12-08-2018

sunDaY 

Dhaka:august 12, 2018; Srabon 28, 1425 BS; Zilqad 29,1439 hijri www.thebangladeshtoday.com; www. tbtbangla.com 

Regd.No.Da~2065, Vol.16; No.201; 12 Pages~Tk.8.00 

international 

Millions in limbo 

as nativist anger 

roils Indian state 

>Page 7 

art & culture 

Srk opens up 

about Suhana's 

bollywood debut 

>Page 8 

sport 

Shakib's 

cricketing brain is 

amazing : Rhodes 

>Page 9 

'PM to open' work 

on Padma Bridge 

rail link Sept 5 

MUNSHIGANJ : Railways Minister 

M Mazibul Hoque on Saturday said 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will 

inaugurate the work on the Padma 

Bridge rail link on September 5 next, 

reports UNB. 

"The Prime Minister will unveil the 

plaque of the project at Mawa on 

September 5," he said while talking to 

reporters in Service Area-1 after visiting 

the Padma Bridge area. 

He also saw the progress of work to 

turn the Dhaka-Mawa highway into a 

four-lane one and toll plaza. 

The Padma Bridge Rail Link Project, 

which aims to establish rail links 

between Dhaka and Jashore through 

the Padma Multipurpose Bridge, will be 

implemented by June 2024 spending 

Tk 39,246.80 crore. 

Of the estimated cost, Tk 18,210.11 

crore will come from the government's 

own fund while the rest 21,036.69 as 

project assistance from China. 

Traffic Week 

extended by 

3 days 

DHAKA : Dhaka Metropolitan Police 

Commissioner Md Asaduzzaman Mia 

on Saturday announced that the ongoing 

Traffic Week will be extended by 

three more days to reinforce discipline 

on roads and highways, reports UNB. 

Asaduzzaman Mia came up with 

information at a press briefing at DMP 

media centre. 

"Stern actions will be taken against 

those who will violate traffic rules. If the 

proposed Road Transport law 

approved by the Cabinet recently is 

implemented properly, the road safety 

will improve much," he said. 

Only traffic rules will not be able to 

ensure discipline on the road as it 

requires assistance from the city 

dwellers, Asaduzzaman Mia said. 

"In many developed countries, 98 

percent people obey traffic rules while 

in our country at least 90 percent people 

violate traffic rules. So, implementation 

of laws is very difficult here," he 

said. 

On August 5, the DMP commissioner 

announced to observe Traffic Week 

across the country amid the student 

movement over a nine-point demand, 

including ensuring safety on roads and 

justice for the two students who were 

killed in a road accident in the capital, 

and resignation of Shipping Minister 

Shajahan Khan. 

6 Jabal-e-Noor 

Paribahan 

buses seized 

DHAKA : Members of Rapid Action 

Battalion (Rab) seized six buses of 

Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan for plying 

the streets despite cancelation of its 

route permit by the Bangladesh Road 

Transport Authority (BRTA). 

The members of Rab-1 and Rab-4 

seized the buses from different areas 

of the capital, said a text message of 

Rab, reports UNB. 

On August 1, BRTA cancelled the registration 

and fitness certificates of 

Jabal-e-Noor Paribahan amid public 

outcry as two of the company's buses 

were involved in an accident that left 

two college students dead on July 29. 

Zohr 

04:13 AM 

12:15 PM 

04:40 PM 

06:38 PM 

07:58 PM 

5:32 6:35 

Nasrul Hamid for 

promoting cross 

border power trade 

DHAKA : State Minister for Power and 

Energy Nasrul Hamid has said that cross 

border electricity trade through regional 

cooperation will play a pivotal role in the 

development of the SAARC (South Asian 

Association for Regional Cooperation) 

region, reports UNB. 

He made the remarks while addressing 

a seminar as chief guest in Nepalese capital 

Kathmanduon Friday, according to a 

message received in Dhaka. 

The state minister was on a visit to the 

Himalayan nation where Dhaka and 

Kathmandu signed a Memorandum of 

Understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation 

in power and energy sector 

between the two neighbouring countries. 

Bangladesh Embassy in Nepal 

organised the seminar on Power 

Sector Cooperation between 

Bangladesh and Nepal in association 

with Energy Development Council of 

Nepal and Independent Power 

Producers Association, Nepal. 

Nasrul Hamid said SAARC network 

agreement for energy cooperation was 

signed while BIMSTEC has been working 

to enhance the regional cooperation 

among its member countries. 

He mentioned that Bangladesh needs 

an investment of $80 billion for generating 

60,000 MW by 2040 to meet its 

demand. 

In this regard, he said, US company GE 

has already signed deals to invest $2 billion 

while European company Siemens 

$15 billion,middle-east nations 1 billion, 

Japan $6.6 billionand China $7.5 billion. 

"Prompt decision, capacity charge and 

investment security have attracted this 

huge investment," he said. 

The State Minister said Bangladesh 

government has evolved "Power System 

Master Plan 2016" where a fuel mix was 

introduced which will play an important 

role to resolve the country's power crisis. 

As per plan, Bangladesh will generate 

35 per cent electricity from coal, while 

another 35 per cent from gas, 10 per cent 

from renewable, 11 per cent from cross 

border trade, 6 per cent nuclear and 3 per 

cent from hydropower and other sources. 

Nepal Board of Investment chief executive 

officer Maha Prasad Adhikari said 

Bangladesh can invest in hydropower 

projects in Nepal to general some 8000 

MW of electricity. 

Officials from Independent Power 

Producers Association of Nepal said that 

if there is a direct cross border electricity 

trade between Dhaka and Kathmandu, it 

would be more profitable for both the 

nations. But to avail these facilities, the 

issue of multilateral and multination 

cross border issues must be included in 

the cross border guideline though consultation 

with India, they said. 

The seminar was also addressed by 

chief of the executive committee of Nepal 

Energy Development Council Kushal 

Gurung, president of Independent Power 

Producers Association, Nepal Shailendra 

Guragian and Bangladesh Ambassador 

in Nepal Mashfi Bint Shams. 

BNP pushes for dialogue with govt 

DHAKA : BNP on Saturday urged the 

government to engage in talks with the 

party over the next general election 

with an open mind, reports UNB. 

"Discussions cannot be held at an 

empty table. Specific agenda should be 

there for talks. BNP has some specific 

demands for ensuring fair and participatory 

polls and those can be discussed," 

said BNP senior joint secretary 

general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. 

Speaking at a press conference at 

BNP's Nayapaltan central office, he further 

said, "If they (govt) say they don't 

want to discuss these issues (relating to 

election), we'll understand their mind is 

off-white, not white and transparent." 

He made the remarks while reacting 

to Awami League general secretary 

Obaidul Quader's reported comment 

that discussions can be held with BNP 

if it doesn't impose any condition. 

Rizvi said their party is always ready 

for a dialogue with the government as it 

thinks it is necessary for holding an 

acceptable, fair and inclusive election. 

"But, the dialogue can't be held without 

any agenda. We want the talks to be 

held with an open mind." 

He said the next general election cannot 

be held keeping their chairperson 

Khaleda Zia in jail. "Khaleda Zia must 

be freed before the national election." 

Besides, the BNP leader said, 

Parliament will have to be dissolved, a 

non-party neutral election-time government 

must be installed and the current 

Election Commission will have to 

be reconstituted. 

He said their party has long been talking 

about participatory and credible polls 

where voters will be able to exercise their 

right to franchise without any fear. 

Rizvi said the election will not be 

acceptable to people if the government 

takes steps to remove the barriers to 

fair balloting. He also said their party 

will not join the election if the congenial 

atmosphere for credible election is not 

created. 

The BNP leader criticised Prime 

Minister's son Sjeeb Wazed Joy for giving 

a post on his Facebook page on 

detained photographer Shahidul 

Alam's trial. 

"We think giving such statement by 

Sjeeb Wazed Joy on Shahidul Alam 

means encouraging repression on him 

by police. His statement is an inhuman 

one," he added. 

Huge crowd witnessed at Kamalapur Railway station on the occasion of 

upcoming Eid-ul-Adha. 

Photo: Star Mail 

On Saturday, students and local people formed a human chain demanding construction of 

new sluice as they are fearing communication scrap. 


Malaysia finds Bangladesh big market; 

seeks awareness among investors 

DHAKA : Malaysia finds Bangladesh as a great market for its 

investors with huge opportunities, which the investors need to be 

made aware of, says a Malaysian diplomat, reports UNB. 

"Awareness needs to be created among the Malaysian 

investors about the challenges and opportunities for them in 

Bangladesh to strengthen the trade relations between Bangladesh 

and Malaysia," said Muzzafar Shah Hanafi, Malaysian Consul 

(Trade) at Consulate General in Chennai, India. 

Muzzafar, whose mandate as a Malaysian trade envoy also 

requires him to look after trade issues in Bangladesh, gave an 

exclusive interview to UNB during his recent visit to Dhaka. 

Bangladesh, he said, can also use Malaysia as a gateway to 

other Southeast Asian countries like Singapore, Thailand and 

Indonesia. 

The geographic location of Bangladesh also makes it significant 

for Malaysia as the country can be entry point for 

Malaysia to many other countries including Pakistan, Nepal 

and northern part of India which will help Malaysia with 

reduced shipping cost and time, he added. 

Muzzafar Shah Hanafi suggested organizing seminars and 

business meetings frequently between the two countries that 

will help create better understanding about Bangladesh's trade 

and investment opportunities. 

He noted that people in Bangladesh are willing to pay higher 

prices for high quality products. He came up with the observation 

considering the steady economic growth of Bangladesh 

having huge population with higher purchasing capacity. 

According to Muzzafar, the trade relations can be boosted 

with the implementation of the proposed free trade agreement 

(FTA) as consumers can enjoy Malaysian products at fair price 

with its enforcement. 

Malaysia is waiting for the response from Bangladesh to 

hold the first official meeting on the proposed FTA, which 

might be arranged after the national election this year, hopes 

Muzzaffar adding that putting FTA in place will create win-win 

situation and prosperous trade relationship between the two 

countries being beneficial for both sides. 

Pointing out high tax rate as one of the main obstacles that 

hinder Malaysian investors to explore the Bangladeshi market, 

Muzzafar said there are other scopes for Malaysians to consider 

the country as a huge export destination as countries like 

Japan and China are also exporting here despite of high tax. 

He said Malaysian products such as foods, cosmetics, toiletries, 

luxury items and some other items have high demand 

in Bangladesh, but there are not much Malaysian products in 

Glitch in server disrupts 

Eid train ticket sales 

DHAKA : The sales of advance train tickets 

for Eid-ul-Azha remained suspended 

for around one and half an hours in all 

railway stations, including Kamalapur 

Railway Station, on Saturday following a 

glitch in the central server, reports UNB. 

Railways Secretary Mofazzel Hossain 

said the central server broke down around 

10am which disrupted the internet connection 

in all the railway stations across 

the country. "This forced the suspension 

of the ticket sales," he said. 

The ticket sales for the Eid journey on 

August resumed around 11:30am after 

the server returned to normalcy, he said. 

Meanwhile, Railways Minister M 

Mazibul Hoque directed the authorities 

concerned to ensure so that such problem 

does reoccur in the future. 

Railway started selling train tickets for 

August 20 in the morning. 

A large number of people gathered at 

Kamalapur Railway Station on Saturday 

to collect tickets for their journey. The 

crowd was bigger than that of any other 

day, said witnesses. 

the Bangladeshi Market currently. 

Among the food products, fast-moving consumer goods such 

as biscuits, noodles, chips and snacks of Malaysia are of high quality, 

Muzzafar said. 

Though Malaysian investors know about the opportunities of 

the market, he said, they do not have proper knowledge on how 

to enter into the market and invest here. 

A platform to promote the opportunities of Bangladesh needs 

to be floated so that they know there are much more positive 

things in Bangladesh besides the high tax such as the purchasing 

power of the population, the high GDP growth and the facilities of 

economic zones, he suggested. 

Muzzafar also considered halal market sector as a great opportunity 

to invest in Bangladesh.

NEWS 

SUNDAY, 

AUGUST 12, 2018 

2 

Peoples democratic Alliance organized a mourn rally in capital yesterday marking 43rd death 

anniversary of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 

Photo : TBT 

Plane stolen by 

'suicidal' employee 

crashes near Seattle 

A "suicidal" airline employee 

stole an empty Horizon Air 

turboprop plane, took off 

from Sea-Tac International 

Airport and was chased by 

military jets before crashing 

into a small island in the 

Puget Sound on Friday night, 

officials said. 

Preliminary information 

suggests the crash occurred 

because the 29-year-old man 

was "doing stunts in air or 

lack of flying skills," the 

Pierce County Sheriff's 

Department said. 

Ed Troyer, a spokesman 

for the Pierce County Sheriff's 

Department, said on 

Twitter the man was suicidal 

and there was no connection 

to terrorism. 

Video showed the Horizon 

Air Q400 doing large loops 

and other dangerous maneuvers 

as the sun set on the 

Puget Sound. There were no 

passengers aboard. Authorities 

initially said the man was 

a mechanic but Alaska Airlines 

later said he was 

believed to be a ground service 

agent employed by Horizon. 

Those employees direct 

aircraft for takeoff and gate 

approach and de-ice planes. 

Witnesses reported seeing 

the plane being chased by 

military aircraft before it 

crashed on Ketron Island, 

southwest of Tacoma, Washington. 

Troyer said F-15 aircraft 

scrambled out of Portland, 

Oregon, and were in 

the air "within a few minutes" 

and the pilots kept 

"people on the ground safe." 

The sheriff's department 

said they were working to 

conduct a background investigation 

on the Pierce County 

resident, whose name was 

not immediately released. 

The aircraft was stolen 

about 8 p.m. Alaska Airlines 

said it was in a "maintenance 

position" and not scheduled 

for a passenger flight. Horizon 

Air is part of Alaska Air 

Group and flies shorter 

routes throughout the U.S. 

West. The Q400 is a turboprop 

aircraft with 76 seats. 

Pierce County Sheriff Paul 

Pastor said the man "did 

something foolish and may 

well have paid with his life." 

The man could be heard on 

audio recordings telling air 

traffic controllers that he is 

"just a broken guy." 

An air traffic controller 

called the man "Rich," and 

tried to convince the man to 

land the airplane. 

Rangpur region suitable 

for enhancing Aus rice 

cultivation: DAE DG 

RANGPUR: Director General (DG) of the 

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) 

Agriculturist Mohammad Mohsin has said 

the Rangpur region is suitable for enhancing 

cultivation of eco-friendly and less irrigation 

water consuming Aus rice, reports BSS. 

"The farmers have exceeded the fixed Aus 

rice cultivation target by 28,000 hectares of 

land this season in the country. Of the total, 

the farmers managed to exceed the fixed 

Aus rice farming target by 15,000 hectares 

of land alone in Rangpur region," he said. 

The DAE chief disclosed the information 

while addressing a view-sharing meeting 

with the agriculture officers in the 

conference room of the DAE's Additional 

Director's office here on Friday as the chief 

guest, a press release said yesterday. 

The event was arranged as part of its DG's 

'Inspection of ongoing agricultural activities 

and taking necessary steps' programme in 

Rangpur agriculture region with its 

Regional Additional Director Md Shah 

Alam in the chair. 

Vice-principals of different Agriculture 

Training Institutes (ATI), Deputy Directors, 

District Training Officers, Additional 

Deputy Directors, Horticulture Specialists 

and Upazila Agriculture Officers of the DAE 

from all over Rangpur region were present. 

Vice-principal of Tazhat ATI Agriculturist 

Md Golam Mostafa, Deputy Director of 

Burirhat Horticulture Centre Agriculturist 

KM Moududul Islam, Deputy Director of 

Rangpur DAE Agriculturist Dr Md Sarwarul 

Haque and Mithapukur Upazila Agriculture 

Officer Agriculturist Md Khorshed Alam 

narrated the ongoing field level agricultural 

activities, issues, problems and necessary 

suggestions. 

Regional Farm Broadcasting Officer of the 

Agriculture Information Service 

Agriculturist Md Abu Sayem moderated the 

function. 

The DAE Chief said farmers exceeded the 

fixed Aus rice farming target in Rangpur 

region to achieve a bumper output following 

adoption of time-befitting technologies and 

distribution of incentives by the present 

pro-farmer government. 

"There are ample scopes to enhance Aus 

rice farming in Rangpur agriculture region," 

he said and suggested the field level 

agriculture officials for adopting plans to 

inspire the local farmers in enhancing 

cultivation of less irrigation water 

consuming Aus rice. 

He expressed satisfaction over adoption of 

the 'Logovo' method of transplantation of 

Aman rice seedling in rows by keeping a row 

blank after every ten rows in the fields. 

To reduce the risk of floods, he directed 

his field level officials to strengthen 

monitoring of the prepared late variety 

Aman rice seedbeds on highlands and 

floating seedbeds in low-lying flood-prone 

areas so that there was no seedling crisis for 

floods. 

Govt works relentlessly to rural 

infrastructure development: Shahriar 

RAJSHAHI: State Minister 

for Foreign Affairs Shahriar 

Alam said the present government 

led by Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina has 

been working relentlessly 

for infrastructure development 

in the rural areas, 

reports BSS. 

He said social change has 

become visible everywhere 

in the rural areas by dint of 

massive infrastructure 

development. 

He was addressing a public 

meeting to mark the 

foundation laying of two 

rural roads in Hazir more 

area under Bagha upazila of 

the district on Friday as the 

chief guest. 

The 2.6-kilometer roads, 

one from Monigram to Balihata 

and another from 

Habashpur to Gorhasthan 

more, will be constructed 

with an estimated cost of 

around Taka one crore. 

Shahriar Alam said the 

present government has 

been implementing various 

projects to improve living 

and livelihood condition of 

people. He urged the people 

to keep their confidence on 

the government so that it 

can work for welfare of 

those in the days ahead. 

Mentioning that Awami 

League only represents the 

people of Bangladesh, Alam 

said the party has brought 

the nation's independence 

through a long struggle led 

by Father of the Nation 

Bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujibur Rahman and it will 

also bring economic emancipation 

of the people as 

well. 

The state minister said 

Bangladesh witnesses real 

development when Awami 

League comes to power. 

Over the last nine and half 

years, the present government 

has pulled five crore 

people out of extreme 

poverty, making the country 

a role model of development 

in abroad. 

Bangladesh would be economically 

self-reliant if 

Awami League remains in 

power, he also added. 

Alam called upon the people 

to vote for Awami 

League in next national 

election to continue the pace 

of country's development. 

"Bangladesh will be 

turned into a safe haven for 

corrupt people, terrorists 

and militants if BNP and its 

cohorts come to power 

again," he continued. 

Chaired by local Awami 

League leader Saiful Islam, 

the meeting was addressed, 

among others, by Upazila 

Nirbahi Officer Shahin Reja 

and awami league leaders 

Ashraful Islam and Zillur 

Rahman. 

Bhasani Anusari Parishad organized a memorandum meeting memorizing Khalequzzaman 

Choudhury. 

Photo : TBT 

‘JMB’ man held in Jhenidah 

DHAKA : Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members arrested an 

alleged Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) activist 

from Shyamkur village in Maheshpur upazila on Friday 

night, reports UNB. 

The arrestee is Jasim Uddin, 34, son of late Azizul Haque 

of the village. Assistant superintendent of police Sohel 

Parvez, company commander of Rab-6 Jhenidah camp, said 

they conducted a drive at the house of Jasim at night and 

arrested him. Jasim is an active JMB member, claimed the 

Rab official. 

170 houses gutted in 

Bandarban fire 

BANDARBAN : At least 170 houses were gutted in a fire that 

broke out at Maddampara in Sadar upazila on Saturday, 

reports UNB. 

The fire originated from the kitchen of a house around 12 

pm and it soon engulfed the adjoining ones. Three firefighting 

units and locals with the help of police and army 

brought the fire under control after one and half an hours. At 

least seven people, including two army men, were injured 

while putting out the fire, said Lt Col Mohammad Amin, 

commander of Bandarban Sadar zone army. 

The injured were taken to local army hospital for 

treatment, he added. At last 115 families, mostly ethnic 

minorities, lost their dwelling houses in the devastating fire, 

witnesses said. 

'Robber' killed in Magura 'gunfight' 

MAGURA : A suspected robber was killed in a 'gunfight' 

between two gangs of robbers at Ramkantopur in 

Mohammadpur upazila early Saturday, reports UNB. 

The deceased was identified as Abul Bashar Biswas, 40, 

son of Golam Sarwar Biswas of Nohata village and an 

accused in 10 robbery cases. 

Being informed about the gunfight between two robber 

gangs over sharing of money, police went to the spot and 

recovered the body of Bashar, bullet shells and some sharp 

weapons from the spot, said Tariqul Islam, additional 

superintendent of Magura Police. A case was filed. 

470 families in Chandpur 

get new homes 

CHANDPUR: Minister of Disaster Management and Relief 

Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya Bir Bikram yesterday 

allotted a total of 470 homes among poor families under the 

Ashrayan Project-2 in the district, reports BSS. 

He allotted 329 homes at Chengarchar municipality and 

141 at Ikhlaspur union. 

While allotting the homes, Maya said, "It was a dream of 

the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur 

Rahman to rehabilitate all poor families with new homes but 

he could not materialize his dream. Now his daughter, our 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is fulfilling his dream by 

allotting homes to them through Ashrayan Project." 

Upazila Executive officer Sharmin Akhter presided over 

the programme while Chengarchar Pourashobha Mayor 

Alhaj Rafikul Alam Jaj, Poura Awami League General 

Secretary Ataur Rahman Dhali, panel Mayor Haji Ruhul 

Amin and Councilor Abdul Mannan Bepari also spoke, 

among others. 

Man slaughtered by 'son' in Bagerhat 

BAGERHAT : A man was slaughtered allegedly by his son at 

Ali Bazar in Morelganj upazila early Saturday. 

The deceased was identified as Yunus Ali Hawlader, 70, 

reports UNB. 

Quoting witnesses, Thakur Das Mandal, officer-in-charge 

(investigation) of Morelganj Police Station, said Yunus's son 

Lal Miah Hawlader, 45, attacked his father and slaughtered 

him with aa sharp weapon around 4:30 am over family feud. 

Later, locals caught Lal Miah and handed him over to 

police. Police recovered the body. 

‘Drug trader’ held in Faridpur 

FARIDPUR : Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in a 

drive arrested a suspected drug trader along with 1063 

bottles of Phensidyl from Kanaipur area of Sadar upazila on 

Saturday morning, reports UNB. 

The arrestee is Md Obaidur Khan, 20, a resident of 

Jhaukhola village in Kanaipur union. 

Md Roisuddin, additional superintendent of police and 

company commander of Faridpur camp, said a team of Rab- 

11 conducted a drive in the area and arrested Obaidur along 

with the Phensidyl. 

The arrestee was handed over to Kotwali Police Station and 

a case was filed under the Special Powers Act. 

A press conference was held at National Press Club yesterday on the occasion of declaring an alliance 

of independent candidate titled 'Moulik Bangla'. 

Photo : TBT 

Corruption allegedly 

witnessed with help 

of DNCC official 

TBT Report: An investigation reveals that 

DNCC authorities have set up vegetable 

market at a certain place in DNCC's Shishu 

Park in Karwan Bazar. Moreover DNCC has 

established around 30 illegals shops beside 

2 no Super Market after grabbing roads in 

the name of workers and triangular tin shed 

market. DNCC has also set up 22 illegal 

shops behind Karwan Bazar kitchen market. 

Mosharraf Hossain, president of Kawran 

Bazar Business Associations informed that, 

in present there are about 200 illegal shops 

in Kawran Bazar. They have informed about 

the matter to DNCC state officer Aminul 

Islam but there was no effective result from 

his side because a huge sum of money from 

these illegal shops goes into his pocket. 

It is to be noted that, collection of illegal 

toll allegedly by Jannat Traders in collusion 

with DNCC official highlights an undeniable 

fact. The practice of extortion from car and 

other vehicles as well as traders has flourished 

because of the involvement of corrupt 

officials of the city corporation. 

On 6/2/2018 Dhaka North City Corporation 

gave tender to Jannat Traders. Jannat 

Traders were supposed to get the tender on 

2/2/2017 but was give on 6th February 

2018. In between, the government got Tk 50 

lakh less revenue. Jannat Traders filed writ 

petition for not getting the tender as of given 

time. The Petition no is 14210/2017.Jannat 

Traders were highest tax payer on 

7/08/2017 and it was finalized on 13th 

August 2017. 

High Court then issued a rule for 4 weeks. 

Jannat Traders submitted TK 8, 75, 125 to 

City Corporation on 22 October 2017. Violating 

the law DNCC state officer Aminul 

Islam gave the tender to another organization 

on 26th October for 1 month. During 

the 1 month period city corporation received 

half of the money and the rest half of the 

money could not yet be traced. 

After the incident, one month later DNCC 

gave the tender back to Jannat Traders. 

According the 19 column of DNCC schedule, 

an organization cannot file a case against 

DNCC, but Jannat Traders did file a case 

against DNCC violating the rule. State officer 

Aminul Islam gave the tender to Jannat 

Trader which violates DNCC rule. 

Not caring about the law, Jannat Traders 

are taking higher toll. According to DNCC, 1 

hour car parking is TK 15, 1 hour motorbike 

parking is Tk 5 nad 1 hour cycle parking is 

Tk 2. But in place of Tk 15, Jannat Traders 

are taking 200-300 Taka per hour for cars, 

50 taka per hour for motorbike and 20 taka 

per hour for cycle. Jannat Traders are also 

taking toll from government cars, which Tk 

1500 for a month, but DNNC strictly does 

not allow taking tolls from government cars. 

Everyday fighting takes place regarding toll. 

The law enforcements are silent regarding 

the matter. 

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan 

Kamal, MP after knowing about the matter 

sent a notice to handover the Kawran Bazar 

parking area to the government. The P.O 

number of the notice is: Sha Ma 2018/24 

After contacting DNCC state officer Aminul 

Islam he refused about minister's notice 

stating that he doesn't have any knowledge 

about the matter, and still now the receiving 

of toll continues. They are continuously violating 

Home Minster's instructions. The 

extortion is being taken from footh path 

hawkers as well. 

Business in Kawran Bazar area is going 

down day by day as taking extortion is not 

stopping. Crime, violence and murder are 

rising as well in the area. Local people of the 

area demands strict action against extortion 

and crimes and the people responsible 

for it. 

Indonesian 

island lifted 

10 inches by 

deadly quake 

Scientists say the powerful 

Indonesian earthquake that 

killed more than 300 people 

lifted the island it struck by as 

much as 25 centimeters (10 

inches). 

Using satellite images of 

Lombok from the days 

following the Aug. 5 quake, 

scientists from NASA and the 

California Institute of 

Technology's joint rapid 

imaging project made a 

ground deformation map 

and measured changes in the 

island's surface. In the 

northwest of the island near 

the epicenter, the rupturing 

faultline lifted the earth by a 

quarter of a meter. In other 

places it dropped by 5-15 

centimeters (2-6 inches). 

Some 270,000 people are 

homeless or displaced after 

the earthquake, which 

damaged and destroyed 

about 68,000 homes. 

NASA said satellite 

observations can help 

authorities respond to 

earthquakes and other 

natural or manmade 

disasters. 

Nearly a week since the 7.0 

quake, Lombok is still reeling 

but glimmers of normality 

are returning and devout 

villagers are making plans for 

temporary replacements of 

mosques that were flattened. 

In Tanjung, one of the 

worst affected districts in the 

hard-hit north of the island, a 

food market opened 

Saturday and locals bought 

vegetables and fish. Some 

shops also opened for 

business despite being in 

damaged buildings.

METRO 

SUNDAY, AUGUST 12, 2018 

3 

Initiative to promote low-cost 

sanitary napkin launched 

DGM Conference-2018 of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board (BREB) was held at its headquarter 

on Saturday. In that Conference, more than 3 hundred Deputy General Managers (DGM) of 

80 Rural Electricity Association and field level executive engineers were present. The chairman of 

BREB Maj Gen (retd) Moin Uddin gave direction to all DGMs against corruption being present as the 

chief guest. 

Photo: Courtesy 

Rangpur region suitable 

for enhancing Aus rice 

cultivation: DAE DG 

RANGPUR : Director General (DG) of the 

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) 

Agriculturist Mohammad Mohsin has said 

the Rangpur region is suitable for enhancing 

cultivation of eco-friendly and less irrigation 

water consuming Aus rice. 

"The farmers have exceeded the fixed Aus 

rice cultivation target by 28,000 hectares of 

land this season in the country. Of the total, 

the farmers managed to exceed the fixed 

Aus rice farming target by 15,000 hectares 

of land alone in Rangpur region," he said. 

The DAE chief disclosed the information 

while addressing a view-sharing meeting 

with the agriculture officers in the 

conference room of the DAE's Additional 

Director's office here on Friday as the chief 

guest, a press release said. 

The event was arranged as part of its DG's 

'Inspection of ongoing agricultural activities 

and taking necessary steps' programme in 

Rangpur agriculture region with its 

Regional Additional Director Md Shah 

Alam in the chair. 

Vice-principals of different Agriculture 

Training Institutes (ATI), Deputy Directors, 

District Training Officers, Additional 

Deputy Directors, Horticulture Specialists 

and Upazila Agriculture Officers of the DAE 

from all over Rangpur region were present. 

Vice-principal of Tazhat ATI Agriculturist 

Md Golam Mostafa, Deputy Director of 

Burirhat Horticulture Centre Agriculturist 

KM Moududul Islam, Deputy Director of 

Rangpur DAE Agriculturist Dr Md Sarwarul 

Haque and Mithapukur Upazila Agriculture 

Officer Agriculturist Md Khorshed Alam 

narrated the ongoing field level agricultural 

activities, issues, problems and necessary 

suggestions. 

Regional Farm Broadcasting Officer of the 

Agriculture Information Service 

Agriculturist Md Abu Sayem moderated the 

function. 

The DAE Chief said farmers exceeded the 

fixed Aus rice farming target in Rangpur 

region to achieve a bumper output following 

adoption of time-befitting technologies and 

distribution of incentives by the present 

pro-farmer government. 

"There are ample scopes to enhance Aus 

rice farming in Rangpur agriculture region," 

he said and suggested the field level 

agriculture officials for adopting plans to 

inspire the local farmers in enhancing 

cultivation of less irrigation water 

consuming Aus rice. 

He expressed satisfaction over adoption of 

the 'Logovo' method of transplantation of 

Aman rice seedling in rows by keeping a row 

blank after every ten rows in the fields. 

To reduce the risk of floods, he directed 

his field level officials to strengthen 

monitoring of the prepared late variety 

Aman rice seedbeds on highlands and 

floating seedbeds in low-lying flood-prone 

areas so that there was no seedling crisis for 

floods. 

Case filed over 

incident of hitting 

Home Minister's car 

DHAKA : A case has been 

filed in connection with the 

incident of hitting the Home 

Minister's car in front of 

National Institute of 

Cardiovascular Diseases 

(NICVD) Sher-e-Bangla 

Nagar area in the capital on 

Friday night, reports UNB. 

Traffic Inspector Ekhlasur 

Rahman filed the case 

against helper Manik and 

driver Ibrahim Khalil Emon 

with Sher-e Bangla Nagar 

Police Station around 

11:45pm, said sub-inspector 

Yadul, a duty officer at the 

police station. 

A bus of New Vision 

Paribahan hit Home 

Minister Asaduzzaman 

Khan's car in front of NICVD 

around 8:45pm when he was 

coming out of the institute 

after visiting a patient, said 

the SI. 

The minister was unhurt 

but the rear side of the 

vehicle got damaged. 

Police later detained the 

driver and helper of the bus. 

The incident took place at a 

time when the Traffic Week, 

an annual programme of the 

Dhaka Metropolitan Police 

aiming to raise awareness 

and bring discipline in road 

transport, is underway. It 

was inaugurated by the 

minister on August 4. 

Meanwhile, police have 

taken legal actions against 

113,423 vehicles, realised 

fines amounting to around 

Tk 3.77 crore and seized 

3,544 vehicles in separate 

drives against traffic rules 

violators across the country 

in three days since the 

Traffic Week began on 

Sunday. 

UGC chairman 

seeks locals' help 

to set up RMSTU's 

permanent 

campus 

RANGAMATI : Chairman of 

University Grants 

Commission (UGC), 

Bangladesh Prof. Abdul 

Mannan sought local 

people's help in establishing 

a permanent campus for 

Rangamati Science and 

Technology University 

(RMSTU), reports UNB. 

He came up with the urge 

while inaugurating a 

workshop after signing an 

agreement between UGC 

and RMSTU at a 

programme arranged at 

Rangamati Parjatan Holiday 

Complex. 

Mentioning that 64 acres 

land have been acquired for 

the project, he said the 

permanent campus will be 

built under a master plan of 

Tk 227crore this year. 

Already digital survey has 

been completed, said the 

UGC chairman. 

BSMMU cardiology 

dept's reunion on 

Sept 29 

DHAKA : Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujib Medical 

University (BSMMU) 

Alumni Association of 

Cardiology Department will 

hold a reunion at the 

BSMMU on September 29. 

BSMMU Vice Chancellor 

Professor Kanak Kanti 

Barua is expected to join the 

function as chief guest while 

Chairman of the Cardiology 

Department Professor Syed 

Ali Ahsan will preside the 

meeting. 

Cardiology Department 

Professor Dr Mustafa 

Zaman and Associate 

Professor Dr Jahanara Arzu 

are the conveners of the 

programme. 

Associate Professor Dr 

Jahanara Arzu said 

registration is going on to 

held the function. 

She urged the interested 

alumni to communicate 

with the Cardiology 

Department (Room 418) for 

registration. 

Writers-Students-Teachers-Cultural activists jointly formed a human chain in front of National 

Press Club yesterday demanding release of Shahidul Alam. 

Photo : TBT 

DHAKA : Speakers at a programme 

on Thursday urged for promoting 

affordable and sustainable sanitary 

napkin products for marginalized 

women to protect them from 

infectious diseases, reports UNB. 

The speakers came up with the urge 

while Ella, a non-profit organisation 

working for menstrual hygiene of 

female industry workers, launched a 

partnership with several others 

organisations at British Council 

Auditorium in the city. 

The partners include Beximco, 

Dulal Brothers Ltd, Persona, 

Momitex Expo Ltd and Support. 

According to the organizers, Ella 

Alliance is working for producing 

environment friendly sanitary 

napkins called Ella pads and other 

hygiene products from garment 

scraps fabrics those are left after 

producing tons of garments in the 

textile factories in Bangladesh. 

Ella alliance works with a view to 

ensure health and wellbeing of 

marginal women with a mission of 

zero waste from textile and to create 

new entrepreneurs, said the 

organizers. 

Mamunur Rahman, founder of Ella 

Pad said, in this project, garments 

scraps will be reused to make lowcost 

feminine hygiene product. 

Claiming sanitary napkin as a 

luxurious product for the garment 

workers because of being 

expensive for them, he said, 

Bangladesh is losing 

approximately 200 million 

workdays every year as the female 

workers are absent in heavy flow 

days losing their salaries as well. 

"Female workers of those textile 

garment factories make Ella for 

themselves so that they don't have to 

spend a lot on expensive branded 

sanitary pads and still can maintain 

hygiene during their menstruation" 

added the founder saying the target is 

also to create new entrepreneurs 

from the poor working women. 

Dr Nowsheen Sharmeen Purabi, a 

gynecologist said, due to lack of 

hygiene maintenance women of the 

country face different serious health 

issues. 

Due to the high cost of commercial 

sanitary napkins, the marginalized 

women cannot afford the hygiene 

which affects their health, she added. 

Low cost production of the pads 

using garment scraps would help 

these women to afford their hygiene 

maintenance, said the gynecologist. 

Mirza Nurul Ghani Shovon, 

President of National Association of 

Small and Cottage Industries of 

Bangldesh (NASCIB), said, if the 

underprivileged women and female 

RMG workers are given proper 

support they can emerge as new 

entrepreneurs producing these low 

cost hygiene products. 

Ahmed Abdul Kabir Chowdhury, 

CSR and Compliance Manager of 

Beximco, said, the Ella Pad comes in 

two sanitary product variants-regular 

biodegradable napkins and low-cost 

reusable underwear. 

If the factories allow the female 

workers to use the necessary facilities 

such as machinery, scraps, leftovers 

and space they can produce the 

products for using themselves and 

distribute the surplus to fellow 

workers, he said. 

He further added that most 

importantly, these female workers 

are getting these sanitary products 

free of cost. The whole process is 

managed by the female workers 

themselves. 

Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) formed a human chain in front of National Press Club 

yesterday demanding arrest of miscreants who attack on photo journalists recently. Photo : TBT 

'Terrorist' killed 

in Chattogram 

gunfight 

CHATTOGRAM : A 

suspected terrorist was killed 

in a 'gunfight' with police at 

Dudhkumra in Anwara 

upazila early Saturday, 

reports UNB. 

The deceased was 

identified as Mohammad 

Nasir alias Mamun, 35, son of 

Haju Kalamiah of Boalia and 

accused in 18 cases including 

murder and gang-rape. 

Dulal Mahmud, officer-incharge 

of Anwara Police 

Station, said police arrested 

Mamun on Friday 

afternoon.Later, a team of 

police conducted a drive in 

the area along with Mamun to 

recover arms.When the team 

reached the area around 1am, 

a gang of terrorists opened 

fire on them, prompting the 

law enforcers to fire back in 

self-defence, triggering the 

gunfight.Mamun received 

bullet while trying to flee and 

died on the spot. Police 

recovered one LG, several 

rounds of bullet from the 

spot.Two policemen were 

also injured. 

Pregnant woman's 

body recovered in 

Savar 

SAVAR : Police recovered the 

hanging body of a pregnant 

woman from Solai Market 

area in Bhakuta union here 

early Saturday, reports UNB. 

The deceased was identified 

as Ratna, 30, wife of Khairul 

Islam, a lineman of Palli 

Bidyut Samity. 

Locals said that family 

members found the body of 9- 

month pregnant Ratna 

hanging from a ceiling fan at 

her room and informed 

police.Later, police recovered 

the body and detained 

Khairul.Sujan Biswas, subinspector 

of Bhakurta Police 

Camp, said as autopsy would 

be done to determine whether 

the incident was murder or a 

suicide. 

Photojournalists are eyes 

of the society: Discussants 

RANGPUR : Discussants at a launching function 

yesterday termed the photojournalists as the eyes of the 

society while the other journalists as the conscience of 

the society. 

"The photojournalists take professional risks in 

bringing out all types of events happening in the society 

through their cameras to present the real situation 

before the whole nation," said Member of Bangladesh 

Cricket Board (BCB) Anwarul Islam. 

Anwarul, also Organising Secretary of district Awami 

League (AL), said this in the function arranged by 

Rangpur Photo Journalists' Association (RPJA) at its 

new office at City Park Market as the chief guest. 

Earlier, Anwarul formally inaugurated the new office of 

RPJA by cutting ribbon in the function. 

Later, special munajats were offered seeking eternal 

peace of the departed soul of the Architect of 

Independence and Father of the Nation Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and continuous success of 

RPJA. 

With RPJA President Aftabuzzaman Hiru in the chair, 

Office Secretary of district AL Tauhidur Rahman Tutul 

addressed the function as special guest. 

General Secretary of RPJA Shahidur Rahman Shahid 

delivered welcome speech in the function moderated by 

its Office Secretary Rezaul Karim Jiban. 

President of Mahiganj Press Club Bablu Nag, former 

General Secretary of RPJA Shakil Ahmed, its incumbent 

Vice-president Golzar Hossain Ador, journalists 

Humayun Kabir Manik, Uday Chandra Barman, among 

others, addressed. 

The chief guest called upon the photojournalists and 

other journalists to play their responsible role in 

accelerating national development through their 

professional activities by sincerely following the ethics of 

journalism in conducting responsibilities. 

Businessman 

stabbed dead 

in Jhenidah 

JHENIDAH : A businessman 

was stabbed to death allegedly 

by a medicine shop owner at his 

shop in the district town on 


The deceased was identified 

as Mizanur Rahman, son of late 

Monwar Hossain of Dhigol 

village in Shailakupa upazila. 

Quoting witnesses, Milu 

Miah Biswas, additional 

superintendent of Jhenidah 

police, said Mizan was talking 

to pharmacy owner Amirul 

Islam at his drugstore in front 

of Shishu Hospital around 

9pm.Hearing screams of Mizan 

at one stage, locals rushed in 

and found him dead in front of 

the medicine shop.Kanak 

Kumar Das, additional 

superintendent of Sadar circle 

police, said Mizan might have 

been killed over internal issues 

between the two. 

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EDITORIAL 

SUnDAY, 

AUgUST 12, 2018 

4 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam 

Telephone: +8802-9104683-84, Fax: 9127103 

e-mail: editor@thebangladeshtoday.com 

Sunday, August 12, 2018 

Accreting lands 

from the sea 

A 

present 

formidable problem for Bangladesh 

apparently is land shortage. But there is also 

good news. Although there has been a long 

standing projection about a part of Bangladesh's 

coastal areas sinking into the sea in the near future 

from the greenhouse syndrome, regularly received 

satellite imageries and other tangible supporting 

evidences suggest that Bangladesh is rather about to 

receive the gift of a huge land mass from its adjoining 

sea from gradual deposition of silt brought down by 

rivers. 

The size of this land mass, eventually, could be as 

big as the present size of Bangladesh or even bigger. 

But it will depend considerably on what the 

Bangladeshis themselves do-- like the people of 

Holland did --for lands to rise from the sea and for 

the same to be joined to the mainland. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 

(IPCC) is no doubt the most authoritative forum as 

regards worldwide climate change and its 

consequences. But some years ago, IPCC had to eat 

its own words and confess that some of its projections 

were flawed such as the imminent disappearance of 

the Himalayan glaciers that could most dramatically 

raise sea levels in the South Asian region. Scientific 

data also indicate that nothing can be absolutely said, 

yet, about the extent of sea level rise or the height of 

its occurrences in different parts of the world. 

Thus, it may eventually become quite possible for 

Bangladesh to gain in elevation or new lands in its 

coastal areas in the likelihood of deposition of silt in 

its coastal areas being faster or greater than the 

anticipated sea level rise in this region. 

Unfortunately, nothing has been noted so far in the 

country's annual development plans (ADPs) to the 

effect that successive governments have been paying 

attention to this issue. Hardly allocations have been 

made over the years to build dams and other 

structures to put a pace to the process of accretion of 

coastal lands. This attitude, undoubtedly, is a serious 

neglect of the vital national interest. 

Already, substantial territories have surfaced in the 

coastal areas of Bangladesh. Some of these places 

have completely surfaced and have human 

habitations on them while others remain submerged 

during tides to emerge with the ebbing of the tide. 

The latter types of accreted lands are likely to gain in 

elevation to be permanently joined to the mainland. 

Indeed, a part of present day Bangladesh including 

the districts of Faridpur, Barisal, Noakhali, 

Patuakhali, etc., were formed in this manner over 

time. 

The country is likely to get a generous response 

from the international community in matters of fund 

availability and technical supports if it can show that 

it is really keen to accrete more lands and has put the 

endeavour under a systematic policy framework. 

Holland is one country which has the most 

experience in getting lands out of the sea. 

Bangladesh may not have to embark on projects on 

the same scale as were carried out in Holland because 

of its relatively better elevation. It can use its huge 

reservoir of cheap manpower to build simpler 

projects to get the same kind of results as were 

achieved in Holland. But for this purpose it needs to 

engage in a time-bound and result oriented 

framework of assistance and consultation with that 

country. 

Even if Bangladesh ultimately requires 

sophisticated engineering works along its coasts like 

in Holland, it should engage in this task with no loss 

of time. Government in Bangladesh should go all out 

to get a major part of the international fund now 

under mobilization to help out the countries most 

likely to be affected by climate change. These funds 

ought not to be spent largely on attractive 

environmental projects such as planting trees along 

the coasts, dredging of rivers, etc., but on what would 

be the most effective long term defences against sea 

level rise like the sea-walls in Holland. 

Even if external aid is not forthcoming, the 

government can proceed with dams and other 

structures where these will yield almost immediate 

benefits in the form of lands rising from the sea on a 

sustainable basis. The taking up of such projects and 

their successful execution are quite possible for 

Bangladesh by mobilising its own resources and 

applying its own expertise. 

One may say that the cyclone hazards can be serious 

in the coastal areas. But these hazards are not as 

these used to be in the past. Few people have died 

from these cyclones in recent years and much less 

resources were destroyed from cyclones . The 

creation of a network of cyclone shelters and other 

forms of preparedness for disasters have led to such 

favourable developments. With the establishment of 

a greater number of cyclone shelters and extending 

the system of preparedness, there would be no 

reason for a far bigger number of people than at 

present not to be living and working safely in viable 

occupations in the coastal areas including the already 

accreted lands and the about to be accreted lands. 

Cooperation with Israel threatens Russia's Iran alliance 

Since russia has taken on a 

greater role in Middle Eastern 

affairs, Israeli officials have 

become frequent visitors to 

Moscow. The russian-Israeli 

relationship is different to the ties 

linking Israel to the US or Iran to 

russia. It is particularly unusual 

when considering the alliances in 

the region: Israel and Iran are 

sworn enemies, while the US and 

russia are key rivals in the region. 

The improved Israeli-russian 

ties of recent months pose a 

potential threat to the years-old 

russian-Iranian partnership. In 

Syria, both Moscow and Tehran 

are supporting Bashar Assad's 

regime at all costs, and it is no 

secret that without them Assad 

might well have been swept from 

office. However, the russian- 

Iranian relationship is no bed of 

roses. Both countries have 

different motivations in the Syrian 

war and divergent views on the 

country's future, and every step 

taken toward Syria's future being 

resolved sees russian and Iranian 

interests come closer to colliding. 

russia considers cooperation with 

Israel as serving its interests in 

Syria, while Tehran regards the 

increasing closeness between Tel 

Aviv and Moscow as a means of 

containing its influence in Syria 

and in the region. 

Needless to say, for russia, Israel 

is not regarded as an enemy state, 

which is how Iran perceives it. For 

now, Israeli-Iranian tension in the 

AFTEr being cast out of the White 

House and Breitbart News, 

Stephen K Bannon, often referred 

to as the mastermind of Donald Trump's 

US presidential campaign, has vowed to 

remake Europe. His organization, called 

"The Movement" and based in Brussels, 

aims to unite Europe's right-wing 

populists and take down the European 

Union in its current form. 

Bannon sees this effort as part of a 

"war" between populism and "the party 

of Davos," between the white, Christian, 

patriotic "real people" (in the words of 

his British supporter, Nigel Farage) and 

the cosmopolitan globalist elites. In the 

media, at least, Bannon is taken 

seriously. 

It would seem to be a tall order for this 

permanently disheveled American 

media blowhard and promoter of cranky 

ideas about cyclical cataclysms to change 

the history of Europe. Despite meeting 

such right-wing luminaries as Hungary's 

strongman viktor Orbán, Italy's Deputy 

Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, and Boris 

Johnson, the clownish former British 

foreign secretary, all of whom wish him 

well, Bannon has almost no experience 

in European politics. 

He stunned a sympathetic audience in 

Prague by ranting against "unfair 

competition" from foreign countries that 

use cheap labor. Much of the Czech 

republic's gross domestic product 

comes from exports, for just that reason. 

But the main problem facing Bannon's 

effort is that right-wing populist leaders 

are a disparate bunch. Bannon himself is 

region is an issue that the Kremlin 

is not taking very seriously. 

However, if tensions escalate and 

there is the threat of a military 

confrontation, then Moscow will 

have to pay attention. russia 

would not allow such a 

confrontation to take place; not 

out of any concern for its ally, but 

for its own strategic interests in 

Syria, which could be the first 

targets. For russia, the 

preservation of its naval base in 

Tartus and air base in Latakia are 

very important for its long-term 

Middle East plans. In contrast, 

Iran's strategies in Syria are based 

on a "zero-sum game" against 

Israel, and escalation of the 

conflict there would serve its 

interests. 

Time will tell how long the 

russian-Iranian partnership, 

which seems not to go beyond 

Syria, will last. 

Israel has mostly stayed out of 

the Syrian conflict, but it has 

a Catholic reactionary with fantasies, 

fueled by his love of Hollywood heroes, of 

being a warrior against the forces of evil. 

Orbán is an autocrat who exploits 

popular disillusion with postcommunism 

by blaming immigrants 

and the EU, even though the Hungarian 

economy depends on the single market 

and subsidies from Brussels. 

Northern European demagogues, such 

as Geert Wilders, see Islam as the main 

threat to Western civilization, but defend 

such causes as gay rights (because 

Muslims supposedly hate them). In 

Britain, Johnson stands for, well, 

Johnson, but his fellow Brexiteers are 

less interested in the Islamic threat than 

in a grandiose version of English 

nationalism. France's National Front, 

now called the National rally, is a Le Pen 

family enterprise trying hard to 

dissociate itself from its anti-Semitic, 

vichyite roots. 

SInEM CEngIz 

ADRIAn LOBE 

carried out a shadow war against 

Iran, and russia seems to turn a 

blind eye to the Israeli moves that 

harm its ally in Tehran. Moscow 

prefers to adopt a passive stance in 

the face of Israel's air campaign 

against pro-Iranian forces in Syria, 

despite the fact that it has 

powerful radar and surface-to-air 

missiles that could easily 

intervene. Moreover, russia is still 

trying to preserve the agreement 

designed to stabilize the situation 

at the border between Israel and 

Syria, which involved pro-Iranian 

forces pulling back from the area. 

Also, in order to avoid a direct 

confrontation between Iran and 

Israel, russia has moved to deploy 

its troops on the occupied Golan 

Heights frontier, while it also 

plans to set up observation points 

in that area. 

For now, russia's approach to 

Israel is more favorable than Iran 

because its stakes with Tel Aviv are 

higher than with Tehran. russia 

As was true of European fascism in the 

1920s and 1930s, it is not easy to find much 

ideological coherence in these various 

political strands, let alone in Bannon's 

Movement. What they all have in common, 

however, is reliance on animus. 

As was true of European fascism in the 

1920s and 1930s, it is not easy to find 

much ideological coherence in these 

various political strands, let alone in 

Bannon's Movement. What they all have 

in common, however, is reliance on 

animus, sometimes directed at Muslims, 

sometimes at any kind of immigrants, 

very often against the EU, and always 

against the liberal elites - whom British 

Prime Minister Theresa May described 

as "citizens of nowhere." 

There is something conspiratorial 

about this animus, a notion that the 

common man is at the mercy of a 

shadowy network of string-pullers that 

rules the world. In the days when Josef 

wants better control over Syria 

and is aware this cannot happen 

without coordination with Israel. 

It is also in search of new trading 

partners in the region and Israel 

appears to be a possibility. russia 

could increase its influence in the 

region as a whole not by 

confronting a US ally, but by 

joining with it. Moscow is quite 

aware that any possible 

confrontation in the region may 

bring the Americans back in a 

bigger way, so it tries to avoid this 

by containing both Iran and Israel. 

On the other side, Israel wants to 

protect its security interests and 

create a channel through which to 

talk to Moscow and convey its 

concerns regarding Iran. With all 

of these mutual interests, Iran, 

despite sharing a significant 

partnership with russia, is aware 

that it cannot count on Moscow's 

support in its plans for Syria or 

Israel. 

Given the current uncertainty in 

the region, it is likely that Israelirussian 

coordination will 

continue and may even increase, 

at the expense of Iranian concerns. 

This will make it even harder for 

russia to walk the thin line 

between the two rivals and the 

balancing act it is carrying out may 

collapse. Time will tell how long 

the russian-Iranian partnership, 

which seems not to go beyond 

Syria, will last. 

Source : Arab news 

Steve Bannon's European adventure 

IAn BURUMA 

Stalin identified enemies of the people as 

"rootless cosmopolitans" (meaning 

Jews), the headquarters of this 

omnipotent global network was thought 

to be New york, with branch offices in 

London and Paris. Now it is located in 

Brussels. 

Immigrants, particularly from Muslim 

countries, bear the brunt of populist 

propaganda. Bannon wrote the first draft 

of Trump's so-called Muslim ban, 

barring immigrants from several 

predominantly Muslim countries. Orbán 

has fortified his borders to protect 

"Christian civilization." Salvini wants to 

deport all illegal migrants from Italy. The 

Brexit campaign, led by Johnson, 

warned British voters that their country 

would soon be "swamped" by Turkish 

immigrants, even though Turkey is 

nowhere close to joining the EU. 

But however unpleasant antiimmigrant 

rhetoric and policies may be, 

the main target of the populists' ire 

remains the sinister globalist elite, 

represented by George Soros and other 

liberals whom they accuse of promoting 

human rights, compassion for refugees, 

and religious tolerance to further their 

own interests. They are the ones who 

are supposedly swamping Christian 

lands with aliens. They are stabbing 

Western civilization in the back. 

Bannon has actually expressed 

admiration for Soros, even though he 

sees him as a kind of Satan. He wants to 

be the Soros of the right. 

Source : Asia times 

Welcome to the metadata society - and beware 

EvEry day, Google processes 3.5 

billion search queries. Users google 

everything: resumes, diseases, 

sexual preferences, criminal plans. And in 

doing so, they reveal a lot about 

themselves; more so, probably, than they 

would like. 

From the aggregated data, conclusions 

can be drawn in real time about the 

emotional balance of society. What's the 

general mood like? How's the buying 

mood? Which product is in demand in 

which region at this second? Where is 

credit often sought? Search queries are an 

economic indicator. Little wonder, then, 

that central banks have been relying on 

Google data to feed their macroeconomic 

models and thus predict consumer 

behaviour. 

The search engine is not only a 

seismograph that records the twitches and 

movements of the digital society, but also a 

tool that generates preferences. And if you 

change your route based on a Google Maps 

traffic jam forecast, for example, you change 

not only your own behaviour, but also that of 

other road users by changing the parameters 

of the simulation with your own data. 

Using the accelerometers built into 

smartphones, Google can tell if someone 

is cycling, driving or walking. If you click 

on the algorithmically generated search 

prediction Google proposes when you 

type "Merkel", for instance, the 

probability increases that the 

autocomplete mechanism will also 

display this for other users. The 

Israel has mostly stayed out of the Syrian conflict, but 

it has carried out a shadow war against Iran, and 

Russia seems to turn a blind eye to the Israeli moves 

that harm its ally in Tehran. Moscow prefers to adopt 

a passive stance in the face of Israel's air campaign 

against pro-Iranian forces in Syria, despite the fact 

that it has powerful radar and surface-to-air 

missiles that could easily intervene. 

Immigrants, particularly from Muslim countries, bear the 

brunt of populist propaganda. Bannon wrote the first draft of 

Trump's so-called Muslim ban, barring immigrants from 

several predominantly Muslim countries. Orbán has fortified 

his borders to protect "Christian civilization." Salvini wants to 

deport all illegal migrants from Italy. The Brexit campaign, led 

by Johnson, warned British voters that their country would 

soon be "swamped" by Turkish immigrants, even though 

Turkey is nowhere close to joining the EU. 

mathematical models produce a new 

reality. The behaviour of millions of users 

is conditioned in a continuous feedback 

loop. Continuous, and controlled. 

The Italian philosopher and media 

theorist, Matteo Pasquinelli, who teaches 

at the Karlsruhe University of Arts and 

Design, has put forward the hypothesis 

that this explosion of data exploitation 

makes a new form of control possible: A 

"metadata society". With metadata, new 

forms of biopolitical control could be used 

to establish mass and behavioural control, 

such as online activities in social media 

channels or passenger flows in public 

transport. 

"Data," Pasquinelli writes, "are not 

numbers, but diagrams of surfaces, new 

landscapes of knowledge that inaugurated a 

vertiginous perspective over the world and 

society as a whole: The eye of the algorithm, 

or algorithmic vision." 

The accumulation of figures and 

numbers through the information society 

has reached a point where they become a 

space and create a new topology. The 

metadata society can be understood as an 

extension of the cybernetic control 

society, writes Pasquinelli: "Today it is no 

longer a matter of determining the 

position of an individual (the data), but of 

recognising the general trend of the mass 

(the metadata)." 

The Italian philosopher and media theorist, Matteo 

Pasquinelli, who teaches at the Karlsruhe University of 

Arts and Design, has put forward the hypothesis that this 

explosion of data exploitation makes a new form of control 

possible: A "metadata society". With metadata, new forms 

of biopolitical control could be used to establish mass and 

behavioural control, such as online activities in social 

media channels or passenger flows in public transport. 

Pasquinelli doesn't see a problem in the 

fact that individuals are under tight 

surveillance (as they were in Germany 

under the Stasi), but rather in the fact that 

they are measured and that society as a 

whole becomes calculable, predictable 

and controllable. As an example, he cites 

America's National Security Agency's 

(NSA) mass surveillance program 

SKyNET, in which terrorists were 

identified using mobile phone data in the 

border region between Afghanistan and 

Pakistan. The program analysed and put 

together the daily routines of 55 million 

mobile phone users like pieces of a giant 

jigsaw puzzle: Who travels with whom? 

Who shares contacts? Who's staying over 

at his friend's house for the night? A 

classification algorithm analysed the 

metadata and calculated a terror score for 

each user. 

"We kill people based on metadata," 

former NSA and CIA chief Michael 

Hayden boasted. 

The cold-blooded contempt for 

humanity expressed in this sentence 

makes one shiver. The military target is 

no longer a human person, but only the 

sum of its metadata. The "algorithmic 

eye" doesn't see a terrorist, just a 

suspicious connection in the haze of data 

clouds. As a brutal consequence, this 

means that whoever produces suspicious 

links or patterns is liquidated. 

Thousands of people were killed in 

drone attacks ordered on the basis of 

SKyNET's findings. It is unclear how 

many innocent civilians were killed in the 

process. The methodology is controversial 

because the machine's learning algorithm 

only learnt from already identified 

terrorists and blindly reproduced these 

results. What this means is that whoever 

had the same trajectories - that is, 

metadata - as a terrorist, was suddenly 

considered one himself. The question is 

how sharp the algorithmic vision is set.a's 

chemical weapons use. 

Source : Gulf News

SCIENCE & TECH 


5 

What's new in 

Android 9 Pie 

Most of the time we spend on our phones is used for chatting - via myriad new ways of communicating. Photo: Nicolas Asfouri 

Have smartphones killed 

the art of conversation? 

Nosheen Iqbal 

News of the un-newsy kind this week, fresh 

from an Ofcom study designed to confirm a 

belief in our worst selves: we are a nation 

addicted to smartphones but are repelled by the 

idea of making or taking voice calls. 

Is this the death of conversation? Not quite, 

but it's certainly more than a blip in the cultural 

history of communication: in 2017, for the first 

time, the number of voice calls - remember, 

those things you did with your actual voice on 

your actual phone - fell in the UK. Meanwhile, 

internet addiction keeps growing, presumably 

because we haven't quite worked out what to do 

with all those hours we're saving on talking. 

More than three-quarters (78%) of British 

adults own a smartphone, and we check them 

on average every 12 minutes. That adds up to 

24 hours a week online via our phones - much 

of that time swallowed up by modern-style chat 

on WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger, with 

some left over for texting. It has taken a toll on 

talking, sure, but few smartphone users might 

claim to feel less connected as a result. 

Conversation is delightful, but unsaid rules 

for how and when it happens have been 

established collectively over the past decade or 

so. No one - except your mum or someone 

asking about an accident you were never in - 

just calls these days. Some people will text to 

warn of a call; others will hold a conversation 

by swapping voice notes back and forth. 

Many of us can agree that voicemail, as a 

concept, is dead: anyone listening to or leaving 

one has arguably too much time and too little 

regard for the recipient. Who likes listening to 

voicemails? The menu, the navigation, the 

unnecessary news that an energy service 

provider has been in touch to offer you a 

different electricity package. 

I hover near a generation in which long and 

pointless phone calls to the friends you'd spent 

all day with was an essential post-school 

afternoon ritual. Every minute was itemised, 

every telling-off for the small fortune this was 

costing, accounted for on the quarterly bill. 

Later, in my first taste of work as an intern at 

this paper, I was able to learn how journalists 

did their jobs because they were talking on the 

phone and to each other all day. Five years 

later, I was working at a start-up where real talk 

was at a minimum: conversations had migrated 

to the late, great MSN Messenger. Typing your 

talk officially took over. 

Now, the idea of ringing someone for "a chat" 

has a quaint, retro quality. I can, and will, talk 

you under the table, but phone calls are a 

luxury usually reserved for about five people: 

my mum, my sister, two best friends and my 

editor, obviously. Even then, I'm rubbish at 

picking up. 

Much is made about smartphones leading to 

dumber conversation - amid claims that the art 

of chatter has been lost. Arguably, however, 

conversation has simply been rebooted and 

reconfigured. Take the myriad ways in which 

we can and do communicate now. It's a given 

that I will spend an embarrassing portion of my 

day glued to a screen (it's work!) and much of 

that will be chatting (again, it's work!). 

Unlike most people I know, I don't use 

WhatsApp for one-on-one conversations but I 

think it's the best way to conduct group chats: 

the family thread, your best friends, the meme 

crew, and the splinter cells set up around 

someone's birthday drinks. It's here that 

modern comms can be richer, and smooth out 

awkward conversational lags and silences: the 

speed of a group chat, the ability to send 

pictures, links, songs, videos and emojis - 

emojis! - shouldn't be sniffed at. 

My parents aren't texters and my cousins in 

Pakistan prefer to write in phonetic Urdu; I 

maintain that the emoji is the most universal 

and democratic form of communication. No, a 

winky smiley face love heart kiss unicorn fish 

can't replace a meaningful conversation with 

my dad about my bathroom pipes, but a bit of 

daily WhatsApp contact - a Good Morning! 

meme from him, 43 emojis from my niece - 

keeps us connected when time and life don't 

allow for a Big Catchup Call. 

There's more: texting, for proper, considered, 

well-punctuated missives; iMessage for barely 

legible babble on my iPhone; GChat on Gmail 

for day-long office inanity; Facebook for 

lurking on other people's conversations; 

Twitter for lurking on other people's opinions, 

and Snapchat for pretending I'm in a 

demographic attractive to advertisers. 

Talk isn't dead. It's just presented in ways 

that are to the point, quicker and easier to 

articulate. What we lose in tone we make up for 

in emoji. 

Technology Desk 

Google's next version of Android finally 

has a name: "Pie". It's rolling out right now 

and is packed with new features, from 

extended battery life to new gesture 

navigation. Pie marks one of the biggest 

changes in the way Android looks and feels 

in some years, with a more colourful 

interface, a collection of new movement 

animations and rounded edges on almost 

everything. Thankfully, it's still as fast as 

Android Oreo, at least on Google's Pixel 

smartphones. 

Right now, if you have one of the recent 

Google Pixel smartphones or the Essential 

Phone via an over-the-air update. Either 

wait for the notification to update or head 

to Settings > System > Advanced > System 

update and hit the "Check for update" 

button. 

Others will have to wait for their 

smartphone manufacturer to deliver the 

update. Those with phones such as the 

OnePlus 6 that were included in the 

Android P beta programme over the last 

couple of months will probably see the 

update soon. Those with Samsung, 

Huawei or other mainstream 

manufacturer devices may have to wait 

some time to see the update on their 

phones. 

Android 9 Pie is a free update for eligible 

devices - if you are ever asked to pay for 

Android updates, someone is trying to con 

you. 

Google has introduced the biggest 

change to the way you get around in 

Android since the traditional three buttons 

of home, back and overview (recently used 

apps). 

The new gesture navigation button 

occupies the same space as the traditional 

on-screen buttons, but the home button is 

now a pill-shape and it moves. 

Tap it to go home, flick it up to see 

recently used apps, swipe upwards twice or 

pull it up further to get to the app drawer, 

or hold it down to activate Google 

Assistant. Youcan also drag it to the right to 

switch to the last app (similar to the double 

tap of the overview button) or drag and 

hold to cycle through recently used apps. 

The back button still appears when 

needed, but the overview button has gone. 

The gestures are not activated by default 

for now, which means to try them out head 

to Settings > System > Gestures and toggle 

the "Swipe up on Home button" option. 

It's a small change, but arguably the 

most useful. Now when you have rotation 

lock turned on to stop the screen rotating 

orientation accidentally, and you turn on 

your phone intentionally, a little button 

appears in the navigation bar. 

Tap the button to rotate the screen from 

portrait to landscape or vice versa - perfect 

for those few times that you actually want 

the screen to rotate but not, say, when 

you're lying down in bed. 

Android 9 Pie has moved the time from 

the top right of the status bar to the top left. 

It may not seem the most dramatic of 

changes, but it makes room for screen 

cutouts called "notches", as found on the 

OnePlus 6 and Huawei P20 Pro, among 

others. 

Google has decreed that only two 

notches may be used on one screen for it to 

be able to run its version of Android, so at 

least you won't have to deal with one in 

each side of the screen. 

Short of navigation gestures, Adaptive 

Battery is the biggest improvement to 

Android. Using systems developed by 

Alphabet's AI-outfit DeepMind, Adaptive 

Smartphone users will want a piece of the Android 9 Pie - what 

should they expect? 

Photo: Google 

Battery learns an individual's usage 

patterns and directs the power to only the 

apps you need at the time you need them 

for more predictable day-to-day battery 

life. So far users of the Android P beta 

programme on Google Pixels have found 

an increase in battery life in the region of 

20%, which bodes well for longer-lasting 

Android smartphones. 

AI has also been integrated into Android 

Pie's brightness control, so it will now learn 

from your manual adjustments - 

something you could be forgiven for 

thinking already happened. 

What 

happens 

when 

Airbnb 

goes 

wrong? 

Patrick Collinson 

When Damian White and family finally 

arrived at the three-bed villa in 

Portimão, Portugal, they booked 

through Airbnb - after spending hours 

searching for it with incomplete address 

details - they didn't realise this was just 

the start of their holiday from hell. 

At the villa, no one was there to 

welcome them or give them the keys. 

The property was locked up and 

unattended. Calls to the owners went 

unanswered, and they could not get 

through to Airbnb. Unable to find 

anywhere else to stay and with the night 

closing in, the White family were forced 

to spend the first night of their holiday 

trying to catch a few hours sleep in their 

small hire car. 

"We had no reply from the host or 

Airbnb to repeated phone calls, so we 

slept in the car until we found 

emergency accommodation," says 

White. "Due to the late notice and the 

need to rent a new three bed villa the cost 

to us far exceeded the original cost." 

The only villa they were able to find at 

short notice was available for just one 

night - at a cost of €395- and then they 

had to move and unpack again 24 hours 

later. After that, they were able to find a 

A reader discovers that he and his family are locked out of a villa 

they booked on Airbnb. 

Photo: Clare Stephenson 

villa for the rest of their holiday, but in 

total they were £1,700 out of pocket. 

Eventually, Damian was able to get 

through to Airbnb. It apologised, and 

said the behaviour of the missing host 

was unacceptable. It offered to refund 

the original £514.93 the family had paid 

for the villa and gave them a $50 coupon 

to be used against a future Airbnb 

booking. But that was it - there was no 

offer to refund the huge extra expense 

they had suffered. 

Damian was furious. Their holiday 

had been ruined, they had to pay out 

huge amounts for a new villa, and been 

forced to sleep in a car. It didn't help that 

Airbnb's customer service response was 

gushingly inappropriate. "I hope you're 

having a wonderful afternoon so far," 

Airbnb said in an email to Damian as he 

was in the midst of sorting out the 

disaster. "Thank you so much for being 

an Awesome Airbnb User Damian and 

have a great day!" it added. 

While still abroad, Damian decided to 

show how awesome he was by 

demanding that Airbnb pay up for the 

holiday. He emailed Airbnb: "I'm very 

disappointed no one has contacted me in 

three days and left us to fend for 

ourselves. You have a responsibility 

towards your customers which you have 

not shown to us. I shall be opening a case 

on our return and writing to as many 

consumer champions as I can so that 

this incident and your lack of any kind of 

help receives a larger audience." 

Damian carried out his threat, issuing 

proceedings in the small claims court as 

soon as he returned - notwithstanding 

what he says was Airbnb's initial refusal 

to give him an address for a summons 

"due to security". Damian estimated his 

loss to be a total of £1,464, taking into 

account the refund of the £514 and 

including £70 for the court fees. The 

legal threat worked miraculously well. 

Damian issued the summons on 17 July, 

and just four days later Airbnb agreed to 

pay out his full claim. 

"We note that in your case, you have 

been refunded the full value of the 

reservation, £514.93 We do 

acknowledge that the level of service 

provided by Airbnb customer service fell 

short of our standards and your 

expectations. In the interests of bringing 

this matter to a close swiftly, Airbnb is 

prepared as a gesture of goodwill, and 

without any admission of liability, to 

offer you a goodwill payment of 

£1,464.91, the full value of the claim, 

including the cost involved in filing this 

county court claim." 

How often do you pick up your phone? 

Samuel Gibbs 

How many times do you pick up and 

interact with your phone in a week? 

More than 500 times? How about the 

sheer number of notifications you 

get? It might number in the 

thousands. With all the talk of 

smartphone addiction, I was curious 

to find out just how often I actually 

use my phone and why, so I took 

Apple's new Screen Time phonetracking 

tools for a spin, installing the 

latest iOS 12 beta. What I discovered 

is that I pick up my phone every seven 

minutes during the day - far more 

than I imagined, and not just at the 

prompt of a notification. 

I'll admit to suffering from phantom 

notifications, the feeling that your 

phone has just buzzed even through it 

hasn't. Now I have the data to prove it. 

While I picked up the phone more than 

1,000 times in the week, close to 150 

times a day, I actually only received 

around 700 notifications in a week. 

That means I pick up and actually 

interact with my phone, not just look at 

the time, around 50 times a day 

without prompting. 

Obviously some of that is looking 

things up or proactively sending 

messages and emails. But the rest I put 

down to that nervous twitch to check 

my phone. 

Screen Time revealed something 

surprising in the apps I use too. During 

the week Safari was my go-to app more 

than anything else, spending almost 

three hours browsing the web. That 

was a full hour longer than I spent in 

Netflix, and twice as long as I spent in 

Mail, even thought it feels like all I do 

these days is answer emails with close 

to 300 notifications a week. 

Having dumped Twitter in April 

2017, and turned everything off on 

Facebook, social media doesn't figure 

much in my usage. The messaging app 

Signal comes in with only an hour's 

worth of usage, despite getting close to 

200 notifications from it - the second 

most demanding of my attention this 

week. 

The number of apps I spent 45 

minutes or less with are numerous, and 

include Reeder, the Google app, 

Facebook and Pocket, which explains 

why my "read it later" list just keeps on 

growing - 45 minutes just isn't enough 

to get through all those long reads. 

Curiously I use my phone more 

frequently on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

Why that is, I haven't been able to work 

out, but the rest of my usage - even at 

weekends - is consistent with a 

minimum of three hours spent staring 

at the little screen a day. 

It turns out my weekdays are also 

fairly consistent too, with a burst of 45 

minutes spent jabbing at the screen 

between 8-9am, and another 35 

minutes between 5-6pm. I can also see 

that Facebook is almost exclusively 

used only on a Saturday, the Amazon 

app primarily only on a Sunday, and 

Mail peaks on a Wednesday. 

All these patterns and more are plain 

to see when you have the data on hand, 

which is precisely what Apple's Screen 

Time and Google's upcoming 

Dashboard aim to do. While I wouldn't 

say I'm addicted to my phone (although 

maybe I'm just in denial), I certainly 

pick it up more than I thought I would. 

Perhaps it's time to put the phone down 

and ignore the vibrations, real or not. 

Which 

app do 

you 

thing 

occupy 

most of 

your 

time. 

Photo: 

Samuel 

Gibbs

NATIONAL 


6 

Gaibandha district police hands over a box of bi-cycle being to Trisha's father and sister at 

Gaibandha SP's office recently. 

Photo: Rafiqul Islam 

Gaibandha SP provides sympathy 

gift to late Trisha’s family 

Five including two 

cops held with 

Yaba in Khulna 

TITASH CHAkRAboRTy, kHulnA CoRRESPonDEnT: 

Five people including Armed Police battalion (APbn) 

assistant sub-inspector Abdullah Al Mamum, Criminal 

Investigation Department constable Sohanur Rahman and 

three officials of Sonali Jute Mills ltd were arrested along 

with 1,050 yaba tablets and six bottles of Phensidyl syrup in 

khulna on Saturday. 

officer-in-charge of khalispur Police Station Mosharraf 

Hossain said they arrested Mamun and Mehbub bin Aftab 

from Aijar Mor around 12:45 pm along with 1,000 yaba pills. 

After interrogation, constable SM Sohanur Rahman, his 

associate nahid Sheikh and Sohel beg, working in bagerhat 

CID were arrested from Jogipol area of khanjahan Ali Police 

Station along with 50 yaba pills and six bottles of Phensidyl. 

A case has been filed in the incident 

on the other hand, on Saturday night, cops on secret 

information raided Rakibuddin biswas's house who is the 

younger brother og chairman of the upazila Sharfuddin 

biswas and arrested Rakibuddin biswas's wife Shahina 

Parvin was arrested with 15 pieces of yaba and 20 kg of 

hemps. Rakibuddin biswas and his associate bulbul Molla 

fled the scene after sensing presence of the police. 

later, after raiding bulbul's house, a foreign pistol, 3 

rounds of bullets, one magazine, four patrols of Ramabaha 

and 20 pieces of yaba were recovered. 

Art competition marking 

National Mourning Day 

held in Habiganj 

MD MAMun CHoWDHuRy, 

HAbIgAnJ CoRRESPonDEnT: 

An art competition was 

held at Habiganj lgED 

office conference room as 

part of the 43rd martyrdom 

anniversary 

of 

bangabandhu Sheikh 

Mujibur Rahman and 

national Mourning Day on 

Wednesday. The 

competition was organised 

by Habiganj lgED. 

Executive Engineer of 

Habiganj lgED, Sheikh 

Md. Abu Zakir Sekander 

was present as the chief 

guest at the occasion while 

Senior Assistant Engineer 

biplob Pal, nabiganj 

upazila Engineer 

Mohammad Shafiqul Islam 

and Habiganj Sadar upazila 

Engineer obaidul bashar 

were present as special 

guests. 

Among others, Jishu Roy 

and Mozammel Haque of 

Shilpakala Academy, 

Deputy Assistant Engineer 

of lgED Habiganj, Dilip 

kumar Das, Accountant 

Mohammad Jamal uddin, 

Md. Mujibur Rahman, Abul 

bashar, Mofazzal Hossain 

Molla, kutub uddin, 

upazila engineers of 

Habiganj Sadar, other 

officials, employees, guests, 

journalists were also present 

at the occasion. There were 

about 24 participants in the 

competition. later, prizes 

were distributed among 

them. 

RAFIqul ISlAM, gAIbAnDHA CoRRESPonDEnT: 

gaibnadha district police with the 

initiative of Superintendent of Police 

(SP) Engineer Abul Mannan stood 

beside the family members of Trisha, 

who drowned in a pond of the town on 

July 17, 2002 after being chased by 

three perverted youths, with sympathy 

and love. 

A discussion meeting 

commemorating Sadia Sultana Trisha 

was also held at the conference room of 

Superintendent of Police (SP) recently. 

SP Engineer Abul Mannan addressed 

the meeting as chief guest while ASP 

Abdullah Al Faruk presided over the 

meeting. 

SP Abdul Mannan remembered 

Trisha and expressed his deep and 

profound shock at her murder and 

conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved 

family members of Trisha. 

The SP also prayed to the Almighty 

Allah for eternal peace of her departed 

soul. 

later, a box of bi-cycle was handed 

over to the parents of Trisha as gift for 

her younger sister Al Sabil Trina. 

Police officials, including officer-in- 

Charge (oC) of Sadar Police Station 

khan M. Shahriar, oC of Detective 

branch of Police Mehedi Hasan, 

Trisha's father Abdus Sattar, her 

relatives, and journalists were also 

present in the function. 

It may be mentioned here that Trisha 

was a student of class four of 

Maddhyapara government Primary 

School in the district town. 

on the day of the incident, three 

perverted youths- Mehedi Hasan 

Modern, Md Shahin, and Ariful Islam 

Asa intercepted Trisha on the road. In 

fear, Trisha ran and at one stage, she 

jumped into a pond at khanpara to 

save herself. The youths did nothing to 

save her rather they were laughing and 

enjoying her drowning scene in the 

pond. The locals said the youths left the 

place after her death in the pond was 

confirmed. 

After the incident, thousands of 

protesters took to the roads wearing 

black-badges, forming human chain, 

shouting slogans and calling hartal 

demanding exemplary punishment to 

those who were responsible for the 

death of Trisha. 

People of all strata of the society 

expressed their spontaneous support to 

the demonstration programmes for 

Trisha and demanded speedy trial of 

the case after proper investigation 

later, the police submitted charge 

sheet against the arrested youths to the 

tribunal court here without delay. 

Then, the district and sessions judge 

here handed down death sentences to 

Modern, Shahin and Asha in 

connection with the murder of Trisha 

on September 2002. 

later, an appeal was filed with the 

High Court (HC) against the judgment 

passed by the district and sessions 

judge. 

The HC on May 19, 2004 confirmed 

their death sentence awarded by the 

gaibandha Court. 

Then, an appeal was also lodged with 

the Appellate Division of the Supreme 

Court (SC) challenging the HC verdict. 

In course of time, the SC commuted 

the death sentences of three young men 

to 14 years of rigorous punishment in 

the Trisha murder case in gaibandha. 

A seven-member full bench of the 

Appellate Division of SC headed by 

Chief Justice Md Mozammel Hossain 

delivered the verdict. 

Sheikh Md. Abu Zakir Sekander, Executive Engineer, Habiganj LGED distributed prizes among 

the winners of art competition on Wednesday marking the National Mourning Day. 

Photo: Mamun Chowdhury 

Tanvir Eimam MP of Sirajganj-4 (Ullapara) constituency distributed allowance books for elderly-widows, 

husband abandonment, helpless female's, extreme handicapped and maternity wages under the social safety 

net programs recently. 

Photo: Badrul Alam Dulal 

A grand rally was brought out in observance the International Day of the World's Indigenous 

Peoples in Magura on Saturday. 

Photo: Rokibul Hoque 

International Day of 

the World's 

Indigenous Peoples 

observed in Magura 

Rokibul Hoque, Magura 

Correspondent: The 

International Day of the 

World's Indigenous Peoples 

was observed in Magura 

recently. 

Magura Indigenous 

communities' coordination 

society took different 

programs on Saturday to 

observe the day. They 

arranged a discussion 

meeting at Magura 

Asaduzzaman auditorium. 

Saifuzzaman Shikhor APS 

to Prime Minister was the 

chief guest in the meeting 

with Dilip Sarkar , president 

of the organization in the 

chair. 

Earlier a grand rally 

paraded the main streets of 

the town. 

Diploma Fisheries Association 

holds emergency meeting 

An emergency meeting of the central 

executive council of the bangladesh Diploma 

Fisheries Association was held recently to 

implement diploma scale and demand 100% 

promotion and to make the national 

mourning day a success. The meeting was 

held at the Deputy Director of Motsho 

bhaban's office in uttara, reports a press 

release. 

The meeting was chaired by the President of 

the Association Abdul Mannan while the 

President of bangladesh Diploma Veterinary 

Association and central convener of Dipoma 

and Professional Council, Jasim uddin was 

present as the chief guest at the meeting. 

Among others, general Secretary of the 

Association Abu Raihan Mukul, Rajshahi 

Division Adviser yasin Ali, barisal Division 

Adviser bikash Chandra, Vice President 

nizam uddin, golap Hossain, Jamal Hossain 

Munshi and nurunnabi, Joint general 

Secretary Ashikur Rahman, Publicity 

Secretary Ashrafur Rahman, Member 

Mahbubur Rahman and Saiful Islam were 

also present at the occasion. 

At the meeting it was decided to strengthen 

the movement for the implementation of 

diploma scale and 100 percent promotion of 

long-term fair demand of field assistants in 

Fisheries Department and various programs 

were chalked out to observe the national 

mourning day. In addition, hanging of banner of 

mourning day with organization name in every 

divisional office was also decided at the meeting. 

on the other hand, members of the central 

executive council led by newly elected 

Diploma Fisheries Association president 

Abdul Mannan and general secretary Abu 

Raihan discussed their demands with of the 

Director general in Motsho bhaban, Ramna. 

The Director general listened to their 

demands attentively and promised to take 

necessary steps to implementing the 

demands. 

24 held in Dinajpur special drives 

DInAJPuR: law enforcers, in special 

drives arrested 24 persons including 12 

drug traders from different areas of the 

district in 12-hour ending at 8am last 

morning, reports bSS. 

law enforcers also seized 410 liters of 

locally-made liquor and 137 bottles of 

Phensidyl during the drives. 

Police said they were picked up from 

different areas of the district on different 

charges. 

During the drives, Dinajpur Sadar 

police arrested five drug traders with 410 

liters of locally-made liquor, ghoraghat 

Thana police arrested two persons, 

birampur Thana police arrested two 

persons, kaharole Thana police arrested 

two persons, Chirirbandar Thana police 

arrested three persons, khansama Thana 

police arrested two persons, birganj 

Thana police arrested four drug traders 

and nawabganj Thana police arrested 

one person. 

Several cases, including charges of 

subversive activities, are pending with 

different police stations against the 

arrested persons, the sources added. 

Meanwhile, members of border guard 

bangladesh (bgb) in a drive detained 

three drug traders with 137 bottles of 

Phensidyl around 6am from Hili Railway 

Station in Hakimpur upazila of the 

district. 

Various students of the educational institutes of Nakla Municipality of Sherpur on Saturday 

organized a procession offering a joyous welcome to the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after 

accepting the 9-point demand for safe roads. 

Photo: Shahajada Swapan

INTERNATIONAL SUNdAY, 

3 

AUGUST 12, 2018 

Greek health officials say the death toll from the July 23 fire at the seaside resort of Mati, near 

Athens, has risen to 94 after a 57-year-old woman in intensive care died of her injuries. 

Photo: Internet 

Toll from Greek seaside resort 

wildfire rises to 94 

Greek health officials say the death toll from the July 23 fire 

at the seaside resort of Mati, near Athens, has risen to 94 

after a 57-year-old woman in intensive care died of her 

injuries. 

The Ministry of Health announced that the woman, who 

died Saturday morning, is the 11th person to have died in the 

hospital from injuries sustained in the fire. 

Amid trade 

dispute, New 

England and 

Canadian 

leaders to talk 

Some of the political leaders 

from the New England 

states and the premiers of 

the five eastern Canadian 

provinces will be meeting at 

a Vermont ski resort while a 

bitter trade dispute simmers 

between Washington 

and Ottawa. 

The 42nd Conference of 

New England Governors 

and Eastern Canadian Premiers 

will be held Monday 

in Stowe. 

This year's meeting 

comes as the U.S., Canada 

and Mexico are renegotiating 

the North American 

Free Trade Agreement and 

Trump administration officials 

have made snarky 

comments about Canadian 

Prime Minister Justin 

Trudeau. 

At a national level, the 

two countries have imposed 

trade tariffs on goods such 

as steel and aluminum. 

McGill University professor 

emeritus Armand de 

Mestral says he thinks the 

leaders will be looking for 

ways to ensure trade continues 

within the region. 

Gunmen kill 3 

police, suicide 

bomber 

wounds 6 in 

Pakistan 

Pakistani officials say gunmen 

killed three police in 

an overnight attack, while a 

suicide bomber wounded 

three Chinese engineers 

and three paramilitary 

guards in a separate incident. 

Faizullah Faraq, a 

spokesman for the local 

government of the northern 

Gilgit Baltistan territory, 

says one of the gunmen 

who attacked the police 

post was killed in the ensuing 

shootout late Friday. 

Another two police were 

wounded in the attack. 

The suicide bomber 

struck near a bus carrying 

Chinese engineers from 

Baluchistan to Karachi on 

Saturday. Hashim Ghilzai, a 

senior official in the region, 

confirmed the six wounded. 

Militants in Pakistan carry 

out near-daily attacks, 

mainly targeting security 

forces. Most of the attacks 

have been linked to the Pakistani 

Taliban and other 

Islamic extremists. 

The ministry says 31 other fire victims are still hospitalized; 

eight of them are still in intensive care, including five who are 

on life support. 

Greece's fire service confirmed the number of Mati wildfire 

dead at 94, adding that among them "are two unidentifiable 

remains, with available DNA, that have not been sought by 

relatives." 

Millions in limbo as nativist 

anger roils Indian state 

The rice farmer doesn't know how it happened. 

Abdul Mannan just knows a mistake 

was made somewhere. But what can you say 

when the authorities suddenly insist one of 

your five children isn't an Indian? What do 

you do when your wife and daughter-in-law 

are suddenly viewed as illegal immigrants? 

"We are genuine Indians. We are not foreigners," 

said Mannan, 50, adding his family 

has lived in India's northeastern Assam state 

since the 1930s. "I can't understand where 

the mistake is." 

Neither can nearly 4 million other people 

who insist they are Indian but who now must 

prove their nationality as the politics of citizenship 

- overlaid with questions of religion, 

ethnicity and illegal immigration - swirls in a 

state where such questions have a long and 

bloody past. Today, nativist anger churns 

through the hills and plains of Assam state, 

just across the border from Bangladesh, with 

many here believing the state is overrun with 

illegal migrants. 

"India is for Indians. Assam is for Indians," 

said Sammujjal Bhattachariya, a top official 

with the All Assam Students Union, which 

has been in the forefront of pushing for the 

citizenship survey. "Assam is not for illegal 

Bangladeshis." 

"We need a permanent solution," he 

added. On Friday, some of the 3.9 million 

residents left off Assam's draft list of citizens 

began picking up forms to file their appeals, 

wading into a byzantine legal and bureaucratic 

process that many fear could lead to 

detention, expulsion or years in limbo. 

Mannan, his two daughters and two of his 

sons were all listed on the citizenship list 

released in July. But his wife, a 17-year-old 

son and his daughter-in-law were nowhere 

to be seen. No explanation was given. 

"We are worried that the names are not 

there," said Mannan, who lives with his family 

in a bamboo-walled hut, supporting them 

on about $150 a month in farming income. 

"How will we live? What will we do? How 

will we stay in Assam?" 

For decades, fears of widespread movement 

across the porous border with 

Bangladesh have triggered tensions between 

the state's majority ethnic group, Assamesespeaking 

Hindus, and its Bengali-speaking 

Muslims. In the 1980s that erupted into violence, 

with hundreds of people killed in 

Assam amid waves of anti-migrant attacks. 

New Delhi eventually ruled that anyone who 

could prove their family had lived in India 

before Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence, 

which drove millions of Bangladeshis 

to flee across the border, would be considered 

an Indian citizen. 

State officials insist they have done everything 

possible to make the procedure fair. 

"It's been an extremely exhaustive 

process," said Prateek Hajela, the coordinator 

of the citizenship project that involves 

52,000 officials, visits to 6.8 million families 

and countless hearings to examine the 

details of family trees. 

But the politics of religion and ethnicity 

have been on the rise in India since 2014, 

when the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata 

Party was swept to power in national elections. 

The party quickly pushed to update the 

citizenship registry in Assam, where politicians 

have eagerly grabbed hold of the issue. 

"First our target is to segregate the foreigners. 

What steps we will take against them will 

come next," Assam's top elected official, Sarbananda 

Sonowal, told the Times of India in 

an interview early this year. "They will have 

only one right - human rights as guaranteed 

by the U.N. that include food, shelter and 

clothing.""For almost 40 years our people 

have been living in a state of confusion and 

uncertainty," he told the newspaper. 

Few deny there has been widespread illegal 

migration into Assam, often by poor 

Bangladeshis in search of work as farm 

laborers. The state's demographics have 

shifted dramatically in recent decades, with 

the percentage of Bengali-speakers jumping 

from 22 percent in 1991 to 29 percent in 

2011, and the percentage of Assamesespeakers 

declining. Many analysts, however, 

say those numbers in part reflect the higher 

birth rates among Muslims. Estimates on the 

number of illegal immigrants vary wildly, 

from a few hundred thousand to many millions. 

While Muslims appear to dominate the 

3.9 million people left off the citizenship 

rolls, they aren't the only people now facing a 

bureaucratic gauntlet. "I don't know about 

politics. I am a poor man. I work all day, eat, 

and sleep at night. I don't go anywhere else," 

said Khitish Namo Das, 50, a rail-thin Hindu 

farmer who insists he was born in India and 

whose family of eight - except for one daughter-in-law 

- are now considered illegal. 

"When the names did not appear on the 

list it made me worry," he said, then reassured 

himself. 

Activists of the Minority Youth Federation shout slogans against the 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lead central and Assam state government 

during a protest rally following the publishing of the first complete draft of 

the National Register of Citizens (NRC), in Kolkata. Photo: Internet 

Light plane with 9 

people aboard 

reported missing 

in Papua 

A light commercial aircraft 

with nine people on board 

was reported missing Saturday 

in a mountainous region 

of Indonesia's easternmost 

province of Papua, with officials 

sending a search party 

toward a possible crash site. 

Dimonin Air's Swiss-made 

Pilatus PC-6 Porter plane 

was on an estimated 42- 

minute flight from Tanah 

Merah in Boven Digul district 

to Oksibil, the district 

capital of Pegunungan Bintang, 

bordering Papua New 

Guinea. 

Local police chief Lt. Col. 

Michael Mumbunan said 

the plane with two pilots and 

seven passengers aboard 

lost contact after communicating 

with the control tower 

in Oksibil just before it was 

due to land Saturday afternoon. 

He said a search was 

underway, but it would take 

rescuers hours to arrive at a 

suspected crash site where 

villagers reported they heard 

loud sounds and an explosion. 

A list of crew and passengers 

showed that one of the 

passengers was a child. 

Airplanes are the only 

practical way of accessing 

many areas in the mountainous 

and jungle-clad easternmost 

provinces of Papua 

and West Papua. 

Indonesia, the world's 

largest archipelago nation, 

with more than 260 million 

people, has been plagued by 

transportation accidents on 

land, sea and air because of 

overcrowding on ferries, 

aging infrastructure and 

poorly enforced safety standards. 

Bomb kills 

Jordanian 

policeman 

near capital 

Jordanian authorities say a 

bomb has killed a policeman 

near the capital. 

The Interior Ministry says 

the bomb that went off late 

Friday was planted in an 

area where a police vehicle 

usually stops during an 

ongoing music festival in the 

town of Fuheis. 

Prime Minister Omar Razzaz 

called the bombing a 

"terrorist attack," and local 

media say a manhunt has 

been launched to find those 

behind the blast. 

Jordan is a close Western 

ally in a turbulent region, 

and has been largely spared 

from the conflicts in neighboring 

Syria and Iraq. 

Taliban cling to 

pockets of Afghan 

city after assault 

Afghan forces were still battling 

the Taliban in parts of 

Ghazni on Saturday, a day 

after the insurgents 

launched a multi-pronged 

assault on the eastern city. 

Interior Ministry 

spokesman Najib Danish 

said at least 25 security 

forces have been killed and 

wounded since the assault 

began early Friday, and that 

a local reporter was killed. It 

was unclear how many other 

civilians had been killed or 

wounded during the attack. 

Danish said more than 150 

insurgents have been killed 

or wounded. 

He said that although the 

fighting was still underway, 

"the situation is under control 

and there isn't any serious 

threat." 

"Any threat which could 

cause the fall of the city has 

been eliminated," he added. 

The Taliban claim to have 

seized parts of the city and to 

have killed local officials. In 

a media statement, the 

group said it had seized 

dozens of armored vehicles 

as well as light and heavy 

weapons and ammunition. 

They said they "liberated" 

the central prison in Ghazni 

and freed all Taliban 

prisoners. 

New US sanctions could pitch 

Russia relations to new low 

Russia typically brushes off new U.S. sanctions. 

Not this time. 

The Trump administration announcement 

of export restrictions in response to accusations 

Moscow used a nerve agent to poison a 

former Russian spy in Britain sent the ruble 

tumbling to a two-year low and drew a stern 

warning from its prime minister. While the 

initial sanctions may have a limited impact, a 

second batch expected within months could 

hit the Russian economy much harder and 

send already tense relations into a tailspin. 

If sanctions are expanded even further to 

target Russia's top state-controlled banks, 

freezing their dollar transactions - as proposed 

under legislation introduced in the 

Senate this month - it would amount to a 

"declaration of economic war," Russian 

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Friday. 

So much for President Donald Trump's 

hopes for better relations with Moscow. 

On his watch, the U.S. has imposed a slew 

of sanctions on Russia for human rights 

abuses, meddling in the U.S. election and 

Russian military aggression in Ukraine and 

Syria. 

But for the most part, those measures have 

punished Russian officials and associates of 

President Vladimir Putin rather than targeting 

broad economic sectors. More biting 

restrictions have been imposed by the European 

Union, which conducts more trade and 

business with Russia than the U.S. does. 

The sanctions announced by the Trump 

administration this past week could start to 

change that equation. The restrictions were 

triggered under U.S. law on chemical 

weapons following a formal U.S. determination 

that Russia used the Novichok nerve 

agent to poison former Russian spy Sergei 

Skripal and his daughter in the English city 

of Salisbury in March. 

The first tranche, due to take effect Aug. 

22, will deny export licenses to Russia for the 

purchase of many items with national security 

implications. Existing sanctions already 

prohibit the export of most military and 

security-related items, but now the ban will 

be extended to goods such as gas turbine 

engines, electronics and calibration equipment 

that were previously allowed on a caseby-case 

basis. The State Department said it 

could potentially affect hundreds of millions 

of dollars in trade. 

"It's a significant step, but not an overwhelming 

one," said Daniel Fried, a veteran 

State Department official who served as chief 

U.S. coordinator for sanctions policy until he 

retired last year. 

The penny could drop, though, in three 

months' time. 

Russia has 90 days to "provide assurances" 

that it will not use chemical weapons in the 

future and allow inspections. If Russia does 

not comply, Trump will be obligated to 

impose a second set of sanctions, applying 

restrictions on at least three from a menu of 

options: opposing multilateral bank assistance 

to Russia, broad restrictions on exports 

and imports, downgrading diplomatic relations, 

prohibiting air carrier landing rights 

and barring U.S. banks from making loans to 

the Russian government. That could do significantly 

more economic harm and have a 

lasting, destabilizing effect on the currency 

and stock markets. 

Senior Russian lawmaker Vyacheslav 

Nikonov said a second set of sanctions may 

be inevitable and predicted it would pitch 

relations to new low. The relationship is 

already routinely described as at its worst 

since the Cold War. 

"They are demanding that Russia (accepts) 

an obligation to refrain from any further use 

of chemical and bacteriological weapons, 

which amounts to our acknowledgement 

that we have used it. But we haven't," he said. 

Things could get even worse if the Defending 

American Security from Kremlin Aggression 

Act, which a bipartisan group of senators 

introduced Aug. 2, makes its way 

through Congress. It would target Russia's 

state-controlled banks and freeze their operations 

in dollars, which would deal a heavy 

blow to the Russian economy. The prospects 

for the legislation becoming law remain 

uncertain. 

Medvedev warned the U.S. that such a 

move would cross a red line and would warrant 

a Russian response by economic, political 

or "other means" he did not specify. His 

tough tone was a departure from past nonchalance 

from Putin and his lieutenants over 

the impact of Western sanctions on the 

Russian economy. 

Vladimir Vasilyev, a researcher with the 

Institute of the U.S. and Canada, a government-funded 

Moscow think tank, said U.S.- 

Russian ties were now approaching "the 

point of no return with no prospect for 

improvement" in sight. 

Fried said that in addition to uncertainty 

over sanctions, Moscow's strong response 

this time is likely also being fueled by larger 

inconsistencies in U.S. policy toward Russia. 

While Trump has hankered for closer ties 

with Putin, the government he leads has 

been far less accommodating. 

"Whatever deal the Russians had or 

thought they had or thought they could get 

from President Donald Trump, they're not 

able to get it from Trump's administration," 

Fried said. 

The State Department denied inconsistency 

in U.S. policy and maintained that sanctions 

were aimed at encouraging improved 

behavior from Russia. "We'd like to have a 

better relationship with the Russian government, 

recognizing that we have a lot of areas 

of mutual concern," spokeswoman Heather 

Nauert said. 

Congress has a less diplomatic view. 

Trump has repeatedly come under fire 

from lawmakers, including from his own 

Republican Party, for his conciliatory statements 

on Russia, particularly at his joint 

press conference with Putin at their summit 

in Helsinki last month where he appeared to 

doubt U.S. intelligence conclusions that Russia 

intervened in the 2016 election. 

Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House 

Foreign Affairs Committee, was among lawmakers 

who welcomed the U.S. sanctions 

announced this week. "It's critical that we 

use every tool at our disposal to confront 

Putin's use of chemical weapons, as well as 

his efforts to undermine our democracy," the 

Republican from California said. 

The Trump administration announcement of export restrictions in response 

to accusations Moscow used a nerve agent to poison a former Russian spy in 

Britain sent the ruble tumbling to a two-year low. 

Photo: Internet 

Romania police defend role in 

protest where hundreds hurt 

Romanian police on Saturday defended their 

use of force after an anti-government protest 

turned violent leaving 455 people, including 

three dozen riot police, needing medical 

treatment. 

Marius Militaru, spokesman for Romania's 

riot police, said 70 people, including 11 riot 

police, were taken to hospitals the previous 

night, and police are pursuing charges 

against eight people. 

There were no immediate reports of lifethreatening 

injuries, but Militaru said a 

female colleague had been "brutally beaten" 

and has a suspected fractured spine. 

He said officers were ordered by the 

Bucharest prefecture - government authorities 

in charge of the capital- to evacuate Victory 

Square late Friday after an hours-long 

protest in front of the government offices 

that drew tens of thousands of expatriate 

Romanians and local residents demanding 

the government's resignation. Another 

police spokesman, Georgian Enache, said 

"the legitimate state violence," was justified 

because protesters had been warned several 

times to leave the square. 

Riot police fired tear gas and water cannons 

to quell protesters. Some individuals 

lobbed rocks, bottles and smoke bombs at 

riot police. There were accusations that soccer 

hooligans had infiltrated the largely 

peaceful protest and deliberately committed 

acts of violence.Some people sustained head 

and other injuries, while others were overcome 

by tear gas, authorities said. 

Late Friday, President Klaus Iohannis, a 

critic of the left-wing government, condemned 

"the brutal intervention of riot 

police."There was no immediate comment 

from the government. Three journalists said 

they were also subjected to violence from the 

police.Austria's public broadcaster ORF said 

Saturday a cameraman covering the protest 

for the post was hit by police with truncheons, 

while the presenter with him was 

shoved up against a wall.

ART & CULTURE 

SUNDAy, 

AUGUSt 12, 2018 

8 

MEGALODON 

Juliet, Naked is the story of Annie (the long-suffering girlfriend 

of Duncan) and her unlikely transatlantic romance with once 

revered, now faded, singer-songwriter, Tucker Crowe, who also 

happens to be the subject of Duncan's musical obsession. 

'Super smash bros Ultimate' raises 

playable stage count to 103 

"Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" is expanding its 

collection of new and returning stages by adding a 

selection of new areas to fight in, bringing the official 

total up to 103. 

During Wednesday's "Smash"-centric Nintendo 

Direct, game director Masahiro Sakurai was on 

hand to discuss the new additions to the game, 

mentioning that the new selection of stages will be 

arranged in order of their debut in the "Super 

Smash Bros." series. You'll find plenty of new 

places to brawl, like Dracula's Castle of 

"Castlevania" fame, New Donk City Hall from the 

whimsical "Super Mario Odyssey," Magicant from 

"Earthbound," Gamer W inspired by 

"WarioWare," and more. 

While there are over 100 unique stages to choose 

from, the total boosts itself beyond 300 when you factor 

in the popular Battlefield and Omega forms of each 

stage as well. With eight-player battle support for each 

fight, there's a battleground appropriate for any scuffle. 

The 46th Annie Awards are open for entries 

now through Nov. 1 at 5 p.m. Pt. 

The Annie Awards, presented by Asifa- 

Hollywood, honor excellence in the field of 

animation across 10 production categories, 22 

achievement categories, and up to five juried 

awards for lifetime achievement, philanthropy, 

H O rOScOpE 

AriES 

(March 21 - April 20): Natives 

of Aries are often confident and 

energetic people, who should 

consider setting up arrangements for larger 

family gatherings like reunions. Natives of this 

sign are often driving forces in the professional 

and political areas. 

tAUrUS 

(April 21 - May 21): The 

obstacles you face at the 

moment may be daunting but 

you have what it takes to overcome them. 

Don't try to avoid what fate sends your way 

over the next few days - it is designed to 

strengthen you, not destroy you. 

GEMiNi 

(May 22 - June 21): There may 

be times when you would like 

nothing better than to cut 

yourself off from the world at 

large but that simply isn't possible. Make 

the best job of what you are expected to do 

and try to steal a few hours for yourself 

later on. 

cANcEr 

(June 22 - July 23): Some 

things are important and some 

things are not and if you don't 

yet know the difference then it's time you 

found out. This should be a productive time 

for you but you need to learn how to say 

"no" when people ask you for favours. 

LEO 

(July 24 - Aug. 23): If you are 

not yet getting the rewards and 

the respect you deserve don't 

worry, in a matter of days your 

name will be on everybody's lips. The sun in 

Aries makes you both creative and 

adventurous, so do something out of the 

ordinary. 

VirGO 

(Aug. 24 - Sept. 23): You may be 

tempted to go on a journey today 

but the planets warn it could 

lead you in some unforeseen directions, so 

make sure you take a map and don't promise 

to be at a certain place at a specific time - 

because you won't make it. 

The new Stage Morph feature will also allow players 

to transition between two different areas. You must 

toggle this option on as it won't be available by default, 

but it allows you to shift between one stage to the next 

right in the middle of your fight. 

To go along with all the new stage additions, there's a 

wide selection of musical tracks, with 900 tunes to 

choose from, broken down into 28 hours of gaming 

music. You can select your favorites to listen to via the 

new My Music mode, which can also be utilized in the 

Switch's Handheld mode as something of a portable 

jukebox. My Music will let you choose from a wide 

selection of tracks from the game your stage has been 

pulled from, letting you customize your experience even 

further. Also announced on Wednesday during the 

Nintendo Direct presentation were new characters and 

Echo Fighters. 

"Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" is coming to Nintendo 

Switch on Dec. 7. 

|Source: Variety] 

46th Annie Awards calling for entries 

technical advances, meritorious service, and 

special achievements. Asifa-Hollywood is 

changing things up a bit this year in order to open 

the Annies up to more independent productions. 

Any Asifa-Hollywood member will be able to 

submit one short subject without any charge. 

Also, the Annies will partner with major 

animation festivals Annecy, Zagreb, Hiroshima, 

and Ottawa to provide free submissions for each 

festival's grand prize winners. 

Animated productions released in the U.S. 

between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2018, are eligible. 

Commercials, short subjects, special projects, 

and student films can qualify without having a 

U.S. release. For full rules and submission 

guidelines, visit the Annie Awards website. 

|Source: IMDb] 

LiBrA 

(Sept. 24 - Oct. 23): At some 

stage over the next few days 

you will see or hear something 

that makes you view the world in a new 

light. A change of perspective will lead to 

new ways of thinking, ways that answer all 

the questions you have been asking. 

ScOrpiO 

(Oct. 24 - Nov. 22): Find out 

why a partner or loved one is 

behaving so erratically, then 

do what you can to assist them. Most likely 

their problems are nowhere near as big as 

they think they are and can quite easily be 

corrected - as can your own! 

SAGittAriUS 

(Nov. 23 - Dec. 21): Yours is a 

sign of boundless selfconfidence 

and that's good 

because you will need it over 

the next few days. If you are not happy in 

your current environment don't be afraid to 

pack a bag and take off for a few days. 

cApricOrN 

(Dec. 22 - Jan. 20): You seem to 

lack purpose at the moment but 

that will change if you look for 

ways to express yourself. 

Whatever challenges come your way, and there 

will be plenty, see them as opportunities to be 

embraced rather than as threats to be avoided. 

AQUAriUS 

(Jan. 21 - Feb. 19): Stay calm and 

keep setbacks in perspective. If 

you can learn to take yourself a bit 

less seriously over the coming 

week then your problems, such as 

they are, will fade into insignificance. Rest 

assured your successes will always outnumber 

your failures. 

piScES 

(Feb. 20 - Mar. 20): It does not 

matter if other people approve 

of what you are doing, it 

matters only that it means 

something to you. The very last thing you 

should be doing now is asking friends and 

family for their opinions - it's your views 

that count. 

Release Date : 17 August 2018 (USA) 

Director : Jesse Peretz 

Writers : Evgenia Peretz, Jim Taylor 

Stars : Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke, Chris O'Dowd 

Taglines : From the author of About a Boy and High 

Fidelity 

Genres : Comedy, Drama, Music, Romance 

Running time : 113 minutes 

Also known as : A Meztelen Juliet 

Company : Apatow Productions, Bona Fide Productions, 

Ingenious Media 

Country : USA 

Language : English 

Filming Locations : Broadstairs, Kent, England, UK 

StOryLiNE : 

Annie (Rose Byrne) is stuck in a long-term relationship with Duncan (Chris O'Dowd) - an obsessive fan of obscure rocker 

Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke). When the acoustic demo of Tucker's hit record from 25 years ago surfaces, its release leads to 

a life-changing encounter with the elusive rocker himself. Based on the novel by Nick Hornby, JULIET, NAKED is a comic 

account of life's second chances. |Source: IMDb] 

'Luz' Trailer 

Horror Film Has Wowed 

Festival Audiences 

There's a lot of buzz surrounding the 

German film "Luz." After debuting at this 

year's Berlin Film Festival, the film 

received rave reviews and has 

subsequently made appearances on the 

festival circuit, with showings at Fantasia 

Film Festival and the upcoming Fantastic 

Fest. And in honor of the film's upcoming 

US premiere, we finally get a first look at 

the horror-thriller. 

In the first teaser for the film, a couple 

things are readily apparent. First, and 

foremost, the teaser is definitely not here 

to spoon-feed viewers the plot. Images of 

a woman standing in a police station are 

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (3D) 

11:30 am, 5:30 pm, 8:30 pm 

1:00 pm, 4:00 pm, 7:00 pm 

3:00 pm, 6:00 pm 

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (3D) 

11:30 am, 2:35 pm, 8:00 pm 

Incredibles 2 (3D) 

3:00 pm, 5:45 pm 

Poramon 2 (2D) 

12:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 7:00 pm 

Piya Re (2D) (2D) 

11:30 am, 2:30 pm, 5:00 pm, 7:30 pm 

*Authority reserves the right for any changes. 

intercut with everything from apparent 

demonic possession and some sort of 

satanic rituals. And second, it's clear that 

"Luz" is a beautifully crafted film, clearly 

shot on 16mm, retaining the look of 

horror films of a bygone era. 

"Luz" is the directorial debut from 

filmmaker Tilman Singer. The horrorthriller 

stars Luana Velis, Jan Bluthardt, 

Nadja Stübiger, and Johannes Benecke. 

As mentioned, the film has its US 

premiere at the upcoming Fantastic Fest, 

and hopefully, soon after will be released 

theatrically. 

|Source:IMDb] 

SHOWTIME 

Srk opens up 

about Suhana's 

Bollywood bebut 

The Bollywood film industry has opened its doors to fresh 

new talent this year, including a number of star kids like 

Janhvi Kapoor, Sara Ali Khan and Ananya Panday. Rumour 

mills have long been abuzz with speculations of Bollywood 

Badshah Shah Rukh Khan's daughter, Suhana Khan soon 

joining the glittery line-up. Suhana's frequent visit to 

Mumbai city and her spotting at popular auditioning centres 

around the city, further fuelled these reports. 

Although daddy Khan has always maintained that his kids 

will only star in films after they finish their studies, his recent 

candid confessions have had the entire town buzzing. In a 

recent chat, while admitting that it is easy for his daughter to 

bag a film, the actor said that Suhana is "working towards" 

becoming a good actor. He also emphasized that they should 

be "good-enough actors" and not simply "designed as stars" 

when they are launched. 

Meanwhile, when Suhana was asked about her ambitions 

to pursue a career in films, she prioritised education over it 

all saying that although starting early is the best way to learn 

the tricks of the trade, she wants to finish her studies first. 

|Source: TOI] 

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (3D) 

11:00 am, 2:00 pm, 4:10 pm, 7:20 pm 

The Darkest Minds (2D) 

10:50 am, 2:10 pm, 7:10 pm 

Ant-Man and the Wasp (3D) 

10:50 am, 1:30 pm, 5:00 pm, 7:25 pm 

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (3D) 

11:10 am, 1:50 pm, 4:45 pm, 7:20 pm 

Skyscraper (3D) 

3:10 pm, 7:30 pm 

Equalizer 2 (2D) 

11:30 am, 4:40 pm 

Christopher Robin (2D) 

1:00 pm, 5:20 pm 

Bhaijaan (2D) 

1:40 pm, 7:30 pm 

Poramon 2 (2D) 

10:40 am, 4:30 pm

SPORTS 


9 

"We have got Shakib as the captain in T20s and Test matches, and tactically he is a fantastic captain" 

- Rhodes. Photo: AP 

Shakib's cricketing brain is 

amazing : Rhodes 

Sports Desk: "I like to play straight," 

Bangladesh new head coach Steve 

Rhodes put forward the no-nonsense 

approach that he wants to bring to the 

national side, reports Cricbuzz. 

Rhodes in his short term with the 

Bangladesh national side has already 

shown glimpses of going beyond the 

usual, an approach that his predecessors 

hadn't really followed. In his off time with 

the national team - a period in which 

other coaches had preferred to take rest - 

he is set to go and follow the 'A' team 

In order to gain first-hand knowledge 

of the cricketers in the 'A' team, Rhodes is 

headed to Ireland. In order to sketch a 

roadmap for the future, he has had 

several meetings in the last two days with 

the BCB. 

Rhodes in a recent interview said that, 

it has been good. We had some ups and 

down but overall it was a fine 

performance by the boys (in the 

Caribbean), especially the way they 

responded in the ODIs and the T20Is 

after the failure in Test matches. To be 

honest, we need to have great character 

to make such a turnaround. 

When asked about Mashrafe he said, 

when you look at Bangladesh, Mashrafe 

is a fine captain. He leads by example. He 

Nadal stays 

on track in 

Toronto with 

win over Cilic 

Sports Desk: Rafael Nadal 

recovered from a slow start, 

overcoming Marin Cilic 2-6, 

6-4, 6-4 as the Spaniard's 

chase for a long-sought ATP 

Masters title on hardcourt 

heated up on Friday, reports 

BSS. 

The world number one 

reached the semi-finals in 

Toronto and will next face 

Russian Karen Khachanov, 

who beat Robin Haase 6-3, 

6-1. 

Nadal last won a title at 

this level on cement in 2013. 

Stefanos Tsitsipas saved 

two match points to beat 

defending champion 

Alexander Zverev in their 

quarter-final contest 3-6, 7-6 

(13/11), 6-4. 

The Greek teenager, who 

turns 20 on Sunday's final 

day, defeated his third 

straight top 10 opponent at 

the tournament after 

knocking out Dominic 

Thiem in the second round 

and 13-time major winner 

Novak Djokovic in the third. 

Tsitsipas is the youngest 

player to post three top 10 

wins at a single tournament 

since the 19-year-old Nadal 

at Monte Carlo in 2006. 

Tsitsipas will next face 

Wimbledon runner-up 

Kevin Anderson, who beat 

Grigor Dimitrov 6-2, 6-2. 

"I'm confused now, is this 

real?" 27th-ranked Tsitsipas 

said after completing his 

prestige hat-trick of upsets. 

Nadal got caught on the 

back foot in the first set 

against Cilic, who took the 

opener on his fourth chance. 

Nadal struck back in the 

second with a concluding 

break to square the match 

before taking victory with a 

break in the final game on 

his third match point after 

more than two hours. 

is a warrior-like captain and all the guys 

follow him. 

Regarding Shakib as a captain he said, 

we have got Shakib as the captain in T20s 

and Test matches, and tactically he is a 

fantastic captain. All the guys respect 

him, the way he plays his cricket. But his 

cricketing brain, and particularly in T20s, 

is amazing. That is because he has played 

so much T20 cricket around the world, 

with so many franchises. He knows all 

the players and he knows the game 

(T20s). We are very lucky to have two 

very good captains. Cricket is a lot about 

momentum. Even for the best captain in 

the world when the momentum is down, 

it is very difficult to turn it around. When 

we lost that toss (in the first Test) and we 

were all out for 44, it meant that 

momentum was totally against us. Like I 

said, the best captain in the world 

wouldn't be able to turn that. I think it 

was not down to Shakib's captaincy. He is 

a very good captain. If we had a good 

start, if we had won the toss in that Test, 

we might have had some momentum. 

He is a quality captain and a quality 

cricketer, so is Mashrafe. So Bangladesh 

must be very grateful that we have got 

two very good captains, he added. 

About his Irelands motive he said, it 

was nice that I had the opportunity to see 

the members of the Test team, ODI team 

and the T20 team. So I have now 

managed to look at around 20 to 22 

players. When I go to Ireland, although I 

will see some of our players that I have 

looked at previously, for me it is 

important to know the next crop of 

players. Already I have seen a couple of 

them and hopefully, will get the 

chance to observe a few more in 

Ireland. I hope to spend some time 

with the 'A' team coach Simon Helmut, 

because if we want to have plenty of 

depth in Bangladesh cricket, the 'A' 

team needs to do well and they have 

done very well so far. I am very pleased 

and looking forward to catching up 

with them and see them play. 

Mominul Haque scored a blazing 

knock in the 50-over format (182) for 

Bangladesh 'A' against Ireland 'A'. Is 

he in the scheme of things for limited 

overs cricket? 

Mominul scored a fantastic 182 and 

I think that's good news for him 

personally and for Bangladesh 

because he is a quality cricketer and he 

has shown that he can play one-day 

games and that is a good sign for the 

future. 

Russell assault powers 

Tallawahs to stunning win 

Sports Desk: Tom Wolfe, the renowned 

author, in his book, 'The Right Stuff', had 

noted about "pushing the outside of the 

envelope". It is a phrase that can be used to 

describe Andre Russell's power-packed 

performance (121* off just 49 balls, a hattrick 

and a stunning catch) in Jamaica 

Tallawahs' game against defending 

champions, Trinbago Knight Riders, in 

Trinidad, on Saturday (August 10), reports 

Cricbuzz. 

When Russell arrived at the crease, 

Tallawahs were struggling at 41 for 5, chasing 

a massive target of 224. At that juncture, 

even the last whiff of hope seemed to be fast 

evaporating from Tallawahs' camp. But the 

all-rounder lifted the air of gloom 

surrounding the visiting side with a stunning 

assault and powered Tallawahs to a believeit-or-not 

come-from-behind four-wicket 

win. On the other side, the vanquished 

Knight Riders' players looked shattered and 

dazed by the sheer onslaught of the 

Jamaican all-rounder. 

It was a superbly paced innings too where 

Russell initially looked to build a stand with 

Kennar Lewis (52) before smashing the 

opposition attack to shreds. By the end of the 

10th over, Tallawahs were 86 for 5 and 

needed a further 138 runs in the final 10 

overs. It was the stage of the game when 

Russell decided to hit top gear. 

With a strong base alongside mobility in 

hips and stable ankles, he was able to make 

use of his brute power. He showed glimpses 

of his power-hitting by thwacking Fawad 

Ahmed, the leg-spinner, for a couple of sixes 

in the 11th over. The mayhem continued as 

he tonked Sunil Narine for a couple more 

hits into the stands in the next over and 

completed the fastest fifty of this season's 

tournament. 

In the next over bowled by Dwayne Bravo, 

he collected two fours and two sixes, 

including a bullet-like powerful shot down 

the ground. The umpire, who was in the 

firing line, did well to duck underneath it. 

The carnage didn't stop there as he again 

took heavy toll off Bravo's bowling by 

smacking him for two sixes and a boundary 

in the 17th over. He also reached the threefigure 

mark in that over. Incidentally, he also 

notched up the fastest-ever hundred in the 

history of CPL. For a moment, it felt as if the 

word 'impossible' doesn't exist in Russell's 

dictionary. 

Andre Russell bludgeoned 13 sixes and 6 fours in his 49-ball innings. 

Photo: AP 

Pakistani 

cricketer 

gets ban 

extended to 

four years 

Sports Desk: A Pakistani 

independent judge 

extended on Friday a ban on 

cricketer Shahzaib Hasan to 

four years over his 

involvement in the 

infamous spot-fixing 

scandal that rocked the 

second edition of the 

Pakistan 

Super 

League(PSL) 2017, reports 

BSS. 

The hard-hitting toporder 

batsman was banned 

for a year and fined 1 million 

Pakistani rupees by the 

Pakistan Cricket Board's( 

PCB) Anti-Corruption 

Tribunal earlier this year 

after he failed to report an 

access by a cricket bookie 

during the second edition of 

the PSL. 

Shahzaib Hasan, who had 

represented Karachi Kings 

during the PSL 2017, 

appealed the PCB's 

punishment. However, the 

judge decided to increase 

the ban on Shahzaib Hasan 

to four years but refrained 

from changing the amount 

of the fine. 

The 27-year-old cricketer 

has already served one of 

the four years ban. His 

counsel told the local media 

persons that his client 

would challenge the 

decision. 

Shahzaib Hasan and four 

other Pakistani cricketers 

were suspended in the 

infamous spot-fixing 

scandal. The other four 

cricketers were Khalid Latif, 

Sharjeel Khan, and 

Mohammad Irfan from 

Islamabad United and 

Mohammad Nawaz from 

Quetta Gladiators. 

Shahzaib played three One 

Day Internationals and 10 

Twenty20 Internationals for 

Pakistan. He was suspended 

on March 17, 2017, after he 

was charged with three 

violations of the Pakistan 

Cricket Board's Anti- 

Corruption Code. 

These codes included luring 

cricketers into the scam, not 

reporting approaches by the 

bookies, and hiding 

information regarding his 

contacts with the bookies. 

Pogba scores as Man United wins 

Premier League opener 

Sports Desk: Jose Mourinho received an 

instant reward for handing Paul Pogba the 

captaincy when the World Cup-winning 

midfielder paved the way for Manchester 

United's 2-1 victory over Leicester as the 

English Premier League season opened on 

Friday, reports UNB. 

Having returned from France's triumph in 

Russia last month to intense media 

speculation about his future under United 

manager Mourinho, the 25-year-old Pogba 

was named skipper of a team that included 

debutant Fred. 

After an unusual stuttering run-up that 

briefly gave way to jogging on the spot, 

Pogba rifled home the first goal from a thirdminute 

penalty after Daniel Amartey had 

handled a shot from Alexis Sanchez. 

The France playmaker then continued to 

impress as the first half wore on at Old 

Trafford, leading his team-mates by 

example. 

United had several chances to extend its 

lead against a Leicester side that called 

goalkeeper David De Gea into action more 

often than Mourinho would have liked. 

The manager, however, celebrated on the 

touchline after defender Luke Shaw directed 

home his first senior goal to put the result out 

of reach after an excellent through ball from 

Juan Mata. 

Substitute Jamie Vardy pulled one back 

with a stoppage-time header after Ricardo 

Pereira's cross came back off the post, but it 

was too little, too late for Leicester. 

"Pogba was a monster, we thought 

maximum 60 minutes, he managed (more 

than) 80," Mourinho said after taking his 

captain off late in the game. "Pre-season was 

very hard and we needed this fantastic spirit 

by the players to manage this performance 

and this result. 

"Paul was fantastic, his contribution was 

amazing but the fuel was disappearing. I am 

(also) very pleased for Luke. He made one 

mistake in 90 minutes, he was very good 

defensively." 

Leicester looked startled by United's early 

intensity but slowly began to feel its way into 

the match, with debutant James Maddison 

shining. 

Demarai Gray clipped in a smart ball that 

Kelechi Iheanacho followed with a strike 

across the face of goal, before a fierce 

Maddison shot was stopped by De Gea. 

At the other end, Andreas Pereira, making 

his first United appearance since February 

2016, looked sharp in midfield alongside 

Pogba. 

Matteo Darmian tested Leicester 

goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel at the near 

post early into a second half that United 

started with bundles of possession, but few 

clear-cut chances. 

A good opportunity came when Pogba fed 

Sanchez and he set up Mata, who had a shot 

that was deflected just wide. 

But it was far from one-way traffic. Eric 

Bailly did superbly to deny Iheanacho, and 

Vardy bundled Shaw off the ball to send in a 

cross that Gray almost flicked home. 

It was Shaw, who just like Pogba has 

endured some tough times under Mourinho, 

who was the unlikely late hero for United. 

With seven minutes remaining, he flicked 

the ball past a defender before sending a low 

left-footed strike into the net. 

It was the first senior goal for former 

England and Southampton defender Shaw, 

on the 23-year-old left-back's 141st 

appearance. 

"It's important to win and play well," 

Mourinho said. "We must get used to teams 

who have players of the same quality that we 

have. Every team is a good team, forget the 

name, forget the history, forget the shirt." 

Paul Pogba's third-minute spot-kick was the first goal of the 2018/19 

Premier League campaign. 

Photo: AP 

Tour de France winner Ullrich 

admitted to psychiatric hospital 

Sports Desk: Germany's Tour de France 

champion Jan Ullrich was admitted to a 

psychiatric hospital on Friday after his brief 

detention for allegedly assaulting a 

prostitute, reports BSS. 

The 44-year-old former cycling star was 

earlier Friday released on bail pending an 

investigation for possible attempted 

manslaughter. 

But once free, Ullrich suffered a panic 

attack, reported the DPA news agency. 

"Jan Ullrich was admitted to a psychiatric 

hospital on Friday night where his state of 

health is being assessed by specialists," a 

Frankfurt police spokesperson told AFP on 

Saturday. 

"Due to his mental and physical state there 

was no other choice" but to transport him to 

a psychiatric unit by ambulance, the 

spokesperson said. 

Friday's incidents arose after the 1997 Tour 

de France champion had called on the 

services of a prostitute at the five-star Villa 

Kennedy Hotel in Frankfurt, Bild daily 

reported. But he then "attacked the 31-yearold 

escort lady in one of the hotel rooms after 

a dispute," prosecutors and police said in a 

joint statement. He put up a struggle as 

officers arrived to detain him, they said, 

noting that "the accused was likely under the 

influence of alcohol and drugs". 

"The accused is under investigation for 

attempted manslaughter and grievous bodily 

harm. Investigations are not over," they said, 

adding that the woman has given "extensive 

details on the attacks" while Ullrich has 

exerted his right to remain silent. 

Ullrich's run-in with the law came just a 

week after his 24-hour detention in Spain, 

where he had sought to force his way into the 

Mallorca home of his neighbour, German 

actor Til Schweiger, and threatened him. 

Ullrich's latest woes came just hours after 

he arrived back in Germany to seek therapy 

for his drink and drug habit following last 

week's scandal in Mallorca. 

The former cyclist's dramatic fall from 

grace came two decades after he became the 

only German to have won the Tour de 

France, in 1997. Born in former communist 

East Germany, Ullrich racked up his 

triumphs after reunification, turning him 

into a national hero. He later also won 

Olympic gold in Sydney in 2000, but failed 

to replicate his victory at the gruelling French 

race, finishing for several years behind US 

cyclist Lance Armstrong. 

Like Armstrong, who was subsequently 

stripped of all his seven Tour de France wins 

over doping, Ullrich was embroiled in 

allegations that he used performance 

boosting substances. 

The German was excluded from the 2006 

Tour de France over his links to the 

Operation Puerto scandal that centred on 

disgraced doctor Eufemiano Fuentes, who 

gave performance-enhancing blood 

transfusions to top cyclists. 

After retiring from cycling in 2007, Ullrich 

finally came clean in 2013 about his doping 

past. 

Since then, he has been struggling with 

drinking problems. 

In 2014, he injured two people in a car 

crash in Switzerland, and was charged with 

drink driving. He was convicted three years 

later over the case by a Swiss court. 

Sentenced to 21 months in prison, Ullrich 

was able to convert that into a suspended 

sentence of four years plus a fine of 10,000 

euros ($11,460). 

His addiction led to his separation from his 

wife Sara at the end of 2017, media reported, 

noting that she has since moved with their 

three sons to the Allgaeu region of southern 

Germany. 

Ullrich has a 15-year-old daughter from a 

previous relationship, with Gaby Weiss. 

Going into rehab had been a condition for 

him to be able to see his children again, 

Ullrich had said. 

Amid his latest woes, his former rival 

turned friend Armstrong offered his support 

earlier this week, according to Bild. 

Ullrich's lawyer Wolfgang Hoppe told the 

newspaper that Armstrong said he was 

"ready to immediately get into a plane with 

his doctor and come to Europe" to help the 

German.Armstrong "said that the cycling 

community must hold together. But that 

what's most important is that Jan first allows 

himself to be helped," said Hoppe, 

recounting a telephone conversation with 

the disgraced US cyclist. 

Girls upbeat 

to win against 

Nepal 

Sports Desk: Bangladesh 

U-15 national women's 

football midfielder 

Nilufer Yesmeen 

expressed her high hope 

on winning their second 

group match against 

Nepal, the comparatively 

stronger side than 

Pakistan, according to a 

message received here 

from Bangladesh Football 

Federation yesterday, 

reports BSS. 

"We will play our best 

against Nepal in next 

match …. Nepal is better 

team than Pakistan but if 

we play our game like the 

first match, we will 

definitely win the match 

against Nepal, said 

Nilufer. 

The women's team had 

their over two hours 

training 

at 

Changlimithan Stadium 

Thimpu, Bhutan under 

the head coach Golam 

Rabbani Choton and 

technical 

and 

strategically director Paul 

Thomas Smalley ahead of 

the second match. 

In the practice session 

everybody is serious 

about the second coach 

Choton tried again to 

motivate the team to win 

the match against Nepal 

scheduled to be held on 

August 13 at 

Changlimithan Stadium 

Bhutan. All the booters 

are physically fine and fit 

and very serious to win 

their next match. 

A meeting will be held 

this evening at the 

meeting room of Ariya 

Hotel, where Bangladesh 

team is staying.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS 

BANGLADESHTODAY 10 

THE 

SUnDAY, AUgUST 11, 2018 

Mercantile Bank-Abdul Jalil Education 

Scholarship -2017 Awarded 

229 students of Dhaka Division have 

been awarded with the "Mercantile 

Bank-Abdul Jalil Education 

Scholarship- 2017" at a ceremony 

organized at FARS Hotel & Resorts in 

the capital on Saturday (11/08/2018). 

The Governor of Bangladesh Bank 

Fazle Kabir was present on the 

occasion as the chief guest and Bank's 

Chairman A.K.M. Shaheed Reza was 

the special guest. The chief guest 

handed the cheques and the 

certificates of the scholarship to the 

229 students among whom there were 

29 autistic and physically challenged 

students, 50 JSC students, 33 SSC 

students, 67 HSC students & 50 

students in DMP quota. Shahidul 

Ahsan, Chairman of Mercantile Bank 

US core inflation 

rises at fastest 

pace in a decade 

U.S. core inflation in July 

rose by the fastest pace in a 

decade, keeping the Federal 

Reserve on track to 

gradually increase interest 

rates, the Labor Department 

reported on Friday. 

The consumer price index 

(CPI) in July increased 0.2 

percent from a month earlier 

and 2.9 percent from a year 

ago, matching market 

expectations. But excluding 

the volatile food and energy 

components, the so-called 

core CPI rose 2.4 percent 

from a year earlier, the 

biggest jump since 

September 2008, according 

to the department. 

Fed officials see core 

inflation as a more reliable 

gauge of underlying price 

pressures. As the U.S. labor 

market moves close to full 

employment and the Trump 

administration's new tariffs 

against imports pushes up 

raw material costs, U.S. 

inflation pressures will 

continue to build up, 

analysts said. 

The Fed in June increased 

interest rates for the second 

time this year, and penciled 

in two more rate hikes for 

the year. Most market 

participants expected the 

central bank to raise rates 

again in September and 

December. 

Foundation, presided over the 

program andBank's Managing 

Director & CEO Kazi Masihur Rahman 

delivered the welcome speech on the 

occasion, a press release said. 

In his speech, the chief guestadvised 

thestudents to prepare themselves as 

responsible citizen to serve the nation 

through proper education and 

perseverance. He admired Mercantile 

Bank's CSR activities. 

Dr. Mahmood Osman Imam, 

Chairman, Audit Committee; Akram 

Hossain (Humayun, Mosharref 

Hossain & Dr. Md. Rahmat Ullah 

Directors;andM A Khan Belal, 

Honorable Shareholderswere present 

in the ceremony. A.K.M. Shaheed 

Reza, as the special guest, thanked the 

EY looks to China's upcoming 

import expo to expand business 

The first China 

International Import Expo 

(CIIE) will be hosted in 

Shanghai from Nov. 5 to 10. 

A growing number of 

multinational firms said 

they would use the expo to 

strengthen their brand and 

expand their business. 

Next year's CIIE is now 

accepting reservations, and 

accounting firm EY has 

already confirmed 

participation in the second 

CIIE. 

The CIIE, the world's first 

import-themed nationallevel 

expo, is expected to 

bring together thousands of 

enterprises from more than 

130 countries and regions. 

The first CIIE commercial 

exhibition will include trade 

in goods and services. The 

section of trade in services 

comprises emerging 

technologies, service 

outsourcing, creative 

design, culture and 

education, tourism, 

logistics, 

and 

comprehensive services. EY 

has secured a 72-squaremeter 

exhibition area. 

EY employs 18,000 

people in more than 20 

cities in China. "It is a wellknown 

company, but many 

participants of CIIE may 

not know the full range of 

our services. During CIIE, 

we plan to present a 

different image of EY," said 

Walter Tong, EY Greater 

China Key Accounts 

Leader, in an interview 

with Xinhua. 

To embrace the digital 

future, EY launched its first 

China innovation hub 

called Wavespace in 

Shanghai last month, 

which is a highly connected 

global network that 

provides new business 

solutions through a digital 

experience. 

"We'll bring our most 

innovative services 

containing high-tech 

elements from our 

innovation hub such as 

artificial intelligence, 

robotics, and blockchain 

technology to CIIE, in 

addition to traditional 

services like tax or 

advisory," Tong said. 

Given the fact that more 

than 2,800 companies have 

confirmed participation in 

the first CIIE and more 

than 150,000 domestic and 

international buyers are 

expected to attend, Tong 

believes the meaning of 

CIIE is collaboration and 

cooperation among 

meritorious students and their parents. 

He also committed to continue the 

Bank's CSR efforts and to increase the 

funding in this area. 

Bank's Managing Director & CEO 

Kazi Masihur Rahman said that 

Mercantile Bank Ltd awarded the 

education scholarshiptoday to 229 

students as part of the CSR activities of 

the Bank. He also stated that 1200 

students from all over the country 

awarding with Tk.1,70,00,000.00 as 

scholarship this year. 

AMDs, DMDs and senior executives 

of the Bank,students and guardians, 

journalists from press and electronic 

media along with other reputed 

persons were also present in the 

program. 

companies, governments, 

and people around the 

world. "It's a win-win-win 

event for everyone," he said. 

"Another expectation is 

to get to know more smalland 

medium-sized 

enterprises (SMEs) during 

the event. We want to build 

relationships with 

companies when they are 

small because when they 

become big, it will be too 

late," Tong noted. 

According to the CIIE 

Bureau, exhibitor 

enthusiasm has been 

beyond expectations and 

the booth area for 

businesses has been fully 

booked. More than 40 

companies 

and 

institutions, including the 

Japanese manufacturing 

company Nachi-Fujikoshi 

Corp., which was the first to 

sign up for this year's CIIE, 

have also signed up for the 

second CIIE. 

"We want to express our 

confidence that CIIE will be 

a very successful event, so 

we want to make sure we'll 

have the chance and space 

next year. The EY booth 

next year will be as exciting 

and as innovative as this 

year," Tong said. 

Erdogan warns 

Turkey's 

partnership with 

US 'in jeopardy' 

President Recep Tayyip 

Erdogan said Turkey's 

partnership with the United 

States may be in jeopardy as 

ties strain, warning Ankara 

could start looking for new 

allies, in an op-ed published 

in the New York Times on 

Saturday. 

Relations between the two 

NATO allies have sunk to 

their lowest point in decades 

over a number of issues 

including the detention of 

US pastor Andrew Brunson 

on terror-related charges, 

prompting the Turkish lira 

to hit record lows against the 

dollar. The embattled lira 

tumbled 16 percent against 

the dollar on Friday, with US 

President Donald Trump 

saying he had doubled steel 

and aluminium tariffs on 

Turkey in comments that 

contributed to the currency's 

further slide. 

In the New York Times, 

Erdogan warned 

Washington not to risk 

relations with Ankara, 

saying otherwise his country 

would look for "new friends 

and allies". 

"Unless the United States 

starts respecting Turkey's 

sovereignty and proves that 

it understands the dangers 

that our nation faces, our 

partnership could be in 

jeopardy," he wrote. 

"Before it is too late, 

Washington must give up 

the misguided notion that 

our relationship can be 

asymmetrical and come to 

terms with the fact that 

Turkey has alternatives," he 

said. 

"Failure to reverse this 

trend of unilateralism and 

disrespect will require us to 

start looking for new friends 

and allies." 

Turkey's lira crisis: 

How bad can it get? 

Three, four, five, six… 

What next? Turks have over 

the last half decade counted 

the rapid depreciation of the 

Turkish lira on the screens 

outside doviz (exchange) 

booths with a mixture of 

bewilderment, alarm and 

ironic amusement. 

The currency had spent 

much of 2014 hovering at 

just over two to the dollar 

but broke through the three 

mark for the first time after 

the 2016 failed coup bid and 

then slid to four earlier this 

year. 

But the haemorrhaging 

reached an unprecedented 

intensity in the last weeks as 

Turkey's ties with the United 

States strained further and 

markets questioned their 

trust in Turkish 

policymakers, pushing the 

currency to five against the 

dollar. 

A new bout of selling 

Friday on increased strains 

with the US forced the lira 

over six against the dollar for 

the first time, with the 

currency at one point 

shredding a quarter of its 

value in a single day. 

Economists say that while 

the government may be 

tempted to muddle through 

the current situation in the 

hope the external and 

economic background 

improves, the lira's fall 

harbours considerable 

dangers for the economy, in 

particular the banking 

system. 

President Recep Tayyip 

Erdogan's current dash for 

growth coupled with 

u n o r t h o d o x 

pronouncements on 

monetary policy - including 

that lower rates can bring 

down inflation - have put 

him on a collision course 

with markets. 

The central bank, 

nominally independent but 

never defying Erdogan, 

appears to have abandoned 

the conventional monetary 

policy of using rates hikes as 

a tool to support the 

currency and bring down 

inflation. 

Erdogan's "tight grip" on 

the central bank and the fact 

"higher interest rates do no 

fit with Turkey's economic 

growth strategy" meant that 

the central bank has kept 

interest rates on hold, Nora 

Neuteboom, economist at 

ABN Amro, told AFP. 

"Erdogan's aim is to 

improve the economic 

position of households," she 

said, adding the government 

wanted to "keep the music 

playing" even as external 

and internal imbalances 

grow. 

After his June 24 election 

victory, Erdogan put his sonin-law 

Berat Albayrak in 

charge of a newly expanded 

finance ministry while a new 

presidential system did away 

with the office of prime 

minister, whose last 

incumbent Binali Yildirim 

had on occasion urged 

caution in economic policy. 

The new system also 

increased Erdogan's control 

over the central bank, which 

on July 24 baffled markets 

by leaving rates unchanged 

despite inflation that in July 

came in at 15.85 percent. 

"The markets have lost 

confidence in the 

triumvirate of President 

Erdogan, his son-in-law as 

finance minister and the 

Turkish Central Bank's 

ability to act as it needs to," 

said Charles Robertson, 

global chief economist at 

Renaissance Capital. 

According to the Capital 

Economics consultancy, the 

plunge in the lira risks 

putting further pressure on 

the banking sector in Turkey 

due to the scale of the credit 

boom and one third of bank 

lending being denominated 

in foreign currencies. 

"If some of these 

vulnerabilities crystalize 

they could tip the economy 

into a full blown crisis," said 

its economist Yasemin 

Engin. US investment bank 

Goldman Sachs alarmed 

investors with an 

assessment that a further 

drop in the lira to 7.1 to the 

dollar "could largely erode" 

the excess capital of Turkish 

banks. 

The issue has also largely 

stayed off the front pages of 

mainstream Turkish 

newspapers, where critical 

Turkish economists are 

given little space, leaving 

social media as the main 

forum of debate. 

"The pro-government 

media is diverting attention 

by showing movies and 

series," complained Mustafa 

outside an exchange booth 

close to Istanbul's Grand 

Bazaar. 

The external value of the 

lira is not a prime concern of 

Erdogan's core 

supporters, many of 

whom have no plans for 

foreign holidays and 

readilySingapore retail sales 

grow 2 pct year-on-year in 

June. 

The photo shows that Md. Rayhan, chief marketing officer of Walton Plaza Sales and 

Development Department, is handing over the key of a brand new car to the winner Titu Miah 

in front of the Walton Plaza Pirgonj branch on Saturday . 


Walton Eid Mega Digital Campaign 

Rangpur farmer Titu gets new car 

by buying fridge at installment 

A claim settlement ceremony held on recently in Insurance Development & Regulatory 

Authority (IDRA)'s Conference Room to handover Pay Order amounting to Tk. 99, 82,324/- to 

M/s. The ACME Laboratories Ltd. by Federal Insurance Co. Ltd. in front of IDRA Chairman Md. 

Shafiqur Rahman Patwary, Bangladesh Insurance Association's President Sheikh Kabir 

Hossain and A M M Mohiuddin Chowdhury, Managing Director, Federal Insurance against 

Fire Insurance Claim. Borhanuddin Ahmed, member and Dr. Sheikh Mohd. Rezaul Islam, 

Executive Director, Dr. Md. Bashirul Alam, Director and officials of IDRA, Kazi Shakawat 

Hossain, AMD, Md. Mohibullah, EVP & Sheikh Mohammad Anwar Uddin, Company Secretary 

with senior officials of Federal Insurance & Tushar Kanti Kundu, Head of HR, Md. Rafiqul 

Islam, Company Secretary of The ACME Laboratories Ltd. were present the occasion. 

Journalists of print & Electronic media were also present. 


This time Titu Miah, a farmer of 

Garaber Village of Pirgonj Thana under 

Rangpur District, got a brand new car 

by purchasing a Walton brand 

refrigerator at installment, says a press 

release. 

A total of three customers- a member 

of Bangladesh Police Aradhan Chandra 

Shaha, a housewife of Chattagram 

District Shima Shill and a farmer of 

Rangpur District Titu Miah, have been 

received brand new cars by purchasing 

and registering refrigerators from the 

inception of nationwide 'Walton Eid 

Mega Digital Campaign' on July 1, 2018. 

Under the campaign, customers are 

offered free brand new cars, 

motorcycles, fridge, air-conditioners 

and many other sorts of electronics and 

electrical appliances or sure cash-back 

on the purchase of Walton fridge, airconditioners, 

televisions and electric 

fans from any Walton Plaza or 

distributor outlets. The offer can be 

enjoyed till the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha 

or Qurbani Eid. 

On Wednesday last (August 8), Titu 

Miha purchased an11 cft refrigerator 

worth of Tk 26,700, a gas stove and a 

stabilizer from the Pirgonj branch of 

Walton Plaza. Among the total 

payments of his purchased items, Titu 

paid Tk 16,000 and the rest amount will 

be paid at three installments. Then, he 

registered the purchased refrigerator 

through sending SMS from his mobile 

phone. Few minutes later, he received a 

return SMS from Walton and was 

informed that he got a brand new car 

for the purchase and registration of a 

refrigerator of the local company. 

While showing reaction, Titu Miah 

said, "Getting a new car from the 

purchase of Walton refrigerator at 

installment is seemed to be a dream. 

How much happy I am- could not be 

explained. While I read out the return 

SMS of getting brand new car, I 

became soundless and could not utter 

any word for a while. I have never seen 

the dream of having a car as I am 

hardly managed my family expenses 

through farming." 

While showing the reason of buying a 

refrigerator, Titu Miah said that his 5- 

year old son is fond of ice-cream and 

thus he daily demanded it. As it is not 

possible for him to buy ice-cream daily 

for his son, he bought a refrigerator for 

meeting his son's demand with the 

homemade ice-cream. 

Md. Rayhan, chief marketing officer 

of Walton Plaza Sales and Development 

Department, handed over the key of the 

brand new car to Titu Miah in front of 

the Walton Plaza Pirgonj branch on 

Saturday (August 11, 2018). 

The car giving ceremony was 

attended, among others, by Md. Rezaul 

Karim, officer in-charge of Pirgonj 

Thana, Firoj Alam, first senior director 

of Walton Group, Rakibul Hossain 

Ahmed, deputy Dirctor of Walton, 

Milton Ahmed, senior assistant director 

of Walton, Razib Kumar Das, area 

manager of Walton and Sujayet 

Hossain, manager of Pirgonj Walton 

Plaza.

MISCELLANEOUS 

SUNDAY, AUGUSt 12, 2018 

11 

Prosecutors seek to 

lift Guatemala 

president's immunity 

Guatemalan prosecutors and a United 

Nations-backed anti-graft commission 

sought for a third time Friday to have President 

Jimmy Morales' immunity of office lifted 

so they can investigate him for possible 

illicit electoral financing. 

Maria Consuelo Porras, chief prosecutor 

and head of the Public Ministry, said the 

request was in relation to Morales' time as 

secretary-general of his political party, 

before his election in 2016. 

Morales, who is suspected of receiving at 

least $1 million in undeclared campaign contributions 

from business interests in 2015, 

has denied wrongdoing in the past and said 

attempts to investigate him are politically 

motivated. 

In a statement, his office said the president 

respects the rule of law and "reiterates his 

commitment to institutions in the country, 

GD-1008/18 (15 x 3) 

to legal order and due process." 

Twice last year prosecutors tried without 

success to have the president's immunity 

lifted. The first time, the Supreme Court 

allowed the request to progress to the congress 

where there were not sufficient votes 

to lift Morales' immunity. The second 

time, the court did not allow it to progress 

that far. 

Those attempts happened on the watch of 

then-chief prosecutor Thelma Aldana, who 

was internationally recognized for her 

aggressive anti-corruption investigations in 

tandem with the U.N. commission, known as 

Cicig for its initials in Spanish. 

The new request comes under the leadership 

of Porras, who was chosen by Morales to 

replace Aldana. 

She said it was based on newly discovered 

evidence in the case. 

Dbœq‡bi MYZš¿ 

†kL nvwmbvi g~jgš¿ 

HRSS for 

united efforts 

to protect 

human rights 

TBT DESK 

Nur Khan Liton, chief 

advisor of Human Rights 

Support Society (HRSS), 

urged the law enforcement 

agencies along with the 

youth society to come 

forward to protect human 

rights spontaneously. 

He also said it is possible 

to build a beautiful golden 

Bangladesh through united 

efforts of all. 

The former executive 

director of Ain O Salish 

Kendra (ASK) recently said 

this while speaking at the 

4th Human Rights 

Conference'18 held at 

Shaheed Shafiur Rahman 

Auditorium of the Supreme 

Court Bar Council. 

"Country's overall human 

rights situation would have 

deteriorated further, If the 

basic and constitutional 

rights of the people are not 

ensured through controlling 

the law and order situation. 

So, the law enforcement 

agencies need to work more 

carefully on this matter," 

Nur Khan said. 

The conference was 

chaired by HRSS executive 

director Nazmul Hassan 

while conducted by the 

organisation's research 

analyst Omar Faruk. 

Bodies, wreckage 

will not be recovered 

in Alaska crash 

The National Park Service 

has ended attempts to recover 

bodies and wreckage of a 

small airplane that crashed 

on a near-vertical mountain 

within Alaska's Denali 

National Park. The agency 

says it has determined that 

recovery of the bodies and 

the aircraft would exceed an 

acceptable level of risk. 

A ranger hauled in with a 

line below a helicopter 

reached the crash site Friday 

and spent an hour at the site. 

The ranger confirmed that 

all five people on board the 

airplane had died. 

The de Havilland Beaver 

operated by K2 Aviation 

crashed Aug. 4 near the 

summit of Thunder Mountain 

about 14 miles (22.5 

kilometers) southwest of the 

summit of Denali, North 

America's highest mountain. 

On board were pilot Craig 

Layson and four passengers 

from Poland. 

Monsanto to 

appeal $289 

million verdict 

Monsanto Co. says it will 

appeal a $289 million verdict 

a San Francisco jury ordered 

it to pay a former 

groundskeeper who claimed 

the company's weed killer 

contributed to his terminal 

cancer. Company spokesman 

Scott Partridge said Friday 

that Monsanto sympathizes 

with Dewayne Johnson and 

his family. But Partridge said 

hundreds of scientific studies 

and government agencies 

have concluded that its 

Roundup weed killer doesn't 

cause cancer. 

The St. Louis-based company 

is facing about 2,000 similar 

lawsuits across the country. 

Dewayne Johnson's attorney, 

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., 

says the San Francisco verdict 

should bolster the chances of 

the other lawsuits. 

Judge rules 

against 3rd trial 

for US agent in 

fatal shooting 

A U.S. judge in Hawaii says a 

federal agent can't be tried a 

third time for shooting and 

killing a man in a Waikiki 

McDonald's restaurant. 

U.S. District Judge Derrick 

Watson ruled Friday that 

Hawaii prosecutors may not 

proceed with a retrial 

against U.S. State Department 

Special Agent Christopher 

Deedy. Watson's ruling 

directs Hawaii officials to 

dismiss the case against 

Deedy and release him from 

his bail conditions. 

A 2013 murder trial ended 

in a hung jury. A second jury 

in 2013 acquitted him of 

murder but deadlocked on 

manslaughter. 

On Saturday Capital Region, Bangladesh Girl Guides Association organized 30th Regional Council 

Session-2018 at Guide House, New Baily road, Dhaka. 


Fishermen of Lake 

Chad cursed by Boko 

Haram conflict 

The fishermen of Lake Chad must sail in 

secret, forced to evade both Boko Haram 

jihadists and Nigeria's military in a 

desperate dance that has strangled 

livelihoods and caused scarcity of a oncestaple 

food. 

While in the past boats slid across the 

vast waters unhindered, sustaining a 

vibrant fishing industry in northeastern 

Nigeria, years of bloody Boko Haram 

militancy has deeply scarred the region. 

And despite a brief return to stability 

earlier this year, the fishermen have 

become ensnared in a fresh Nigerian 

army counterinsurgency operation 

against the jihadists in and around the 

lake launched in May. 

For Aminu Mohammed, that means "no 

fishing, no selling fish," until the end of 

August, the date when "Operation Last 

Hold" is set to end. 

But he goes anyway, forced to disregard 

the rules - and risk encountering the 

jihadists - in order to survive and feed his 

six children. The danger is immense. 

"Boko Haram lurks on the lake and 

when they do not kill us they take 10,000 

naira ($27, 23 euros) to allow us to fish," 

the 45-year-old told AFP. 

There is also a threat of arrest by the 

Nigerian army, who have detained 

fishermen in the region and accused them 

of financing the jihadists by paying them 

taxes. 

The once-teeming fish market at 

Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state and 

major trading hub some 200 kilometres 

(125 miles) from Lake Chad, looks 

abandoned after nine years of bloody 

conflict. 

Most stalls are empty, their owners, 

Hausa and Kanuri traders who have made 

their fortune there for centuries, have left 

to buy fish at the Cameroon border. 

Yakubu Dangombe is one of the few to 

remain, yet business has never been 

GD-1009/18 (6 x 4) 

harder. 

Dangombe said he had two million 

naira of fish stuck on the road in Baga, the 

main fishing hub on the Nigerian side of 

the lake, blocked by soldiers. 

"I have 35 children, I can't feed them or 

pay school fees, it's a disaster," says the 

once rich trader. 

To avoid the military, traders smuggle 

the fish into Maiduguri by road in bundles 

of 10 or 30 kilograms stashed in cars and 

"under travellers' suitcases", said a 

salesman under condition of anonymity. 

Still, not enough fish gets in to meet 

demand. 

The shortage has caused a dramatic 

spike in fish prices: one pile (seven or 

eight fish) has surged in the past three 

months from 4,000 to 10,000 naira. 

So customers have turned to other 

sources of protein. 

In a large yard where men use jerry cans 

to smoke tilapia and perch, there are 

some new additions to the menu: monitor 

lizards and cats. 

Prior to the conflict, fishing was one of 

the region's largest sources of income and 

employment. 

The industry produced up to 100,000 

tonnes of fish annually and was valued at 

as much as $220 million at its peak, 

according to the Food and Agriculture 

Organization of the United Nations. 

More than 200 trucks would leave Baga 

to supply markets all over the country, 

reaching as far as Lagos and Port 

Harcourt, Nigeria's southern megacities. 

Not anymore. According to the fishing 

union in Borno, more than 200 fishing 

towns have been razed by the jihadists 

since 2009 in their ruthless quest to 

establish an Islamic state. 

At the peak of the insurgency between 

2013 and 2014 when Boko Haram 

reigned supreme over the lake - which is 

bordered by Nigeria, Chad and Niger 

Nifty snaps five-day 

winning streak, 

down 41 points 

The NSE benchmark Nifty 

snapped five-day recordsetting 

rally, down 41 points 

following selling pressure 

mainly in bank, metal, 

pharma and energy sectors 

amid lacklustre global cues. 

However, gains in IT, 

FMCG and auto sectors 

capped losses to some extent. 

Overseas, European shares 

were trading lower as 

investors reacted to 

corporate earnings, fresh 

turmoil for Turkey and 

continued fears of a trade 

war between the US and 

China. Most Asian stock 

markets dropped as trade 

and broader geopolitical 

concerns continue to weigh 

over investor sentiment. 

The NSE Nifty lost 41.20 

points, or 0.36 per cent, to 

finish at 11,429.50. It had 

ended at a record high of 

11,470.70 yesterday. The 

Nifty had gained by 226.00 

points or 1.99 per cent in its 

previous five days. 

It saw an intra-day 

movement of about 59.10 

points. 

On the sectoral front, PSU 

bank stocks fell by 3.80 per 

cent followed by metal 1.91 

per cent, pharma 1.21 per 

cent, energy 0.75 per cent, 

bank 0.69 per cent, media 

0.67 per cent and financial 

service 0.59 per cent. 

However, IT rose by 0.52 

per cent, FMCG 0.31 per cent 

and auto 0.24 per cent. 

Major index gainers were 

Eicher Motors, BPCL, Hind 

Petro, M&M and Hero 

Motoco. 

Losers were SBI, GAIL, 

Sun Pharma, Tata Motors 

and Vedanta. 

The market breadth, 

indicating its overall health, 

was in favour of losers. On 

the NSE, 622 stocks 

advanced, 1,183 declined and 

88 remained unchanged. 

Dbœq‡bi MYZš¿ 

†kL nvwmbvi g~jgš¿

UNITING PEOPLE EVERYDAY 

SUndAy, dHAKA, AUGUSt 12, 2018, SrABAn 28, 1425 BS, ZIlqAd 29, 1439 HIjrI 

Marking upcoming Eid Ul Adha, the old launch being renewed by an painter. 

Shimulia-Kanthalbari 

ferry services suspended 

for poor navigability 

MUNSHIGANJ : Ferry services 

on Shimulia-Kanthalbari 

route of the Padma River 

under Lauhajang upazila were 

suspended on Saturday afternoon 

due to poor navigability, 

reports UNB. 

Bangladesh Inland Water 

Transport Corporation 

(BIWTC) suspended the ferry 

services around 5pm as it 

became impossible to ply ferries 

on the route, its Assistant 

General Manager Khandaker 

Shah Khaled Newaz said. 

He said the channel has now 

only 5 feet water whereas it 

requires a depth of 7-8 feet. 

Mentioning that dredging 

work is underway in the river 

to bring back the navigability, 

Newaz said they are not sure 

when the channel will be fit for 

the ferry services again. 

He said they have requested 

the vehicles to use alternative 

Paturia-Daulatdia route. 

The BIWTC official also said 

they were sending four ferries, 

including three Ro-Ro ones, to 

Paturia from Shimulia. 

Over 500 vehicles remained 

stuck at both sides of the route, 

creating long tailbacks and 

causing sufferings to hundreds 

of passengers. 

China’s Ready-Made 

Urban Forests 

INTERESTING NEWS 

Since the past few years, the Chinese government 

has been planting thousands of 

trees in cities across the country hoping to 

create an urban forest that would fight pollution 

as well as bring shade to public 

spaces. The effort is laudable, but if you are 

to investigate the origin of some of these 

trees, you’ll discover a disturbing process. A 

large number of these trees were not grown 

in their current urban location, but were 

relocated as mature trees from rural areas. 

“The whole concept of trying to be green 

is being abused,” says Chinese photographer 

Yan Wang Preston, who uncovered 

the disconcerting trend more than five 

years ago while working on a project to 

photograph the entire length of the Yangtze 

river at 100 km intervals. 

In March 2013, Preston had stopped 

at a tiny village called Xialiu in Yunnan 

Province, where she noticed a beautiful 

300-years-old ficus tree. The village was 

scheduled to be demolished because a 

dam was being built nearby. So Preston 

began photographing the village to document 

as much as possible before they 

are gone. Three months later when 

Preston returned to Xialiu she found the 

entire village flattened. Not only the 

houses were gone but even the trees 

were missing. Preston learned from the 

villagers who had relocated to higher 

ground that all the old trees in the village 

had been sold for the equivalent of about 

£10,000. 


Bangladesh to compete in int'l robotic 

challenge in Mexico Aug 15-18 

DHAKA : A five-member 

team of adolescent girls and 

boys will take part in the 

international robotics competition 

titled 'First Global 

Challenge' to be held in 

Mexico City, capital of 

Mexico from August 15 to 

18, reports UNB. 

The team will leave here 

on Sunday to join the event 

where adolescents from 182 

countries are going to participate. 

The team members are 

Anahita Anoara, Laleh Naz 

Bergman Hossain, Sujoy 

Mahmud, Arman Khasru 

and Razeen Ali. 

They are all involved with 

Tech Academy, a social initiative 

of information and 

communication technology 

based in Dhaka. 

The Tech Academy representatives 

gave the details of 

the competition and the 

Bangladeshi team at a press 

conference on Saturday at 

the BRAC Centre in the capital. 

BRAC Bank, Apex, bKash 

and Microsoft are sponsors 

to the Bangladesh team's 

endeavour. 

Representatives from the 

sponsor organisations were 

also present at the event. 

The organisers said the 

'First Global Challenge' is a 

platform for the age group 

of 14-18 years who are 

actively working in technology 

innovation and development. 

For this year's competitors 

the USA National 

Academy of Engineering 

has set 14 'Grand challenge' 

based on the current year 

theme of the event 'Energy 

impact'. 

The central issues of this 

year's challenges are fuel 

plants, potentials of new 

fuel energy sources, integrated, 

powerful and sustainable 

fuel transmission 

systems. 

Founder of The Tech 

Academy Shams Jaber said 

once the world knew 

Bangladesh as the land of 

cyclones, flood and hunger. 

"Our participation in this 

competition will bridge us 

with other participating 

communities. On the other 

hand, it will bring an opportunity 

to present 

Bangladesh to the world in a 

new light. This participation 

is a reflection that our country 

had made long strides in 

technology, he said. 

Expressing her feelings as 

a participant in the competition, 

Anahita Anwara said 

they have given much more 

effort and labour than they 

did in the last year. 

"Besides our regular studies, 

we have spent huge time 

in preparing ourselves for 

the competition. Our preparation, 

planning and design 

are really good and so we 

are confident that we would 

do much better this time," 

she said. 

EC capable 

of holding 

fair polls: 

Ershad 

DHAKA : Jatiya Party 

chairman HM Ershad on 

Saturday said the current 

Election Commission, led by 

KM Nurul Huda, will be able 

to arrange the next general 

election in a fair and credible 

manner if a congenial atmosphere 

prevails. 

"We don't want any change 

in the Election Commission 

as we'd proposed his 

(Huda's) name, and he is a 

simple man. I think, he'll be 

able to hold a fair election if a 

congenial atmosphere is created 

in the days to come," he 

told a press conference. 

The press conference was 

arranged at the Institution of 

Diploma Engineers, 

Bangladesh over reaching an 

electoral negotiation with 

Khelafat Majlish. 

Ershad, a former military 

ruler, said his party is 

preparing to field candidates 

in 300 constituencies as it is 

uncertain whether BNP will 

join the next polls or not. 

He, however, hinted that 

their party will change their 

strategy if BNP joins the 

polls. "It's still not the right 

time to say with which party 

Jatiya Party will make the 

electoral alliance." 

The Jatiya Party chief said 

his party has become 

stronger with the understanding 

with Khelafat 

Majlish. "I'm happy you've 

reached an understanding 

with us. 

Case filed over 

incident of 

hitting Home 

Minister's car 

DHAKA : A case has been 

filed in connection with the 

incident of hitting the 

Home Minister's car in 

front of National Institute 

of Cardiovascular Diseases 

(NICVD) Sher-e-Bangla 

Nagar area in the capital on 


Traffic Inspector 

Ekhlasur Rahman filed the 

case against helper Manik 

and driver Ibrahim Khalil 

Emon with Sher-e Bangla 

Nagar Police Station 

around 11:45pm, said subinspector 

Yadul, a duty officer 

at the police station. 

A bus of New Vision 

Paribahan hit Home 

Minister Asaduzzaman 

Khan's car in front of 

NICVD around 8:45pm 

when he was coming out of 

the institute after visiting a 

patient, said the SI. 

The minister was unhurt 

but the rear side of the vehicle 

got damaged. 

Police later detained the 

driver and helper of the 

bus. 

The incident took place at 

a time when the Traffic 

Week, an annual programme 

of the Dhaka 

Metropolitan Police aiming 

to raise awareness and 

bring discipline in road 

transport, is underway. It 

was inaugurated by the 

minister on August 4. 

Meanwhile, police have 

taken legal actions against 

113,423 vehicles, realised 

fines amounting to around 

Tk 3.77 crore and seized 

3,544 vehicles in separate 

drives against traffic rules 

violators across the country 

in three days since the 

Traffic Week began on 

Sunday. 

DHAKA : The country is unlikely to 

face any shortage of cattle during the 

Eid-ul-Azha this year as the supply of 

locally-reared cattle is quite enough to 

meet the demand of sacrificial animals, 

said officials. 

According to the Fisheries and 

Livestock Ministry, there are now 1.16 

crore sacrificial animals in the country 

for the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha against 

last year's 1.04 crore, reports UNB. 

The ministry also said there are 44.57 

lakh sacrificial cattle and buffalos while 

71 lakh goats and sheep across the country. 

On the other hand, the number of 

healthy sacrificial cows and buffalos is 

29.20 lakh while that of goats and sheep 

is 18.26 lakh and the rest are unproductive 

animals. 

According to statistics provided by the 

ministry, Muslims across the country 

sacrificed some 1.15 crore cattle during 

last year's Eid-ul-Azha. 

Visiting different designated cattle 

markets in the city, the UNB correspondent 

found the works have started for 

establishing the cattle haat (market) and 

they said the supply of locally-reared cattle 

have been increasing for the last several 

years cutting dependence on neighbouring 

countries. 

They hoped that the supply of sacrificial 

animals will be adequate this year as 

in the past few years. 

Locals predict that even if cattle are not 

imported from India, it will leave no 

impact on the market this time for the 

supply of adequate sacrificial animals. 

Bangladesh Meat Merchants' 

Association (BMMA) is continuously 

working on cutting dependence and 

restricting the entry of Indian cows into 

the local market through different programmes. 

The leaders of the association 

informed that their campaign helped the 

local production grow. 

Once, BMMA says, cattle from India 

used to meet around 40 percent of the 

need for sacrificial animals during the 

Eid before the neighbouring country put 

restriction on cattle supply to 

Bangladesh. 

Dependence on cattle of India and 

Myanmar has been on the decline for the 

last few years, leaders of the association 

also said. 

Dr AK Fazlul Haque Bhuiyan, a professor 

of Department of Animal Breeding 

and Genetics of Bangladesh Agricultural 

University, told UNB that there is no 

doubt that local production will meet the 

demand of the sacrificial animals as local 

farmers are rearing huge cattle. Besides, 

the customers prefer the local ones during 

the Eid. 

He said inadequate cattle inflow from 

India for the past few years has paved the 

way for local farmers to rear cattle in 

huge number, which have been playing 

an important role in meeting the 

demand of cattle in the country. 

Shah Imran, General Secretary of 

Bangladesh Dairy Farmers' Association, 

told UNB that the number of the sacrificial 

animals in the country is higher than 

the demand. "So, there's no need to 

encourage the import." 

According to Border Guard 

Bangladesh (BGB), 3.15 lakh cattle 

entered the country from India from 

January to June this year. 

Dr Hiresh Ranjan Bhowmik, Director 

General of Department of Livestock 

Services (DLS), said they have already 

asked the authorities concerned to 

strengthen vigilance along the border to 

prevent the entry of cows from India. 

UNB correspondents from Jessore, 

Satkhira, Chapainawabganj, Kushtia, 

Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, Kurigram, 

Lalmonirhat, Cox's Bazar, Teknaf, 

Chuadanga, reported thatthe influx of 

cattle from across the border has drastically 

come down ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, 

thanks to enforced vigilance by BGB and 

BSF. 

The UNB correspondent at Benapole, a 

upazila of Jashore district, says the cattle 

influx from India through the border has 

come down compared to the last few 

years. 

Anjuman Ara Begum, customs revenue 

in-charge at Navaron Customs Corridor, 

said 5000-7000 cattle used to come 

from India via the Khatals (cowshed) of 

Putkhali corridor previously, but now 

the number has come down to 20-25 a 

day. 

On Saturday, students and local people formed a human chain demanding construction of new sluice 

as they are fearing communication scrap. 

Photo: Star mail 

Ex-minister's PS, 2 cops 

held in Ctg, Khulna for 

possessing drugs 

DHAKA : Seven people, including 

former Foreign Minister Morshed 

Khan's personal secretary and two 

policemen, have been arrested allegedly 

along with Phensidyl and Yaba 

tablets in Chattogram and Khulna, 

reports UNB. 

In Chattogram, police arrested 

Mosharraf Uddin, 43, PS to the former 

foreign minister, and his accomplice 

Khalil alias Ahmad Khalil, 41, along 

with 145 bottles of Phensidyl syrup 

from a private car in the city's 

Kadamtali area on Friday night. 

Officer-in-charge of Kotwali Police 

Station Mohammad Mohsin said a 

team of police signaled a private car at 

the BRTC intersection around 11pm. 

However, it sped away defying the 

signal, prompting the law enforcers to 

chase it. 

At one stage, they managed to catch 

the car and seized contraband 

Phensidyl syrup from it. 

They also arrested Mosharraf and 

Khalil in this regard. However, their 

Cattle shortage during 

Eid-ul-Azha unlikely 

other cohort Aminullah, 35, managed 

to flee. 

In primary interrogation, the duo 

confessed to their involvement in drug 

trading, the OC claimed. 

In Khulna, five people-Armed Police 

Battalion (APBn) assistant sub-inspector 

Abdullah Al Mamum, Criminal 

Investigation Department constable 

Sohanur Rahman and three officials of 

Sonali Jute Mills Ltd-were arrested 

along with 1,050 Yaba tablets and six 

bottles of Phensidyl syrup from the city 

on Saturday. 

Officer-in-charge of Khalispur Police 

Station Mosharraf Hossain said they 

arrested Mamun and Mehbub Bin 

Aftab from Aijar Mor around 12:45 pm 

along with 1,000 Yaba pills. 

Based on information provided by 

the duo, the law enforcers arrested 

Sohanur, Nahid Sheikh and Sohel Beg 

from Jogipol under Khanjahan Ali 

Police Station along with 50 Yaba pills 

and six bottles of Phensidyl, he said. 

Govt taking care of 

injured journos' 

treatment: Inu 

KUSHTIA : Information 

Minister Hasanul Haque Inu 

on Saturday said that the 

government has taken the 

responsibility of treatment of 

the journalists who were 

attacked during the recent 

student movement seeking 

safer roads, reports UNB. 

Inaugurating a tree fair at 

Bheramara upazila in the 

district, Inu, also President 

of the Jatiya Samajtantrik 

Dal (JSD) came up with the 

remarks. 

"The government totally 

agrees with the demands of 

journalists. We have talked 

with the Home Ministry 

about the legal steps against 

the attackers. The perpetrators 

will be arrested and 

brought under justice very 

soon", he said. 

"BNP-Jamaat has failed to 

turn their conspiracy into 

movement so their heart is 

burning. The government 

has been implementing the 

demands of students, so they 

can't fish in the troubled 

waters taking advantage of 

students' movement", he 

said. 

Acting Editor & Publisher : Jobaer Alam, Advisory Editor: Advocate Molla Mohammad Abu Kawser, Managing, Editor: Tapash Ray Sarker, News Editor : Saiful Islam, printed at Sonali Printing Press, 2/1/A, Arambagh 167, Inner Circular Road, Eden Complex, Motijheel, Dhaka. 

Editorial and News Office: K.K Bhaban (Level-04) 69/K, Green Road, Panthapath, Dhaka-1205. Tel : +8802-9611884, Cell : 01832166882; Email: Editor : editor@thebangladeshtoday.com, Advertisement: ads@thebangladeshtoday.com, News: newsbangla@thebangladeshtoday.com, contact@thebangladeshtoday.com, website: www.thebangladeshtoday.com

12-08-2018

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