10 Sep, 2016 by DhakaTribune

SECOND EDITION

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Bhadra 26, 1423, Zil-Hajj 7, 1437

Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 136

www.dhakatribune.com

32 pages |

Price: Tk10

‘It’s going out of control’ n Tribune Desk The Eid rush has begun with the familiar nightmare of traffic deadlock on the highways. With three days left for Eid, Dhaka has poured out into the roads heading north, southwest and southeast, with the usual result of miles after miles of tailback in every direction. Dhaka Tribune’s correspondents on the road have reported that every journey is taking three to four times the usual time. Narrow bridges, reduced navigability on the Padma river and constant accidents and vehicle breakdowns were some of the problems facing the commuters, they said. Our Manikganj correspondent reported that the Paturia ferry terminal was overflowing with traffic, with thousands of vehicles stuck trying to get across the Padma river, mostly private cars and buses. The 18 ferries operating from the terminal continuously were doing little to relieve

this pressure. At the terminal, the correspondent found that a large number of passengers were boarding the ferries, leaving very little room for vehicles. Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation’s (BIWTC) Aricha ferry sector Deputy General Manager Sheikh Md Nasim admitted that things were going out of hand. Cars were more numerous than buses at the terminal. According to Nasim around 2,500 vehicles were stuck on both sides. Each vehicle was waiting for about 7-8 hours to board a ferry.

Unpredictable jams

On the Dhaka-Tangail highway, the administration is struggling to maintain a continuous flow of traffic. Our Tangail correspondent said the 62km from Gorai to the Bangabandhu bridge was filled entirely with vehicles that would sometimes move and sometimes become completely immovable.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Rising water level raises safety concerns in the waterways Mamun and n Shohel Ashif Islam Shaon As the homebound rush gains momentum ahead of Eid-ulAzha, experts as well as passengers taking water routes are concerned about the travel safety as stormy weather in the Padma River is making the journeys more dangerous than usual. Over a million people are estimated to leave Dhaka to go home for Eid holidays using the waterways, braving the weather and a rickety old transport system that lacks sufficient safety and security measures. Like the past years, inland water vessels are being used to carry the majority of holiday-

makers who are going home to the southern districts. The vessels are mostly old and overcrowded, as passengers complained to the Dhaka Tribune. Several steps have been taken to ensure travel safety, but experts claim that these measures are far from sufficient. Moreover, inclement weather is disrupting ferry services, making an already troublesome journey worse for the passengers. Sources said due to strong current and erosion in the Padma River, ferries on Daulatdia-Paturia and Shimulia-Kewrakandi routes are facing problems in carrying vehicles. The ferry service on  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

A toddler dozes off on her father's shoulder waiting at Dhaka's Gabtoli bus station for a long-route bus to arrive. Homeward-bound passengers in Dhaka were seen waiting for hours yesterday as most buses were stuck on the highways SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Rising water level raises safety concerns Daulatdia-Paturia route has been halted several times in the last two months due to heavy current. Small launches that carry passengers on the same routes are also having difficulty crossing the river due to the current. The situation is likely to get worse due to the increasing number of of passengers in the next few days. Sources on the ground say if the weather does not improve, journey to the south and southwestern districts will become more dangerous than usual. Meanwhile, launch owners said most inland big vessels have safety equipment such as life jackets, buoys and fire-fighting equipment, as well as GPS, echo sounders and compass for smooth navigation. But small launches do not have those equipment, which makes plying across Padma risky, especially at night. Launch owners further said the big vessels will not carry passengers beyond their capacity; the number of trips have already been increased, and launches are taking special trips to the south from Dhaka since Thursday to cater to the increasing number of homeward bound passengers. Both state-run and privately owned vessels are taking Eid special trips to meet the holiday rush, sources said. Officials at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) said they had seven vessels to run on special trips for Eid on from Dhaka to Barisal, Chandpur, Jhalakathi, Hularhat and Morrelganj, while 12 vessels have been assigned for trips to Sandwip and Hatia. At least 130-135 launches will leave Sadarghat terminal every day, and 35 additional ticket counters will cater to the growing number of passengers at the terminal, they added.

’Safety measures in place’

Sources at the BIWTA said several initiatives had been taken to ensure safe and hassle-free journey on the water routes during the Eid rush. A committee has been formed to monitor the inland water transport services, and a number of mobile teams will be on the ground to prevent launches from carrying passengers on their roofs. CCTV cameras have been installed at the terminal to aid the monitoring as well. BIWTC sources said additional river police and coast guard patrol teams will be deployed and additional units of firefighters and medical teams will be stationed at Sadarghat. There will also be teams of divers stationed at different points. Meanwhile, additional members of police, Rapid Action Battalion and shipping police have been deployed at all river ports, including Sadarghat, said Abdul Quddus Khan, additional secretary at the Ministry of Shipping.

“The additional law enforcement members will serve the passengers and ensure discipline during the heavy rush at the terminal,” he said. “No launches will be allowed to carry extra passengers. Those who are found to do so will be penalised heavily by the mobile courts.” Moreover, no unfit vessels will be allowed to carry passengers, he added. As decided previously, cargo vessels will not ply the rivers three days before and after Eid to avoid accidents, Quddus further said. Mobarak Hossain, public relations officer at Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA), said they have been working at the Daulatdia-Paturia route to improve the service and minimise passengers’ hassle. The authorities have also decided not to let launches smaller than 65 feet to ply the Padma before Eid on the Shimulia-Kewrakandi route, while local administration will not allow speed boats to carry passengers on the river after sundown. l

WATER VESSEL SAFETY SCORECARD

EQUIPMENT Life buoy Fire bucket Fire dousing equipments Hand driven pump Box of sand Buoyant apparatus Compass Safety torches Radio First aid boxes

Note: Single deck launches, which operate on short distances, hardly have any of these. Even double deck launches which are old or small hardly have such equipment.

>> RISKS OF WATER VESSEL ACCIDENTS << Underwater fishing nets and bamboo Wrecks Sunken ships Low depth

Traffic officials said the Kaliakair rail over bridge, Mirzapur Dherua rail crossing and vehicles frequently breaking down on the road were making it an impossible situation. There are also not very few accidents. “Each time the traffic stops here for a moment the truck drivers fall asleep. That means when they start moving everyone has to wake them up first,” said traffic Sergeant Iftekhar in Tangail. “On Thursday night there were several accidents in Jarmuki and on the Jamuna bridge that worsened the situation,” he added.

STATUS Yes ( but not sufficient on most launches) Yes In some launches. Most do not have any Yes Most do not have any A very few launches have these Only big launches have these Yes A few launches Only luxurious launches have these

Inclement weather: cyclone, tornado

‘It’s going out of control’

Even though the highway is fourlane, there are only two lanes on the Meghna Bridge and six toll booths. When six vehicles drive into two lanes it creates a massive congestion

Foggy weather Low visibility Faulty design and construction of vessels Inadequate navigational equipment Unskilled crews

One passenger, Hossain Miah, who got onto a bus from the Dhaka airport at 12:30am yesterday landed on the Tangail Ashekpur bypass some 80km from there at 7:30 in the morning. Gorai highway police station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC) Khalilur Rahman however, claimed that traffic had not stopped anywhere on the highway. “It is slow but we have kept it moving,” he said.

A third day of congestion

The Dhaka-Chittagong highway, which has recently been upgraded to four lanes, was completely congested for the third consecutive day yesterday. Our Comilla correspondent said a 10-km portion of the highway in Daudkandi had been filled with vehicles since Wednesday. On both sides of the Meghna and the Gomoti bridges people are

getting stuck at the same spot for hours. The Dhaka-Comilla trip is taking six to seven hours, passengers said. Yesterday morning the traffic grew severer on the highway. One passenger said he had left Dhaka at 10pm Thursday and reached Comilla at 4am. Daudkandi highway police station OC Abdul Awal said because of the narrow Kachpur, Meghna and Gomoti bridges, congestion had built up on both sides of them. “The highway and local police are trying their best to relieve the jam on the road,” he said. Our Munshiganj correspondent reported that he found a 13km long tailback in Gazaria upazila due to heavy pressure home bound passengers. Vehicles were seen stuck in the highway and sometimes moving in a slow speed. This traffic congestion was created from the Meghna Bridge to Gomoti Bridge. Bhaberchar highway police outpost in-charge SI Kamruzzaman Raj said even though the highway was four-lane, there were only two lanes on the Meghna Bridge. “Toll can be paid at six booths of the bridge at a time. So when six vehicles drive into two lanes at a time it creates a massive traffic congestion there. “Highway police and District police are trying to ease the congestion,” he added. A large number of homebound passengers were gathered at the Shimulia terminal to cross the Padma river yesterday morning. At least 500 vehicles were seen at the terminal. A total of 18 ferries, including five Roro (Roll OnRoll Off ) ferries, were engaged in carrying the vehicles across. BIWTC Assistant Manager (Trade) in Shimulia Md Giasuddin Patoary said: “Hundreds of vehicles were carried from the morning till noon today. Still there is a heavy pressure. A rumour that the Paturia - Doulatdiya ferry terminal is closed has brought more vehicles to this route.” Navigability crisis has been the main challenge in carrying vehicles in time across the river, the official said. “The ferries cannot take the main channel due to underwater chars. As a result, it is taking them an extra hour to cross the river,” he said. l

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Pak diplomats fuelling militancy n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman In the last two years, five foreign diplomats – three Pakistani and two North Korean – were asked to leave Bangladesh as they were found involved in criminal and anti-state activities including militant financing. Due to such undiplomatic activities, those countries withdrew the officials. Former Bangladeshi diplomats think the intelligence agencies should look into the matter seriously as such activities affect the country adversely. In January last year, a Pakistani official named Mohammad Mazhar Khan was caught red handed from Banani with fake currency. An intelligence report revealed that Mazhar was engaged in fake currency trading and he gave the earnings to different militant outfits including Hizb ut-Tahrir, Ansarullah Bangla Team and Jamaat-Shibir for creating anarchy. He was later released from police custody at the intervention of the Pakistan High Commission and the then first secretary of the high commission, Samina Mehtab, gave an undertaking for him. The Foreign Ministry then asked the Pakistan mission to withdraw Mazhar and he was withdrawn accordingly. Another Pakistan diplomat Fareena Arshad was asked to leave the country in December last year due to her involvement with militant activities in Bangladesh. She was under intelligence radar for one year. A member of banned outfit JMB, Idris Sheikh, gave a confessional statement at the court and mentioned that he had received money from Arshad. Detectives later said that Idris Sheikh had been working as a spy

for another country. In February this year, another Pakistani official Abrar Ahmed Khan was arrested in Gulshan area for his dubious movement in the area. He was later handed over to the Pakistan mission and asked to leave the country. In August, a North Korean diplomat Han Sun Ik was asked to leave to country due to his involvement in smuggling. Officials of the National Board of Revenue found a container full of cigarettes and electrical gazettes at the Kamalapur ICD. The consignment was imported in the name of the diplomat. The NBR informed the Foreign Ministry about the matter, and the ministry later asked North Korea to withdraw him from the country. In March last year, about 27kgs of gold was recovered from another North Korean diplomat, Sun Young, who came to Dhaka from Singapore. He was later released and asked to leave the country as per the Vienna convention. When asked, former foreign secretary Faruk Ahmed Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune that the Pakistan was doing such type of thing with the help of people from different agencies or the police. “In my long span of diplomatic career, I had rarely seen such type of activities. Pakistan is a member of Saarc and OIC. Such type of activities is not acceptable in Bangladesh.” Former ambassador Mohiuddin Ahmed said that such type of activities are exposed when two countries have bitter relationship, and Pakistan is doing it. Mohiuddin, who is also a freedom fighter, said: “These are done to make a country weak. Our intelligence should be vigil in this regard and we must contain such activities.” l

Islamic University releases list of 53 absentees n Kudrote Khoda Sobuj, Kushtia Kushtia Islamic University authorities have released a list of 53 absentee students of 25 departments on Friday. In a notification signed by acting registrar SM Abdul Latif, the absentee students have been asked to report to the university grant commission by September 20 with proper

explanations for their absence. Amanur Rahman, deputy registrar and acting officer at the public relations department of the university, said the authorities had prepared the list as per the direction by the education ministry and University Grants Commission. Authorities say if the students don’t report accordingly, they would face investigations. l

Dozens of buses and other passenger vehicles, filled with homeward-bound people, are seen stuck in a deadlock at Gazipur’s Chandra yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Turkey wants to restore ties with Bangladesh n Sheikh Shahriar Zaman When Bangladesh condemned the recent attempted coup over Turkey’s Islamist government Devrim Ozturk the Turkish ambassador to Dhaka said that Ankara needs a friend like Bangladesh and they will never interfere in Bangladesh's domestic issues. Diplomatic scuffles began when Turkey condemned the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Nizami, who was convicted for crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War and recalled the ambassador on May 12. According to the ambassador relations between the two Muslims countries is normal now. Liakat Ali, former ambassador said: “Turkey needs a friend like Bangladesh. Historically Bangladesh and Turkey enjoyed a good relationship for many years and Turkey needs to have a good relationship with Bangladesh for it's own accord.” Citing his experience in Geneva the Diplomatic told the Dhaka Tribune: “Earlier, without Bangladesh's support Turkey could have been isolated in international arena. Ankara knows that and thus they need to keep a good relationship with

Bangladesh for their own interests.” Mohammad Jamir, former diplomatic said: “ The recent comments made by Turkey about the war crimes trial was their way of showing support for Pakistan. But now they can understand that they need Bangladesh thus they are very much eager to tie with Bangladesh again.” President Tayyip Erdogan had condemned the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami chief Nizami, who was convicted of crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, and recalled the ambassador on May 12 from Dhaka. Erdogan had also written to the then Presient Zillur Rahman over the war crime trial in 2012.

Turkey has sent back its ambassador on August 12, three months after Turkey called back the ambassador to Ankara. After his return Ambassador Devrim Ozturk in a press briefing condemned the brutal murder of Bangladesh’s founding father on Aug 15, 1975 and expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her goverment's support of the Turkish democracy during the July 15 attempted coup. He said: “Bangladesh had helped Turkey by expressing its support to Erdogan's government after the failed coup attempt.” “Turkey is very interested in working with Bangladesh to curb militancy,” he added. l

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

A makeshift cattle market, leased by Dhaka South City Corporation, is seen set up in front of the DU's Institute of Leather Engineering and Technology campus in Dhaka's Hazaribagh, blocking the whole access road to the building. The photo was taken yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Rampant cattle market in DSCC nuisance to public n Abu Hayat Mahmud

The rampant temporary cattle markets under the jurisdiction of the Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) is a nuisance for hundreds of people as the city corporation authorities concerned being increased the number of cattle market ahead of Eid-ul-Azha in every year. Earlier, the city corporation's officials in last year promised that, makeshift cattle markets will not be allowed inside and around free spots from this year in areas with educational institutions and hospitals. Due to repeated media reports over public hassles in the last few years, the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) has already shifted the location of five markets to the remote parts of the city corporation area from rush areas and grounds of hospitals, schools among others. But, the DSCC has yet to change any of its market locations, rather the DSCC had increased the number for recommendations of a few influential persons of the ruling party. Besides, more unauthorised makeshift cattle markets likely to be formed by local leaders of different areas of the city, sources said. The DSCC arranged 14 cattle market for Eid-ul-Azha this year – in 2015 there were 10, while the Kamrangirchar cattle market has been opened

last year. Apart from the permanent Gabtoli cattle market, there are eight temporary cattle markets set up in the Dhaka north. Jigatala-Hazaribagh cattle market at Sher-e-Bangla road in Hazaribagh, a controversial cattle market, leased by the DSCC, has become a nuisance along with toxic smells come from tannery industries for hundreds of students, teachers, officials and staffs of the Institute of Leather Engineering and Technology under the University of Dhaka, traders, local people and others. The makeshift cattle market for the Eid-ul-Azha, which is set up on roads and grounds every year by the Dhaka south city authority centring the leather technology college, has a serious disturbance to the people everyone. During a visit, the Dhaka Tribune yesterday found that the cattle market organisers and traders have occupied roads surroundings the leather technology college at Hazaribagh. The livestock traders and farmers have unloaded their cattle in the busy roads. Even they have also build makeshift structures for their accommodation all over the area, reasoning the local people have hot moved easily in the roads, and local businesses are also facing trouble. For the weekend yesterday, the Institute of Leather

Engineering and Technology was closed. However, A security person of the institute has been present here, he said: “The college has been closed for the Eid vacation from today [yesterday].” He said the traders have reached the area with their cattle three to four days ago that ruined the atmosphere, reasoning the students and teacher of the college have faced trouble for the cattle market. “After end of Eid the authorities concerned of the marker have not properly clean the area. So students, teachers among others also faced hazards for bad smells come from stool's, urine's and the cattle’s and dumping wastes,” he added. However, DSCC Chief Estate Officer Khalid Ahmed said they have increased the number of the cattle market for public needs. “The number of the cattle market increased as two Unions have been newly added with the city corporations,” he added. Centring the rampant cattle market in 2015, Health Minister Mohammad Nasim remarked that the city administrators made a criminal offence by approving a cattle market randomly. He also urged the LGRD Ministry to take action against the DSCC administrator. l

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

RU teacher ‘commits suicide’ n Abdullah Al Dulal, Rajshahi

Police has recovered the body of Aktar Jahan Jolly, teacher of Mass Communication and Journalism (MCJ) department of Rajshahi University, from her campus quarters. She is suspected to have killed herself as a suicide note has reportedly been recovered from her room. Associate professor Jolly used to live in room-303 of universityís bachelorsí quarters named Jubery Bhaban. She got separated with her husband Tanveer Ahmad, ex-chairman of MCJ department three years ago. Satil Siraj, chairman of MCJ de-

proctor of the university with the help of police broke into her room yesterday around 4pm and found

partment said: ìInformed by her son, who lives in Dhaka for studies, residents of the dormitory and the

not be granted the custody of my son Sowad at any cost.î Mentioning that the man had earlier tried to hurt their son, the ìsuicide noteî further reads: ìThe man, who put a knife on his sonís throat, can kill the boy or can compel him to kill himself.î The note also claimed that the RU teacher committed suicide. ìNone is responsible for my death. I am committing suicide out of physical and emotional stress.î She also made the request of donating her body to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. ìDonít send my body to Dhaka. Rather, donate it to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital,î the note added. l

her body lying in bed.î Later, she was rushed to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where doctors declared her dead around 5pm. Mahinul Islam, on duty doctor of Rajshahi Medical College said: ìThe teacher was already dead when brought to hospital.î Officer-in charge of Motihar police station Humayun Ahmed said no one had filed complaint in this connection yet. The autopsy of the dead body will be conducted today.î In an apparent suicide note, the assistant professor of Mass Communication and Journalism Department stated: ìHis father should

33 Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims die so far n UNB

Some 33 Bangladeshi hajj pilgrims died of various reasons in Saudi Arabia as of September 8. Of them, 24 were males and nine females, according to a bulletin of the hajj management department under the Religious Affairs Ministry. It said 24 hajj pilgrims died in Mecca while eight in Medina and one in Jeddah. Besides, 17 other Bangladeshi pilgrims currently remained hospitalised in Saudi Arabia. The bulletin said that 101,829 Bangladeshi pilgrims, including the management team, have reached Saudi Arabia as of Thursday to perform hajj on September 11. Of them, 95,614 went to Saudi Arabia under private management while 5,183 under government arrangement. l

Residents of Kotalipara upazila in Gopalganj form a human chain in front of National Press Club in Dhaka yesterday demanding immediate action against the culprits who hurled bombs at Sharbajanin Durga Temple in Kotalipara’s Debagram village in a recent attack MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Steps to settle land dispute irk Bangalis in CHT Uddin Majumder, n Jasim Khagrachhari

The Bangali community leaders in the Chittagong Hill Tracts think that the government steps to settle the long-pending land disputes is part of a conspiracy to drive them away from the region, once dominated by indigenous peoples. They have also threatened to go to the court as they deem the recently-approved draft of the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission (amendment) Bill controversial and discriminatory. The indigenous leaders and ac-

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

in the CHT – both locals and settlers. Later, the commission issued a notice seeking applications from the residents to settle the land ownership disputes. The applications should reach the commission within 45 days. The much-debated commission was set up in 1999, two years after the landmark peace accord was signed between the government and the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samity (PCJSS) to end a decade-long conflict. But until now, it could not solve any of the 4,408 complaints due to complications in the law.

tivists, however, welcomed the commission’s notice published on September 8 seeking complaints as they think the move will help the genuine owners get back their lands. After the cabinet approved the draft bill on August 1, it was gazetted on August 8. The commission held its first meeting on September 4 amid a daylong shutdown observed by five Bangali groups – comprising members from all parties – in the three hill districts demanding repeal of the law. At the meeting, commission Chairman Anwar-ul Haque said that they would work for all the people Dhaka

RAIN LIKELY SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10

Chittagong

Rajshahi

DHAKA TODAY SUN SETS 6:07PM

Rangpur

“We cannot welcome the Land Commission decision. This law is disputed; it aims at evicting the Bangalis from the hill tracts. Moreover, the commission chairman is not neutral. “We will declare protest programmes whenever the chairman visits the region,” said Md Abdul Majid, senior vice-president of Parbatya Bangali Chhatra Parishad – one of the five agitating groups. Md Abdul Aziz Akanda, president of Parbatya Bangali Dolpoti Parishad, said that the steps to settle the land disputes would not bring anything good for the Bangalis as the commission does not Khulna

Barisal

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:44AM

35.2ºC Rajshahi

25.3ºC Rangamati

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES

have any member from the Bangali communities. “We will take legal action against the government move,” he said. Former member of Khagrachhari District Council Animesh Chakma terms the publication of the notice landmark for the hill people. “The land disputes can be solved if the government works sincerely,” he added. “We hope that the commission will take measures so that those lost their lands and had to take shelter in India can return to their own land,” said Chaithoai Marma, coordinator of Khagrachhari unit of Bangladesh Adivasi Forum. l Sylhet

Cox’s Bazar

Fajr: 5:10am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 4:45pm | Magrib: 6:25pm Esha: 8:15pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Bureaucracy halts Police yet to arrest teacher Jubed Economic Zone n construction ASSAULT ON FOOTBALLER TASLIMA’S FATHER

Ashrafuddin Seizel, Mymensingh

Khoda Sobuj, n Kudrote Kushtia Bureaucratic difficulties have stalled progress of the construction of the economic zone in Bheramara, Kushtia. The project was inaugurated on June 6 last year with an agreement between the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian PM Narendra Modi signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU). But only the necessary land was acquired. The Dhaka Tribune has discovered that though 506 acres of land was requisitioned, it has not been transferred to the Bangladesh Economic Zone Authority (Beza). Local administration claims the transfer will speed things up. The government announced plans for the special economic zone in Kushtia in 2015. A decision was taken to transfer unused railway lands in Char Mokarimpur, Arajisara, and Char Rooppur of Bheramara. The foreign investors chose Bheramara as the ideal location among 22 others after considering factors like land, commu-

nication, power and gas access. Deputy Commissioner Syed Belal Hossain said the land would soon be transferred to Beza to commence. He expressed positive impacts from the project. Economists have speculated that implementation of this project will result in local employment and have a positive impact on the national economy. SM Qadri Shakil, a director of the Kushtia Chamber of Commerce (KCC) said building the economic zone needs to be accelerated, and local investment should also be encouraged too. His sentiments were echoed by former KCC director Ashraf Uddin Nozu and Kushtia District Bus-Minibus Owners' Association Chairman Sadar Uddin. Shanti Moni Chakma, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Bheramara, disclosed that representatives from Indian companies like Ambani and Tata have visited the area and expressed their interest to invest here. She added that economic giants like China and Japan are also interested. l

Road accidents take lives of six n Tribune Desk

At least six people were killed in separate road accidents in Comilla, Tangail and Chittagong on Friday. Two people were killed and two others injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a pickup on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway at Baguchi in Chauddagram upazila on Friday. Identities of the deceased could not be known immediately. Mohammad Faisal, officer-incharge of Chauddagram police station, said a Comilla-bound ‘Madina Paribahan’ bus from Feni collided head-on with a pickup coming from the opposite direction, leaving two pickup passengers killed on the spot and its driver and helper injured. In another road accident, a man was killed at Chouddogram upazila around 11am. The deceased was identified as Saiful Islam, 25, a resident of Someshpur village of the upzila.

In Tangail, two people were killed and four others injured when a truck rammed into a pickup on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway at Jamurki in Mirzapur upazila in the early hours of Friday. Police said a Dhaka-bound pineapple-laden truck from Madhupur collided head-on with a pickup coming from the opposite direction, leaving the pickup driver dead on the spot and five others injured. Of the injured, a pineapple trader died on way to Mirzapur upazila Health Complex while the others got admitted to the hospital. The identities of the deceased could not yet be known. A man was killed on the spot and at least 25 others injured after a collision between a bus and an octane-carrying lorry in Chittagong’s Sitakunda. Police said a Cox’s Bazar-bound bus lost control over the steering and plunged into a roadside ditch. Assistant of the driver died on the spot.l

Two days have passed since father of Taslima, a member of Asian Football Confederation Under-16 Women Qualifiers champion team, was assaulted by physical education teacher Jubed Talukdar and his cohorts, but police yet to arrest him. Sobuj Mia, 40, father of Taslima, was beaten by Jubed Talukdar and his men at Mohilla Market in Kolshindur area on Wednesday night, as Taslima

refused to attend a school match. Family member said the Under-16 girls would be honoured at a programme on September 17 in Dhaka, but Jubed asked them not to attend the programme, rather he asked Taslima and some other girls to attend a school match instead. This incident takes place a day after a TV report showed nine girls of the squad travelling in a rather below-standard Mymensingh-bound regular bus service with no team management personnel accompanying them.

Bangladesh U-16 Women’s team emerged unbeaten champions of Group C of the AFC U-16 Women’s Championship Qualifiers with 4-0 goals victory over UAE on Monday. After the incident, school committee suspended Jubayed on Thursday afternoon. Sobuj Mia filed a case with Dobaura police station on the day against Jubed. OC of Dobaura police station Shawkat Alam told the Dhaka Tribune that they were conducting drives to arrest Jubed. l

News

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Corruption found in Ctg hospital procurement MRI worth Tk3 crore procured for Tk10 crore

n Anwar Husain, Chittagong Investigation report by a probe committee on Wednesday revealed large scale corruption at Chittagong General Hospital. The hospital recently bought 12 medical and surgical equipment including an MRI machine worth Tk3 crore for almost Tk10 crore. A Tk15,000 Blood Warmer used for blood transfusion was bought for Tk9.32 lakhs. An Autoscope worth Tk10,000 was bought for Tk3.70 lakhs by the hospital. The MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine was procured from Bengal Scientific and Surgical Company at an exorbitant price of Tk9,95,50,000 crore whereas the manufacturer Shenzhen Basda Company Ltd, China had offered the machine for Tk2.80 crore.

Four ultrasound machines all Hitachi Color Doppler were procured for the hospital for Tk65 lakh each while the local agent for the manufacturer said that they usually cost Tk24.50 lakh each. All this was disclosed in a probe report at a meeting by Chittagong General Hospital Management Committee. A probe body was formed headed by Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Mesbah Uddin on April 10 after allegations of rampant corruption over the procurement of medical equipment. Dr Azizur Rahman Siddiqui, Chittagong Civil Surgeon and Dr Foysal Iqbal Chowdhury, member of Chittagong General Hospital Management Committee were part of the three-member probe committee. While revealing the findings of

the investigation, Chittagong Deputy Commissioner Mesbah Uddin said that the instruments procured for the hospital in the fiscal year 2014-15 were without any budget allocation and Annual Procurement Plan (APP). “The instruments procured for the hospital were not provided by any authorized dealers of the manufacturing companies. Moreover, the instruments were procured at a price much higher than the market price,” said Mesbah Uddin. Scrutinizing the memo register of the hospital, it was revealed that Ms Ahmed Enterprise was given a work order of Tk2.98 crore for supplying 10 medical instruments on April 30 last year. Another work order was issued to Ms Ahmed Enterprise to supply eight ICU ventilators, eight ICU beds and a cardiac monitor at Tk5,37,25,000 all

in violation of the rules. The investigators said that not a single instrument supplied by Ms Ahmed Enterprise met the standards of technical specification, catalogue and country of origin. Dr Sarfaraz Khan Chowdhury the probe report found was responsible for the violation of procurement act as he was the Civil Surgeon of Chittagong and the Superintendent of Chittagong General Hospital at the time. During his tenure he issued the work order and floated tenders to procure the medical instruments like patient monitor, syringe pump, ECG machine, anesthesia machine, infusion pump, blood warmer, autoscope, pulse oximeter, ultrasounds and MRI machines. Violating Public Procurement Rules-2008, Dr Sarfaraz also acted as the head of Procuring Enti-

Home-goers travelling on train roofs amid risks Islam Akand, n Raihanul Gazipur and Aminul Islam Rana, Sirajganj To celebrate Eid-ul-Ahza with their family members, people from Gazipur district have chosen the dangerous form to travel on top of speeding trains. Lack of seats in train forced Jamalpur, Netrokona, Sherpur, Kishoreganj and Mymensigh-bound people to travel on roof top of speeding trains. To climb on the roof top of the trains home-bound people are paying local ladder owners as they are using ladders to get up on train roof. During his visit to Gazipur, Sreepur and Rajendrapur railway stations this correspondent has found that thousands of homebound people of the district used to travel on train roof coming from Dhaka to their destinations. Emarat, a worker of ACI factory of Sreepur said: “I need to go home by any cost. I could not enter into the train due to heavy pressure of passengers. Now climbed on the roof by paying Tk40 to ladder owner.” Monir Hossain, a ladder owner of Rajendrapur railway station said: “Every year we helped people to climb on the train roof and they pay us for this.” Selim from Sreepur rail station said: “Every year ahead of Eid we have gathered in the station with ladders to help people though sometimes law enforcers chased us not to help people to ride on train roofs.” Abdul Motaleb, Assistant Station Master of Sreepur rail station told to the Dhaka Tribune, trav-

ty, Technical Sub-Committee and Technical Evaluation Committee simultaneously. After formally receiving the investigation report from the probe body, MP Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu president of Chittagong General Hospital Management Committee told reporters that they would send official letters to Anti Corruption Commission, Health Ministry and DG of Health Services to launch further investigation into the allegations and take necessary punitive actions against those responsible. “This is sheer corruption and the person involved with the gross anomalies has to meet legal consequences,” said MP Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu. Chittagong General Hospital was established in 1901 making it the first public hospital of the region. l

Earlobe of minor boy severed in Madaripur n Tribune Desk

The photo taken from Sripur rail station, Gazipur yesterday showed home-goers were using ladders to get up on train roof amid risks DHAKA TRIBUNE elling on train roof are common things during the Eid season when transport crisis hit the peak as millions rush homes to celebrate the festival with their families.

50 injured falling off train roof in Sirajganj

About 50 people fell off a train roof after being struck by overhead cable TV wires at Shahid M Monsur Ali Station on the west of Bangabandhu Bridge, Sirajganj yesterday. The Sundarban Express was travelling to Khulna from Dhaka. Railway officials said at least 50 people were injured after they were hit by precariously hanging illegal cable TV wires. The train slowed down as it was

nearing the station, otherwise the number of victims could have been higher, police said. Kadda police outpost’s Assistant Town Sub-Inspector Abdur Rashid said about 20 of the yet unidentified injured were taken to local clinics and Sirajganj Sadar Hospital. The others continued their journey. Lack of seats force thousands to travel perched on top of speeding trains but many choose the dangerous form of ride to save money. Incidents of people falling off train roof are notoriously common during the Eid season when transport crisis hit the peak as millions rush homes to celebrate the festival or enjoy vacation with their families. Rashid said the train was

overcrowded. “Many jumped off the roof fearing the overhead cable was an electric wire,” he said. Station Master Hamidul Islam Hira said local cable TV businesses did not pay heed to their requests to remove the cobweb of illegal wires running through the station. “We have notified our higher authorities about today’s incident,” he said. The Sundarban Express resumed its journey after about half an hour. Sirajganj Sadar Hospital’s Resident Medical Officer Dr Akramuzzaman said 15 of the injured had been admitted there. “Most of them are with broken limbs but none of them have died.” l

A case was filed on Thursday night against a man for severing the left earlobe of a minor boy with a billhook at Khamarbari, Madaripur Sadar upazila. Family members of the victim said Ratul Hawladar, 12, son of Malaysia expatriate Halim Hawladar, was playing on a rickshaw van, owned by Siraj Bahadur, parked at a shared courtyard around 8am on Monday. As Siraj’s son Mohammad Bahadur told Ratul to get down from the van, a quarrel broke out between them. At one stage, Siraj hacked Ratul in the head with a billhook, splitting the left earlobe of the boy. The boy was taken to Sadar Hospital where doctors sutured the almost split part of the earlobe with eight stitches. Doctors also referred the injured either to Faridpur Medical College Hospital or Dhaka Medical College Hospital. However, as the family could not meet the expenses for the travel, the boy is struggling in pain on a bed at Sadar Hospital. Officer-in-charge of Madaripur Sadar Hospital Md Ziaul Morshed said a case was filed in connection with the incident on Thursday night. A police team visited the spot and they were trying to arrest the accused, he added. l

8 World

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

SOUTH ASIA

Taliban storm into southern Afghan The Taliban stormed into Tarin Kot triggering heavy fighting around government buildings as panicked residents scrambled to flee the capital of southern Uruzgan province. Hundreds of militants battled to overrun the local prison, police headquarters and the governor’s compound after breaching the city, but hours later Afghan forces bolstered by reinforcements and air support repelled them from Tarin Kot. -AFP

INDIA

India aims to reduce hydrocarbon imports by 10% India aims to reduce its hydrocarbon imports by 10% by 2022 through increasing domestic output, fuel efficiency and the use of alternative energy. India currently imports 70-75% of its energy requirements, Minister of State for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan said. -REUTERS

CHINA

China criticises North Korea’s nuclear test China criticised North Korea’s nuclear test on Friday but Beijing is unlikely to follow up with strong action because its influence is limited and it believes the US and South Korea share responsibility for growing tensions in the region. China, Pyongyang’s main diplomatic ally, is key in any effort to rein in North Korea’s nuclear programme. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFIC

Indonesia, Philippines vow to tackle seakidnappings

Indonesia and the Philippines on Friday pledged to ensure security on the high seas after a surge of kidnappings by militants in the strife-torn southern Philippines. Philippine extremist outfit Abu Sayyaf, notorious for carrying out kidnappings-for-ransom, has been blamed for the abductions. At least 25 Indonesian sailors and a handful of Malaysians have been abducted this year travelling in the Sulu Sea. -AFP

MIDDLE EAST

Air strike kills top jihadist rebel commander in Syria The commander of Syria’s largest rebel coalition has been killed in an air strike near Aleppo. The strike on a meeting of leaders of the Army of Conquest came after a major defeat for the rebels, which saw them once again besieged inside Aleppo after a pro-government advance this week. -AFP

ANALYSIS

N Korea seeks leverage by playing nuke card n Tribune International Desk Mark up another first for North Korea - two nuclear tests in one year. And that’s not all. With leader Kim Jong Un smiling broadly all the while, bigger and better ballistic missiles have been flying off the North’s shores, and now even from under its waters, at breakneck pace. Alarming? Certainly. Surprising? Hardly. With few other options, or allies to rally behind it, this is how Pyongyang likes to play its cards in the power game that is northeast Asian politics. The question is whether it can play them well enough to get what its ruling regime really wants: international recognition, security guarantees and, at the most fundamental level, its own continued survival. This is shaping up to be the busiest year ever for North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes. It rang in 2016 with what it said was its first H-bomb test and has been shooting off various kinds of longrange missiles - including one from a submarine - more frequently than normal. It conducted its second nuclear test of the year Friday, this time to indicate it can arm those ballistic missiles it’s been testing with nuclear-tipped warheads. While most of the world has singled Pyongyang’s nuclear programme out as a dangerous source of instability on the peninsula, North Korea has consistently said it needs a nuclear deterrent to what it believes is a very real threat from the US. The two countries are, after all, still technically at war. The 1950-53 Korean conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. Right after announcing its test, the North’s state-run Korean Central News Agency once again made that argument. It has been Pyongyang’s position for decades. And it hasn’t gotten a lot of traction. Its test Friday was immediately criticised by its neighbours - including its nominal ally, China and by Washington. Japan, which is within range of the North’s missiles and hosts tens of thousands of US troops, called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council. The North is already under the toughest sanctions it has faced in decades because of its January

NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR TESTS Sept 9, 2016 An estimated 10 kiloton explosion*

CHINA

Punggye-ri Nuclear test site

Yongbyon Nuclear facility Sinpo

Sohae PYONGYANG

75 km

*South Korea defence ministry

Wonsan

SEOUL

SOUTH KOREA

Missile/ rocket facilities

May 25, 2009 Underground nuclear test

Kim Jong-Il 1994 - 2011

February 12, 2013 Underground nuclear test January 6, 2016 Hydrogen test, according to Pyongyang

Kim Jong-Un 2011 -

September 9, 2016 Test of a nuclear warhead, state media claims Source: USGS

NUCLEAR WARHEADS Examples

Uranium bomb Gun type

Plutonium bomb

Hydrogen bomb

Implosion

Chain reaction

One piece of uranium fired into another

An outer ring of high explosives fire and crush a plutonium core

First nuclear explosion triggers massive second stage nuclear explosion

Source : Manhattan Project/techinsider.io

nuclear test. More now are almost certain, though some experts question whether North Korea has anything significant left to apply effective sanctions to. Advocates of a tougher approach are hoping the latest test will galvanise support from China and Russia, which have not been totally on board with Washington’s approach to Pyongyang. So why does Pyongyang insist on stirring the pot? Its flurry of demonstrations of military might this year may reflect a greater sense of urgency to prove it can make good on Kim Jong Un’s vow to build ever better

Oct 9, 2006 Underground nuclear test

nukes while also keeping its economy afloat despite all of the pressure, isolation and international sanctions that policy generates. There are indications it is, in reality, making progress on both fronts. Largely thanks to continued business with China and Russia, the North’s economy - though hardly robust - long ago emerged from the disastrous famine years of the 1990s and now shows signs of a growing domestic consumer market, where small-time entrepreneurialism is allowed and sometimes tacitly supported by the authorities. For sure, the repeated nuclear

tests come at a high cost in lost trade and international diplomatic clout. But each improvement demonstrated to the world brings the North that much closer to becoming a de facto nuclear power. Pyongyang could conceivably use that in the future to get itself into a better negotiating position in talks with Washington. Or, at some point, Washington and its allies might give up and grudgingly accept the country into the nuclear club. It’s hard to imagine in North Korea’s case, but it worked for India and Pakistan. With elections coming up in the US, Pyongyang may see this as an opportune time to send a message. But Pyongyang also has reasons to be nervous. Over the past few years, its anxieties have been heightened by attacks on its human rights record in the UN and suggestions Kim should be brought before an international tribunal for crimes against humanity. Add to that reports that annual US-South Korea military exercises now include training for “decapitation strikes” on Kim and other leaders, and Washington’s decision in June to list Kim himself as a sanctioned individual. Pyongyang is also deeply concerned by an agreement between Washington and Seoul to base America’s most advanced missile defence system, known by its acronym, THAAD, in the South, a move that has angered Beijing as well. l

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Advance voting in White House race underway n Tribune Desk Get ready: Voting in the 2016 election is now underway. Advance voting begins Friday in North Carolina, the first of 37 states that will allow balloting by mail for any reason or in person before the actual Election Day of November 8, reports the Associated Press. It’s part of a nearly nine-week campaign frenzy in which millions of voters will have the ability to fill out a ballot and be done with the 2016 presidential race. North Carolina residents are first, and they can now submit absentee ballots by mail without an excuse. They also will be able to vote early at polling booths beginning October 20. Ballots from all 50 states will be sent to members of the armed services and voters living abroad the week of September 19. And Geor-

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION Collated opinion poll results in % 60

53.3

Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton

45.6 42.8

33.7 July 2015

Jan 2016

gia residents may also begin mailing in ballots that week, followed by battlegrounds Wisconsin and Virginia. Iowa will accept early ballots starting September 29, three days after the first presidential debate. “If one campaign does significantly better in harvesting early votes, that campaign will have a substantial advantage as elec-

July

Sept 8

Source: RealClearPolitics

tion day approaches,” said Paul Gronke, a Reed College professor and director of the Early Voting Information Center in Portland, Oregon. The stakes are high: Voters who cast ballots in advance are expected to make up between 50% to 75% or more of all ballots in the battlegrounds of North Carolina, Colorado, Florida, Nevada, Arizo-

na and Georgia, according to data. Nationwide, about 45.6m people or roughly 35% of the electorate attracted by its convenience voted prior to Election Day in 2012, and that number is expected to increase in 2016. The campaigns know it, too. Hillary Clinton appeared in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Thursday and applauded a recent federal appeals court decision invalidating restrictions that the judges determined made it harder for non-whites to vote. “Get out and vote and make it clear we’re not putting up with that,” she said. The Trump campaign, working with the Republican National Committee to boost absentee mail balloting in Florida, North Carolina, Ohio and Iowa, described its early efforts as key to a “path to victory.” “We must reach every voter before early voting and Election Day,” wrote campaign manager Kellyanne Conway in a September 5. l

EU seeks to soothe Turkey ties n Reuters, Ankara

Two of the European Union’s top officials sought to smooth fractious relations with Turkey on Friday, vowing deeper trade ties and continued cooperation on migration, but there was no immediate end to a deadlock over visa-free travel for Turks. The visit by EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn comes almost two months after a failed coup which tested Turkey’s relationship with the 28-member bloc it aspires to join. Many Turks were incensed by what they saw as Europe’s failure to show speedier solidarity over the July 15 putsch, in which more than 240 people died, accusing it of xenophobia and hostility to President Tayyip Erdogan. Turkey has long aspired to join the EU, but has accused Europeans of blocking progress because of bias against the Muslim nation. European officials have said Turkey still falls short of EU demands on basic rights and freedoms. One of the biggest obstacles in Turkey’s relations with the EU is Ankara’s refusal to recognise EU member Cyprus, the Mediterranean island divided for four decades between the Turkish-controlled north, recognised only by Ankara, and the Greek Cypriot south, which has international recognition.

LEGAL HURDLES TO EU-TURKEY MIGRANT DEAL EU visa liberalisation for Turks The EU wants to waive visa requirements for Turks only once the Ankara government fulfils 72 conditions. Three notably need to be implemented: sign a pact with EU police agency Europol; adopt EU data protection rules; and waive visa requirements for all EU citizens whatever their nationality. Any agreement on visa waivers requires endorsement by the European Parliament, where many lawmakers are uneasy about the risk of Turks abusing short-stay rules or seeming to reward Turkey while accusing its leaders of turning more authoritarian. Turkey as a safe third country For Greek and EU authorities to deport people arriving on Greek islands back to Turkey without processing their claims for asylum, it is necessary to consider Turkey a “safe third country” -- ie neither the country of arrival nor the migrant’s home country -- where they will be treated as refugees under the Geneva Convention. Such determinations are made not at EU but at national level and the plan is to carry out such expulsions under a bilateral “readmission” pact between Greece and Turkey. But Greek officials have said it has as yet no list of safe third countries. And lawyers note that, Turkey has limited itself to applying the protections of the Geneva Convention only to people fleeing from Europe, not other parts of the world. Deportation and resettlement The UN top human rights official says the plan to send back to Turkey everyone, even Syrians, who lands without the right papers on Greek islands, risks consisting of illegal “collective and arbitrary expulsions”. Under EU law, all those who claim asylum have a right to have their individual case considered, and to have an ability to appeal -- a process incompatible with swift mass deportations from remote islands. The legal underpinning of any final accord on expulsions from Greece, as well as for the return to Turkey of migrants picked up at sea by Nato warships, may well come down to an EU or Greek declaration that Turkey is a safe third country capable of handling the relevant asylum claims. Sources: REUTERS “We see a window of more than hope for this issue to be solved ... in the coming months,” Mogherini said, adding both Turkey and the EU had a common interest in a solution. But there appeared less hope of an immediate solution to the deadlock over a deal to grant Turks visa-free access to Europe by October. Brussels first wants Turkey to change its anti-terrorism law, which it deems too broad

for European standards. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said a concrete roadmap needed to be agreed for the deal, but Hahn said the timing would be up to the Turks. Turkey says its anti-terrorism law is needed to fight threats from Islamic State and Kurdish militants. The EU says the law has been used too broadly, pointing to the prosecution of journalists and academics.

World

Hahn also said that internal preparations for discussions on upgrading a customs union with Turkey should be finalised by the end of the year and that negotiations should start in 2017. Turkey wants to upgrade its customs union with the EU to include agriculture and services. That could nearly double its trade with the bloc to $300bn and make it the EU’s third-largest trading partner. l

USA

US, Russia tussle over Syria deal The US and Russia grappled over a possible ceasefire deal for Syria, as resurgent Moscow-backed regime forces tightened the noose on the beleaguered city of Aleppo. The two powers back opposite sides in the civil war, with Moscow supporting the regime and the US behind a coalition of rebel groups it regards as moderate. -AFP

THE AMERICAS

Venezuelans trade in guns for gadgets People in violence-stricken Venezuela are trading in their guns for much-needed electrical household gadgets under an official scheme, the government said. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol said 1,130 Venezuelans have handed in guns in return for TVs, microwaves, washing machines, freezers and tablet devices. -AFP

UK to miss its 2020 renewable energy targets UK is set to miss its 2020 European renewable energy targets, a parliamentary committee report said, setting a poor example for less wealthy countries as the world tries to rein in global warming. UK has a target to meet 15% of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020, but had achieved just over 8% by the end of 2015. -REUTERS

EUROPE

Tusk to ask EU to help stop illegal migrants European Council President Donald Tusk will next week ask EU leaders to approve sending guards and equipment to Bulgaria to help protect its border against flows of illegal migrants from Turkey, following complaints from Sofia. Some 1.3 million refugees and migrants arrived in the EU last year, most via Bulgaria’s neighbour Turkey, and Sofia. -REUTERS

AFRICA

South Sudan hunts activists after UN Security Council visit Civil society activists who met with UN Security Council diplomats during last week’s visit to South Sudan are fleeing a government crackdown, groups said Friday. Around a dozen activists met with the UN delegation when it visited South Sudan to push for peace after an outbreak of heavy fighting in the capital Juba in July that left hundreds dead. Since then, one activist has disappeared, suspected killed and at least two have fled the country while others fear for their safety. AFP

World

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

In death, a Kashmir insurgent becomes what India has feared International n Tribune Desk Go to the villages of south Kashmir and they'll tell you stories about Burhan Wani, the militant commander shot by security forces as he tried to escape through the back door of an isolated hideout. They say Wani would slip out of the forests sometimes just to visit, a 22-year-old with an AK-47 and an easy way of talking that made him so different from earlier generations of Kashmir's insurgents. They say he'd play cricket with village boys, and visit orphanages. They say he'd pay for the weddings of poor young women. In the weeks since Wani was killed on July 8, the stories have grown into such a mythology — the polite teenager who left home to become a Himalayan Robin Hood, the powerful insurgent commander who remained a man of peace — that it's no longer clear how many are true. But in death, Wani has become something that India has long feared: a homegrown militant openly lionised across the embattled region, a powerful symbol against Indian rule who has united Kashmir's many factions. Today, rock-throwing high school students paint his name on shuttered storefronts — "BURHAN OUR HERO" —

while everyone from fearsome insurgents to moderate politicians mourn him. Wani had already rejuvenated Hizbul-Mujahideen, the largest of Kashmir's militant groups, attracting dozens of new recruits with postings on Facebook and other social media sites. Young, handsome and charismatic, he looked more like a college student than a gunman. He sometimes posted photos of himself in the forests, a smile on his face and an assault rifle in his hands. If he was more a saavy recruiter than a menacing fighter, that only made him more popular. But his killing, and the public fury it set off, now threaten to give new life to a Kashmiri militant movement that had withered in recent years, reduced to just a couple hundred fighters in scattered rebel outfits. Wani's death sent tens of thousands of protesters into Kashmir's cities and villages, beginning a cycle of protest-and-crackdown that has left more than 70 civilians dead — most killed by government forces — and thousands injured. Strikes, curfews and intermittent communications blackouts have effectively shuttered the region for more than seven weeks. It has also helped make the militancy, which had once  PAGE 11 COLUMN 1

KASHMIR CONFLICT Jammu and Kashmir is the only state in India which enjoys special autonomy under Article 370 of the Constitution of India according to which, no law enacted by the parliament of India, except for those in the field of defence, communication and foreign policy, will be extendable in Jammu and Kashmir unless it is ratified by the state legislature of Jammu and Kashmir

ARMED

groups

TROOPS

Hizb-ul-Muzahideen Lashkar-e-Taiba Harkat-ul-Muzahideen Jaish-e-Mohammad

Religion 0.11%

Buddist

0.88%

97.2% Muslim

5,476,9.70 population

Sikh

1.84%

100,000

650,000

Deaths 1 3AllCivilians

Hindu

Total Population of Jammu and Kashmir is 10,143,70 Muslim: 66.97% Hindu: 29.63% Sikh: 2.03% Buddist: 1.36%

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

In this August 29 photo, an Indian paramilitary soldier walks past graffiti on a wall in Srinagar, Indian-controlled Kashmir AP

A Kashmir insurgent been at the extreme end of the Kashmiri independence movement, into something mainstream. Villagers, who had learned long ago to hide any sympathy they felt for fighters, now speak of them openly with reverence and warmth. Wani has become the face of the militants’ cause. “He was a good man, a gentle man,” said Abdul Majeed, a farmer and elder in the village of Shaar-i-Shalli. “That’s why people cared about him.” Late one night in mid-August, Indian soldiers had forced their way into dozens of homes in Shaar-i-Shalli, driving dozens of men into the town square. Over the next five hours, they beat the men so brutally that one villager died and a general was forced to apologize. The soldiers, military officials later said, were offended that village elders had not wanted to meet with them. The attacks of Septeber 11, 2001, and subsequent US pressure on Pakistan to rein in militants based there, were a major setback for the insurgent movement. Indian security forces largely crushed the militancy after that, though popular demands for “Azadi” — freedom — remained deeply ingrained in Kashmiri culture. In the last decade the calls for freedom have shifted to unarmed uprisings, with tens of thousands of civilians repeatedly taking to the streets to protest Indian rule, often leading to street battles between rock-throwing residents and Indian troops. Immense protests, some lasting for months, shook Kashmir in 2008 and 2010. Today’s Kashmir is an often-contradictory place where bloody clashes mingle with skyrocketing real estate prices and increasing wealth (fed, in part, by Kashmiris working elsewhere in India or abroad). It’s a place where you can buy highend electronics or go shopping

at Babelicious Fashions, but where you rarely go more than a few minutes without passing a heavily armed soldier or an armored military vehicle. While Wani’s killing sparked the current wave of unrest, it has also been fed by widespread unemployment, especially among young people, and political frustration. Most Muslim Kashmiris have been deeply distrustful of state politics since 2014, when a local political party vaulted itself to power by forming an alliance with the ruling Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party, which has long advocated a hard-line response to any call for increased Kashmiri autonomy. The latest protests, and the open support for insurgents, deeply worry India’s security establishment, which can no longer say the militant movement is a Pakistani creation. The uprising has also gone on far longer than security officials expected. While most hope it will begin to fade after the upcoming Muslim festival of Eid al-Azha, some worry it could last until the winter cold hits the region in November or December. A high-ranking Indian security official, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to talk openly, worries that the brutality of India’s clampdowns, and its ineptness with such basic concerns as traffic enforcement and criminal investigations, have left Kashmiris with no trust at all in the government. Instead, the public ends up glorifying men like Wani, and the stone-throwing teenagers. They are young men with nicknames like “Bunker,” for his courage in attacking armored cars, which are often called bunkers, or “Discovery,” who acts as a scout for stone-throwers. “This generation, it’s like gunpowder ready to explode,” the official said. “When you make boys like this into heroes, then you have a big problem.” l

World

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Heritage

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

The princely city The ancient city of Jessore continues to reveal its wealth

n Tim Steel

he mists of history swirl around the ancient city of Jessore, considerably thickened by politics, especially religious politics. Many online histories invariably lead back to the Sultanate; Muslim rulers of the lands that are now Bangladesh. But in fact, of course the significant Hindu population of the lands of today’s southwest Bangladesh marks the likelihood of Hindu majority and rule from an early time. Certainly we can note the arrival in the mid-15th century in the relatively nearby Bagerhat, of the soldier missionary, Khan Jahan Ali. It was a location on the fringes of the Sundarban swamplands, where he created a forest of mosques to mark what was probably the most socially and economically advanced community of its time. The famous “60 dome mosque” remains easily the most conspicuous of the structures of its age in Bangladesh, comparable with such as the great Buddhist relic, Parhapur Vihara in North Bengal, and some of the great Hindu sites. Various other mosques he also

Jessore remains surrounded by clear evidence of its very princely past. The considerable Hindu site at Dhoolgraam, once containing 17 temples, rich in the terracotta work for which Jessore continues to be famous, a craft skill demanding considerable wealthy patronage to survive

built are magnificent examples of their pre-Mughal age; and the brick road he laid, perhaps the first in these lands, may well have “laid tracks” for much later road building across the country, even to the present day. Sadly, many of those ancient Hindu sites, neglected, especially in more recent times, and had been targeted by the Pakistan army during the 1971 Liberation War. There is also no doubting that Jessore had a place, possibly a somewhat unique place, in the pre-Buddhist development of the Jain faith group. Certainly, the discovery of a rare, at least two millennia old, image of a Jain female “deity,” Mallinath, on the considerable

Hindu site at Dhoolgraam, Abhaynagar, may speak volumes for the very early history of both Hindu and Jain -- which is a faith group that evolved from Hindu beliefs with its multitudinous deities, to the monotheism of Jain, and then Buddhism. There appears -- in fact no getting away from the situation of Jessore -- a major crossroads on the Grand Trunk Road, the great third century BCE route across the sub-continent, originally from the Indus to the Ganges but subsequently in the 16th century CE, extended from Kabul to Chittagong. Together with its near neighbour, Barisal, both have, in their time, been considerably important centres of trade and

commerce in the region. Whilst we may mark, perhaps one of the most famous “Princes” of Jessore, the famous “zaminder” Pratapitiya, a highly conspicuous resister of the Mughal advance in the late 16th century into Bengal, there is almost certainly a yet to be written story of the thousand or so years before his time. Fascinating reading it would certainly make. Pratapitya surrendered finally to the Mughal forces in 1611, and they seized enormous quantities of munitions, betraying the vast wealth that he had undoubtedly been able to expend to prosecute his resistance. At his final defeat by the Mughal forces, as much betrayal of trust by the Mughals as actual

comprehensive military defeat, the victors were able to disband a military and naval establishment of close to 100,000 men, including over 50,000 infantry, 10,000 cavalry, and large numbers of archers. Also 2,000 war elephants. The navy of about 500 craft included Portuguese mercenaries. It is also said that over 45 tons of gunpowder was seized. A princely force, indeed. His family had held the territory for only one generation, effectively seizing their independent overlordship, following the demise of Daud Khan Karrani, “the last Nawab of Bengal” in 1576, in whose army his father had been a senior officer. He had been awarded these southern lands with the task of maintaining their security, especially from the Arakanese pirates and the Portuguese renegades. Pratapitya recruited, especially the Portuguese, into his service. Certainly, his lands comprised, also those of the flourishing port of Barisal -- and the description by Ralph Fitch, the first ever Englishman, a leather merchant known to have visited Bengal, of the ruler he encountered in about

1585/6, would appear to reflect what we may judge of him. “I came to Bacola (identified as Barisal); the king whereof is a Gentile (Hindu), a man very well disposed and delighted much to shoot a gun. His country is very great and fruitful, and hath store of rice, much cotton cloth, and cloth of silk. “The houses be very faire and high builded, the streets large, the people naked, except a little cloth about their waist. The women wear a great store of silver hoops about their necks and arms, and their legs are ringed with silver and copper, and rings made from elephant teeth.” Whilst we know that Barisal was already a flourishing port and trading centre -- Jessore, too, as a major link on the Grand Trunk road would probably have displayed similar appearance, wealth and lifestyle. Princely, indeed! From this description, somewhat at odds perhaps, from that which more recent historians have painted of a fratricide and uncle killer, we glimpse a princely figure, master of wide and wealthy lands, of which the city of Jessore

was at the heart. The lands probably also encompassed those around the early Buddhist centre, developed by Khan Jahan Ali, that were in the far south east of that part of Bangladesh, west of the Ganges delta. None of these, it seems, were in fact highly ideal lands. Quite apart from both seasonal flooding down the rivers, and cyclonic events that are still experienced, Arakanese pirates disturbed life thereabouts for centuries. Not for nothing was Arakan recognised as a “pirate Kingdom,” although Pratapitiya also recruited mercenaries from Arakan to swell his military and naval numbers. Today, Jessore remains surrounded by clear evidence of its very princely past. The considerable Hindu site at Dhoolgraam, once containing 17 temples, rich in the terracotta work for which Jessore continues to be famous, a craft skill demanding considerable wealthy patronage to survive, even to the present day -has mostly been destroyed by both the activity of the nearby Bhairab River, and neglect and unwelcome

attention of Pakistan soldiery in 1971. Close by, at the village of Vaatnagar, the remains of 11 temples dedicated to Shiva still reveal something more of that princely past. On the very outskirts of the modern city, at Chanchra, further testimony of a rich heritage is visible in the restored terracotta magnificence of the great Shiva

visible heritage that remains and that which has vanished, but of which we know, certainly qualifies Jessore to be regarded as one of the most ancient urban centres in Bangladesh. Interestingly, activities undoubtedly encouraged also by princely successors to the great Pratapadiya, the first of whom was the Brahman boy -- once in

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

enjoyed in the summer season, and nearby Narail is famous for the Hindu community that fishes the great rivers of the region with the assistance of otters to drive fish into nets. Both horse racing and bullock cart contests also take place thereabouts; surely, sports of princes, if not kings, or simply farmers.

Even today, the great brick, 19th century colonial period, administrative buildings in the city centre mark Jessore as a place of great significance, to princes and peasants alike

Temple, close to the remains of a slowly decaying, early 19th century palace, with its associated buildings. What is certain is that the

Pratapadiya’s service, Bhavanand Majumdar, who founded the Nadiya Raj family dynasty -continue to abound around Jessore. Boat racing continues to be

Heritage

Although the British, in the mid19th century, focused on Khulna as the administrative centre of the area -- even today, the great brick, 19th century colonial period,

administrative buildings in the city centre mark Jessore as a place of great significance, to princes and peasants alike. And it may well be that time will reveal, yet, more of that rich history. Although, in 1947, census returns describe a large majority of Hindu occupants of the region, it must be debateable how diverse, in fact, the population was in Pratapitya’s time. With the very rich history of both Buddhism and Muslim in earlier times, given the characteristic liberality of most regimes of the ages around the growth and maintenance of these great centres of trade, it may well have been very diverse, even from very ancient times. What is certain is that the lands that were a part of the estates of the great “princes” of Jessore, and the lands around, continue to reveal the wealth of its economic, social, and cultural heritage. Jessore is indeed a princely city of Bangladesh. l Tim Steel is a communications, marketing and tourism consultant.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Climate Change

Let’s talk about mental health and climate change

BIGSTOCK

When it comes to climate change, mental health is a topic that is going to have to be addressed. Climate change is not only about the physical destruction of lives and livelihoods, but the traumatic impacts as well.

n Meraz Mostafa

fter Cyclone Aila struck in 2009, children were seen burying dolls in clay mounds. The children would also carefully place twigs in the mud, so they looked like small trees -- before blowing loudly like strong winds and dramatically crushing them. Similarly, in Koira -- a village in coastal Bangladesh -- 15 days after the cyclone, a father and son were found sitting quietly on barren land that used to be their home, staring out into the sea. When the relief worker who found them asked what they were doing, they did not reply, they did not even acknowledge the relief worker was there. The officer later found out the man had lost his wife and two daughters during the cyclone. The father had found the body of one

his daughters, but the other two women in his life remained lost. Mental health and climate change are two issues almost nobody talks about in Bangladesh. This is partly because mental health itself is still a taboo topic in the country. People are often labelled crazy (pagol in Bengali) and left to their own devices. Of all the psychiatrists in the country, only 0.4% are mental health professionals. Yet when it comes to climate change, mental health is a topic that is going to have to be addressed. Climate change is not only about the physical destruction of lives and livelihoods, but the traumatic impacts as well. Dr M Tasdik Hasan, a researcher at the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease, Research, Bangladesh, is one of the few people in the country studying

these issues. In his yet-to-be published paper, conducted at the Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies in University of Dhaka, he argues it is crucial for the country to include mental health issues in its disaster risk reduction plans. “Trauma not only arises from the cyclone incidents themselves,” he explains. “Women face a lot of anxiety just having to stay in the cyclone shelters. Often they will wait until night to relieve themselves at a time when they cannot be seen.” Dr.Tasdik has encountered many people who feel that mental health is too much of an issue for disaster risk reduction community to address. He reports one high official saying: “What will I do with the crazy people after the disaster? When people cannot get food, and have lost their houses,

cattle, and other belongings -- you people are talking about mental health!” Although many may share this sentiment, for people to become resilient against the shocks of climate change, they are going to have to be in a relatively healthy state of mind. What is the point of trying to adapt to worsening changing climate conditions, when you are depressed, anxious, and have lost the will to live? Dr Helen Louise Berry, professor of psychiatric epidemiology and associate dean research at the University of Canberra, has been studying the mental health impacts of climate change in rural Australia. Her findings reveal climate change related trauma, in her case longer droughts in Australia, not only affects individuals but community well-being. As she wrote for The Conversation in 2012: “Damage to land and buildings can create economic pressures that force people of their farms out of their businesses. When this happens, communities’ social infrastructure is at risk. It is this last link in the chain -- a loss of social capital and connectedness -- that hits mental

health hardest.” Similar patterns may apply to Bangladesh as well. Dr Hasan believes more research is needed to learn about the impacts of slow onset climate change such as rising temperatures and increased river erosion on mental health. As people lose their ancestral homes and are forced to migrate, he asks, how will they mentally cope with their newfound rootlessness. In the meantime, he has a few suggestions to support trauma patients in the aftermath of cyclones. First, one-stop crisis centers should be established in each subdistrict or upzilla with in-house counseling services. Disaster respondents should learn about mental health first aid kits. Similar to a medical first aid kit, this tool was developed in the UK to help healthcare workers use basic questions to screen for mental health issues and provide short term mental health relief. Thirdly, he believes there should be a Psychosocial and Mental Health committee within the Health Ministry in Bangladesh government as well as separate national mental health policy plan that takes into account climate change. Bangladesh has had tremendous success in its disaster risk management over the last 40 years. The numbers of lives lost from cyclones has dramatically decreased as early warning systems have improved and number of cyclone shelters has increased. Now it is time for the country to build on that success and address an issue people are still hesitant to talk about. Mental health may not be the most obvious climate change issue, but it is an important one not to forget. l Meraz Mostafa works at the International Centre for Climate Change and Development at the Independent University, Bangladesh. This page has been developed in collaboration with the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and its partners, Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). This page represents the views and experiences of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of Dhaka Tribune or ICCCAD or its partners.

Learn English

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Supporting your child to learn English through sharing rhymes Sharing rhymes is one of the simple steps you can take to encourage children and build their confidence in using English. Parent’s involvement in their child’s learning through sharing rhymes is an enjoyable way for children to explore the mechanics of the English language.

Rhymes are an effective way of helping a child learn English. A rhyme, for young children, is a complete, short experience with a beginning, an end and its own content, which fits well with their limited attention span. Once children have worked out the sequences, they feel confident, as they know that the language content is fixed, even if the speed of reciting might alter to match a mood. The attractive, playful language and the short text make it easy and quick to memorise. Young children want to communicate immediately in English and are often frustrated that they can’t say what they

want. Rhymes give them the opportunity to feel that, from the first session, they can ‘say a lot of English and say it quickly just like adults’. Sometimes learning to speak English may seem daunting to some young children; knowing rhymes can provide motivating stepping stones that encourage them. It is important to build up a collection of rhymes (a rhyme bank). To do this, parents should be prepared to introduce one or two new rhymes each week, depending on their length and children’s interests and readiness to learn. Some days children are more receptive to new material and it is important to adjust to these moods. Rhymes

can be found in story rhyme picture books, rhyme anthologies and traditional rhymes. It is often a good idea to learn rhymes already known to family members as it extends sharing and also motivates children to join in. When collecting rhymes parents need to select those they themselves enjoy, bearing in mind: ■ children’s increasing level of English ■ children’s developing interests and gender needs – boys in particular enjoy the physical action in: Jeremiah, blow the fire, Puff, puff, puff. First you blow it gently…. Then you blow it rough.

Activities to use with children Sports equipment Look at the pictures below of items used in different sports. Ask your child to match the items to the sports by drawing a line from the item to the sport.

Skiing

Running

Football

Golf

Rugby

the need to transfer useful language to daily conversation ■ the need to include, if possible, some rhymes known to the extended family ■ the need to include rhymes with names that can be personalised by changing to family names: Diddle, diddle dumpling. My son John, Went to bed ■

With his trousers on. ■ the need to include some rhymes that can be extended into family activities or routines: I scream, You scream We all scream for ice cream What would you like? Chocolate, lemon, vanilla or… One is for you/And one’s for me. l

Exercise

After reading the article, choose the correct words to fill the gaps in the following sentences: 1 Young children want to communicate ........ in English. 2 ........ are an effective way of helping a child learn English. 3 It is a good idea to learn rhymes already known to ........ ........ 4 Knowing rhymes can provide ........ stepping stones. 5 It is ........ to build up a collection of rhymes. a motivating b rhymes c important d immediately e family members

Answers 1√d 2√b 3√e 4√a 5√c

nOpal Dunn

Rapido and Zen Learn English 19. Radio Do you ever listen to BBC World Service radio?

Haven’t you seen my new antenna?

Ask your child to draw a picture of the equipment used in his or her favourite sport, for example a football. You can also get your child to act out some different sports for you to guess, and vice versa.

For more about the British Council www.britishcouncil.org

Kids

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Reader’s corner Photo: Bigstock

Catherine’s snowy evening part 1

n Nusaiba Zyen My name is Catherine Starling and I am 11 years old. I’m from London, England. On the evening of Christmas Eve, my little sister, Claire Starling and I were outside in the snow. I was haunted by the marvellous weather as it swung my open hair at the back. I was enjoying the sight of the friendly snow as it sparkled when it fell to the ground. Claire was lying on the ground and was making a figure of herself. She was running around, throwing a few snowballs at me. I looked at her and smiled. I made multiple snowballs which I was throwing at her one by one. After that, we kept throwing snowballs at each other which had turned into a snowball fight for quite a little while. We lay on the

snow, staring at the fiercely brightening stars. We had made a snowman as well. It was a huge one. But Claire could not resist. We had just finished making the snow man, when a few seconds later, Claire had jumped on it, which had made a huge snow-splash. About twenty minutes later, we heard our parents calling us, “Catherine, Claire! We have made Christmas dinner for all of us! It will be ready in fifteen minutes!” They said. We rushed inside and exclaimed, “Hooray!” “You two better write letters of what you want for Christmas,” said my Mum. “Then put them inside the lovely red or green coloured envelopes. I’ve kept two of the envelopes on your bedroom table,” Said my Dad. Claire and I rushed to our bedroom and started to write letters of what

we had wanted for Christmas. Claire had wanted a princess’s jewellery box with all sorts of ornaments inside. And I had wanted a ring. A ring that is actually magical. A Magical Christmas Ring. After we had finished writing our letters, we had put them inside our envelopes. Claire had chosen the green envelope and I had taken the red envelope. We wrote our names on it then ran outside and posted our letters inside the post box.

Do you want to share your stories with us? Email them to featuresdt@gmail. com under the subject “Kids”

colour it

Kids

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Power shower

Showers take more time than just washing hands but give more benefits too. Think of the time when your friends smell all fresh with great hair and you still stink. Take a bath, and be shiny and smell nice on the special day.

Washing Hands

Think about the germs in your hands waiting to get straight into your stomach and ruin the rest of your Eid. 20 seconds of hand washing with soap before and after each meal can save you the trouble of staying in bed for Eid.

Using those hankies

Fevers and colds are easy to catch this time of the year. When you have a runny nose, or see someone else with a bad cold, sneezing or coughing, grab a handkerchief or stuff some tissues into your pockets. You never know when a booger will appear, and that’s just gross.

The

erm g

farm

Fashion show

Now you don’t want to look the same on each of the three days of Eid. It’s good practice to change clothes regularly to avoid germs from building homes in your clothes.

It’s almost time for Eid-ul-Azha, the feast of the sacrifice. The words ‘Eid Mubarak’ bring laughter and joy, but things can get a little messy and dirty too. And what happens when things are messy and dirty? That’s right, the germs come out to play, and we get sick. Having good and clean habits, is the best way to keep those nasty germs away.

Brushing your teeth

Easy on the munchies

Moms give out their heart and soul when cooking Eid meals. But when you eat too much of the qurbani meat, it can cause aches in your tummy and make you sick.

The big meals of the day leave behind bits of food for your teeth. The evil germs might think you’re putting out snacks for them! Cleaning your teeth and flossing it after every meal is a must if you don’t want dentists to poke needles and injections in your mouth. Also, brushing twice a day is important, especially at night!

Flushing the toilet

After the big meaty feast, it’s time to run to the toilet. When you flush the toilet, germs from the potty could try and escape and jump on your toothbrush, so make it a habit to cover the toilet before flushing. l

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Kids

d iy

Fun Science

Burning bright! Rocket ship What you’ll need • A Pringles container or any other container that is as long • Cardboard • Art scissors • Paint How to make it Cut out half a circle from the cardboard and make a cone. Glue it to one of the ends of the container and paint that container with dark acrylic colours. For extra effect, cut out pieces of paper shaped like fire and stick them to the end of the rocket ship. Tie it to a string and hang it on your ceiling with your glow in the dark stars and there you go! l

Did you know that a lit candle needs to draw oxygen from the air to keep burning? Now you can go ahead and show it off yourself. This little experiment is very simple to carry out and is very fascinating. Equip yourself with a candle, three small to large sized glass jars that fit over the candle, matches, a permanent marker, pen, paper and a stopwatch. Invite a friend or two to share the excitement. Get an adult to light the candle for you. Start your stopwatch as you place the larger jar over it. Note down the time the candle takes to go out. Do the same with the remaining jars. Did you notice how the candle burns for a longer time in the larger jar than in the smaller jar? This is because the smaller jar provides the candle with a small supply of oxygen unlike the other jars. Pat yourself! You have successfully demonstrated why we need oxygen. Warning: Fire is dangerous, so make sure you have an adult around to help you carry out the experimentl

toy review

Magic Trick

The Vanishing Pen What you’ll need: • A full sleeved loose jacket or shirt • An elastic string (a bit shorter than the length of your forearm) • A pen How to do it: • Tie one end of the elastic string to the end of your pen tightly. • Tie the other end of your elastic tightly around your forearm. • Now wear your jacket. • Pull the pen out from inside your jacket sleeve and hold the pen while covering the elastic. • Pretend to wave your hand while performing and let go as you open up your hands. The elastic being stretched out, will pull the pen back into your sleeve, making it invisible. l

Lil Rider Cruisin’ Coupe Battery Operated Classic Car We all love remote controlled toys, especially when it’s cars. So here’s a brand new toy which will keep you busy for hours! Now what’s so different about this car? Well, it’s looks really awesome. This car is without a roof, so, what can we do with that? Slip in a your favourite action figure/doll and make them drive all over your house. With working lights and a music player, ride all over your house even if it is dark! Have fun! l

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Speedy visits the Dead Sea

n Features Desk

ne fine summer afternoon Speedy was sitting in his balcony drinking some cold lemonade. As he looked down at the city from the top, he was thinking how nice it would be to have a beach in Dhaka. It would be the perfect place to relax and cool down in the heat. But since that was not possible he decided to take a trip to a foreign country and visit its sea. Speedy had been to Cox’s Bazaar several times before so this time he wanted to try some place different.

Speedy searched several travel websites to find a place with a beautiful sea he can visit. Speedy then came across The Dead Sea in Jordan. What he read about the sea in the website made him very eager to visit. He booked a ticket for himself online and set off for Jordan. He packed all his clothes and also a beach ball because he wanted to play volleyball in the warm sand. Speedy finally reached Jordan. He couldn’t wait to visit the sea so he went there immediately. He learnt from the Internet that The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth. The water in Dead Sea

is so salty that no fishes or other animals can live there. What he loved the most about Dead Sea was that you can float in the sea and never drown! You didn’t even have to have a life-jacket or a tube. He spent his whole day floating in the sea and looking at the clear water of the sea. It was now time for Speedy to head back home. In his last day at the sea he wished that our Cox’s Bazaar was as clean too even though it was as beautiful. Speedy now felt better after cooling off at the sea and enjoyed learning so much about the Dead Sea while he was at it. l

Kids

20 Editorial

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

INSIDE

Kerry hardly the last word John Kerry’s pronouncements and remarks, while important, are highly unlikely to be the final word from Washington DC where a new team is guaranteed to pick up the Bangladesh portfolio at Foggy Bottom in a few months PAGE 21

We can’t afford to dawdle The unprecedented level of monsoon rain affected an estimated 3 million people across 20 districts. The flooding broke the 100-year water level record at one of the stations. PAGE 22 MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Sainthoods earned Nawaz Sharif has spent his current prime ministerial term filling Pakistan’s streets with his opponents -- the politically disadvantaged. They exhort their followers to crowd every footpath, every road, every highway between Islamabad and Lahore, to agitate for his resignation/removal 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.

Fake money is a real problem

hursday’s bust of a counterfeit money operation which recovered more than Tk1 crore in fake notes is a reminder of the extent of this danger in the country. The bust happens just ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, when a tremendous amount of cash is expected to switch hands. Individuals, then, would do well to keep a watchful eye on larger banknotes during this season -- counterfeiters are known to be more active around the Eid holiday season. The improvement in the quality of the fake notes is a cause for alarm. Gone are days when the average person could tell a note was fake with a quick glance. Nowadays, sophisticated printing machines are used to forge fake banknotes. These high quality forgeries, which are made with imported paper, look very much like genuine banknotes, contain watermarks and the long thread of banknotes, and are almost impossible to spot just by looking. The key to spotting them is to note if the colour comes off when rubbed with wet fingers. It is imperative for our law enforcement apparatus to take seriously the size and influence of counterfeiting operations, and crack down on them accordingly. Countefeiters today are operating within sophisticated networks and are backed by powerful syndicates. Their contacts include bank officials, who lend their expertise in creating convincing fakes, and foreign connections from countries like Pakistan, the Philippines, and Thailand. Bangladesh needs to make the right kind of technological investments to find and root out money counterfeiting networks on a large scale. Furthermore, global experts can be consulted about putting more security features into new banknotes in the long term. In the meantime, every citizen should stay vigilant against this growing menace.

Bangladesh needs to make the right kind of technological investments to find and root out money counterfeiting networks on a large scale

Opinion

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Kerry hardly the last word in Washington-Dhaka ties The Obama and Kerry administration represents a sun that is setting

n Esam Sohail

ack in the middle of the 1980s, I remember thinking it rather odd that the president of Bangladesh went all the way to the airport to receive one of the three (or was it four?) vice presidents of Iraq, who just happened to be taking a short detour in Dhaka before being off to some conference in the Far East. I mean, even as a teenager concerned more about cricket than international protocol, the image struck me as odd. Only later was I to come to realisation that Bangladeshis -- from the most powerful to the most humble -- love any kind of foreign attention; almost to the level of adulation that is rarely paralleled by any other people. Someday I will revise that somewhat unflattering image, but that day certainly isn’t today in the aftermath of US Secretary of State John Kerry’s Dhaka visit. Sure, the head of the state or the head of the government didn’t receive Mr Kerry at the airport, and that is an improvement in self-esteem I suppose; but that is about where the improvement curve flattens out. After hearing the statements from the government, the de facto opposition, and the make-believe opposition, you’d have thought that their entire political lives had been made worthwhile just by being in the same room as the American secretary of state who, were the local interlocutors to be believed, agreed to everything that anyone told him in Dhaka. The fact that a courtesy visit was paid to Number 32 Dhanmondi and a courtesy invite extended to head of the de facto opposition, tells us little more than John Kerry is a seasoned politician who has cut his teeth in war, elected democratic politics, and diplomacy, with the finesse of a man who has navigated the choppy waters of the Obama presidency admirably. And that presidency is coming to an end in a few months. That would make Secretary Kerry’s visit a largely, to put it politely, valedictory one, notwithstanding the exuberant statements of the three foreign ministers, the two would-be foreign ministers, and the professional spinmeisters of the regime, and the opposition.

Kerry’s visit certainly mattered to the people who got to meet and take pictures with him Let’s face it: The main purpose of the Kerry visit was simply to see if the status quo is holding visà-vis Islamist terror proliferation in Bangladesh. If the answer is in the affirmative for the next few months, Mr Kerry and his boss would have one less minor headache to worry about when they walk into the political sunset on January 21, 2017. And into the sunset they will go for sure since in the United States there are presidential term limits and competitive elections which determine who gets into office. Chances that those elections will result in either Mrs Clinton or Mr Trump becoming the president of the United States are almost 100%, barring some calamity. Each of them will bring their own foreign policy team and philosophical preferences to the conduct of international affairs, and most indications show that both of them will mark out their own paths, unconstrained by the legacy of their predecessor. That legacy, when it comes to foreign policy, has seen an incredible use of the concept of “outsourcing” in terms of prioritisation: For smaller countries on the periphery, the Obama State Department has largely let bigger countries in the neighbourhood set the agenda for America.

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

John Kerry’s pronouncements and remarks, while important, are highly unlikely to be the final word from Washington DC where a new team is guaranteed to pick up the Bangladesh portfolio at Foggy Bottom in a few months

South Africa, Saudi Arabia, India, and Brazil have become like the planning offices for American foreign policy regarding their respective smaller neighbours. One doubts that someone as egotistical as Mr Trump or as controlling as Mrs Clinton would continue to delegate that much foreign policy making to regional heavyweights. Knowing the scholarship record and professional resumes of some of Mrs Clinton’s foreign policy advisers like Tom Donilon, Dr Shirin Tahirkheli, and former Secretary Madeline Albright, it is almost a certainty that a Hillary Clinton administration would take a more hands-on approach to smaller countries like Bangladesh and re-emphasise issues like democratic governance and human rights that have been given a relatively short shrift by the Obama-Kerry administration.

As to what a Trump administration would do, I doubt even Mr Trump knows it from day to day. Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit was certainly a high point for all sorts of people who got to meet him, talk to him, be photographed with him, or otherwise be in the same hallowed receptions with him. But in the grand scheme of things, he represents a sun that is setting and soon will become far less relevant than his Dhaka “besties” give him credit for. John Kerry’s pronouncements and remarks, while important, are highly unlikely to be the final word from Washington DC, where a new team is guaranteed to pick up the Bangladesh portfolio at Foggy Bottom in a few months. l Esam Sohail is an educational research analyst and college lecturer of social sciences writing from Kansas, USA

Opinion

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

We can’t afford to dawdle Bangladesh emits little, but faces the worst

Ranked number one in the list of countries at risk, we must act now

REUTERS

The sixth most-vulnerable nation to flooding was once again exposed to flooding last August. The unprecedented level of monsoon rain affected an estimated 3 million people across 20 districts. The flooding broke the 100-year water level record at one of the stations

n Palash Sanyal

angladesh is particularly vulnerable to climate change hazards due to its low-level landscape, its topographical position which makes it susceptible to cyclones and tidal surges, its high population density and rural poverty, and an economy based on agriculture and fisheries (IPCC, 2014). Ranked number one in the list of countries at risk by National Geographic, the impacts have already been manifested by migration patterns and inundated lands. As the landscape and life style changes, the effect poses

serious questions for the country. With limited natural resources and heavy dependency on agriculture, climate change strain the environment and economy. At present, 8.3 million people live in cyclone high risk areas, but if global warming continues at the present rate, 21 million people will be at risk by 2050. The sixth most-vulnerable nation to flooding was once again exposed to flooding last August. The unprecedented level of monsoon rain affected an estimated 3 million people across 20 districts. Thousands have sought refuge in shelter houses. The flooding broke the 100-year water level record at one of the

stations. The Bay of Bengal in the south holds even dire consequences. Almost 25% of the population live in coastal areas. Salinity intrusion into soil and ground water due to both natural and human induced climate change challenge agriculture patterns, livelihoods, and living conditions. Current saline intrusion reaches 100km from the Bay of Bengal. Consumption of salty water has created health concerns in that region. A report by Earth journalism network last December pointed out that drinking tube-wells in southwest Bangladesh have been contaminated with salty ocean water for so long, that people have gotten used to the taste and it is impacting maternal health. By 2050, additional 7.6 million people could be exposed to very high salinity compared to current levels. There is also the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest. About 75% of the mangrove forest will be submerged if the sea level rises up to 45cm. A paper published in 2013

concluded that effective sea-level rise in Bangladesh is significantly higher than what had previously been assumed. Model-based predictions of future climate change indicate that for Bangladesh, an increase in both mean annual and seasonal temperatures, in the order of 2.0–4.7 °C, will occur by the end of this century. According to a report published in November last year by WHO, under a high emissions scenario, mean annual temperature is projected to rise by about 4.8°C on average from 1990 to 2100 affecting up to 8 million people. If emissions decrease rapidly, the temperature rise is limited to about 1.4°C. About 15 million people have to move by 2050 because of climate change causing the worst migration in human history. With the high emissions scenario, over 147 million people are projected to be at risk of malaria by 2070. If emissions decrease to the lowest level rapidly, projections indicate this number could decrease to about 117 million. Thus the survival of people in Bangladesh depends on keeping the global emission to the lowest level and global warming below 1.5 degree. It’s almost a year since the climate agreement was reached and it recognised the common but differentiated responsibilities of the nations, depending on respective capabilities and different national circumstances. Also, let’s not forget the agreement will take effect from 2020. Beyond making financial commitments, industrialised countries must facilitate technology transfers, and more generally, adaptation to a lowcarbon economy. Climate change is the single most severe threat for mankind and we can’t dawdle to act. Bangladesh belongs to the lowemission tier countries, yet they face the worst. USA and China ratifying the agreement last month gives us hope that if we want, we can bind ourselves to commit to keep the emission at the lowest possible to restrain global warming increase by 1.5 degree above preindustrial temperature. The international community as well as delegates from the developing and affected nations must push for urgency to take immediate measures to prevent global warming passing the 1.5C threshold at COP22. l Palash Sanyal is a freelance contributor.

Opinion

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Sainthoods earned Who in Pakistan deserves to be canonised?

Imran Khan is desperate for power. If only it did not hang tantalisingly beyond his reach

REUTERS

n FS Aijazuddin

ow that Pope Francis has finished with the business of canonising Mother Teresa as Saint Teresa of Kolkata, perhaps he might apply his mind to the credentials of another equally deserving candidate for sainthood. Saint Teresa spent her life emptying the Indian streets of the maimed, the needy, the indigent, the dying. Nawaz Sharif has spent his current prime ministerial term filling Pakistan’s streets with his opponents -- the politically disadvantaged, those hungry for power, and terminal cases who slip in and out of a coma of hopeless irrelevance. They exhort their followers to crowd every footpath, every road, every highway between Islamabad and Lahore, to agitate for his resignation/removal. That Nawaz Sharif should have survived such a self-made epidemic of hostility and still continue with a semblance of governance is a miracle. It merits at least sainthood. In just over a year, Mr Sharif will be energising his PML-N party for the next general election, due to be held in 2018. He is confident of winning. The opposition is in disarray, and if their erratic performance is any measure of their preparedness, they appear to have condemned themselves to another five years in impotent

Nawaz Sharif has spent his current prime ministerial term filling Pakistan’s streets with his opponents -- the politically disadvantaged. They exhort their followers to crowd every footpath, every road, every highway between Islamabad and Lahore, to agitate for his resignation/removal

opposition. Take the MQM. You might as well, because nobody else will. For over 20 years they have remained loyal to their “king across the water” -- the title given to the “Old” Pretender to the English throne James Stuart (then in exile) by his Jacobite supporters. Recently, the MQM Pakistan Rabita committee decided to adopt the warning Queen Elizabeth had once given to an errant nobleman. She threatened him: “I will make you shorter by a head.” The MQM, in an act of selfadministered surgery, decided to shorten itself by decapitating its own head. It disowned its absentee leader Altaf Hussain on television, in the press, and even in the National Assembly. No suicide could have been more public. It was as if General Rommel had swallowed Hitler’s pill of cyanide in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate. Will the MQM still be able to totter,

headless, to the finishing line of 2018? The laws of nature would argue not. The laws of Pakistani politics predicate that even such a physiological impossibility is not impossible. Today’s Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is indistinguishable from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. Its pope is deemed to be infallible. The vow of poverty does not apply to him. It encourages the worship of dead martyrs. Its Mary Magdalene is caught with a suitcase full of dollar bills. Its cardinals are allegedly corrupt. Its clergy lives off its parishioners. It condones simony -- the sale/purchase of a post or appointment for money. No wonder, it is discovering that because of its insatiable greed, its parish is shrinking from a national, to a provincial, to an urban level. The PML (Q) waits in the Punjab, like some horseless chariot, grounded until it can find a means of locomotion. Chaudhry

Pervez Elahi chafes because many of the social initiatives for which the PML-N is taking credit were in fact his ideas. Chaudhry Shujaat lost Mushahid Hussain as his foghorn and has yet to find a replacement. That leaves the irrepressible, uncontainable, enigmatic Imran Khan and his PTI. No leader in Pakistan’s political history has commanded such rabid devotion among his followers, nor identified himself so closely with lofty expectations of social integrity. Napoleon crowned himself emperor. He refused to let Pope Pious VII put the crown on his head. Imran Khan himself has placed the halo of probity around his own brow. It places him at an unenviable elevation. He has set himself high standards, and the PML-N government even higher ones. Imran Khan, having seen the hologram of power, is impatient. He is desperate to grasp it. If

only it did not hang tantalisingly beyond his reach. Once, the Sharifs looked towards Washington and Riyadh for succor and protection. Now, they look eastwards -- towards Beijing. Short of renaming Islamabad as Little Beijing, they are doing everything to ensure that China converts an inefficient, cleric-ridden, theocratic Pakistan into a Muslim facsimile of what was once a medieval, backward, lama-infested Tibet. Is this the result of a conscious policy by the two Sharif governments, at the Federal and Provincial level? Unfortunately, it is not. They are no more free agents to decide how much to concede to the Chinese than the Tibetans were. China has learned that the secret of accelerated modernisation lies not in industrialisation, nor power generation, nor in exercising muscles of nuclear might. It lies first in education, at all levels. “Give me four years to teach the children,” Lenin once said, “and the seed I have sown will never be uprooted.” The Chinese are reaping their early harvest. We stare at wilting seedlings. l FS Aijazuddin lives in Lahore and is a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s main English-language newspaper. This article first appeared in Dawn.

24 Sport

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Nazmul: BCB set to receive England squad today

TOP STORIES

n Tribune Report

All eyes on Manchester The eyes of the world will be on Manchester this weekend as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola bring their bitter feud to the Premier League. Any derby between United and City is guaranteed to be an explosive affair. PAGE 25

Kerber celebrates top rank by reaching final Reaching top of the world seems to agree with Angelique Kerber, who celebrated her ascension to the number one ranking with a 6-4 6-3 win over Caroline Wozniacki on Thursday to advance to today’s U.S. Open final. PAGE 26

Women win, men draw in Olympiad Bangladesh women’s chess team outclassed Morocco by 4-0 points in the seventh round of the open section in the 42nd World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan. The men’s team, on the other hand, drew with the UAE. PAGE 27

Ronaldo ready for Real comeback Real Madrid will welcome back the added firepower of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo and striker Karim Benzema when they entertain promoted Osasuna in La Liga today. Real’s all-time top scorer Ronaldo missed their first two league games. PAGE 28

Morgan opens up on security fears n AFP, Manchester Eoin Morgan says two previous security scares in the sub-continent made him wary of ever again jeopardising his personal safety, as he outlined why he remains deeply concerned about touring Bangladesh. England’s limited-overs captain has yet to commit to a tour whose future was called into question after an attack on a Dhaka cafe in July saw 20 hostages killed, although teammates Moeen Ali and Chris Jordan have both said they will go if selected. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) consequently sent an inspection team to Bangladesh led by long-serving security chief Reg Dickason. After he reported back, the board confirmed that the tour, which includes three one-day internationals and two Test match fixtures in October-November, would go ahead. ECB director Andrew Strauss, the former England captain, said Wednesday he expected to hear

from players within a matter of days if they were available to tour ahead of an expected squad announcement on September 16. Morgan said his thinking had been influenced by a bomb exploding at a 2010 Indian Premier League match and the violent background to a brief spell in the 2013/14 Dhaka Premier Division. “In 2010 we played an IPL game in Bangalore and a bomb went off in the ground. We immediately left for the airport. So that was an instance. Another one was (in) Bangladesh playing domestic cricket during political elections when things were incredibly violent.” The Irishman added: “I think ultimately, as I’ve said before, as an individual you need to be comfortable within yourself to focus on cricket. “I’ve been to places before where things have become a distraction and it’s only been once or twice when security’s been a distraction and I’ve told myself I’d never put myself in that situation again.”

Test captain Alastair Cook is understood to have given a private assurance he will be on the tour, while coach Trevor Bayliss, who was on the Sri Lanka bus that came under armed attack in Lahore in 2009, has stated publicly he will travel to Bangladesh. But Morgan, speaking after England’s nine-wicket Twenty20 thrashing by Pakistan at Old Trafford on Wednesday, said it was difficult to concentrate solely on cricket amid a backdrop of security worries. “International cricket or any cricket for that matter is not about worrying about different things,” he said. “It’s meant to be the best time of your life, it should be something that you are looking forward to and wanting to do well and able to focus on. “You have guys who have not toured anywhere like this before under circumstances like this and I think given that nobody has toured there since the terrorist attack, adds a bigger decision to it.” l

Bangladesh Cricket Board president Nazmul Hasan said there has been no communication between his board and the England and Wales Cricket Board recently, which can put England’s scheduled tour of Bangladesh in jeopardy. Concerns were raised in media and among the Bangladesh supporters yesterday after England limited-over captain Eoin Morgan stated that he would like to skip the tour over security concerns. “There has been no communication whatsoever between the BCB and the ECB recently. What I know is that they are supposed to send us a squad [today] so that security can be arranged for each member of the team,” Nazmul told a private television channel at his Gulshan residence yesterday. Morgan on Thursday told the English media: “I have been to places before when things have become a distraction and once or twice when that has been security, and when it has been I told myself I would not put myself in that situation again. “Playing international cricket - or any cricket - is not about worrying about different things, it should be the best time of your life, it should be something that you are looking forward to and wanting to do well in and are able to focus on.” Meanwhile, the BCB has decided to reward the Bangladesh Under-16 women footballers for their brilliant performance in the just-concluded Asian Football Confederation U-16 Women’s Championship Group C Qualifiers. The BCB has decided to reward each members of the U-16 team Tk one lac. A total of six countries – Iran, Chinese Taipei, the United Arab Emirates, Kyrgyzstan, Singapore and hosts Bangladesh - took part in the 10-day long qualifiers, which was held in Dhaka. The Bangladesh girls remained unbeaten to make history and qualify for the main round. “We have the money ready and wanted to give if before Eid. But the BFF (Bangladesh Football Federation) said us to hand over the money during a ceremony which they have already planned after Eid with the presence of our Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” informed BCB chief Nazmul. “Most of them came from families with financial crises so I think this token of appreciation will encourage them to let their girls continue the game which they are playing brilliantly,” he added. l

Sport

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

JOSE V PEP

MANCHESTER DERBY HEAD-TO-HEAD

OVERALL RECORD Played

WINS

OVERALL RECORD All competitive games:

171

Guardiola

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Mourinho

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FIVE OF THE BEST

EPL RECORD Games:

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Draws:

Responding in bullish fashion after Inter were brushed aside by Guardiola’s Barcelona in the Champions League group stages, Mourinho insisted he would relish a semi-final rematch. Mourinho got his wish in an acrimonious clash that lit the fuse on the pair’s rivalry. Pedro gave Barca the lead, but Inter roared back with goals from Wesley Sneijder, Maicon and Diego Milito.

City goals:

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Mourinho and Guardiola barbs down the years n AFP, London Ahead of the mouthwatering Manchester derby at the weekend, we look at a selection of the bitter remarks Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola have aimed at each other down the years.

Guardiola on Mourinho

“I know Mourinho and he’s trying to provoke me into a reaction, but it won’t work. I’m not going to react. I’m not going to answer back. Only when I think the time is right.” - Guardiola in 2011 as Mourinho ratchets up the snide remarks. “Outside of the field, he has won the entire year, the entire season and in the future (it will be the same). He can have his personal Champions League outside the field. Fine. Let him enjoy it, I’ll give him that.” - first-leg clash between Guardiola’s Barcelona and Mourinho’s Real Madrid. Barcelona won 2-0.

Mourinho on Guardiola

INTER MILAN 3 BARCELONA 1, Champions League semi-final first leg, April 2010

“I would be ashamed to have won it with the scandal of Stamford Bridge. If he wins it this year, it will be with the scandal of the Bernabeu. Deep down, if they are good people, it cannot taste right for them. I hope one day Guardiola has the chance of winning a brilliant, clean championship with no scandal.” - Mourinho blaming the referee in the 2011 Champions League semi-final, first leg. l

BARCELONA 5 REAL MADRID 0 La Liga, November 2010

All eyes on Manchester as Jose, Pep lock horns n AFP, London

The eyes of the world will be on Manchester this weekend as Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola bring their bitter feud to the Premier League for the first time. Any derby between Manchester United and Manchester City is guaranteed to be an explosive affair, but the presence of sworn enemies Mourinho and Guardiola should ensure the animosity levels are higher than usual today. With City top of the table and United just behind them in third after both won their first three league games, there was already more than local bragging rights at stake in a showdown between two surefire title contenders. Even City midfielder Fernandinho’s boast that “this game is big, man. It’s a game that stops the city” doesn’t do justice to a fixture reported to be the richest match in football history with over £600 million ($790 million, 708 million euros) of world-class talent on parade. Yet, despite the presence of Paul Pogba, David Silva, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and a host of other stars, it’s the action on the Old Trafford touchline that will be must-see TV for millions around the world as United manager Mourinho and City boss Guardiola lock horns for the first time in three years in the

17th instalment of their acrimonious rivalry. The sight of Mourinho and Guardiola gesticulating and exhorting their players signals the resumption of a complicated relationship that has turned increasingly ugly since they first met at Barcelona two decades ago. Mourinho’s constant jibes at Barcelona boss Guardiola during his time at Real Madrid undoubtedly got under the Spaniard’s skin, but the Portuguese coach’s record of just three wins in their 16 meet-

FIXTURES Arsenal Bournemouth Burnley Liverpool Man United Middlesbrough Stoke West Ham

v v v v v v v v

Southampton West Brom Hull Leicester Man City Crystal Palace Tottenham Watford

ings is a significant blemish on his otherwise glittering CV. Although Guardiola has come out on top seven times against Mourinho, he goes into the derby at a significant disadvantage following City striker Sergio Aguero’s three-match ban for elbowing West Ham United’s Winston Reid. Leroy Sane could deputise for

Aguero, who had already scored six times this season, after the Germany winger returned from the hamstring injury that delayed his debut after his £37 million ($48 million, 43 million euros) move from Schalke. Guardiola must also decide whether to give a debut to Chile goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, who arrived from Barcelona to replace the exiled Joe Hart, or stick with standin Willy Caballero. “I’ve played in derby games in Germany but this should be a great match and one I’m really looking forward to, especially because Pep Guardiola is taking on Jose Mourinho,” Sane said. Aguero’s absence will make it even harder for City to break a defence marshalled by Ivory Coast centre-back Eric Bailly, who has caught the eye of United goalkeeper David de Gea since his pre-season move from Villarreal. “Bailly was a great signing, he’s come in and surprised us all very quickly.” De Gea said. “I remember when I first came to England and, trust me, it can be hard early on but he’s flying. “He is physical, strong, technically confident and super-fast.” At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could give debuts to deadline day signings Shkodran Mustafi and Lucas Perez as they face Southampton.l

Joining Real put Mourinho in direct confrontation with Guardiola and the simmering feud boiled over after Barca inflicted one of the most chastening defeats of his career. Mourinho’s first El Clasico quickly turned sour as Xavi and Pedro put Real in control. Real were reduced to targeting Messi with a series of increasingly cynical fouls that became the hallmark of Mourinho’s meetings with Guardiola’s men, but the Barca forward wasn’t intimidated and set up David Villa for the third and fourth goals.

BARCELONA 0 REAL MADRID 1 Copa del Rey final, April 2011

Meeting for the first time with silverware at stake, Mourinho secured the maiden trophy of his Real reign at Guardiola’s expense and ended the club’s 18-year wait to win the Spanish Cup. A brutal encounter was decided in the first period of extra-time when Real forward Cristiano Ronaldo converted Angel di Maria’s cross.

REAL MADRID 0 BARCELONA 2 Champions League semi-final first leg, April 2011

With the animosity between the managers at fever pitch, their spiteful clash for a place in the final of Europe’s elite club competition poured more fuel on the fire. The sparring started in the build-up when Mourinho ridiculed Guardiola’s comments about that offside goal in the Spanish Cup -- “A man who criticises good decisions. This is completely new to me,” he said.

BARCELONA 3 REAL MADRID 2 Spanish Super Cup second leg, August 2011

The cold war between Mourinho and Guardiola showed no signs of thawing and their relationship hit a new low following yet another ugly encounter. With the scores level at 2-2 from the first leg, Andres Iniesta bagged Barca’s opener only for Ronaldo to equalise five minutes later.l

Sport

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Kerber celebrates top rank by reaching final n Reuters, New York Reaching top of the world seems to agree with Angelique Kerber, who celebrated her ascension to the number one ranking with a 6-4 6-3 win over Caroline Wozniacki on Thursday to advance to today’s U.S. Open final. The German left-hander was assured of becoming number one when the new rankings come out on Monday after top-seeded American Serena Williams was defeated by Czech 10th seed Karolina Pliskova 6-2 7-6(5) in the earlier semi-final. Australian Open champion Kerber, who leads the WTA for most main draw match wins this season at 53-14, clinched victory with a backhand that actually landed just beyond the baseline but went unchallenged by former number one Wozniacki of Denmark. “It’s just incredible. It’s a great day,” Kerber said on court. “To be here in the final for the first time, that means a lot. To be number one in the world, it sounds amazing.” Kerber will become the second

Angelique Kerber of Germany plays Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark on day 11 of the 2016 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre on Thursday AP German to top the women’s rankings, following Steffi Graf. “For me, it’s just amazing to be after Steffi the next number one player in Germany,” said Kerber,

who at 28 will become the oldest player to reach number one. “Steffi is a great champion, she’s a great person. I think she’s proud of me to be the next one after her.”

This year it was Czech 10th seed Pliskova, who until this week had never played beyond the third round of a grand slam, delivering the upset as she swept Williams off an Arthur Ashe Stadium court she claims as her own in one hour, 26 minutes. “I don’t believe it. Actually, I do believe it,” Pliskova said in a courtside interview. “I always knew I have a chance to beat anybody if I’m playing my game. “But this is something amazing. “Serena, she’s a champion so it’s never easy to play her. You saw even when she was down a break she’s still fighting so it’s very hard.” There was no calendar-year grand slam up for grabs this year but history continued to beckon Williams, who would have stood alone as greatest grand slam champion in the professional era if she had claimed a 23rd title and moved past Steffi Graf. And while there was no title to win on this day Williams stepped onto the court with something to lose. After 186 consecutive weeks as the world’s top-ranked player, Williams, who needed to reach the final to have any chance of retaining top spot, will relinquish the ranking to Angelique Kerber. Pliskova will now take on Kerber in today’s final after the second seeded German beat Caroline Wozniacki 6-4 6-3. After a punishing three-set quarter-final against Simona Halep on the same court 24 hours early, Williams appeared sluggish against

the towering Czech. But a clearly annoyed Williams refused to use fatigue as an excuse for her loss and instead blamed her sluggishness more on left knee problems that limited her mobility. “OK, I’m not going to repeat myself. I wasn’t tired from yesterday’s match,” said Williams. “If I can’t turn around after 24 hours and play again then I shouldn’t be on tour. “I have been having some serious left knee problems. I wasn’t tired. Fatigue had absolutely nothing to do with it. “I wasn’t able to move the way I wanted to move.” With the two biggest hitters in women’s tennis standing across from each other the match was expected to be an explosive affair filled with booming serves. Williams opened the contest with an ace but in the end it was the American’s serve that ultimately let her down as she committed six double faults, including the deciding point in the tiebreak. Pliskova, who has led the WTA Tour in aces the last two seasons, kept the 34-year-old American under pressure almost from the start and had break chances on all but one of Williams’ service games in the first set and converting twice. Showing the heart of a champion, Williams battled back from a break down to force a tiebreak where she clawed back from 3-0 down to take a 4-3 lead. But a cool Pliskova would not buckle and earned the victory when Williams double faulted. l

Serena stunned by Pliskova n Reuters, New York

For the second straight year Serena Williams saw her bid for a seventh U.S. Open title halted in the semi-finals with a 6-2 7-6(5) loss to Karolina Pliskova on Thursday that also ended her long reign as world number one. A year ago Williams went into the semi-finals on the cusp of a rare calendar-year grand slam but was the victim of one of the biggest upsets in tennis history when Roberta Vinci, a 300-to-1 longshot, prevailed.

Serena Williams of the USA reacts after losing to Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic in the US Open AP

Wozniacki, who has slipped to 74th in the rankings coming back from injuries, saluted Kerber. “Obviously, she’s had a great year,” the Dane said. “She gets a

lot of balls back. She knows how to change the pace. She gets good angles. “She’s playing really well.” Kerber had downplayed talk about becoming number one but admitted it felt “just great”. “To be now the number one in the world, that was always a dream for me,” she added. The changing of the guard as women’s top player also safeguarded Graf’s share of the record for most consecutive weeks at number one with Williams at 186. The derailing of Williams’ bid for a record-setting seventh U.S. Open title kept the American stalled at 22 grand slam singles titles - tied with Graf for most in the Open era. Kerber, who beat Williams in the Australian Open final for her first slam and fell to the same player in the Wimbledon title match, has one unfinished piece of business - getting even with Pliskova, who beat her in last month’s Cincinnati final. “I will try to take the revenge against her,” said Kerber, who holds a 4-3 career edge over the big-serving Pliskova.l

Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic reacts after beating Serena Williams of the USA on day 11 of the 2016 US Open at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre on Thursday AP

‘Tougher to beat Venus than Serena’ n AFP, New York Karolina Pliskova claimed it was harder to beat Venus Williams than it was to stun Serena Williams to make the US Open final on Thursday. The 10th seeded Czech clinched a famous 6-2, 7-6 (7/5) semi-final win to reach her first Grand Slam final, ending Serena’s hopes of winning a record 23rd major and knocking the American off the top of the world rankings as a result. The 24-year-old Pliskova also became just the fourth player to beat both Williams sisters at the same Slam after Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters and Martina Hingis. But she believes she laid the

foundations for her shock semi-final victory by saving a match point in her gruelling three-set win over Venus in the fourth round. “To beat Serena, she’s world No. 1, so it’s always tough to beat someone like this. She’s never giving up. Even if she’s losing, not playing her best, it’s always tough to beat girls like this,” said Pliskova. “But I would say it was a little bit tougher to play Venus because obviously I was match point down and she was serving much better than Serena was tonight. “Even my game I think was a little bit better against Venus. Everyone is gonna say it’s amazing win tonight. But both matches were very good.”l

Sport

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Women win, men draw in Chess Olympiad n Tribune Report Bangladesh women’s chess team outclassed Morocco by 4-0 points in the seventh round of the open section in the 42nd World Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaijan. The men’s team, on the other hand, drew with the United Arab Emirates by 2-2 points in their seventh round games. Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman beat Saeed Ishaq, GM Niaz Murshed defeated Al Huwar Jasem, GM Enamul Hossain lost to GM Salem A R Saleh while GM Mollah Abdullah al Rakib suffered a defeat to International Master Omar Noaman. In the women’s section, Women’s IM Shamima Akter Liza, Sharmin Sultana Shirin, WFM Nazrana Khan Eva and WFM Zakia Sultana won their respective matches. Bangladesh women’s team earned six match points while the men’s team collected 13 game points. l

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL STAR SPORTS 2 English Premier League 5:30PM Man United v Man City 8:00PM Arsenal v Southampton 10:30PM Liverpool v Leicester City

STAR SPORTS 4 German Bundesliga 10:15PM Leipzig v Borussia Dortmund

SONY SIX Spanish La Liga 5:00PM Celta Vigo v Atletico Madrid 8:00PM Real Madrid v Osasuna 12:30AM FC Barcelona v Alaves FIFA Futsal World Cup 3:00AM Cuba v Egypt 5:00AM Thailand v Russia 7:00AM Colombia v Portual

SONY ESPN Italian Serie A 10:00PM Juventus v Sassuolo 12:30AM Palermo v Napoli FIFA Futsal World Cup 5:00AM Uzbekistan v Panama 7:00AM Colombia v Portugal

TEN 2 French Ligue 1 9:00PM Olympic Lyon v De Bordeaux 12:00AM Losc Lille v Monaco

TEN 3 Sky Bet EFL 8:00PM Fulham v Birmingham City 10:30PM Derby County v Newcastle

TENNIS TEN 1 10:00PM US Open 2016 Final Men’s Doubles

Sport

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Dilshan makes one in final appearance n AFP, Colombo

THE LAST WALK

Sri Lanka won the toss and elected to bat first against Australia in the second and final Twenty20 international in Colombo yesterday. The hosts, who are gunning to give retiring batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan a winning farewell, have made just one change from their opening loss on Tuesday. Leg-spinner Seekkuge Prasanna joins the starting lineup in place of medium-pacer Kasun Rajitha. The David Warner-led side, who won the first match after scoring a world record 263 in Pallekele, have included all-rounder John Hastings and Matthew Wade in the playing XI. l Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan acknowledges the crowd as he returns to the pavilion after playing the final match of his career, during the second Twenty20I against Australia in Colombo, Sri Lanka yesterday –AP

Pakistan’s dilemma - tops in Tests, flops in ‘pyjamas’ n

AFP, Karachi

Top of the charts in Tests, but floundering at number nine in one-dayers, Pakistan’s dilemma emphasises the growing differences in skills needed to succeed across cricket’s various formats. Unpredictable Pakistan are consistently good in the white kit of the five-day game, but miserable in the short forms’ coloured clothing, sometimes known as “pyjamas”. They have also dropped to seventh in the Twenty20 rankings. Last month, they climbed to number one Test side for the first time after their 2-2 series draw in England - before crashing to earth with a 4-1 defeat in the subsequent one-day international series. Pakistan’s legendary pace bowler Wasim Akram described the contrast as “inevitable” given the way other teams have transformed their batting. England, who exited last year’s 50-over World Cup at the pool stage, are now a force in ODIs, smashing a world-record 444 in the third match against Pakistan. “We did not keep pace with changes in limited-overs cricket,” Akram told AFP. “While other teams progressed in leaps and bounds - look at England how they

have transformed since the 2015 World Cup - we have slumped. “We have had a settled squad in Tests so we have produced good results but we didn’t have back-ups for Misbah-ul-Haq, Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal in limited-overs cricket.” Afridi and Misbah retired from

one-day cricket after last year’s World Cup, where Pakistan were hammered by Australia in the quarter-finals. England fared worse, but they have become a formidable limited-overs outfit under coach Trevor Bayliss, reaching the World Twenty20 final earlier this year.

Former captain Imran Khan, who led Pakistan to their only 50over World Cup victory in 1992, said a solution may be for 42-yearold Misbah to make a comeback. “Why can a player who is so successful in Tests not continue in one-days?” he asked. “If he has made Pakistan number one in Tests he can lift the team in ODIs as well.” Whether’s Khan’s solution holds merit is debatable. Misbah became Pakistan’s Test captain in 2010 and one-day captain a year later. If he can be credited with Pakistan’s success in Tests, then the responsibility for the slump in ODIs must also lie partly on his shoulders. His tenure got off to a bright start, with the pairing of off-spinner Saeed Ajmal and left-arm quick Junaid Khan responsible for anchoring Pakistan’s seven one-day series wins in 2013, including victories in India and South Africa. But Ajmal lost his wicket-taking mojo when he was forced to remodel his action after it was deemed illegal in 2014. Junaid was sidelined with injury and his form dropped away. Pakistan’s fortunes went into free-fall and they didn’t win a single series in 2014. l

Ronaldo ready for Real comeback n Reuters, Barcelona

Real Madrid will welcome back the added firepower of talisman Cristiano Ronaldo and striker Karim Benzema when they entertain promoted Osasuna in La Liga today. Real’s all-time top scorer Ronaldo missed their first two league games of the season and their European Super Cup triumph over Sevilla while recovering from a knee injury he sustained playing in the Euro 2016 final for Portugal. He told reporters on Thursday, however, that he would face Osasuna, declaring: “I’m ready”. Spanish newspaper Marca reported earlier in the week that the forward, who scored 35 goals in 36 league games last season, will play 60 minutes against Osasuna as coach Zinedine Zidane eases him back into action. Benzema has been recovering from a hip injury, but is expected to start alongside Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, allowing Zidane to field his first choice “BBC” attack for the first time this season. l

FIXTURES Celta Vigo Real Madrid Sevilla Malaga Barcelona

v v v v v

Atletico Madrid Osasuna Las Palmas Villarreal Alaves

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Inexpensive (5) 6 Lacking discipline (3) 7 Disease of rye (5) 10 Entertain (5) 12 Absent (4) 13 Valleys (5) 15 Revise and correct (4) 16 Dry, of champagne (3) 18 Distress signal (3) 20 Salamander (4) 22 Concur (5) 23 Common heather (4) 25 Requires (5) 27 Ornamental coronet (5) 28 Fish eggs (3) 29 Endures (5)

DOWN 1 Demands as a right (6) 2 Poor actor (3) 3 Oozes out (6) 4 Stripping (7) 5 Present (3) 8 Fuel (3) 9 Story (4) 11 Sorrowful (3) 14 Everlasting (7) 16 Directs a course (6) 17 Shuts (6) 19 Leave out (4) 21 Tiny (3) 22 Turkish commander (3) 24 No score (3) 26 Morse element (3)

Downtime

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 2 represents B so fill B every time the figure 2 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

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Stars collide

WHAT TO WATCH

n Showtime Desk Even after the abysmal box office numbers of Mohenjo Daro, Rakesh Roshan has no intentions of moving the movie release date of his son’s latest starring project. The release of Kaabil will clash on the same date as Shah Rukh Khan’s Raees. The producer of Raees, Ritesh Sidhwani, had met up with papa Roshan, asking him several times, hoping to convince him to change the release date. A close source disclosed saying, “Co-producer Shah Rukh Khan is in Prague shooting for Imtiaz Ali’s next, Ritish has been trying his best to persuade Roshan Sr and has met him a few times. But the filmmaker is not budging from his date as his deals have been locked and his tie-ups are in place. The clash, it seems, is unavoidable.” There were earlier rumours that the filming of Kaabil was held up, yet actress Yami Gautam cleared the air by saying: “Not at all. It’s absolutely not true.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Star Movies 7:13pm A look at Wolverine’s early life, in particular his time with the government squad Team X and the impact it will have on his later years. Cast: Hugh Jackman, Live Schreiber, Ryan Reynolds

In fact, the film’s shoot is going very well. We have just wrapped up a song shoot. Moreover, as I have always said, it’s amazing to work with Hrithik, especially when we are shooting a dance sequence with him. I can’t wait for all of you to watch it. I can

Lady Gaga’s new single

write an entire thesis on what I’ve learnt from him. To sum it up, he is a dream co-actor to work with. When I came to know that I have to do a dance sequence with him, I was nervous. After all, he is Hrithik Roshan. The reason behind Hrithik being the best

Official villain

n Mahmood Hossain

n Farhan Shahriar Trending pop icon Lady Gaga recently released her new clubready, upbeat single “Perfect Illusion” on late Thursday night. The new song is the lead single of Gaga’s upcoming fifth studio album, LG5. The song is written and produced by herself, Mark Ronson, Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker and BloodPop. The track “Perfect Illusion” is absolutely amazing, featuring electronic guitar strings, smooth vocals and upbeat music. So far, the track has already stirred up the charts globally and is the number one song in 27

countries including Brazil, USA and UK. Gaga is back in the world of pop music after almost three years. Her fourth studio album, Artpop, was released back in November 2013 and received mixed reactions from fans. After that, Gaga took a complete break from music and writing songs. However, she did collaborate on a jazz album with legendary singer Tony Bennett in 2014 named, Cheek To Cheek, and released her hit song, “Till It Happens To You.” An Oscar nomination, a Grammy and a Golden Globe award later, the 30-year-old songstress is back.l

dancer is that he never takes his work for granted. In the entire schedule, I never heard him say ‘It’s easy or I can do it easily’. He is very energetic and always ready to learn. He has the ability of reinventing himself.” l

It’s official, after all those teasers and rumours, Deathstroke will be the next major villain in the DC cinematic universe. And the man to play the comic book character will be Joe Manganiello of True Blood and Magic Mike fame. Deathstroke will be featured in Ben Affleck’s standalone Batman film. A very exciting video clip of the character was “leaked” on Affleck’s Twitter account. At the time, the man behind the mask was still hidden, up until DC Entertainment president and chief creative officer Geoff Johns confirmed the addition of Manganiello. The information was released during his first interview discussing his new role overseeing the new department under Warner Bros. When asked if Deathstroke would make a cameo in Justice League, Johns declined to disclose further

information on the upcoming superhero team-up. While Justice League is currently shooting in London, the first standalone Batman film by Affleck is likely to hit theatres in 2018, but the actual date is yet to be confirmed. Both Geoff Johns and Ben Affleck are writing the script to the Batman movie, while the latter will also be directing and starring as Bruce Wayne. l

300 HBO 7:36pm King Leonidas of Sparta and a force of 300 men fight the Persians at Thermopylae in 480 B.C. Cast: Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, David Wenham Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 WB 9:00pm Harry, Ron and Hermione search for Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes in their effort to destroy the Dark Lord as the final battle rages on at Hogwarts. Cast: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint John Carter Zee Studio 9:30pm Transported to Barsoom, a Civil War vet discovers a barren planet seemingly inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter Woola and a princess in desperate need of a savior. Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe The Amazing Spider-Man Movies Now 9:30pm

After Peter Parker is bitten by a genetically altered spider, he gains newfound, spiderlike powers and ventures out to solve the mystery of his parent’s mysterious death. Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans l

Showtime

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

Firth is 56 n Showtime Desk There’s a birthday every single day that celebrates the stars of Hollywood. And on this day, September 10, 2016, Colin Firth – one of the film industry’s finest – celebrates his 56th birthday. Naturally, this calls for a list of his best performances throughout his acting career. We’ve put together a list of must watch Colin Firth films you should catch up on, if you haven’t already. Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001)

Love Actually (2003) Nine intertwined stories examine the complexities of the one emotion that connects us all: love. Among the characters explored are David (Hugh Grant), the handsome newly elected British prime minister who falls for a young junior staffer (Martine McCutcheon), Sarah (Laura Linney), a graphic designer whose devotion to her mentally ill brother complicates her love life, and Harry (Alan Rickman), a married man tempted by his attractive new secretary.

Mamma Mia! (2008) Donna (Meryl Streep), an independent hotelier in the Greek islands, is preparing for her daughter’s wedding with the help of two old friends. Meanwhile Sophie, the spirited bride, has a plan. She secretly invites three men from her mother’s past in hope of meeting her real father and having him escort her down the aisle on her big day.

Firth) must ascend the throne as King George VI, but he has a speech impediment. Knowing that the country needs her husband to be able to communicate effectively, Elizabeth (Helena Bonham Carter) hires Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush), an Australian actor and speech therapist, to help him overcome his stammer. An extraordinary friendship develops between the two men, as Logue uses unconventional means to teach the monarch how to speak with confidence.

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

A Single Man (2009) George (Colin Firth) is a college professor who recently lost his lover, Jim, in a car accident. Terribly grief-stricken, George plans to commit suicide. As he goes about his daily routine and puts his affairs in order, his encounters with colleagues, students and an old friend (Julianne Moore) lead him to make a final decision as to whether life is worth living without Jim.

At the start of the New Year, 32-year-old Bridget (Renée Zellweger) decides it’s time to take control of her life, and start keeping a diary. Now, the most provocative, erotic and hysterical book on her bedside table is the one she’s writing. With a taste for adventure, and an opinion on every subject - from exercise to men to food to sex and everything in between - she’s turning the page on a whole new life.

In 1970s England the head of MI6, Control (John Hurt), dispatches an agent (Mark Strong) to meet with a Hungarian general who knows the identity of a Soviet spy in the organisation’s ranks. However, the mission goes wrong, and the general dies before he can reveal the information. Undersecretary Oliver Lacon (Simon McBurney) calls veteran agent George Smiley (Gary Oldman) back from forced retirement to ferret out the mole and stop the flow of vital British secrets to the Russians.

Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton), whose late father secretly worked for a spy organisation, lives in a South London housing estate and seems headed for a life behind bars. However, dapper agent Harry Hart (Colin Firth) recognises potential in the youth and recruits him to be a trainee in the secret service. Meanwhile, villainous Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) launches a diabolical plan to solve the problem of climate change via a worldwide killing spree.l

The King’s Speech (2010) England’s Prince Albert (Colin

James Cameron teases with Avatar sequel n Showtime Desk James Cameron’s Avatar sequels don’t start hitting theatres until late 2018, but the director just teased some updated details about the second film in his planned pentalogy.

Cameron told in a interview with Variety that the storyline for the second, third, fourth and fifth Avatar sequels will focus on the first film’s core couple, Jake and Neytiri (played by Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana), and their children. “It’s more of

a family saga about the struggle with the humans,” he said. The first sequel is expected to debut in December of 2018, but the date will shift if Cameron needs it to. “The important thing for me is not when the first one comes out but the cadence of the release pattern,” he said. “I want them to be released as close together as possible. If it’s an annual appointment to show up at Christmas, I want to make sure that we’re able to fulfil on that promise.” Back in April, it was announced that the Avatar sequels are expected to debut in December 2018, before continuing in December 2020, December 2022, and December 2023. The original film came out in 2009.

If Cameron’s family comments sound familiar, that’s because he teased a similar storyline back in 2013. “We spread it around quite a bit more as we go forward,” Cameron said at the time. “It’s

really the story of his family, the family that [Jake] creates on Pandora; his extended family. So think of it as a family saga like The Godfather.” l

Back Page

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

THE PRINCELY CITY PAGE 12

MORGAN OPENS UP ON SECURITY FEARS PAGE 24

JAMES CAMERON TEASES WITH AVATAR SEQUEL PAGE 31

Tulip, Rushanara named among most influential Londoners n Tribune Desk Bangladeshi-origin British lawmakers Tulip Rizwana Siddiq and Rushanara Ali have been named in the Evening Standard’s The Progress 1000 list of the most influential people in London. The Progress 1000 celebrates London’s most influential people, highlighting those driving progress and innovation in London. Hampstead and Kilburn’s lawmaker Tulip and Bethnal Green and Bow’s lawmaker Rushanara were named in the list which was published on Thursday. About Tulip, the London Evening Standard said: “No shrinking violet, Siddiq led

calls for Britain to do more to help Syrian refugees. Having seen off the unions to stand for Labour in Hampstead and Kilburn, she also came off best when she clashed, when expecting her first child, with Deputy Speaker Eleanor Laing, who allegedly told her not to ‘play the pregnancy card’ after breaking Commons rules by leaving a debate to eat.” In a Facebook post, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s niece said: “I was honoured to find out last night that the London Evening Standard have included me in their list of 1000 most influential people in London. “I must admit that the phrase ‘no shrinking violet’

never gets old!” Rushanara was one of the MPs who nominated Corbyn for the 2015 leadership contest, said the list. “The independent-minded MP, an early advocate of a ‘new kind of politics’, dipped her toe into the deputy leadership race but withdrew after it became clear she would struggle to gain support. She resigned as shadow minister for education and young people in September 2014 after deciding to abstain on the vote on airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq,” the list added. Tulip and Rushanara belong to the Labour Party. They were elected as Members of Parliament in the 2015 general election. l

Tulip Rizwana Siddiq

Rushanara Ali

Bangabandhu I satellite loan deal signed with HSBC n Ishtiaq Husain Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has signed a €157.5 million loan agreement with Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HSBC) for launching the country’s first commercial and broadcast satellite Bangabandhu I. BTRC Chairman Dr Shahjahan Mahmood and HSBC Bangladesh Deputy Chief Executive Officer M Mahbub Ur Rahman inked the deal at the BTRC office yesterday. As per the agreement, HSBC will provide the fund at an interest rate of 1.51% and the government will repay the amount in 20 installments in 12 years. State Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Tarana Halim and France Ambassador to Bangladesh

Sophie Aubert were present during the agreement signing ceremony. Talking to the Dhaka Tribune after the deal signing session, Tarana Halim and

The government wants to launch the satellite on December 16, 2017, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the country’s victory in the Liberation War Sophie Aubert expressed hope that the satellite would be launched within the estimated time. On November 11, 2015, the telecom regulator signed the

Tk2,967 crore agreement with Thales Alenia Space, awarding the French firm work order for manufacturing and launching Bangabandhu I. Of the amount, Thales Alenia Space will provide Tk1,652 crore while the rest of the amount will be arranged by Bangladesh government. As per the agreement, the Thales Alenia Space will manufacture, launch and maintain the satellite for providing communication and broadcast services. Once the satellite is launched into orbit, it is expected to help the country save $14m annually. The government can also earn by renting the satellite out. The government wants to launch the satellite on December 16, 2017, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the country’s victory in the Liberation War. l

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