16 Sep, 2016

SECOND EDITION

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

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Ashwin 1, 1423, Zil-Hajj 13, 1437

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Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 139

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www.dhakatribune.com

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24 pages

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Price: Tk10

TRIBUNAL VERDICT THEFT CASE

SQC’s lawyer gets 10 years n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A special court yesterday convicted five people including the lawyer of war criminal Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and sentenced them to different terms for the leak of a draft verdict from the International Crimes Tribunal’s computer three years ago.

Bangladesh Cyber Tribunal Judge KM Shamsul Alam, however, acquitted two other prime accused – Salauddin’s wife Farhat Quader Chowdhury and son Hummam Quader Chowdhury – as the “prosecution failed to prove the charge [of financ-

ing the theft] against them,” it said.

All the accused but Hummam were present in court during delivery of the brief judgement. Hummam was allegedly picked up by plainclothes police from near the court on August 4.

After yesterday’s verdict, special public prosecutor Md Nazrul Islam Shamim said that they were somewhat happy with the judgement, but expected conviction of all the accused.

The tribunal sentenced Salauddin’s lawyer barrister Fakhrul Islam to 10 years in prison and slapped a  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Muslim devotees say their Eid-ul-Azha prayers on Tuesday morning at Baitul Mukarram mosque in Dhaka

Missing militant brothers post IS-style photo n Tribune Desk Wanted by police for militant ties, two brothers who have been missing since December last year have posted a photo of them on Facebook and an unidentified third party posing with an IS flag and guns.

The three are also holding drinking glasses in their hands filled with an unidentifiable dark liquid.

Ibrahim Hasan Khan, a high school graduate from Saudi Arabia and resident of Bashundhara area in Dhaka, posted the photo as his profile picture around 10pm Wednesday. He is the one sitting in the middle wearing black shades.

On his right is his brother Junayed Hossain. The one on Ibrahim’s other side could not be identified immediately.

All clad in black, the photo is reminiscent of the Gulshan attackers and the militants killed in Kallyan-

Two militant brothers post photo on Facebook with IS flag and guns pur raid who claimed themselves as IS supporters, except that the three here are holding glasses, apparently of beverage, instead of guns.

In the photo, a rifle is seen kept beside the chair of Ibrahim, who appears to be the leader of the

group, while another rifle, two pistols, two magazines of ammunition and a mobile phone rest on the table in front of them.

The photo, however, bears no caption or location details.

The siblings came into limelight

Rawhide sold at lowest prices

US lifting of economic sanctions on Myanmar

after the horrific July 1 Gulshan attack in which 23 people including 17 foreigners were killed by five militants posing as IS supporters. The brothers’ names appeared on the elite force’s list of missing youths with suspected militant links.

Police later said they were looking for the two and 10 others, all accomplices of Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the Gulshan attack mastermind killed in a raid in Narayanganj on August 27 this year.

Ibrahim and Junayed’s father Munir Hasan is an expatriate in Saudi Arabia. According to his Facebook profile, which was last updated in October 2015, Munir Hasan works at Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh.

Ibrahim studied at Bangladesh International School in Saudi Arabia. Their flat in Bashundhara residential area remains vacant as according to media reports the family  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

INSIDE

Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover opened to traffic Another part of the much-awaited Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover was opened to traffic yesterday as part of efforts to ease traffic jam.  PAGE 3

This year rawhide businesses saw the lowest prices in three years, spelling losses for a lot of seasonal rawhide traders.  PAGE 4

US economic trade sanctions on Myanmar are being eased to support the country’s transition toward democracy.  PAGE 9

Doctors warn of post-Eid health hazard in Dhaka Doctors are concerned about a probable disease outbreak in Dhaka following the hours-long waterlogging mixed with blood of sacrificed animals PAGE 24

RAJIB DHAR

Militant Marjan’s wife was among the three n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Law enforcers have identified the three women held during a raid in Azimpur area on Saturday saying they were radicalised by their husbands, who are linked to the deadly militant outfit New JMB. One of the trio, Afrin alias Priyoti, 25, is the wife of Gulshan attack coordinator Nurul Islam alias Shakil alias Marjan. Police are looking for Marjan, former Shibir leader, after several arrested New JMB members disclosed his name during interrogation.

Officials say the women knew each other from before and that their husbands coaxed them into militancy. Two of them are highly educated.

All of them are undergoing treatment in police custody.

Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit’s Additional Deputy Commissioner Sanowar Hossain said that they would produce the trio before the court seeking remand. “We hope to get more information from them after interrogation,” he said.

Two others arrested on that day  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

9-yr-old domestic help tortured n Md Ibrahim, Chandpur

Police have arrested two men named Mostafa Sardar and Md Omar Faruk and are looking for Faruk’s wife Moni Begum for torturing a nine-year-old domestic help to the brink of death in Gazipur.

The child, a resident of Nayani village in Haimchar upazila, Chandpur, had been employed at Faruk-Moni residence and had been subjected to barbaric torture for nearly a year, her mother told the Dhaka Tribune.

Sources close to the victim’s family said she was taken to Gazipur by her relative Mostafa Sardar at the residence of his sister-in-law Moni over a year ago.

Shortly after she arrived at her employers’ house, they started beating her black and blue, the victim told the Dhaka Tribune at Haimchar Upazila Health Complex in Chandpur yesterday.

“They burned me with iron and

would let me eat one meal every two days.”

Her mother said: “Mostafa took my daughter to his sister-in-law’s house assuring me that she would have a good life there. Since he took her, I tried to see her several times, but they did not let me.

Then on Wednesday evening, Mostafa left my unconscious daughter in front of my house. I went to the upazila chairman immediately,

who helped me get my daughter treatment and get the culprits arrested.”

Chandpur Superintendent of Police Shamsunnahar, who visited the child at the hospital, told the Dhaka Tribune: “There are bruises and scars all over the child’s body.

She is clearly traumatised and gets agitated when she sees a crowd.

But she is talking to her family members now.”

Dr Dipon Dey, who attended the victim at the health complex, said: “She is in a critical state. Authorities are taking initiative to transfer her to Chandpur Sadar Hospital for better treatment.”

Haimchar upazila parishad Chairman Md Nur Hossain Patwari said: “I have never seen something so barbaric in my life. I contacted police right after her mother came to me for help and helped her to file a case. I am working to ensure that the culprits involved get exemplary punishment.” l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina pushes the stroller of her great-niece, daugther of her niece Tulip Siddiq, as she enters Stoke Park Hotel in London, UK along with her sister Sheikh Rehana yesterday. Hasina stopped over in London on her way to Canada to attend the Fifth Global Fund Replenishment Conference

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

SQC’s lawyer gets 10 years Tk1 crore fine for masterminding the act of theft.

Four other accused – Salauddin’s manager Mahbubul Ahsan, Fakhrul’s assistant Mehedi Hasan, and former office staff of the war crimes tribunal Faruk Hossain and Nayan Ali – have been handed down seven years’ imprisonment and fined Tk10,000 each. They will have to serve six months’ additional jail term if they fail to pay the fines.

Of the convicts, Mehedi is on the run since the filing of the case on October 2, 2013. Nayan, a cleaner, and Faruk, a stenographer of the tribunal registrar office, were arrested on October 5 the same year.

The duo were later suspended.

DB arrested Fakhrul in connection with the leak around two months after the incident.

Former lawmaker from Chittagong’s Raozan, Salauddin was executed at the Dhaka Central Jail on November 22 last year on completion of his legal battle in the war crimes case. He was given death penalty for killing Nutan Chandra Singha and orchestrating three other genocides during the 1971 Liberation War. According to the case, Salauddin’s family spent a large sum of money to steal the draft verdict of his war crimes case from the tribunal chairman’s computer ahead of the judgement and upload it on different websites to make the trial process controversial.

Salauddin’s wife and son hatched conspiracy and instigated the leak while Fakhrul facilitated it. Mehedi, Mahbubul, Faruk and Nayan were directly involved in

the crime, according to the charge sheet.

On October, 1, 2013, shortly after the pronouncement of the verdict in Salauddin’s war crimes case, his family members and defence counsels told the tribunal that the verdict had already been available on a few websites. They also claimed that the judgement was dictated by the government as it had been written in the Law Ministry.

On October 2, the war crimes tribunal registrar filed a general diary with Shahbagh police over the leak. After primary investigation, DB police filed a case under the Information and Communication Technology Act on October 4.

Nayan in his confession on October 10 said that he had begun delivering bits of the draft copy in a flash drive to Fakhrul’s office at Kakrail on September 15, 2013. He got Tk500-1,000 every day for the work. Family members of Salauddin took the bits of the draft every day, Nayan said.

He, however, claimed that he had been unaware of the data contents until September 25. The following day when he declined to deliver the data, Fakhrul and Mehedi threatened him with life.

DB police submitted the charges on August 28, 2014, but the indictment hearing was deferred a dozen times due to filing of time petitions by the defence.

After the accused were indicted on February 15 this year, the special tribunal recorded the statements of 21 out of 25 prosecution witnesses. It had to defer the verdict date several times for different reasons. l

Militant Marjan’s wife was among the three are Abedatul Fatema alias Khadiza, 35, wife of Tanvir Qadri alias Abdul Karim alias Jamshed who killed himself during the raid, and Shaila Afrin, 23, wife of absconding militant leader Jaman alias Basharuzzaman.

Names of their husbands were also mentioned in a case filed against them.

Tanvir’s whole family is involved in militancy. Their two sons followed in their parents’ footsteps. One of them, Tahrim Qadri alias Rasel was arrested from the Azimpur den.

Police named him in the case too.

Rasel’s twin brother is said to have been sent to the path of “Jihad.”

CT unit Deputy Commissioner Mohibul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that Rasel, 14, was produced before a court with a five-day remand prayer. The hearing might take place Sunday or Monday. The court sent Rasel to the juvenile correction centre.

The law enforcers claim that Rasel attacked the police with a knife during the raid.

Rasel has a twin brother, but he was not found in the house during the raid. An officer said that the other brother might be sent to Jihad according to the family decision.

A level VIII student of Mastermind School at Dhanmondi, Rasel became irregular in classes for the last few months.

The two other children found at the den – Junaira alias Pinki, 8, and 10-month-old Sabiha Jaman alias Ruhi – were handed over to their families on September 12, Additional Deputy Commissioner (media) Yousuf Ali told the Dhaka Tribune.

Investigators say Priyoti is the daughter of one Abdul Jalil from Pabna’s Ishwardi. Marjan is her maternal cousin. The couple went into hiding soon after they were married this January. Priyoti reportedly passed Alim from a local madrasa.

Militant Jaman’s wife Shaila, daughter of one Abul Hashem, had gone missing two years ago when she was an undergraduate student.

The family filed a complaint with Kalabagan police. She reportedly got involved in militancy after her marriage to Jaman.

According to sources, she attacked the policemen with a knife and tried to escape leaving her 10-month-old child behind.

Former North South University student Jaman used to stay at his in-law’s house at Tejgaon, and had no contact with his family in Rajshahi’s Tanore for the last two years.

On the other hand, militant Tanvir’s wife Khadiza, daughter of one Kawsar Ahammed, is a highly-educated woman. Her ancestral home is in West Batkamari area under Boali in Gaibandha sadar.

She used to work at a private company like her husband. Tanvir coaxed his wife into militancy, and shortly after that, they both quit their jobs.

Police hunt for Murad’s wife

Jebunnahar, the wife of New JMB trainer Zahidul Islam alias Maj Murad who was killed in a police raid in Mirpur area on September 2, escaped with her daughter before the Azimpur raid. But she left her passport and bank documents which were seized by the police.

CT unit officials say they discovered the hideout when looking for Jebunnahar. Now she might have got in touch with another militant of the same gang and is laying low at a different hideout.

Her family members said that Jebunnahar used to lead a modern life and got involved in militancy through her husband, who retired from the army last year and later took a job at Lake Head Grammar School.

Police say Murad and Tanvir were close associates of Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, the key coordinator of the New JMB killed in a raid along with his two cohorts in Narayanganj on August 27.

According to media reports, the outfit – having ties to international terrorist group Islamic State – is responsible for carrying out at least 26 attacks since September last year that killed 45 people including 23 in the Gulshan attack and injured dozens.

Since November, at least 31 members of the deadly group have been killed in police raids while two others died by their own hands. l

Missing militant has been living abroad for the last one year.

Before posting this photo, Ibrahim remained inactive on the Facebook for more than a year. His last public post on the social media was on July 13, 2015.

When contacted, a senior RAB official told the Dhaka Tribune that nothing could be said about the matter before verifying the information. l

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

SIX MONTHS OF BB HEIST PROBE

CID fears failing to catch hackers n Kamrul Hasan At six months into the investigation of the Bangladesh Bank cyber heist, investigators say they are continuing to focus on the beneficiaries of the crime.

They also admitted that they may not be able to trace the hackers at this point as the criminals had had enough head start to erase all traces from the mechanism.

“They can remove their traces but they cannot make the crimes clueless. We have got the names of the people who received the stolen money and keeping them under surveillance with assistance from concerned local police forces,” said Criminal Investigation Department (CID) spokesperson Mirza Abdullahel Baqui.

CID took charge of the case on March 16, 41 days after the heist took place.

On February 4, hackers stole more than $101 million from Bangladesh Bank’s account with the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and wired it to a number of bank

accounts in the Philippines and Sri Lanka.

According to the case statement, a total of 101 million dollars were illegally transferred from Bangladesh Bank fund against 35 payment instructions. Of the money, $20 million went to Sri Lanka while $81 million to the Philippines.

The central bank has received the $20 million transferred to Sri Lanka, minus transfer fees of about $70,000. All procedures for getting $18m has been completed in the Philippines, said BB sources.

Two CID teams visited the Philippines and Sri Lanka in April and another team sat on a conference with the concerned countries in Manila later.

CID said they might not get hold of the hackers as the cyber evidence had already been removed when the case was filed. They said the crime should have been given top priority and law enforcement engaged immediately.

Every second was valuable in tracking cyber crime, but the denial of the concerned authorities

helped criminals erase their traces, said an investigator seeking anonymity.

Asked if they could trace the hackers or their location, Baqui said they had contacted every advanced agency in the world who had also failed to unearth the truth.

Besides, CID is yet to determine the number of suspects.

Confirming that no Bangladeshi, especially any BB officials were involved in the heist, the CID spokesperson said the number of suspects was still uncertain as they were yet to interrogate the foreigners whose names came up in the investigations.

“We cannot name anyone as we do not know who to prosecute due to lack of evidence. We need evidence that we have asked the concern countries to provide.”

The CID has not even confirmed any date to interrogate the persons suspected in the Philippines and Sri Lanka, he added.

He said they had asked the concerned officials to provide them some necessary documents

steps to strengthen their security measures.

After the BB heist it sent mails to its users to follow instructions strictly. Reuters reported on May 24 that SWIFT will hold a financial services conference in Brussels where it will launch a five-point plan.

On August 30, SWIFT emailed to the user members of the country asking them to update their software.

Abul Kalam Azad, the joint secretary of SWIFT User Group of Bangladesh, confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune of receiving the mail and said they had already taken all necessary measures.

He said SWIFT and BB had issued instructions to create improved passwords.

He also said that with the improvement of SWIFT security measures now the system could identify changes in modus operandi, for example accessing the system at odd times from a user account before hacking would alert the users. l

Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover opened to traffic

Walk-in Indian tourist visa facilities for senior Bangladeshis n Tribune Desk The Indian High Commission in Dhaka has introduced waiver of visa appointment date for senior citizens of Bangladesh.

Senior citizens aged 65 years and above will not require prior appointment date or e-token to submit their tourist visa applications, said a press release issued yesterday.

“With effect from September 18, senior citizens from Bangladesh aged 65 years and above will not require prior appointment date/etoken to submit their tourist visa applications. Senior citizens can walk-in and submit their applications at any of the Indian Visa Application Centres in Bangladesh,” the press statement said.

It also said the Government of India had recently announced that Bangladesh nationals above the age of 65 years would be eligible for Long Term Multiple Entry Tourist visas valid for five years.

“This is a goodwill gesture extended for the benefit of senior citizens. It is expected to facilitate the ease of securing Indian visas and further strengthening people-to-people contacts and relations between both the countries,” the press statement added. l

several times after they took charge of the investigation. But no country has provided documents yet. However, he said, they were hoping that the documents would be sent soon.

“We were hoping that we would get the documents during the Asia Pacific Group meeting at Dhaka during August but our hopes faded as the meeting was moved to USA. Although the counter countries were to come to our country for attending APG, but an additional meeting was scheduled with them at the same venue,” the SS added.

The CID was now planning to arrange another meeting. But could not confirm the date.

According to another officials involved in the investigation said polices from around 12 countries were assisting them as the criminals were from those countries were staying there during the time.

SWIFT to strengthen security measures The Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT) says it has taken

n UNB Another part of the much-awaited Moghbazar-Mouchak Flyover was opened to traffic yesterday as part of efforts to ease traffic congestion on Eskaton-Mouchak road further.

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain inaugurated it around 11am.

Vehicles on the one-km stretch of the flyover – near Janakantha building to near Arong (Mouchak) - started moving soon after its inauguration.

"I've inaugurated a one-km long part of the flyover. We hope we'll be able to open the rest part of the flyover to traffic by June-July next year," Mosharraf said.

Once completed, the construc-

A car uses the section of Moghbazar flyover connecting Eskaton and Mouchak crossing after it was opened for general people yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

tion of the flyover, it will help ease traffic congestion in the city, the minister said.

He, however, said, "I don't think one area will be free from traffic jams after constructing a flyover in it.

Rather, it may contribute to tailbacks in some other areas. It'll be resolved after the implementation of all the projects under our master plan."

On March 30 last, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the first part, also stretching two-km from Saatrasta intersection up to Shaheed Captain Mansur Ali Avenue (Moghbazar), of the 8.7km Mouchak-Moghbazar Flyover.

Besides, the work on the third and last part of the flyover covering Mouchak, Rajarbagh and Shantinagar is scheduled to end by June next. l

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

Rawhide sold at lowest prices n Tribune Desk This year rawhide businesses saw the lowest prices in three years, spelling losses for a lot of seasonal rawhide traders.

Wholesalers and the tannery owners said prices were low because of a drop in international prices of leather and the price hike of the salt. Also as most tanneries were still moving to Savar, many international buyers had stopped taking products from Bangladesh.

This year, many traders sold rawhides to wholesalers at prices lower than what they had bought them for.

During the three days of Eid, our correspondents talked to traders and wholesalers in different areas of Dhaka and Chittagong.

On Eid day many seasonal traders came to Aminbazar, the biggest rawhide marketplace in Dhaka to sell their rawhide.

Trader Amin Hamza, who came from Savar, said: “I had to buy these 30 rawhides for Tk1,000 apiece but wholesalers offered me only Tk800 which means Tk200 loss per piece.”

Later Amir sold out all his rawhide for Tk900 when he realised that if he waited he would face more loss.

Another trader, Abul Haque, came to sell 100 collected hides in the Posta area of old town. Although he had bought these for Tk1,100 to Tk1,600, wholesalers offered him Tk1,000-Tk1,100.

“I do not know what to do with all these rawhides. I think I will have to sell all these for a loss.”

Bangladesh Hide and Skin Merchants Association President Delwar Hossain said: “The price of rawhides this year is low because of the price hike of salt. To make everyone aware so that traders offer the right price, we announced our rates beforehand. So if they are now facing loss that is their fault.”

Tannery workers are seen busy in processing hides of sacrificed cattle with salt in Old Dhaka’s Posta area in Lalbagh yesterday On September 9, tannery owners and leather goods traders jointly set the prices for rawhides of sacrificial animals lowering the price by 10% from last year’s rate.

The price of raw cowhide was set at Tk50 per square foot in Dhaka and Tk40 in other places.

Price of goatskin was set at Tk20 per sqft in Dhaka and Tk15 in other places.

In different rawhide market-

places in Dhaka, our correspondents saw goatskin being sold at Tk50-60 apiece.

The seasonal rawhide traders of port city Chittagong also incurred huge losses this year.

Warehouse owners said they were also facing difficulties in purchasing hides as the traders did not follow the price charts and because of the skyrocketing price of salt.

Rawhide traders in Chittagong

Owner and driver of Mirpur couple’s killer car identified n Arifur Rahman Rabbi Police have reputedly claimed to identify the owner and driver of the car that killed an elderly couple in Shewrapara on Wednesday.

The police have also said that the culprits fled the city following the incident.

Sources have confirmed the Dhaka Tribune that Ashikur Rahman Khan, a contractor, hailing from city’s

Shahinbagh area of Tejgaon is the owner of the car and it was his son Nafees Khan Oni, 20 who is the prime suspect.

Hasan Haider, a former owner of the car said he sold the car to Naeem, an auto-car salesman who sold it to Ashikur in June.

On Wednesday, Nafees and his friends went joyriding and ran over Ataur Rahman, 70, and his wife Rowshon Ara, 60, in Dhaka’s

Mirpur Shewrapara area.

Later, police seized the car, and recovered an empty bottle of liquor from the car but Nafees had fled the scene.

Shamim Sikder, Officer-in charge of Kafrul police station said: “We have received a number of reliable information but we cannot disclose them for the sake of investigation.”

“Police suspects that the driver was driving while drunk,” added the OC. l

said they collected around 350,000 hides till Tuesday night. Around 500,000 animals were slaughtered this Eid. There are around 200 rawhide warehouses in Chittagong.

Rawhide traders said most seasonal traders had bought rawhide at Tk50-60 per sqft.

Criticising the price rate fixed by the tanners, trader Muslem Uddin said: “They did not fix the price considering the reality, causing us

RAJIB DHAR

much suffering.”

In Chittagong city, seasonal traders purchased cowhides for Tk500-1,400 depending on the size while goatskins were bought for Tk100-150 during Eid day. The rawhide warehouse owners use to collect the cowhide from city’s Chowmuhuny, Dewanhat and Karnaphuli market area where different age of seasonal traders gathered in every eid. l

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

TAMPACO FIRE

Eid of victims’ families lost in rubble Islam Akand, n Raihanul Gazipur A wife is searching the body of her husband in the rubble of the collapsed four-storey building of Tampaco Foils Limited the day after Eid-ul-Azha.

“Since Saturday, I cannot recall whether I have taken any food. On the night of the Eid day, it took me two hours to swallow some rice,” said Parvin Akter, wife of Azim Uddin, one of the Tampaco workers who remained missing since the factory in Gazipur’s Tongi caught fire with a huge explosion on September 10.

“Eid has been lost forever from my life,” she said.

At least 34 people have been killed, about 50 injured and 10 missing in the incident.

Parvin has been waiting in front of the factory since September 10

has also been waiting for his son in front of the factory along with his family members since the very day of the tragic incident.

Murad was his second son among three. None of his sons could continue their education due to financial crisis, said Taher.

“My son worked at the factory just to survive,” said the father.

Murad, 22, from Lakhhipur village at Ramganj upazila in Lakhhipur district, had been working as a helper at the factory for the last three years.

Tania, a cousin of the victim, said Murad bought clothes on Friday for Eid. “We had a plan to celebrate the Eid at our village home. Still, all the clothes he purchased for the Eid day are lying on his bed,” said Tania.

“Now, I want my son dead or alive and nothing else,” said the broken father. l

just to see her husband, with whom she shared 11 years of her married life, either dead or alive. Rescuers said they would let her see the body of her husband if they found it.

A few people were continuing the search for the missing persons on the Eid day, she said.

Azim, 36, hailing from Sanpur village of Magura, was an assistant painting operator at Tampaco for the last four years.

“On the fateful day, my husband had his breakfast and went to his workplace around 5.45am. After a while, I came to know that a fire broke out at the factory. First, I rushed to the factory, then Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Kurmitola Hospital, Abeda Memorial Hospital and Tongi Hospital one after another in search of my husband, but nowhere I found him,” Parvin said.

Taher Ali, father of another missing worker Murad Hossain,

Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon coordinates a sacrificial cattle waste cleaning drive yesterday in Dhaka’s Dholaikhal area, urging authorities concerned to quickly clear the waste DHAKA TRIBUNE

Female physician commits suicide Mizanur Rahaman, n FM Chittagong

A female physician allegedly took her life by jumping off the rooftop of a seven-storey building in Chittagong city’s Khulsi area on Wednesday, the day after Eid-ulAzha.

One of them lives in London, while her only son lives in Bangkok.

Police recovered the body and sent it to Chittagong Medical College Hospital for post mortem.

The deceased’s elder brother Dr Mahmud Ahmed filed an unnatural death (UD) case in this connection. l

Deceased Shirin Akhter, 57, worked at Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) Hospital and lived with her family in Khulsi area, said Nizam Uddin, officer-in-charge of Khulshi police station.

Quoting family members, the OC said Shirin was mentally upset, as she was suffering from cancer.

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY

THUNDERSHOWER OR RAIN LIKELY FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16

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Seven killed in six districts n Tribune Desk At least seven people were killed in several incidents in six districts of Bangladesh in last two days.

Our Feni correspondent said a college student was killed allegedly by his classmates over dealing of some money at Rampur in the district town on Wednesday night.

The deceased was Ripon, 22, a second year student of Nasir Memorial College and son of Imam Hossain Sentu, a van puller.

Shahinuzzaman, officer-incharge (investigation) of Feni Model police station, said Ripon had an enmity with some of his classmates over Tk2,000.

As a sequel to the enmity, some youths called Ripon out of the house over phone and took him to a place nearby around 10 pm.

Later, they hit Ripon with sharp weapons, leaving him dead.

In Jamalpur, a hermaphrodite (hijra) was stabbed to death in an attack by some miscreants at Batcharvillage in Islampur upazila early Thursday, reports our correspondent.

The deceased was Haider Ali Koli, 40, of the village.

Quoting locals, police said 7-8 miscreants swooped on the house of Haider and stabbed him indiscriminately, leaving him dead on the spot.

On information, police rushed in and sent the body to Sadar Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

Nizam Uddin, superintendent of police, Jamalpur, said Haider who was in leadership of the hermaphrodite community from Uttara to Moghbazar in the capital might have been killed over establishing supremacy in its jurisdiction.

Our Kishoreganj correspondent said a person, who was accused in several murder cases, was killed in an alleged gunfight between his cohorts and police at Shatirchar village in Bajitpur upazila Headquarters early Thursday.

The deceased was Fadur Ali, 35, who had five separate murder cases against him.

Makbul Hossain Molla, officerin-charge of Bajitpur police station, said a team of police arrested Fadur Ali from Belabo in Narsingdi district on Wednesday afternoon.

Later, police along with Fadur Ali launched a drive at Shatirchar village to recover firearms around 3am.

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YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

TOMORROW SUN RISES 5:46AM

36.0ºC Rajshahi

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23.9ºC Srimangal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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PRAYER TIMES

Sensing presence of the law enforcers, Fadur Ali’s associates opened fire towards police prompting them to retaliate, triggering a gunfight.

At one stage, Fadur Ali was caught in the line of fire and died on the spot.

SI Aminul Islam and constables Shakhawat Hossain and Rupom were injured in the incident and they were admitted to Sadar hospital.

Police also recovered four firearms and nine bullets from the scene.

Our Pirojpur correspondent said a young man, who went missing while taking bath in a canal in Mallikbari Bus Stand area of Sadar upazila on Wednesday, was found dead on Thursday.

According to our Sherpur correspondent’s reports a housewife was killed by her husband in Nalitabari area on Thursday for dowry.

The deceased was Monika Parveen, 22, wife of Rakibul Hasan of Chandgaon village.

According to local sources, Monika, daughter of Jamsed Ali had been married off with Rakibul four years back.

After their marriage, Rakibul demanded money from Monika as dowry. He always used to torture her as she rejected his proposal.

On the day, the couple went to the house of Monika’s grandmother in Chandgaon where Rakibul killed her wife by pressing pillow against the face at night.

Sub-Inspector Giasuddin of Nalitabari police station said the body had been sent to hospital morgue.

A case was filed in this connection.

At least two people were killed in Comilla district in separate two incidents on Thursday.

The deceased were trader Abdul Goni at Neura Bazar in Sadr upazila and Sonia, 22, daughter of Ohid mian in Muradnagar.

According to local sources, Sharif Mian, husband of Sonia had developed an extra marital relation with another woman in the area.

The couple got locked in an altercation over the issue. At one stage, Sharif hit her wife to death.

On the other hand, miscreants killed Goni over previous enmity while he was sleeping at his shop.

Golam Rasul Nizami, officer-incharge of Homna police station, confirmed the incident. l Sylhet

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Fajr: 5:10am | Jumma: 1:15pm Asr: 4:45pm | Magrib: 6:17pm Esha: 8:15pm Source: Islamic Foundation

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SOUTH ASIA

Pakistan train crash kills 4 A Pakistani express train crashed into a freight train on Thursday killing at least 4 people and injuring 93, an emergency rescue service said. The Awam Express bound for the southern city of Karachi hit the freight train about 25 km from the city of Multan, in Punjab province, trapping some passengers in overturned carriages.

REUTERS

INDIA

India offers $1bn in fresh aid to Afghanistan India offered Afghanistan a fresh $1bn in economic assistance after their leaders met in New Delhi on to strengthen already close ties between the neighbours. In a joint statement, India announced the $1bn offer, but there was no mention of providing weapons to help Afghanistan fight militants, which it has previously asked for.

AFP

CHINA

Typhoon Meranti lashes China Typhoon Meranti battered southeastern China with heavy winds and torrential rain on Thursday, cutting power, ripping up trees and smashing windows. The super typhoon, packing winds of 170 km per hour made landfall around 3am near the city of Xiamen before heading inland. The storm left one person dead and 38 injured after skirting past the island's southern tip with the strongest winds recorded there in 21 years.

AFP

ASIA PACIFIC

US, Japan, South Korea to meet on North Korea US Secretary of State John Kerry will meet with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts in New York on Sunday to discuss responses to North Korea’s latest nuclear test. The three countries are pushing for tough new UN Security Council sanctions on North Korea after the isolated country on Friday conducted its fifth and largest nuclear test. The blast was in defiance of UN sanctions that were tightened in March. REUTERS

MIDDLE EAST

Syria ceasefire deal in balance as Aleppo aid stalls Syrian government forces and rebels had yet to withdraw from a road needed to deliver aid to the city of Aleppo on Thursday, threatening the most serious international peacemaking effort in months as the sides accused each other of violating a truce. The aid delivery to rebel-held eastern Aleppo is blockaded by government forces.

REUTERS

UK approves controversial Chinese-backed nuclear plant n Reuters, London

HINKLEY POINT NUCLEAR POWER STATION PROJECT

Britain gave the go-ahead for a $24bn nuclear power plant on Thursday, ending weeks of uncertainty that strained ties with China and France but also signalling a more cautious approach to foreign investment in critical infrastructure projects.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s government said it would proceed with the Hinkley Point C project in southwest England, approving French utility firm EDF’s plan to build Britain’s first new nuclear reactor in decades, backed by $8bn of Chinese cash.

It also set out a new investment policy designed to give it greater control over future deals when foreign states were involved in buying stakes in “critical infrastructure”.

The project offers an insight into how Britain could conduct relations with the world in a post-Brexit era.

May, who became prime minister after Britain’s EU referendum, stunned Paris and Beijing by putting the deal on hold in July - hours before a contract was due to be signed - saying she needed time to assess all aspects of the project including national security concerns.

“The government has decided to proceed with the first new nuclear power stations for a generation,” business minister Greg Clark told parliament on Thursday, setting out reforms to the deal and British policy on foreign infrastructure investment.

“These changes mean that while the UK will remain one of the most open economies in the world, the public can be confident that foreign direct investment works always in the public interest,” he said.

The government said it would be able to block the sale of EDF’s controlling stake before or after completion of the project, under the new safeguards - a proviso it said it would apply to significant stakes in all future nuclear projects.

French state-controlled EDF said it had agreed with the government to retain control of the project and would sign the deal “in the coming days”.

China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) - the project’s Chinese state-backed investor and business lobby groups also welcomed the decision on the Hinkley deal, which is part of a gradual recovery of the global nuclear industry following a slump caused by the 2011 Fukushima disaster.

“We are very happy the British government has approved the project,” CGN said in a statement.

Two 3rd generation pressurised water reactors (EPR) 1,650 mw each

Cost:

£18bn

Hinkley Point

Investors:

to supply 7% of UK power

in %

BRITAIN LONDON

2013

Official launch of project

July 2016

EDF board approves project

33.5

EDF France

66.5

Guaranteed price for EDF:

PARIS

Flamanville

CGN China

£92.5 (€110) per

megawatt/hour for 35 years

FRANCE FINLAND

Sept 15, 2016

Olkiluoto

UK government approves project

2025

Planned start-up

A controversial project:

CHINA

Foreign ownership (China, France) of vital UK infrastructure

Taishan

High price of power generated at Hinkley Critics say EPR technology is outdated Other EPR projects are facing delays and spiralling costs Fears the project could bankrupt EDF, which already has huge debts (£31.4bn, €37.4bn)* May’s decision to review the project came little more than a month after Britons voted to leave the EU, which forced the resignation of Prime Minister David Cameron whose administration gave the initial go-ahead to the plan.

The Brexit vote, and the resulting economic uncertainty, cast doubt on the future of major British infrastructure projects. It also threw a spotlight on Britain’s trade relations with China and other big economies outside Europe.

The two new reactors at Hinkley Point are scheduled to be running by the middle of next decade and provide around 7% of Britain’s electricity, helping to fill a supply gap as the country’s coal plants are set to close by 2025.

Critical reaction

Britain has committed to pay a minimum price for the power generated by the plant for 35 years.

Critics of the deal said the government should have renegotiated the price, which they say was set too high before oil prices fell, but the statement on Thursday said the price had not changed for the energy.

The deal also affirmed the governments commitment to replace its old nuclear power stations nearly all of Britain’s eight functioning nuclear plants will have to shut down by 2030.

*as of end 2015

Environmental lobby groups, some opposition political parties, and even a former board member at EDF said that was a mistake.

By concentrating technical and financial means in this investment on both sides of the channel, the respective governments and EDF will deprive their citizens and small companies of the opportunities for jobs and innovation that would come from inventing the 21st-century energy world.”

Investment policy

The decision to go ahead with Hinkley goes some way to easing concerns that May, a former interior minister, was closing the door to foreign investment, particularly from China which has plans to invest billions in British infrastructure.

According to a former colleague, ex-business minister Vince Cable, May had expressed concern at the “gung-ho” attitude that Cameron took towards courting Chinese investment.

Addressing those concerns, the government said it would take a “special share” in all future nuclear construction projects to ensure that significant stakes could not be sold without its consent.

“This is not out of kilter with the way that things go on in other major economies around the world,” said Martin Young, Man-

EPRs already under construction

Source: EDF

aging Director at RBC Capital Markets. “It’s more of a safety net, a backstop, than anything else.”

CGN plans to make a number of investments in British nuclear power including the building and operating of a new nuclear power station with EDF at Bradwell-onSea, southeast England. Bradwell would be a Chinese-led project, using Chinese reactor technology.

The government also said it was introducing broader rules to increase scrutiny of the national security implications of foreign ownership and control of critical infrastructure, including the need for continuous government approval of foreign owners and a review of takeover rules CGN said it was not concerned by the new ownership rules and planned to move ahead with the Bradwell project and another minority investment, in the development of a new power station at Sizewell, in eastern England.

Horizon, a nuclear new build group in Britain owned by Japan’s Hitachi’s, said it was “entirely comfortable” with the new approach.

China’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment, however China’s Xinhua news agency, which offers a reflection of official thinking, welcomed the decision albeit along with a thinly-veiled criticism of the delay. l

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

US, Israel sign record military aid deal n Reuters, Washington, DC The United States will give Israel $38bn in military assistance over the next decade, the largest such aid package in US history, under a landmark agreement signed on Wednesday.

The deal, whose details were reported by Reuters earlier, will allow Washington’s chief Middle East ally to upgrade most of its fighter aircraft, improve its ground forces’ mobility and strengthen its missile defence systems, a senior US official said.

While the package constitutes the most US military aid ever given to any country, it entails concessions by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to officials on both sides.

Those include Israel’s promise not to seek additional funds from Congress beyond what will be guaranteed annually in the new package, and to phase out a special arrangement that has allowed Israel to spend part of its US aid on its own defence industry instead of on American-made weapons, the officials said.

Nearly 10 months of drawnout aid negotiations underscored continuing friction between Pres-

TOP US AID RECIPIENTS

WHAT’S IN THE DEAL

Actual disbursements, 2014* $, billions Afghanistan Israel Jordan Pakistan Kenya Syria Ethiopia South Sudan Tanzania South Africa

Largest implementing agencies Department of Defense Population Millions USAID 7.1 32.5 8.0 3.1 7.6 1.1 188.9 0.96 46.1 0.87 18.5 0.79 99.4 0.68 12.3 0.61 53.5 0.60 55.9 0.56

*Latest year with complete data

ident Barack Obama and Netanyahu over last year’s US-led nuclear deal with Israel’s arch-foe Iran, an accord the Israeli leader opposed.

The United States and Israel have also been at odds over the Palestinians.

But the right-wing Netanyahu decided it would be best to forge a new arrangement with Obama, who leaves office in January, rather than hoping for better terms from the next US administration, according to officials on both sides.

A new pact now allows him to avoid uncertainties surrounding the next president, whether Democrat Hillary Clinton or Republican Donald Trump, and to give Israel’s defence establishment the

GDP Billions 19.2 296.1 37.5 270.0 63.4 40.4* 62.5 9.0 44.9 312.8

Ü Annual payments of $3.3bn in socalled foreign military financing Ü $500m a year for Israeli missile defence funding, the first time this has been formally built into the aid pact. *2007

Source : USAID Foreign Assistance Database/WorldBank

ability to plan ahead.

Obama’s aides wanted a new deal before his presidency ends, seeing it as an important part of his legacy. Republican critics accuse him of not being attentive enough to Israel’s security, which the White House strongly denies, and of taking too hard of a line with the Israeli leader.

Dangerous neighbourhood

The $38bn memorandum of understanding covers US fiscal years 2019-2028 and succeeds the current $30bn MOU signed in 2007, which expires at the end of fiscal 2018.

“Prime Minister Netanyahu and I are confident that the new MOU will make a significant con-

Ü A phasing-out of a special arrangement that for decades has allowed Israel to use 26.3% of the US aid on its own defence industry instead of on American-made weapons. Ü -Elimination of a long-standing provision that has allowed Israel to use about 13% of the US aid to buy military fuel. Ü The funding will allow Israel to update “the lion’s share” of its fighter aircraft, including purchasing additional F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

Israel is scheduled to receive 33 F-35 aircraft, the first two of which will be delivered in December. tribution to Israel’s security in what remains a dangerous neighbourhood,” Obama said in a written statement.

The agreement was signed at the State Department by US Under-secretary of State Thomas Shannon and by Jacob Nagel, acting head of Netanyahu’s national security council. l

Iran: Why it matters in 2016 US election n Tribune International Desk

Last year’s nuclear deal has removed for now the threat of a US-Iranian military confrontation. But the deal rests on shaky ground, reports The Associated Press.

The accord curtailed Iran’s nuclear program, pulling it back from atomic weapons capability in exchange for the end of various oil, trade and financial sanctions by the US and six other world powers. The sides fulfilled their pledges in January.

Relations between the US and Iran have warmed since the agreement, to the dismay of US allies like Israel and Saudi Arabia. The once hostile foes are cooperating to end Syria’s civil war. Each military is staying out of the other’s way as they battle the Islamic State group in Iraq. Nuclear consultations occur daily.

But the next president could have his or her hands’ full. The Iranians are threatening to renege unless they receive greater economic benefits. In Congress, many Republicans and even some Democrats still want the deal’s collapse.

Even if the accord survives, its

nuclear restrictions start ending in about seven years — meaning the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran could re-emerge.

Where they stand

It’s basically a question of continuity versus change.

Hillary Clinton helped lay the groundwork for the nuclear deal.

As secretary of state, she tasked two of her most senior aides to meet secretly with Iranian officials. Those talks set the framework for the larger negotiations.

When the nuclear accord went into effect earlier this year, Clinton hailed it as “an important achievement of diplomacy backed by pressure.”

Still, the Democratic presidential candidate has staked out a tougher tone than President Barack Obama. In a speech last year, she spoke of confronting Iran “across the board” from its military activity in Syria to destabilisation of the Middle East.

Republican Donald Trump has called the Iran deal “stupid,” a “lopsided disgrace” and worse.

He says that unlike Obama’s diplomats, he would have been prepared to walk away from negotiations. But Trump doesn’t want to tear up the accord.

Instead, he speaks of tougher enforcement and possible renego-

In this November 4, 2015, file photo, an Iranian demonstrator holds an anti-US placard during an annual rally in front of the former US Embassy in Tehran AP tiation. Trump has railed against several of the deal’s particulars, such as the timespan of restrictions on Iran’s enrichment of uranium and other nuclear activity.

He says Iran got too much relief from economic sanctions. It’s unclear, though, how he might persuade Iran to accept less favourable terms in a done deal.

Why it matters

Until nuclear diplomacy gained speed in 2013, a US-Iran war was a distinct possibility. Both Clinton and Trump say they would use force if necessary to prevent

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Tehran from acquiring the bomb.

If the deal unravels and Iran increases its enrichment of uranium toward weapons capability, a US military intervention would be back in play.

Any conflict risks broad consequences. Iran can retaliate by disrupting global fuel supplies from the Persian Gulf, through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows. It can unleash its proxies Hezbollah and Hamas on US ally Israel. Tehran can block attempts to end Syria’s war or it can play a bigger spoiler role in Yemen, where it has backed rebels who’ve seized much of the country.

If Iran sticks to the agreement, the next president may still face big decisions.

By 2024, Iran can resume manufacturing and testing of advanced centrifuges for enriching uranium.

A year later, it can start enriching more uranium. By the end of the decade, it can enrich closer to weapons-grade levels. Stockpile limits come off. Enhanced UN inspections start ending.

All these changes will pose a familiar question for the United States: How to ensure Iran can’t build a bomb? US officials have vaguely spoken of a possible follow-up negotiation. But by then, many US sanctions on Iran will have been stricken from the books and they could have far less leverage. l

USA

Clinton returns to campaign Hillary Clinton is set to resume campaigning on Thursday after a bout with pneumonia compelled the US Democratic presidential nominee to take an unforeseen break. Clinton will attend a rally in North Carolina and speak at a dinner in Washington after resting at her home in Chappaqua, New York, for three days following a pneumonia diagnosis and falling ill at a September 11 memorial ceremony on Sunday.

REUTERS

THE AMERICAS

Brazil ex-president Lula charged with corruption Brazilian prosecutors charged former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of being the boss of a broad pattern of corruption in the oil controlled by Petrobras state. It is the first time that Lula, Brazil’s most popular politician despite corruption allegations against him, is accused by federal prosecutors for allegedly participating in a bribery scheme in Petrobras.

REUTERS

UK

Britain doubles ocean protection UK announced plans to double the area of ocean under marine protection around the country’s overseas territories to a size greater than the landmass of India. Fully protected marine reserves are to be set up around the Pitcairn Islands in the South Pacific and St Helena, Tristan da Cunha and Ascension islands in the South Atlantic. AFP

EUROPE

Merkel wants to get refugees into workforce faster Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Thursday that Germany needed viable solutions to integrate refugees into the workforce faster after she met blue-chip companies that have hired just over 100 refugees since around a million arrived last year. Merkel summoned the bosses of some of Germany’s biggest companies to Berlin on Wednesday to account for their lack of action and exchange ideas about how they can do better.

REUTERS

AFRICA

Kenya refugee return scheme flouts international law The repatriation of Somali refugees from Kenya’s Dadaab, the world’s largest refugee camp, breaks international standards as many returns are motivated by fear. Kenya wants to close Dadaab in north-east Kenya by November, insisting the camp is a security threat and a drain on national resources. It currently houses some 266,000 Somali refugees.

AFP

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

Q&A

Bratislava summit: What is on EU 27’s agenda n Tribune International Desk The leaders of the “EU 27” are meeting in Bratislava on Friday in a bid to reinvigorate the European Union following Britain’s vote to leave on June 23.

The summit on the banks of the Danube will be a symbolic moment where, for the first time in 43 years, Britain, the third-largest EU member state, will not be present.

Here is what the leaders will be talking about and – perhaps more revealingly – what will not be coming up in conversation around the table at Bratislava Castle.

Why Bratislava of all places?

Because Bratislava is the capital of Slovakia which currently holds the rotating presidency of the EU, so is the natural place to host the remaining EU27.

Also because Bratislava is not Brussels, and there is constituency in Europe that wants to reduce the power of the European Commission in the EU decision-making apparatus and return more control back to the EU capitals, who operate collectively via the European Council.

And since Britain hasn’t left yet and is entitled to attend all EU meeting - except the ones where the EU27 are discussing how to negotiate with the UK over Brexit - it was felt better to meet in a relatively neutral venue.

So what’s on the agenda?

The ambitions of the Bratislava summit can be summed up in three words: unity, unity and unity. This is tricky since as Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council has discovered on his recent whistle-stop tours of EU capitals, unity is in very short supply.

The eastern EU states, particularly Poland and Hungary, are furious about attempts by Berlin and Brussels to impose migrant quotas.

They also don’t like being told, as the Luxembourg foreign minister said this week, that their authoritarian-nationalist, anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim brand of politics is a “breach” of true European values.

The Northern states like Germany and the Netherlands are equally fed up with the continued lack of fiscal rectitude in debt-riddled southern states like Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain, which hasn’t had a proper government since December. Efforts to get Germany to loosen is purse strings are failing.

As a result Tusk has implored his fractious membership to focus not on differences, but on what can be agreed upon – principally the need to defend the EU’s external borders, protect its citizens from terror attacks while boosting job creation and infrastructure spending.

Which means what, in practice?

Well, in his nine-point letter to heads of government, Tusk has promised Bratislava will be a “turning point in terms of protecting the Union’s external borders”.

That means beefing up Frontex, the EU border force with more assets and legal powers, deploying officers and vehicles to the Bulgarian-Turkish border and implement more cogent electronic checks for those crossing the EU’s external borders.

On jobs and investment, Tusk promises a road map for “economic and social development, jobs and opportunities for the young, the single market, the digital agenda and investments”, which in practice means raising more money via the Juncker investment fund to spend on job-creation and infrastructure that will boost Europe’s productivity and competitiveness.

On trade, there will be a concerted push to agree the EU-Canada trade deal (CETA) which has been the subject of embarrassing dilly-dallying and delay that – according to one senior EU aide – made Europe look “frankly ridiculous” at the recent G20 summit in Hangzhou.

So what won’t they by talking about?

All the tricky stuff – like how to make Greece a sustainable member of the euro when the national politics of Germany and the Netherlands makes granting Athens much-needed debt relief a very distant prospect.

Or how to deepen eurozone integration as envisaged in the Five Presidents Report when northern states like Germany, Netherlands and Finland do not want to be on the hook for the economic deficiencies of Greece, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

Plans like an EU-wide Deposit Insurance Scheme remain blocked

by Germany and its northern allies, while calls from European Central Bank for Germany to spend some of its vast surpluses to kick-start growth go unheeded.

The issue of enforced migrant quotas has also been parked, to avoid a discussion about how to hold together the EU, when some of its members – notably ethnically-homogeneous countries like Hungary and Poland who have no modern history of empire – are openly challenging the liberal, tolerant, multi-cultural values that western states believed they signed up to in 2004.

All of these – the truly existential questions that face the post Brexit EU – cannot be discussed because all sides know there is no prospect of agreement any time soon.

A Slovakian police office walks past a logo ahead of an upcoming European Union summit- the first one since Britain voted to quit- in Bratislava, Slovakia on September 15 REUTERS

What about Brexit?

That’s the elephant in the room, but officially the EU27 will hold the line that there will be “no negotiation without notification” – in other words, until Britain sets out what it wants from its new relationship with the EU, the other members will not discuss terms. The emphasis will all be on shaping Europe’s future now that one of its major – albeit reluctant – powers has decided to leave.

On the sidelines, of course, there is an awful lot of positioning going on, with some members wanting aspects of David Cameron’s failed February deal on curbing child benefits payments to EU workers, for example, but without giving up on the principle of free movement which most members agree must remain substantially intact.

For now at least, attempts to propose a looser federation of EU states, openly mooted by Poland and a recent paper by the Bruegel thinktank, perhaps with an inner and outer core, have been firmly squashed by core EU member states.

Expect a hard line, therefore, on the question of whether Britain can “cherry-pick” in its new relationship with the EU. This reflects the fact that sentiments are hardening towards the UK in European capitals, including Berlin, where there is a clear sense that the EU’s already perilous state could be fatally weakened if Britain

EU MILITARY HEADQUARTERS? The European Union needs a military headquarters to work towards a common military force, the Commission president has told MEPs in Strasbourg.

Jean-Claude Juncker said the lack of a “permanent structure” resulted in money being wasted on missions.

Part of his annual state of the union address was devoted to the UK’s unexpected vote to leave the EU. He insisted that the bloc was not at risk but called for Brexit negotiations to take place as quickly as possible.

Modelled on the state of the union address by the US president, the Commission president’s annual speech was introduced in 2010 to detail the state of the EU and future legislative plans.

Why a military HQ All EU members have military forces; most are also members of Nato; and several have extensive experience of operations abroad, from peace-keeping to war-fighting.

The real question is how to organise these component parts to get greater security. Mr Juncker insists that the EU must have a role here.

He wants to improve EU command and control facilities and appears to be suggesting that EU civil and military as-

was given a deal that leaves us “better off out than in.” l

pects of a given mission should be run out of the same headquarters.

He also insists that whatever the EU does it should not detract from Nato.

But defence resources are finite. His critics will say nothing should be done that duplicates existing Nato activities, as that sends a signal of disarray in Western ranks to Moscow.

What sort of missions does the EU run? Ü Since 2003 the EU has launched some 30 civilian and military operations in Europe, Africa and Asia - under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Sixteen are still going on, including six military operations:: Ü Its mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina oversees the implementation of the 1995 Dayton Agreement which ended the Balkan Wars. It replaced Nato forces in 2004 Ü Counter-piracy operation Atalanta began off the coast of Somalia in 2008 Ü In 2015, Operation Sophia began targeting migrant-traffickers in the Mediterranean. The EU also has military training programmes in Somalia, Mali and the Central African Republic. l

Sources: THE TELEGRAPH, BBC

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EXPLAINER

US lifting of economic sanctions on Myanmar n Tribune International Desk US economic trade sanctions on the once-isolated Southeast Asian nation of Myanmar are being eased to support the country’s transition toward democracy and a market economy, reports The Associated Press.

President Barack Obama announced the plan to lift remaining sanctions and restore trade benefits after meeting at the White House with Aung San Suu Kyi, a former political prisoner who is now Myanmar’s foreign minister and de facto leader.

Here is a look at some details and implications of the plan to lift most sanctions:

What sanctions are being lifted

The US eased broad sanctions since Myanmar began political reforms five years ago, but kept in place targeted restrictions on military-owned companies and officials and associ-

ates of the former ruling junta. The White House also notified Congress it will reinstate trade benefits to Myanmar that the US provides to least developed countries. They were suspended in 1989, a year after the bloody crackdown on democracy protesters by the military.

How lifting sanctions helps

US companies and banks have remained leery of involvement in one of Asia’s last untapped markets. By ending most of the remaining sanctions Obama has cleared the way for them to invest and trade more freely with Myanmar’s fast-growing economy, and for companies there to do business with the US The restoration of Generalized System of Preferences trade privileges, such as lower import tariffs, will open the way for more exports from Myanmar of garments and textiles, core products of its nascent manufacturing sector.

Far-right group, asylum-seekers fight in German town International n Tribune Desk Dozens of police officers intervened as groups of far-right Germans and asylum-seekers clashed in an eastern German town that has previously seen racist incidents, officials said Thursday, reports The Associated Press.

Around 80 Germans and 20 migrants attacked each other Wednesday night in Bautzen, a town between Dresden and the Polish border, local police spokesman Thomas Knaup said.

Officers trying to separate the groups as they brawled in a town square were assailed with bottles thrown by some of the asylum-seekers.

The far-right protesters shouted nationalist slogans and followed the asylum-seekers back to their shelter while police tried to keep the groups apart, according to police.

Later, some members of the far-right group threw stones at an ambulance, preventing it from reaching the shelter to attend to an injured migrant.

Bautzen Mayor Alexander Ahrens condemned the violence and vowed to de-

ploy more police and social workers to prevent future incidents.

“I’m shocked and very worried about the escalation,” Ahrens wrote on Facebook. “I sharply condemn the growing violence in confrontations between the various groups.”

Ahrens said there had been problems between far-right German youths and young asylum-seekers during the last two weeks in the Kornmarkt square. Town officials already had discussed imposing an alcohol ban there, German news agency dpa reported.

In February, onlookers celebrated as a fire damaged a former hotel that was being turned into a refugee home in Bautzen, a case of suspected arson. And when German President Joachim Gauck visited Bautzen in March to talk about democracy, he was insulted by some locals.

Hundreds of thousands asylum-seekers arrived in Germany last year, leading to tensions in some regions.

The state of Saxony, where Bautzen is located, has seen several anti-migrant incidents, although it has one of the lowest percentages of foreigners in the country. l

What will happen

For two decades, US presidents have renewed an executive order declaring a “national emergency” with respect to Myanmar annually.

Obama must issue a new executive order to end the emergency. US officials said 111 Myanmar individuals and companies will be dropped from a Treasury blacklist and restrictions will be lifted on new investment with military and on imports of rubies and jade.

Remaining restrictions

Penalties meant to block the drug trade and bar military trade with North Korea via Myanmar would still apply. A visa ban will still bar some former and current members of the military from travelling to the US.

Concerns

Human rights groups favour keeping sanctions due to military abuses in ethnic minority regions. A top

State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma speaks with US President Barack Obama during a bilateral meeting at the White House in Washington, DC on September 14 AFP concern is for Rohingya Muslims, who remain displaced by sectarian violence and are denied citizenship.

The military elite, US-sanctioned drug lords and crony companies have huge stakes in the economy, especially in the jade trade, which is worth nearly half Myanmar’s economic output.

What’s at stake

For ordinary Burmese, better job opportunities thanks to increasing

investment and trade with the US, and access to more, better quality imported products. For the US, wider access to a resource-rich economy of 54 million people whose annual growth is estimated to average over 8% for the rest of this decade. Removing barriers to trade and investment also will give US business more leverage vis a vis China, which has been Myanmar’s chief source of foreign investment for years. l

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FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

6 ways to save your money The math you wish they taught at school

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad Are you stuck in the loop of feeling flush on payday, and then like a pauper before the month is out? Do you wonder whether or not there’s a secret hole in your wallet (or bank account) where the money is running out? We’ve all been there. The good news is, there are a number ways to fight the cycle.

Mood management

You may or may not believe in retail therapy, but the reason such a thing exists is because the act of purchasing something does fire off some reward mechanism in the brain, causing at least a temporary rush of positivity. Left unchecked, this can, like any other behaviour lead to some dangerous habits being formed.

Some ways in which to stave off overspending include not shopping (even online shopping) on an empty stomach; research has shown that hungry people tend to make more impulse buys.

And if you’re trying to spend less, avoid shopping malls and online stores when you’re down in the dumps. Go work out or listen to some happy music instead.

sense, and probably trotted out so often, it’s practically cliché. If you give yourself a monthly budget, and stick to it, emergencies notwithstanding, you are bound to save. Don’t be too strict or restrictive when setting the budget, though; or you’ll be tempted to cheat. Breaking down your income into categories, ie, a certain portion for fixed costs (such as rent), a certain for saving, a certain for casual expenditures, etc can help you track your money, and also make wiser spending decisions.

Don’t be too strict or restrictive when setting the budget, though; or you’ll be tempted to cheat.

Track your spending

Setting up with your bank so you get regular statements is one way to go for it, and usually we know what the big purchases were, but it’s the little buys that add up and take a huge chunk out of your savings. So save your receipts, and keep an eye on the “cha-birri” expenditure, and you’ll be able to account for everything. The added benefit of keeping tabs on your bank accounts is that in the event of something like credit card theft, or a hacking, you’ll know sooner than later, and be able to take action.

Utility belt

While our moms did it the hard way with ledgers and carefully maintained account books, we live in a wonderful digital age where a plethora of tools, from online banking to personal finance management apps exist. They take on the heavy lifting of all the calculations, create charts to show you your patterns, and do so much more, so why not take advantage of them?

Budget

This one’s rooted in common

The credit card crunch

One of the quickest ways to overspend and roll right into debt is to lean on your credit card.

The less you use those things, the less likely you are to spend money you don’t have. So save the plastic for emergencies, and, should some spending take place, try to pay off the bill as soon as possible so as to avoid interest payments.

Trim down unnecessary expendture

In other words, don’t buy what you don’t need. While it’s important to treat yourself once in a while, question everything you buy. Aside from it being “super cute”, do you really need a tea infuser shaped like a little man relaxing in a pool? Would your heart stop beating if you didn’t get that new iPhone? If the answer to your question is “no”, then you know what to do. l

11

DT

Writing

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

| book review |

| craft |

Lives of others

So, where to begin?

Three ways to start your story

Photo: Bigstock

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad As skylines go up, and lives get busier, and new social media apps pop up out of nowhere, real-life interactions take a backseat.

When was the last time you had a real conversation with your next door neighbour?

Best-selling Irish author Marian Keyes asks just that question in her novel Brightest Star in the Sky. The answers she provides make for one serious page-turner.

The book revolves around the residents of 66 Star Street, an apartment building with a banana-shaped door knocker.

Working from top floor down, we meet Katie, a music executive, whose relationship with the wealthy workaholic Conall is on the rocks. Then there are the Polish immigrants Jan and Andrei, living in terror with their roommate Lydia, an irate taxi driver.

A floor down, we have Jemima the telephone psychic holding court with her donkey-sized dog

Grudge. And finally, we have Matt and Maeve, a married couple seemingly joined at the hips.

We’re introduced to the residents via a nameless, omniscient, and invisible narrator, a spirit of some sort, with an agenda of its own, and with its arrival, a three-month countdown kicks off, and we watch the lives of the people inside 66, Star Street unravel organically, even as the narrator painstakingly reveals each person’s unique backstory.

What starts as a snarky, slightly voyeuristic comedy, not unlike a Woody Allen movie, takes a sharp and dark turn right into Alice Sebold territory, and all the separate lives inside the apartments collide and connect in ways neither they nor us, the readers, expected.

Equal parts funny, dark, sad and ultimately heart warming, the story will weave a magical spell on you and keep you guessing until the very end. l

Photo: Bigstock

n Sabrina Fatma Ahmad One of the first things you learn when stepping into creative writing is that stories need to have a beginning, middle and end. This is solid, no-nonsense wisdom that should carry you through your career, but as one reads more extensively, the “beginning” becomes a more nebulous entity. You’ll find plenty of amazing stories that open bang in the middle of an action, sometimes even midthought or mid-sentence, and it works. So how does one ensure that one’s stories pop from the get-go? Let’s take a look at some killer opening styles.

The action opener Think about every James Bond movie you’ve seen. Before we

even get to the actual plot of the film, the dude is up and running, either chasing some bad guy or making the moves on some attractive woman. The reason why they don’t mess with that formula, and why it does so well in the box office is that it works. When you start with some action, it creates interest and gets the story moving. Just keep in mind that if it’s your character performing the action, it has to be in keeping with the character.

The talky opener Like a well-placed voice-over, the narrative opener can get the ball rolling by creating context, summarising everything you need to know in some succinct exposition so you hit the ground running. Authors like Christopher

Brookmyre do this very well. It’s a great chance to build up your main characters, really get into their heads, and set the tone of the story.

The scenic opener Another great way to open a story is by setting the scene. This is particularly useful if you’re world-building for fantasy, sci-fi, or historic fiction, but even if you’re not, orienting the reader by creating the scene can make the story more immersive. This is also the trickiest opening to write, because descriptions are a tricky thing, so do refer back to our piece on descriptive writing for tips and tricks.

Sometimes the success of the entire writing experience can rest on the shoulders of its opening, so choose wisely! l

DT

12 Editorial

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

TODAY

The US-Russia deal means Assad has won In effect, Russia got a deal whereby it can go and bomb virtually all opposition to Assad, and can haggle with the US on a case-by-case basis PAGE 21

A crisis we can’t ignore In a pressure-cooker situation of suppression, subgroups of subgroups find motivation to commit increased levels of violence

BIGSTOCK

PAGE 22

Improving inter-city travel key to progress What we can learn from Myanmar Our health care stands to gain a significant boost through sharing knowledge and technology 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.

B

uses and trains have been missing their scheduled departure times over the Eid break due to mismanagement. Though this kind of mayhem is common during holidays, this problem is not confined to travel during Eid alone.

Too many people suffer as a result of the unfortunate conditions of stations, problems with the vehicles themselves, and a lack of planning when it comes to catering to a nation that already has an overpopulation problem.

Traveling within the country can be a nightmare, with trains, buses, and launches unable to meet the demands of burgeoning metropolises, to say nothing of traveling within Dhaka.

This kind of suffering needs to stop.

Improving inter-city travel is crucial to furthering progress and development in our country. The government needs a long-term plan to ensure that inter-city travel is not the hassle that it has become as a result of the implementation of poor strategies across the board.

If this means more buses, trains, and launches, so be it.

This is too important for the development of our nation and for the improvement of the quality of life of our people to be left untended to on the backburner.

This will lead to increased mobility within the country, and is a crucial step towards decentralisation, something Bangladesh desperately needs. Improved inter-city travel will indubitably result in safer and more hassle-free journeys for Bangladeshis and keep the country moving swiftly towards its middle-income goals.

The government needs a long-term plan to ensure that intercity travel is not the hassle that it has become as a result of poor strategies across the board

DT

13

Opinion

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

The US-Russia deal means Assad has won Aleppo will continue to be laid to waste, and hope for Syria will be gone

n Azeem Ibrahim

A

s the new ceasefire agreed between Russia and the US is coming into effect, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad can finally relax in the knowledge that he has won the civil war. Sure, there is still a lot of fighting left to be done, but the result is a foregone conclusion.

The reason for this can be gleaned from the detail of the Kerry-Lavrov deal.

In principle, the deal stipulates that Russia and their Syrian clients in the Damascus government, along with Assad’s Iranian allies cease hostilities against American clients in the fighting, and, in return, those American clients stop their own offences against regime targets. Then, both the US and Russia move on to bombing ISIS and al-Nusra targets.

So far so good. The only problem is the definition of “al-Nusra targets.” IS has done a reasonably good job of distinguishing themselves on the battlefield by effectively fighting against everyone else. But the al-Nusra group has been much more porous. They have formed numerous alliances, of various durations, with most anti-regime groups.

They would have had collaborations of convenience with virtually all rebel groups.

Assad loyalists have reason to celebrate

REUTERS

In effect, Russia got a deal whereby it can go and bomb virtually all opposition to Assad, and can haggle with the US on a case-by-case basis

And many rebel fighters would have moved in and out of different groups, and would have, at some point, had some kind of involvement with al-Nusra.

In effect, Russia got a deal whereby it can go and bomb virtually all opposition to Assad, and can haggle with the US, on a case-by-case basis, on groups about which the US cares particularly strongly. For its part, the US walked into this deal with open eyes. Their strategic calculus has changed. They no longer care about Assad.

The Obama administration has long realised that they lack the desire, and really even the popular backing, to ramp up their involvement in Syria sufficiently to influence the outcome of the civil

war. So now they want to wash their hands off Syria and limit their exposure -- while maintaining their priority of bombing IS into the dust.

The rebel camp

The short of it is that the US no longer cares very much about any of the assets it has in the rebel camp and has conceded to the Russian position that the Damascus regime should prevail, and the sooner the better.

It may deem it tactically wise to protect some of their clients, but by and large, the rebels have been abandoned by their biggest backer and can expect to be hammered into submission whenever any association can be drawn between them and al-Nusra -- which will be

often.

Just how well this will turn out now remains to be seen. There is still no reason to suppose that a victorious Assad would be gracious in victory, given how little regard he has shown towards his civilian population so far. We can expect that many of the regions where he suspects opposition to his regime to re-ignite will be cleansed.

So, Aleppo will continue to be laid to waste. And the refugees will continue to pour over the border for a while longer. While those who have already made it to Europe who had hoped to one day go back to their country may find that is no longer an option available in their futures.

Perhaps Alawites and Christians

and other religious minorities will be able to go back to some kind of Baathist co-existence, but Sunni suspicion and hostility towards the regime will remain.

And the regime’s suspicion and hostility towards the country’s Sunni population will also continue. Perhaps this kind of division can be contained and managed, in the same way that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been successfully contained and managed, with only occasional flares of violence.

But there will never again be a sense that the state of Syria has any kind of legitimate basis, or that there is more keeping it together than just force: Alawite, Russian, and Iranian. There will never again be any hope that the state of Syria can ensure justice for all its people. l Azeem Ibrahim is Senior Fellow at the Centre for Global Policy, Fellow at Mansfield College, University of Oxford and Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College.

He tweets @AzeemIbrahim. This article was previously published in Al Arabiya News.

14

DT

Long Form

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

A crisis we can’t ignore Bangladesh needs a counter-extremism rehabilitation program. This is the first part of a two-part long form

A dedicated program is needed to fight extremism

n Atif A Choudhury

T

hey say that all Bangladeshis are separated by a maximum of two degrees of separation. On July 1, this reality was tragically proven true.

Holey Artisan Bakery is the kind of place where expats can cure homesickness by indulging in a range of epicurean delights, while locals (especially kids) can grab themselves a treat before fasting hours began.

It’s the type of establishment my cousins loved to frequent; dragging my uncles and aunts until they too became lifelong addicts of French pastries and Italian gelatos.

I actually ate an out-of-this-world cake from there at a birthday party when I last visited Bangladesh in 2011. On July 1, during the waning days of Ramadan, seven heavily armed terrorists decided it was a suitable venue to rob 24 innocent people of their lives, and to shock and terrorise a nation of 170 million in the process.

We have family who often visit restaurants in Gulshan for iftar, and we worried intensely

about their safety all night -- not knowing if our unanswered calls were simply them sleeping soundly or something more heartbreaking.

Although they were safe, we learned that three young students, studying in the US, were murdered in the attack, and that the two Emory students were family friends. Two degrees of separation indeed.

Unprecedented savagery

Security forces have recently killed the suspected CanadianBangladeshi plotter of the country’s worst terrorist attack.

Yet, the tragic saga of violent extremism and political violence is likely to continue.

Indeed, Bangladesh has been suffering waves of extremist political violence for several years. From bloggers, journalists, leaders of a range of vulnerable communities including Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, as well as Shia and LGBT Muslims, to even a Muslim professor whose only crime was engaging in cultural activities.

All of these innocent citizens

RAJIB DHAR

were re-elected in 2014 through an election boycotted by the opposition and where voters were given few genuine choices.

The flawed war crimes trials and the subsequent banning and crackdown of the historically tainted Jamaat-e-Islami party has led to increased agitation by the party cadres and other like-minded extremist groups, of which a subsection is willing to commit acts of violence, targeting both the state and vulnerable minority communities alike.

Overreactions from security forces -- along with the opportunistic harassment and broad suppression of opposition members -- have led to increased polarisation and hardening of mentalities and tactics.

An even smaller subsection of these individuals gradually became radicalised from feelings of political subjugation, and flocked to ultra-hardline militant outfits waging war on the state.

In such a pressure-cooker situation of government suppression, sub-groups of subgroups find motivation to commit increased levels of violence.

These individuals, who were once simply passionate members of legal political parties, can gradually transform into

In a pressure-cooker situation of suppression, sub-groups of sub-groups find motivation to commit increased levels of violence. These individuals can gradually transform into radicalised and ultra-violent foot soldiers of hardcore terrorist groups

found themselves targets for cold-blooded murder, many of which were committed publicly in broad daylight. Yet, attacks against foreign expats in Bangladesh have been exceedingly rare, and the Holey Bakery attack was the first time in the young country’s history that expats were targeted on such a large scale.

Equally alarming was the fact that these perpetrators were highly educated and came from relatively privileged backgrounds.

Whether any of these perpetrators were actually IS or al-Qaeda operatives, or were simply members of domestic terror organisations, one stark reality emerges: Violent extremism is

a crisis that Bangladesh can no longer ignore.

A pressure-cooker model

Violence was never a stranger to a country that was born out of immense bloodshed and suffered decades of post-independence instability under a series of authoritarian regimes.

Even in the post-democratic era, political violence has reared its hideous head multiple times.

Most of the violence witnessed in the past decade stem from about half or more of the population being extremely frustrated with the fact that the current government has been in power for so long, especially after they

radicalised and ultra-violent foot soldiers of hardcore domestic and even international terrorist groups.

This phenomenon was seen in Algeria’s brutal civil war, and is a folly being repeated by the ultrarepressive Sisi regime in Egypt. It seems that process may well be repeating itself in Bangladesh. l The concluding part of this long form will be published tomorrow.

Atif A Choudhury is a LLM candidate in Queen Mary University of London’s Public International Law program. This article is an adaptation of a policy paper published in William and Mary Law School’s The Comparative Jurist.

DT

15

Opinion

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

What we can learn from Myanmar Our health care stands to gain a significant boost through sharing knowledge and technology

A better flow of knowledge can help health care professionals

BIGSTOCK

One of the key solutions to strengthening public health institutions in Bangladesh lies within the nation’s neighbouring regions

n Monjur Ahmed

S

eptember 12 was the United Nations Day for South-South Co-operation -- a reminder of the viable opportunities for development co-operation in developing nations in their individual and collective pursuit of sustainable development.

As part of the south-south collaboration operations under the EU supported SHARE (Strengthening health, applying research evidence) program, Icddr,b organised an experiencesharing visit in Yangon and Nay Pie Taw, Myanmar for policy-makers, health program managers, and Bangladesh researchers earlier in July.

One of the key solutions to strengthening public health institutions in Bangladesh lies within the nation’s neighbouring regions, where context and challenges tend to be similar.

Myanmar shares the same fate with Bangladesh in terms of weak public health infrastructure and low spending on public health care and severe shortage of human resources in the sector, including a limited capacity for public health institutions in policy analysis.

In this backdrop, the visit has helped team members know the details of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and the prevention initiatives being implemented in Myanmar under the EU-supported Strengthening of Public Health Institute Program and existing management information systems of the Myanmar Ministry of Health.

The visit has encouraged co-operation and exchange of knowledge and expertise on successful interventions and best practices in the health care sector.

Senior representatives from the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and

Research, Bangladesh and Icddr,b joined the visiting team led by Dr Iqbal Anwar.

The visiting delegation continued their knowledge sharing meetings at the University of Public Health (UPH) in Nay Pyi Taw. The team learned about UPH’s capacity building initiatives in policy analysis and development.

Later, Dr Myint Shwe, Director of NCDs under the Department of Public Health, welcomed the Bangladeshi delegates at his office and discussed government plans for NCD prevention and control in Myanmar. The delegation went on to the Health Management Information System Department, where they learned about District Health Information System 2 software use in Myanmar.

The delegates from Bangladesh and their counterparts in Myanmar agreed to explore avenues for knowledge sharing in the field of health information management.

The Bangladeshi delegation visited a Package of Essential Non-communicable (PEN) Disease Intervention site, managed under a rural health centre at the Hmawbi Township in Myanmar.

Under the WHO-designed PEN interventions, inexpensive medication are used and preventative lifestyle changes are

promoted.

These interventions include treatment of diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia, counseling for quitting smoking, avoidance of alcohol abuse, and promoting healthy diet and regular exercise.

The visit showcased the value of increased south-south cooperation in public health, and how health programs can act as catalysts to promote capacitybuilding and evidence-based health policy across the global south.

At present, Bangladesh is leading the United Nations General Assembly High Level Committee on South-South Co-operation.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has signaled importance on sharing information, knowledge, experience, and technology among developing countries in the global south through effective southsouth co-operation.

Winning the UN South-South Co-operation Visionary Award, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also garnered recognition for Bangladesh in leading south-south co-operation. To make the full potential of south-south cooperation come true, we need to explore areas of capacity-building, resource mobilisation, and sharing technical expertise and best practices in the health sector.

Bangladesh is a bright example of advancing management information system in its utilisation of district health information system software.

In line with the promise of a Digital Bangladesh, one of the most significant changes in the health sector is transforming the paper-based health reporting system into an electronic health information system.

A matter of hope is Dr Abul Kalam Azad being appointed as the new Director General of DGHS. He has been leading this health information system from the very beginning. In the spirit of southsouth co-operation, developing countries like Bangladesh can get an opportunity to share knowledge, skills, expertise, and resources through concerted efforts in a bit to improve its health sector.

It is imperative for the DGHS to accelerate professional motivation, knowledge-sharing, and capacity-building at different levels of health care policy-making in Bangladesh. l Monjur Ahmed is working as Communications Specialist at Icddr,b.

DT

16 Sport

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

TOP STORIES

Walsh feels safe in Bangladesh The Tigers’ bowling coach Courtney Walsh expressed surprise after England duo Eoin Morgan and Alex Hales decided to withdraw from their upcoming tour of Bangladesh due to security reasons. PAGE 17

Nothing for me to prove, says Kerber Newly-crowned world number one Angelique Kerber has nothing left to prove after clinching the U.S. Open for a second grand slam this year and securing a place in the record books, the German said on Tuesday. PAGE 18

England’s Eoin Morgan leads his players off the pitch after losing against Pakistan following their one-off Twenty20 international at Old Trafford, Manchester, England on September 7 AP

Morgan, Hales to skip Bangladesh tour n AFP, London

WICB sacks Simmons West Indies sacked their head coach Phil Simmons on Tuesday, five months after the team clinched the World Twenty20 title, citing “differences in culture and strategic approach”. Simmons had endured a rocky time. PAGE 19

Bayern cruise, Real leave it late Edinson Cavani put PSG ahead, one up, within 43 seconds but a string of wastes of pure goal-scoring opportunities by the Uruguayan and an inspired goalkeeping from David Ospina, kept Arsenal alive in the match. PAGE 20

England limited-overs captain Eoin Morgan and batsman Alex Hales have both made themselves unavailable for next month’s tour of Bangladesh, the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed on Sunday.

The tour, which begins on September 30 and will include two Tests and three ODIs, had been called into question after an attack in July on a cafe in Dhaka in which 20 hostages were killed, including 18 foreigners.

Morgan had already spelled out the reasons for his personal concerns about travelling following his previous experience of security alerts in both India and Bangladesh.

And the ECB confirmed late Sunday that both Morgan, 30, and Hales, 27, had let England cricket chief Andrew Strauss know their decision this weekend.

“Whilst we understand and respect Eoin and Alex’s decision, we are disappointed that they have made themselves unavailable for selection for the Bangladesh tour,” Strauss said.

“We have had open and honest conversations with all the players about the security arrangements in Bangladesh and at this stage

we are not expecting any other individuals to withdraw from the tour.

“Final selection for the Bangladesh tour, will now take place on Friday.”

Strauss added: “As with all England overseas tours, the safety and security of players and staff is of the utmost importance to ECB. “We will continue to monitor the situation in Bangladesh, take advice and consider the appropriate steps up to and throughout the five weeks we are on tour.”

Lancashire wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler will captain the one-day side in Morgan’s absence, the ECB said.

Buttler, the vice-captain, has led England only once before in a Twenty20 international against Pakistan last winter.

Following the July attacks the ECB sent an inspection team to Bangladesh led by their long-serving security chief Reg Dickason.

After he reported back, the board confirmed last month that the tour, which is scheduled to run until November 1, would go ahead as planned.

“A thorough and detailed risk assessment was approved and accepted by the ECB Board and the England players and manage-

ment have been fully briefed on all aspects of the safety and security arrangements,” the ECB statement added.

Morgan explained last week 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 has stated publicly he will travel. l

Morgan still has England future, says Gooch n AFP, London

Former England captain Graham Gooch believes Eoin Morgan can still play international cricket again following his withdrawal from the team’s upcoming tour of Bangladesh on security grounds.

The England and Wales Cricket Board announced Sunday that oneday international captain Morgan and opening batsman Alex Hales had informed director Andrew Strauss they were unavailable for the trip.

The tour, which begins on September 30 and will include two Tests and three ODIs, had been called into question after an attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July which saw 20 hostages killed, including 18 foreigners.

“I don’t think (his career) is done,” Gooch told talkSPORT radio on Monday when discussing Morgan’s would England future.

“In this situation when you give your place up, someone else will come in. You give an opportunity and a chance to someone else.”

Meanwhile another former England captain Michael Vaughan questioned how Morgan could skipper an England side again after opting out of going to Bangladesh.

“One main trait of a strong leader is they never ask a team-mate to do something they would not do themselves,” said Vaughan.l

17

DT

Sport

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

WADA fury as Russian hackers release Williams, Biles data n AFP, Los Angeles The World Anti-Doping Agency on Tuesday slammed Russian hackers who breached its database and published confidential records of US Olympic gymnast Simone Biles and tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams.

WADA said in a statement that the Russian cyber-espionage group Tsar Team (APT28), also known as Fancy Bears, had broken into its Anti-Doping Administration and Management System database.

The hacking group released information gleaned from the files of Biles, the Williams sisters and US women’s basketball player Elena Delle Donne. In a posting on its website, Fancy Bears claimed US athletes at the Olympics had “played well but not fair.”

However, none of the documents published by the group provided evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the athletes involved.

Instead, the disclosed files set out instances where the athletes had been granted exemptions to use various medications for legitimate reasons - a common practice in the sports world.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency characterized the hack as a “cowardly and despicable” attempt to smear the four women.

“In each of the situations, the athlete has done everything right in adhering to the global rules for obtaining permission to use a needed medication,” USADA chief executive Travis Tygart said.

“The cyber-bullying of innocent athletes being engaged by these hackers is cowardly and despicable,” added Tygart, the anti-doping czar who famously helped expose US cyclist and dope cheat Lance Armstrong. l

Tigers bowling coach Courtney Walsh meets the Bangladesh players in Mirpur recently

Walsh feels safe in Bangladesh n Tribune Report The Tigers’ newly-appointed bowling coach Courtney Walsh expressed surprise after England limited-over captain Eoin Morgan and opening batsman Alex Hales decided to withdraw from their upcoming tour of Bangladesh due to security reasons.

The England and Wales Cricket Board informed that wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler will lead the ODI side in Morgan’s absence.

“Well, a little bit surprised with the tour going ahead, but they’ve

got their personal reasons I’m sure,” Walsh told BBC. “But in terms of cricket, as long as the tour is going ahead, you want to have everyone involved and the best people on the tour.

“I’m sure the Bangladesh fans will be a little bit disappointed and probably some England fans as well, but as long as the tour goes on, everybody will be happy,” he added.

The former West Indies fast bowling legend said in an ideal world, they would have liked to go up against a full strength opposition.

“If I’m going on a tour and some of the guys pulled out, you’re going to feel a bit disappointed that not everybody going on the tour together,” he explained.

“Obviously from a team perspective, the team would like everybody selected to go on the tour to have a full squad of those who were selected.”

The 53-year old however, believes the relevant authorities will give adequate security to the tourists.

“Yeah, I received reassurances over safety and security. I felt safe

FILE PHOTO

and confident when I was here. I felt, they’ll look after us,” said the Jamaican.

“When you weigh up against what’s happening in the world - I mean things are happening all over and you weigh your options and your chances - they gave me reassurances of security of the highest level and that’s one of the reasons I’m here,” he added.

Morgan and Hales withdrew from the touring party, citing security concerns following the terrorist attack in a Dhaka restaurant in July this year. l

Buttler stands by ‘captain’ Morgan n AFP, London

England’s Jos Buttler and Eoin Morgan during their ODI against Pakistan recently

Eoin Morgan is very much still the captain of the England one-day international cricket team says the man who stepped in to replace him for the tour of Bangladesh Jos Buttler.

Morgan and batsman Alex Hales both decided not to go on the tour as they were concerned, despite reassurances from team security chief Reg Dickason after he came back from a fact finding trip, over their safety.

The tour - which begins on September 30 and will include two Tests and three ODIs - had been

called into question after an attack on a cafe in Dhaka in July which saw 20 hostages killed, including 18 foreigners.

Morgan especially came in for some criticism over his decision former captains Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain leading the charge with both questioning whether he could resume being skipper.

However, Buttler said the former captains’ speculation over Morgan’s future was nonsense.

“He’s very much still the captain of the England ODI side,” said Buttler. He’s done a fantastic job over the last 18 months. He’s been one

of the main reasons, if not the main reason, for the turnaround in fortunes. The style of cricket he’s got the side playing is something we want to continue and keep playing that brand of cricket,” added the 26-year-old.

Buttler, who made his ODI debut back in 2012, said Morgan would have not taken the decision lightly.

“There has been some unfair criticism,” he said.

“Cricket is not the be-all and end-all. He has made the decision that is right for him and it is not one he has taken lightly. He has come to one which he is comfortable with and people should respect that."l

DT

18

Sport

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

FACTFILE: ANGELIQUE KERBER BORN: Bremen, Germany, January 18, 1988 (Age: 28) SEEDED: 1 GRAND SLAM TITLES (2): Australian Open (2016), US Open (2016)

EARLY LIFE

Began playing tennis aged three and grew up idolising Steffi Graf.

Turned professional in 2003 aged 15 and spent four years building the consistency needed to qualify for regular tour events.

Made first main draw in 2006 at Hasselt in Belgium, losing to Serbia’s Ana Ivanovic in the second round.

TENNIS CAREER

US Open winner Angelique Kerber jumps into the air after a news conference at the airport hotel in Munich on Tuesday REUTERS

Nothing for me to prove, says delighted Kerber n Reuters, Munich Newly-crowned world number one Angelique Kerber has nothing left to prove after clinching the U.S. Open for a second grand slam this year and securing a place in the record books, the German said on Tuesday.

The 28-year-old became the oldest player to rise to that rank when the new list was published on Monday, capping a memorable summer that also included the Olympic silver medal at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics and a Wimbledon final appearance. Her success in Rio was followed up by a final defeat in Cin-

cinnati to Katerina Pliskova, who she then beat in the U.S. Open final.

“In Cincinnati, that is where the questions about number one started coming up and that is where the additional pressure started,” she said.

“Winning the second grand slam, it was a bit different,” she told a news conference in Munich following her return to Germany.

“I don’t have anything to prove anymore. I am at the top, number one. I waited for this moment all my life,” she said. “Melbourne was different as it was my first grand slam. I had to deal with a lot of things off the court after that.”

Kerber, who beat Pliskova in three sets in New York, having secured the top spot days earlier following Serena Williams’ exit, said her improved fitness and mental strength had been key to her success.

“This year everything came together. The experiences, specifically dealing with pressure. I am even fitter now than earlier this year. I am more positive and can deal with things even if they do not go that well.”

“This mental strength was a life-saver when I was trailing 3-1 in the third set,” she said. “At 28, I am now at the peak of my career and can enjoy it.” l

Cracked the top-100 in May 2007 and made her first WTA quarter-final at Hertogenbosch. Made her first grand slam main draw at Roland Garros, which she followed up at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, though she lost in the first round of each.

Played her first Australian Open main draw in 2008, reaching the second round before losing to Italy’s Francesca Schiavone. Makes her first WTA Tour final in Bogota in 2010, beating top-seeded Argentine Gisela Dulko in the semi-finals before losing to local Mariana DuqueMario 6-4 6-3. Enters top 50 for the first time in July.

Has a breakthrough in 2011 with her first grand slam semi-final appearance at the U.S. Open, losing to eventual champion Sam Stosur of Australia.

Begins 2012 with two semi-finals in Auckland and Hobart before she beats Maria Sharapova, the top seed, in the quarter-finals in Paris, then beats second-seeded Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli to clinch her first title.

Beats Caroline Wozniacki to clinch her second title in Copenhagen and also makes finals at Eastbourne and Cincinnatti.

Made the WTA Tour Finals for first time and finishes the year a career-high fifth.

Despite continuing to remain in the top-10 she endures a frustrating 2014, where she makes four finals and loses them all.

Crashes out in first round of 2015 Australian Open to Romania’s Irina-Camelia Begu, though wins four titles on four different surfaces, becoming the first woman since Jelena Jankovic in 2007 to win WTA Tour titles on green clay, red clay, grass and hard courts.

Makes the final of the 2016 Brisbane International before the season-opening grand slam, losing to Azarenka. Withdrew from the second round of the Sydney tournament with gastro-intestinal illness.

Almost repeats her first-round exit of 2015 at Melbourne Park when she is forced to save a match-point against Japan’s Misaki Doi, found herself 2-5 down in the second set against Azarenka in the last eight before recovering to reel off five successive games.

Surprises tennis world by playing superb defence to win her first grand slam title, the first by a German since Steffi Graf in 1999, with a 6-4 3-6 6-4 win over Serena Williams.

Reached gold medal match at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she lost to Puerto Rico’s Monica Puig and settled for silver.

Becomes the first new women’s number one player in over three years, ending the 186-week reign of Serena Williams after the American failed to reach the US Open final.l

Stantastic Wawrinka stuns Djokovic n AFP, New York Stan Wawrinka became the oldest US Open men’s champion in 46 years when he defeated world number one Novak Djokovic to claim a third Grand Slam title on Sunday.

The oldest winner of the men’s tournament since 35-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1970 said a taste for pain helped him to victory and admitted he was shaking and at one point burst into tears before the match.

“You have to accept to suffer and you have almost to enjoy to suffer. Because I think this Grand Slam was the most painful, physically and mentally, that I ever played,” said the 31-year-old from

Switzerland.

Wawrinka, seeded third, triumphed 6-7 (1/7), 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 after almost four hours of high intensity tennis.

“I was feeling cramp coming in the third set. In the fourth set I had some pain, but the most important thing was not to show anything.”

“I’m not that young anymore,” he added.

It was Wawrinka’s first New York title, following his breakthrough 2014 Australian Open triumph and 2015 Roland Garros crown.

On both those occasions, Djokovic had been the fall-guy, losing in Melbourne in the quarter-finals and ending as runner-up in Paris.

“If you want to beat the No. 1 player in the world, you have to

give everything,” said Wawrinka who has won his last 11 finals.

“I was shaking in the locker room,” he said, adding that during his last minute discussions with coach Magnus Norman, “I started to cry”.

Djokovic, the 2011 and 2015 champion, had been seeking a third Slam of the year and 13th major of his career.

But the 29-year-old Serb finished runner-up in New York for the fourth time after paying a heavy price for converting just three of 17 break points.

“Stan, you absolutely deserved to win. You were the more courageous player in the decisive moment and you deserve this title,” said Djokovic. l

Novak Djokovic (L) and Stan Wawrinka at the trophy presentation ceremony after their US Open final at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre REUTERS

19

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Sport

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

QUICK BYTES Brazil back into top five of FIFA rankings Brazil climbed back into the top five of the latest FIFA rankings released yesterday. Two World Cup qualifying victories over Ecuador (3-0) and Colombia (2-1) saw Brazil draw level with the latter in joint fourth position. South American rivals Argentina remain atop the rankings ahead of Belgium and Germany.

–AFP

Sarwan to call it a day Former West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan is set to announce his retirement from international cricket in Guyana yesterday. Sarwan’s last international match was an ODI against India at The Oval during the 2013 Champions Trophy. He has made 286 international appearances for West Indies in his career. Sarwan, 36, who made his first-class debut for Guyana, against Barbados in the Red Stripe Cup of 1995-96 at the age of 15, played the first of his 87 Tests four years later, in May 2000 against Pakistan in Barbados, and scored 84 and 11*. He struck his maiden Test century in his 28th match, against Bangladesh in Dhaka, and gradually cemented his place at No. 3 in West Indies’ Test line-up.

CRICINFO

Sky ‘suspend’ Di Canio Paolo Di Canio was removed from his role as a Sky Italia presenter after one of his tattoos alluding to Benito Mussolini stirred up a flurry of protest on social media. The maverick Italian manager fronted Sky Italia’s coverage of the English Premier League on Sunday wearing a short-sleeved shirt revealing the controversial body art “DUX” written on his arm in capital letters.

–AFP

DAY’S WATCH FOOTBALL STAR SPORTS 2 12:16 AM Bundesliga 2016/17 1 FC Koln v SC Freiburg

STAR SPORTS 4 12:45 AM Premier League 2016/17 Chelsea v Liverpool

TEN 1 HD 12:35 AM French Ligue 1 2016/17 SM Caen v Paris Saint-Germain

SONY SIX 12:30 AM La Liga Santander 2016/17 Real Betis v Granada

SONY ESPN 12:30 AM Serie A TIM 2016/17 Sampdoria v AC Milan

BCCI president Anurag Thakur taking a selfie with former cricketer Virender Sehwag and West Indies player Chris Gayle at the launch of Gayle’s autobiography ‘Six Machine’ in Gurgaon AP

Touchline tussle beckons for Klopp and Conte n AFP, London

The touchline action could be as explosive as what happens on the pitch at Stamford Bridge today when Jurgen Klopp takes his Liverpool side to tackle Antonio Conte’s Chelsea.

Both managers are renowned for the remarkable intensity of their touchline antics and the fourth official is likely to have a job on his hands maintaining order in the two technical areas.

Klopp appreciates the similarities, but it is Conte’s achievements with Juventus and Italy, rather than his conduct in front of the

dug-outs, that have won him the German’s admiration.

“I don’t know Antonio good enough to know why he is doing it.

I know for myself and, as I’ve said a few times, it just happens to me,” Klopp told reporters at Wednesday’s pre-game press conference.

“He looks quite emotional, even when they don’t score. Obviously he is involved in the game, but that’s not the most important thing.

“The very important thing is he is a great manager, something like the ‘Pep Guardiola of Juventus’ if you want.

“He created their special type of

play and had a very successful time there and with the national team.

“It is quite impressive what he has done until now, but I don’t play against Antonio Conte.”

After defeat at Burnley and a 1-1 draw at Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool returned to winning ways at the weekend with a clinical 4-1 thrashing of champions Leicester City at the newly expanded Anfield.

Chelsea saw their perfect start to the campaign ended by a 2-2 draw at Swansea City in which they went 1-0 up, fell 2-1 down and then rescued a point through Diego Costa’s acrobatic 81st-minute equaliser.

The way Chelsea let Swansea

back into the match suggested the vulnerability that plagued them last season, when they finished 10th, continues to hover below the surface.

But Chelsea winger Victor Moses is convinced that Conte’s offpitch adjustments have set the club on the right path.

“I think he is the right man for this club,” the Nigeria international told the Chelsea website.

“He came in and changed quite a few things and everyone was expecting that. The food regime and the training have changed and he wants everyone to gel together as a team.l

NZ eye reverse swing trap n Reuters, New Delhi New Zealand will bank heavily on reverse swing to emerge from the trial by spin that awaits them in the Test series in India, coach Mike Hesson said on Tuesday.

Last time they hosted a team, India rolled out turning tracks and flexed their spin muscles to crush South Africa 3-0 in the four-Test series last year.

Kane Williamson and his men can look forward to a similar treatment in the three-Test series beginning in Kanpur on Sept. 22 but Hesson sounded upbeat.

“It’s a huge component of playing cricket overseas,” the bespectacled coach told reporters.

“On surfaces that aren’t responsive in terms of seam movement, and they are abrasive and they lose

their shine very quickly, you need to find another way.

“Hence overseas teams are pretty keen to find ways to get the ball to reverse, obviously in a legitimate fashion.”

Hesson conceded it would be a different ball game for his side, literally.

“The challenge for us is firstly adjusting to the different ball,” he said. “The SG balls (to be used for the series) can be different to what we have been operating with, the Kookaburra.”

New Zealand have picked three spinners in their squad and Hesson said they could prove quite a handful on the turning tracks.

“All three are keen learners of the game and certainly we’re going to put a lot of faith in them in the coming weeks.” l

WICB sacks Simmons n Reuters West Indies sacked their head coach Phil Simmons on Tuesday, five months after the team clinched the World Twenty20 title, citing “differences in culture and strategic approach”.

Simmons, 53, had endured a rocky time in the position and was

suspended in September last year after criticising the board’s selection policy for the West Indies’ tour to Sri Lanka.

“In recent times, based on the public pronouncements of the coach and the approach internally, we have identified differences in culture and strategic approach,” the WICB said in a statement.l

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Sport

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero scores their third goal to complete his hat trick against Borussia Monchengladbach during the Uefa Champions League Group C match at Etihad Stadium, Manchester, England on Wednesday REUTERS

RESULTS GROUP C

4-0

Man City

M’gladbach

Aguero 9, 28-P, 77, Iheanacho 90+1

GROUP E

2-2

Leverkusen

CSKA Moscow

Mehmedi 9, Calhanoglu 15

Dzagoev 36, Eremenko 38

1-2

Tottenham Alderweireld 45

Monaco Silva 15, Lemar 31

Wasteful Cavani

GROUP F

2-1

Real Madrid

Sporting Lisbon

Ronaldo 89, Morata 90+5

Cesar 48

0-6

Legia Warsaw

Dortmund

Papastathopoulos 15, Goetze 7, Bartra 17, Guerreiro 51, Castro 76, Aubameyang 87

GROUP G

0-3

Club Brugge

Leicester City Albrighton 5, Mahrez 29, 61-P

1-1

Porto

Copenhagen

Otavio 13

Cornelius 52

GROUP H

3-0

Dinamo Zagreb

0-0

Sevilla

Lyon Tolisso 13, Ferri 49, Cornet 57

Juventus

PLAYED TUESDAY GROUP A

1-1

PSG

Arsenal

Cavani 1

Sanchez 77

1-1

Basel

Ludogorets

Steffen 80

Cafu 45

GROUP B

1-2

Dynamo Kiev

Napoli

Garmash 26

Milik 36, 45+2

1-1

Benfica

Besiktas

Cervi 12

Talisca 90+3

GROUP C

7-0

Barcelona

Celtic

Messi 3, 27, 60, Neymar 50, Iniesta 59, Suarez 75, 88

GROUP D Bayern Munich

5-0

Rostov

Lewandowski 28-P, Mueller 45+2, Kimmich 53, 60, Bernat 90

PSV Eindhoven

0-1

Bayern cruise, Messi & Co blast Celtic, Real leave it late

Atletico Madrid Niguez 43

Edinson Cavani put the home side ahead, one up, within 43 seconds but a string of wastes of pure goal-scoring opportunities by the Uruguayan and an inspired goalkeeping from David Ospina, kept Arsenal alive in the match amidst PSG dominance and Unai Emery’s sheer tactical brilliance. A late 77th minute equalizer from Alexis Sanchez and half a dozen saves from Ospina, helped the Gunners earn a crucial away point.

MSN on fire

Handful of Liverpool fans wiped silent tears as Luis Suarez and Brendan Rodgers hugged. The result was expected, a huge margin, MSN Trio roared, Lionel Messi, Neymar, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta registered their names in the scoresheet to cause the wet dreams of any Barcelona fanboy.

Perfect Barcelona.

Efficient Atletico

Saul Niguez’s lone strike, Atletico’s 140th clean sheet under Diego Simeone, a very Atletico Madrid-esque performance, with Antoine Griezmann’s pizza celebration being the cherry on top this victory.

Rampant Bayern

Bayern created history with 13 consecutive home wins in Champions League, Carlo Ancelotti got five victories in a row, superstars like Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller scored in the advent of traditional Lederhosen photoshoot.

Expected, dominant Bayern.

Foxes still capable

At Club Brugge they showed the

killer instinct that served them so well last term with Riyad Mahrez and Marc Albrighton back to their best and the defence once again secure. They won’t win the title this season but this performance showed there will still be highs to enjoy along the way.

Wembley, a blessing and a curse

There was some atmosphere before kick-off, but during the time in which Spurs were two goals down the fans began to get frustrated and that feeling filtered through to the players. When Toby Alderweireld pulled one back, Wembley was rocking and the team gained some momentum, but it had been noticeable how much the players’ moods had been affected by an impatient crowd.

City are contenders – with Aguero

With Sergio Aguero fit and firing, Manchester City look like one of the best teams on the planet in Pep Guardiola’s early days. It is exactly that – early days – at the Etihad and it is by no means a given that their form will not stutter at some point, but at this stage they look like world beaters.

A night to forget

It’s easy to imagine this Juve on paper could have easily beaten Sevilla. It was also easy to imagine before kickoff that Spain would have beaten Chile in the 2014 World Cup. However, Jorge Sampaoli managed to navigate the challenge, just like he did two years ago with physical grit and might. Juve were stifled, and held to a 0-0 draw.

Very little to celebrate

In truth there was very little to celebrate from such a below par performance from Madrid. But Ronaldo always scores against Sporting – he did it twice for Manchester United - and his late free-kick was perfectly placed past Rui Patricio.

Six-star Dortmund

A stunning opening 20 minutes paved the way for Borussia Dortmund to thrash Legia Warsaw 6-0 in the Group F encounter.

Dortmund were somewhat surprisingly beaten 1-0 by RB Leipzig at the weekend, but the Bundesliga defeat clearly did not impact them in Poland on their return to European football’s elite club competition as they impressed right from the off. l

Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata (C) scores the winning goal against Sporting during their Uefa Champions League Group F match at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Madrid, Spain on Wednesday REUTERS

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Jurisprudence (3) 3 Wealthy (4) 6 Summit (4) 7 Early freshness (3) 9 Weak glue (4) 10 Band’s engagement (3) 11 Headwear (4) 13 Select group (5) 16 Minute particles (5) 18 Presage (4) 19 Boring tool (3) 20 Mountain lion (4) 21 Old cloth measure (3) 23 Direction (4) 24 Sympathetic sorrow (4) 25 School of whales (3)

DOWN 1 Rock shelf (5) 2 Tool (3) 4 Rainbow goddess (4) 5 Garden tool (3) 6 Irate (5) 8 Having light skin (5) 9 Plant’s support (4) 12 Make up for (5) 14 Tibetan holy man (4) 15 Airman (5) 17 Cold dish (5) 18 Leave out (4) 20 Mild explosion (3) 22 Zodiac sign (3)

21

DT

Downtime

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

CODE-CRACKER How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 13 represents Q so fill Q every time the figure 13 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

MONDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

DILBERT

SUDOKU

DT

22

Showtime

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

Britney and JT back together again

Ganesha is the inspiration for Krrish 4

n Showtime Desk n Showtime Desk Hold on, Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears are not thinking about getting back together the way you think. This is more on a professional front. There are some rumors following Britney’s new album.

Justin and Britney were once pop’s “it couple,” and they were pretty damn cute. Their relationship lasted from 19992002. Obviously, the two of them have changed a lot over the years. They were one of the most talked about topics for a time, but they went their separate ways.

With Britney recently releasing her new album, she’s

been doing a lot of things to promote it. One of them was a Q&A with fans and that had her revealing she would be interested in collaborating with her former flame.

Justin was asked about it at the Toronto International Film Festival and had the best possible reply. “She did? Sure!

Absolutely, absolutely,” he revealed. It sure sounds like he was super shocked by her request.

Things are looking better for Britney Spears by the

day. She has another hit album under her belt and now the chance to collaborate with her former love. Both artists are very successful, so we know whatever they decided to release will be pretty great. Years ago, the two ended their relationship on bad terms, with rumors circulating that Spears cheated on him. Thus far, these have never been confirmed, but Timberlake released a string of songs that were allegedly about her. It sure seems like the past is the past and they’re ready to move on. l

After being inspired from a life-size idol of Lord Ganesha as India’s favourite superhero Krrish, filmmaker Rakesh Roshan has decided to revive the super hit franchise.

Hrithik Roshan took to Twitter to make the big announcement, “Ganpati blessings for KRRISH4 :)) hope everyone is enjoying the festivities. Love to all.”

He also tweeted an endearing image of Lord Ganesha dressed as ‘Krrish’ which was trending on social media. Speaking on the same, Rakesh Roshan said, “When my wife showed me a tweet with Bappa’s picture as Krrish, it reaffirmed my belief that Krrish is the original superhero we have. It boosted my confidence and inspired me

Sonu Nigam is back

Producers sued for wrongful death

nShowtime Desk

nShowtime Desk

Sonu Nigam, best known for several hit songs like, “Kal Ho Naa Ho”, “Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin” and “Zoobi Doobi”, had also shared his excitement at being a part of the Sony Entertainment Television show on Twitter.

He tweeted: “For the family...

Here’s #maukekidastak.

Congrats. We are back with ‘Indian Idol’.”

In a conversation with local magazine the singer added, “We literally started the show in India in 2004. I was the only person who read the philosophy behind the format according to the creator Simon Cowell in his book I Don’t Mean To Be Rude, But...”

Details about his co-judges, hosts and the show’s premiere

are yet to be revealed.

Sources added Sonu Nigam is happy to be back on the singing reality show Indian Idol for its seventh season as a judge. He says it is a homecoming moment for him. “I have abstained from TV for half a decade and thus, getting back on Idol is like getting back to my roots,” Nigam said in a statement.l

A horrible Colombian pane crash during the shooting for American Made, originally titled Mena and starring Tom Cruise, was faced with a wrongful death lawsuit against Imagine Entertainment and other production companies involved with the film. The suit claims that the safety measures were compromised because flight operations were “rushed” to save money when the movie fell behind schedule.

The actual lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court this past Wednesday on behalf of the family of Carlos Berl, one of three victims of the crash.

As the record shows, the twin engine Aerostar 600 plane took off near a jungle on September 11, 2015, and crashed about 10 minutes after departure en route to Medellin.

Berl was a student pilot on the flight and was assigned to bring the aircraft back to the US from Colombia. The lawsuit also claims, “The terrain over which the Subject Aircraft would fly in order to reach Medillin was unsuitably difficult for such an instructional flight, especially one conducted in a rushed and unscheduled manner in an aircraft with limited flight data and whether instrumentation.”

In the film itself, Cruse plays as Barry Seal, the American pilot who worked for the Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar before he became a spy for the DEA l

to make the fourth installment.”

He added that, “Ganesha is also called the god of auspicious beginnings. I guess this was his way of saying that we have his blessings for Krrish 4.” Senior Roshan already has an idea for the movie, which he will be working on. The movie is slated to go on floors next year and will be released during Christmas 2018.

The father-son duo have an impeccable track record right from Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai to Krrish 3, thereby generating more excitement on the social media platform about Krrish 4. On the other hand, Rakesh Roshan’s Kaabil, starring Hrithik Roshan and Yami Gautam directed by Sanjay Gupta, will be hitting the screens on Republic Day next year.l

An absolutely hilarious spin on the Mahabharata is now trending, and with good reason.

Akshat Verma, the Delhi Belly writer, directs this short film that transplants the complicated marital status of the Pandavas and Draupadi to 2016, with shattering effects.

Here, Draupadi is allowed as little agency and free will in being apportioned in fifths to each brother as she was in mythology. But this Draupadi is no shrinking violet. Played seductively by Aditi Rai Hydari, the choices she makes serve nobody but herself, and she employs every feminine wile available to her to turn the situation she finds herself in to her own advantage.

Aditi is just one of an impressive ensemble cast.

Neena Gupta stars as Kunti here, the stubborn Punjabi mother of five laadla betas is seen dishing out tinda

masala, while happily oblivious that her two youngest sons are gay and not interested in the twin prospective brides she has lined up.

Arunoday Singh appears as the buff but dim Bhim, who pumps iron with his girlfriend Hidimba and is easy pickings for the

sultry Draupadi.

Amol Parashar is cast as the hapless Arjun, bringing home his hard-won bride to mom, who won’t relent after ordering him to ‘share’ because she never goes back on her word - even though just the day before she said she was going to cook rajma but didn’t.

Akshay Oberoi is a dissolute perma-sunglassed Yudhishthir, borrowing from his brother to keep gambling. Nakul and Sahdev, gay designers and on Arjun’s side, until mom demands they meet prospective brides of their own, are played by Vivaan Shah and Jim Sarbh.

Mama’s Boys is also a swan song for Razak Khan, who died in June, and makes a brief appearance here as Shakuni Mama.

As Aditi Rao Hydari puts it in a tweet, Mama’s Boys turns things “upside down or right side up.” The song is now available on Youtube. l

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

Star Update

Aditi Rao Hydari stars as modern Draupadi n Showtime Desk

23

DT

Showtime

n Showtime Desk Fahmida’s trip to USA

Popular singer Fahmida Nabi travelled to the USA right before Eid. Nabi recently posted pictures on her social media where she seems to be relaxing and embracing the serenity. Fahmida Nabi enjoyed her Eid en route to Dhaka, Bangladesh. Another singer and composer, S I Tutul tagged along with her while she was coming back from USA.

Srabonno: Off to Bali Srabonno is fast becoming a household name when it comes to hosting live shows. After Eid, she finally got some time off to work and she utilised it to spend some alone time over the holidays. Srabonno took a flight to Bali to take some much needed rest and relax. Why not? Doctor, model, actress, anchor Srabonno doesn’t get to vacation too often. l

WHAT TO WATCH Ant-Man Star Movies 2:10pm Armed with a super-suit with the astonishing ability to shrink in scale but increase in strength, cat burglar Scott Lang must embrace his inner hero and help his mentor, Dr. Hank Pym, plan and pull off a heist that will save the world.

Cast: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas, Corey Stoll Batman Begins HBO 9:30pm After training with his mentor, Batman begins his fight to free crime-ridden Gotham City from

the corruption that Scarecrow and the League of Shadows have cast upon it.

Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe

Warrior WB 9:00pm The youngest son of an alcoholic

former boxer returns home, where he’s trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.

Cast: Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Joel Edgerton Drive Angry Zee Studio 7:35pm A vengeful father escapes from hell and chases after the men who killed his daughter and kidnapped his granddaughter.

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner

Edge of Tomorrow Movies Now 5:00pm A soldier fighting aliens gets to relive the same day over and over again, the day restarting every time he dies.

Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton l

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Back Page

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2016

GANESHA IS THE INSPIRATION FOR KRRISH 4 PAGE 22

MORGAN, HALES TO SKIP BANGLADESH TOUR PAGE 16

From the womb to the tomb Dry it, fry it, burn it, cook it, BBQ it, but don't waste it

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla The love between farmers and their cows is legendary.

Take Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay's famous tale, later set to music by Bhupen Hazarika, of poor peasant Gafoor Zola and his bull Mahesh: Gafoor is so ridden with guilt after beating his loyal bull to death during a period of severe want that he abandons farming altogether.

During Eid-ul-Azha, this prized possession is offered as a sacrifice in commemoration of Hazrat Ibrahim's (AS) test of faith.

The bond that farmers develop with their cattle makes the eventual slaughter of their animal no easy task. As livestock, the contribution of cattle to the economy is immense.

But cows are domestic animals and trusty members of the rural household. For the farmer who reared the animal, the loss of a cow, though paid for in cash, is in a sense incalculable.

The usefulness of cows begins in the womb – mother cows start producing milk when they are pregnant.

This milk provides farmers with a daily source of income and nutrition.

During their lives, oxen or bulls pull ploughs through paddy fields.

Dung is used as fertiliser, as a house-cleaning agent and as fuel in the kitchen.

The animal's urine is used as an anti-bacterial agent in crop and vegetable fields.

Even after they die, cows keep on giving.

Cattle bones, hooves, horns, tails and even penises are in demand for their commercial value.

According to the Export Promotion Bureau, in fiscal year 2014-15, Bangladesh exported animal guts, bladders and stomachs worth a staggering $14.71m (over Tk114 crore). That same year, the export of cattle bones and horns fetched $3.38 million (over Tk26 crore).

Hard substances such as teeth

and bones are cut with machines to uniform sizes and sold. Local pharmaceutical companies use these to make the shell of capsules while some are exported. Hooves and horns are also exported and used for making combs, buttons and X-ray films.

Cattle ears are boiled and dried in the sun, ground into powder and sold to poultry feed traders. Bone dust is also mixed with poultry feed and fertilisers.

The leather industry, Bangladesh's second largest export revenue earning sector, thrives on the cattle hide collected during Eidul-Azha every year. According to the Export Promotion Bureau, the export of leather and leather goods crossed $1 billion in 2014-15 for the second year in a row.

Data from the Board of Investment of Bangladesh shows that milk production is one of the most important economic activities in Bangladesh, providing 3.6 million households with supplementary income.

There are very few Bangladeshi desserts that do not contain milk. It is de rigour to serve a sweet milkbased dessert at family get-togethers, festivals, and even the sharing of good news.

Cow fat is used in the making of soaps and detergent, in addition to being a secret ingredient in making rich parathas. People on a budget use it in place of ghee to make dishes more savoury.

Last but not least is the beef itself – the most popular red meat in Bangladesh. It would be very hard to find even one Bangladeshi Muslim family that does not have beef stored in the refrigerator. In rural areas where refrigerators are uncommon, the meat is dried in the sun to preserve it.

Different areas have their own distinct varieties of beef curry – Mezbani beef in Chittagong, Shatkora beef in Sylhet and the famous Kala Bhuna of Old Dhaka are among the most popular.

Kebabs made of beef, the

Mughal empire's gift to Bangladeshi cuisine, are very popular. According to unofficial counts, there are several hundred kebab restaurants in Dhaka.

Rooftop barbecue parties in urban areas, a recent tradition during the Eid-ul-Azha holidays, have gained in popularity among the younger set.

With the estimated 5 million hoofed animals, including cows, slaughtered this Eid-ul-Azha, the myriad products derived from the cow are plain to see.

Farmers will make some money and receive a measure of meat during the festival, but they will have lost a farm animal whose value is undeniable.

Throughout their lives and beyond, cows are dependable livestock that engender a kind of loyalty.

Echoing the reliance that Gafoor came to feel for his hapless bull, food policy expert Joan Gussow says: “As for butter versus margarine, I trust cows more than chemists.”

Doctors warn of post-Eid health hazard in Dhaka n Abu Bakar Siddique

Doctors and health professionals are concerned about a probable disease outbreak in Dhaka following the hours-long waterlog mixed with the blood of sacrificed animals on the day of Eidul-Azha.

Blood-soaked streets on the day of the second biggest religious festival of Muslims is nothing new for Dhaka residents who participate in the annual ritual of sacrificing animals after the Eid prayers.

This year, however, incessant rain for nearly a day and a half resulted in “rivers of blood” in Dhaka as the rainwater mixed with the animal blood completely submerged streets in the city's Malibagh, Shantinagar, Bijoynagar, Paltan, Motijheel, Jatrabari, Bakshi Bazar and Kanthalbagan areas.

The waterlog lasted for nearly 10 hours on the Eid day, which means thousands of people came into the contact with the dirty water, raising the concern among the health experts.

They fear that contact with the water may put people in danger of developing skin diseases, and it

A man walks through a submerged road in Dhaka’s Gandaria on Eid day after early morning downpour left stagnant water in many areas of the capital. The situation got worse when blood of sacrificed animals mixed with the water and turned some roads into rivers of blood MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK could also result in an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

“Blood is usually sterile, unless it carries any viral or bacterial infection. But when it gets mixed with water, it becomes contaminated. So animal blood mixed with

rainwater in the city streets is definitely a cause of concern. It could spread any kind of waterborne diseases, including diarrhoea, cholera, hepatitis, etc,” said Dr Khaled Noor, paediatrician and former professor at Bangabandhu Sheikh

Mujibur Rahman Medical University (BSMMU).

Children are most vulnerable of falling ill in this situation, he added.

Echoing Khaled, Dr Riad Siddiky, consultant on skin and ve-

nereal diseases at the BSSMU, said skin diseases are usually on the rise in Dhaka after Eid-ul-Azha.

“This year, it may be worse people were exposed to stagnant water mixed with sacrificial animal blood for several hours,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

However, people who live on the outskirts of the city where water flows into different canals and culvert are at bigger health risk as the bloody water would get enough time to become riddled with contagious diseases.

Not using the designated slaughtering spots is a major reason behind this situation on Eid day, experts claimed.

More than a million of animals – mostly cows and goats – were slaughtered this Eid, according to a rough estimate.

To avoid slaughter in random spots and keep the city clean, city authorities designated 1,000 slaughter spots – 496 in Dhaka North and 504 in Dhaka South – for Eid-ul-Azha this year.

However, most of the city dwellers preferred slaughtering their animals on the streets and in front of their houses, ignoring the city authorities' request to keep the city clean. l

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