rate in the call money market are hovering below 3% over the past several months and the rate was 2.98% as of September 4, according to the Bangladesh Bank data. Moreover, private sector credit growth which was in growing trend over the last several months turned downward in July as demand trimmed down. The credit growth dropped to 15.97% in July over the same period last year. The growth was 16.78% in June, the highest in the last several years. The interest rate in call money market is expected to remain unchanged even ahead of the Eid festival as every bank has enough liquidity, said Allah Malik Kazemi, change management adviser to Bangladesh Bank. He said banks have been facing problem with excess liquidity for long as the government borrowing is negative. The situation will not change until the government stops borrowing from savings instruments instead of banks, he added. Though the Eid approaches, Bangladesh Bank is still mopping

Bangladesh Bnk has been mopping up the highest Tk30,000 crore per day from the market over the last several months DHAKA TRIBUNE

up money around Tk17,000 crore from the market through bank bills. Usually, the scenario of money market seemed opposite ahead of festivals a couple of years ago. Bangladesh Bank had to inject money through repo in the market to meet excess demand ahead of Eid. The central bank has been spending much due to mopping up of money from the market by paying interest, said Kazemi.

Inflation rate down further in August n Tribune Business Desk

Inflation in Bangladesh stood at 5.3% last month, down from 5.4% read in previous month, official data shows. Inflation fell for the second month in a row. The decrease is predominantly caused by lower food prices. According to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), food inflation, which is more important in developing countries like Bangladesh where a large amount of household incomes are spent on food, slightly declined to 4.3% in August from 4.35 in July. While releasing data at the NEC conference room yesterday, Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said: “Declining food prices, particularly imported ones, pushed inflation further down.” He hoped that the inflation would be well below the fiscal target for this year. The govern-

ment fixed the target to contain inflation at 5.8% for the fiscal year 2016-17. However, non-food inflation slightly increased to 7% from 6.98% during the period. In rural areas, the inflation rate in August was 4.41%, which was 4.54% in July, and in urban areas, it rose to 7.15% from 7%. In rural areas, food inflation moved down 3.4% from 3.59%, and in urban areas, it climbed to 6.39% from 6.11% during the period. In the case of non-food inflation, it was up 6.28% from 6.26% in rural areas, while it soared 7.99% from 7.98% in urban areas. The national wage index, however, witnessed a declining trend with 6.06% in August, down from 6.13% in July. The average year-on-year rate of inflation from September 2015 to August 2016 also declined to 5.77%, which was 6.13% from September 2014 to August 2015. l

As a result the central bank will lose its annual profit which is not a good news for the central bank officers. According to the Bangladesh Bank data, the central bank had been mopping up the highest Tk30,000 crore per day from the market over the last several months. The negative government borrowing is mainly blamed for piling up excess liquidity in the banking sector, said a senior executive of a

private bank. He said the government is not borrowing money as per its projection in budget over the last two years which is causing excess liquidity burden on private banks. Lower government borrowing is pushing down the call money rate as well as the lending rate, he added. The government borrowing from the banking sector was negative 4.16% in July from the positive growth of 3.59% in June, according to the central bank data.

Joint work against money laundering n Asif Showkat Kallol

Bangladesh Intelligence Unit of the central bank, Transfer Processing Cell of the National Board of Revenue and Criminal Investigative Department of Police will work in coordination to stop laundering of money. The initiative has been taken in response to an advice from the International Monetary Fund, said

Bangladesh Bank sources. IMF and Bangladesh Bank officials recently held a meeting on the matter. IMF said the government would benefit from joint work of the three state-run organisations. A recent international survey found the increase of money smuggling from Bangladesh and a large sum of the money were laundered under the guise of external trading through banking channels. l

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Tarana: Steps taken to create jobs n Ishtiaq Husain State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim said the government is taking different initiatives to help the youth improve their skills and get jobs. She was speaking at a Grameenphone function in Dhaka yesterday as the mobile operator received the second batch of the GP Accelerator, a youth-centred initiative designed to support tech start-ups. SD Asia is a partner. “The government is taking different initiatives to help the youth and it is good to see that private organisations like Grameenphone is also lending a helping hand,” said Tarana Halim praising the Grameenphone. “This kind of initiative can create jobs and give the youth a chance to demonstrate their talents, which will keep them away from the influence of terrorism,” she stressed. The start-ups are provided with an intensive, rapid and immersible training over the four-month programme. They are also provided with Tk11 lakh each in seed funding, work space in GP House, and a weighty set of industry contacts to speed up the life cycle of their businesses. This fixed-term, cohort based-programme allows the ventures to build a robust business

State Minister for Post and Telecommunications Tarana Halim (fifth from right) at the GP Accelerator event yesterday model, become investable and scale them up. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood said: “Organisations like Grameenphone have deep knowledge about the needs of their customers which will be highly beneficial for the young entrepreneurs of GP Accelerator to develop

MNP licence: Six joint ventures submit bids n Ishtiaq Husain

Six joint-venture firms have submitted bidding proposals to be the operator of the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in Bangladesh. The bidding is scheduled to be held on September 28. Six firms are REVE Number Limited, Greentech International Limited, Infozillion BD Teletech Consortium Limited, Roots Infotech Limited Agile Technology Limited and Invariant Telecom Bangladesh Limited. Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) will formally disclose the names of the qualified bidders today for the MNP auction. “A total of 18 bidding documents were sold, but finally six firms have submitted proposals for the much-awaited MNP service,” said a BTRC official. After the bidding process, a license will be given to an independent company for 15 years to introduce the MNP system in the country. The company will have to roll out the MNP service within six months of getting the licence. According to the telecommuni-

cations regulator, Roots Infotech Limited has a partnership with Systor International of Norway while REVE Number Limited has with T4B Sp Z.o.o of Poland, Greentech International Limited with Mediafon of Lithuania, Invariant Telecom Bangladesh Limited with MNP Interconnection Telecom Solution of India, Agile Technology Solution Limited with Clear Tech of Brazil and Infozillion BD Teletech Consortium Limited with Teletech d.o.o of Slovenia. On Monday the regulator announced a fresh schedule for the long-awaited MNP auction. Under the announcement, it will now be held on Sept 28 while the previous schedule was on Sept 21. According to the new schedule, the name of the qualified bidders will be disclosed on Sept 7. The date for submission of bid earnest money is now fixed on September 18, letter of acceptance or rejection is September 20 while consultation of auction procedure will be held on September 25. MNP allows the subscribers to switch their services among operators without changing their phone numbers. l

Business

New cell to oversee RMG sector n BSS The government has formed a new cell to watch over the status and the development of the country’s major export earning readymade garment sector. The Remediation Co-ordination Cell (RCC) will be start working in full swing in 2018 when the Accord and Alliance will complete their activities to ensure factory standard and safety in the country’s apparel sector, said an official statement. The Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) proposed the Ministry of Labour and Employment to set up the cell so it could take the responsibilities of maintaining garment sector’s standard after Accord and Alliance. The two groups of the western retailers in collaboration with the government and the International Organisation (ILO) have been working on improving factory standard and safety in garment sector since Rana Plaza tragedy in April 2013. Diplomats of the major RMG importing countries have also been advocating establishment of a separate cell so safety and security in the garment factories are ensured. According to the proposal, the Ministry of Labour and Employment on Monday formed the cell with the Inspector General of the DIFE its head. l

customers-friendly services.” Welcoming the new batch to GP House, Grameenphone CEO Rajeev Sethi said: “The start-ups at GP Accelerator remind us every day of the skills that drive real success: speed, agility and focus against all odds. Grameenphone is committed to putting Bangladesh on the global start-up map firmly and together

with the government and the startup ecosystem.” Among others, Kazi Mahboob Hassan, head of transformation of Grameenphone, Mustafizur R Khan, founder and CEO of SD ASIA, senior officials of GP, SD Asia and members from start-ups and investor communities were present at the event. l

DSE to stay closed for 9 days from Sept 9 n Tribune Business Desk

Stocks continue to end flat as Eid nears

The Dhaka Stock Exchange will go for an extended nine-day holiday from September 9 on the occasion of the Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest Muslim festivals. The markets will resume on Sept 18, according to a press release. Four days of Eid holidays and four days of weekend break plus an additional holiday have made it a long vacation during the Eid-ul-Azha. The decision came at the 837th board meeting following the government announcement of September 11 as public holiday before Eid-ul-Azha. Share transactions and official activities of DSE will resume on Sept 18. Bangladesh Bank asked all the banks to keep respective branches open in different places across the country next Saturday and Sunday to facilitate salary payment of garment workers as well as export-important business The government employees also got a nine days of holiday this year to celebrate the Eid-ul-Fitr. The Eid-ul-Fitr was celebrated on July 7. l

Stocks witnessed yet another flat session yesterday as investors booked profit ahead of Eid ul-Azha. The modest profit booking took place mainly on heavyweight sectors—telecommunications and banks. The benchmark index of Dhaka Stock Exchange DSEX inched 4 points or 0.2% higher to finish at 4,568, extending its gaining streak for the fifth straight session. The DS30 index, comprising blue chips, rose only 2 points or 0.2% to 1,754. The DSE Shariah Index witnessed a fractional rise of 0.5 points to 1,106. The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index CSCX gained 13 points to 8,549. However, trading activities increased as the DSE turnover stood at Tk475 crore, up about 12% over previous session. Engineering sector continued to dominate the trading, accounting for 18% of the total turnover. Concentration was seen in selective stocks as top 10 companies captured around 36% of the total

n Tribune Business Desk

market turnover. Engineering sector was the highest gainer, surging around 1%, followed by power 0.4%. Non-banking financial institutions, food & allied and pharmaceuticals sector closed flat. Lanka Bangla Securities said the morning session was quite weak as concern over sluggish business activities dampened the market sentiment. Economic data released in the morning showed 18.42% fall in import of July because of sluggish business situation in the country and lower commodity prices in the international market, it said. However, stocks managed to recover in late hour as investors showed some risk appetite on sector-specific stocks in the last week of trading ahead of Eid vacation, it added. Shahjibazar Power remained the most-traded share for the fourth consecutive day with a turnover worth about Tk25 crore. It was followed by Square Pharma, Doreen Power, Singer Bangladesh, Lafarge Surma Cement and Al-haj Textile. l

Business

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

G20 promises to coordinate on economy n Reuters Leaders from the world’s top economies broadly agreed at a summit in China yesterday to coordinate macroeconomic policies, but few concrete proposals emerged to meet growing challenges to globalisation and free trade. At the two-day gathering in the scenic Chinese city of Hangzhou, the world’s most powerful leaders also agreed to oppose protectionism, with Chinese President Xi

Jinping urging major economies to drive growth through innovation, not just fiscal and monetary measures. “We aim to revive growth engines of international trade and investment,” Xi said in a closing statement. “We will support multilateral trade mechanisms and oppose protectionism to reverse declines in global trade.” The G20 called for the formation of a global forum to take steps to address steel excess capacity

and encourage adjustments, the White House said in a statement, one of the controversial issues discussed at the summit. China produces half the world’s annual output of 1.6 billion tonnes of steel and has struggled to decrease its estimated 300 million tonne overcapacity, and rising prices have given companies there an incentive to boost production for export. With the summit taking place after Britain’s vote in June to exit the

European Union and before the US presidential election in November, G20 leaders had been expected to mount a defence of free trade and globalisation and warn against isolationism. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who supports protectionist trade policies, has pulled into an effective tie with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, erasing a substantial deficit. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party was relegated to

third place behind an anti-immigrant party in a regional election on Sunday. “I’m very unsatisfied with the outcome of the election,” Merkel told reporters in Hangzhou. “Obviously it has something to do with the refugee question. But I nevertheless believe the decisions made were right and we have to continue to work on them.” One of the few areas where there was progress was in protecting the environment. l

Business

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Emerging market bulls push stocks higher n Reuters, London World shares closed in on one-year highs yesterday as the prospect of prolonged cheap borrowing costs and a recent rise in oil prices set off a new emerging market bull run. Asian stocks reached oneyear highs overnight and MSCI’s 46-country ‘All World’ index was close as most of Europe’s markets climbed 0.1 to 0.3% higher. Britain’s FTSE 100 was the laggard, spending a second day in the red, as sterling’s slow recovery GBP after the country voted to leave the European Union left investors looking at companies’ competitive-

ness again. Emerging markets had no such worries. A gain of nearly 0.8% for the main emerging market stock index took its rise over the last three trading days past 3% and put it up more than a third since January. The latest advance came as the prospect of a US interest rate rise was pushed back by weak jobs data on Friday. Rising oil prices helped oil-rich emerging markets such as Mexico, Brazil and Russia. “Emerging markets have continued to rally, supported by a rise in commodity prices and continued expectations that the Fed will remain dovish,” said Standard Life

Investment’s Alex Wolf. “In addition, there are some fundamental improvements - August sales improved across many companies and PMI data showed stabilization in China.” Oil markets were calmer, after prices surged, then slid on Monday, when Russia and Saudi Arabia confirmed they had agreed to cooperate to stabilize the oil market, although they offered no immediate plan of action. US crude CLc1 was up 50 cents at just over $45 a barrel. Brent crude LCOc1 was down at $47.32, having swung from $46.40 to $49.40 the previous session.

The US dollar barely budged against the yen, at 103.67 yen JPY, but fell for a fifth day against the pound GBP and eased to 1.1166 per euro EUR. Australia’s dollar AUD=D4 jumped almost 1 percent to $0.7655 after the country’s central bank said little on the currency’s 10% rise since January and kept Aussie interest rates at 1.5%. “One perhaps could have expected some more discussion of the currency, but we probably need to get back above 0.80 for verbal invention to come back into flavor,” said Tobias Davis, head of corporate treasury sales with Western Union in London.

Australian shares slipped 0.4% after the RBA’s decision, but MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan extended its recent gains to set a new one-year high overnight. Japan’s Nikkei stock index closed up 0.3% as the yen JPY gave up some gains from Monday, when Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda shied away from detailed talk of fresh BOJ stimulus. European bonds were buoyant. Spanish government bond yields slipped below 1%, continuing a strong performance that defies growing political uncertainty in Spain. German Bund yields fell to minus 0.059%. l

Feature

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Walls come down n N Anita Amreen

t was just another Sunday back in 2012. Syeda Shagufe Hossain flipped through a magazine and stumbled on a photo story, the article showed a series of photos of young children, aged four to five, beaming from behind mini chalkboards and Bengali textbooks. Tupi clad and dressed in white kurtas, young boys smiled away from one photo, while in another, a little girl engaged in an excited game of slap-and-clap with a classmate. The article discussed the struggles of a Madrasah education - the third stream of education in Bangladesh, one that is often underrepresented. It also shed light on some common misconceptions surrounding these students as well as making light of the restrictions and shortcomings of the madrasah system. “Something about the article really resonated with me. That picture of the boy on the cover with his tupi, whose attire stood in stark contrast with the English and

Bangla alphabets on the blackboard behind him, reflected how I felt sometimes with my national identity, my religious identity and my global identity, and sometimes, my gender identity being at war with each other,” she shared. For Shagufe, from all that she’d read or heard about madrasahs, it was the first article to take a positive take on the issue. “Before I read the article, I had never really given much thought to madrasahs. That article really highlighted the madrasah’s challenges and its potential for growth.” Acting as a turning point for her, Shagufe decided to reach out to the writer on an impulse. “He wrote back introducing me to Harunur Rashid Khan, the associate professor and chair of English department at Southeast University. He guided me at the initial stages of the project, and after going back and forth a bit, I decided to go ahead and start a project.” From there forth, began the journey of Leaping Boundaries, an organisation that worked on

strategies to train, monitor and facilitate madrasah students’ growth, allowing them to go above and beyond what is expected of them, usually very little. “Initially, it was a language and leadership development program that focused on building English Language skills,” she explained. However, as a result of political crisis in 2013, the project came to an abrupt halt. That’s when Shagufe realised the challenges faced by the sector, “was not a lack of English language skills but a lack of platforms, where they were not able to represent themselves.” Coupled with this knowledge, the project was redesigned and re-launched in February 2014 with a new goal, a new set of volunteers and two new madrasahs. Today, Leaping Boundaries stands tall and proud as a project that aims to integrate madrasah students into mainstream society by providing them access to platforms where they are traditionally underrepresented. The project gives madrasah

students a comprehensive set of skills that help fulfill their lack of language proficiency and leadership attributes. Under the project they receive training in English Language, ICT, soft skills, in addition to receiving psychosocial support. Students from public and private universities are recruited as trainers, who receive training in all three components and basic supportive psychosocial counseling. These trainers then provide tutorial and counseling support to the madrasahs. After the students undergo sufficient preparation, they are linked to various platforms such as the Spelling Bee, debate competitions, Youth Leadership camps and summits, etc. The Dhaka Tribune caught up with Shagufe, the founder and project director, to find out more about her five-year journey, as she shares the struggles, the hopes and her plans for an organisation that is close to her heart. A social inclusion activist, Shagufe worked in several

sectors of the development industry, namely social and economic empowerment, youth development, education, water, sanitation and hygiene. Working with leading development organisations such as BRAC and BRAC International, The International Finance Corporation, the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute and WaterAid Bangladesh, she found her forte, her true calling, in the midst of her work for Leaping Boundaries. Starting with a small core team of four workers, today, they have a team of eight, with 23 people working on the project, including volunteers. Shagufe has participated at the Young Connectors of the Future Programme of the Swedish Institute as one of the five Bangladeshis selected for the program. With many feathers to her cap, she continues to strive to learn more, explore more and tread forth in a journey that she believes is one that shall last a lifetime. l

What are three of the most common misconceptions people have about madrasah students? They are all backward and conservative; that they are not creative. That they all subscribe to a value system that prevents them from associating with global or national values. Many think they don’t believe in Bangladesh existing as a sovereign, independent country. Many think they hold anti-western sentiments. None of this holds true for most of them.

Favourite quotes • “How dare you settle for less when the world has made it so easy for you to be extraordinary?”- Seth Godin • “To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never to forget.”Arundhati Roy • “We teach girls to shrink themselves, to make themselves smaller. We say to girls, you can have ambition, but not too much. You should aim to be successful, but not too successful. Otherwise, you would threaten the man.”Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie • “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments By narrow domestic walls Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever-widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”Rabindranath Tagore

Can you briefly tell us about the projects undertaken to integrate madrasah students into the global community? Currently, the project is in its third year. We haven’t integrated them into the global community as much as we would like to yet. The girls have shared their dignity stories - stories about what hindered and restored their dignity on Global Dignity Day at a plenary discussion organised

by Friendship Bangladesh. The Daily Our Time featured six articles written by the girls on Climate Change following a writing workshop facilitated by Climate Tracker South Asia. Shorno Kishoree is a large platform that aims to raise awareness about menstruation and menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls and is telecasted live on Channel I. The Shorn Kishoree from Dhaka division last year was from Madinatul Ulum. How did the students react to you at first? They were shy at first. When we first walked in they were huddled

into a room, clutching their knees, literally shrinking themselves. Gradually after, they opened up. The volunteer trainers we recruit spend a lot of time on building the right kind of rapport with the students to create an effective learning environment. It’s usually the administration that’s a little suspicious of us when we first try to enter. But in time they have also let go of their reservations. If there are two things you would have done differently when starting off, what would those be? I spent the first two and half years of the project juggling a full-time job, a masters degree and the project. If I could do it differently, maybe I wouldn’t take on so much. I feel like I set a terrible example for those around me with little thought to my well-being. I think when I was younger, I treated life a lot like it’s a race. It’s a journey, not a race. There’s no finish line and no time by which we have to get there. I did learn a lot about myself over that

period though and I am not sure if I would have done it differently only because such valuable lessons were learnt. So far, what has been the most rewarding part of your journey? There is something remarkable about working with young people. The girls I work with are at that age when they are transitioning. I find it fascination to watch them grow into their own skin. I am also incredibly lucky to have a team that truly believes in the cause and works hard towards it. My team moves mountains to make the project work. To get to know these amazing people

Feature

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Today, Leaping Boundaries stands tall and proud as a project that aims to integrate madrasah students into mainstream society by providing them access to platforms that where they are traditionally underrepresented

and play a tiny part in shaping them as individuals is incredibly rewarding. From all the students you’ve come across, can you tell us about the lives of one that touched you? Every child is different and inspiring in their own way. There is one particular girl called Tabassum who touched me.

Currently in eighth grade, she was in seventh grade when we started working with her. She qualified for the interview round of BBLT of BYLC twice but could not go beyond. She was very heartbroken and felt a lot like a failure. When we hosted the art workshop in partnership with Liza’s Brushes, she created a mixed media artwork that depicted a heart. She said she has a lot of love to give so she drew a full heart. Her painting sold at the highest value when we auctioned them off to raise funds later. The bidder could barely believe she was a 13-yearold madrasah student who never picked up a paintbrush before. I

learnt a few things from her: One, never give up. Two, there are many ways to tell your story; you don’t always have to have a mic to do so. Finally, the third: if you are strong enough to let yourself be seen, someone will value that. Her confidence and overall communication has significantly improved too.

Where do you see Leaping Boundaries in five years time? The plan is to cover three divisions Chittagong, Sylhet and Dhaka over the next five years. We are currently revising operational plans for the next five years in light of new developments both externally and internally within the organisation so exact numbers are being revised. If there’s one lesson you wish you knew along the way, what would that be? That everything unfolds at it’s own pace. Hard work always pays off and there is little reason to worry about outcomes if you do your best. l

Biz Info

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

| recognition |

| win |

6th COMMWARD honours 93 best advertising campaigns of the country

Bitopi bags nine awards at COMMWARD 2016

In order to recognise and celebrate creative communication in marketing and business, 93 advertising campaigns across 25 categories were honoured at the 6th edition of COMMWARD: Excellence in Creative Communication, held on September 3, at Le Méridien Dhaka. The winning campaigns were recognised in three ranks: Grand Prix, Gold and Silver. COMMWARD is an initiative of Bangladesh Brand Forum, which has been recognising and inspiring creative advertising in business and marketing, since 2009. This year, a total of 467 nominations were received

from 41 advertising agencies, production houses and creative departments of various organisations. Three vigorous jury sessions, comprising of leading marketers and communication experts of the country, were held to evaluate and select the winners. While many small new agencies were recognised for their outstanding creative campaigns, the large established agencies overwhelmed the award ceremony with strong advertising campaigns. Among the campaigns, “Prothom Alo ICC Cricket World Cup 2015” and “Closeup Kache Ashar Shahoshi Golpo” campaigns won the

highest number of awards in three ranks. Moreover, the much hyped “Closeup Kache Ashar Shahoshi Golpo” won two Grand Prix in “Best Use of Content” and “Video for Web” categories. In the “Integrated Campaign” category, which is regarded as the ultimate comprehensive category, the campaign “GP– Prothom Bijoyollash” won the Grand Prix which was conceived and executed by Grey Advertising Bangladesh Ltd. COMMWARD 2016 was preceded by a day-long communication summit where five global keynote speakers discussed different topics related to creative communication. l

One of the leading creative agencies of the country, Bitopi Leo Burnett has won nine awards at this year’s Commward, an initiative by Bangladesh Brand Forum. Achievements in communication were recognised under three categories Grand Prix, Gold and Silver. Among the nine

awarded to Bitopi, six are gold and the rest, silver. Sarah Ali, managing director, Bitopi Leo Burnett said, “The entire Bitopi team is really happy to achieve these awards. Our excellent team has won over every impossibility. We’d like to thank our clients for having faith on us.” l

| workshop |

Papier Mache at Red Shift

| innovation |

DHL rolls out global augmented reality program The DHL supply chain is rolling out the next phase of its Vision Picking Program following a successful trial of the augmented reality technology in the Netherlands. Since the trial, DHL and partners Google, Vuzix and Ubimax have refined the vision picking solution. DHL is now expanding the program across different industry sectors on a global scale, forging another step forward for augmented reality solutions in logistics. “We are excited to further test and develop vision picking as a solution that can be readily available to our customers. More importantly, this technology is not just one step towards digitalising manual processes on the shop floor, it also takes us one step closer towards Industry 4.0. Testing technologies like augmented reality, robotics and Internet of Things will continue

to be a big part of our DNA,” said John Gilbert, CEO, Supply Chain. Pickers are equipped with advanced smart glasses which visually display where each picked item needs to be placed on the trolley. Vision Picking enables hands free order picking at a faster pace, along with reduced error rates. Throughout 2016, the smart glasses will be piloted across various industries such as technology, retail, consumer

and automotive industries. The data available from these pilots will further determine the technology’s potential for broader implementation. The pilot sites are spread across the United States, Mainland Europe and the United Kingdom, with the Ricoh facility in Bergen op Zoom, the Netherlands, where the solution was first tested, being the launch site for this new exploration phase. l

Have you ever wanted to try your hand at making works of Papier Mache? If you are interested, hit up the cozy Red Shift Coffee Lounge where a two day workshop will train people in this fascinating craft. This is your chance to learn this skill which will delight both youngsters (over seven years old) and adults. The workshop will be conducted by Alia Kamal, a visual artist working mostly with oil. In an effort to recycle the waste generated from her studio, she took up sculpting with papier mache. Her subjects are embedded in the everyday, inspired by her life experiences. Her quirky bottle paintings and sculptures have helped her create a niche in the Dhaka art community. She has previously shown in Dhaka Arts Center, TEDxDhaka, Longitude

Latitude 6, Mad Koffee 2.0 and the Milkshake Collective. From: Friday, September 23 to Saturday, September 24, 2016 Time: Starts at 3PM both days and will continue till 7.30PM Charge: Tk4,000 per head which will include cost of all materials. Registration: Please register as early as possible as we will need a minimum of 10 participants signed up before September 20, 2016 in order to hold the workshop. Visit Red Shift’s Facebook page for more event notifications: www. facebook.com/redshiftcoffee Location: Radius Centre, 5th Floor, Bay’s Galleria, 57 Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan, Dhaka. Telephone 8833471-3 or 01730054403 (Shiuly). Opening hours: Sat-Thurs 10 AM-11 PM. Fri : 3 PM-11 PM Website:www. radiuscentre.com.bd l

Biz Info

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

| certification |

Meena Bazar receives food safety management system certificate of ISO 22000:2005

In recognition of ensuring the international standard food safety management system, Meena Bazar, one of the leading supermarket chains in Bangladesh has recently been awarded the certificate of ISO 22000:2005 (Food Safety Management System) by SGS Bangladesh Ltd, the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing, and certification company. The certificate awarding ceremony was held at the office premises of SGS Bangladesh Ltd September 5, 2016. Akhtaruzzaman, chief financial controller and company secretary of SGS Bangladesh Ltd handed over the certificate to Shaheen Khan, chief executive officer, Meena Bazar. High officials from both the companies were also present at the ceremony.

| ceremony |

CIDER International school holds investiture ceremony The first investiture ceremony of CIDER International School was held on Sunday, August 28, 2016 at Radisson Blu, Chittagong. Somnath Halder, assistant high commissioner of India and Nader Khan, chairman, CIDER International School graced the occasion with their presence. The investiture ceremony 2016 was the formal ceremony of conferring the authority and responsibilities to the newly selected prefects of the senior school. The delegation of responsibilities and giving authority to students is very important since it teaches them lifelong skills of being a powerful and caring citizen. On August 28, deserving young talents of the school were bestowed with the responsibilities of leading their school from the front with commitment, confidence, and competence. The solemn ceremony was held with lots of enthusiasm and gusto. The distinguished guests were honoured with flowers and

shawls. The principal, Gyanesh Chandra Tripathi welcomed everyone with his welcome speech. During the ceremony, the gracious moment was to witness all prefects to be honoured with sashes, badges, and bouquets of flowers. The chief guest, Somnath Halder; Nader Khan, the chairman; and the respective parents felicitated the prefects. In the much anticipated oathtaking ceremony, the honourable chairman, Nader Khan, took the solemn responsibility of delivering the oath. The leaders of the prefectural board pledged to maintain discipline and uphold the name of the institution in high esteem. The head boy of the school, Hasan Muttakin and the head girl, Namira in their speech showed their utmost gratitude towards the school and relived

| hospitality |

Spend your Eid holidays at EmmaNuelle’s Inn

the wonderful and unforgettable experiences they went through in the school. The chief guest, Somnath Halder, in his speech, congratulated all the prefects and advised them to take up their duties sincerely and with full commitment. The chairman, Nader Khan, also congratulated the prefects and stressed on the need to become more focused in their goals and to inculcate

leadership quality to become a better person in life. The ceremony was followed by a sumptuous dinner party. The dignified event of the school, the Investiture Ceremony 2016 concluded with lots of hopes and aspirations for the future leaders. The ceremony was an overwhelming success with the participation of their students, teachers, staff, and parents. l

EmmaNuelle’s Inn warmly welcomes you to spend your Eid holidays in luxury with their special packages, available from September 10 to September 15, 2016. The offer includes Super Delux Twin rooms, complementary breakfast, mineral water, welcome drink and a fresh fruits basket on arrival and dinner from their set menu. For more information, call 01919526436, 01841399999 or visit their website: www. emmanuellesinnbd.com. l

20 Editorial

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

TODAY

What’s in a (brand) name? It’s no longer about matching heels to a dress, it’s about having your best bag with the biggest letters out or making sure you don’t forget a bigger-thanyour-wrist watch on PAGE 21

The boy and his dog play on The tea stall owner and his wife, with the young boy with the dog standing nearby, were given five minutes to clear out PAGE 22

The science at the heart of the matter Sadly, our education gives us the former, a collection of facts in a near conceptual vacuum. The faculty of critical thinking, and assessment of information is not trained at all PAGE 23

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

BIGSTOCK

A breakthrough in the fight against climate change

wo of the world’s biggest polluters making the pledge that they will formally ratify the Paris climate deal is a significant step in the global fight against climate change. It is rare for these two countries to be able to get together and agree on something. However, as Chinese President Xi said, climate change is a pressing issue not just for the future of China, but for the well-being of the entire world. If ever there was an issue to help countries set aside differences and unite for the common good, it is climate change. It is, then, heartening to see the two largest economies and military powers in the world lead by example by coming together in this fight. What the deal is asking is a tall order: Countries will have to try to keep their temperatures below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. For this to happen, poorer countries, like Bangladesh, must be given climate aid by richer nations beyond 2020. We hope this month sees a spike in other countries joining in by ratifying the deal. While it is the developed nations that are responsible for most greenhouse emissions, it tends to be poor nations like Bangladesh that suffer the most from the devastating consequences of climate change. Bangladesh has, for some time, been dealing with its very real effects. Coastal and river erosion, water salinity, and water-logging cause a serious loss of livelihood every year. In the future, there could be more significant losses in GDP. Climate change, then, directly stands in the way of our goal of becoming a middleincome nation in the next few years. But this is a fight that will require the political will and resources of the world’s top economies. The US and China joining the agreement signals a major step in the right direction.

While it is developed nations that are responsible for most greenhouse emissions, it tends to be poor nations like Bangladesh that suffer the most

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

What’s in a (brand) name? Wearing a big brand instantly signals where you belong

n Nudrat Lohani Nabi

K, DK, CK, Louis Vuitton, Prada, Chanel, Versace, Givenchy, Zara. Truth be told, I had to Google “fashion brands” to write that first line. I, average and one-with-thecrowd in all other aspects, have, in recent times, found myself against an avalanche of branded items on people around me. Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against fashion brands or the people who are obsessed with them. I am no one to preach to people about where to spend their money -- I simply do not understand this craze. This idea that having some European white guy’s name on your bag makes you more fashionable or more attuned to trends, leaves me a bit flabbergasted, to say the least. I once had a friend compliment a dress I was wearing with: “Oh, all you need is a Gucci.” I wasn’t sure what she meant. A red bag? A round clutch? An obnoxious watch? What is a “Gucci” and why would it miraculously compliment my dress? Could it be that flaunting some brand or the other has become the new status symbol? Having a big brand name on you instantly labels you rich enough to be the movers and shakers in town. It’s no longer about matching heels to a dress or earrings to a top, it’s about having your best bag with the biggest letters out or making sure you don’t forget to have a bigger-than-your-wrist watch on. I wonder how our mothers would have looked in their impeccable kathaan sari with a glaring MK watch stealing the show. Perhaps they are meant to be heirlooms? A friend once argued that you do not get good quality in non-brand things, claiming her branded bags could last her years. If I was spending two months’ grocery money on a bag, I would need it to last years as well. But more to her point, I have had non-brand bags all my life and still have bags I bought an actual decade ago to show for it. And these bags let me spend my grocery money on my groceries too. If the location of the factory is where you draw the line, I suppose I understand. There is something quite “elite” about a bag that was made by some poor schmuck toiling away in some factory in Italy.

Is Gucci all you need? Nothing screams “rich” more than a “made in [insert random European country].” Besides, Chinese factories are only as good as your next iPhone, and you don’t want some inhumane sweatshop weighing on your conscience anyway. Brand loyalty makes sense with regard to certain goods, electronics for instance. Growing up, we were obsessed with Sony and refused to believe any other company could make good TVs. Till date I think I am still a bit biased towards Sony when it comes to any electronic item. Even buying baby products for our newborn, I find myself swaying more towards well-known brands of prams and car seats. However, these preferences are based on trust. I would trust a company that has been around for decades to make my son’s car-seat rather than a company that only made it to the

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It’s no longer about matching heels to a dress or earrings to a top, it’s about having your best bag with the biggest letters out or making sure you don’t forget to have a bigger-than-your-wrist watch on

scene two years ago. Older companies have customers who have been using their products for decades, and through these customers I know it will be good for decades to come. Bags or shoes? Not so much. I don’t think I even think that far with them. If the shoes let me walk comfortably while looking good and somehow hide my large feet and larger ankles, they are sold. I know I am a bit of an oddball in this. But I take pride in finding cheap deals, and would gladly

spend a fortune on a whole new collection of clothing than one bag. I still get a little self-conscious walking into big glaring branded stores. If I am to wear a pair of sunglasses that cost me over $200, I feel like I should be relaxing in my private yacht in the Tasman Sea -- not toiling at a meagre desk job to pay my meagre rent. I’m sure there are valid reasons for spending entire fortunes on fashion brands, and I’m sure the feel and look of my little tote from a non-descript store will not

compare to a Gucci bag. I’m sure people who buy fashion brands do so because they feel a certain loyalty towards those brands and couldn’t possibly deal with the low-quality of a generic item. In any case, if you see a not-toobadly-dressed thirtysomething walking down the streets of Sydney with her generic bag and generic sunglasses, please say “hi.” I am probably walking to Target. l Nudrat Lohani Nabi is a freelance contributor writing from Sydney.

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

The boy and his dog play on, blissfully oblivious Despite the injustices all around, life goes on

Does the dog have any idea what’s going on?

DHAKA TRIBUNE

n SM Shahrukh

he little boy, about 12 years of age, throws the muddy and worn tennis ball to the dog. The dog used to be a stray, God knows how old, till the young boy found a half torn dog collar by the roadside, fixed it with wire, and put it around the dog’s neck, as if to give the dog a home, though it still lived on the streets. The boy did not claim ownership, but gave the dog a token of friendship. He lived with the owner of the tea stall, his distant uncle and benefactor. The tea stall was at its usual place under the shade-giving old banyan tree till mid morning when the platoon of policemen came and razed the rickety structure made of half-rotting wood and rusty corrugated iron sheets. The stall was not on a main road footpath blocking the way of the pedestrians (or the motorbikers who ride on them as is their wont); it was a secluded corner of a street near a water-body. The tea stall owner and his wife, with the young boy with the dog standing nearby, were given five minutes to clear out. It took the middle-aged couple half of that time to comprehend the command given to them and by the end of the fifth minute they had removed the plates, the

The tea stall owner and his wife, with the young boy with the dog standing nearby, were given five minutes to clear out. It took the middleaged couple half of that time to comprehend the command given to them glasses, the cups, the two benches with wobbly legs but the tea kettle, the cauldron that spewed hundreds of cups of tea everyday from the spout, fell victim to the assault of the batons. The street beside the stall was strewn with biscuits, cup cakes, sweet buns and the ubiquitous bananas; the bananas spilled whole instead of the usual case of their skins being thrown wherever, making others sprawl. The bemused couple and the onlookers were told by the officer leading the platoon that he had orders for immediate eviction. Maybe the elderly couple’s business venture was an eyesore to the panoramic view of some rich man’s afternoon belching time after a meal of rich foods to be followed by a “richly deserved” nap full of dreams of more riches to be made. No one knew. The boy runs after the bouncing ball with the dog in a competition of innocence. He catches the ball first and then makes the dog hold

it with its jaws; he wants it to take the ball to a location his index finger pointed; rudimentary dog training. The dog, with a muddy ball between his rows of teeth, looks confused and is unable to decide on whether to listen to his friend or to its grumbling stomach which grumbles more at the sight of the still strewn goodies on the street. It drops the ball and runs and shreds a cup cake, still lying untouched near the sewer, to pieces before eating it ravenously. Hunger wins, as it always does. The tea stall used to be frequented by the common man. It was a place for a quick snack or a cheap lunch. The rickshaw-pullers stopped for a breather under the shade of the old banyan, drank a glass or two of water, had a sweetened and buttered bun for 10 bucks (the butter with a sandy crunch from all the dust in the air), finished off with a cup of tea sweetened with condensed milk and sugar while

smoking a cheap cigarette that billowed a smoke which seemed acrid to a non-smoker; cost him 20 bucks in all. A man with little means but still requiring a lunch would make do with a banana, a glass of water, and a cup of tea. He would have to spend 15 bucks (eight plus one plus six). But today he would have to go to one of the “regular” shops nearby and fork out 20-50 bucks for a measly sandwich; he might have to leave without any water since a bottle of water would cost him another 15 bucks, he might prefer a parched throat and the money in his pocket. The students would miss their favorite place of adda, and would settle for a day without real social networking and depend on the virtual ones. A little away on the same street where the tea stall had stood till mid morning, there was construction going on to add another behemoth to the existing

ones. The sand, stone chips, bricks, brick crushers, cement mixers, mild steel rods were heaped on the street, effectively cutting the path for vehicular traffic. On the other side of the building, under construction, stood another high-rise that accommodates numerous offices and was in need for parking spaces for scores of cars and motorbikes of the office goers. The cars and motorbikes are parked pell mell in front of the office building vastly constricting the “flow area” of the street. The police had no qualms about the bottle neck thus created. With the cup cake good enough to calm the grumbling stomach, the dog joins the little boy in their regular fun and games. The boy has no complaints that he has missed lunch; maybe he will pick up a pack of biscuit, still not picked up by the owner of the tea stall or a passerby, and lying on the street, sometime later. The boy, oblivious of any injustice being done, and not feeling the effects of it, for now, starts his running-jumpingcatching act with the dog, an animal who will never be privy to the vagaries of the human condition. Life goes on. l SM Shahrukh is a freelance contributor.

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

The science at the heart of the matter Science isn’t a normal way of thinking. It has to be learned

Our science education is fundamentally flawed

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an amazing knack in understating the nuances, sublimity, and aesthetics of concepts included in the syllabus. And therein lies the problem. Failing to understand that some of the most basic well-known facts occupied the minds of the greatest thinkers, and providing only a cursory derivation of the said concepts means very few can appreciate their true strength and utilise them effectively. Worse yet, once the K-12 years are past us, then the very conceptual framework around the facts, if they are even a part of the syllabus, that we are taught falls victim to the decay of time and we are left with nothing more than a series of disconnected pieces of information. End result? Here is what the resultant “science” educations boils down to, as every child knows the Earth is round. Why does it matter? Well, here is why: When

n Syed Raiyan Nuri Reza

“Y

ou’ve been tremendously deceived by people who say the Earth is not flat” tweeted rapper BoB on January 25 -- the starting point of a bizarre showdown between the popular rapper BoB and the eminent astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson. When the latter intervened to correct former’s regressive and erroneous views on Twitter, it escalated into a full blown rap battle, with BoB throwing in a diss track titled “Flat-line” and Neil deGrasse asking his musician nephew, Steve Tyson, to respond with “Flat to Fact.” After the whole thing settled down, I did sigh in relief knowing that BoB’s bold and horrendously wrong proclamations did not kick start a new dark age of total misinformation. However, what particularly distressed me was that amidst those on the right side of this strange exchange, people had the tendency to equate a basic piece of knowledge with being mundane. Yes, every child knows of Earth’s rotundity. But do they know that this conclusion was reached by the Greeks in the absence of modern technology, and the spherical nature of Earth’s shape was deduced through ingenious reasoning? Do they know that one of them, Eratosthenes, went so far as to

Sadly, our education gives us the former, a collection of facts in a near conceptual vacuum. The faculty of critical thinking, and assessment of information is not trained at all. Hence the confusion about which body of scientific authority to trust

produce a remarkable estimate of Earth’s size with nothing less than shadows and sticks, and quite a lot of walking (done by others)? Do they know that the Arab polymath Abu-Rayhan Al Biruni did an even better job at this with nothing more than a sextant and basic trigonometry? Do they know that Newton correctly predicted that Earth is actually not a sphere due to the ramifications of its rotations around its axis? Do they know that the prodigious weight of Antarctic ice sheet has a bearing on Earth’s shape? No? Let me rephrase the question, did you know it? The chances are, all this is not entirely common knowledge. But it demonstrates the intended point. A topic deemed so basic and simple that we include it in elementary school syllabuses and once learned, we never think twice about it -- failing to realise that there is a rich historical narrative involved. In learning the narrative, we can appreciate the true power

of the concepts that we take for granted, since it is only then we learn that our current, neat, and crystal clear modes of thinking were due to the genius of our predecessors and not as obvious as we think them to be. And this brings me to my next point: Obvious. Even the most basic ideas staple to typical schooling syllabus were not obvious at all, and their elucidations often took years if not centuries. For instance, unbeknownst to most, the deal with gravity was not solved when the apple hit Newton’s head, and things got all the more complicated when Einstein showed gravity is not what we think it actually is. And I reckon this is rather telling of our educational values. It seems that our emphasis is on facts rather than the steps required to arrive at them. If my own K-12 education were anything to go by -- mathematical proofs were seldom provided, the science syllabus could easily be rote learned, and the system had

the whacky conspiracy theorists invokes mystical forces, shady organisations, and other equally nutty ideas to explain the world, and runs well-established facts through a gauntlet and indeed asks intelligent questions, one would fail to produce an intelligent rebuttal to the dubious YouTube video. Most may not be swayed by the argument presented, only because of the every child-knowsgravity-makes-apple-fall-down sort of reasoning which is hardly any reasoning at all, but merely parroting what we had been told is true. The others, in the face of a conceptual vacuum, might readily accept the pseudo-scientific explanation masquerading as science and the truth. Thus, conspiracy theorists survive. Thus, anti-intellectualism persists. Thus, century-old hoaxes are believed in. In an era where science and technology is ubiquitous in everyday life, this is unacceptable. This type of ignorance is perilous.

Especially in an era where democracy is fashionable, when popular franchises dictate the nation’s policy on potential cataclysmic issues -- global warming, climate change, deforestation, the destruction of nature, the search for renewable clean energy, overpopulation -- the citizenry is required to know the science at heart of these matters. Yet, often mass confusion and collective ignorance is all we have, and no, they could not be equated with democracy. Not because there is dispute on the importance of science, but rather the question of what constitutes as science. A quote from the legendary Henri Poincare is of particular relevance: “Science is built up of facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is no more a science than a heap of stones is a house.” Sadly, our education gives us the former, a collection of facts in a near conceptual vacuum. The faculty of critical thinking, and assessment of information is not trained at all. Hence the confusion about which body of scientific authority to trust. Also given the immensely technical and complex nature of the sciences, it is nigh impossible for any given individual, be it a scientist or the merely scienceliterate person, to construct a scientific explanation from scratch. Hence the need to rely on the knowledge of others, to stand over the proverbial shoulders of giants to see a bit further and perhaps clearly. But the required climbing skills, unfortunately, cannot be gained from how we treat science as of now. A better mindset is one that Atul Gawande told of in a commencement speech he delivered at Caltech this year, and something from which the education system can take note: “If this place has done its job -and I suspect it has -- you’re all scientists now. Sorry, English and history graduates, even you are, too. Science is not a major or a career. It is a commitment to a systematic way of thinking, an allegiance to a way of building knowledge, and explaining the universe through testing and factual observation. The thing is that it isn’t a normal way of thinking. It is unnatural and counter-intuitive. It has to be learned.” l Syed Raiyan Nuri Reza is a freelance contributor writing from Tehran.

24 Sport

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

TOP STORIES

Uncapped trio named in Tigers squad BCB yesterday announced the 20-member ODI squad for the upcoming home series’ against Afghanistan and England. Alauddin Babu, Shuvashish Roy and Mehedi Hasan Miraz are the newest inclusions in the pool. PAGE 25

Trembling first steps to U16 rise Around 15 years ago when Bangladesh Football Federation decided to promote women’s football in the country, fundamentalist groups protested the idea and threatened of dire consequences. PAGE 26

Action from the AFC Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers Play-off Round Two game between Bangladesh (L) and Bhutan at BNS yesterday

Bangladesh, Bhutan fire blanks n Shishir Hoque

Spain, Wales cruise, Kosovo earn draw Spain began life under new coach Julien Lopetegui in style while Gareth Bale inspired Euro 2016 sensations Wales and Kosovo earned a point in World Cup qualifying on Monday. Lopetegui enjoyed a perfect start. PAGE 28

Serena sails into last eight Serena Williams of the United States broke through another barrier on Monday, her 308th Grand Slam match win taking her past Roger Federer for the most in major tournaments and into the quarter-finals of the US Open. PAGE 28

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

A spirited Bangladesh football team put up a dominating display but were held to a goalless draw by Bhutan in the first leg of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 Qualifiers Play-off round two at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. The men in red and green tried all their weapons, dominated the game thoroughly and created numerous chances but at the end of the day had to leave the pitch with only a draw after a brilliant display by Bhutan goalkeeper Hari Gurung. Bangladesh have to face a tough challenge away in Bhutan when they play their second leg in Thimphu on October 10 if they are to qualify for the qualifying round of the Asian Cup in UAE in 2019. Bangladesh’s Belgian head coach Tom Saintfiet fielded a new and different starting XI where most of the regular players from the last couple of years were absent. With Rubel Miah and Jafar Iqbal on the wings, Shakhawat Hossain Rony and Sohel Rana started up front and Anamul Haque Sharif, Mohammad Abdullah looked after the midfield while there was experience at the back four in the form of Atiqur Rahman

Meshu, Rayhan Hasan, Topu Barman and Mamun Miah. The men in red and green controlled the midfield with the vibrant presence of Sharif and Abdullah in the opening half. Saintfiet though had to take off Sharif after the first half due to injury with Jewel Rana coming in. Chittagong Abahani winger

throughout the game. Rony contributed to the build-up but lacked the killer instinct in front of goal. The Sheikh Russel Krira Chakra striker had at least three chances to score in the opening half. The visitors threatened the Bangladesh defence with only four minutes into the clock when forward Chencho Gyel Tshen

SQUADS

Bangladesh have to face a tough challenge away in Bhutan when they play their second leg in Thimphu on October 10

Rana; Rayhan, Mamun, Topu, Meshu; Sharif, Abdullah, Zafar, Rubel; Rony, Sohel Rana

Rubel was one of the best players on the pitch, creating continuous threats from the right flank. And with the inclusion of Jewel, the hosts made a series of attacks at the beginning of the second half. They broke through towards the opponents penalty area at least six times in the first 10 minutes of the second half but created no concrete chances. Bangladesh felt the lack of quality in the striking position

snatched possession from defender Mamun Miah but Ashraful Islam Rana came forward at the edge of the box to rescue his side with a tough clearance. The home side went close to scoring at the quarter-hour mark when striker Rony missed a sitter with a weak shot from three yards away, following a lovely low Rubel cross from the right flank. Mamun lost possession once again in the 19th minute and this

BANGLADESH

BHUTAN Hari; Choki, Jigme, Nima; Karan, Lhendup, Biren, Sherdup; Wangdi, Dorji, Chencho

time, midfielder Biren Basnet snatched the ball only to shoot straight towards the keeper. Bhutan custodian Gurung made a brilliant block at the goalline three minutes later to deny a close-range Rony header after the striker met a lovely Rubel cross. At the half-hour mark, a powerful Chencho effort was deflected off defender Rayhan for a corner. Gurung produced another brilliant save in the 41st minute to deny a powerful Rony shot from the middle of the box after the Bhutan netminder fisted away a Jafar cross, which fell onto the feet of Rony. Bangladesh made continuous attacks in the entirety of the second half. In the 74th minute, Rony’s powerful attempt from the right side of the penalty area was punched away by Gurung. Topu made a match-saving tackle in the 79th minute to stop a dangerous Chencho, who used his pace to break into the penalty area. The home side had two close chances in injury time. Jibon headed straight to the keeper following a Jewel header inside the box. Moments later, Rony’s header went inches over the bar following a low Jibon cross. l

Sport

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Uncapped trio named in Tigers squad n Tribune Report Bangladesh Cricket Board yesterday announced the 20-member ODI squad for the upcoming home series’ against Afghanistan and England. Pace-bowling all-rounder Alauddin Babu, paceman Shuvashish Roy and Under-19 captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz are the newest inclusions in the pool. Alauddin,

Shuvashish and Mehedi were previously named in the High Performance squad. Left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain Rubel was also included in the squad. The 34-year old played the last of his three ODIs in 2008 before he joined the rebel Indian Cricket League in the same year. Mosharraf was embroiled in a match-fixing controversy after the Bangladesh Premier League Twen-

National camp set for Eid break n Tribune Report The Bangladesh cricket camp is set for a 12-day break for the upcoming Eid-ul-Adha following the third 50over practice game yesterday. The national camp will resume on September 18 ahead of the upcoming three-match one-day international series against Afghanistan later this month. Afghanistan are scheduled to reach Dhaka on September 20. The foreign coaching staff, including newly-appointed bowling coach Courtney Walsh, left the camp yesterday and is expected to return following the Eid holidays. Meanwhile in the last 50-over practice match between the national cricketers, Shakib al Hasan-led Red team defeated Mashrafe bin Mortaza’s Green side by 23 runs in a rain-curtailed tie. Shakib, who contributed with both bat and ball, won the toss and batted first but with only nine runs on the board, they lost opening batsman Liton Kumar Das. The other opener Imrul Kayes however, stood firm and posted 69 runs, with five boundaries and two sixes, to lift the side, who posted 228 runs on the board before losing

ty in 2013. However, he was later cleared from the charges after appearing before the tribunal in 2014 where the BCB also lifted his temporary ban. Mosharraf has been performing consistently in the domestic circuit in recent times, especially in the Dhaka Premier League this season. And the national selectors finally took him into consideration for the Tigers squad as head coach Chandi-

Gemcon Group Khulna will face Lanka-Bangla All-Stars Masters in the Masters Cricket Carnival final at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today. The match starts at 2pm and will be shown live on Channel i. Captained by Habibul Bashar, Khulna won against Ispahani Chittagong but lost against Jaj Bhuiyan Dhaka Division in the group phase. In the semi-finals, Khulna convincingly defeated star-studded Confidence Group Dhaka Metro by 16 runs. Bashar played an important

Bangladesh squad

Tamim Iqbal Khan, Taijul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Imrul Kayes, Shafiul Islam, Anamul Haque Bijoy, Taskin Ahmed, Mossadek Hossain Saikot, Rubel Hossain, Shakib al Hasan, Shuvashish Roy Chowdhury, Mahmudullah, Mehedi Miraz, Nasir Hossain, Mosharraf Hossain Rubel, Mushfiqur Rahim, Alauddin Babu, Sabbir Rahman and Al-Amin Hossain. l

all of their wickets in 49.2 overs. Shakib added 54 to the tally, his 37-ball knock featuring eight fours and an over boundary. Paceman Rubel Hossain and spinner Mahmudullah picked up three wickets each for the Green team. Rain briefly interrupted the game as the Green side were set a revised score of 210 runs in 33.1 overs. They began the chase poorly, losing open-

BRIEF SCORE RED TEAM 228 in 49.2 overs (Imrul 69, Shakib 54, Rubel 3/27, Mahmudullah 3/52) beat GREEN TEAM 186/9 in 33.1 overs (Mushfiq 43, Soumya 32, Shakib 3/27, Shuvashish 2/38) by 23 runs er Anamul Haque for a golden duck. Mushfiqur Rahim’s 43 and Soumya Sarkar’s 32 provided hope but they eventually failed to keep up with the required run-rate. By the 34th over, the Green team scored 186 runs losing nine wickets. Shakib led the bowling attack with three wickets in eight overs, conceding 27 runs. Shuvashish Roy and Taijul Islam bagged two wickets apiece. l

Bangladesh assistant coach Richard Halsall and newly-appointed bowling coach Courtney Walsh share a light moment during the national cricketers’ practice match at Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Gemcon Khulna face All-Stars Masters in MCC final today Ali Shahriyar Bappa

ka Hathurusingha was looking for a partner to team up with spinner Shakib al Hasan for the upcoming series’ after Arafat Sunny was suspended for illegal bowling action. Sunny, who was a regular fixture in the Tigers squad before his action was called into question, has already flown to Brisbane, Australia to appear for the bowling test, along with fast bowler Taskin Ahmed.

role behind Khulna’s journey towards the final, making 20, 10 not out and 32 in three matches. Khulna will look for another important innings from their skipper to clinch the trophy. They produced some strong bowling performances and brilliant fielding displays throughout the tournament and once again, they will try to repeat that performance in the final. On the other hand, All-Stars Masters will be looking to capitalise on their batting form in the final as well. Opener Javed Omar Belim was man-of-the-match in the semi-final scoring 42 runs in

the face of a challenging total from Dhaka Division. Pace duo Hasibul Hossain Shanto and Talha Jubair were also on song in the tournament. Former cricketers were delighted to back in the field again during the carnival. The tournament started with the aim of creating a platform among former cricketers to raise funds for the former players. The other teams in the competition were Chittagong, Dhaka Division, Dhaka Metro and Renaissance Rajshahi. The tournament started in Cox’s Bazar on Thursday. l

ULAB fall short against Loughborough n Tribune Report University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh tasted their first defeat in two matches in the ongoing Red Bull Campus Cricket 2016 at Nondescript Cricket Club Ground yesterday. ULAB lost to London-based Loughborough University, England by 25 runs.

BRIEF SCORE

LOUGHBOROUGH 169/8 in 20 overs (Michael 40, Arifur 3/19, Islam 2/31) beat ULAB 144/6 in 20 overs (Mitra 38, Intesar 30, Grant 2/15, McKinley 2/29) by 25 runs

ULAB won the toss and invited Loughborough in to bat first. Riding on opening batsman Michael Burgess’ 32-ball 40 and decent contributions by the others, the English university posted 169 runs losing eight wickets in 20 overs. Arifur Rahman led the ULAB attack with three wickets conceding 19 runs in four overs. Mohammad Islam bagged two wickets while Merah Nilor and Mahbubur Rahman picked up a wicket apiece. Chasing the target, ULAB started smoothly with the opening pair posting 35 runs. Almost all the batsmen got starts but fell short having been unable to meet the required run rate.l

Sport

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

WOMEN’S FOOTBALL IN BANGLADESH

Trembling first steps to U16 rise n Shishir Hoque Around 15 years ago when Bangladesh Football Federation decided to promote women’s football in the country, fundamentalist groups protested the idea and threatened of dire consequences. Women sports organisers opposed these protests and it was in 2004 when there was light at the end of the tunnel. In the next three years, women’s football teams were formed with players from handball, volleyball, swimming and athletics. It took another 12 years of ups and downs before a group of Under-16 girls made the whole nation proud with their spectacular performance, and shifted football’s limelight towards the women. Here, Dhaka Tribune Sport takes a look at their tender steps.

Spreading it in the districts

September 9, 2006: The first ever inter-district women’s football tournament began with Dhaka, Rajshahi, Khagrachari, Rangamati, Shariatpur and Narayanganj taking part. Dhaka beat Rajshahi 2-0 in the final.

Going back to school

October 24, 2008: The 12-team Dhaka Metropolitan Women’s School Football Tournament begins. It was the first ever tournament for the school girls. Aga Khan

School emerged as champions.

Going national

January 30, 2009: The first ever Women’s National Football Championship gets underway. Twenty-five participating teams including 23 districts and two services competed in four zones. Ansar won the title beating Narayanganj in the final.

Meeting the neighbours

January 29, 2010: Bangladesh women’s team participate in the

South Asian Games football event for the first time. They lost to Nepal in their opening game on this day and it was the national women’s team’s first international match.

A humbling at home

September 20, 2010: Bangladesh played in the AFC U-19 Women’s Championship Qualifiers for the first time with India, Jordan and Iran in their group in Dhaka. The home side lost to Jordan on this day. They crashed out of the group stages winning none.

Nearly there

October 15, 2014: Bangladesh took part in the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Qualifiers for the first time. They beat Jordan 1-0 in the opening game. They beat UAE 6-0 in the second game. They lost to Iran to exit the qualifiers. December 20, 2015: Bangladesh girls made history by winning their first ever international title in the AFC U-14 Girls’ Regional (South and Central) Championship. They beat Nepal 1-0 in the final. Iran, India, Bhutan, Maldives and Sri Lanka also took part in the event.

October 4, 2004: First ever women’s football tournament kicked off at Kamalapur Stadium with the participation of eight teams. Dhaka, the eventual champions, beat VDP 1-0 in the opening game.

The encore

May 01, 2016: The girls in red and green retained the title of the AFC U-14 Girls’ Regional Championship in Tajikistan. They were unbeaten throughout the tournament and beat India 4-0 in the final in Dushanbe.

First international

April 16, 2005: On this day, Bangladesh U-17 played their first ever international match, losing 1-0 against Guam in the Asian Football Confederation U-17 Championship in Namhe, South Korea. They later lost 24-0 against champions Japan and 3-2 against Hong Kong.

The rise

September 03, 2016: Bangladesh girls created history by qualifying for the final round of the 2017 AFC Under-16 Women’s Championship for the first time after beating Chinese Taipei 4-2 in their fourth Group C match in Dhaka. l

Warner wishes Fizz ‘shubho jonmodin’ Interim Australia captain David Warner moved the Bangladesh cricket supporters yesterday after he wished Bangladesh paceman Mustafizur Rahman on his birthday in Bangla. Mustafizur turned 21 yesterday. Warner, who captained Mustafizur in the Indian Premier League Twenty20, tweeted “Shubho Jonmodin @Mustafiz90” in his verified Twitter account.

December 13, 2010: The first ever South Asian Football Federation Women’s Championship began in Dhaka where Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka 2-0 in the opening day. Bangladesh lost to Nepal in the last-four.

The first title

The kick-off

n Tribune Report

A minor success

Meanwhile, the verified Twitter account of the International Cricket Council wished Mustafizur on his special day. The ICC wrote, “He’s one of cricket’s brightest young prospects - Happy Birthday to Bangladesh bowler @ Mustafiz90!” Mustafizur became a sensation in world cricket ever since his ODI debut in the home series against India last year. The left-arm pacer played nine ODIs for Bangladesh and has picked up 26 wickets.l

WORLD CHESS OLYMPIAD

Bangladesh men beat Albania n Tribune Report Bangladesh chess team won their fourth round game in the open section of the 42nd World Chess Olympiad. The Olympiad is being held in Baku, Azerbaijan. In the open section, Bangladesh beat Albania by 3.5-1.5 points. Grandmaster Enamul Hossain Razib beat Dervishi Erald, GM Ziaur Rahman defeated International Master Seitaj Ilir and GM Niaz Murshed overcame Fide Master Ashiku Franc, GM Mollah Abdullah al Rakib drew with IM Mehmeti Dritan. Bangladesh women’s team earned four match points and 7.5 game points. The fifth round games were held yesterday.l

Hockey team taking shape n Tribune Report Bangladesh Hockey Federation yesterday declared plans for the national team ahead of the upcoming Men’s Asian Hockey Federation Cup. The tournament is scheduled to begin on November 19 in Hong Kong. BHF, who is keen for the national side to retain the championship and make it through to the Hockey Asia Cup next year, also announced a full coaching staff. Oliver Kurtz has been named as the head coach with former Bangladesh team coach Peter Gerhard Rach named as the advisor. The federation also made three more German appointments. Ludger Wichmann was named the technical director, Achim Mertens the video analyst and Joost Kruijzen the physio. All three have penned short-term contracts with the BHF. Meanwhile, national team coach

Mahbub Harun will assist the foreign head coach and BHF executive committee member Ariful Haq Prince will be the coordinator of the side. “To qualify for the next year’s Asia Cup, we have to retain the AHF Cup title. We are trying to handle the national team professionally and it was the first step towards achieve our goal of becoming one of the best sides in Asia,” said BHF general secretary Abdus Sadeque during a press conference yesterday. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had lent help to the BHF, providing salary of the national team’s foreign coach. However, BHF will now take care of Oliver’s fees for his three-month service. Two Bangladesh hockey players, Imran Hasan Pintu and Krisha Kumar are already in Germany, appearing in the local league while six others are set to leave Dhaka today to join the conditioning camp in Germany. l

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Sport

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Moldova goalkeeper Ilie Cebanu watches the ball sail into his net as Wales forward Gareth Bale shoots to score his team’s third goal during their World Cup 2018 qualification match at Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff, south Wales on Monday AFP

RESULTS GROUP D

1-2

Georgia

Austria

Ananidze 78

Serbia

Hinteregger 16, Janko 42

2-2

Ireland

Kostic 62, Tadic 69-P

Wales

Hendrick 3, Murphy 80

4-0

Moldova

Vokes 38, Allen 44, Bale 50, 90+5

GROUP G Spain

8-0

Liechtenstein

Costa 10, 66, Vitolo 60, Sergi Roberto 55, Silva 59, 90+1, Morata 82, 83

Israel Ben-Haim 35

1-3

Italy

Pelle 14, Candreva 31-P, Immobile 83

GROUP I Croatia

1-1

Rakitic 44-P

Ukraine

1-1

Yarmolenko 41

Finland Arajuuri 18

Turkey Calhanoglu 45+3

Iceland Finnbogason 5

1-1

Kosovo Valon Berisha 60-P

Spain and Wales cruise, Kosovo earn historic draw n AFP, Paris Spain began life under new coach Julien Lopetegui in perfect style while Gareth Bale inspired Euro 2016 sensations Wales and Kosovo earned a historic point in World Cup qualifying on Monday. Lopetegui enjoyed a perfect competitive debut as Diego Costa, David Silva and Alvaro Morata all hit doubles in an 8-0 drubbing of Liechtenstein in Leon. Over in Cardiff, Real Madrid forward Bale teed up Sam Vokes for a 38th-minute opener and then scored his 23rd and 24th international goals either side of an effort by Joe Allen, who registered his first in a 4-0 crushing of Moldova. Elsewhere Daryl Murphy’s first

ever international goal secured the Republic of Ireland a 2-2 draw against Serbia in Belgrade, and 10man Italy beat Israel 3-1 in Haifa. But arguably the performance of the night was in Turku where Valon Berisha made history, scoring Kosovo’s first goal on their competitive debut as they came from behind to draw 1-1 away to Finland. The goal gave Kosovo a precious point in qualifying Group I after Paulus Arajuuri had put Finland in front from close range in the 18th minute. Kosovo were accepted into FIFA in May, and this was a remarkable result given that world football’s governing body only gave their approval for a host of players to represent the Balkan outfit earlier on Monday.

Among those given the green light at the last minute were goalkeeper and captain Samir Ujkani, previously capped by Albania, Albert Bunjaku, who featured for Switzerland at the 2010 World Cup, and goal-scorer Berisha, who was playing for Norway as recently as June. With several thousand Kosovans living in the Turku region, there was a sizeable support for the away side in their first ever competitive outing. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. About 100 countries recognise it as a state now, but major countries like 2018 World Cup hosts Russia do not. Serbia vehemently opposed Kosovo’s admittance to world governing body FIFA, which came

soon after Europe’s governing body UEFA narrowly approved their membership. Their World Cup bow comes after their Olympic debut at the Rio Games last month, with Kosovo being accepted by the International Olympic Committee in 2014. Spain’s comprehensive win put them atop Group G ahead of Italy on goal difference. Spain and Italy meet in their next qualifier in Turin on October 6. In Israel, new Italian manager Giampiero Ventura reflected on his debut win with goals from Graziano Pelle, Antonio Candreva from the penalty spot, and Ciro Immobile, after veteran defender Girgio Chiellini was sent off in the 55th minute for his second yellow card.l

Serena sails into last eight as teen topples Radwanska n AFP, New York

Ana Konjuh hits a return to Agnieszka Radwanska during their US Open women’s singles match at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre on Monday AFP

Serena Williams broke through another barrier on Monday, her 308th Grand Slam match win taking her past Roger Federer for the most in major tournaments and into the quarter-finals of the US Open. As Williams, never seriously challenged in a 6-2, 6-3 victory over 52nd-ranked Yaroslava Shvedova, sailed on, one of the two players with a chance to topple her from the world number one spot in this tournament bowed out as

fourth-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska was shocked by 18-year-old Croatian Ana Konjuh. The 6-4, 6-4 triumph avenged a bitter disappointment for Konjuh, who held three match points against Radwanska in the second round at Wimbledon before falling 9-7 in the third round after stepping on a ball and turning her ankle. With Radwanska out of the picture, second-seeded German Angelique Kerber is now the only player with a chance to end Williams’s 186-week reign atop the rankings.

Kerber will try to take the next step yesterday in a quarter-final clash with 2015 finalist Roberta Vinci, the seventh seed from Italy. Former world number one Caroline Wozniacki and Latvian Anastasija Sevastova will also battle for a semi-final berth yesterday. If both Kerber and Serena make the championship match, the American will have to win to extend her reign. Halep, beaten in seven of eight prior encounters with Williams, was already bracing for the challenge.l

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Actual (4) 4 Seeks charity (4) 8 Extinct bird (3) 9 On the sheltered side (4) 10 Astonished (4) 11 Felony (5) 12 Flying toy (4) 14 Fish (3) 15 Large deer (3) 17 Unhappy (3) 19 Short sleep (3) 21 Golf club (4) 23 Droll (5) 26 Unsightly growth (4) 27 English river (4) 28 Speed an engine (3) 29 Army weapon (4) 30 Check (4)

DOWN 1 Responds (6) 2 In a frenzy (4) 3 Sound reasoning (5) 4 Prohibit (3) 5 Omit in pronunciation (5) 6 Precious stone (3) 7 Observe (3) 11 Tree (5) 13 Strengthening medicine (5) 16 Young feline (6) 18 Evil spirit (5) 20 Strength (5) 22 Part of a church (4) 23 Domestic animal (3) 24 Eggs (3) 25 Writing fluid (3)

Downtime

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 17 represents N so fill N every time the figure 17 appears. You have two letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares. Some letters of the alphabet may not be used. As you get the letters, fill in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check off the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them. ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

CALVIN AND HOBBES

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

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

Showtime

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Most anticipated flicks from Venice Film Festival 2016 n Showtime Desk

The Beautiful Days of Aranjuez

Winning big awards at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, and countless other distinctions, Wim Wenders still carries enough cachet to make his latest project a must-see. An experimental drama and shot in slightly counterintuitive 3D, the film depicts a summer conversation between a man and a woman that is being observed —or is it imagined?— by a writer. Co-written by frequent collaborator Peter Handke who wrote many of Wenders’ previous works, including Wings of Desire, the film appears to be a proper lament to the passing of the season, as well as a fascinating breakdown of gender politics.

One of the prestigious film festivals, Venice International Film Festival, kicked off last week its 73rd edition. Opening with Damien Chazelle’s musical La La Land, the world’s oldest film fest is also a launchpad for Hollywood’s awards-season, specially after premièring three major Academy Award winners in a row: Gravity, Birdman and, last year, Spotlight. The festival is filled with studio titles this year, which means two things; first, the red carpet will be filled with A-list casts and second, Hollywood’s talent filmmakers targetted the festival as their films’ launching platform. Few premieres at Venice already are garnering awards buzz. Here are some of the most anticipated films from the festival’s line-up:

Brimstone

The King of the North, Kit Harington, enters the combat of this genre Western alongside Dakota Fanning and Guy Pearce. Directed by Dutchman Martin Koolhoven, making his English-language debut, the film tells the story of Liz (Fanning) who has been accused of a crime she didn’t commit and must go to great lengths in order to protect her daughter.

La La Land

Arrival

Canadian Denis Villeneuve, who initially impressed with the scorching Incendies and continued to make impressive films since 2013. His notable works include Enemy, Prisoners and 2015’s Sicario. These films established him as a prominent talent with a distinct visual style. Arrival features Amy Adams as a linguist who is tasked with communicating with an alien race having taken residence on Earth.

With lovely imagery and memorable music, Whiplash famed Damien Chazelle’s La La Land looks like a cinematic dream come true. Reuniting Crazy Stupid Love co-stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone, the festival opener features Gosling playing a jazz pianist and Stone playing the actress he falls in love with. Much singing and dancing follows. Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera had some praise for this as Chazelle’s “definitive, albeit precocious, consecration among the great directors of Hollywood’s new firmament.”

Mel Gibson’s pacifist World War II drama received a roughly 10-minute standing ovation at the premiere, something of a rarity at that particular film festival. Hacksaw Ridge tells the real-life story of Desmond T Doss, a conscientious objector who saved 75 fellow soldiers in Okinawa without firing a single bullet; a pacifist, he in fact refused to even carry a gun.

The Light Between Oceans

Terrence Malick’s latest described as “an examination of the birth and death of the known universe,” the project Malick has been working on for over 30 years. There are two different versions of the film: a 90-minute long cut narrated by Cate Blanchett, which will screen at Venice; and a 40-minute IMAX version narrated by Brad Pitt. Malick’s scientific advisor on the film was NASA consultant Dr Andrew Knoll, who stated: “In some ways, I think Terry has been building to this film his whole career —and now it seems he has reached that place to which he has always been heading. This is a film you will be thinking about a long time after the lights come up.”

The Bad Batch

Nocturnal Animals

Director Derek Cianfrance adapts ML Stedman’s novel about a lighthouse keeper and his wife who find and then raise an abandoned baby. From the trailer, it looks to be a film of sweeping melodrama amid high gales. “We were at what felt like one of the windiest places in the world,” Cianfrance said, “in the middle of this pure, rugged, primal landscape.” Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander star as the couple raising the discarded child, before Rachel Weisz shows up as a woman who takes the wind out of the sails of their newly formed family.

Frantz Hacksaw Ridge

Voyage of Time

French director François Ozon’s latest melodrama takes its title from a character long deceased. Set in a post-WW1 Germany and with a hauntingly beautiful blackand-white colour scheme (though some scenes are reported to have been shot in colour) that is warranted by the theme of the past’s lingering effects on the present. Frantz follows two characters who find their lives intertwined at the grave of the titular German soldier.

Director Ana Lily Amirpour made heads spin with her thrillingly offbeat debut, the feminist Iranian western/vampire film A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. Tackling the ever-popular dystopia setting and structuring the film as a romance with a cannibalistic backdrop, her second film stars Suki Waterhouse, Jim Carrey, Keanu Reeves and Diego Luna. The ensemble, along with a general anticipation to see how Amirpour deals with her second, makes this film as one of the most exciting films of the Venice lineup.

It’s been seven years since Tom Ford’s directorial debut A Single Man, and he is following up with a film that looks every bit the equal of his debut in terms of glamour, but more ambitious. The film delivers a stacked cast: Isla Fisher, Michael Shannon and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, plus the on-a-roll Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams. Based on the 1993 novel Tony and Susan by Austin Wright the film centres on an art gallery owner (Adams) who is haunted by her ex-husband’s (Gyllenhaal) novel, a violent thriller. l

Salman’s September n Showtime Desk Yesterday was the 20th death anniversary of Bangladeshi film actor, Salman Shah. He was only 25 years old, when he became the King of Bangladeshi film industry and won hearts of millions. Salman Shah died on September 6, 1996, at the age of only 25. It’s been 20 years since then, but his fans and well-wishers still remember him as a trend setter in this industry. Shahriar Chowdhury Emon, better known as Salman Shah, was born in Sylhet, on September 19, 1971. Starting his career with the one-episode TV play Pathor Shomoy, Salman’s first appearance in a major role was in Keyamat Thekey Keyamat, released in 1993. He acted in a total of 27 films in his short career. Marking the occasion, Salman Shah Smriti Parishad organised a discussion and a milad mahfil at Bangladesh Film Development Corporation. Country’s TV channels aired various programs, paying tribute to the actor. More or less, the month of September has been dedicated to Salman by his fans and well-wishers, as it is his birthday month as well. To celebrate the 45th birth anniversary of the actor this year, a festival will be organised by Salman Shah Smriti Parishad. The association is formed by actors, singers and media personnel, who organise this festival every

year to commemorate the career of the legendary actor. Like every year, this year is no exception and the festival is

Showtime

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Megan Fox spotted for the first time in public since giving birth

scheduled to take place on September 19, 2016. On this occasion, the day-long festival will include discussions, film appreciation, cultural activities, and a rally of stars. The event will take place in Jasim Floor, at Bangladesh Film Development Corporation (BFDC). l

n Farhan Shahriar 30-year-old Megan Fox, gave birth to her third child on August 4. The all time favourite Transformers star appeared to be in a relaxed mode as she stepped out with her husband, Brian Austin Green, along with their newborn. This is the first time she’s been spotted since the birth of her child. Megan covered up her postpregnancy figure in a beautiful loose-fitted attire, as she and her beloved husband Brian, 43, left a building. Brian led the way and held the door open to let his wife pass. The father-of-three seemed really happy with the

small family. Megan and Brian have been keeping a low profile at home in Malibu, California with their two sons. They have been getting along and seemed very settled. The couple exchanged vows in 2010. After they became busy with their own projects and building a family, Megan even took a big break from work. The last we saw of Megan was in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Out of the Shadow, which was released earlier this year. l

WHAT TO WATCH

Hercules HBO 1:24pm Having endured his legendary twelve labors, Hercules, the Greek demigod, has his life as a swordfor-hire tested when the King of Thrace and his daughter seek his aid in defeating a tyrannical warlord. Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Ian McShane, Rufus Sewell, John Hurt, Aksel Hennie

Predator Star Movies 11:26am A team of commandos on a mission in a Central American jungle find themselves hunted by an extraterrestrial warrior. Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Elpidia Carrillo, Bill Duke, Jesse Ventura

Van Helsing Movies Now 4:50pm The notorious monster hunter is sent to Transylvania to stop Count Dracula who is using Dr. Frankenstein’s research and a werewolf for some sinister purpose.

Cast: Hugh Jackman, Kate Beckinsale, Richard Roxburgh, David Wenham, Shuler Hensley

The Hangover Part II WB 11:28am Two years after the bachelor party in Las Vegas, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug jet to Thailand for Stu’s wedding. Stu’s plan for a subdued

pre-wedding brunch, however, goes seriously awry. Cast: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong

Back Page

MONEY MARKET COOL DESPITE EID PAGE 12

BANGLADESH, BHUTAN FIRE BLANKS PAGE 24

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

SALMAN’S SEPTEMBERL PAGE 31

DU ranks in bottom third of 936 uni worldwide survey n DU Correspondent The University of Dhaka (DU) has been listed in the bottom 300 universities among 936 universities in the latest QS World University ranking of 2016-17. DU is the sole representative from Bangladesh to have made it to the latest Quacquarelli Symonds’s World University Rankings. The university has been placed in 701+ position worldwide and 109th in Asian University rankings. Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, the DU Vice-chancellor, Professor Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique, expressed satisfaction over the rank.

Professor Siddique claims that the actual condition of Dhaka University is far better than other universities that had higher positions in the QS ranking He said: “The criterion of the rankings varies from places to places, that’s why DU has a lower position.” Professor Siddique claimed that the actual condition of Dhaka University is far better than other universities that had higher positions in the QS ranking. “Though we have enriched our academic atmosphere better day by day but we don’t get better position in the rankings because of the flaws in the ranking system”, Professor Siddique added. He hopes that Dhaka University will take its position in the top 100 very soon. From the sub-continent, India has 14 universities and Pakistan has 6 universities that have made the list. Up top, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) tops the list for the fifth consecutive year, while the University of Cambridge has dropped out of the top three for the first time in over a decade. The top three is rounded up by Stanford University taking 2nd place, and Harvard University settling in 3rd position. l

Dhaka Tribune

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