Sudan killing with chem weapons Sudan killing with chem weapons

Sudan's government has carried out at least 30 likely chemical weapons attacks in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur since January using what two experts concluded was a probable blister agent, Amnesty International said yesterday.

The rights group estimated that up to 250 people may have died as a result of exposure to the chemical weapons agents.

The nearly 100-page report contains gruesome photographs of children suffering from apparent chemical burns, satellite images of destroyed villages and displaced people, interviews with __more than 200 survivors, and analysis by chemical weapons experts.

Amnesty said the attacks amount to "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity".

Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations, Omar Dahab, rejected the report as "baseless and fabricated".

Sudan joined the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1999 under which members agree to never use toxic arms.

The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons in the Hague, which oversees adherence to the treaty, said in a reaction it would examine the Amnesty report "and all other available relevant information."

Darfur has been engulfed in a deadly conflict since 2003 when ethnic minority groups took up arms against President Omar al-Bashir's Arab-dominated government, which launched a brutal counter-insurgency. Some 300,000 people have been killed while 4.4 million people need aid and over 2.5 million have been displaced since then.

SNAPSHOT SNAPSHOT

“Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones. 

And I will try to fix you.” — Coldplay, Fix You.

Sudan killing hundreds with chemical attacks Sudan killing hundreds with chemical attacks

Rights group Amnesty International yesterday accused Sudanese government forces of killing scores of civilians, including many children, in suspected chemical weapons attacks in a mountainous area of war-torn Darfur.

More than 30 such attacks are believed to have been carried out on several villages as part of a massive military campaign against rebels in Darfur's Jebel Marra between January and September, Amnesty said in a report.

The group said its investigation "has gathered horrific evidence of the repeated use of what are believed to be chemical weapons against civilians, including very young children, by Sudanese government forces in one of the most remote regions of Darfur over the past eight months".

"Between 200 and 250 people may have died as a result of exposure to the chemical weapons agents, with many or most being children," the report said.

Amnesty said government forces also carried out "indiscriminate bombing of civilians... unlawful killing of men, women and children and the abduction and rape of women" in Jebel Marra, home to Darfur's most fertile land.

Amnesty said the attacks amount to "war crimes" and "crimes against humanity".

The nearly 100-page report contains gruesome photographs of children suffering from apparent chemical burns, satellite images of destroyed villages and displaced people, interviews with __more than 200 survivors, and analysis by chemical weapons experts.

Amnesty said the attacks were part of a military operation against the rebel Sudan Liberation Army - Abdul Wahid (SLA/AW) group, which Khartoum accuses of ambushing military convoys and attacking civilians.

Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations, Omar Dahab, rejected the report as "baseless and fabricated".

Darfur has been engulfed in a deadly conflict since 2003 when ethnic minority groups took up arms against President Omar al-Bashir's Arab-dominated government, which launched a brutal counter-insurgency.

What is 'surgical strike'? What is 'surgical strike'?

Surgical strike is not a war or a call for it. These strikes are military operations undertaken by forces across the world to move on the offensive, hit enemy targets and installations, and return to primary positions - all with lightening speed and with the added precaution of suffering limited casualty. 

Surgical strikes require not just detailed and exhaustive planning but need to be carried out with absolute precision to achieve the objective of taking down targets with either no or minimal collateral damage.

Indian Army's took similar steps in June when it struck inside Myanmar and killed 38 Naga insurgents. Globally too, millitary forces of several nations rely on such operations to eliminate immediate threats when diplomatic and all other non-millitary channels do not bear fruit.

Source: Times of India, Dawn


“Some terrorist teams had positioned themselves at launchpads along the Line of Control. The Indian army conducted surgical strikes last night at these launchpads."

Lieutenant Ranbir Singh, director general of Indian military operations


"This was simply an episode of cross LoC fire that they [India] have been doing. Small arms and mortars were used in the fire, similar to what has been used before...we gave a befitting response."

Lt Gen Bajwa, 

director general of the Pakistani military's media wing

Colombia tipped for Nobel Prize Colombia tipped for Nobel Prize

A Colombian peace accord ending a half-century of war is widely tipped for the Nobel Peace Prize next week, returning the award to its roots after a run of wins for organisations including the European Union.

The prize might be shared by President Juan Manuel Santos and Marxist FARC rebel leader Timochenko - the nom de guerre of Rodrigo Londono - after they signed a deal on Sept. 26 to end a war that killed a quarter of a million people. "The agreement ... is one of the most obvious peace prize candidates I've ever seen," said Asle Sveen, a historian who tracks the awards.

Two electrocuted Two electrocuted

Two siblings died from electrocution at Jagonnathpur village in Gobindaganj upazila of the district yesterday.

The deceased were identified as Nurul Amin, 55, and his younger brother Nahid Hossan Mithu, 35, sons of Asgor Ali of the village.

Nurul Amin is headmaster of Dharma Girls' High School in the area and Nahid Hossain, an employee of Rangpur Sugar Mills.

Locals and family sources said, when Nahid was repairing a snapped wire in their residence at noon, he suddenly came in contact with a live electric wire.

At this, Nurul Amin came forward to rescue his younger brother and got electrocuted, they said.

The two brothers later died on the way to Bogra Medical College Hospital, said family members.

Riyadh could cut anti-terror ties with US Riyadh could cut anti-terror ties with US

Saudi Arabia could reduce valuable security and intelligence cooperation with longstanding ally Washington after a Congressional "stab in the back" allowing 9/11 victims to sue the kingdom, experts warn.

Cutting such cooperation is among the options available to Riyadh after Congress voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override President Barack Obama's veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).

"I'm afraid that this bill will have dire strategic implications" for the United States, Salman al-Ansari, the president of the Saudi American Public Relation Affairs Committee (SAPRAC), told AFP.

"This partnership has helped provide US authorities with accurate intelligence information" that helped stopped attacks, said Ansari, whose committee is a private initiative to strengthen Saudi-US ties.

JASTA allows attack survivors and relatives of terrorism victims to pursue cases against foreign governments in US federal court and to demand compensation if such governments are proven to bear some responsibility for attacks on US soil.

Saudi Arabia was home to 15 of the 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers who carried out the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States which killed nearly 3,000 people.

Riyadh denies any ties to the plotters.

The United States and Saudi Arabia have a decades-old relationship based on the exchange of American security for Saudi oil.

Ties between Riyadh and Washington became increasingly frayed under Obama, but analysts said security cooperation and intelligence sharing remained solid.

Whether that will continue, analysts said, is now a question.

"Saudi has been stabbed in the back by this unthoughtful and unrealistic bill," Ansari said. "How can you sue a country that is collaborating against the very same terrorism that they are baselessly being accused of?"

Mustafa Alani, a senior adviser to the Gulf Research Center, suggested a review of the Saudi-US alliance.

"Your financial investments have to be reduced in the US, your political and security cooperation has to be reduced," he said.

Commuters suffer most in Gaibandha Commuters suffer most in Gaibandha

The nine-kilometre-long road connecting Gaibandha town and Sadullapur upazila headquarters has become virtually unfit for vehicular moment due to lack of renovation for long.

The road has become awfully dilapidated, causing untold sufferings to thousands of commuters.

Motorised vehicles, three-wheelers and rickshaws have to move very slowly to avert accidents as large potholes have appeared on the road.

Despite repeated pleas, the authorities concerned are yet to take any steps to renovate the dilapidated road, said Nurunnabi, a resident of College Road area.

The situation worsens in the rainy season, as the road remains under knee-deep water for a long time.

Pedestrians, especially school going kids suffer the most as they have to wade through knee-deep water to attend their classes.

"I have to cross the road very carefully and slowly amid risk of accidents," said Shahidul Islam, a rickshaw puller of Hamindpur village.

Shamsuzzoha Ranga, president of Sadullapur Alokito Nagarik Parishad, said the road has been causing sufferings to thousands of commuters of several villages due to the negligence of the authorities concerned for nearly 10 years.

Sadullapur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Ahsan Habib said they would take immediate steps to repair the road.

Review meet postponed Review meet postponed

A crucial meeting, which was to have been chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday to review the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to Pakistan, has been postponed to next week.

The decision to review the MFN status had come in the wake of the deadly terror attack, blamed by India on Pakistan, on an Indian army camp in Jammu and Kashmir camp on September 18 which left 18 troops dead.

 After the attack, India has been weighing various options to isolate Pakistan, including reviewing the MFN status and the Indus river water-sharing treaty of 1960 with Pakistan.

Officials from Commerce and External Affairs ministries were to have attended yesterday's meeting on MFN status.

 India granted MFN status to Pakistan in 1996 but the latter is yet to reciprocate.

 According to sources, next week's meeting's may discuss the option of India dragging Pakistan to the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) dispute settlement mechanism for not according similar status to India.

Under MFN, a WTO member country is obliged to treat other trading nation in a non-discriminatory manner, especially with regard to customs duty and other levies.

In 2015-16, India's exports to Pakistan stood at $2.17 billion, while imports were $441 million.

 Instead of holding the MFN meeting, Modi yesterday presided a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on the prevailing tense situation along the de facto border with Pakistan.  It was attended, among others, by Defence and Home Ministers Manohar Parrikar and Rajnath Singh, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar and army chief Gen Dalbir Singh Suhag.

India on high alert India on high alert

India was on high alert yesterday fearing a Pakistani backlash after its military carried out surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the Line of Control (LoC).

Amid anger in India over a recent deadly assault on one of its army bases in Kashmir, officials said troops had conducted "surgical strikes" several kilometres inside the Pakistan-controlled side of the disputed territory to prevent attacks being planned on major Indian cities.

The strikes aimed at "neutralising the terrorists" had caused "multiple casualties", according to Indian officials.

As the tensions escalated, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reviewed his country's defence preparedness, holding talks with army chief Raheel Sharif and other top aides.

Raheel apprised the premier over the firing incidents at the LoC, the sources said, adding that the army chief told him that Indian claims of surgical strikes were "baseless". Sharif told the army chief that the entire nation had high morale and was committed to defend the motherland along with the armed forces.

Reports said Sharif has shown satisfaction on the level of preparedness of Pakistani armed forces to match any "provocation" by Indian security forces.

In India, Officials said the Border Security Force (BSF) has issued orders to all its units along international border in Jammu, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat to step up vigil and bolster their numbers at the posts by bringing in all personnel who are in the reserve.

The ceremonial beating retreat ceremony at Attari border has also been closed for public yesterday, officials said.

People living within 10km of the border with Pakistan in Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab have been asked to shift to safer places and schools ordered to be shut till further notice in the wake of surgical strike carried out by the Indian Army across the LoC.

Stepping up India's diplomatic offensive, foreign secretary S Jaishankar yesterday met envoys of 22 countries, including five permamanet members of the United Nations Security Council, and briefed them about the surgical strikes.

To mount international pressure on Pakistan, India has already opted out of the Saarc summit, which was to be held in Islamabad. After India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Afghanistan also followed suit, leading to postponement of the Saarc summit.

Meanwhile, Union home minister Rajnath Singh briefed leaders of major political parties on the situation. Singh chaired the hurriedly called all-party meet after DGMO Lt Gen Ranbir Singh announced that surgical strike on terror launch pads were conducted last night.

Smooth power supply demanded Smooth power supply demanded

Local people yesterday at a human chain programme demanded smooth power supply in Rangamati municipality.

Mayor of the municipality Akbar Hoassain Chodhury, President of Rangamati Press Club Rubel Hossain and Baktiyar Uddin, secretary of Red Crescent, Rangamati, spoke at the programme beside Rangamati-Chittagong highway in the town.

They urged the authorities for 12 megawatt of power for the area.

'Free PCP leader'

Meanwhile, leaders of Pahari Chhatra Parishad (PCP) central committee here at a protest rally demanded unconditional release and withdrawal of false cases against Bandarban PCP Information and Publication Secretary Bamong Ching Marma.

They later submitted a memorandum to the prime minister through deputy commissioner in this regard.

Police arrested Bamong Ching from his house on Tuesday.

Jubo League men kill BCL activist Jubo League men kill BCL activist

An activist of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) was stabbed to death and two others were injured allegedly by a group of local Jubo League men in Bogra town yesterday.

The deceased, Ibrahim Hossain Sabuj, 23, a master's final year student of Government Azizul Haque College, was an activist of the college unit of BCL and used to live at a student mess in the town.

The injured, Shiblu Mia, 21, and Bappi Mia, 32, were admitted to Bogra Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital (SZMCH).

Quoting locals, police said Sabuj slapped a rickshaw puller following an altercation over the fare in Fulbari area around 1:00pm.


Agitating BCL men take to the street at Satmatha intersection in Bogra town. Photo: Star

When a local youth protested the incident Sabuj engaged in a scuffle with him.

Hearing the news, a group led by Nuru Mia, an activist of the ward unit of Jubo League, went to the spot and stabbed three people including Sabuj with a knife.

Locals rescued the injured trio and took them to SZMCH where the doctors declared Sabuj dead.

Protesting the killing and demanding arrest of the killers, local BCL men vandalised several establishments and torched a motorbike before putting up a barricade at Satmatha intersection for an hour.

Bogra Senior Assistant Superintendent of Police Gaziur Rahman said the agitators removed the barricades after police assured them of taking action against the culprits.

TRENDING THIS WEEK TRENDING THIS WEEK

Premiere Responds!

A student from Patuakhali recently wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, requesting her to build a bridge on the river in Patuakhali's Mirzaganj upazila. His request came from his concern for the safety of his parents, as the river is quite turbulent and they have to travel through it very often. Many a life has been taken due to the unsafe route. The Prime Minister was quick to respond to the little boy's request and has assured him that she will take steps to fix the problem with the very bridge that he has asked for! 



Run-up to US Elections

For a very long time, the world has been eagerly watching who takes the seat as the next President of the United States. This decision is one that affects the entire world at the same time, as we have witnessed time and again. After Barack Obama had the seat for two terms in a row, it is time for all of us to get used to someone new. With no hope for Bernie Sanders, America's choices are Hillary Clinton and, of course, Donald Trump. Who will ultimately win the title is yet to be seen. But another thing everyone will keep a close watch on is how the decision will affect the Muslim world. 



Faridpur Miracle Baby

Minutes before her burial, after a doctor declared her dead, the newborn girl cried out and turned out to be alive. An anonymous businessman then sent a helicopter to bring the baby to Dhaka and be treated free of cost. The baby was brought to the capital on a helicopter along with her father, grandfather, and a nurse. The baby, later died on the 25th of September. Aftab Yusuf Raj, a consultant at the Neonatal Incentive Care Unit (NICU) of the hospital, confirmed her death to The Daily Star. The 23-week-old baby, who was named Galiba Hayat, weighed only 450 grams and had heart problems and infections, he said, adding that doctors tried their best to save her. The whole nation together mourned the death of this little angel. May her soul rest in peace. 

STAR DIARY STAR DIARY

Bitter Reality Of Poverty

As I was returning home, I got sad to see a special child, sitting on a wheel chair while a woman was pushing the wheelchair, and asking for alms. I was curious about the life of that child, so I enquired her that why she was not admitted to a school specialised for such children. Eventually I came to know that the woman who claimed to be her mother to the people, for sympathy, was not blood related to the child. Rather, she paid money to her parents, so that the woman could hire the special child for begging and earning. The woman also told me that every three months the child would receive government allowance of Tk 900, which is not enough. The child is denied proper medical treatment; she is not given a proper diet- as they want the girl's health to deteriorate further so that her parents could earn more. Later on, I met some other street children who shared the sad stories of their exploitation by their ''agents''. All of these children are exploited and are denied the basic rights of a citizen such as education, shelter, proper clothing, and food. I was hurt to know what I heard and witnessed and at the end of the day I realised how lucky we are to have good health and good lives.

Esaba Ahnaf

Maple Leaf International School, Dhaka


You have my book?

Whenever I lend a friend a book, I never get it back. I lent some books to a friend lately. When I finally got them back, to my surprise I found them badly marked. One came back covered in spices. I did not get two, because she told me, “they are somewhere. I am sure I will find them.” Later I discovered one of my other friends reading this book of mine that I lent to someone else. Without my permission, my books had been moving among her friend circle, her family and extended family. It makes my blood boil when people don't respect the fact that I lend people books because I want them to return those books. My friends have started calling me “kipta”, a miser, and they make me feel petty for asking for a book every time I see them. But I don't mind. Those are my books and I might want to read them again. Or just keep them with me forever. I don't mind people borrowing them, but please, make sure you return them.

Shahida Hassan 

Chittagong

Cops in recent anti-militant drives honoured by IGP Cops in recent anti-militant drives honoured by IGP

Police officials who took part in the recent anti-militant raids were honoured by Inspector General of Police AKM Shahidul Haque yesterday.

The ceremony was held at the Police Headquarters in the capital, said a press release.

The IGP commended the officials of Dhaka Metropolitan Police for successfully conducting the drives.

LIGHTCASTLE PARTNERS RANK BANGLADESH'S BUSINESS CONFIDENCE INDEX LIGHTCASTLE PARTNERS RANK BANGLADESH'S BUSINESS CONFIDENCE INDEX

The report was launched yesterday at The Daily Star, Strategic Partner of this initiative. Mamun Rashid, Managing Partner, PwC Bangladesh; Niaz Rahim, Group Director, Rahimafrooz; and Masrur Reaz, Program Manager, Trade & Competitiveness, IFC Bangladesh, spoke at the event.

The goal of the report is to quantify the prevalent business sentiments lending voice to the private sector business community, by aggregating their views in the form of a report. And this index is particularly interesting in the context of our country's shift towards a middle income status. 

The study aims to understand the factors that influence the business ecosystem through a collection of facts, figures and opinions of our business community. It presents the status quo, identifies the challenges confronting growth and recommends action items to lever up the index in the coming years.

METHODOLOGY

The Harmonised Expectation Indicator (HEI) method was used to process the index score. This factors in performance reviews for the foregone year, current situation and expectations for the upcoming year. Firm level representation was carefully selected to be reflective of the respective industries. Industry representation was organised to be proportional to their respective contribution to GDP. All surveys were fielded in June-July, 2016. 

IMPACT OF THE STUDY

Bangladesh's remarkable private sector growth over time has brought into limelight the significance of having a confidence index that plays an important role in investors' decision making framework for foraying new sectors or expanding existing ones. The BCI can potentially indicate conditions of current business environment, which will provide further clarity for both domestic and foreign investors. 

This will also serve as a manual for the business leaders to understand the underlying economic challenges and opportunities. With superior access to information, they can simplify their decision making process, plan better and execute timely to increase their foothold in their respective markets. Finally, the report will draw attention of the policy makers to put __more effort and resources into the most pressing areas as determined by the business leaders. 

KEY INSIGHTS

The sectors that have scored highly include Information Technology (92%), followed by Healthcare (67%), RMG (63%) and Financial Institutions (56%). Industry leaders have cited incremental growth in the export of high-value products, recent political stability and an increase in purchasing power as the main driving factors behind their positive outlooks. 

41% of the respondents have higher export expectations in the coming year thanks to the recent infrastructures development, while 43% opine export figures will remain unchanged due to power & gas shortages and inefficiencies in port management. In fact, 100% of the respondents cited energy shortages as a major deterrent to optimism. 

96% of the business leaders feel that there's a big skills gap in their workforce. Respondents feel that a stronger recruitment pipeline from universities, heavier investment on training and retaining workers and better education systems are required to solve this critical problem. More than 72% of the industry leaders feel confident that they will be able to create __more employment for the youth if the above tactics are effectively put into place.

Connecting academic research to commercial applications came up as strong recommendation from the business leaders. Many academic institutions are conducting cutting edge research across various sectors, noticeably in renewable energy and agriculture. However, many respondents complained that these R&D efforts often fail to reach the hands that could apply these concepts at scale. If universities and the private sector partner more often, then it could be a potential win-win situation for both parties. Universities will get more opportunities to finance their research while employers can apply these findings and simultaneously make deeper inroads in the recruitment pipeline.

The major problem areas cited by the industry leaders are employee incompetency (96%), absence of standardisation of regulatory bodies (73%), inefficient logistics (61%) and financing constraints (53%). Perhaps these sentiments can be best summed up in the words of one of the respondents, who said, “The optimism comes more due to the absence of darkness, rather than the presence of light.”

Industries that are deemed as the highest growth opportunities in the coming decade are: Power & Gas, Information Technology & Ready Made Garments. 

CONCLUSION

Industry leaders are not overwhelmingly optimistic regarding the economic performance for the coming year. However, they are not completely cynical either. They feel the optimism will increase if the following are considered: 

* Prioritising political stability and security;

Facilitating domestic and foreign investment in the manufacturing sector;

Increasing rewards and recognition in tax payments;

Incentives for export once domestic demand is met;

Greater connection between academic research with commercial applications.

Our country is at a crucial juncture where we can capitalise on the demographic dividend and strategic geographical position to become the next Asian Tiger. Therefore, identifying and analysing patterns in the macro-economy, taking the perspectives of business leaders over multiple periods will equip us with superior information, eventually leading to new avenues of opportunities in Bangladesh.

To learn more about the industry specific insights, you can download the report for free from LightCastle's report portal at: www.lightcastledata.com/drive.

Universities need courses on intelligence studies Universities need courses on intelligence studies

Speakers yesterday underscored the need for opening academic courses on intelligence and security issues in all universities of the country.

“The study of intelligence in civilian hands and universities is now a dire necessity because we've so much access to intelligence materials. The whole world of information revolution has made it necessary for us to offer alternate views on national security, to offer feedbacks on the question of diverse areas of intelligence,” said Mohammad Shahiduzzaman, professor of international relations at Dhaka University.

The professor was addressing the launching ceremony of a book titled "Intelligence, National Security and Foreign Policy: A South Asian Narrative" at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban of DU, jointly organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA) and DU's Department of International Relations.

Editor of the book, Dr ASM Ali Ashraf, associate professor of international relations at DU, said that although the linkage between intelligence, national security and foreign policy was widely debated in the western academia, there was hardly any public discussion of intelligence in South Asia.

The book addresses the prevailing knowledge gap by presenting a South Asian narrative, he said, and it would turn into an intelligence requirement for strategic decision makers in analysing complex issues of aviation, maritime and regional security cooperation. 

The 397 page book contains 23 chapters written by 23 authors of six countries on various aspects of intelligence and security in Bangladesh and South Asian regions.

Underscoring the need for intelligence studies, Prof Shahiduzzaman said, “Intelligence studies will now become a part of competition between the government and the civilian intellectual discourse and we will be __more capable of interacting freely and frankly.”

Editor of Strategic Affairs of The Daily Star Brig Gen (retd) Shahedul Anam Khan suggested bringing intelligence agencies under one umbrella and exercising oversight at all levels while maintaining secrecy for best output.

He also urged the government to assess the capacity of intelligence organisations and find loopholes in the system by evaluating the incidents of the last 20 years.

The book is priced at Tk 750.

'Nukes aren't showpieces' 'Nukes aren't showpieces'

Islamabad is open to using tactical devices — a reference to tactical nuclear weapons that Pakistan is believed to possess — against India if it feels its safety is threatened, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said in an interview to Pakistani TV channel SAMAA.

'Tactical weapons, our programmes that we have developed, they have been developed for our protection. We haven't kept the devices that we have just as showpieces. But if our safety is threatened, we will annihilate them (India)," Asif said in the interview, telecast on September 26.

He had made a similar comment on Geo TV on September 17, a day before the terrorist attack in Uri.

MAILBOX MAILBOX

Unexpected Tragedies during Eid

This year, at least 265 people were killed in 210 accidents on roads during Eid vacation. This is really shocking news for us. The number of road crashes and deaths on highways are increasing day by day. Our highways are safe no __more for long journey, especially during Eid and other holidays. Every year, scores of articles are published in newspapers on this issue but there is no sign of improvement. It seems that we are used to this type of news. Our government has failed to take necessary action. This is very embarrassing for common people. But this is also true that only the government is not responsible for this. We should take care of ourselves. We must be careful in choosing vehicles and should not encourage driver for risky overtaking because life is __more important than time.

Marshia Afrin

Mirpur, Dhaka

Leading a Life of Purpose

The article titled “Leading a Life of Purpose” dated September 9, 2016 revealed my heart's unspoken words. If you want to be successful in your life you must find out your purpose in life. Across the globe, hundreds of people are roaming around without setting up a purpose. That's why most of the people can't reach their expected destination. Proudly speaking, I was a delegate of the BYLC Youth Leadership Summit, 2016. I learnt from the summit how to connect with people from diversified background irrespective of sex, religion, caste and economic background. Secondly, it taught us how to collaborate with other in every sphere of life. As without collaboration the meaning of connection doesn't reflect any value. The final learning was from the summit is 'co-creation'. Being connected and having collaboration among each other, if we co-create, then we will be able to do something creative, something different and something better for the society in a speedy way. Finally, I would like to thank the BYLC authority for making the 'Leadership Summit' enjoyable and it made an opportunity for finding out our 'purpose in life'.

Arif Billah

University of Dhaka

The Need for Social Work

The article "The Need for Social Work" published on September 23, 2016 inspired me a lot. Poverty is the main cause of all hindrance for all development. If we want to mitigate poverty, we have to engage ourselves in social work. Otherwise it will not be possible for us to make a sustainable development in the country. It is found that social workers are playing an important role on bringing communities closer and changing their point of view and overall outlook about each other. In fact, the media needs to play a vital role in highlighting such kind of noble activities so that all could be inspired by seeing such kind of inspiring news and get engaged in social work. Our educational institutions should give more emphasis on social work. They can include some chapters or some practical community service based activities in their curricula. We should keep in mind that social work is not a very difficult, lengthy project rather it is a simple practice of helping each other that makes us responsible and dutiful. 

Mridul Mitra

Jagannath University, Dhaka

PEARLS OF WISDOM PEARLS OF WISDOM

“I don’t paint like a woman is supposed to paint. Thank god, art doesn’t bother about things like that.”

Alice Neel

American visual artist

“Art is not what you see, but what you make others see.”

Edgar Degas

French artist

“Through a painting we can see the whole world.”

Hans Hofmann

German-born American abstract expressionist painter

10-man Abahani to steal draw 10-man Abahani to steal draw

Ten-man Abahani came from behind to play out an entertaining 3-3 draw against holders Sheikh Jamal DC in the JB Bangladesh Premier League at the Sylhet District Stadium yesterday.

The tie was equally crucial for both title contenders as Sheikh Jamal looked to consolidate their solo lead at the top and defy Abahani's intention of toppling them, but both teams had to be content with a draw which saw Sheikh Jamal increase their points tally to 19, while Abahani were placed behind with 17 points from nine outings.

Both teams played attacking football from the outset in the fast paced-match and both of them could have taken an early lead within the first five minutes. However, their forwards' failures kept both teams waiting, before Wedson Anselme broke the deadlock in the 42nd minute.

The Haitian hitman made no mistake as he volleyed home after Abahani defender Tapu Barman's clearing header from a Landing Darboe cross fell straight to Wedson.

However, the lead only lasted four minutes as another poor clearance, this time from goalkeeper Maksudur Rahman Mustaq cost Sheikh Jamal.

Mustaq's attempted clearance from Emon Babu's corner fell to Fahad, who easily colley home from inside the box one minute into the six minutes of added time in the first half.

Abahani then took the lead deep into stoppage time as English midfielder Lee Tuck scored from a well-placed shot, making amends for squandering his penalty a minute earlier.

After resumption, Abahani seemed like they would move on from their poor performance against Sheikh Russel KC in the previous match, but Fahad put Abahani in a critical situation after he was red-carded with 40 minutes remaining. Referee Azad Rahman did not hesitate in booking Fahad for the second time after the midfielder became embroiled in an unnecessary argument with Sheikh Jamal midfielder Enamul Haque Sharif and pushed him in an off-the-ball situation.

Despite being reduced to 10 men, Abahani extended their lead to 3-1 as Sunday Chizoba struck his fifth goal in the league. However, the Sky Blues failed to hold onto the lead as a result of sloppy defending.

Availing a header from Emeka Darlington, an unmarked Landing reduced the margin in the 56th minute, before Wedson danced past defender Mamun Mia on the right and equalised by placing a shot from a difficult angle in the 76th minute.

Later in the day, Sheikh Russel KC finally got their win after nine matches with a 1-0 win over Mohammedan SC, thanks to a 51st minute strike from Paul Emile.

Sheikh Russel KC came into the match on the back of a 1-1 against Dhaka Abahani and beat the Black and Whites to leapfrog to 11th position with five points, one point behind Mohammedan, who tasted their third defeat in nine matches.   

Union parishad polls enthuse former enclave people Union parishad polls enthuse former enclave people

The people of a former enclave are happy as they will exercise their right to vote for the first time in nine union parishads (UP) of the district, scheduled to be held on October 31.

District Election Officer Fazlul Karim said there are 59 former enclaves -- two in Kulaghat union under Lalmonirhat Sadar, two in Gotamari union under Hatibandha upzaila, and 55 in Jongra, Kuchlibari, Burimari, Sree Rampur, Patgram, Jagatber and Bawra unions under Patgram upazila.

Eight hundred thirty-eight people, 381 males and 457 females, were listed as voters during September.

The former enclave people will be given voter ID cards before the polls Karim said, adding that elections in the unions were not held along with the UP polls earlier this year as the voter list was not complete.

Achhiya Bewa, 70, of Bhitarkuti in Kulaghat union, said she was feeling happy as she would be casting a vote for the first time in her life in any election.

Abul Ali, 68, of Banshkata in Jongra union under Patgram upazila, said, “It is really exciting for me as I am going to cast my vote for the first time in my life.”

Mazidul Islam, 19, of Gotamari village in Gotamari union under Hatibandha upazila, said he would enjoy casting his vote. “In the past, we were treated as Indian people as we were inhabitants of Indian enclave in Bangladesh territory, but we have been enjoying the taste of freedom after the exchange of enclaves,” he said.

Azizul Islam, 48, of the same village, said candidates are knocking at their doors and asking for their votes.

Awami League nominated chairman candidate for Bawra Union Parishad Dulal Hossain Basuniya said he was by the side of the former enclave people when they were confined, and he is still communicating with them. He hoped that they would not forget him, and cast their vote for him.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party backed chairman candidate for Kulaghat union Idris Ali said he was with the former enclave people during their movement to be Bangladesh nationals. He hoped that they would cast their votes for him.

The voters will be given training on how to cast their vote before the polls, Karim said.

One killed as 2 gangs trade gunshots One killed as 2 gangs trade gunshots

A man was killed during a gunfight between two rival groups of criminals on Jessore-Jhenidah highway in Jessore Sadar upazila early yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Azadur Rahman Tokon, 37, of the upazila.

Police said, being tipped-off that two criminal groups were trading gunshots near a filling station on Jessore-Jhenidah highway the law enforcers went to the spot around 2:30am.

After reaching the spot, police fired several blank shots to disperse the clashing groups, Officer-in-Charge Elias Hossain of Sadar Police Station said.

At one stage, police rescued a bullet-hit man from the spot and took him to Jessore Medical College Hospital where the doctors declared him dead.

Ex-husband held over acid attack Ex-husband held over acid attack

Police arrested a man in Dhaka's Rupnagar yesterday in a case filed for throwing acid at his former wife and mother-in-law in their Polo Ground house in Chittagong city early Monday.

The arrest was made after Jahangir was called over the cellphone by one of his brothers-in-law, who was detained earlier, said Md Jasimuddin, officer-in-charge of Chittagong Kotwali Police Station.

CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver Jahangir was being brought to Chittagong while the report was filed in the last evening, the OC said. Sheli Akhter and her mother Hosne Ara came under the acid attack while they were asleep on that day. Police seized Jahangir's vehicle near the residence of Sheli who filed the case with the police station.

The two are being treated at the burn unit of Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

Night schools of Imdadul Night schools of Imdadul

We commend Imdadul Haque of Jhenidah for setting up several night schools for the farmers of his locality where __more than half the men are illiterate. The battle he launched against illiteracy in 2008 was faced with many challenges but has inculcated in the elderly an attitude of learning. Upon reaching the goal of teaching them literacy and numeracy, he now educates them on sanitation, hygiene and morality. And the pupils, some of them in their sixties, are happy and excited to have the opportunity to learn.

Imadadul's initiative bears special significance because farmers constitute about 47 percent of the labour force of the country, making a significant contribution to the GDP. But they are often bypassed by ambitious government progammes and projects. It is important to understand that the performance of farmers has an overwhelming impact on major macroeconomic objectives such as employment generation and poverty alleviation.

An educated farmer is a better farmer. He or she has a better shot at not being exploited by the proverbial middleman who often eats away at their hard toil. Literacy gives them a certain sense of empowerment to these farmers as evident from the Jhenidah example. Moreover, in order to take advantage of the digital transformation the country is going through, one has to be literate first.

Imdadul alone cannot accomplish this task. He needs all the support from the public and private sectors and the NGOs that can launch similar programmes across the country.

Turkey could extend emergency: Erdogan Turkey could extend emergency: Erdogan

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday suggested it may be necessary to keep the state of emergency imposed after the July coup bid in place for at least a year.

His comments came a day after he chaired Turkey's top national security body which called for the current state of emergency to be extended when it expires in October.

"It was seen that a three-month period was not enough... It's in Turkey's favour to extend state of emergency three months more," Erdogan said in televised comments.

"Maybe a 12-month (emergency) will not be enough," he added.

The state of emergency has laid the legal basis for the government to launch a vast crackdown on suspected plotters of the July 15 coup attempt blamed on a group led by US-based Muslim preacher Fethullah Gulen -- charges he denies.

Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said on Wednesday that so far 32,000 suspects had been remanded in custody for alleged links to Gulen.

Erdogan said the emergency was needed to fight the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which is continuing to wage its insurgency in the southeast as well as FETO -- a name Ankara gives to the Gulen-led group.

He defended Turkey's actions by pointing to how France declared and extended emergency measures after Islamic State jihadists struck Paris in November, killing 130 people at restaurants and a concert hall.

"Does anyone from the world ask France why it declared a one-year state of emergency?" Erdogan said.

Three injured in US school shooting Three injured in US school shooting

A teenage gunman, who injured three people at a South Carolina elementary school before being arrested, carried out the attack after killing his father, local officials said Wednesday. The teen shot two boys as well as a teacher in the shoulder at Townville Elementary in the west of the southeastern US state, area officials told reporters. 

Building code enforcement vital for saving lives: Experts Building code enforcement vital for saving lives: Experts

Immediate enforcement of the Bangladesh national building code (BNBC) is crucial for preventing building-related disasters and ensuring safety of life, said leading experts at a workshop in the capital yesterday.

Prof Jamilur Reza Choudhury, a noted civil engineering educator and vice-chancellor of the University of Asia Pacific, called upon the housing and public works ministry to get the updated BNBC approved for enforcement as soon as possible. 

Prof Md Zoynul Abedin of civil engineering department of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, said BNBC needs immediate implementation. 

The National Alliance for Risk Reduction and Response Initiatives (NARRI), and Housing and Building Research Institute (HBRI) jointly organised the workshop on challenges and strategy of building code implementation at a hotel.

HBRI Director Mohammad Abu Sadeque said, “As a standard, good practice, the BNBC should be at the centre of building construction permit process.”  

Housing and Public Works Minister Mosharraf Hossain, present as the chief guest, said he would take measures to get the updated BNBC approved within this year.

On when the government would put the mechanism in place for enforcement of the code, he, however, repeatedly evaded the question.

Abiding by the existing BNBC, formulated in 1993, was made legally mandatory in 2006 through amendments to the building construction act.

Besides, the High Court 2010 ordered for instituting a building authority and designating existing relevant authorities within a year for enforcement of the code.    

Secretary to the housing and public works ministry Md Shahid Ullah Khandaker, chairing the workshop, said it was very sad that the building code has not yet been enforced although complying with it was made legally mandatory.

The BNBC focuses on safe building construction and demolition, safety of life and property, conservation of environment and liability of technical professionals.

It provides for appointment of a required number of building officials to issue building permits and oversee enforcement of the code. 

The BNBC of 2006 provides that a new authority would be instituted or some relevant existing authorities would be designated for enforcement of the code.

The updated BNBC of 2015, which has been at the law ministry for vetting for the past one year or so, talks only of a separate independent Building Regulatory Authority with a five-member apex body.

Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh, also spoke.

ACC holds ex-DG of Coast Guard ACC holds ex-DG of Coast Guard

Anti Corruption Commission arrested former director general of Bangladesh Coast Guard Commodore Shafiq Ur Rahman in Dhaka yesterday, in a case filed for his alleged involvement in misappropriating Tk 7.37 crore, said ACC deputy director SM Rafiqul Islam.

According to the case statement, the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief allocated about 11,100 tonnes of wheat to coastguards under the rural infrastructure development programme in 1996-97 and 1997-98 fiscals.

The wheat was not meant for sale but on emergency basis there was a provision to sell 25 percent of the wheat at government-fixed price.

But the officials concerned sold it at Tk 5 per kg although the government rate was Tk 11.64.

In this way, Shafiq and others misappropriated Tk 7, 37, 04,000.

The case was filed on August 2, 1998. 

Mosharraf brought in for spin boost Mosharraf brought in for spin boost

It is not often that teams train in the morning following a day-night encounter. So when the Bangladesh national team decided to start training at 11:00 am yesterday following their defeat to Afghanistan, in a match that ended at approximately 10:30 pm on Wednesday, a few eyebrows were raised.

Was the management compelled to take such a strict measure due to the defeat at the hands of the Afghans? Not quite.

Soon after the Tigers started training yesterday morning, the motive was clear. The training session was optional and only a few players had arrived. It was mainly meant for the players who had been rested in the last game: Imrul Kayes, Nasir Hossain and Shafiul Islam. It was mandatory for Mosharraf Hossain, who replaced Rubel Hossain in the squad for the third ODI, as well.

Unsurprisingly though, Mushfiqur Rahim joined the four players, but seemed to have a separate training session. While the rest of the four players were busy with their net sessions at the Mirpur indoors, Mushfiqur was busy with his own routine at the other end of the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

It is nothing new for Mushfiqur to attend optional training sessions. In fact, not many can recall the last time the wicketkeeper-batsman missed a training session.

He was the first one out, doing his warm-ups on the main ground in Mirpur. Perhaps this is his way of getting over rough times, for he did have a torrid game against Afghanistan on Wednesday. Not only did he throw away his wicket after being set, he also fluffed a stumping chance at a crucial point in the game.

However, Mushfiqur was not the talking point yesterday.

Thursday belonged to 34-year-old Mosharraf Hossain, who stands a good chance of returning to the playing eleven after a gap of eight years. The last time he played an ODI was against South Africa back in March 2008. He was picked in the 20-member ODI pool after Venkatapathy Raju, the former Indian spinner who had come to Bangladesh for a week as a spin consultant, recommended the slow left-armer.

With Rubel struggling for rhythm in the first two ODIs, the team management decided to replace him with the spinner.

A delighted Mosharraf, who has 339 first-class wickets and 74 List-A wickets, said that he was surprised to get the call.

“At the moment, there's plenty of competition in the national team and there are many slow left-armers as well. So, that is why I was a little surprised when I got the call. But this feels great,” Mosharraf told The Daily Star yesterday.

“International cricket is very challenging and the situation we are in right now, it will make things __more difficult. We lost the last game and so I am sure with spinners dominating, I will have to take a lot __more responsibility if I get the chance. I hope to do my best,” he added. 

Students want Liberation War sculpture at CU Students want Liberation War sculpture at CU

Chittagong University students yesterday demanded immediate setting up of a sculpture on CU campus as a tribute to the Liberation War.

They also announced to go for a tougher programme if the authority does not decide to build the sculpture before the golden jubilee celebration of CU on November 18.

The demand was made at a press conference held at the Arts and Humanities Faculty.

Speakers at the conference said there are sculptures on the theme of the Liberation War at Dhaka, Rajshahi and Jahangirnagar universities but no such sculptures were built at CU even after its 50 years of establishment.

Due to the indifference of the CU authority and activities of the anti-liberation forces this kind of sculptures were not made, they said.

The authority should immediately erect a sculpture on the theme of the 1971 Liberation War and uphold its history, they said.

They will start a signature campaign to build public opinion in support of the demand from October 1 to 15 and a human chain will be formed on October 18, informed the organisers. 

Bangladesh Chhatra Union CU unit President Mehedi Hasan, CU unit Chhatra Federation President Hasan Kamrul, CU unit Samajtantrik Chhatra Front Convener Fazle Rabby was present among others.

Woman 'commits suicide' in Ctg Woman 'commits suicide' in Ctg

A woman reportedly committed suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling of her house over a conjugal dispute in Sikalbaha area of Patiya upazila in Chittagong yesterday.

The deceased Shamsunnahar Champa, 30, was the second wife of Najrul Islam. The couple used to live in the house with their children. Shamsunnahar suspected her husband of having an extramarital affair and had a quarrel two days ago over it, said Sub-Inspector of Karnaphuli Police Station Belal Hossain, quoting relatives.

ADB to raise lending to Bangladesh ADB to raise lending to Bangladesh

The Asian Development Bank plans to increase its lending to Bangladesh in the next five years by 60 percent from its previous plan of $8 billion, to help the country build infrastructure and strengthen trade links within the region.

The Bangladesh country partnership strategy (CPS) for 2016-2020, endorsed by the ADB board of directors, envisages an enhanced partnership between Bangladesh and the bank.

“Bangladesh halved poverty as targeted under the millennium development goals, and reached middle-income status following decade-long strong economic growth,” said Kazuhiko Higuchi, country director of ADB's Bangladesh office. 

“Our new CPS is aligned with the government's goals of creating new sources of growth, generating employment, and supporting rural development for regionally balanced growth.”

To aid its operational expansion, ADB will also strengthen institutional capacity support at the project, sector, and country levels. In the previous CPS period of 2011-2015, ADB lending to Bangladesh exceeded $5 billion, the bank said in a statement yesterday.

Markus Roesner, principal transport specialist with ADB's South Asia Department, told The Daily Star in an e-mail interview that ADB's investments in the transport sector in Bangladesh aim to improve infrastructure bottlenecks, regional connectivity and trade, and better integrate different modes of transport.

Besides the railway projects, ADB is preparing investments in the road sector, he said.

ADB will help the government boost the country's competitiveness in the global markets by improving logistics in the maritime sector, especially at Chittagong Port, and by boosting its hinterland access.

“We are also preparing to finance an inland container depot and logistics centre north of Dhaka,” Markus said.

The ADB statement said CPS adopts a broad-based approach in order to respond flexibly to the demand of the country. Based on ADB's core strengths, the CPS will help ease infrastructure constraints, boost human capital, promote economic corridor development, improve rural livelihoods, and provide climate- and disaster-resilient infrastructure and services.

ADB will help in the development of economic corridors to position Bangladesh well in regional and global value chains.

In coming years, ADB proposes to support major railway and road network capacity improvement; Chittagong port development; urban transport in Dhaka; power generation, transmission, and distribution; energy transmission, including regional energy trade; and renewable energy development.

ADB's programme of assistance will be underpinned by gender mainstreaming; private sector mobilisation, especially through public-private partnerships; improved public finance management; and regional cooperation support.

ADB's knowledge products and services will provide analytical bases for developing operational activities.  

Thousands of Indonesian workers protest tax amnesty Thousands of Indonesian workers protest tax amnesty

Thousands of workers rallied Thursday in the Indonesian capital Jakarta against a controversial government scheme to raise revenues that, critics claim, has allowed wealthy tycoons to avoid paying tax.

The tax amnesty programme began in July, offering low rates to people who came forward to declare their untaxed wealth stashed at home and overseas.

Wealthy Indonesians have long chosen to stash billions of dollars abroad, particularly in neighbouring city-state Singapore, to keep it out of reach of the taxman.

The government has thrown considerable resources behind the scheme, and hopes it will generate 165 trillion rupiah ($12.4 billion) in additional state revenue this year.

Some of Indonesia's richest businessmen have participated in the scheme but the amnesty has angered unions and social justice groups, who claim it pardons tax cheats.

Signs waved by workers marching through Jakarta claimed the amnesty was unconstitutional, demanding it be rescinded immediately.

Suhan, a metal worker who like many Indonesians goes by just one name, said the scheme was unfair.

Take initiatives, lessen traffic Take initiatives, lessen traffic

We all know of the horrible traffic condition of our country. Recently, it took me eight hours to complete a two hour commute to Comilla.

There are many traffic police personnel in the capital, but none can be seen in the outskirts of Dhaka city. As a result, citizens travelling to their hometowns suffer a lot. This must be resolved.

No SAARC Summit this year: Is war imminent? No SAARC Summit this year: Is war imminent?

India's Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj may have appeared belligerent in her speech at the United Nations. But she represented India's exasperation over Pakistan's interference in Kashmir and elsewhere. After the killing of 14 soldiers in Uri, one widely supported demand is: retaliation.  

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised counter action at the time and the place that the armed forces chose. What would India's next step be is not yet known but the desire for retaliation is very much there. It is a sad option and to exercise it without action requires patience, which is getting exhausted. War cannot be considered as an option. Yet what is the way out?

Pakistan had admitted that some non-state actors have indulged in the killing of soldiers in Uri. But now after the whole world has expressed horror over the Uri incident, Islamabad claims that India had 'staged' the Uri incident, and Islamabad had no hand in it. But how does it explain that its soil was used by the forces who attacked Uri?

Pakistan has raised the Kashmir issue to divert attention from everything else. It expects New Delhi to participate in the talks which it would initiate.

  It's eyes were probably on the SAARC summit that was to be held in Islamabad. India's formal 'no' to participate has ended the meeting, because both Nepal and Bangladesh have expressed their inability to attend the Summit at Islamabad.

The question is where do we go from here? War is no option but talks also have not fructified.  Sushma's speech is another warning to Pakistan that India is tired of Pakistan's actions and may be driven to take some measures. All eyes are on New Delhi, because it has to decide what steps should be taken, as it is becoming increasingly clear that talks are no solution.

India has considered the revision of the Indus Water Treaty which was signed by Jawaharlal Nehru and Pakistan military chief Mohammad Ayub Khan in 1960. Sartaj Aziz, who represents Pakistan's foreign affairs, has said that anything done to revise the treaty without Pakistan's participation would be 'an act of war'. This has further complicated matters.

In view of this deadlock, no progress has been made. This should be told to the people of both sides. They have been urging their respective governments to sort out the matter through dialogues. Pakistan says again and again that some settlement over Kashmir is necessary for substantive peace in the subcontinent.

Thus, we come back to square one. By all means, concerned members should sit across the table to find a solution. But India and Pakistan cannot do this by themselves. The Kashmiris, after all, deserve to have their say.

Recently, when I went to Srinagar at the invitation of students, I found that the young Kashmiris wanted a country of their own - sovereign and independent. They do not realise that India does not favour another Islamic nation on its border, when it is exasperated by the one it has – Pakistan.

But the mood of the youth of Kashmir is that of anger, and they seem unwilling to compromise on their demand for azaadi. They do not realise that azaadi is an ideal, not a feasible proposition. When the British left India in August 1947, they gave the princely states an option to stay independent if they did not want to join either India or Pakistan. Maharaja Hari Singh, then ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, declared that he would stay independent. The land-locked state had to have the support of both India and Pakistan for access to the outside world. He did not want to depend on one.

With Muslims in majority in Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan expected its accession. When it did not take place, Pakistan sent its irregulars, backed by the regular troops. The Maharaja sought the help of India which insisted on the accession before sending its troops. He had to sign the Instrument of Accession Act.

The two parts of the states are against azaadi. Jammu, the Hindu majority part, would like to join India. The Buddhist majority Ladakh, the other part, want to be a union territory of India. Therefore the demand for azaadi is essentially that of the valley which has nearly 98 percent of Muslims.

With India in the midst of an endeavour for polarisation and with the ruling political party playing the Hindutva card, it is difficult to imagine that Congress or any other political party, including the Communists, would support the azaadi demand. Even otherwise, all political parties are opposed to the demand for Kashmir's independence, although some may go be willing to go to great lengths to give powers to the state.

After 70 years of Partition, the wounds inflicted because of the division have not healed yet. How does anyone expect the people in India to reconcile to another partition, however genuine and strong the sentiments of the Kashmiris? If partition takes place again on the basis of religion, the secular state may not survive as it is. True, the 25 crore Muslims in India are equal citizens and they cannot be treated as hostages. But the valley's secession may have repercussions that are too dreadful to imagine. The Constitution, guaranteeing equality to all Indian citizens, may be of no avail.

India and Pakistan have fought two regular wars on Kashmir, apart from a mini misadventure in Kargil. Several thousand Kashmiris have died for the cause of azaadi. For India, they were insurgents. They were crushed by the security forces, which too lost thousands. Even now, some militants from across the border attack certain vulnerable areas but are rebuffed. For example, the day a Zubin Mehta concert was to be held, a post of Central Reserve Police Force in southern Kashmir was targeted with rockets. There was a hartal in Srinagar. But this exercise has taken place many a times in the past.

Sushma's warning may also go unanswered. But hers is yet only a warning, because the next step can lead to a war between the two countries.

The writer is an eminent Indian columnist.

From robots to websites, British firms curb spending due to Brexit From robots to websites, British firms curb spending due to Brexit

Heavy machinery whirrs and clanks on the factory floor of precision metalworking firm Robert Bion & Co, where a planned three-meter robotic arm would have been speeding up output by now, if Britain had not voted to leave the European Union.

"We're waiting to get a clear idea of what the future might be before we make any significant investments," owner Nick Bion said at the company his father founded in 1964 in Reading, west of London.

Britain's economy has held up better than most economists predicted since voters chose in June to quit the EU. Consumers have carried on shopping and employers have not laid off workers on a large scale, despite uncertainty over the country's future trade relations with its biggest export market.

But Bion's decision not to go ahead with plans to automate part of his production line by installing the 150,000 pound ($195,000) robotic arm is the kind of investment curb which is likely to damage the economy over the longer term.

He had been close to placing the order in March but put the project on hold pending the referendum, even though he, like most people, thought Britain would stay in the EU. When voters opted to leave, he scrapped it altogether because of the risk Brexit would hinder access to the 500 million-strong market.

"I think for lots of people business is good, but that doesn't mean it will be good in three years' time," Bion said, as some of his 28 employees fed perforating machines with the metal and plastic sheets that his firm sells to manufacturers of computer servers, car ventilators and audio devices.

Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will not start the process of Britain's exit from the 28-nation economic and political bloc until next year while she tries to balance voters' expectations of limits on immigration against the need for a smooth trading relationship with the EU.

The exit negotiations will take up to two years from whenever London decides to start the process and May has not said how she plans to get around the EU principle that goods cannot freely cross borders unless people can too.

The government says leaving the EU will allow Britain to free up trade with countries beyond the bloc, but with the outcome so unclear, Bion is not the only one holding back.

The Bank of England said this month that companies' investment intentions were their weakest since 2010, signaling an overall halt or even cut in the rate of growth in such spending in real terms.

The BoE has long hoped for stronger business investment to put Britain's economy on a surer footing. Like Bion, firms had frozen some investment plans before the referendum, the figures showed, but have slashed them __more sharply since June, particularly in the services sector.

The trend looks set to continue. A survey by financial services firm Deloitte conducted after the Brexit vote showed 58 percent of 132 chief financial officers expected Brexit to lower their capital spending plans over the next three years.

Merger and acquisition activity involving British companies has also dropped, to the lowest level in at least two decades, Thomson Reuters data shows. Many small manufacturers are waiting to see the plans of larger companies they supply before taking their own decisions.

Last month, the chief executive of Japanese car manufacturer Nissan said future investment in Britain's biggest car plant in Sunderland, northeastern England, would depend on the terms of the eventual new deal with the EU.

Bion said the investment plans of big manufacturers like Nissan were bellwethers for his firm. "Everybody's just waiting at the moment," he said.

The family-owned Green Stationery Company, based in the southwestern English city of Bath, does not supply bigger firms.

But it has suspended plans to expand into Europe with new websites and catalogues in Dutch and German and a new sales manager, a combined 35,000 pounds' worth of investment.

"We are not optimistic," managing director Jay Risbridger said. "We are waiting and seeing, but that's what everybody is doing, so it's not good for business confidence."

The Brexit uncertainty has helped some firms because of sterling's roughly 10 percent fall against the U.S. dollar and the euro since the referendum.

The Fudge Kitchen, a confectionery maker with shops in tourist centers such as Oxford and Edinburgh, expects rising numbers of foreign visitors and Britons holidaying at home will __more than offset the higher cost of imported chocolate, freeze-dried ingredients and packaging.

Managing director Sian Holt said she was pressing ahead with plans to invest 100,000 pounds to open a new shop in London and fund product development and marketing. "Whatever happens with Brexit is absolutely not going to deter us with this," she said.

Similarly, Gravitas, which makes flood prevention equipment near Manchester in northern England, had its best month ever in August, with 150,000 pounds of orders from the United States and Hong Kong, managing director Jacob Sallon said.

He plans to invest about 400,000 pounds over the coming year in new designs, registering his company's intellectual property and new faster-absorbing fabrics.

But a majority of big British firms are far less confident. A KPMG survey of 100 chief executives found three-quarters of company bosses were considering moving operations abroad following the Brexit vote.

Many employers want more support from policymakers and are angered by accusations by Liam Fox, the minister in charge of overseeing the Brexit process, that they are too lazy to find new markets.

"These comments feed on from the propaganda they were giving in the referendum, saying we don't need the single (EU) market," the Green Stationary Company's Risbridger said.

The Bank of England has already cut interest rates to a record low and its new corporate bond buying program could help some bigger firms to plough more money into their business.

Executives now hope finance minister Philip Hammond will include tax incentives for investment in his first budget announcement on Nov. 23.

While Bion's firm has continued to receive orders from existing EU clients since the referendum, his main concern is how he will win new ones with the possibility of future tariffs and other barriers which could raise costs and delay deliveries.

"If they think you are going to leave, how likely are you going to be to get a new customer?" Bion said. "You're in a world where you're not quite sure what the future is."

Eng to arrive tonight Eng to arrive tonight

The most anticipated series in recent times will be set in motion today when the England cricket team arrive tonight to play two Tests and three ODIs. The team is scheduled to land at 8:00 pm at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport amidst heavy security.

It therefore was not a surprise that the press release sent by the Bangladesh Cricket Board stated that there would be no media interactions at the airport.

England have suffered a setback even before landing in Bangladesh, however, as their highest Test wicket-taker James Anderson and fellow pacer Mark Wood will miss the tour due to injuries.

England will begin the tour with a warm-up one-day game against a BCB XI side at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium in Fatullah on October 4.

The ODIs come next. The first two ODIs will take place at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur on October 7 and 9. After that, the teams will travel to Chittagong to play the final ODI at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong on October 12.

The players will remain at the port city to play the first Test which is scheduled to being on October 20. Prior to that, England will play two two-day warm-ups from October 14 to 17 versus a BCB XI side.

The teams will then return to Dhaka to play the second Test from October 28 to November 1 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur.

So far, England and Bangladesh have played 16 ODIs with England winning 13 of those and Bangladesh winning three. However, Bangladesh beat England the last two times the teams faced each other.

England have won all the eight Tests against Bangladesh. The last time they played Bangladesh in the longer version was back in June 2010. 

SA-Aus first ODI today SA-Aus first ODI today

Australia's fast bowling reserves will be put to the test during a five-match one-day international series against South Africa starting at Centurion on Friday.

The world's leading one-day team will be without an entire battery of top-class pace bowlers when they take on their fourth-ranked challengers.

South Africa still have a strong batting line-up, however, led by Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and stand-in captain Faf du Plessis. 

Growth in garment sector hinges on transparency in supply chain: Dutch minister Growth in garment sector hinges on transparency in supply chain: Dutch minister

More transparency is needed in the supply chain for fair and sustainable sourcing of apparel goods so that everyone is benefitted, Lilianne Ploumen, minister for foreign trade and development cooperation of the Netherlands, said yesterday.

With __more transparency, all stakeholders in the supply chain, such as retailers, producers and workers, would be benefited equally, Ploumen said at a press conference in Dhaka.

“Some companies are still cutting corners on the three Ps -- people, planet and profit. We need to talk a lot about the Ps. Cutthroat competition on retail prices means that many brands are trying to cut the production costs.”

Producers in Bangladesh have brought an expensive improvement to their factories but a study shows that retailers' payments to the garment makers rose only 1 percent in 2015 compared with 2012, she said.

“Clearly this is intolerable.”

“Low prices of goods lead to unsustainable sourcing of goods. Unfortunately, this is in practice. I want to see a different purchasing practice,” she said.

Everyone should count the working hours, realistic prices, and how much water is used in production, Ploumen said. It would be a decent business model if those are practised, and only then it would benefit all, she said.

“Findings of the ILO and independent research show that long-term better working conditions do not increase costs.”

After the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, the government of Bangladesh, buyers, producers, the governments of the Netherlands and other countries and industries worked to improve the conditions of the garment industry here.

“We have seen a lot of progress in the workplace safety in Bangladesh, minimum wage has been raised, recruitment of labour inspectors completed, inspections have been carried out in the garment factories,” Ploumen said.

“We made a lot of improvement and we need to continue this improvement.”

The prices of products have not been raised, although a lot of investment has been made to make the improvement, Ploumen said.

The procurement process needs to be reorganised, because under the existing system a lot of orders are cancelled at the last moment or orders are needed to be produced in a very short time, she said.

Ploumen praised the government's efforts to combat terrorism after the recent terror attack in Dhaka that shocked the international communities and Bangladeshi people.

“We have seen the government of Bangladesh together with international partners taking the accurate measures to ensure security.”

“I think all of us can agree that terrorism is something that is needed to combat jointly, not one country can do it by itself.”

“All of us are committed to working with the government and people of Bangladesh to stabilise the security situation and I think the government of Bangladesh has been doing and is doing its utmost giving a lot of efforts to make sure the security is established.”

“A good business climate is defined in many factors, of course it's about rule of law, it's about workers conditions and workers' rights,” she said.

“I think the government of Bangladesh has been working on investment climate for a long time and we have seen economic growth of Bangladesh over the past years.”

“In terms of security, of course, many countries in the world also in the EU and in Europe, we are very concerned about radicalisation and terror attacks.”

“Bangladesh and its international partners are working very hard to stablilise the situation and make sure there is the security not only for investors, but also for all citizens. I think in the past months or weeks many steps have been taken by the government of Bangladesh.”

“After the Rana Plaza, I think there was a wake-up call to the garment sector in Bangladesh and also the globe because many retailers and brands realised that this situation was unsustainable.”

Bangladesh together with international partners like the ILO, other governments, buyers and the factory owners has made a lot of progress, she said.

Bangladesh has two challenges in the garment sector: investing __more in green technology and increasing the salaries of workers from the minimum wage to the living wage, she said.

“We have done a lot of work to improve workplace safety. A total of 3,700 garment factories have been inspected by the Accord, Alliance and government. Operations in only 39 factories were suspended,” Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said at the press meet.

The government has also taken a lot of measures to tackle terrorist attacks, Ahmed said.

“Bangladesh's exports were not hampered due to Holey Artisan attacks. Our exports have been growing,” the minister said.

Many foreigners are now visiting Bangladesh with the return of normalcy in the country because of the strong security measures taken by the government, the minister said. 

Congress backs strikes on terror bases Congress backs strikes on terror bases

Sonia Gandhi, head of India's main opposition party Congress, yesterday said a "strong message" has been sent with the surgical strikes by the army against terror bases in Pakistan across the Line of Control (LoC) and insisted that Islamabad bears a "great responsibility" in the continuing cross-border attacks in India.

Offering the party's support to the government in the battle against terror, Sonia said in a statement that "this is a strong message that conveys our country's resolve to prevent further infiltration and attacks on our security forces and our people".

Gandhi asked Pakistan to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and ensure that its territory is not used for terrorist purposes against India".

Congratulating the armed forces on the success, she said the party stands by the government in its actions to protect the country's security and deal with the menace of terrorism from across the border.

Three killed as truck hits roadside shops Three killed as truck hits roadside shops

Three people were killed and three others injured as a truck ploughed through some shops at Khoribona in the district's Nachole upazila yesterday.

The dead are tea stall owner Wahab Ali, 45, and grocery shop owner Mohammad Gazlu, 45, of Khoribona village, and Tabarok Ali, 50, of Jorpukur village.

Fasiruddin, officer-in-charge of Nachole Police Station, said the accident occurred on Rohonpur-Natore road when driver of the Nachole-bound truck lost control over the steering and hit three roadside shops around 11:30am, killing Wahab and Gazlu on the spot and injuring four others.

The injured were rushed to Nachole Upazila Health Complex. As the condition of Tabarok deteriorated, doctors referred him to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where he died around 1:30pm.

Confiscate assets of Bangabandhu killers, war criminals Confiscate assets of Bangabandhu killers, war criminals

The Jatiya Sangsad yesterday unanimously adopted a private member's resolution to confiscate all movable and immovable assets of the convicted killers of the Father of the Nation and the war criminals.

Fazilatun Nasa Bappy, Awami League lawmaker from a reserved seat for women, placed the resolution before the House for confiscating all assets of the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Two other AL lawmakers -- Monirul Islam and Sanjida Khanom -- then proposed confiscating also the properties of those convicted of 1971 war crimes.

The resolution was passed unanimously by a voice vote after Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah, who was in the chair, placed it for vote.

Speaking in the House earlier, Law Minister Anisul Huq termed the resolution very timely and said parliament should adopt it.

He said his ministry already initiated the process of enacting a law to confiscate all properties of the war criminals and the killers of Bangabandhu.

“I want to let this parliament know that a bill in this regard will be placed soon.”

On confiscation of assets of Bangabandhu's killers, the minister said that at first the assets of those absconding would be confiscated.

Properties of the killers, who were executed, would be confiscated through enactment of a law, as their heirs inherited the properties after their execution, the minister said, adding that it would take some time.

But no law is required for confiscating the properties of the absconding killers of Bangabandhu. They have no right to own any property in Bangladesh, he noted.

A task force has been formed to bring back Bangabandhu's killers, said Anisul.

Six of the 12 killers of Bangabandhu have been absconding. Five killers were executed while one died.

The International Crimes Tribunal has so far convicted 50 war criminals. Of them, six walked the gallows.

Rampal plant won't harm Sundarbans Rampal plant won't harm Sundarbans

Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju yesterday claimed the proposed Rampal power plant would cause no harm to the Sundarbans.

“The campaign being run in different media that if a power plant was built in Rampal near the Sundarbans, it would greatly harm the area has no scientific basis,” he told parliament replying to a question from Awami League lawmaker Pinu Khan.

As an ultra supercritical technology would be used in constructing the 1320-megawatt coal-fired power plant, it won't harm the forest, the minister said.

Highest importance has been given to preparation of the project's Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report, as its site is near the biodiversity-rich Sundarbans region, Manju added.

The quality of the air to be emitted from the power plant would be within the permissible limits of the World Bank's guidelines and the Environment Conservation Rules, 1997.

No untreated and hot water would be released into the river, rather the water would be refined by an effluent treatment plant (ETP) for reuse in the power plant, the minister told the House.

He said high quality bituminous coal with less than 0.6 percent sulphur would be used in the plant and the coal would be imported from Indonesia or Australia.

Electrostatic precipitator, low NOx burner, flue gas desulphurisation and a 275-metre high chimney would be used in the power plant as part of mitigation measures to prevent air pollution, Manju added.

There would be a settling pond, waste water treatment plant, desalination plant and API oil water separator to control water pollution. Water recycling and reuse measures would also be in place.

Appropriate measures will be taken for full utilisation of fly and bottom ash of the power plant. Coal dust suppression system, closed conveyor belt and covered cargo or ship would be used to control pollution from coal, he said.

A monitoring team comprising of representatives from all departments concerned has been formed to keep watch on pollution control activities round the clock, the minister said, adding that the project activities were continuously been monitored after the Department of Environment approved the project's EIA report.

Manju insisted that there would be no possibility of harm to the Sundarbans if the mitigation measures mentioned in the EIA report are implemented properly.

Bangladesh- based solar project wins UN prize Bangladesh- based solar project wins UN prize

A ground-breaking project based in Bangladesh, which allows villagers to earn by selling excess solar energy to neighbours, was announced yesterday as one of 13 winners of the United Nations climate change awards. 

With the help of SOLshare's innovative technical solution, marginalised households without the means to finance their own solar power systems are able to purchase clean electricity from their neighbours at low cost, said a press release yesterday.

This contributes to displacing the __more expensive kerosene, responsible for indoor and greenhouse gas pollution. It also lowers the financial barrier represented by the high initial down payment required for acquiring a solar home system, and brings clean energy to the non-bankable population.

Founded in 2014 as a German-Bangladeshi spin-off of MicroEnergy International GmbH, ME SOLshare has successfully piloted the world's first swarm grid, an ICT-enabled peer-to-peer electricity trading network for rural households with and without solar home systems in Shariatpur of Bangladesh.

The Shariatpur swarm grid is the first implementation of swarm electrification; researched with the support of the Technical University Berlin and conceptualised by MicroEnergy International.

The swarm electrification proposes a decentralised bottom-up sharing infra-system by linking together individual stand-alone energy systems to form a mini-grid that can eventually interconnect with legacy infrastructure.

Along with its implementation partner, the NGO UBOMUS, its financing partner IDCOL and research partner United International University - Centre for Energy Research, ME SOLshare combines solar home systems and centralised mini-grids to enable __more rural households to access renewable electricity at a lower cost.

“Bangladesh is among the countries most vulnerable to climate change, yet its people set an impressive example in resilience and innovation in the face of such adversity,” said Sebastian Groh, managing director of ME-SOLshare.

“We are deeply honoured that the bold idea of ME SOLshare was chosen as a Momentum for Change Lighthouse Activity, transforming the way people use and pay for energy. ME SOLshare creates solar networks, shares electricity and facilitates a low-carbon future in Bangladesh, and around the globe.”

In Bangladesh, based on the already over 4 million solar home systems installed in the field, ME SOLshare expects to operate more than 10,000 nanogrids by the end of 2030, which will supply more than 1 million end-users in Bangladesh.

The Momentum for Change initiative is spearheaded by the UN Climate Change secretariat to shine a light on some of the most innovative, scalable and replicable examples of what people are doing to address climate change.

“It is impressive to see so many original and creative ways to tackle climate change,” said UNFCCC Spokesperson Nick Nuttall.

“ME SOLshare is proof that climate action is building in countries, communities, companies and cities everywhere. Not only do this year's winning activities address climate change, but they also help drive forward progress on many other Sustainable Development Goals, such as innovation, gender equality and economic opportunity.”

The SOLshare project was awarded under the Momentum for Change ICT Solutions focus area for its work to harness the power of ICT in the fight against climate change whilst benefiting local communities, and serving as a role model for other countries.

Together with the other winning projects, it will be showcased at a series of special events during the UN Climate Change Conference in Marrakech, Morocco (November 7-18, 2016).

The 2016 Lighthouse Activities were selected by an international advisory panel as part of the secretariat's Momentum for Change initiative, which operates in partnership with the World Economic Forum Global Project on Climate Change and the Global e-Sustainability Initiative.

The New European wins serial rights to Alastair Campbell's new book

The front cover of the latest issue.

The New European has landed a genuine political scoop by securing the serial rights to the latest volume of Alastair Campbell’s diaries.

Today’s issue carries the first instalment in which Campbell reveals that Tony Blair was sounding out the possibility of leaving No 10 and becoming president of the European commission three years before he stood down as prime minister.

It occurred during a period of tension with Gordon Brown, the chancellor, in 2004. Blair got as far as asking Campbell, who had left his post as communications director in 2003, to consider returning in order to mastermind a campaign to secure the European job.

In the end, nothing came of the venture, but it remained a secret and Blair did not resign until 2007, as Campbell records in Outside, Inside, 2003-2005, the fifth volume of his diaries, which is due to be published by Biteback next week.

Biteback’s managing director, Iain Dale, believes they offer “an incredible insight into an extraordinary period of political history.”

The New European’s editor, Matt Kelly, called the diaries “extraordinary” and spoke of it being “a great coup for us to serialise them.”

As part of the serialisation deal, The New European is offering a free copy of Campbell’s book to people who sign up for a new a 13-week subscription package.

As Campbell remarks on his blog, with due modesty, the deal is “good for me, good for the publisher” and “good for the world.”

It also means that the life of the so-called pop-up paper has been extended beyond the original expectations of its publisher, the Norwich-based Archant.

When the national weekly was launched on 8 July, with a cover price of £2, it was thought to have a four-week lifespan. Now it has reached its 13th issue.

The paper is aimed at the 48% of British people who voted to remain in the European Union in the referendum on 23 June.

It is the second Alastair Campbell exclusive obtained by The New European. Its second issue contained the former spin doctor’s open letter to prime minister Theresa May.

Chris Mitchell's last front page splash – and the PM makes his headline Chris Mitchell's massive Marxist memory lapse: mate, I could have put you right | David Marr Chris Mitchell memoir reveals six-figure pay rise after giving Rupert Murdoch ultimatum

The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull and former News Corp editor, Chris Mitchell, at the launch of Mitchell’s book Making Headlines at state parliament on Friday.

Chris Mitchell’s dearly beloved gathered at New South Wales parliament on Friday to farewell his relevance.

His book, Making Headlines, was launched by Malcolm Turnbull in what was likely one of the last times the former Australian editor-in-chief, Courier Mail editor and News Corp Australia journeyman would be able to command such a luminous crowd of past and present heavyweights.

The editors of the Australian and the Daily Telegraph, Paul “Boris” Whittaker and Chris Dore, dutifully came to pay their respects. Whittaker even allowed himself a self-satisfied grimace as he enjoyed an intimate conversation with the prime minister in front of about five flashing cameras.

Taking the floor, Mitchell revealed Turnbull had read the book weeks before it was published and given feedback, the specifics of which were not divulged. The book has delivered on the ordinary title and indeed made headlines, mainly about what Mitchell has chosen to divulge from private, off-the-record conversations with successive prime ministers.

Mitchell said he had no concerns about whether he had fractured the relationship between journalists and politicians.

“Noooooo, of course not,” he said.

Why no worries?

“Well they’re lame stories aren’t they? They’re funny. It’s not like people briefing me about news stories – it’s social events.”

The book details Kevin Rudd’s leaking, including to undermine the mining tax and Wayne Swan, and revealed Rudd let Mitchell listen to the conversation he had with US president George W Bush in which Bush allegedly asked, “What’s G20?”

Mitchell said in his speech he “did not kick down, or kiss up”.

There were no other prime ministers in sight, but what the launch lacked in political star power it made up for in the sheer number of past and present employees of the Australian newspaper.

The roll call included Paul Kelly, Hedley Thomas, Sharri Markson, Judith Sloan, Clive Mathieson, Justine Ferrari, Niki Savva and Piers Akerman.

The atmosphere was one of affection combined with mild curiosity. Mitchell was once a very powerful man, but not any more.

Businessman Dick Smith and ABC chairman James Spigelman were among the guests, and the eclectic mix made for interesting hushed conversations.

“Lachlan Murdoch is furious about this book.”

“John Howard apparently doesn’t care that much.”

Turnbull regaled everyone with the thrilling story of using the New South Wales parliament library to study for his law degree before some carefully selected words on the book.

It was a “plain English account” that showed Mitchell’s passion for newspapers. The Australian was a “great newspaper ... led with great insight, with great intellectual ability, but also a great love and great passion for the industry”.

“I am deeply touched by the passion you’ve shown in this ... You’re a tough guy but you’ve always had a very big heart,” Turnbull finished triumphantly before wishing Mitchell “good luck” with sales.

“I hope your book does very well and does not disappoint the publisher [Louise Adler of Melbourne University Press] because she makes her authors feel very guilty if you don’t recover the advance.”

Mitchell, it turned out, had refused to accept an advance as he wasn’t sure he wanted to write a book. He ended up writing Making Headlines in 10 weeks, working on it two hours a day, five days a week.

He must have found the experience rewarding, as he has signed up to write a second. He would not confirm the topic, only that it was not a sequel to Making Headlines, and not a fantasy novel.