DT e-Paper 08 July 2017

SECOND EDITION
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017 | Ashar 24, 1424, Shawwal 13, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 5, No 61 | www.dhakatribune.com | 24 pages plus 8-page sports supplement | Price: Tk10
SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
The pot-belly of Dhaka › 2
Bangladesh
made
scapegoat in
Mamata-BJP
fights › 4
Trump, Putin
hold first
meeting
at protestmarred
G20
summit › 5
Experts:
Rampal power
plant is not
economically
viable › 6
DT
VOL 1, ISSUE 24 | SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
Sports Tribune
Young Germans
flying high
Loew spoilt for choice with
4 World Cup looming
Captain Bravo speaks
6 for a nation
7
Five facts on new Arsenal
striker Lacazette
SPORTS SUPPLEMENT
‘This is all me being a player
contributing to the game’ › 3
Germany’s Loew spoilt for
choice with World
Cup looming › 4
Captain Bravo speaks for a
nation › 6

2
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
News
The 100 stopovers on the
• Tarek Mahmud
SPECIAL
Cannabis, also known as hemp and
ganja, may not be in the same stature
as illegal substances like yaba
and phensedyl, but it has a user
base as big – if not bigger – as these
contraband narcotics in Bangladesh,
which means its trade is also
as strong.
At least 300 major drug peddlers
sell cannabis in Dhaka alone, running
their business with their cohorts
at 500 or more spots in the
city, according to law enforcement
and narcotics authorities.
While most of them become active
after nightfall, some dealers
can be found selling cannabis during
daytime as well.
“We have made a list of 300 drug
peddlers in Dhaka. In addition, we
have learnt about more than 3,000
drug smugglers after a countrywide
investigation,” said Deputy Inspector
General Syed Towfique Uddin
Ahmed, director (intelligence and
operations) at the Department of
Narcotics Control (DNC).
“We have sent the lists to the Ministry
of Home Affairs to take further
action against the criminals,” he told
the Dhaka Tribune.
He further added that they had
made roughly 3,500 region-wise
lists of drug peddlers who are active
around the country.
He did not disclose any names so
as not to hamper their ongoing anti-drug
operations.
According to the crime map of
Dhaka Metropolitan Police, there at
least 500 spots in Dhaka where drug
dealers run their business. However,
the DNC has identified 100 spots in
the city where the dealers are active,
said DNC Director Towfique.
It comes cheap
The Dhaka Tribune visited several
cannabis selling joints in Dhaka
where most dealers turned out to be
women and children.
Compared to other illegal substances,
cannabis comes really
cheap, although the prices may vary
depending on the area of sale as well
as the supply.
“A client has to pay only Tk200-
A walk through the spot
• Rifat Munim
SPECIAL
During one overcast Thursday afternoon
last month I made my way to the
Karwan Bazar rail gate, through the
spice market, where the air was filled
with an unfamiliar pungent aroma.
As I turned right, nearly a 100-yard
stretch of rail tracks lay ahead, and built
alongside those tracks stood roughly
built hovels. This is where the stash
comes from, I was told, and this is the
biggest spot in downtown Dhaka from
where cannibis is sold.
These tiny hovels made of polythene
and tarpaulin sheets, and bamboo, were
built one after another, eight feet by
eight feet at best. The cooking was done
on the outside, on an earthen stove the
size of a rice pot; scrap wood and leaves
were being used to keep the fire going.
At least 100 major drug peddlers are actively selling cannabis in Dhaka alone, running their business with their cohorts at 500
or more spots in the city, according to law enforcement and narcotics authorities
SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
500 for 25g of cannabis in the Tejgaon
rail track area, but the same amount
is pricier in posh areas like Gulshan,”
said Mina (not her real name), a drug
peddler.
Her associate Kajal (not her real
name) said: “We sometimes do
home delivery, for which we charge
Tk50-200, depending on the area of
delivery.”
Cannabis is the first illegal substance
that all potential addicts try
before they move on to hard drugs
– perhaps because it is easier and
much cheaper to obtain.
The place between the tracks and
the hovels was so congested that three
people could barely walk shoulder
to shoulder. One would wonder how
these people survived living in such
proximity to trains passing by several
times a day, but they said their children
know better and they do not die.
“Do you need some tamak?” asked
a woman in her thirties. Wearing a
salwar kameez that was too glitzy for the
location, she was sitting on her haunches
in front of a hovel. She looked irritated.
There were no children around; only a few
women standing four or five yards away. I
didn’t know how to respond. I didn’t need
it, but telling her the truth that I was looking
for a story about their life might cause
her to react and hide everything.
Yes, I said, I need some tamak. (I
remembered tamak was what it’s called
around here.)
Pointing towards the women standing,
she said, go ask them.
I walked past her and saw a lungi-clad
man sitting on a small bench. He was
cutting some cannabis with a blade to
smoke with a bamboo kolki (pipe) that
was lying nearby. He looked at me with
suspicion when he realised I was starting
at him. “Do you need some tamak?” he
said. I said yes in an attempt to dispel
the confusion. “If you are looking for deshal,
walk further ahead,” he said. “There
are two kinds: Deshal and non-deshal,
which one do you want?” he asked. I
figured deshal is the more coveted and
asked for that, to which he gave me a
sullen look and went back to working.
I continued walking and saw the
same setting in front of every hovel.
Someone was cooking outside, some
middle-aged men or women were
sitting or lying huddled inside, some
selling one pellet of cannibis or two.
The buyers were few and far
The supply
Cannabis is both grown locally and
illegally smuggled into the country,
according to dealers and law enforcement
officials.
Some cannabis peddlers near the
Airport railway station in Uttara said
they bring in their product hidden in
cotton sacks, fruit baskets and other
packages. Train is a popular mode of
transport for the peddlers.
Officials have learnt – mostly
from arrested cannabis dealers – that
Comilla and Brahmaputra are the
two most used entry points through
between. “Things get better in the evening,”
a boy named Zahir (not his real
name) explained. I had already given
him a Tk100 tip for helping me out. The
seller could also be a woman. In fact,
Zahir went on, it is better that way as
women can resist being frisked by the
police. He took me to a woman whom
he called “khala.” I lied to her blatantly,
saying I was looking for some seller as
I needed a big supply. She assured me
that she had the best deshal available
in the entire city. Then I asked her why
she chose this profession, she turned
pale and her brows furrowed. “Did you
bring a policeman here, Zahir?” she
asked and disappeared behind a door.
“Are you a policeman, Sir?” Zahir
charged me. I said, no, I’m not.
I decided to walk back to where I
had started. Zahir accompanied me,
answering a lot of my questions. Most
people here sell cannabis, he said. I
which smugglers bring cannabis into
the country. Then it is brought to
Dhaka via both roadways and railways.
Sometimes, cannabis has been
brought in via airways too. On April
20, 2016, law enforcement authorities
recovered 4kg of cannabis from a
luggage coming in from London.
A client has to pay
only Tk200-500 for
25g of cannabis in the
Tejgaon rail track area,
but the same amount
is pricier in posh areas
like Gulshan
However, it is the first known incident
of cannabis smuggling by air.
Cannabis is grown in several regions
in Bangladesh, especially the
hilly and northern districts, according
to the detained dealers.
During some anti-drug drives, the
DNC and law enforcement agencies
found that cannabis is farmed in
many areas inside Dhaka city as well.
On May 5 this year, DNC officials
seized three 12 feet long cannabis
trees from a plot owned by a sweater
manufacturing factory in Uttara.
Cannabis plants have been found
in different homes, dormitories, and
empty plots too, they added.
“Farming cannabis like this is
completely illegal,” said DNC Deputy
Director (Dhaka metropolitan)
Mukul Jyoti Chakma.
asked how or why they got involved in
this profession. A question he had no
answer to.
It was impossible to know why they
did what they did, as they clammed up
the minute that subject was brought
up. Their replies were curt, their faces
stoic. They were, as if, always poised to
face the worst.
As I kept walking, a stench of
garbage grew stronger. An assortment
of materials was rotting undisturbed
for a long time, narrow puddles in front
of the hovels, or between the tracks,
causing the stench to permeate the
air. Surrounded all over by dirt and
grime, crammed into a murky “jhupri”
swarming with people, anyone could
tell they did not get into this profession
by choice; they were rather soldiers of
fortune who were meant to take the hit
when there was a raid or some other
crisis. •

News
SATURDAY,
3
JULY 8, 2017
DT
‘high’ road
Years
2010
CANNABIS SEIZURE
Cannabis (KG) Cannabis (Plant)
48749
1760
Not high on the priority list
DNC, police, Rapid Action Battalion
(RAB), Border Guard Bangladesh
and Bangladesh Coast Guard have
all been conducting their own operations
to curb drug smuggling in the
country.
It is through this crackdown that
the law enforcement agencies learnt
how big a market cannabis has in
Bangladesh.
“It is easily as big as the yaba business,”
said DNC Additional Director
(Intelligence) Md Nazrul Sikder.
Yet, cannabis has not been a priority
illegal substance for the DNC or
the law enforcement agencies conducting
anti-drug drives.
Several law enforcement officials,
seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka
Tribune that the focus is still set on
yaba.
However, officials firmly said
they were committed to eradicate
peddling and use of all narcotic substances.
To curb the smuggling, Bangladesh
officials have requested India
to destroy the cannabis farmlands
near the Bangladesh-India border so
the smuggling can be stopped, which
India agreed to, said DNC Deputy Director
Mukul Jyoti Chakma.
India did destroy several cannabis
farmlands near the border in January
this year. The Indian Border Security
Force also seized at least 100kg
of cannabis in North 24 Pargana district,
West Bengal on April 19.
Some of the officials, however,
said they had hardly made any headway
in stemming the supply of cannabis
into the local market.
The records of last three years regarding
DNC’s recovery of the illegal
substance shows that more and more
Cannabis and its consumption
Cannabis, which is also known as
marijuana, hemp and several other
names, is a genus of flowering plant in
the family Cannabaceae. Out of three
species, Cannabis Sativa is indigenous
to central Asia and Southeast Asia.
Cannabis Sativa grows naturally in
a number of tropical and humid places
of the world. Its use as a mind-altering
drug has been documented by archaeological
finds in prehistoric societies in
Eurasia and Africa.
A contraband drug item in Bangladesh,
cannabis has long been used for
hemp fiber, for hemp oils, for medicinal
purposes and as a recreational drug.
Industrial hemp products are made
from cannabis plants selected to
produce an abundance of fiber.
Although hasiah or hash is
sometimes eaten raw or mixed with
boiling water, Tetrahydrocannabinol
(THC) and other cannabinoids are
more efficiently absorbed into the
bloodstream when combined with
butter and other lipids or, less so,
dissolved in ethanol. It can also be
consumed as a cannabis tea.
The United Nations Narcotics
Convention cites that some cannabis
strains have been bred to produce
minimal levels of THC, the principal
psychoactive constituent.
Among several ways of cannabis
consumption, forms of smoking or
oral consumption are most common.
of the illegal substance has been
seized by them, but it also shows that
the supply has also increased.
“The DNC and other law enforcement
agencies are strict on all kinds
of drug trade, but it is still difficult
to control the inflow,” said DNC Director
Syed Towfique Uddin Ahmed.
“The progress is gradual.”
Sahely Ferdous, assistant inspector
general (media) at Bangladesh
Police headquarters, said: “Our commitment
to stop drug smuggling is
evident through the number of drug
recovery related cases, which is higher
than any other cases.”
RAB Legal and Media Wing Director
Commander Mufti Mahmud
Khan said: “We are currently more
focused on stopping yaba smuggling
and trade because of its widespread
use. But we are working to eradicate
the use of all kinds of narcotics.” •
Each method leads to subtly different
psychoactive effects due to the THC
and other chemicals being activated
and then consumed through different
administration routes.
Many plants have been
selectively bred to produce a
maximum of THC (cannabinoids),
which is obtained by curing the
flowers. Various compounds, including
hashish and hash oil, are extracted
from the plant.
In 2013, about 60,400 kilograms of
cannabis were produced legally globally.
An estimated 182.5 million cannabis
users -- 3.8 percent of the population
aged 15–64 -- were found across the
world the next year. •
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
(Until April)
54244
38702
35013
35988
39968
47104
18590
Cannabis in Bangladesh
The first know use of cannabis in present
day Bangladesh was sometime in
1722 as the plant began to be cultivated
in Nogaon.
By 1877, cannabis cultivation became
very popular after the British Raj gave
the East India Company cultivation
license in 1876.
In 1917, a total 18 cannabis cultivators
of Nogaon formed a cooperative, the
“Nogaon Cannabis Cultivators Cooperative
Society Limited” and enlisted under
the Directorate of Cooperative Society.
At one point, there was over 7,000
members in the cooperative.
Before 1947, the cannabis cooperative
was the largest cooperative society
in the sub-continent. From 1918 to 1947,
an average of 20.52 hundred thousand
kilogrammes of cannabis was exported
to India, Nepal, Myanmar, England and
other European countries.
Around the same time during the
early part of the 20th Century, most
Western countries began to criminalise
742
485
666
727
761
862
159
SOURCE: DEPARTMENT OF NARCOTIC CONTROL WEBSITE
the use of cannabis in medicine and for
recreational use.
When Bangladesh signed the
Geneva Convention in 1974, one of the
condition was that the signatories had
to ban cannabis cultivations by 1990.
Bangladesh, criminalised cannabis use
and cultivation in 1987.
The sale of cannabis was banned 1989.
The current Narcotics Control Act-1990
gives the courts discretionary ability to
impose the death sentence for the possession
of cannabis of over two kilograms.
However, even after cannabis usage
was banned the estate and properties
of the Cannabis Cultivators’ Cooperative
Society still exist inNogaon district.
In 2005 UNODC Bangladesh country
profile said cannabis is still being cultivated,
particularly in Naogaon, Rajshahi,
Jamalpur, Netrokona, Cox’s Bazaar, Bandarban,
Khagrachhari and Rangamati.
Reliable figures for the total area of
cannabis production in Bangladesh are
not available. •

4
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
News
Bangladesh made scapegoat in
Mamata-BJP fights
• Ashis Biswas
FOREIGN AFFAIRS
Even when they fight each other
politically over domestic issues,
it seems the Trinamool Congress
(TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) must somehow bring
in the Bangladesh factor into their
war of words.
BJP’s West Bengal unit leaders
publicly accused “Bangladeshi
extremists” of fomenting religious
fundamentalism in the state
at a media briefing in Kolkata on
Wednesday.
They launched a scathing attack
on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
for “encouraging” such elements
and said West Bengal could also
“turn into Bangladesh” unless Delhi
stepped in to improve the situation.
The BJP press briefing was organised
in the context of its bitterest
acrimony with Mamata’s
Trinamool. For the first time, BJP’s
West Bengal unit chief Dilip Ghosh
called upon the central government
to dismiss the state government
and introduce President’s
rule in the state.
Mamata’s party came to power
in 2011 and secured its second consecutive
victory last year.
Trouble has been brewing since
Sunday (July 4) at Baduria in North
24 Parganas, after a student wrote
a blog. It soon went viral and apparently
offended a section of Muslims.
Police sensed the public discontent
by nightfall, and arrested the
youth to pacify the locals. But apparently
this was not enough.
Over the next two days, angry
mobs roamed the streets, shouting
slogans, vandalising shop and
vehicles. Police, who mostly carry
batons, tried to stop them but the
mobs shoved them aside and continued
their mayhem.
The angry mob demanded police
to hand over the youth to them
and set 12 police vehicles on fire as
the latter declined to comply.
Reinforcements were sent as the
outnumbered policemen could do
nothing. Oddly enough, the additional
forces were not deployed but
kept at local police stations as the
mob kept growing in size by the
hour and became more aggressive.
The mob then started ransacking
local houses, attacking common
people, damaging vehicles
and looting shops. Their slogans
grew louder as helpless people
cowered in their homes and frantically
called police for help but nobody
came to their rescue.
Police later claimed that the
only order they had received was
to “keep calm and study the situation”.
Police also prevented journalists
from visiting the affected
areas.
By now, Basirhat, Hasnabad,
Taki and parts of Barasat have been
affected.
It was unclear why Mamata’s
government allowed the situation
to spiral out of control in areas
close to the Bangladesh border.
Initially it was the majority community
that was targeted.
By Tuesday however, a Hindu
backlash began, with mobs targeting
houses, shops and vehicles.
BJP leaders who had made video
recordings of the incidents in different
areas, met state Governor
Kesrinath Tripathy at 2:30pm and
briefed him about the situation.
Tripathy called up Chief Minister
Mamata an hour later and
spoke for 12 minutes. According to
available indications, the governor
wanted to know why the outbreak
of communal violence had been
allowed to get out of hand. If the
police could not act, why the para-military
forces and the army had
not been called out.
Mamata said that police were
in charge and along with local Trinamool
leaders, they were trying to
persuade the people to desist from
violence. The Government had not
ordered firing as that would have
killed 200-300 people – a claim
Mamata reiterated at a media briefing
later.
This apparently did not
convince Tripathy who promptly
called Union Home Minister Rajnath
Singh and briefed him about
the situation.
In the meantime, Mamata
launched a vitriolic tirade against
Governor Tripathy and the central
government, accusing the former
of insulting and intimidating her.
She claimed she wanted to resign
at one stage and warned that
the governor should not overstep
his authority. Mamata also
condemned communal elements
among Hindus and Muslims, but
clearly she was after governor Tripathy,
journalists said.
Governor Tripathy remained
calm and expressed his shock
at Mamata’s language and vehemence.
He reminded her that he was doing
only his Constitutional duty. It
was his right to inquire about failures
of law and order. Tripathy said
he had neither insulted nor intimidated
the chief minister at any stage.
Amid the chaos, the central government
dispatched Border Security
Force and later, army units to
patrol the troubled areas.
Home Minister Singh asked
Tripathy and Mamata to maintain
decorum in their dealings.
Sources in the West Bengal government
said the centre had acted
after Kolkata requested assistance
but this was denied by the state’s
BJP leaders who insisted that Delhi
moved after Tripathy spoke spoke
to Singh.
BJP’s West Bengal unit chief
Dilip Ghosh made a telling point
at Wednesday’s media briefing:
“When it came to the violence in
the Darjeeling hills, Banerjee lost
no time to call in the army. Why did
she not ask for additional help even
after the failure of her police here?
“Because a particular community
was involved in the violence and
they could not be punished? This
is yet another instance of how this
TMC government aids and abets
violence sponsored by Muslim extremists
as they go on a rampage,
keeping the police inactive.”
He referred to what he described
as Mamata’s “shameless
appeasement of militant Muslims”,
alleging that under Trinamool’s
rule, Muslims had attacked Hindus
at Deganga, Canning, Dhulagari,
burnt thanas at Malda and Birbhum
but hardly anybody had been
punished.
In this context, he referred to
the role played by fundamentalist
madrasa teachers from Bangladesh,
who addressed youths and
students in West Bengal at special
meetings, where Islamic jihad was
preached.
Other BJP leaders said there was
evidence of extremists’ activities
in Malda, Murshidabad and other
areas. Even if Mamata’s government
tried to protect them and
suppress their activities, the central
fact-gathering agencies had
collected plenty of information and
evidence of activities of such people
who usually belong to banned
political organisations in Bangladesh.
It is clear that the controversy
will not end very soon, as more
and more state and national leaders
join in the latest exchange of
hostilities between the BJP and the
Trinamool. •
Kashmir’s stone-pelting protesters face off against pellet guns
• Reuters, Srinagar
WORLD
Security forces using pellet guns to
disperse crowds of stone-throwing
young protesters in the Indian-ruled
region of Himalayan Kashmir
have killed more than 100 people,
blinding hundreds and maiming
thousands over the past year.
The protests have unleashed a
political crisis in the state of Jammu
and Kashmir, governed for the
first time by a regional party in coalition
with Prime Minister Narendra
Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party,
which draws support from India’s
Hindu majority.
The clashes, sparked by the killing
of separatist militant Burhan
Wani by security forces on July 8
last year, have recently spread to
college campuses and schools.
They are drawing a new generation
into a decades-old struggle for
Stone pelters clash with police in Srinagar, Kashmir on May 19, 2017
‘azaadi’, or independence, for India’s
only Muslim-majority region,
which is also claimed by neighbouring
Pakistan.
REUTERS
“If I get a weapon, I am ready to
join the militancy, but for the time
being, the stone is our weapon,”
said one 23-year-old student, who
asked not to be identified.
He is one among many young
men in the state’s summer capital
of Srinagar who find themselves
fighting street battles, slinging
stones at pellet gun-wielding police
officers from their own communities,
and even their own families.
“My father is in the police, posted
in Srinagar,” the protester added.
“He used to tell me to join the
police, but now he does not insist.”
Slender employment prospects
prompt many residents of Srinagar
to join the police force.
“I am the son of a farmer and
joined the police as I had no job,” said
one 25-year-old officer. “We are part
of the same society, and using force
against children is very difficult for
us. We try to exercise maximum restraint,
that is why we get injured.”
Pellet guns are intended not to
be lethal, but their use by India’s
security forces has caused severe
injuries and the deaths of several
bystanders, women and children
among them.
Human rights groups have
urged India to renounce their use,
calling it a violation of United Nations’
principles of restraint.
Militant gunmen have killed
police officers in their own homes
in a wave of fatal attacks in recent
months.
Some protesters rebel not only
against Indian rule, but also against
their parents. Each wave of street
protests, the last were in 2008 and
2010, radicalises a new wave of
young people.
“I was hit by pellets during
stone pelting,” said one 20-year-old
student. “I have 80% vision in my
right eye now, but if I get a chance,
I can pick up a gun.”
India and Pakistan have fought
two of their three wars since independence
in 1947 over Kashmir,
which each claims in full but rules
only in part. •

Trump, Putin hold first meeting
at protest-marred G20 summit
News 5
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
• AFP, Hamburg
WORLD
US President Donald Trump and
Russian President Vladimir Putin
held their first face-to-face meeting
Friday at a G20 summit marred by
violent protests and a rift between
America and its Western allies over
climate change and trade.
“We look forward to a lot of very
positive things happening for Russia,
for the United States and for
everyone concerned,” Trump said.
“It’s an honour to be with you.”
Putin told the US leader: “I’m
delighted to be able to meet you
personally Mr President. And I
hope as you have said, our meeting
will yield concrete results.”
The blockbuster encounter
could sway issues ranging from the
North Korean crisis and conflicts
in Syria and Ukraine to US-Russian
disarmament treaties, world trade
and global warming, analysts say.
Public images of the interaction
between the brash property tycoon
and ice-cool ex-KGB agent are likely
to be dissected frame by frame
for any sign of rapprochement or
estrangement.
Outside the heavily guarded
G20 conference hall, protesters
wreaked havoc, blocking US First
Lady Melania Trump at her residence
as demonstrators torched
cars, smashed shop windows, fired
flares at police helicopters and even
US President Donald Trump shakes hands with Russia’s President Vladimir Putin
during their bilateral meeting at the G20 summit in Hamburg on July 7 REUTERS
slashed tyres on vehicles belonging
to the Canadian delegation.
The violence forced Hamburg
police to call in reinforcements
from other German states, and G20
organisers to drastically curtail an
official programme for spouses of
visiting dignitaries.
“The Hamburg police could not
give us clearance to leave,” said the
first lady’s spokeswoman, Stephanie
Grisham, explaining why she
had been forced to miss a cruise
tour.
End ‘destabilising’ action
On the presidential election campaign
trail last year, Trump said he
hoped relations with Putin could
be rebuilt after Russia’s acrimonious
ties with his predecessor Barack
Obama.
But Moscow faces mounting
accusations that it interfered in
the election to help propel Trump
into the White House. As a result,
Trump faces pressure at home and
from US allies to take a combative
tone.
In a key speech in Warsaw on
Thursday, Trump fired a rare salvo
of criticism at Russia, but did not
name Putin specifically.
Trump is joined at the Putin
meeting only by Secretary of State
Rex Tillerson and a translator, an
extraordinarily small cast list that
raised concerns among experts.
“Neither Tillerson or Trump
have any experience of foreign policy.
That is one reason why they
need pros in the room when meeting
Putin,” said Thomas Wright of
the Brookings Institution. •
From left: US President Donald Trump, China’s President Xi Jinping, German
Chancellor Angela Merkel, Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri and Australia’s
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull
AP
Merkel calls for G20
compromise as crunch
climate talks start
• Reuters, Hamburg
WORLD
German Chancellor Angela Merkel
pressed fellow Group of 20 leaders
to compromise at the start of talks
on climate and trade that have pitted
US President Donald Trump
against virtually every other country
in the club of leading economies.
“We all know the big global
challenges and we know that time
is pressing,” Merkel told the group.
“And so solutions can only be
found if we are ready for compromise
and move towards each other,
but without, and I stress this, bending
too much, because of course we
can also state clearly when there
are differences.”
The Chinese state news agency
Xinhua reported that President
Xi had called on G20 nations to
strengthen macroeconomic policy
coordination and forestall risks in
financial markets.
The latest draft communique
sticks with language about the
Paris climate accord being “irreversible”
but removes a reference
from an earlier version to a “global
approach” that some countries felt
could suggest there was a parallel
track to Paris.
It also includes a new paragraph
which says the United States will
“work closely with other partners to
help their access to and use of fossil
fuels more cleanly and efficiently”.
Some experts were sceptical whether
leaders would approve the reference
to fossil fuels, which would be
a clear nod to Washington.
Earlier, leaders of the BRICS
countries, Brazil, Russia, India and
China, called on the G20 to push
for implementation of the Paris
climate deal despite Trump’s decision
to pull out. •
The gaps in the Farhad Mazhar abduction story
• Arifur Rahman Rabbi
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Many questions remain unanswered,
days after poet and eminent
columnist Farhad Mazhar’s
abduction and rescue on Monday.
When Farhad was rescued, he
told the police and his confessional
statement before the court
that the abductor gave him the
bus ticket and dropped him off in
Khulna.
Meanwhile, Hanif Paribahan
Shibbari intersection counter’s
Manager, Nazmul Sadat Sadi told
the Dhaka Tribune’s Khulna correspondent
that an elderly man
in white clothing walked in and
asked for a ticket to Dhaka around
3:40pm on Monday.
“He identified himself as Mr
Gafur and picked seat number I3
on the 9pm bus,” Nazmul said.
However, the mobile number
provided for the ticket did not
match the name.
The source of Farhad’s bus ticket
is now being investigated.
Farhad said the kidnappers
brought him a Hanif Paribahan
Dhaka-bound bus ticket from
Khulna and asked him return to
the capital.
He added that he doubts he had
been abducted for money, since
he offered his captors the ransom
they apparently demanded.
Farhad said he might have been
kidnapped to embarrass the government.
On the other hand, police are
claiming to have found a carryall
with Farhad Mazhar after rescuing
him, which contained his clothes
and phone charger, giving rise to
all sorts of questions.
However, his wife Farida Akhter
and his daughter Chaumtoli Huq
have confirmed that when Farhad
got out of his house at dawn, he
did not have the bag with him.
Farhad Mazhar’s daughter
Chaumtoli said: “Everyone has
seen the footage of his departure
from his house at dawn. There was
no bag with him then. How does
he have a bag now?”
Regarding this matter, DB’s
Additional Deputy Commissioner
(West) Golam Mostofa Rasel, the
investigation officer of the case,
told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have
collected video footage from the
surrounding area where Farhad
Mazhar was abducted.”
Asked about the bus ticket and
bag, additional deputy commissioner
of police said, whether he
bought the ticket himself or was
forced on to go on the bus will be
clear when he is interrogated after
recovery.
Farhad Mazhar went missing on
Monday morning after he went to
a pharmacy to buy some medicine.
He called his wife Farida Akhter at
9:30am and said he was kidnapped
and the abductors were demanding
Tk35 lakh for his release. RAB
later rescued him from a Dhaka-bound
Hanif Paribahan bus in
Abhaynagar upazila, Jessore that
same day at 11:30pm. •
TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY
LIGHT TO MODERATE
RAIN LIKELY
SATURDAY, JULY 8
Dhaka 33 26 Chittagong 33 28 Rajshahi 33 26 Rangpur 32 26 Khulna 33 26 Barisal 32 27 Sylhet 30 24
DHAKA
TODAY
TOMORROW
SUN SETS 6:50PM
SUN RISES 5:18AM
YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW
34.4ºC
24.8ºC
Rajshahi
Rangamati
Source: Accuweather/UNB
PRAYER
TIMES
Cox’s Bazar 31 26
Fajr: 4:45am | Zohr: 1:15pm
Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 7:00pm
Esha: 8:45pm
Source: Islamic Foundation

6
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
News
Experts: Rampal power plant
is not economically viable
• Fazlur Rahman Raju
EVENT
When the rest of the world is
switching over to renewable energy,
Bangladesh is pushing ahead
with building a dirty coal-fired
power plant right next to the Sundarbans,
endangering a fragile ecosystem
that protects the delta from
water salinisation and storms, said
experts yesterday.
The $2 billion cost of building
the Rampal power plant will rise to
$5 billion after river dredging and
for subsiding coal, the experts said.
The cost will also be affected
by the price of coal; for instance,
to produce one megawatt-hour
(MWh) of electricity at Rampal
power plant, the government has
to spend $80-90.
“This is too expensive and impractical
for Bangladesh and India
to keep the power plant up and
running,” said Tim Buckley, director
of Energy Finance Studies, Australasia.
The civil society discussion titled
“Science and Economics of
Coal-Based Power Plants in Bangladesh
including the Rampal plant
near the Sundarbans: A Strategic
Review” was organised by National
Committee for Saving the Sundarbans
(NCSS) and Bangladesh
Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) in Dhaka
University.
The 1,320MW coal-based power
plant is going to have a terrible impact
on the environment, Buckley
said at the discussion.
He further said the rest of the
world was moving toward renewable
energy. “Countries like China,
Japan, Germany and India are now
focusing on renewable energy instead
of coal-based power. Even
Unesco declares Hebron shrine as Palestinian
• Reuters, Jerusalem
WORLD
The United Nations’ cultural organisation
declared an ancient shrine in the
occupied West Bank, that is revered by
Muslims and Jews, a “Palestinian World
Heritage Site in Danger” on Friday.
Unesco took the decision at a
meeting in Krakow, Poland to declare
Hebron and the two adjoined shrines at
its heart, the Jewish Tomb of the Patriarchs
and the Muslim Ibrahimi Mosque,
as Palestinian.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
said it was “another delusional
Energy experts at a civil society discussion in Dhaka speak about the adverse impact of Rampal coal-fired power plant in
Bagerhat on both the environment and the economy of the country
RAJIB DHAR
the largest coal-based power producer,
India, is now focusing on
solar energy to reduce the cost of
production and carbon emissions.
“From an environmental perspective,
building the Rampal
power plant near the Sundarbans is
the worst decision, and coal is also
very expensive.”
He opined that this money
spent on the Rampal power plant
could have been used for building
solar panels, wind and hydropower
plants.
Simon Nicholas, energy finance
analyst of the Institute for Energy
Economics and Financial Analysis
(IEEFA), echoed Buckley’s opinion,
saying:“If Bangladesh would give
Unesco decision” and said that Israel
would “continue to guard the Cave of the
Patriarchs, to ensure religious freedom
for everybody and ... guard the truth.”
Palestinian Foreign Minister, Reyad
Al-Maliki, said the vote was proof of the
“successful diplomatic battle Palestine
has launched on all fronts in the face
of Israeli and American pressure on
(Unesco) member countries.”
Hebron is the largest Palestinian
city in the occupied West Bank with a
population of some 200,000. About
1,000 Israeli settlers live in the heart
of the city and for years it has been
a place of religious friction between
Muslims and Jews.
Jews believe that the Cave of the
Patriarchs is where Abraham, Isaac
and Jacob and their wives, are buried.
Muslims, who, like Christians, also
revere Abraham, built the Ibrahimi
mosque, also known as the Sanctuary
of Abraham, in the 14th century.
The religious significance of the city
has made it a focal point for settlers,
who are determined to expand the
Jewish presence there. Living in the
heart of the city, they require intense
security, with some 800 Israeli troops
protecting them.
Netanyahu added: “Only where Israel
is present, like in Hebron, is freedom
of worship assured for everybody.
$3 billion subsidies to solar-based
power plants, it would reap greater
benefits. The cost of generating one
megawatt-hour (MWh) electricity
from solar panels is only $40, as
opposed to the $90 from coal.
“Japan has planned to produce
50,000MWh electricity just by using
solar panels on golf courses,
roofs of warehouses and factories.
India plans to produce 5,000MWh
electricity within the next seven
years by using solar panels on roofs
of rail stations.
“Bangladesh too can produce
thousands of MWh electricity by
installing solar panels on the roof
of garment factories.”
Both experts agreed that hydroelectricity
was 90 times cheaper
than coal.
During the discussion, Buckley
said India would export low-quality
coal with high fly ash content to
be used at Rampal power plant.
Bapa General Secretary Mohammad
Abdul Matin criticised the recent
Unesco decision, saying: “This
is the weakest committee in the history
of Unesco. Their decision was
politically motivated and biased.”
CPB leader Ruhin Hossain
Prince, NK Rasheda, Prof Shahidul
Islam of Dhaka University, MM Anisuzzaman,
and MM Akash, professor
of economics in Dhaka University
were present at the discussion,
among others. •
Throughout the Middle East, mosques,
churches and synagogues are being
blown up -- places where Israel is not
present.”
Internal Security Minister Gilad
Erdan, a member of Netanyahu’s inner
circle of ministers, tweeted: “Unesco
will continue to adopt delusional decisions
but history cannot be erased ...
we must continue to manifest our right
by building immediately in the Cave of
the Patriarchs.”
Education Minister Naftali Bennett
said: ”The Jewish connection to
Hebron goes back thousands of years
(and) Hebron (is) the birthplace of King
David’s kingdom.” •
Hasan Mahmud:
HRW a mercenary
organisation
• Anwar Hussain, Chittagong.
NATION
Awami League
Publicity
and Publication
Secretary
Dr Hasan
Mahmud has
alleged that the
Human Rights
Watch (HRW) is
working for a particular group with
a vested agenda.
The AL leader came up with the
remarks from a press conference
held at Chittagong Press Club yesterday,
one day after Home Minister
Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal rejected
a recent HRW report on enforced
disappearances in Bangladesh.
“The HRW is a mercenary organisation
which is working for a
particular group only to question
the activities of the incumbent
government. We completely reject
the recent report of the organisation
which is baseless and biased,”
said Mahmud.
“Strangely enough, the statements
released by BNP Chairperson
Khaleda Zia and that of the
HRW are identical,” he added.
The US-based rights organisation
published an 82-page report,
titled “‘We Don’t Have Him’: Secret
Detentions and Enforced Disappearances
in Bangladesh”, on
Wednesday.
According to the report, at least
90 people were victims of enforced
disappearance in 2016 alone.
“As many as 21,000 leaders and
activists of the AL became victims
of enforced disappearance in five
years sinne 2001. However, the
human rights organisation did not
come up with any statement at that
time,” Mahmud alleged at the press
conference.
He also mentioned that the
HRW had earlier given statements
against the execution of the war
criminals in Bangladesh.
The human rights organisation
was carrying out its propaganda
based on information provided by
David Bergman, a Dhaka-based
British-born journalist, the AL
leader further alleged.
Regarding the withdrawal of
UNESCO’s objection to the Rampal
power plant, he said: “We have
shown information in favour of the
Rampal power plant and that’s why
the World Heritage Committee of
the UNESCO withdrew its objection
to the setting up of the plant. The
withdrawal testifies that the government
was in the right direction,”
AL Orginising Secretary Mahibul
Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, AL’s
Chittagong north district unit President
Nurul Alam Chowdhury were
present at the press conference. •

News
SATURDAY,
7
JULY 8, 2017
DT
BANANI RAPE CASE
Evan, a bad apple since adolescence
• Tarek Mahmud
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Bahauddin Evan, who was arrested
on Thursday in a case filed over
raping an actress at his Banani residence,
was found to have been
decadent since his adolescence.
Addressing a press conference
at the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB)
Media Centre in Kawran Bazar of
Dhaka yesterday, RAB Media and
Legal Wing Director Commander
Mufti Mahmud Khan said Evan,
the case’s lone accused, admitted
to the elite force that he raped the
actress on Tuesday.
Evan also confessed to possessing
video clips of the rape incident,
while the RAB gathered some evidence
confirmed by the accused
himself during an interrogation,
Mufti claimed.
Evan’s Facebook profile shows
that he studied at North South University
and is now working at Dhaka
University though he dropped
out of Cambrian College.
“A dropout of Cambrian College,
Evan used to look after his father’s
business at Banani. He became a
drug addict when he was a fifth
grader. His family sent him to a rehabilitation
centre twice, but to no
avail,” the RAB official added.
He married in 2008 according
to his parents’ decision and is a father
of two daughters, said family
sources.
Quoting the accused’s relatives,
Mufti also said several complaints
Under fire, JU upgrades
July 1 attack widow’s job
• JU Correspondent
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Bahauddin Evan produced before journalists at Rapid Action Battalion’s media
centre at Kawran Bazar in Dhaka yesterday
DHAKA TRIBUNE
were filed against Evan over stalking
and sexual harassment, and his
family was fed up with his unrestrained
behaviour.
A relative of Evan and an official
of Banani police station told journalists
that the accused’s father,
Borhan Uddin Belal, informed law
enforcers about his son’s whereabouts
so they arrest him. However,
the father declined to comment in
this regard.
Arrest and remand
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate
Mazharul Islam yesterday granted
a four-day remand to Evan after
the police had produced him before
the magistrate’s court with a
seven-day remand plea, said BM
Foman Ali, officer-in-charge of Banani
police station.
Earlier, RAB-11 nabbed him
from the residence of one of aunts
in Masdair area of Narayanganj on
Thursday night. He was later handed
over to Banani police.
About his arrest, RAB Commander
Mufti: “Evan first hid himself on
the roof of his Banani residence
on Wednesday morning, when the
police raided his house after receiving
the victim’s complaint. He
spent the Wednesday night at the
residence of one of his relatives at
Dakkhinkhan in Uttara and went to
Narayangonj on Thursday.”
Evan’s pardon plea to his father
Before the court started hearing
the cops’ remand prayer, Evan
started crying by holding his father’s
legs and saying: “Forgive me,
abba [dad]. I did not do this [rape].
I am a victim of conspiracy.”
The father consoled him, saying
he would get released if his claims
were proved true. One Abul Kalam,
who was present at the court, narrated
this to the Dhaka Tribune.
Victim’s allegations
Evan and the actress got acquainted
with each other on Facebook and
developed a romantic relationship.
Evan invited her to attend his
birthday party and said he would
introduce her to his parents, the
victim mentioned in the First Information
Report.
On Tuesday night, when the girl
went to his residence, Evan raped
her after mixing sedatives in her
food, she alleged, claiming that he
took away her three cell phones
and money worth Tk15,000. The
police are yet to recover the cell
phones and money from him.
“Evan lured me into having
physical relations with him several
times on the false promise of marriage.
He also threatened to release
some private video clips on the internet,”
she said. •
Families, friends remember Holey
Artisan victims
• Afrose Jahan Chaity
EVENT
Jahangirnagar University has appointed
the widow of Assistant Police
Commissioner Rabiul Karim,
killed in action during the Dhaka
terror attack, as an administrative
officer after facing criticism for giving
her an office assistant position.
On Friday afternoon, JU Vice
Chancellor Farzana Islam handed
over an appointment letter to Umme
Salma, a post-graduate degree holder,
for an ad hoc appointment as administrative
officer in the education
section of the registrar office.
JU authorities were widely lauded
after they announced on July 1
that Salma would be appointed to a
class I position in accordance with
her qualifications.
However, on Thursday she was
appointed as a class III upper division
assistant at the university
library on a master-role basis (a no
work, no pay system) for a daily
wage of Tk525. The appointment
was for 90 days.
Salma interviewed for the administrative
officer position in February.
Her new appointment letter
does not specify a salary, but says
she will be paid according to the
Umme Salma
university ordinance and laws.
Umme Salma said: “I thank the
university for appointing me to an
administrative position matching
my qualifications. I think through
this decision the university has
honoured a martyr and his family.”
JU sources alleged that the
vice-chancellor appointed several
Chhatra League leaders to the same
officer post in 2015. On Thursday,
one of those officers were made
permanent.
DMP AC Rabiul Karim died on
July 1, 2016 while trying to foil a
terrorist attack at the Holey Artisan
Cafe in Gulshan. He left behind his
wife Salma, who was then 8-months
pregnant, and Sami, a six-year-old
boy. •
A memorial service for the victims
of the terror attack on Holey
Artisan Bakery was organised by
WINGS Bangladesh at Baridhara
Diplomatic Enclave Club in Dhaka
yesterday evening.
Family members and friends of
Abinta Kabir, Faraaz Ayaaz Hossain,
Ishrat Akhond, Tarishi Jain
and the others who were brutally
killed in the attack on July 1, 2016
broke down in tears as they remembered
their loved ones.
The programme commenced
with a speech by WINGS Bangladesh
President Tootli Rahman.
Afterwards, the grieving family
members and friends lit candles
on the stage and shared the loving
memories they had of the victims.
“Time flies... a year has passed
already, but I can spend 19 more
years talking about Abinta,” said
WINGS Bangladesh Founder Nilu
Murshed, Abinta’s grandmother.
“We love to talk about her, think
about her… We will make her
dreams come true.”
The grief-stricken grandmother
further said: “It is not about my
granddaughter only. I wish no one
Families and well-wishers of Holey Artisan victims light candles in their memory at an
event in Baridhara Diplomatic Enclave Club, Dhaka yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
had died in this incident... I pray no
one dies in this war that they [the
militants are] involved in, because
of their religion or nationality.”
Later, on behalf of Abinta Kabir
Foundation, Nilu Murshed handed
over a cheque of Tk313,600 to
WINGS Bangladesh to support the
education of underprivileged female
students of Dhaka University.
Artist Kanak Chanpa Chakma
also shared her memories of Abinta,
while Rokia Rahman, a friend of
Faraaz’s family, spoke about him.
Sankalita Shome and Ajwad Khan ,
who were friends with Tarishi
when she went to school in Dhaka,
also shared their memories of her.
Safina Rahman, a friend of
Ishrat’s, urged the well-off families
and friends of Holey Artisan victims
to personally take an initiative
that will keep the memories of all
the victims, including those who
did not come from well-off families,
alive as the government cannot
do it alone.
Dhaka North City Corporation
Mayor Annisul Huq, who attended
the event as the chief guest, said: “I
had seen Abinta, Faraaz and Ishrat
before, but I never noticed them or
thought of remembering their faces.
Now, the way I have seen their faces,
I will not forget them until I die.”
“Even after the greatest tragedies,
life never stops. It goes on, so
we have to as well.” •

8
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
122 countries adopt global treaty
banning nuclear weapons
• AFP, United Nations
WORLD
A global treaty banning nuclear
weapons was adopted at the United
Nations on Friday despite opposition
from the US, Britain, France
and other nuclear powers that boycotted
negotiations. The treaty was
adopted by a vote of 122 in favour.
Loud applause and cheers broke
out in the UN conference hall following
the vote that capped three
weeks of negotiations on the text
providing for a total ban on developing,
stockpiling or threatening to
use nuclear weapons.
News
‘Govt oppressing minorities
like Pakistanis’
• Nawaz Farhin
EVENT
Referring to the attack on Adivasi
people in Langadu upazila of Rangamati,
speakers at a press briefing has
alleged that the government is oppressing
the minorities the way the
Pakistanis had persecuted Bangladeshi
people.
When the state considers some
people not to be its citizen, the latter’s
homes are burnt down, they said
while addressing the event, protesting
the June 2 attack that Bangali settlers
had launched on the Adivasis.
Bangladesh Adivasi Forum (BAF)
and Kapaeeng Foundation jointly
organised the programme at Dhaka
Reporters Unity in Segunbagicha,
Dhaka yesterday morning.
Dhaka University (DU) Associate
Professor Robaet Ferdous said:
“Through the political demography,
the indigenous peoples in the country
are reeling from a growing insecurity
and being deprived of a peaceful
life.”
The Adivasi-Bangali ratio in the
hill tracts had stood at 98:2 in 1947,
while the current figure is 54:46,
which he said is caused by the political
demography.
“Repeated attacks on them [Adivasis]
and their properties over the
years are leaving them traumatised,”
he observed.
Adivasis leaving in peace resembles
what situation any country
goes through and any government is
bound to help the minority group, he
said.
Even a month after the attack, the
government is yet to take any measure
to rehabilitation the affected Adivasis
in Langadu and they are not
even given any relief package as yet,
which is a big failure of the state, said
DU Profesor Dr. Mesbah Kamal.
He said, “Some influential quarters
are trying to make them (Adivasis)
refugees. And, the Adivasis fleeing
their homes is a burning example
of such an attempt. ”
From 1989 till date, 13 people were
killed in communal attacks in the
Chittagong Hill Tracts. But, none of
the victims got justice, he said.
The attack on the Adivasis was carried
out in presence of the Army and
police members, but they did not step
forward to help them, he alleged.
Stating that 236 houses and shops
were completely damaged and 87
other establishments were partially
gutted in the attack, BAF General
Secretary Sanjeeb Drong, Bangladesh
Adivasi said:“ On June 25, Langadu
Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) tried to
disburse Tk1000 and distribute 20kg
rice to each victim family, but they
rejected the relief.”
He also said, “The affected Adivasis
need relief package and rehabilitation
as they are still living in shelter
centers. So, we are drawing attention
of the government to focus on them,
demanding justice for them.”
The organisers placed several
demands including immediate allocation
and implementation of a separate
relief package for the affected
Adivasis, their rehabilitation, immediate
attest and trial of the people
linked to the attack, provide books
and other materials to the affected
students and ensure them a safer education
life and declare a work plan
for full implementation of Chittagong
Hill Tracts Peace Accord.
Earlier, a 75-year-old woman
named was burnt alive and several
hundred adivasi establishments were
reportedly looted and burnt to ashes
by local Bangali settlers on June 2, in
protest of the death of a Bangali forhire
motorcycle driver.
Tension began on June 1 afternoon
after the body of a motorcycle driver
was found near Khagrachhari Sadar-Dighinala
road. Bangalis took the
body to his village home in Langadu
and campaigned to organise protests
alleging that the adivasi people were
responsible for this death, leading to
the rampage.
The Bangali settlers also looted
valuables from their homes.
Bangalis claimed that the driver,
Nurul Islam Noyon, was a Jubo
League activist hailing from Baitya
Para of Langadu.
According to the Adivasis, they incurred
a loss of around Tk 33.55 crore
with 256 school and college students
directly affected in the attack. •
Nuclear-armed states have dismissed
the ban as unrealistic, arguing
it will have no impact on reducing
the global stockpile of 15,000
atomic weapons. But supporters
hailed a historic achievement.
“We have managed to sow the
first seeds of a world free of nuclear
weapons,” said Costa Rica’s
ambassador, Elayne Whyte Gomez,
the president of the UN conference
that negotiated the treaty.
Led by Austria, Brazil, Mexico,
South Africa and New Zealand,
141 countries joined in drafting the
treaty that they hope will increase
pressure on nuclear states to take
disarmament more seriously.
None of the nine countries that
possess nuclear weapons, the United
States, Russia, Britain, China,
France, India, Pakistan, North Korea
and Israel, took part in the negotiations
or the vote.
Even Japan, the only country
to have suffered atomic attacks in
1945, boycotted the talks as did
most Nato countries. •
Rise in Jamuna, Brahmaputra
waters worsens northern
flood situation
• Tribune Desk
NATION
Flood is taking more serious turn in
some northern districts as the mighty
Jamuna and Brahmaputra rivers have
continued to flow over the danger-level.
Erosion is also taking toll in some
riverbank areas.
Sirajganj
The water-level of the Jamuna river has
risen by 26cm over the last 24 hours till
3pm yesterday, flooding the char areas of
28 unions in five upazilas of the district.
The river was flowing 2cm above the
danger-line at Kazipur point while 1cm
above the line at Sirajganj hard point.
The riverbank protection embankment
at Chauhali upazila has been threatened
by the vortexes swirling in the river.
The river eroded some parts of Char
Salimabad area near the embankment
area on Friday morning. Officials of
Bangladesh Water Development Board
(BWDB) dropped sandbags to prevent
further erosion there.
Sirajganj BWDB Executive Engineer
Syed Hasan Imam said the water-level
of the Jamuna had increased by 32cm
over the last two days.
Kurigram
Erosion caused by the strong current in
the Brahmaputra river has rendered about
50 families homeless in Ramna and Ashtamirchar
unions under Rajarhat upazila.
The erosion is still alive in that area,
Thousands of migrant
workers arrested in Malaysia
• Reuters, Kuala Lumpur
WORLD
posing threats of displacement to
around 300 more families.
Ramna Union Parishad Chairman
Md Asgar Ali told Dhaka Tribune that he
had informed the BWDB officials about
the severity of the erosion, but the officials
were yet to take any action.
Jamalpur
Some 15,000 people have been marooned
as flash flood caused by heavy
rainfall and onrush of water from the
upstream areas is sweeping over the district’s
Islampur and Dewanganj upazilas.
The Jamuna was flowing about
19cm over the danger-level at Bahadurabad
point.
Islampur Upazila Nirbahi Officer
ABM Ehsanul said they had taken all the
preparations and kept all the shelter
centres ready in the flood-affected areas
to tackle any serious situation.
Moulvibazar
Though flood water has been receding
from most parts of Hakaluki Haor in
Moulvibazar, about 300,000 people
in Barlekha, Juri, Kulaura, Rajnagar and
Sadar upazilas under the Haor region
are still marooned.
Moulvibazar BWDB Executive Engineer
Indra Bijoy Shankar Chakraborty
said the water-level of the Haor was
dropping down with the decrease of
the water-level in the Kushiara river.
The flood water might recede from
the human habitations of Hakaluki
Haor in three to four more days if the
current trend continues, he added. •
More than 2,000 illegal migrant
workers in Malaysia are facing deportation
amid one of the largest
crackdowns in recent years, with
campaigners concerned this has
forced immigrants into hiding and
increased the risk of human trafficking.
Malaysia relies heavily on migrant
workers from countries including
Indonesia, Bangladesh
and Nepal for jobs shunned by the
locals such as those on plantations
and in construction.
It has some two million registered
migrant workers but also an equal
number of undocumented ones.
A senior immigration official
said 2,309 undocumented workers
have been arrested during mass
raids across the country since July
1 in places like factories and restaurants.
He said the majority of those
arrested are from Bangladesh and
Indonesia, and entered the country
with tourist visas and without
proper work permits.
Activists, however, said most of
the undocumented workers were
victims of human trafficking and
fraud, who have incurred massive
debts after paying off recruitment
agents in the hope of getting a job
abroad to escape poverty at home.
“The onus is on the employers
and agents to get the work permits.
How do you expect migrant workers
to do this when their hands are
tied?” said Aegile Fernandez, a director
from Kuala Lumpur-based
migrant rights group Tenaganita.
“It’s unjust to arrest and handcuff
them, then put them in detention
centres and deport them. They
have paid money to employers and
agents to get permits but it is not
done.”
Local media said some workers
had left their dormitories during
the raids and gone into hiding.
Kumar of the Immigration Department
said authorities will find
out whether those who are held are
trafficking victims. •

News
9
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
Jubo League
snatches murder
suspect from
police outpost
• Tribune Desk
CRIME
A group of Jubo League men have
attacked a police outpost in Mymensingh
town and snatched a
murder suspect, injuring three policemen.
About 15-20 miscreants, led by
local Jubo League leader Moniruzzaman
Rony, attacked Outpost No
2 in the Town Hall locality around
11:30pm Thursday, said Superintendent
of Police Syed Nurul Islam.
Three policemen, ASI Shibli and
Constables Rajan and Afsaruddin
were injured in the incident, he
said. Police have detained two of
the attackers, identified as Shanto
and Sazzad Hossain.
The snatched suspect Opu was
arrested an hour before the attack
from Kachijhuri College Road area.
The attackers vandalised the
police outpost and beat up the policemen
who tried to stop them.
The policemen are being treated at
Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.
Superintendent Syed Nurul said
the criminals would be punished
no matter what their political affiliations.
•
Bangladeshi jailed
for molesting
20-year-old in
Singapore
• Tribune Desk
WORLD
A former general Bangladeshi
worker has been sentenced to two
weeks imprisonment for repeatedly
molesting a 20-year-old student
in Singapore.
The court of District Judge
Jasvender Kaur gave the verdict
on Thursday, considering the two
weeks Hossain Farhad spent in remand
after he was first charged.
24-year-old Farhad admitted to
two out of four charges of molesting
the victim inside a lift in Rochor
MRT station on Aug 31 last year, reports
the Straits Times.
Investigations showed that Farhad
touched the student’s buttocks
while she and her friend were in a
lift at Rochor MRT station.
Deputy Public Prosecutor Gail
Wong said Farhad touched her
three more times at the station
with the “intention of outraging
her modesty”.
Later, the victim and her friends
caught Farhad and called up the
police. •
Two girls raped by DB informer after
responding to calls to become models
• Nadim Hossain, Savar
CRIME
Two young girls have allegedly
been raped by a Detective Branch
(DB) informer and his associates in
Dhaka’s Savar upazila after being
called up on promise that they will
get the scope of becoming models.
The victims alleged that Liton
Ali Mondol, an informer of the DB,
and some of his associates raped
Aminul joins as BCIC
chairman
• Tribune Desk
METROPOLITAN
Shah Md Aminul Haq has
joined as the chairman
of Bangladesh Chemical
Industries Corporation
(BCIC).
Before joining the new
workplace on July 2, he
served as an additional
secretary at the Economic
Relations Division under
the Finance Ministry.
Earlier, he also worked
at the information and
communication technology,
and road transport and
bridges ministries.
As a government delegate
he travelled to Japan,
China, India, South
Korea, Australia and the
US, where he worked in
different partnership policy
sectors. He has also the
experience of working as
them at gunpoint at Legend College,
which is adjacent to Savar DB
Office at Sobhanbagh Moholla in
Savar municipal area, on Thursday
evening.
Liton, who became acquainted
with the girls in Konabari area
of Gazipur district about three
months back, allegedly called
them up over phone to visit him at
Savar by promising to make them
models.
Around 9:30pm, Liton and his
an engineer in Dubai and
Singapore.
He was a part-time faculty
member in different
private universities.
Moreover, Aminul, who
secured his BSc Engineer
(Civil) degree from Buet
and Masters from the UK,
also worked with United
Nation, World Bank and
different important sector.
He penned a book titled
“Aid and Development.” •
associates took the girls to Legend
College and held them hostage at
gunpoint. The rapists confined the
victims in an office room and raped
them till midnight one after another,
according to the relatives of the
victims.
Hearing screams, locals broke
into the college building and rescued
the girls. Liton and his associates,
however, managed to flee
from the scene.
Police went to the scene later
and took charge of the victims.
DB North Officer-in-Charge
AFM Sayed said they had already
detained two security guards of the
building.
A case is to be filed with Savar
Model police station in this connection.
The rescued victims would be
sent to the One Stop Crisis Centre
of Dhaka Medical College Hospital
for medical treatment, added the
OC. •
Bangladeshi man found murdered in Belize
• Tribune Desk
WORLD
A Bangladeshi businessman has
been found dead inside his rented
flat in Belize City, the capital of Belize.
Police say Abdus Salam, 29, was
strangled to death on Saturday and
that they are looking for a man who
was seen getting out of the flat after
the murder, reports News5.
The motive behind the first recorded
murder of a Bangladeshi
national in Belize is unclear.
Central American country Belize,
bordering the Caribbean Sea, sits between
Guatemala and Mexico.
Salam operated a small business
in Belize City and shared the flat on
Orange Street with several others.
His housemate Shamiul Amin
Torofdar said he discovered
Salam’s nude body lying face down
on his bed with his hands bound
with a belt behind his back.
Shamiul said Salam had invited
several men to his room in the last
two years.
Police say there were no signs of
injury on the body.
Belize City Police Crime Investigation
Branch chief Alejandro
Cowo said nothing was stolen and
there was no sign of forced entry.
Investigators said Salam left
his shop inside the Novelo’s Bus
Terminal on Collet Canal around
Apparently, his killer entered the flat with
him. Surveillance cameras caught a man, who
frequented Salam’s apartment
1:30pm on Saturday and headed
home.
Apparently, his killer entered
the flat with him. Surveillance cameras
caught a man, who frequented
Salam’s apartment, coming out of
the building in the afternoon.
Superintendent Cowo said they
were looking for the suspect but
declined to divulge more information.
The description given by Salam’s
housemates matched more or less
with the man seen coming out of
the flat.
Cowo said they suspected that
the Bangladeshi man was strangled
or choked to death.
Fakhrul Alam Salim, who heads
Bangladesh Association of Belize,
said they were preparing to send
Salam’s body home.
“It depends on the family,” he
said. “We will try our best to send
it.” •

DT
10
Editorial
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
TODAY
Of models and
mentors
He dressed well but professionally.
Why? Because, when you look
professional you are more likely to act
that way too
PAGE 11
BIGSTOCK
Is English a failed
language in
Bangladesh?
Everyone values, without analysing our
national interests, those who know the
language and can communicate in it
Big trouble in little
Bhutan
China clearly has intentions to foster
unrest in a volatile region like India’s
northeast
PAGE 12
PAGE 13
A positive step
towards ending abuse
The Foreign Ministry’s decision to disallow
diplomats from taking domestic workers abroad
is a good call.
This comes on the heel of several cases in
which the workers were allegedly tortured and abused by
their employers.
The abuse of domestic workers is all too common in
Bangladesh, and even more so abroad, where they find
themselves alone.
This directive will prevent future cases of violence
against household working men and women, and ensure
that diplomats follow local rules and regulations while
hiring domestic help.
Diplomats need to know that these people have rights,
and that they cannot get away with treating them as
second-class citizens.
We hope the cases are properly investigated and those
found guilty of abuse of power are brought to book.
A city flooded
The abuse of domestic
workers is all too
common in Bangladesh,
and even more so
abroad
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 and they are not the
official view of Dhaka Tribune
or its publisher.
Every time it rains heavily, Dhaka seems to go under
the water.
For the capital city of an aspiring middleincome
nation, this is truly a sad sight.
With Dhaka expanding every year, the government
needs to have a proper drainage system that allows for the
rainwater to be efficiently drained out.
This was not a problem in the past: Water would be
drained out by canals and into lakes.
Now, as it stands, many of the canals and lakes have
been illegally occupied by slums.
What the government needs to do now is to repossess
these water bodies and excavate them for the betterment
of the city, and provide alternative low-income housing for
Dhaka’s slum-dwellers.
Until this issue is resolved, rain will continue to be an
inconvenience and a safety hazard.
With Dhaka expanding
every year, the
government needs to
have a proper drainage
system

Of models and mentors
What makes a good boss
Opinion 11
DT
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
• Esam Sohail
I
shy away from using entirely
personal reflections here,
because that’s not the purpose
of op-ed columns. Rather,
such columns should bring a
decided outlook on an issue,
phenomena, or policy that has a
more general bearing.
There are occasions when the
two intersect, and this is one of
them, because organisational
leadership -- as a practical
endeavour -- has more and more
resonance as nimble, effective
organisations in business and in
the non-profit sector become the
pivots of societal change.
Last week was the end of a
quarter century of public service
for my boss, who I shall call Dr
Dale.
As he retired on Friday,
there was little of the phony
emotionalism that is wont in
most such events at colleges and
universities.
Rather, there was some
wrapping up of work, upbeat
goodbyes and see-you-arounds
with colleagues, professional
development advice to
subordinates, and a simple
reception where people came by,
paid their respects, and moved
on. No fake tears, no overwrought
commemorations of greatness and
whatnot.
Well, it is very appropriate for
the boss.
The art of leadership
BIGSTOCK
He dressed well but professionally. Why? Because, when you look
professional you are more likely to act that way too and, as important,
others pick up the vibe
See, for the seven years I have
worked for him, he has been
about two things: Modelling and
mentoring. Sure he works a lot
with organisational models and
forecasting models; but that is
not the only modelling of which I
write.
In exemplifying the work-life
balance, the pursuit of excellence,
and discernment of the difference
between the important and
the inconsequential, Dr Dale
provided both a model for the
21st century workplace and an
example that can be continuously
refined ... which is appropriate
considering he is a big aficionado
of the management concept of
continuous quality improvement.
A successful higher education
executive who is a voracious
reader of both professional and
recreations material, the boss
is also an even-keeled family
man who, with his equally
resourceful wife, raised four
successful children, volunteers
regularly in the community, takes
care of elderly parents, keeps a
respectable social schedule, and
is considered a veritable national
authority in his line of work.
And all that without any martyr
complex or periodic mental
breakdowns.
That is not a manager; that is a
leader who models leadership.
In gingerly stepping into his
very big shoes, I have had a
sense of being overwhelmed, but
that sense is tempered by the
realisation that each of my days at
work over the past seven years, Dr
Dale was consciously mentoring
me and others who worked for
him.
In matters as arcane as office
protocol, to issues of technical
expertise of great import, he
quietly and unobtrusively made
sure there was something to learn
above and beyond our own duties.
Do I really need to have the
30-minute pre-coffee chat with
the boss about some seemingly
irrelevant topic such and such
executive was obsessing over this
week? Yeah, in retrospect, I did.
He had the organisation’s
portfolio of institutional
effectiveness; knowing the
organisation in its fullness of
process and personnel dynamics
was a key in making it more
effective.
Over the seven years that I
served under my boss, I learned
slowly but surely. Rarely did he
chide us for being a few minutes
late; but he didn’t have to: Rarely
was he not there in the office an
hour before the expected starting
time of eight in the morning.
Why? Because that was the time
when one could, in relative peace,
take a stock of the day about to
start, plan accordingly, and get
some quiet strategy time.
He went fully prepared (often,
to us his underlings, overprepared)
to meetings with the
facts, the data, and the intended
outcomes well marshalled out.
Why? Because only then,
amongst prima donnas that are
as prevalent in academia as they
are in the business world, did one
have a commanding presence to be
listened to with rapt attention.
He dressed well but
conservatively and professionally.
Why? Because, when you
look professional (instead of
“comfortable”) you are more
likely to act that way too and, as
important, others pick up the vibe.
That is mentoring in the quiet
and effective way; few words and
lots of simple action.
While many of us are saddened
to see the boss retire, we also
realise that we are better prepared
to handle his absence than would
have been the case had he been
not the model and the mentor he
has been, perhaps unbeknownst to
himself.
And, lucky us, the good Dr Dale
is hardly walking into the sunset,
but only moving to other pursuits
not too far away. See, we have his
email and phone number, just in
case!
This is the kind of individual
that leadership is built upon and
organisations draw their viability
from. •
Esam Sohail is a college administrator
and lecturer of social sciences. He writes
from Kansas, USA.

12
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
Opinion
Is English a failed language in Bangladesh?
Something is wrong with the way English is taught here
There’s no dearth of English teachers in our country, but are they good?
BIGSTOCK
present ourselves in the global
arena. Something isn’t right in our
way of teaching languages at the
institutional level.
We have seen a huge number of
English-teaching centres around
the country, but the level of our
English hasn’t perhaps improved.
The British Council has been there
in this country for a long long
time; the UK aid agency has run
a mega project named English in
Action.
It seems that those initiatives
had little impact on our learning
psyche. The most worrying fact is
that we learn a language for long
12 years, but the expected impact
on our English language skills are
not at all up to that standard which
could take us to the international
arena.
In the Bangladeshi corporate
environment, most daily chores
are run through English. I
admire the courage of corporate
LARGER
THAN LIFE
• Ekram Kabir
Every language on Earth
has its own history of
evolution and maturation.
Time and again,
humankind has felt the necessity
of learning a new language. One
understands the value of knowing
another language when he or she
ends up in a land whose language
he or she doesn’t know.
If you ever go to China without
knowing Chinese, you’d see what
knowing a language is really all
about. A language is the best way
to communicate. No matter what,
we humans have to communicate
among ourselves.
There were moments in
history when people knowing
a foreign language were much
more respected or valued than
the people knowing only the
native language of the land. For us
Bengalis, the practice of learning
English is a colonial legacy. Apart
from our mother language, we
have been learning English since
the British became successful in
colonising this land and its people.
Psychological colonisation
The physical colonisation can
be more cemented when one
can colonise a population
psychologically through a
cultural transformation. All the
colonising nations have done this
by introducing their languages in
a new land that they went in to
invade.
The French, the English, the
Portuguese, the Dutch -- all
followed the same method. First,
they taught their languages in
those lands as the tool of business
communication, and then,
language was the vehicle to win
the colonised lot psychologically.
I was discussing the case of
English in Bangladesh as well as
in South Asia with my friends and
teammates recently, and I received
fantastic reviews from them. We
have seen the state of English
in our country over the years,
especially after our independence
till now, going through various ups
and downs.
One of my teammates, highly
skilled in the English language,
has opined that there is a lack
of English language skill among
Bangladeshi-Bengalis. He said the
individuals who were skilled in this
language are greatly valued in the
professional arena. What he meant
was that the value of English has
multiplied more than ever before
in the times of globalisation of
economics and business.
Language elites
On a different note, a friend mine
told me that English enjoys an elite
status in this country. Everyone
values, without analysing our
national interests, those who
know the language and can
communicate in it.
He sounded very emotional
about how we value the existence
and practice of English language in
Everyone values, without analysing our national interests, those who
know the language and can communicate in it
Bangladesh.
Yes, in the beginning of the
1980s, we turned most of our
textbooks, especially in schools
and colleges, into Bangla in order
to promote our own language
among the masses, as well as
uphold the glory of Bangla at all
levels of learning.
Since then, our Bangla has
come a long way, gained the status
of an international language.
Culturally also, we’ve talked quite
a lot about the Hindi onslaught in
our country.
Despite all this, English has
survived here, and we have always
understood the importance
of knowing the language in a
globalised scenario, where every
aspect of life is connected with the
need to learn English language.
No matter what, we need English
in almost all spheres of life in this
country. English is still a thriving
global language.
However, to my mind, the
English language and the people
who were/are teaching it had many
failures for generations. We, in this
country, have a weird veneration
for the language: We like it, we
term it as a means of smartness,
and we feel the necessity of
learning it, but quite mysteriously,
we have a lack of interest in
learning.
That’s why I think English
has suffered a serious setback
here, and turned out to be a
failed language. There’s a fear
among people about learning
this language. They somehow
feel that they are or pushed to
communicate in English.
Why can’t we learn?
We learn English for about 12 years
and yet we don’t learn it properly.
Does that mean we are not
interested enough to learn it? Does
that mean there’s a methodical
flaw in teaching it? I myself had
learned English from grade I to
grade XII, but struggled with it
when I went to university.
On the other hand, I learned
French in two years at the Alliance
Française de Dhaka in the late-80s
and could read Molière without
any difficulty. Of course, having
no utility of French in our country,
I almost forgot it. But learning
French also taught me how to
learn a language. Then on, I tried
to learn it myself and attained
some acumen in it.
We all aspire to learn the
language, but somehow we don’t
attain that stage required to
professionals who get their work
done in this language, no matter
what their own lackings are. These
professionals don’t seem a selfinhibited
lot.
However, no one seems to
guide them in order to learn it
properly.
There’s an uncanny way in
which we push the appropriate
learning of English away from our
masses. Making our own language
a priority is one thing, and learning
a new one properly is another.
If we learn English language
adequately, it won’t mean we
are avoiding or disrespecting our
Bangla.
We shall not allow any
humiliation of Bangla, but at the
same time, we should be able to
create an atmosphere in which we
can learn English, which we have
been learning for generations now,
so that we can make ourselves
ready for the highly-competitive
international market.
We might as well remember
that English isn’t a second
language in Bangladesh, but a
foreign language, and yet it’s a
compulsory subject at the school
and college levels. •
Ekram Kabir is a fiction writer.

Opinion
13
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
Big trouble in little Bhutan
Neither China nor India wants to budge
• Shilajit Kar Bhowmik
India and China are once again
embroiled in a stand-off over a
road being constructed by the
latter in the Doklam Plateau.
It is also known as Donglang, or
Dolam.
The plateau is contiguous
to India’s “Siliguri Corridor” as
well. The Siliguri Corridor or
“Chicken’s Neck” is a strategic
point of immense importance,
as it connects India’s northeast
with the mainland. It is bordered
by China in the north, Nepal in
the west, Bhutan in the east, and
Bangladesh in the south.
The geo-strategically important
corridor is not merely a lifeline
for northeast’s populace, but
also feeds the primary military
formations installed in the region,
which would act like a bulwark for
India and counter China during a
conflict.
Experts believe that the road in
the Doklam Plateau would enable
China to launch an overwhelming
offensive against India during
a conflict. This would also
provide China the scope to sever
the Chicken’s Neck and inflict
geographical isolation on the
northeast, as well as emasculate
the might of the Indian army.
Where three countries meet
The Doklam Plateau is the area
where the boundaries of three
aforesaid countries meet. Bhutan
believes that the tri-junction is at
Doka La pass, which is located in
the middle of the aforementioned
plateau itself.
Doka La pass, located at Sikkim
sector, is patrolled by the Indian
army. Irked by India’s objection on
the road construction in Doklam,
Chinese troops barged into Doka
La and busted few Indian bunkers,
which provoked the face-off.
On the contrary, China opines
that the tri-junction is located at a
place called Gamochen, which is a
few kilometres south of Doka La.
Gamochen is guarded by Indian
troops and is also the starting
point of Bhutan’s Jampheri Ridge.
According to army officers
who have served in the region,
a Chinese road near Doka La
already exists, and China wants
to extend it further south towards
Gamochen.
This would amount to intrusion
into Bhutan’s territory and bring
China closer to the Chicken’s Neck
as well.
And thus, it explains China’s
ulterior motive of shifting the trijunction
to Gamochen in the garb
of road-construction in Doklam
Not seeing eye to eye
Plateau.
Hostile intentions
China clearly has intentions to
foster unrest in a volatile region
like India’s northeast. India
is already facing a backlash
in Kashmir. Therefore, doing
anything sensitive in the northeast
would rub salt in India’s wounds.
In 1996, China made a
diplomatic effort to yield one of its
border claims with Bhutan in lieu
of the Doklam Plateau.
China’s state-run daily, Global
Times, said: “Although China
recognised India’s annexation of
Sikkim in 2003, it can re-adjust its
stance on the matter.
“There are those in Sikkim that
cherish its history as a separate
state, and they are sensitive to
how the outside world views
the Sikkim issue. As long as
there are voices in Chinese
society supporting Sikkim’s
independence, the voice will
spread and fuel pro-independence
appeals in Sikkim.”
The newspaper run by the
ruling Communist Party of China
(CPC) has also accused India of
imposing its oppression upon
Bhutan.
“As a result, Bhutan has not
established diplomatic ties with
China or any other permanent
member of the UN Security
China clearly has intentions to foster unrest in a volatile region like India’s
northeast
Council. Through unequal treaties,
India has severely jeopardised
Bhutan’s diplomatic sovereignty,
and controls its national defence,”
the newspaper added.
“The small neighbours’ revolts
over sovereignty in the 1960s
and 1970s were brutally cracked
down on by the Indian military.
New Delhi deposed the king of
Sikkim in 1975 and manipulated
the country’s parliament into a
referendum to make Sikkim a state
of India.
“The annexation of Sikkim is a
nightmare haunting Bhutan, and
the small kingdom is forced to be
submissive to India’s bullying,” the
newspaper further added.
No stability, no peace
These statements of China’s state
mouthpiece clearly substantiates
their motives to destabilise peace
in India’s northeast. Or else they
wouldn’t have mooted the idea of
fuelling “independence” in Sikkim
by any stretch of the imagination.
This is also a reminder of the
circumstances in the late 60s when
then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi
received intelligence reports that
China and Pakistan’s ISI craved
separation of India’s northeast by
cutting off the Chicken’s Neck.
They harboured this intent for
debilitating India’s backbone.
Indira mulled over the matter
and decided that espousal of
Bangladesh’s cause was the only
way to rescue the northeast. And
thus, war was on and the rest is
history.
Therefore, if the northeast gets
isolated from India’s mainland
following a detachment of the
Chicken’s Neck, it would have to
lean upon a very old friend named
Bangladesh to feed itself with road
and railway connectivity.
However, the loss of a region is
not easy for India to swallow, as
it would amount to the country’s
humiliation in the eyes of the
world. •
Shilajit Kar Bhowmik is the Dhaka
Tribune’s Tripura correspondent.
BIGSTOCK

14
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
Kids
colour it

Kids
15
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
VIDEO GAME REVIEW
Around the world in 80 days
BOOK
The old lady of the moon
I am sure you have heard of
the story Around the World in
Eighty Days by Jules Verne.
How an idea to travel the
world in 80 days came to one
brave man named Mr Phileas
Fogg, in the cold grey London
autumn of 1872? With his
servant Passepourtout, the
brave man with a passion for
world tours full of danger
and sudden discoveries,
packed his bags and set out!
And now you can travel
with him too! What can be
more exciting than flying
over different cities and
countries and discovering
new places? Play this puzzle
and adventure game and
have a blast! Supported on
windows 98 and above, it
can be downloaded at www.
myplaycity.com •
MAZE
As Dipu lies in bed, his mother
tells him a bedtime story of an
old lady who lives on the moon.
Moonlight shines through his
window and suddenly he spots
a golden stairway in the sky!
Curious, Dipu starts going up
the staircase and comes across
a beautiful golden fairy! The
fairy smiles and hands Dipu a
huge golden key and flies away.
Dipu starts walking again
and finally stops in front of a
huge wooden locked gate. He
opens the door with the key
and looks inside, afraid of what
might be in there. Silver light
shines everywhere and a voice
says, “Who is there?”
What will Dipu see? Read
the exciting story written by
Marufa Ishaque and find out
about the adventures of Dipu
in the book “ChaaderBuri”
with beautifully illustration by
Sidratul Afia Mohona. •
MAGIC TRICK
The vanishing pen
What you’ll need:
• A full sleeve loose jacket
or shirt
• A string of elastic (a bit
shorter than the length of
your forearm)
• A pen
How to do it:
• Tie one end of the elastic
string to the end of your
pen tightly.
• Tie the other end of your
elastic tightly around your
forearm.
• Now wear your jacket.
• Pull the pen out from
inside your jacket sleeve
and hold the pen sideways
from your audience,
covering the elastic end.
Pretend to wave your hand
while performing and let go
as you open up your hands.
The elastic being shorter in
length and being stretched
out, will pull the pen back
into your sleeve, making it
invisible! •

16
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
Downtime
CROSSWORD
CODE-CRACKER
ACROSS
1 Of the kidneys (5)
4 Argument (3)
6 Church recess (4)
8 Bird (5)
9 Wan (4)
11 Prayer ending (4)
12 Lustre (5)
15 Looks for (5)
18 Precious metal (4)
20 Duelling sword (4)
21 Best part (5)
22 Dry (4)
23 Insane (3)
24 Happening (5)
DOWN
1 Flowers (5)
2 Clamour (5)
3 Ancient tongue (5)
4 Quantity of paper (4)
5 At what time? (4)
7 Flood (5)
10 Welsh national
emblem (4)
13 Circular band (4)
14 Large sea duck (5)
15 Undressed kid (5)
16 Banishment (5)
17 Confection (5)
18 Microbe (4)
19 Heavy substance (4)
How to solve: Each number in our
CODE-CRACKER grid represents a
different letter of the alphabet. For
example, today 15 represents B so fill B
every time the figure 15 appears.
You have two letters in the control
grid to start you off. Enter them in the
appropriate squares in the main grid, then
use your knowledge of words to work out
which letters go in the missing squares.
Some letters of the alphabet may not be
used.
As you get the letters, fill in the other
squares with the same number in the
main grid, and the control grid. Check
off the list of alphabetical letters as you
identify them.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
CALVIN AND HOBBES
SUDOKU
How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the
numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must
contain all nine digits with no number repeating.
PEANUTS
YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS
CODE-CRACKER
CROSSWORD
DILBERT
SUDOKU

What’s on
17
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
EVENTS AROUND TOWN TODAY
WORKSHOP
MOVIE
SEMINAR
BLOCKBUSTER CINEMAS
Where: Jamuna Future Park
What: Movie showtime (July 8)
WORKSHOP ON LINE FOLLOWER SEASON-1
When 3pm
Where Ahsanullah University of Science & Technology, 141-
142, Love Road, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka
What A workshop on line follower robot. The workshop will
focus on introducing beginners to line follower with a full
hands on implementation and build up.
INTRODUCTION TO CT SCAN INTERPRETATION - A
SYSTEMATIC APPROACH
When 3pm
Where Green Life Medical College & Hospital, 32 Green Road
(Bir Uttam KM Shafiullah Sarak), Dhanmondi, Dhaka
What A radiological workshop on CT scan interpretation.
EDUCATION
Transformers: The Last Knight
(3D): 1pm, 2:10pm, 2:30pm,
7:10pm, 7:50pm
Spider-Man: Homecoming (3D):
11:30am, 1:45pm, 4:30pm, 5:05pm,
7:20pm
The Mummy (3D): 5pm, 7:30pm
Wonder Woman (3D): 11:30am,
4pm
Rajneeti (2D): 12pm, 3pm, 6pm
Baywatch (2D): 12pm, 2:30pm,
5pm, 7:30pm
Despicable Me 3 (3D): 11:40pm,
12:50pm, 2:55pm, 5:30pm, 7:35pm
STAR CINEPLEX
Where Bashundhara City, Dhaka
What: Movie showtime (July 8)
The Mummy (3D): 11:20am,
IMMIGRATION OPTIONS FOR YOU
When 10-6pm
Where The Olives, Plot 3, Road 126, Gulshan Circle 1, Dhaka
What A free seminar for people interested in settling abroad.
DISCURSIVE DIALOGUE 04
When 10-12pm
Where South Asian Youth Research Institute for
Development (SAYRID), 8th Floor, SEL Centre, 29 West
Panthapath, Bir Uttam Kazi Nuruzzaman Road, Dhaka
What A discussion on the research paper Challenges to
Islamic Education by Professor Ali Riaz of Illinois State
University.
MUSIC
UNIVERSITY OF HUDDERSFIELD SPOT
APPLICATION
When 2-6pm
Where Executive Trade International, house 40, road 27 (old)
16 (new), Dhanmondi. Concord Royal Court (3rd floor), Dhaka
What Spot application and assessment by University of
Huddersfield representatives.
CLOSEUP PRESENTS SHUNNO’S ALBUM
LAUNCHING CONCERT
When 4-10pm
Where International Convention City Bashundhara (ICCB),
Kuril Bishwa Road, Dhaka
What Album launching concert by the band Shunno.
GAMING
OPEN DAY FOR INTERNATIONAL ADMISSION
When 2-6pm
Where Vertical Horizon, House 31/A, Road 6, Dhanmondi
R/A, Dhaka
What Counseling for high school graduates on admission in
international universities.
AFTER A’LEVEL: WHAT NEXT?
When 10-12pm
Where Academia, House 6/10, Block F, Satmasjid Road,
Lalmatia, Dhaka
What Counseling for high school graduates on admission in
international universities.
3:20pm, 7:25pm
Nabab (2D): 4:20pm
Cars 3 (3D): 1:50pm
Transformers 5 (3D): 11am,
4:05pm, 7pm
Spider-Man: Homecoming (3D):
10:50am, 11:10am, 1:45pm, 2pm,
4:30pm, 4:40pm, 7:20pm, 7:30pm
Wonder Woman (3D): 11:15am,
1:45pm, 4:40pm, 7:10pm
Boss 2 (2D): 10:50am, 1:40pm,
7:30pm
Despicable Me 3 (3D): 1:30pm,
5:30pm
CRETE PRESENTS FIFA 17 CHALLENGE
When 11am-9pm
Where Velocity, House 22, Road 19/A, Block E, Banani, Dhaka
What An all PS4 tournament with seven thousand taka prize
money for the champion.

DT
18
Sports
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka in action during her Wimbledon third round match against Britain’s Heather Watson in London yesterday
Azarenka hits back, fresh
Wimbledon woes for Nishikori
• AFP, London
Kei Nishikori suffered
fresh Wimbledon
misery
as the Japanese
star crashed out
yesterday, while
Victoria Azarenka stepped up her
bid to become the first mother to
win the All England Club title for
37 years.
Former US Open finalist Nishikori
had hoped to finally advance
past the fourth round at Wimbledon
after years of underachievement.
But the world number nine
didn’t even reach the last 16 as he
was over-powered 6-4, 7-6 (7/3),
3-6, 6-3 by Spanish 18th seed Roberto
Bautista Agut.
Nishikori’s third round exit
means Wimbledon remains the
only Grand Slam he has failed to
make the quarter-finals.
It was the 27-year-old’s earliest
departure from a major since his
first round defeat against Benoit
Paire at the 2015 US Open.
For the first time in 20 years,
there were four British men and
women through to the last 32.
But, with former England captain
David Beckham watching from
the Royal Box, Heather Watson
was unable to maintain Britain’s
unexpectedly strong showing as
Azarenka edged past the world
number 102 with a gritty 3-6, 6-1,
6-4 victory.
Competing in her first Grand
Slam since taking a year off to have
her first child - son Leo - in December,
former world number one Azarenka
was caught out as Watson
made a fast start to her attempt to
reach the last 16 for the first time.
But after a sloppy first set, the
two-time Australian Open champion
stepped on the gas to keep alive
her attempt to emulate Evonne
Goolagong, who was the last Wimbledon
mum to lift the Venus Rosewater
Dish in 1980.
Only Goolagong, Margaret Court
and Kim Clijsters have won a Grand
Slam singles title after having a
child.
Azarenka, who reached the
Wimbledon semi-finals in 2011 and
2012, will play world number two
Simona Halep or Peng Shuai for a
place in the quarter-finals.
Watson’s defeat came just hours
after compatriot Aljaz Bedene
slumped to a 7-6 (7/4), 7-5, 6-4
against 16th seed Gilles Muller in
the men’s tournament. •
REUTERS
Djokovic shrugs
off McEnroe’s
Woods
comparison
• AFP, London
Novak Djokovic says he still respects
John McEnroe despite the American
comparing the Serb’s slump to Tiger
Woods’ similar decline and hinting
at troubles in the three-time Wimbledon
champion’s private life.
McEnroe caused a stir by claiming
that Djokovic’s recent difficulties on
the court, which have seen him lose
possession of all four Grand Slam titles,
could have been caused by “offcourt
issues with the family”.
“The person that comes to mind
immediately is Tiger Woods,” said
McEnroe in reference to the golf
superstar whose life and career imploded
after a series of extra-marital
affairs were revealed.
But Djokovic, the winner of 12
Grand Slam titles, shrugged off
McEnroe’s comments.
“He’s very well known for his
kind of bold comments and not
really caring too much about being
politically correct but saying whatever
is on his mind,” said 30-yearold
Djokovic.
“That’s all I can say. I really
don’t take anything personal. I always
got along very well with John.
“You know, I guess whether
that’s his opinion or criticism or
something else, I’m not really sure.
But I respect everything he says.”
McEnroe is no stranger to controversies
having stated that Serena
Williams would rank 700 in the
world if she played on the men’s
tour. •
Ton-up Saifuddin as BCB
High Performance Unit
clinch one-day series
• Tribune Report
All-rounder Saifuddin struck an
unbeaten hundred to guide the
BCB High Performance Unit to their
third consecutive one-day win over
BRIEF SCORE
NTI XI 225 in 45.5 overs (Gregory 144)
lost to BCB HP UNIT 267 (Saifuddin
104*) by 42 runs
Northern Territory Invitational
XI, this time by 42 runs at Marrara
Cricket Ground in Darwin yesterday.
The visiting side posted a challenging
total of 267 from 50 overs with
opener Anamul Haque and all-rounder
Tanbir Hayder both adding 36.
But it was Saifuddin who took
charge and ensured the tourist
would post a fighting tally on
the board as the left hander, who
picked up four wickets in the second
game, went on to remain unbeaten
on a run-a-ball 104, featuring
five sixes and as many fours.
In reply, the home side were
bundled out for 225 in 45.5 overs
with only Aleck Gregory, who
smashed a century, fighting a
lone battle for the batting side. He
scored 144 off 131 balls before being
dismissed by Saifuddin but none of
the other batsmen were able to provide
support.
Fast bowler Ebadat Hossain
took three wickets while left-arm
seamer Abu Haider Rony notched
two for the BCB HP side. •

Sports
19
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
U23s beat
Abahani in
practice match
• Tribune Report
Bangladesh U-23 football team
defeated Abahani Limited 1-0 in
a practice match at Bangabandhu
National Stadium yesterday afternoon.
The friendly was part of Bangladesh
U-23 side’s preparation for
the AFC U-23 Championship 2018
Qualifiers, which will be held in
Palestine from July 19-23.
Young winger Jafar Iqbal scored
the only goal of the game in the
38th minute.
The national trial with 54 players
was held early last month before
a two-phase training camp
took place at BKSP, Savar under the
guidance of newly-appointed head
coach, English-born Australian Andrew
Ord.
The BFF will announce the final
squad today.
Bangladesh U-23 are also likely
to play friendly matches with foreign
teams before the Qualifiers. •
Action from the friendly between
Bangladesh U-23 and Abahani at
Bangabandhu National Stadium
yesterday
DHAKA TRIBUNE
‘Groggy’ Root proud to lead by example
• AFP, London
Joe Root said he had finished his
first day as England captain in
“dreamworld” after making an unbeaten
184 in the first Test against
South Africa at Lord’s on Thursday.
Root did not have much of a
voice to use at his post-play press
conference after waking up feeling
“pretty groggy”.
But opting for an old-fashioned
approach of wearing several layers
trying to sweat out his cold while
taking on plenty of fluids, he helped
England turn the tide on the opening
day of this four-match series.
They were 17 for two when the
26-year-old Yorkshireman came to
the crease and 76 for four before
lunch, with seamer Vernon Philander
taking three wickets.
Yet by stumps, England had recovered
to 357 for five, justifying
Root’s decision to bat first after
winning the toss.
Root, who was aided by Ben
Stokes (56) and Moeen Ali (61 not
out) in successive century stands,
admitted luck had gone his way.
He had managed just five when he
1ST TEST, DAY 2, TEA
SOUTH AFRICA 96/2 in 32 overs (Elgar
54*, Amla 29) trail ENGLAND 458 in
105.3 overs (Root 190, Moeen 87) by
362 runs
mishooked Kagiso Rabada, only for
the ball to fly over the head of Aiden
Markram after the substitute fielder
had made the mistake of not being
right back on the rope at long leg.
Further good fortune for Root
followed when he was dropped in
the gully on 16 off the luckless Rabada
and again on 149 when he was
stumped by yards off Keshav Maharaj
only for the spinner to have
over-stepped - the second time in
the day that an avoidable no-ball
cost the Proteas a wicket.
Root told Sky Sports he had felt
“in a bit of a dreamworld” and later,
talking to reporters, he accepted
he could hardly have written a better
script for himself.
“I don’t think so, especially getting
dropped once and just chipping
someone on the boundary. It
just seemed to fall into place today,”
he said.
“When you get a life early,
sometimes you feel like it is your
day and you’ve got to try to make
the most of it.”
Root added: “I felt pretty groggy
this morning. But nothing was going
to stop me enjoying the day.
“I made the most of everything
England’s Joe Root bats during the first day of the opening Test against South
Africa at Lord's on Thursday
AFP
and the cold wasn’t going to get in
the way.
“It may have helped me concentrate
slightly out there, knowing I
wasn’t a 100%.”
He now has the chance to surpass
the previous highest score in a first
Test as captain of 239 made by New
Zealand’s Graham Dowling in 1968.
“It was a nice feeling getting
that call back (after the over-turned
stumping) when you know you’ve
made a glaring error like that,” said
Root, who added he would look to
push on to a “really big score”.
In the morning it was Dean Elgar,
leading South Africa for the
first time while Faf du Plessis remains
at home with his wife after
the birth of their first child, who
was on course for a dream day.
“He couldn’t put a foot wrong
up till lunch and then everything
went pear-shaped after,” said Philander
of his stand-in skipper.
Philander added the team had
let Elgar down, especially in conceding
13 no-ball runs.
“There’s probably no excuse for
that,” said the bowler, who bowled
three no-balls.
“A couple of guys overstepped
and cost us a couple of wickets.
“He (Root) gave us chances and, if
we’re honest with ourselves, if we’d
taken one of them we could have
bowled them out for under 200,”
Philander added. •
Junior Tigers
begin preparation
for U19 World Cup
• Tribune Report
The 24-member Bangladesh U-19
squad started training yesterday
under the supervision of coach
Damien Wright. The junior Tigers
began their preparation for the
2018 U-19 World Cup, scheduled to
be held in New Zealand.
Earlier, the cricketers reported
on Thursday in Mirpur’s National
Cricket Academy.
The former Australian first-class
pacer Wright will be in charge of the
Bangladeshi U-19 team till the U-19
World Cup in New Zealand. He informed
that the training camp will
initially focus on fitness and skill sessions,
followed by practice matches.
The cricketers are expected to
take part in two practice games at
the academy ground.
However, there are still no international
series planned for the
Bangladesh youth before the World
Cup as the tri-nation series in India
was cancelled earlier.
Following the training camp, the
BCB will announce the final 15-man
squad. They will travel to Khulna
for a seven-day training camp
where Saif Hasan and his troop will
play three practice matches against
the High Performance Unit on July
13, 15 and 17 in Khulna’s Sheikh
Abu Naser Stadium. •

20
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
European Transfer
Slovakia defender Skriniar
joins Inter from Sampdoria
Inter Milan have signed Slovakia international defender
Milan Skriniar from Sampdoria on a five-year deal, both
Serie A clubs said yesterday. Skriniar, who made his international
debut last year, has spent the last two years
at Sampdoria after joining the Genoa-based club from
Slovak top-flight club MSK Zilina.
Sevilla skipper Iborra signs for Leicester
Sevilla captain Vicente Iborra became 2016 Premier
League champion Leicester City’s second signing of the
close season after inking a four-year deal on Thursday.
The 29-year-old defensive midfielder enjoyed a hugely
successful four-year spell at Sevilla, lifting the Europa
League trophy on three occasions. Leicester know Iborra
well as he played against them in both legs of their
Champions League tie last season which the English side
went on to win.
Scot Dorrans joins Rangers from Norwich
Scottish Premiership side Rangers have completed their
ninth signing in the current transfer window, recruiting
central midfielder Graham Dorrans from English club
Norwich City on a three-year deal. The 30-year-old Glaswegian,
who trained with Rangers as a youngster, made
over 100 Premier League appearances in seven seasons at
West Bromwich Albion before moving to Norwich in 2015.
PSG to sign Sociedad leftback
Berchiche
Spanish left-back Yuri Berchiche is set to leave Real Sociedad
for Paris Saint-Germain, the Basque club said on
Thursday. The 27-year-old would be PSG’s first signing
of the close season and a replacement for Brazilian Maxwell,
who retired at the end of last season. “We have
received a written offer from PSG for Yuri today and he
has permission to go for a medical,” Sociedad president
Jokin Aperribay said in a statement on Twitter. “It’s the best of all the offers we
received and his agents tell us he’s ready to go.
Huddersfield add defender
Jorgensen to their ranks
Huddersfield Town’s spending spree continued with
the Premier League club signing defender Mathias Jorgensen
from Danish champions FC Copenhagen on a
three-year contract, making him manager David Wagner’s
10th signing this transfer window. The Denmark international has played
269 matches for Copenhagen and won 10 trophies in two stints at the club, starting
in 2007. The 27-year-old also played for Dutch team PSV Eindhoven, winning
the Dutch Super Cup in 2013.
Gudjohnsen’s teen halfbrother
signs for Swansea
Swansea City signed the teenage half-brother of Icelandic
football icon Eidur Gudjohnsen yesterday and placed
him with the Under-18 squad. Arnor Borg Gudjohnsen,
16, impressed on trial at the Premier League club earlier
this season and whilst terms were agreed with his club
Breidablik UBK in March he only officially put pen to paper yesterday signing a
three year deal. “It’s great to be here. I am looking forward to the challenge and I
am excited to get started,” he said on the club website.
Clichy set for move to Basaksehir Istanbul
Former Manchester City and Arsenal left-back Gael
Clichy is set to join Turkish club Basaksehir Istanbul,
local press agency Anadolu reported on Thursday. The
31-year-old became a free agent when his contract at
City ran out in June. Former France international Clichy
is expected to sign a contract with Basaksehir, who finished
second behind Besiktas in the Turkish Super Lig
last season, on Friday after a medical. He struggled to
hold down a first-team place at the Etihad Stadium in recent years, making just 30
league appearances across the last two seasons.
Sports
‘Ronaldinho and friends’ to play
exhibition matches in Pakistan
• AFP, Karachi
Eight of football’s biggest stars, including
Brazilian hero Ronaldinho,
will play two exhibition matches in
Pakistan this weekend in hopes of
attracting more players from the
cricket-mad country.
Recently retired Ronaldinho,
famous for his stints with Spanish
club Barcelona, is the lead attraction
among the group dubbed
“Ronaldinho and friends” set to
play in Karachi today and in Lahore
tomorrow.
Former Manchester United stalwart
Ryan Giggs, Brazilian Roberto
Carlos, former England goalkeeper
David James, Dutch star George
Boateng, former French players
Robert Pires and Nicolas Anelka,
and Portuguese player Luis Boa
Morte complete the line-up.
Ronaldinho, 37, who won the
World Player of the Year twice and
was part of the 2002 World Cup
winning team, said he is on a goodwill
mission aimed at inducing
youngsters to play the game.
“I am excited at the prospect of
playing in Pakistan,” he said in a
statement.
“This is a great opportunity for
United target Lukaku trains with Pogba
• AFP, London
Manchester United’s bid to sign Everton’s
Belgian international striker
Romelu Lukaku for a record fee between
British clubs of £75m ($97m,
85.5m euros) looked nearer to completion
yesterday as photos emerged
of him training with Paul Pogba.
Lukaku, 24, was pictured on
United star Pogba’s Instagram account
training with his close friend
- who has the same agent Mino
Raiola - in Los Angeles where they
are on holiday together.
With United due in Los Angeles
this weekend to start a pre-season
tour, the images supply further
indications that Lukaku is Old
Trafford bound. They also suggest
that champions Chelsea are losing
the race to sign their main transfer
target - manager Antonio Conte
has made no secret of his desire
for temperamental Spanish striker
Diego Costa to leave with Lukaku
earmarked as a possible replacement.
Lukaku, who is reported to
have been offered wages of over
£200,000 a week by United, should
have returned to England on
Thursday for pre-season training
with Everton.
Everton sources were adamant
no deal had been struck with United
whilst the buying club had told
the BBC on Thursday terms had
us to induce youngsters in Pakistan
and we will do our best to do that.”
Giggs, who retired after a long
career with United in 2014, said he
was “privileged” to take part. He
replaced former England and Chelsea
captain John Terry, who pulled
out due to new commitments with
English side Aston Villa.
Ryan Giggs, Roberto
Carlos, goalkeeper
David James, George
Boateng, Robert
Pires, Nicolas Anelka,
and Luis Boa Morte
complete the line-up
Pakistani organisers hope to both
promote football, and signal that
security has improved in militancy-plagued
Pakistan, with officials
ready to welcome back international
sport - which fled the country
after an attack on the Sri Lankan
cricket team in 2009.
“Our aim is to promote football
been agreed.
However, according to the British
media the twin pronged persuasive
powers of Pogba and Raiola
have turned Lukaku’s head away
from Chelsea and to United.
Raiola did extremely well out of
United last year making an estimated
£40m out of the Pogba transfer
from Juventus alone while stablemates
Henrykh Mkhitaryan and
Zlatan Ibrahimovic also joined the
“Red Devils”.
Ibrahimovic’s long-term injury
suffered in a Europa League match
last season and the fading powers
of record goalscorer Wayne Rooney,
who has also been linked with
a return to his first club Everton,
have made the capture of a top
and this is the first of many steps,”
said Ishaq Shah, CEO of Leisure
League, a subsidiary of World
Group which is organising the visit.
“We want to give a positive image
of Pakistan through sports.”
The Pakistani Army is set to provide
security for the players and
matches, deploying troops in and
around hotels, airports and stadiums
over the weekend, officials
have said.
Pakistan boasted a top place in
Asian football until the early 1970s,
but a lack of government support
and poor infrastructure helped
push them to as low as 200th in the
FIFA football rankings.
The game is growing in popularity
once more, however, even in a
country obsessed with cricket.
“It’s a great occasion,” said Pakistan
team captain Kaleem Ullah,
who also played for Sacramento Republic
FC in USA and Kyrgyzstan’s
FC Dordoi Bishkek. He will take
part in one of the matches.
Fans in the football-mad Lyari
neighbourhood of Karachi said
they had spent their savings on
tickets. “I want to have a glimpse
of Ronaldinho,” said young fan Mohammad
Essa. •
striker imperative for manager Jose
Mourinho.
Apparent efforts to sign Real
Madrid’s Alvaro Morata came to
nothing leading United to switch
their attention to Lukaku.
Everton - who have spent freely
in the close season - are believed
to have hoped to sell Lukaku for
closer to £100m which would have
made him the world’s most expensive
player bettering the £89m that
United spent on Pogba last year.
As it is, the deal would smash
the record for a transfer fee between
British clubs - the record is
the £50m paid by Chelsea to Liverpool
for Fernando Torres in 2011 -
and register as the joint-fifth most
expensive player of all time. •

Sports
21
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
India's Virat Kohli plays a shot during their fifth ODI against the West Indies in Jamaica on Thursday
Top Swiss court
confirms Platini ban
• AFP, Geneva
DAY’S WATCH
CRICKET
STAR SPORTS 2
4:00PM
South Africa Tour of England
1st Test, Day 3
TENNIS
STAR SPORTS SELECT HD 2
7:00PM
Wimbledon Championships 2017
FORMULA 1
STAR SPORTS SELECT HD 2
6:00PM
Austrian Grand Prix
Qualifying
Switzerland’s highest court has
rejected former Uefa chief Michel
Platini’s appeal against a four-year
suspension from football, ending
his efforts to overturn the penalty,
his lawyer said Thursday.
Platini, 61, “is obviously very
disappointed”, his lawyer Vincent
Solari told AFP in an email.
Platini was hit with the penalty
over a $2m payment he received
in 2011, authorised by then Fifa
chief Sepp Blatter for work he did a
decade earlier, with no contract to
show for the deal.
He was initially hit with an
eight-year ban by the Fifa Ethics
Committee in late 2015, at the
height of an unprecedented scandal
that upended world football,
but his suspension was later cut to
six years upon appeal.
Platini appealed his suspension
to the Court of Arbitration for
Sport, which in May 2016 chopped
another two years off the suspension,
and he took the case further
to the Federal Court in Lausanne.
Switzerland’s highest court
ruled that the ban is justified and
that four years was not an unreasonable
length of time, ATS reported.
In theory, Platini can therefore
resume football-linked activities in
2019. •
AFP
India’s Kohli clinches
match, ODI series
against Windies
• Reuters
India captain Virat Kohli scored
an unbeaten century as his team
crushed West Indies by eight wickets
to clinch their one-day international
series in the final match on
Thursday.
Kohli scored 111 at Sabina Park in
Kingston, Jamaica, securing victory
in style with a six as India won at
a canter with as many as 79 balls to
spare to take the five-match series
3-1.
India scored 206 for two wickets
in reply after West Indies won the
toss and batted, compiling 205-9
off their allotted 50 overs on a good
batting surface.
Kohli scored at almost a run a
ball, smashing 12 fours and two sixes
for his 28th ODI century. He was
ably assisted by Dinesh Karthik, 50
not out, and opener Ajinkya Rahane
(39).
Kohli was named Player of the
Match, with Rahane Player of the
Series.
Rahane finished the series with
336 runs at an average of 67.2, taking
his opportunity after failing
to make the team for the recent
Champions Trophy in England.
The Hope brothers provided a
rare bright spot for the home team,
with opener Kyle compiling a quick
5TH ODI
INDIA 206/2 in 36.5 overs (Kohli 111*,
Karthik 50*) beat WEST INDIES 205/9
(Shai 51, Shami 4/48) by eight wickets
46 off 50 balls, while Shai made a
more patient 51 off 98 balls.
West Indies captain Jason Holder
praised his bowlers, but admitted
the batting was not up to
scratch during the series.
Chris Gayle returns for West Indies
when India’s brief tour of the
Caribbean wraps up with a Twenty20
in Kingston tomorrow. •
Mertesacker to take over Arsenal
academy coaching role
• AFP, London
Hantuchova calls it quits
• AFP, London
Daniela Hantuchova called time on
her career and voiced the fear and
excitement of a top tennis star calling
it quits and stepping into the
unknown.
Hantuchova, 34, who won a giant
fanbase with her supermodel
looks, was the world number five
who suffered a very public meltdown
struggling with the pressure
of her rapid rise to the top.
After putting her career back
on track, she became only the fifth
player to lift every Grand Slam
mixed doubles title. Hantuchova
also won the 2002 Fed Cup with
Slovakia.
Her decision to quit came quickly
in the last couple of weeks.
“I’ve done so much for so many
years. I felt like it was time to close
the chapter and start a new life,”
she said on Friday, the first full day
her retirement.
She last played at Rabat in May
before suffering a rib stress fracture.
“For almost two months, I
Arsenal’s German World Cup winning
defender Per Mertesacker will
take over as their Academy manager
next year the club announced
yesterday.
The 32-year-old central defender
- a member of the 2014 World
Cup winning team - will remain
club captain for the forthcoming
season before replacing Luke
Hobbs at the Academy.
Mertesacker, who played a starring
role in the FA Cup final victory
over Chelsea despite only just
returning from a long term injury,
said he was very happy his relationship
with Arsenal which dates
back to when he joined from Werder
Bremen in 2011 would continue.
“This is the start of an exciting
new chapter for me and I am delighted
that I will be able to stay
part of the Arsenal family,” Mertesacker
said in a statement on the
couldn’t really do anything. Suddenly
there was a day when I didn’t
miss going to the gym and training,
for the first time ever. I did my rehab
and tried to ignore it, but it just
kept coming back.”
A tennis player’s life is dictated
by the next match, the next plane,
the next city, drifting between hotels
around the world on an annual
rhythm of tournaments.
But despite initial worries,
Hantuchova is looking forward to
breaking the pattern of her entire
adult life. •
club website.
“This season I will remain fully
focused on my job with the team
and am looking forward to a successful
last season on the pitch.
“After that, I look forward to the
exciting challenge of helping produce
young players good enough
to play for the Arsenal first team.”
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger
said Mertesacker possessed the
qualities to move into coaching.
“Per is an exceptional character
who is a great example for young
players. He is a deep thinker about
the game and committed to helping
players fulfil their potential,”
Wenger said. •

22
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
Showtime
How Game of Thrones
changed Sophie Turner’s life
• Showtime Desk
English actor Sophie Turner, who
made her professional acting
debut as Sansa Stark at the age of
15 on the HBO fantasy television
series Game of Thrones, has earned
a wide reputation and critical
acclaim for her debut role. The
21 year old actor is now looking
forward to season seven of the
popular TV series, premiering July
16, in which her character matures
from a pawn into a major power
player.
In an interview with Parade,
Sophie talked about how Game of
Thrones has changed her life.
“The biggest thing that’s
changed, I think, is the amount
that I travel. I don’t have a base
anymore. I don’t have a home,
really. I’m constantly travelling
and working in different places,
and I really enjoy that. I feel
like people expect me to say
my anonymity has gone, and I
suppose it has, but I never really
felt that change because Game of
Thrones acquired popularity so
gradually,” she said.
She added, “There was never an
overnight kind of one minute I was
anonymous, and the next, there
were paparazzi. It’s been very
gradual to the point where it’s
difficult to notice. So probably
just the amount that I
travel now and how
little I’m at home,
how little I see my parents and my
friends. I think that’s what I notice
the most.”
As a result, standing on the
verge of the end of her GoT
journey, Sophie plans to travel
around the world as much as
she can, while also pursuing her
passion for guitar.
“I want to learn guitar. I want
to travel as much as I can, because
then I can tan. I can go away
to hot countries; that would be
incredible. I want to go to Bali,
maybe on my own, and just take
time for myself. Or, just spend
weeks and weeks at home and
hang out with my friends.
I haven’t done that in
forever,” she stated.
In 2012,
Sophie was
nominated for the Young Artist
Award for Best Performance in
a TV Series – Supporting Young
Actress for her performance
as Sansa. To date, Turner has
appeared in all six broadcast
seasons.
Sophie made her big screen
debut in 2013 as the lead character
in the independent thriller film
Another Me. She also played
mutant Jean Grey in X-Men:
Apocalypse, which was released in
May 2016 to mixed critical success.
The actress will also be seen
reprising her role as Jean Grey in
the new film X-Men: Dark Phoenix,
which will take place in the early
‘90s and follow the events of
X-Men: Apocalypse, as a part of the
X-Men franchise. •
Lindsay Lohan wants people to be
nice to President Trump
• Showtime Desk
Lindsay Lohan expressed her
disapproval to those who belittle
President Trump and asked people
to start trusting the "leader of the
free world".
The 31-year-old actress
responded to a tweet that posted
Trump helping a terminally ill
child in Britain. Lindsay Lohan
agreed with the poster and replied:
“THIS IS our president. Stop
#bullying him & start trusting
him. Thank you personally for
supporting #THEUSA”.
Inevitably, her tweet was met
with responses from Twitter users
who took the opportunity to direct
a few Mean Girls quotes back at
her.
However, the Holloywood
superstar did not back off and
responded with more tweets.
Calling President Trump, Ivanka,
Melania, and Donald Jr. “kind
people” the actress added: “As an
American, why speak poorly of
anyone? #FAITH #July4th”
Interestingly, Trump came to
Lindsay’s defense when comedian
Rosie O’Donnell attacked the
former child star in 2012.
Lindsay’s most recent post
on Twitter involves an article
in Arabic Russia’s president,
Vladimir Putin and China’s
president, Xi Jinping. She
shared the article with a
hashtag “#TheMan.” It is
not apparent who she was
referring to among the two
heads of states. Some users
responded by joking that
her account got hacked. •

A starry evening
Showtime
23
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
WHAT TO WATCH
DT
• Showtime Desk
Noted Dhallywood thespian
Shabana, who has been absent
from the silver screen for more
than 20 years, recently paid a
visit to another celebrity couple
Alamgir and Runa Laila along
with her producer husband Wahid
Sadik.
The actor, who has won the
hearts of millions with her acting,
has been living in the USA with
her family since 1998, putting an
end to her rewarding film career.
Throughout her vibrant career
that spans over a period of three
decades, Shabana has appeared
in 299 films among which, she
starred opposite Alamgir in 130 of
them. On the other hand, Runa
Laila, the eminent singer has lent
her voice to many of the notable
numbers lip synced by Shabana in
her films.
The Raid: Redemption
2:10 pm, Zee Studio
A SWAT team becomes trapped
in a tenement run by a ruthless
mobster and his army of killers
and thugs.
Cast: Iko Uwais, Joe Taslim,
Donny Alamsyah, Yayan
Ruhian, Pierre Gruno, Ray
Sahetapy
• Showtime Desk
According to India Today,
Deepika Padukone has refused
to work for a lesser fee than
what she received for her work
in Padmavati. The report says
she did not want to work when
she was approached for a film
featuring one of the Khans.
Taken aback by this, the
producers are unsure what to
do, as the film’s story requires
another female star in a leading
role, which means the producers
will have to pay top rupees for
that actress as well.
Deepika Padukone, fresh
from her success in movies like
Bajirao Mastani and Piku, is set
to feature in the fourth outing of
the xXx franchise. She made her
Hollywood debut opposite Vin
Diesel in xXx: Return Of Xander
Cage that released in January this
year.
Rumour is that Deepika
Padukone is getting a whopping
Rs12 crore as remuneration for
her upcoming film Padmavati.
Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali
the film also stars Ranveer
Singh and Shahid Kapoor in
pivotal roles. Deepika Padukone
is ranked at ten in world’s
ten highest paid actresses
list alongside Hollywood
heavyweights Oscar-winner
Jennifer Lawrence, Julia Roberts
and Friends star Jennifer Aniston.
Deepika became the only Indian
actress and the sole newcomer in
Forbes’ 2016 list of the ‘World’s
Highest-Paid Actresses.’
Deepika Padukone has
reportedly devoted an entire year
for the period drama Padmavati,
which may have been a reason
for her astronomical fees. In the
movie Deepika is protraying the
titular Rajput queen.•
Although, the actress is barely
seen to attend film related events,
she couldn’t deny the invitation
of her old time colleagues.
Furthermore, the addition of
Nashid Kamal, Akhi Alamgir and
Runa Laila’s family made the
evening, a special one.
“We have a very good
relationship with Alamgir. He
is like a family member to us.
When Alamgir and Runa invited
us over, we couldn’t say no. Even
though we don’t go outside much
nowadays, the evening was worth
remembering. We talked about
our old times together,” said
Deepika says ‘no’ to lower pay
Wahid Sadik about their reunion.
However, Shabana has been in
Dhaka for the last three months
and has visited prime minister
Sheikh Hasina and a few others,
upon her return.
The veteran actress started
her career opposite Pakistani
actor Nadeem in her debut Urdu
film Chakori in 1967. Her famous
films include the likes of Anari,
Chotey Sahab, Chand aur Chandni
and Chand Suraj, Maa Jokhon
Bicharok, Bhalobashar Ghor,
Aashami, Mayer Doa, Shami Keno
Ashami, Banglar Badhu, Judge
Barrister, Meyerao Manush. •
Suicide Squad
9:30 pm, HBO
A secret government agency
recruits some of the most
dangerous incarcerated supervillains
to form a defensive task
force. Their first mission: save
the world from the apocalypse.
Cast: Will Smith, Jared Leto,
Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman,
Viola Davis, Jai Courtney
City Lights
7:45 pm, Movies Now
With the aid of a wealthy
erratic tippler, a dewy-eyed
tramp who has fallen in love
with a sightless flower girl
accumulates money to be able
to help her medically.
Cast: Charlie Chaplin, Virginia
Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry
Myers, Al Ernest Garcia, Hank
Mann
Spider-Man 2
4:31 pm, Star Movies
Peter Parker is beset with
troubles in his failing personal
life as he battles a brilliant
scientist named Doctor Otto
Octavius.
Cast: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten
Dunst, James Franco, Alfred
Molina, Rosemary Harris

24
SATURDAY, JULY 8, 2017
DT
‘GOVT OPPRESSING MINORITIES
LIKE PAKISTANIS › 8
Back Page
JUNIOR TIGERS BEGIN PREPARATION
FOR U19 WORLD CUP › 19
A STARRY
EVENING › 23
First Bangladeshi nanosatellite
starts orbiting around Earth
• Manik Miazee
DEVELOPMENT
Brac Onnesha, a nanosatellite created
by the students of Brac University,
started orbiting around
Earth yesterday afternoon.
With this nanosatellite, Bangladesh
has officially started its journey
in space exploration and research.
The nanosatellite was sent to its
own orbit at 3:10pm yesterday, and
started its journey as an independent
satellite.
A cube measuring 10cm along its
edge, the satellite is at 400km altitude
and will rotate around Earth at the
speed of 7km per second. It will complete
a full rotation around Earth in
90 minutes, and will pass over Bangladesh
four to six times every day.
The nanosatellite is expected to
stay in its orbit for six months.
Earlier on June 4, the nanosatellite
was launched to space by Japan
Aerospace Exploration Agency
(JAXA) from Nasa’s Kennedy Space
Center in Florida, US at 3:07am
Bangladesh standard time.
The satellite was carried to the
International Space Station by Falcon
9 rocket launcher of SpaceX.
The ground control station of
the nanosatellite is at the rooftop of
one of Brac University’s buildings.
Brac University organised a
ceremony at its auditorium to celebrate
the historical moment of
Bangladesh stepping into space
for the first time, connecting to an
international video conference by
the JAXA in Japan.
Science and Technology Minister
Yeafesh Osman, Brac University
Vice-Chancellor Prof Syed Saad Andaleeb,
Prof Abdul Mannan, chairman
of University Grants Commission, and
Dr Shahjahan Mahmood, chairman of
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory
Commission (BRTC), attended
the ceremony, among others.
Prof Saad Andaleeb said investment
in space economy was growing,
especially in China and India,
and Bangladesh stepping into this
new frontier was a matter a pride.
He further said the university
would develop specialised units
and courses on space technology.
BTRC Chairman Shahjahan said
BTRC would soon sign an MoU
with Brac University for collaborating
on satellite issues.
Abdulla Hil Kafi, Maisun Ibn
Monowar and Raihana Shams Antara,
the three Brac University alumni who
designed and built the nanosatellite,
also joined the ceremony through video
conference and said they planned
to build another satellite for Bangladesh
within the next four years.
The ceremony was
also attended by Toshiyuki
Noguchi, first secretary
of the Japanese
Embassy in Dhaka, who
was the guest of honour,
Dr AA Ziauddin Ahmad,
professor of mathematics
and natural sciences
in Brac University, and
Dr Hafizur Rahman,
member of SPARRSO,
among others.
Kafi, Maisun and Raihana
graduated from the
electrical and electronics engineering
department of Brac University and
are currently enrolled in post-graduation
programmes at Kyushu Institute
of Technology in Japan.
Brac University signed a deal
with Kyushu Institute of Technology
in June 2016 to collaborate for
The country’s first nanosatellite
named Brac Onnesha was sent to
its own orbit in the space yesterday.
Brac University organised an event,
marking the occasion
MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
the creation of the first ever satellite
in Bangladesh.
The project was titled “Joint
Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite”
– BIRDS Project in short.
With the help of Kyushu Institute
of Technology, Kafi, Maisun
and Raihana built the nanosatellite.
The device was officially handed
over to Brac University VC Prof
Saad Abdaleeb on February 9 this
year; Brac University handed it
over to the JAXA on the same day.
Dr Khalilur Rahman, associate
professor of computer science and
technology, is the principal investigator,
and Dr Hasanuzzaman Sagor,
assistant professor of electrical
and electronics engineering, is the
co-investigator of the project. •
Snake pit
with 125
cobras found
in a Rajshahi
kitchen
• Abdullah Al Dulal, Rajshahi
NATION
At least 125 cobras turned a kitchen
in Rajshahi’s Tanore upazila into
a snake pit, turning the northern
district into an apparent safe haven
for the species, as 27 more snakes
were found at a Rajshahi city home
48 hours earlier.
A large number of these deadly
snakes were found in the Bhadrakhand
municipality at Akkas Ali’s
house on Thursday night, leaving his
family too terrified to sleep at night.
“It was a usual evening, my wife
Hasna Bibi entered the kitchen to
cook dinner. I suddenly heard her
screaming and rushed towards the
kitchen,” Akkas said.
“I spotted a large cobra coming
out of a rat hole. I managed to kill
the snake along with the help of
my two sons, Hasibur Rahman and
Azibur Rahman.”
Akkas soon realised there were
more cobras of various sizes coming
out of the pit.
The trio continued their mission
and were soon joined by locals, as
word got out.
In a joint effort, they managed
to kill all the snakes.
Akkas said the snakes were one
to one and a half feet long; few were
smaller, as if they had just hatched.
The extermination drive started
from Thursday evening and continued
until Friday 1am.
“After digging out the rat hole,
we recovered 13 snake eggs and immediately
destroyed them,” Akkas
added.
On Tuesday, 27 king cobras were
found at a home in Budhpara area
of Rajshahi city, sparking widespread
panic in the area. •
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