October 8, 2013

Education

5

Equity, justice and climate change

Ashwin 23, 1420 Zilhajj 2, 1434 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 197

International

9

Typhoon Fitow slams into China, five dead

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

Sport

13

Tamim hopeful in own backyard

16 pages with 8-page business tabloid, plus 16-page T-Mag tabloid | Price: Tk10

Explosion rocks Hefazat madrasa Bigwigs spared from HALL-MARK LOAN SCAM

Three live grenades, huge raw materials recovered from the institution n

Tushar Hayat, Chittagong

n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu

A massive explosion rocked Jamiatul Uloom Al-Islamia Lalkhan Bazar, a Qawmi madrasa run by senior nayebe-ameer of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Mufti Izharul Islam, yesterday morning leaving at least five persons critically injured.

The police recovered three homemade grenades and huge quantity of grenade manufacturing materials from the spot in the afternoon, and arrested nine people including three teachers. Four of them were arrested from two private hospitals while undergoing treatment.

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HUJI REGROUPS

Police, however, could not confirm how many grenades were blasted.

During raids in the night, law enforcers recovered 18 bottles of acid on the madrasa premises, eight of which were found at the residence of Mufti Izhar, principal of the madrasa.

While visiting the spot, windows of a side of the room were found blown away, window grills bent and the ceiling fans smashed badly. Cracks developed on the wall of the room while plasters in the ceiling and walls also buckled in some places.

The madrasa students dumped some damaged materials at a bush adjacent to the building soon after the incident where several fingers of a human hand were found attached with wrist skin.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Extradition treaty with India to be ratified soon n Mohosinul Karim The cabinet yesterday approved a proposal for ratifying an extradition treaty with India, paving Bangladesh’s way for requesting its neighbour to send back a few killers of Bangabandhu believed to be there.

The treaty will enable the two countries to request extradition of “criminals” detained in each other’s jails.

“According to the treaty, the two countries will be able to exchange criminals or prisoners convicted for over a year as per each other’s request,” said Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan after the cabinet meeting that approved the ratifying proposal.

“However, anyone having political involvement will not come under the treaty,” he told reporters at a briefing.

“Also, the countries will have the authority to deny any request,” he added.

The home ministers of Bangladesh and India signed the treaty last January, but it has to be ratified in the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

INSIDE Business

B3 Businesspeople have urged banks to lower the lending rates as they find it difficult to run business viably paying 18% interest. Bankers endorsed the concerns, but shifted the blame on the government for raising interest rates of saving instruments and not reducing corporate tax on banks.

Nation

7 Sugarcane farmers in Rajbari are unlikely to bag profits this season because of excessive rainfall and resultant water stagnation in sugarcane fields

International

8 Suspected militants killed nine people in attacks in Egypt yesterday, a day after clashes between Islamists and police left dozens dead and dashed hopes of restored calm

Sport

14 Champions Juventus overcame conceding a first-minute goal at home to AC Milan to stun bitter rivals 3-2 and move to within two points of Serie A leaders Roma on Sunday.

ACC charge sheets

Pellets used in making grenades lie outside a hostel of Jamiatul Uloom Al Islamia Madrasa. Police suspect the explosion occurred when grenades were being made at the madrasa run by Hefazat-e-Islam’s Nayeb-e-Ameer Mufti Izharul Islam Chowdhury DHAKA TRIBUNE

Lalkhan madrasa: A den of Huji n Julfikar Ali Manik

The Qawmi madrasa in Chittagong, which came under spotlight after explosion of locally made hand grenades on its premises yesterday, has long been known as a den of banned Islamist militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (Huji).

Mufti Izharul Islam Chowdhury, founder of Jamiyatul Ulum Al Islamia Madrasa – otherwise known as Lalkhan Bazar Madrasa – played a significant role in spreading the network of the radical outfit across the country since early 1990s with the ultimate goal of launching a jihad.

A source in Chittagong, who has

‘Tribunal CCTVs do not have pre-Sept 20 records' n Udisa Islam The close circuit cameras installed at the tribunal building can keep records of only 12 days. So the investigators of the leak incident have no footage before September 20.

Tribunal Registrar AKM Nasiruddin said they knew the cameras generally keep records of at least 30 days. But after the leak of the draft verdict of BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, when the detectives tried to check the footage they came to know that those store memory of 12days only.

The technical support at the tribunal was provided by the Special Branch of police, said the tribunal registrar. “Only 16 CCTVs are installed for the tribunal area and they do not cover the whole place.”

He thinks whatever footage is found, it would be helpful to trace the accused because primary accused Nayan Ali, who is on remand now, lived at the tribunal building. And as a resident, he can go anywhere of the building.

Nasiruddin also said the matter would not be unearthed until the Detective Branch (DB) of Police caught another accused Mehedi Hasan, junior to Fakhrul Islam Chowdhury, counsel of the deathrow convict Salauddin Quader.

The tribunal office stopped recording footage of the CCTVs since the verdict day on October 1 as experts directed to do so. But the DB officials could not able to collect the footage yet.

The registrar spoke to few journalists yesterday at his office when he said: “Mehedi can confirm how the leak happened and who communicated with him.” He also confirmed that security at the tribunal was intensified.

Asked why not the footages were stored, he said: “We were not sincere to store the footage because this type of situation never happened earlier.

And we thought that if anything happens, then the footage of previous one month will be in our hand. But now we came to know that we have footage of just 12 days.”  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Cabinet discusses role of judiciary, bureaucracy n Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee A number of ministers and secretaries have found the judiciary standing in the way of the civil administration and holding back the development works.

They at a meeting yesterday also viewed that many administrative tasks were hampered due to the interference of the judiciary.

They expressed such views at the regular cabinet meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, meeting sources told the Dhaka Tribune.

Law Minister Shafique Ahmed recommended that the attorney general’s office become more active to resolve such problem.

LGRD Secretary Abu Alam Mohammad Shahid Khan raised the issue and a number of ministers and secretaries participated in the discussion and shared their experiences citing examples, a number of cabinet members said.

The meeting discussed that the

court gave “directives” to the government if it “transferred a peon” after the employee filed a writ petition with the court. They said the administration had to abide by the order which created “problems” in “smooth” operation of the administration.

The meeting also discussed about the face-off between parliament and judiciary.

They referred to the dispute between formed speaker and incumbent President Abdul Hamid and Justice AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik centring a Supreme Court land then occupied by the Roads Division.

Hamid on May 29 last year told parliament that people would resist if a government turns autocratic; they would protest if a parliament enacts a law against their interests and likewise, they “stand against a court if it delivers verdicts against them.”

On June 5, the High Court bench of Justice Manik said the speaker had provoked people against the apex court  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

close links with these networks, told the Dhaka Tribune last evening that the madrasa had even trained Huji members in operating arms so they could fight in the battlefield as trained jihadis.

The source also confirmed that Mufti Izhar, founder principal of Lalkhan madrasa, had very close links with  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday pressed charge sheets with a Dhaka Court in 11 cases against 25 people, including officials of the Hall-Mark Group and Sonali Bank, for their alleged involvement in a Tk15.7bn scam.

However, the charge sheets did not include the names of any politically connected bigwigs whose names had been often linked with the scam.

There were allegations that Syed Modasser Ali, one of the advisers to the prime minister who used to frequent the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch of Sonali Bank, could have used his position to influence the bank to give away the loans to Hall-Mark Group and its associates.

He even had to face questioning by a parliamentary body regarding the allegations, although both the parliamentary body and an ACC probe committee found him not guilty.

Despite allegations, none of the board members of the state-owned bank has been made accused in the cases either.

Hall-Mark Group Managing Director Tanvir Mahmud, his wife and group Chairman Jasmine Islam, General Manager Tushar Ahmed, Sonali Bank GM Mir Mohidur Rahman, DGMs Sheikh Altaf Hossain and Shafiz Uddin Ahmed, former managing director Humayun Kabir, and former manager of the bank’s Ruposhi Bangla branch AKM Azizur Rahman, along with 17 others, were made accused in the cases.

Seven of them are currently in police custody; Jasmine has been out on conditional bail. The remaining 17 have been absconding.

The charge sheets were placed before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ataul Haque under the penal code, the Money Laundering Prevention Act 2012 and the Corruption Prevention Act 1974.

The investigation officers have included a total of 80 prosecution witnesses in the 11 cases.

According to a Bangladesh Bank probe report released in May last year, Hall-Mark and five other companies, conniving with some Sonali Bank officials, took out Tk35.5bn as loans from the bank’s Ruposhi Bangla Hotel branch using forged documents.

Hall-Mark alone swindled around Tk26bn while its business entities swindled billions more.

Following an inquiry, the ACC filed 11 cases against seven top Hall-Mark executives and 20 Sonali Bank officials on October 4 last year for embezzling Tk15.7bn of funded and around Tk12.8bn non-funded money.

The Sonali Bank branch lent Tk36.06bn to the Hall-Mark Group, T and Brothers, Paragon Group, Nakshi Knit, DN Sports and Khanjahan Ali, violating banking rules.

On the basis of several petitions filed by the ACC, a Dhaka Court on June 26 ordered the freezing of all the 260 bank accounts of the various Hall-Mark businesses. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Rab busts Huji’s regroup attempt in Dhaka n Kailash Sarkar Outlawed Islamist militant outfit Harkat-ul Jihad al-Islami, better known as Huji, has been trying to regroup under the name Tamir-ul Ad-Dwin, Rab said.

The elite crime busters in a press conference yesterday claimed to have arrested four alleged Huji leaders, including a charge-sheeted accused of the August 21 Grenade Attack Case, from Ashulia near Dhaka.

Rab also seized a huge stash of ammunition, explosives and “jihadi” publications from their possession, with which they were planning massive subversion.

“Huji leaders and activists had been trying to be reorganise under the banner of a different organisation named

10 High Court judges take oath

n Nazmus Sakib

The newly regularised 10 judges of the High Court took oath yesterday.

Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain administered the oath at the Supreme Court Annex building auditorium.

At present, the Supreme Court has 100 judges; nine in the Appellate Division while 91 in the High Court Division. There are eight additional judges in the High Court.

They newly-appointed judges are Justice SH Md Nurul Huda Jaigirdar, Justice KM Kamrul Kader, Justice Md Mozibur Rahman Miah, Justice Mustafa Zaman Islam, Justice Mohammad Ullah, Justice Muhammad Khurshid Alam Sarkar, Justice AKM Shahidul Huq, Justice Shahidul Karim, Justice Md Jahangir Hossain and Justice Abu Taher Md Saifur Rahman. l

Tamir-ul Ad-Dwin to dodge the law enforcement agencies,” said Lt Col Ziaul Ahsan, director of Rab intelligence wing.

Rab said they had seized 1,135 rounds of SMG bullets, 32 pistols, one blasting machine, two power gel explosives, 110 feet long cordex, five detonators and eight crude bombs.

Among the four arrested, Moulana Khalilur Rahman alias Shahrier is one of the 19 absconding charge-sheeted accused of the August 21 Grenade Attack Case.

Sources in the Rab and the Detective Branch of police said after the August 21 grenade attacks, Khalilur Rahman went abroad.

But after the arrest of Huji chief Moulana Abdur Rouf, he came back to the country despite being a charge-sheet-

ed accused in the grenade attack case, they said.

The 2004 grenade attacks on an Awami League rally in the capital left at least 24 people dead and over 300 injured.

Rab officials said Khalilur Rahman had been coordinating the militant activities of the banned outfit under the cover of Tamir-ul Ad-Dwin.

He had been running Huji following directives from the Huji leaders, who are detained in different jails. Rab officials said he was mainly taking orders from Moulana Abdur Rahman.

Among the other arrested, Sharifuzzaman alias Liton is Huji’s finance secretary; Moulana Abdul Kader is said to be a close aide to Huji chief Moulana Abdur Rouf; and Maksudur Rahman alias Rana is an active member of Huji. l

Rab detains four suspected activists of Huji from Ashulia, Savar with huge arms and ammunitions yesterday

Maudoodi son to help try Kamalapur murder: One detained n Jamaat for war crimes Kailash Sarkar

n

Tribune Report

Syed Haider Farooq Maudoodi, son of Jamaat-e-Islami founder Syed Abul A’la Maudoodi, said he would help the International Crimes Tribunal in prosecuting Jamaat as a political party by providing books written by his father and other Jamaat publications, said a press release. He visited the office of Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee yesterday.

“As an illegitimate son cannot have right to his father’s wealth, likewise Jamaat cannot have any moral or constitutional right to do politics in Bangladesh,” said Syed Haider Farooq Maudoodi.

If Jamaat beseech mercy for their

activities back in 1971, then their issue can be considered. There are many ways of helping people except politics, he said.

Later, Syed Haider Farooq Maudoodi placed floral wreaths at the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at his Dhanmondi No 32 residence and visited the Bangabandhu Museum.

The meeting was attended by president of Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, Mohammad Golam Rabbani, Executive President Shahriar Kabir, Vice President Professor Muntasir Mamun, General Secretary Kaji Mukul, Law Secretary Tureen Afroz and central committee member Professor Mohammad Selim. l

Two days into the murder of railway ticket booking-clerk Israfil Hossain inside the vault room at Kamalapur Railway Station, police claimed to have detained one of the suspects making a significant progress in unveiling the mystery.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Nazrul Islam, superintendent of Railway police, who is supervising the case in connection with the murder, admitted that they had detained a suspect in the station area yesterday. But he declined to disclose the identity or other details of the person.

He, however, hinted that the detainee was not a railway employee, but had access to the restricted areas.

“We have detained that person as a suspect. Hopefully, we would be able

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

Mufti Izhar Izhar was arrested in December 2010 in connection with two criminal cases in Chittagong, but he came out on bail after a few months. The Criminal Investigation Department in Dhaka at that time showed Izhar arrested in a case to investigate his Huji links. A CID official, on condition of anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that the investigation had stalled after Izhar had got out on bail.

Huji was launched through a press conference at the National Press Club

in the capital in 1992. The press conference was addressed by a group of Bangladeshi Afghan war veterans who had gone to Afghanistan in the 1980s to fight with local Mujaheedins there against the then Soviet occupational force.

Establishing a network based in Qawmi madrasas, Huji carried out a number of terrorist attacks and also planted bombs to kill Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina at Kotalipara, Gopalganj, in 2000 during her first term as the prime minister.

Huji even carried out grenade attacks on an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004 to assassinate Hasina, who narrowly escaped death, but the attacks killed 24 Awami League leaders and activists and maimed 300 others, according to police investigation.

Huji used smuggled Arges grenades, a military weapon, in the attack.

The outfit was banned in October 2005 for its anti-state activities.

After yesterday’s explosion inside Mufti Izhar’s madrasa, a police official in Chittagong confirmed that the grenades had been locally made.

“The explosion occurred when they were making grenades inside the madrasa,” Mohammad Shohidullah, additional deputy commissioner of Chit-

tagong Metropolitan Police, told the Dhaka Tribune over phone.

The multi-storey madrasa was established in a hilly region in Chittagong in 1980, accommodating around 1,500 students and 50 teachers.

After yesterday’s explosions, police officials in Chittagong started investigating Izhar’s involvement with the radical groups home and abroad.

After the countrywide simultaneous blasts of about 500 bombs by another militant outfit – Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) – in 2005, the then government had to launch a crackdown on militant outfits. Arms training at Lalkhan madrasa also stopped at that time, police sources said.

After yesterday’s blast, madrasa people and leaders of Islamist parties started propagating that the explosion was caused by a CPU and a UPS of a computer, trying to hide the making of grenades.

Police were raiding the madrasa and arrested nine people including three teachers and four of them were arrested from two private hospitals while undergoing treatment.

The source confirmed that one of them was a diploma engineer from Chittagong Polytechnic Institute and he was providing technical support to make grenades. l

Explosion rocks Hefazat madrasa  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

About 200 lead-coated marbles were also found in the pile of rubble.

Shafiqul Islam, commissioner of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, while visiting the spot in the afternoon said the explosion and recovery of the grenades and raw materials were a matter of concern as the prime minister was scheduled to visit the port city on October 12.

“We have already launched investigation and persons responsible behind the incident will be brought to the book immediately,” he added.

The CMP commissioner also said they were confirmed about a large stockpile of explosives at the madrasa during the blast.

The police conducted a raid at the campus residence of Mufti Izhar around 8:15pm when eight bottles of acid were recovered. Izhar and his family members were not present during the drive.

Later in a drive on the campus, police arrested five others including teachers of the madrasa and recovered 10 bottles of acid from their possessions.

Harunur Rashid Hazari, deputy commissioner of the CMP’s north zone, said explosives and crime scene experts had collected samples from the spot soon af-

ter the blast for investigation.

Mohammed Shahidullah, additional deputy commissioner of the north zone, said the explosion was a big one as the window grills and ceiling fans of the room had been smashed badly when cracks had also developed on its walls.

He said they had recovered three live grenades, one attached to a mobile phone apparently to blast the bomb using remote control, and huge quantity of materials used to make grenades.

He suspected that the explosion occurred during manufacturing of the grenades.

“We have arrested four of the injured from two private hospitals in the city,” Shahidullah said adding that a number of their teams had been conducting drives at different parts of the city to nub the other persons responsible for the incident.

Of the four, one was Mohammad Nurun Nabi, a student of Chittagong Polytechnic Institute, while the police could not confirm identities of the three others immediately. Nabi suffered 90% burn injury and was taken to Dhaka for better treatment.

Maulana Abu Sayeed, a teacher of the madrasa, said the blast was caused

to make a disclosure tomorrow [Tuesday] through the arrest of more people involved,” Nazrul said.

Asked, he said the investigators had questioned many people, including some suspects, but could not arrest them as they were railway employees.

“We are trying not to arrest anybody unless we are sure of his involvement, as almost all of them are railway employees,” he added.

Some of the employees at the station suspect the involvement of another booking-clerk, Md Jahangir, who was suspended by the authorities for an attempt to sell tickets in the black market. Israfil Hossain was the one who had uncovered his crimes.

SP Nazrul said they had also spoken to Jahangir and he was under surveil-

lance.

Asked, he said none of the 60 employees at the ticket booking section were absent at the office.

Replying to a query, the senior railway police officer said although the railway authorities had claimed that Tk1.7m was looted from one of the lockers at the vault room where Israfil was killed, there was much more money in several other lockers in the room.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, deceased Israfil’s daughter Dr Taniya Akhter said she was not aware whether her father had any role in the suspension of Jahangir.

“My father never discussed his work with us,” Taniya said. “Whatever happened, the murder is linked to my father’s office and its employees are involved in it,” she claimed. l

Cabinet discusses role of judiciary

Lalkhan madrasa: A den of Huji Osama Bin Laden and Mollah Omar of the terrorist organisation al-Qaeda.

Izhar travelled to Afghanistan on several occasions and met Laden, Omar and many other Taliban leaders.

He has described his trips to Afghanistan and meetings with the Taliban leaders in different publications, which are circulated within the Huji network.

About 70 years old, Mufti Izhar is one of the senior leaders in the Islamist parties in the country. He is the ameer of a faction of the Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ) and also the chairman of a faction of Nezam-e-Islam.

He and his madrasa have close ties with the fundamentalist Islamist outfit Hefazat-e-Islam and its headquarters Hathazari madrasa in Chittagong.

Some Islamist leaders and also the source close to the radical network said Izhar claimed himself as the nayeb-eameer (vice-president) of Hefazat, but his rival groups opposed his claim.

Two sons of Izhar are central leaders of Hefazat. None of them could be reached yesterday over phone as their mobile phones were switched off.

Citing local people, the source said Izhar had been available at the madrasa until 5pm, but he had since been missing and his mobile phone was also found switched off.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

by an IPS explosion and that five students – Abdullah, Karim, Khaleque, Amanullah and Zabbar – were injured.

A student, Jahirul Islam, said he was in an adjacent room during the explosion and saw fire after he had come out hearing a big bang.

Soon after the explosion, Mufti Izhar told reporters that he had heard a big bang from the Darul Iftah department’s dormitory at about 11am when he was working at his office room. He then sent several students to see what had happened.

“The students returned to my room after a few minutes and informed me that an explosion took place from a laptop,” he claimed adding that five students of masters’ class of the Darul Ifta department had sustained injuries during the incident.

Within few seconds of the comment, Izhar shifted from his stance and claimed that the explosion was from an Instant Power Supply (IPS) device.

The Hefazat leader stayed at his office room until afternoon. However, later he was not found there to make further comments after the recovery of grenades and other materials.

A huge contingent of police and Rab

personnel had been deployed on the madrasa campus since the explosion.

Hefazat is a Hathazari-based radical Islamist organisation comprising teachers and students from Qawmi madrasas. Formed in 2010, the group resurfaced in February this year demanding death penalty for the organisers of Shahbagh movement terming them “atheists.”

Youths active in social media launched the Shahbagh movement in February protesting “lenient” life term punishment handed down to Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Molla for war crimes he committed during 1971 Liberation War. The Shahbagh youths had also demanded highest punishment to all war criminals and banning of Jamaat.

Having support and representation mainly of the opposition alliance led by the BNP and Jamaat in its central and unit committees, Hefazat launched a long march and a Dhaka blockade in April and May as they put forward their 13-point demands that include enacting anti-blasphemy law. The controversial demands include repeal of anti-Islamic laws and stopping free mixing of men and women. l

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

and such comment amounted to sedition. The judge’s comment created huge uproar in the parliament where a number of senior ruling party MPs criticised the judge and even proposed forming supreme judicial council to impeach the judge.

Hamid later in a ruling said Justice Manik had violated the constitution through his comments on the speaker and parliament.

Yesterday, the ministers for finance, LGRD, food, civil aviation, and secretaries of the law, LGRD and public administration ministries took part in the discussion, meeting sources said.

But, the prime minister kept mum on the issue, confirmed the meeting sources.

The meeting also discussed about the way out to address the problem considering the issue of contempt of court. However, they could not reach

any conclusion to address the issue.

LDRG Minister Syed Ashraful Islam said judges always show their judicial authority, on the other hand, the secretaries show their administrative power.

Food Minister Abdur Razzak referred to the verdict of an Indian court that said: “Once when India produced surplus food grains there was storage crisis.

Then the Indian Court ordered to distribute surplus food among the poor. But then the administration responded saying that it was not an issue of the court.”

Sources said at the meeting Finance Minister AMA Muhith suggested that to bring an end to the prevailing crises, the president might hold a meeting with all concerned.

He said the law minister too could take initiatives to address the issue.

Replying to Muhith, the law minister said the attorney general’s office should be more active in this regard, the source said. l

Tribunal CCTVs  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

According to sources, after the 12th day, the footage from the first day will be deleted automatically.

The security measures at the tribunal was questioned after the arrest of two tribunal employees – cleaner Nayan Ali and stenographer of the registrar Faruque Hossain for their alleged involvement with the leak.

The registrar said as many as 29 SB personnel perform their duties at the tribunal by rotation. “We increased height of the walls outside the tribunal, deployed security personnel at the main gate and placed here a temporary police camp to ensure security.”

Enquired by the Dhaka Tribune why the officials were concerned about outside security measures when the leak happened by insider, the registrar did not say anything but laughed.

He said at least 23 people worked at the tribunal as cleaner, of them five are for the registrar office. “The other cleaners serve the judges and the registrar office does not have much informa-

tion about them,” he added.

“Now we are suspecting that there are some loopholes at the tribunal,” said the registrar.

When asked whether the employees appointed as cleaners were known by the tribunal office, the registrar would not answer directly, but said: “You know better.”

He also said security was hampered sometimes since the office of the prosecution and the tribunal are on the same premises and that the prosecution has to deal with different kinds of people.

The registrar said they would solve the problem soon after discussing with the prosecution. He added: “We cannot make any structure or wall to separate the prosecution office from the tribunal building as this building is declared as heritage.”

Mentioning about the leak of Skype conversations between former tribunal 1 chairman Justice Nizamul Huq and Belgium-based legal expert Ahmed Ziauddin last year, Nasiruddin said: “We should have fixed the matter sincerely.” l

Extradition treaty with India  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

cabinet of the two countries before it comes into effect.

The Indian parliament has already ratified the treaty.

“After ratifying the treaty in parliament, it will be effective soon as the Indian cabinet has already ratified it,” Mosharraf Hossain said.

Kamal Uddin Ahmed, additional secretary of the political wing of the home ministry, last night told the Dhaka Tribune that once ratified in Ban-

gladesh parliament, the two countries would exchange the ratification documents to make the treaty effective.

Asked about the issue of Anup Chetia, a leader of United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa), Cabinet Secretary Mosharraf Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that after the treaty came into effect, any of the two countries could request extradition of any of its citizens detained in the other country.

“But, the host country will finally decide on extradition of a person.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

MLM regulation bill passed Government can appoint administrators to companies found guilty ucts, the marketers will face maximum n Kamran Reza Chowdhury five years of imprisonment and a fine of Parliament enacted a law to stop the swindling of people’s money through promotion of the pyramid structure marketing by the multi-level marketing (MLM) companies yesterday.

The House approved the Multi-Level Marketing Activities (Regulation) Bill-2013 as the commerce minister GM Quader proposed its passage in absence of the main opposition BNP. The bill seems tough to the companies, which came under criticism for their techniques to sell products through the social network in pyramid structure.

According to the new law, the multi-level companies must take prior license from the government or face maximum jail term for 10 years and a fine of Tk5m for running the business without license. Anyone transferring the licenses to others will face maximum two years of imprisonment and a fine of Tk500,000 for transferring any license, totally or partially.

For marketing substandard prod-

Tk500,000.

Besides, there are provisions for punishment for violation of packaging rules, and for charging prices considered as “illogical” by the authority.

Those who are already running multi-level marketing activities will require applying to the government for the license within 90 days.

The law will authorise the government to appoint administrators to the companies if found guilty of fraud, harassment, or ill motives.

Again, the law has the provision according to which the government, through gazette notification, in the future can prohibit the use of certain goods and services of the multi-level marketing businesses.

The law has been in force as the president on September 12 promulgated an ordinance, which the commerce minister on September 30 tabled as a bill.

Passage of the law will abolish the ordinance. l

BNP to resist one sided polls: Fakhrul n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

TIB suggests 30-year coordinated plan for a better DMCH

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said his party’s only target was to resist the government plan to hold one sided polls.

He made the remark at an extended meeting of Jatiyatabadi Sechhasebak Dal at a city hotel yesterday.

Mentioning BNP Chief Khaleda Zia’s announcement that “struggle committees” would be formed, Fakhrul said: “Polls are not our concern right now.

Our only aim is to prevent the government from assuming office again.”

The party chief had asked all activists to form poll centre-based struggle committees, he said adding that BNP’s main concern was to oust the government and then go for election nomination.

He alleged that the government was spreading propaganda against the opposition to hurt BNP’s unity.

“We want to say firmly that conspiracy will not come true,” he said.

Fakhrul warned that if the government did not listen to the demand for polls under a non-partisan government

by October 24, it would be forced to go.

The BNP leader said as the government politicised the administration and judiciary, free credible elections would not be possible.

Criticising the Information and Communication Technology Act, Fakhrul said: “This law is against the freedom of thought and expression.”

He added that the government was also formulating broadcasting policy to gag media. Terming Sechhasebak Dal the vanguard, Fakhrul asked the leaders to prepare to wage a tough movement. l

n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The Transparency International Bangladesh has suggested that the government should take-up a 30-year plan to ensure good governance, mitigate corruption and raise the standard of healthcare services at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

TIB also said a coordinated effort would be needed in the next thirty years between the health ministry, the health directorate and the DMCH authorities for improving human resource management and infrastructure.

The suggestions came out of a seminar styled “DMCH: The Advancement of Good Rule, Challenge and the Way to Get Rid of it,” organised in the Biam Auditorium in the capital yesterday. TIB published the report on a study that it had conducted at the DMCH during the last few years.

The corruption watchdog identified a number of factors that had been obstructing the establishment of good rule at DMCH: insufficient infrastructure; lethargy in repairing out-of-order equipment; shortage of expert and adequate manpower; inefficient distribution of manpower; irregularities in financial matters; nepotism in recruitment, and so on.

According to the research paper, the DMCH has been running amid a severe shortage of manpower. In 1984 the hospital was an 800-bed facility, which has recently been upgraded to 2,300 beds, but the number of staffs has not been

A slum woman collects milk from a lactating cow brought to the makeshift cattle market at Gabtoli. Supply of sacrificial animals to Dhaka from different parts of the country starts as Eid-ul-Azha nears SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

increased accordingly.

TIB researchers collected the data used in the study from the biggest healthcare facility in the country from April 2010 and August 2013.

According to the report, the DMCH has been facing a number of challenges: huge pressure of patients; limitation of space; only 20 beds in the ICU; shortage of anaesthesiologists leading to under-utilisation of the operation theatres; only one trolley for 12 patients; just the one ambulance to serve 654 patients, and so on.

DMCH has been facing a number of challenges: huge pressure of patients; limitation of space; only 20 beds in the ICU; shortage of anaesthesiologists leading to under-utilisation of the operation theatres; only one trolley for 12 patients; just the one ambulance to serve 654 patients, and so on The report also said the 1:37 doctor-to-patient and 1:12 nurse-to-patient ratios have been badly crippling services in the hospital.

Moreover, there is generally one doctor for 80 patients in the outdoor and one for 52 in the emergency. The 1:138 nurse-to-patient ratio in the outdoor is even more staggering.

The report, however, appreciated some of the initiatives taken by the

DMCH authorities since 2010, which include expansion and modernisation of the emergency; procurement new equipment for dialysis, digital x-ray machines, ventilator in the neo-natal ward, and echocardiography machines, and so on.

Moreover, the addition of the new departments such as the Thoracic Surgery, Respiratory Medicine, Endocrinology, Herpetology, Gynaecology ward, expansion of post-operative facilities, the Burn Unit, and so on.

The chief guest of the seminar Professor Dr Khandakar Md Sifayetullah, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), said the highest budgetary allocation that the health ministry has got in the last eight years was 7.4%. The World Health Organisation recommends that the health sector should get at least 14%.

Prof Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub, president of the Health Rights Movement National Committee, said with the existing manpower, it was impossible for the DMCH to ensure optimum standards.

He also suggested that the government should come up with strict laws to check corruption at the hospital.

Prof Dr Nazmunnahar, director general of Birdem hospital, suggested that the DMCH should go for automation for ensuring quality services and checking corruption.

DMCH Director Mustafizur Rahman claimed that despite all the constraints, the hospital happened to be the only one in the country form where no patient went back without getting admitted. l

Role of Nizami in 1971 was political: Defence n Udisa Islam Cross-examination of the investigation officer in Jamaat-e-Islami chief Motiur Rahman Nizami case ended yesterday after the defence side questioned him for six days.

Defence counsel Mizanul Islam cross examined Abdur Razzaque Khan at the International Crimes Tribunal 1.

He later pleaded for time to place witnesses in favour of the accused. The tribunal will set date of producing defence witnesses today.

The IO was the 26th and last prosecution witness against former minister Nizami. The Jamaat ameer is facing 16 charges of murders and torture of unarmed people, and complicity to commit genocide and crimes against humanity in Pabna and Dhaka in 1971.

The defence claimed that Nizami’s role during the Liberation War had been political, and he did not do any crime.

The IO answered in the negative.

Razzaque also said witness Samar C Kundu had told him that Nizami had been caught by freedom fighters Anil and his fellows in August 1971 and tortured in confinement for couple of days.

The IO submitted a written statement of the witness.

The defence also suggested that the IO had submitted a made-up probe report. Razzaque denied the allegation.

In response to a query, the IO said he had submitted the probe report on October 30, 2011. Last time he investigated the case was July 24 this year. “But as there is no provision to submit advance probe report, so I did not submit it.”

The tribunal asked the defence to place the first witness by October 10. Defence counsel Tajul Islam then pleaded for time saying the witness would not be ready to come before Eid. The tribunal today will hear two petitions from both the parties. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

BLF demands fair wages for extra work of tannery workers n Tribune Report Bangladesh Labour Welfare Foundation (BLF) demanded fair wages for extra work of tannery workers.

The demand was raised at a human chain organised in front of the National Press Club yesterday.

Speakers said tannery workers have to do extra work, but do not get fair wages. The production would be increased, if the owners ensured worker’s right. Rights of workers should be confirmed for the development of the society and nation, the speakers added.

The other demands are providing proper training of workers to avoid accidents, ensuring better work environment for workers and rehabilitation of victims of accidents.

President of BLF Abdus Samad presided over the meeting. Among others, Secretary General ZM Kamrul Anam, member Rani Khan and tannery owners and workers were also present at the programme. l Bangladesh Shishu Kalyan Parishad forms a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday to mark World Children Day 2013

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

BNP censures government over Rampal project n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla Main opposition BNP yesterday claimed that the 1,320MW coal-based power plant in Rampal was initiated to serve the interest of a neighbouring country not Bangladesh and its people.

“The prime minister laid the foundation stone of Rampal power plant without conducting any survey and ignoring experts’ opinions because she can sacrifice the country’s independence and sovereignty for her own interests and to protect another country’s interest,” Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the BNP joint secretary general, said at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated work of the plant on Saturday, nearly two months after the Department of Environment approved the project’s Environmental Impact Assessment report. India’s state-owned National Thermal Power Company will build and operate the plant.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia while addressing mass rallies in Khulna and Sylhet also lambasted the government for the project. On Saturday in Sylhet she said: “We will not allow anyone to set-up the power plant in Rampal.” The BNP chief also extended her support to the National Committee that observed a long march last month against the project.

However, during the BNP rule in 2006, law enforcers opened fire on the protesters in Phulbari when they were

The PM inaugurated Rampal power plant without conducting survey and ignoring expert opinions because she can sacrifice the country’s independence and sovereignty for her own interests agitating under the banner of the National Committee against an open-pit coal mining project. There people including a teenager were killed in the August 26 fire when over 200 injured.

The Awami League chief then supported the demonstrators.

Before the party chief, BNP spoke on the project only a couple of times and never staged any demonstration protesting the move. In 2011, the party’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir asked the government not to implement the project near the Sundarbans. On September 5, Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan said the BNP would scrap the project if voted to power.

At another programme yesterday, Standing Committee member Rafiqul Islam Miah alleged that the government agreed on the project to get unconditional support from India

to stay in office.

Addressing a discussion at Jatiya Press Club in the capital, he observed that the project would be suicidal for Bangladesh because the Sundarbans, the largest mangrove forest in the world, would be destroyed and ecology of Bangladesh would be under threat.

He also criticised the government for not paying a heed to the concerns of the country’s environmentalists, scientists and people from cross sections of life.

The BNP leader also called upon the Indian citizens to mobilise mass support against the Rampal power plant project to protect the people of Bangladesh and the environment. l

Garment worker kills self in city n Asif Islam Shaon

Police allegedly covering up Gaibandha gang rape

A garment worker allegedly killed himself at Pallabi area, Mirpur on Sunday.

The dead was Md Maruf, 24, a worker of Top Text Fashion Limited. Maruf, from Jhalokathi, lived with his wife in a rented house at section 12 in Mirpur.

He got married two and a half months back, said sources.

Police said Maruf went to the bathroom in the evening and hanged himself from the towel stand. His genital was found parted when the body was recovered. l

n Our Correspondent, Gaibandha

WEATHER

Light to moderate rain likely n UNB Light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over Khulna, Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Sylhet, Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions until 6pm today.

Moderately heavy to heavy falls were also likely at places over the country, Met Office said.

Day and night temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:40pm today and rises at 5:53am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 32.0 degree Celsius was recorded at Khepupara and lowest 23.1 degrees at Tangail yesterday.

Highest and lowest temperatures recorded in some major cities yesterday were: City

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

29.0 27.2 30.0 29.5 28.5 29.8 24.7 27.5

24.7 24.4 23.8 24.3 24.0 25.4 23.2 24.5

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:38am 5:52am 11:46pm 4:01pm 5:40pm 6:55pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

Unilever’s Lifebuoy leads pledges of schoolchildren n Tribune Report Unilever’s health soap brand Lifebuoy announced the start of a new campaign called “Help a Child Reach 5” to defeat diarrhoea in Bangladesh on the sixth Global Hand Washing Day to raise awareness of hand washing with soap as a simple but lifesaving habit.

Through this program, Lifebuoy aimed to reduce the number of preventable diarrheal deaths in the schools through hygiene interventions like hand washing with soap, said a press release yesterday.

Managers from Unilever Bangladesh Limited visited schools to spread the message of hand washing to the schoolchildren through interactive hand washing demonstrations all over Ban-

gladesh on the occasion of GHD 2013.

The visits concluded with schoolchildren’s pledging to wash their hands with soap on 5 important times, these were – before eating breakfast, lunch & dinner, after using the toilet and while taking a bath.

UBL Barnd Building Director K S M Minhaj said: “Hand washing with soap is one of the most effective and low cost ways to prevent diseases like pneumonia and diarrhoea which stop 1.7m children every year reaching their fifth birthday. We know from clinical research that hand washing with soap at key occasions can reduce the risk of diarrhoea by up to approximately 45%.

This means that hand washing with soap could help a lot more children reach their fifth birthday.” l

Allegations have been raised against Gobindaganj police station authorities that they were covering the suspected gang rape committed by their five police officials.

Different women’s rights groups in the district have demanded that thetask of probing the incidentbe transferred to an independent taskforce.

Currently, a police investigation team is tasked with investigating the alleged rape.

The 14-year-old girlwasalleged to have been violated on September 29 night inside the police station after a police team picked her up from Fashitola area where she had been left by her step mother, according to the victim’s statement.

Officer-in-Charge Sheikh Md Delwar Hossain of the police station declined to disclose the names of policemen on duty of September 29 night after being approached by this correspondent.

Instead, he requested this correspondent to take bribe and not to run any report on the issue.

“According to the case statement, the girl is at least 17 years old while Gaibandha district prison mentioned that her age might be between 13 and 14,” said Delwar.

The police officer added that some of his rivals were trying to use the girl against him in order to transfer him from the police station.

“Or, it might so be that the girl came up with rape story so that she could

put us into difficulty and realise some money from us,” added Delwar.

Earlier, the victim in her recorded statement to senior judicial magistrate’s court said: “After the police patrol team picked me up and took me to the station, five police members tied my hands up and raped me for about 3-4 hours.”

“They didn’t take me to any doctor or even get me any medicine. When I was being taken to the court on September 30, the police members asked me to keep mum, and warned if I spoke of the rape, they would implicate me in a false case,” the case statement read.

“This is why I didn’t tell the court about the rape that day. However, I told a female jail guard and a jailor about the rape after being placed into a prison,” added the statement.

Meanwhile, a medical team that carried out physical examination of the girl 11 days after the incident said they found no evidence of gang rape on the girl.

Listening to the details, the court observed that it was unlikely that a girl of 13-14 would be in a good physical condition and act normal after being gang raped for 3-4 hours at a stretch.

However, the alleged incident sparked an outrage among the women’s rights activists in the district who demanded formation of a judicial committee to investigate into the incident.

Women’s rights organisation Mohila Parishad and Nari Mukti Kendra yesterday formed a human chain in Gaibandha city and urged the government to form an independent judicial committee for probe into the rape. l

Boot camp urges youths to become future leaders n Syeda Samira Sadeque University students from all over the country gathered over the weekend for an intense and exciting training on leadership organised by Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC) in Chittagong.

The three-day-long BYLC boot camp, which started on Friday evening and ended yesterday, aimed to encourage the 93 participants to focus on leadership as a solution to many of Bangladesh’s current problems.

“I want something that will teach me how to imagine, and help me to observe,” said one of the participants from the crowd regarding his expectation.

“People only learn what they are

ready to learn. You have to be ready for learning. Leadership can be learned,” said Ejaj Ahmed, the founder and president of BYLC, at the inaugural session on Saturday morning.

Among others, Wahid Malek, the managing editor of Dainik Azadi, and Neal Walker, the UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh, spoke at the boot camp.

Besides speeches, speakers also arranged activities ranging from icebreaking to intense, hands-on sessions. An activity on negotiations on Day 2, which required the participants to mimic the society with each participant playing a different role: sellers, buyers, police, thieves, goons and ordinary people, was particularly popular.

On Day 2, participants also visited various factories and offices of companies such as Unilever Bangladesh Ltd, Standard Chartered Bank, AK Khan and Company Ltd, Brac, MM Ispahani Ltd and Western Marine Shipyard Ltd. Participant Maisha Mowazzaim, who visited Brac’s education programme, said: “Though it did not look that exciting from the outside, once we went inside we realised how innovative the programme was. I do not think I have seen many other students who learn as enthusiastically as them.”

Sadia Afroze, who visited the Customs House, said: “I had a very wrong impression of the public sector but now I can relate it to my law background.”

On the third and final day, participants heard stories about BYLC’s journey and Ahmed’s personal story behind the founding of the organisation.

“Pain and frustration are the crucibles of leadership. Because from these come inspiration,” he said. He added: “Our society has many who have the means but not the wish to work for society, and many who have the wish but not the means. So we have to find the right combination.”

The three-and-half day event was organised and hosted by various volunteers from both Dhaka and Chittagong, and sponsored by the US Embassy, RSRM and Green Delta Insurance Company, and many partners including Brac who hosted the whole team. l

Neuro Disabilities Act 2013 approved n Mohosinul Karim In a bid to ensure the rights and welfare of the autistics, the cabinet yesterday approved the draft of the National Trust for Rights and Protection of Persons with Neuro Developmental Disabilities Act 2013.

The proposed law highlighted the issues related to providing assistance to autistics, their nurture, security and rehabilitation.

The cabinet secretary said under the law, there will be an advisory council, headed by the prime minister. A total 13 ministers and state ministers will be the members of the council.

Besides, there will be a trustee board comprising experts and other stakeholders, headed by an eminent person.

The board of trustees will mainly look after the enforcement of the law and will provide registrations to organisations interested to work on autism.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina presided over the cabinet meeting. l

City housewife succumbs to burn injury at DMCH

n Mohammad Jamil Khan

A man in the city allegedly set fire on his wife in the early hours of yesterday.

The person, allegedly a drug abuser, fled as the police raided on his house at the city’s Jurain area.

The victim Laboni Akter, 25, a mother of two sons, died at Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) around 11pm.

According to Mohammad Helal Khan, father of the victim, Laboni got married to Mohammad Manik Chand 12 years ago. Helal could not refuse the proposal of the marriage as Manik belonged to an influential family. However, Manik treated Laboni well enough in the first eight years of their marriage,

but he started torturing her as soon as he started to take drugs.

Laboni, with a low voice, said her husband threw kerosene on her while she was asleep. She got awaken and ask him why he was doing so. Manik, without listening to her, lit up a flame with a matchbox and set her on fire.

Samantalal Sen, coordinator of DMCH Burn and Plastic Surgery Unit, said Laboni got admitted in the hospital with 53% burn injury in her body and it was quite a challenge for them to save her life.

Majharul Islam, officer-in-charge of Kadamtali police station, said on information, they raided on the house of the accused but he managed to flee. Their team was investigating into the incident to arrest him shortly and the process of filing a case was under process, he added. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

5

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Equity, justice and climate change Are they in the centre of environmental and development discourse?

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

M n Farah Kabir

any would disagree with me that climate change is non-discriminatory. The shocks and stresses induced by climate change are felt in coastal belts of Bangladesh as well as Colorado, USA, Maldives and Manhattan to name a few. However, the impacts on the communities vary with the marginalised and disadvantaged bearing the greater brunt of the impact. Not to mention the availability of resources and alternatives being greater than in countries like Bangladesh or other parts of the global south.

This is why one is of the view that it calls for a renewed discussion and deliberations to put equity and justice back on the centre stage with a rigour.

It needs a shift from figures and quantitative economic arguments to rightsbased thinking and approach, backed by serious political commitment.

The disparity that we find emerged and sharpened due to existing replication of the proposed and accepted model(s) of development which are heavily dependent on fossil fuel.

Developing countries opting for fossil fuel dependent growth, ie using coal for energy, drilling for oil and in addition all the hydrological mega infrastructure projects at the behest of global financial institutions and business lobbies have not been the solution to climate change.

Instead they disrupted the life and rights of rivers, oceans, destroyed soil, affected agriculture, biodiversity and human lives. The way out of the economic crisis was supposedly to extract the oil and coal out of the earth without reference to the serious environmental cost and undertake growth in lines of the developed countries.

Should we be concluding that the climate and gender dimension debates are an ‘add on’ in global negotiations as well as at the national level?

The land has been taken away from indigenous communities, existing agricultural practices and norms ignored, deforestation has been on the rise and oceans and rivers interfered with harming biodiversity.

On the human level, the impacts of climate change analysed and explained from existing lenses and arguments are not gender sensitive given the dominant patriarchal discourse and world view. Climate change discourse and negotiations till date have only delivered unsatisfactory results when it comes to the issue of gender and equity.

Gender-related inequalities are pervasive in the developing world. A substantial majority of the 1.3 billion people in the developing world, living below the threshold of poverty are women. In Bangladesh alone, where it is estimated that 30% of the population are living below the poverty line, making up for some 30 million people, half are women.

major emission cuts along with some of the countries in the South who have adopted energy-heavy development models and joined the global league of polluters in this race.

Denial has come with such a cost that even if we stopped using energy totally for a while we could not restore the earth to the agreed target of CO2 emission. There has been total

I would like to argue that if climate change policy is about ensuring a sustainable future by combining development and environment issues, it must take into account the interests of all stakeholders, especially women

Climate change poses new challenges to already-vulnerable populations. It is important that the consequences of climate change should not lead already-marginalised sections of communities into further deprivation.

However, key development issues that may help address these concerns have been at best sidetracked, and at worst blatantly omitted, from policy debates on climate change.

The threats posed by global warming appear to have failed to impress on policy-makers the importance of placing women at the heart of their vision of sustainable development and equitable and fair share of opportunities for growth. I would like to argue that if climate change policy is about ensuring a sustainable future by combining development and environment issues, it must take into account the interests of all stakeholders, especially women.

It must also ensure that all women are not categorised as one, instead recognised for their diversity as well.

Development practitioners and activists recognise that it is essential to develop an understanding of how men and women are differently vulnerable to, and able to cope with, the impacts of climate change.

By addressing the inequality between men and women’s access to resources, our work in fisheries, forestry and agriculture can contribute to better adaptation practices, more sustainable livelihood. and coping strategies for all involved.

All socioeconomic systems (especially climate-dependent systems such as agriculture, pastoralism, forestry, water resources, and human health) are in a state of flux in reaction to changing climatic conditions. The evidence shows that there is considerable potential for adaptation to reduce the impacts of climate change and to realise new opportunities.

The global South is more vulnerable to climate change, which impacts especially harshly the poor women and children in these countries. Countries in the North have to agree to

violation of the rights of the oceans, rivers, all other species in the world by promoting the fossil-fuel-dependent development model. Such disregard for biodiversity and land rights and rights of water has sharpened the existing imbalances in society.

It is observed that social institutions and arrangements governing the allocation of power and access to resources within a nation, region, or community need to work in a manner to assure that access to resources is equitably distributed because the presence of power differentials can contribute to reduced adaptive capacity.

It is important for climate negotiators to be cognizant of and integrate this knowledge into climate change negotiations and policy. This will contribute to efforts to make policy decisions more effective and able to reach the goal of helping the poor to adapt. Rural men and women’s ability to protect themselves from climatic changes threatening their food security at household and community levels depends on the resources they have.

Frequent and intense floods, cyclone, rise of salinity in water, river erosion, drought bring in a set of challenges difficult to cope with in any situation. In the coastal belts of Bangladesh and India, or Maldives, many have been rendered homeless, have lost existing livelihood options and professions, having to migrate, living in the open with no prospects for tomorrow.

In women-headed households, the impact is considered to be higher.

Women have to struggle to provide food and water, ensure that the resources are protected which is why their role in homestead gardening, social forestry, seed conservation, and indigenous knowledge crop up in any conversation that is related and their wisdom needs to be adhered to.

That women and marginalised communities are the most affected by climate change can no longer be open for debate. Yet, we have observed

reservations in how it is reflected in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiation documents and processes.

This is also noticeable in the bodies and instruments that have evolved as an outcome of these processes.

Do the negotiations so far truly reflect the predicaments of the disadvantaged, poor and marginalised women? Or for that matter of marginalised communities at large? Should we be concluding that the climate and gender dimension debates are an “add on” in global negotiations as well as at the national level?

The question I am trying to raise is that while many of us may agree on the urgency of taking action to address climate change and reduce emissions, have we understood that it needs to be grounded in the principles of equity? Are we going to hide behind the argument of creating opportunities for the poor and marginalised by accepting the development paradigm and growth models proposed by the major emitters?

Or will we invest in developing alternative development models that respect nature and listen to tried and tested common sense principles we have available to us through our indigenous and traditional practices? This is not to be read as replacing fossil fuel with bio-fuel and threatening food security of communities!

and development policies are very convoluted given the state of international relations and corporate lobbies.

One cringes at the dependency on such bodies knowing that the interests of the poor and marginalised are not being prioritised.

A broad-based development approach requires gender-sensitive growth strategies that invest in women and empower them to more effectively contribute to economic development. All regions will need to recognise that women need to be supported in their dual roles as care-givers and active economic agents.

This will involve lightening their care burden through access to improved household technologies, extended public social protection systems, and strategies that increase women’s bargaining power. The success of a post-MDG development framework depends on formulating policies and translating existing policy promises into actions that reflect a view of the world that embraces gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Other issues such as migration and its impact have to be central to thinking on any policy or programmatic intervention we may propose. There is need for ensuring gender analysis and women’s participation in policy formulation and decision-making without further loss of time. This is

The politics of power driven by major energy corporations and their demands have overshadowed the discussions around equity and equitable processes even before it gained sufficient ground in negotiations

To the best of my understanding so far equity discussions and debates have mainly tried to address emissions. It now needs to account for a human rights perspective of climate change.

The politics of power driven by major energy corporations and their demands have overshadowed the discussions around equity and equitable processes even before it gained sufficient ground in negotiations. These accounts need to be meaningfully added to the negotiations globally and nationally.

National policies must facilitate the process of equitable development opportunities. At ground level, increasing broad-based economic development by promoting female education, employment and economic and political empowerment is one of the ways to progress. It is most likely to prove as one of the most promising strategies for climate change adaptation, with women as key agents.

However, we find that the ODA

applicable to adaptation, mitigation and loss and damage discussions/negotiations.

The Global Environment Facility and the Clean Development Mechanism of the Kyoto Protocol can play a role in ensuring sustainable development provided they are implemented in a way that does not disadvantage women and the poor.

Would it be too much to expect COP 19 in Warsaw, and the multiple initiatives and processes around post2015 and SDGs to pave the way for equity and justice? Will global leaders be able to demonstrate transformative leadership and challenge the existing “mono culture of the mind,” to borrow from Dr Vandana Shiva, and attempt to comprehensively save and protect the environment and humanity by looking at this as also an issue of equity and justice? l Farah Kabir is the country director of Action Aid Bangladesh.

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Man gets life for rape in Ctg

ADB Vice President visits Kurail slum in capital n Tribune Desk

n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

A man who had raped an 18-year-old deaf-mute girl in 2001 was found guilty by a Chittagong court yesterday and sentenced to life plus a fine of 100,000.

The court also ordered the state to take responsibility of the victim’s daughter.

Judge of Women and Children Oppression Repression Tribunal-1 Md Rezaul Karim gave the verdict. Convict Nimai Chandra Dey, 38, who hailed from the Chandanaish upazila in Chittagong, had been at large since getting a bail earlier, said a court source.

Visiting Vice President (Administration and Corporate Management) of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Bruce L Davis yesterday visited the legal water connections of Dhaka WASA in Kurail Slum of city’s Gulshan.

Dhaka WASA with the assistance from ADB has brought 290 families of Kurail slum out of the 500 families under legal water network. Dhaka WASA is also working to give legal water connection to rest of the Kurail slum families

by December 2013, said a press release.

ADB Deputy Country Director Stefan Ekelund and Head of Portfolio Management Oleg Tonkonojenkov were present during the visit. Dhaka WASA managing director Engr Taqsem A Khan briefed the delegation on Dhaka WASA programme.

Earlier, the ADB delegation met with Dhaka WASA managing director and high officials of Dhaka WASA at WASA Bhaban in the capital. l

Nimai took the girl near a pond adjoining his house at the Purbo Pathandandi area of Chandanaish around 7:00pm on April 4, 2001 and raped her Chandan Talukdar, a public prosecutor of the tribunal, told the Dhaka Tribune that the court gave the verdict under sections 9(1) and 13(C) of Women and Children Oppression Repression Act. According to the case statement, Nimai took the girl near a pond adjoining his house at the Purbo Pathandandi area of Chandanaish around 7:00pm on April 4, 2001 and raped her.

About one month from the incident, her father lodged a case with the Chandanaish police station bringing rape charges against Nimai, who initially denied culpability when police nabbed him.

However, he was found guilty after a DNA test and a charge-sheet was submitted before the court on July 4, 2001.

The court framed the charge against Nimai on June 8, 2002 and gave the verdict after questioning five prosecution witnesses. l

Leading University’s stage torched n Tribune Report A groups of people have torched a stage of Leading University at Ragibnagar under Biswanath in Sylhet on Monday.

Witnesses said the stage was made to inaugurate the university’s new campus at Ragibnagar.

Abul Kalam Azad, officer-in-charge of Biswanath police station, said police rushed to the spot and doused the fire.

Leading University is the first private university in Sylhet.

The university have two other campuses at Rang Mahal in Bondor Bazar area and at Taltola Super Market in the city. l

BIWTA evicts illegal establishments on the bank of the Buriganga River yesterday

NASHIRUL ISLAM

DWELLING IN CAPITAL

40 % people lack formal habitation n Abu Hayat Mahmud About 44% of people living in the capital are deprived of any sort of housing facilities which is very alarming for the country, according to a survey conducted by Center for Urban Strategies in 2007.

Citing the study, Iqbal Habib, director, VITTI Sthapati Brindo Limited, said: “In some areas of the capital, about 10,000 people live in per square kilometre with some 40% of them having no formal habitation while an informal habitation constitutes 60%.”

Of the 44% homeless, 35% stay in slums while 8%-9% floating section of them beside roads, rail lines and parks, observed Iqbal Habib.

The observation came at a seminar held at the Daffodil International University (DIU) in the capital yesterday to mark the World Habitat Day 2013.

The theme of this year’s programme was Urban Mobility.

Department of Real Estate of the university hosted the programme on “Problems and Prospects of Real Estate Sector in Bangladesh”.

In his address as the chief guest, Architect Iqbal Habib said the capital Dhaka emerged as an unplanned city where the homeless live in the city’s 47% flood-prone low-lying areas including Bhasantek, Shahjahanpur, Badda and Demra.

The lack of government initiatives and negligence are attributed to the mega city’s failure to accommodate the city dwellers well enough.

The architect added that different private real estate companies and even the government’s own agency – Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk) – filled up water bodies in and around the capital for housing project.

The water bodies are giving way to the housing projects which are also are contributing to deforestation, all putting a bad effect on ecological balance.

The member secretary of the Urbanisation and Governance Committee of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon stressed utilising the “Urban Hydro Ecological” facilities for a sustainable city life.

“Real Estate Companies provide housing facilities only for 14% people of upper class in the society, but they do not take any steps for the poor,” he said, adding that the government also did not have any steps for slam dwellers and floating people in the capital.

He urged the students to come up with an innovative approach to addressing the crisis caused by the real estate sectors.

Prof Dr M Mizanur Rahman, acting vice-chancellor of DIU, chaired the pro-

gramme which was also addressed by Prof Dr M Zakir Hossain, director (studies), Prof Rafiqul Islam, dean, Faculty of Business and Economics, Dr Mostafa Kamal, adviser, and Mohammad Sakhawat Hossain of the Department of Real Estate.

At the beginning of the programme, Md Shahadat Hossain, student of DIU Real Estate Department, gave a multimedia presentation of an overall situation of the real estate sector in Bangladesh in comparison with other developed countries.

In observance of the day, an essay competition on Real Estate sector of the country was held in which students from different colleges in the capital participated.

Jannat E Jahan of Viqarunnisa Noon School and College became champion while Md Tanvir Shahed of Notre Dame College first runner-up. l

Blood crisis keeps patients in a fix in Khulna DU, VSOB team up for n disaster volunteerism Tribune Desk

Acute crisis of pure blood keeps critical patients in the district’s hospitals in a complete quandary when its need arises.

The patients feel the pinch of its shortage sharply especially because they have to depend only on the blood transfusion sections of Khulna Medical College Hospital (KMCH) and Khulna General Hospital, reports UNB

In Khulna city Quantum Foundation, Khanjahan Ali Blood Foundation, Khulna Blood Donor Club, Juba Red Crescent Society and Badhan of Khulna University are working with blood but these are information-based organisations Although Sahheed Sheikh Abu Naser Specialised Hospital has got the approval to open a blood transfusion section, they are yet to start its operation.

Besides, a number of organisations are working with blood but they have no scope of preserving blood.

Sources at the KMCH blood transfusion section said they collect and

distribute around 60 bags of blood on an average daily while Khulna General Hospital 15 to 20 bags.

The two public hospitals on an average collect and distribute 75 to 80 bags of blood after grouping, cross-matching, screening and other tests.

Besides, different clinics in the city without government approval collect and supply blood.

There is also allegation that some private clinics receive blood from donors without carrying out any malaria, HIV, B-virus, C-virus or any other necessary tests on their bodies.

Once only volunteer organisation Sandhani was meant for blood donation and collection.

But Sandhani Donor Club was abolished due to internal conflict.

The patients have no confidence in it like the past.

However, Sandhani Clubs’ vice president Amirul Islam Mukul said there is a demand for 25 bags of blood every day from them but it is not possible to supply blood according to the demand.

It is now difficult for commoners to collect blood from KMCH, which is now controlled by pro-government Bangladesh Chhatra League, he added.

In Khulna city Quantum Founda-

tion, Khanjahan Ali Blood Foundation, Khulna Blood Donor Club, Juba Red Crescent Society and Badhan of Khulna University are working with blood but these are information-based organisations.

It means that these organisations have a list of their members and if any one needs blood, they send donors to the patients.

Khulna Civil Surgeon Dr Golam Mortaza Sikdar said there is no scope of doing business with blood.

“If anyone needs blood, he/she can collect it from Khulna Medical College Hospital or General Hospital according to requirement and any group of blood will be available,” he added.

If any allegation is found against anyone, actions will be taken promptly, he warned.

Blood transfusion section medical officer Dr Tozammel Hossain Zoardar of KMCH said for blood transfusion service, license is to be obtained from the office of the director general of the health directorate.

In Khulna, there are only two organisations which have the licence.

One is Khulna Medical College Hospital while another is Khulna General Hospital, he added. l

n Tribune Desk In order to promote research, knowledge and volunteerism in the disaster management, a memorandum of understanding has been signed between the Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies of Dhaka University and Voluntary Service Overseas Bangladesh (VSOB).

DU Pro-VC (administration) Prof Dr Shahid Akhtar Hossain and Country Director of VSOB Shahana Hayat signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations at the office of DU vicechancellor recently, says a UNB report.

DU VC Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique addressed the function as the chief guest. Director of the Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies Prof Dr Mahbuba Nasreen, Head of Funding of Asia Pacific of the VSOB Iftikhar Ahmad and Funding Advisor of the organisation Chris Wardle and Acting Registrar of DU Syed Rezaur Rahman were present on the occasion.

The objectives of the MoU are to promote volunteerism among students of the Institute of Disaster Management

and Vulnerability Studies, build capacity of the community youth to respond to the impact of the climate change through appropriate adaptation strategy, create an opportunity of IDMVS students to conduct research, thesis and internship in VSOB working areas, create opportunity to make bridge between academic knowledge and community practice, organise national and international seminars, symposia and workshops for disseminating empirical knowledge of disaster, resilience, risk, coping mechanism, adaptation and vulnerabilities of disaster affected people.

Besides, IDMVS students will work as volunteers under ‘Clean and Green Dhaka University Campus Project’ with the technical and financial support of Voluntary Service Overseas.

DU VC Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique highly expressed the hope that the students of the Institute of Disaster Management and Vulnerability Studies would be benefited in the fields of knowledge on climate change, environment, global warming, green house effect, volunteerism, ethical and moral education. l

Barisal city looks festive as new mayor takes charge n Anisur Rahman Swapan, Barisal Former district BNP President Ahsan Habib Kamal would take up charges as the mayor of Barisal City Corporation today, 128 days after being elected in the third BCC election held on June 15.

On the occasion, the Nagar Bhaban and different areas of Barisal city have been decorated with lightning and billboards.

Acting BCC mayor Altaf Mahmud Sikdar would hand over the charges to the newly elected BCC Mayor, Ahsan Habib Kamal at a ceremony at the Nagar Bhaban in the afternoon.

After working 100 days as the acting mayor, Altaf was bidden farewell by the BCC officials yesterday.

Ahsan Habib Kamal was the 18-party alliance backed mayor candidate in the last BCC election where he defeated Shawkat Hossain Hiron, city Awami League president and 14-party alliance supported Sammilito Nagorik Committee nominated mayoral candidate, by 17,000 votes.

The number of voters was 210,482 in the last BCC election.

Kamal was defeated in the BCC Elections in 2003 and 2008.

He had performed as a ward commissioner, administrator andchair-

man of Barisal Municipality for 18 years.

The divisional headquarter of Barisal municipality was upgraded to a city corporation by gazette notification of the BCC Act on April 4, 2001.

It was extended to 30 wards within 45 square kilometer area previously, which was 20 wards in 25 square kilometers of area.

Sources said Ahsan Habib Kamal is taking up charges as the Mayor at a time when the salaries and bonus for Eid-ul-Azha for the employees of BCC worth over Tk30m is due.

Besides, BCC has a debt of around TK10m, said sources. l

Dean Awards given to 17 DU researchers n Tribune Desk The Faculty of Science of Dhaka University has conferred the Dean’s Awards on three teachers and 14 students for their outstanding performances in their respective fields.

DU Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr AAMS Arefin Siddique handed over the awards and gold medals to the teachers and the students at a function held at Nawab Nabab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban on the campus yesterday, reports UNB. The award recipient students are Nafis Istihaq (Physics), M Hasib Uddin Mollah (Mathematics), AZM Moinul Islam Majumder (Chemistry), Khandokar Akib Mohammed (Statistics), M Murshedul Islam (Biostatistics), Fatima-tuj Johara (Informatics), M Saddam Hossain Bagmar, Mohammad Shamsul Alam, Farjana Misu, Amina Amrin, Fatima Johura and Tahrima Faruq.

They were given the awards for their outstanding results in the BSc examinations in 2011.

On the other hand, the three teachers who received the Dean’s Awards for their outstanding achievement in the research are Prof Dr Ferdaus (Mathematics), Associate Prof Dr Mominul Islam (Chemistry) and Associate Prof Dr Israt Raihan (Statistics, Research).

DU Pro-VCs Prof Dr Nasreen Ahmad (Education), Prof Dr Shahid Akther Hossain (Admin), Chairman of the Statistics, Biostatistic and Informatics department Prof Dr Khaleda Banu, among others, were present on the occasion with the Dean of Science Faculty Prof Dr Yousuf Ali Mollah in the chair. l

JU teachers announce fresh programme n JU Correspondent The agitating teachers of Jahangirnagar University (JU) have declared a fresh agitation programme from today of boycotting all administrative activities for three consecutive days.

Besides the demand of Vice Chancellor Anwar Hossan’s removal, they demanded that Pro-VC of JU Prof MA Matin be officially appointed for holding the admission tests.

They expressed worries regarding the upcoming admission test for 201314 academic sessions, as the authorities are yet to fulfill their demands.

General Teachers’ Forum, the platform of the agitating teachers yesterday arranged a press conference in front of VC’s residence where its general secretary Prof Kamrul Ahsan said besides boycotting classes and examinations, they would remain abstained from the administrative activities during the three day strike according to their fresh agitation programme.

This is the fourth time, the agitating teachers have called abstention from work in last six months demanding VC’s removal bringing over a dozen of allegations against him.

“We have called the strike as the VC is yet to resign from his post. Earlier, we were boycotting only classes and examination and now we have decided to boycott all kinds of administrative activities as well,” he said.

They highly criticised the last meeting of university’s central admission test management presided by VC. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Rajbari to suffer big dips in sugarcane production n Our Correspondent, Rajbari

Sugarcane farmers in Rajbari are unlikely to bag profits this season because of excessive rainfall and resultant water stagnation in sugarcane fields, which substantially impeded the growth of crops and decimated them.

The amount of rain that fell in the past three months has been measured to be three times higher than which fell over the same period last year, according to a source at the department of agriculture extension (DAE).

There has also been a higher incidence of what is generically called “red-heart disease” (in which case the inner part of a cane turns reddish and decays) as a result of pest attacks. Pests cause to reduce crop yield by eating roots.

Rajbari, despite being one of the top sugarcane growing regions in the country, recorded dips in cultivation acreage too. Sugarcane was cultivated on about 999 hectares of land against the target of 1,232 hectares.

On the other hand, about 1107.73 hectares of land were brought under cultivation against the targeted 1840 hectares in the areas covered by Faridpur Sugar Mill, which processes raw sugarcanes produced both in Rajbari and Faridpur.

“Heavy rainfall in the last three month in five upazilas of the district inundated vast areas of sugarcane fields.

It has been very frustrating for farmers who had been patiently waiting to reap the fruits of their labour,” said Md Rafiqul Islam, regional director of Faridpur Sugar Mill.

It takes usually 14/18 months to grow sugarcanes which is much longer compared to other crops, he added.

“Because of this time factor as well as lack of profits, farmers are increasingly turning to other crops.”

During a recent visit to several sugarcane fields, it was found that many plants had been decimated by pest attacks against which farmers had little protection.

Hasan Ali Sardar, a farmer at the Endraw Narayapur village in Rajbari Sadar upazila, cultivated sugarcanes on two acres of land.

“Insects partly damaged my field.

If you take a closer look, you will see many sticks bearing marks of the damage inside,” he said.

Rokon Uddin Mollah, another farmer, was nearly in tears when he de-

7

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Jewellers on street to protest robbery scribed how he might not be able to repay loans that he had taken for plantation. “I borrowed TK10,000 to cultivate sugarcane on 15 decimals of land.

As things stand now, after months of rain and pest attacks, I see no hope of having any profits at all.”

Several farmers also alleged that no agriculture experts or officers from DAE visited their areas even after reporting the incidence of red-heart disease.

Mohammad Golam Kibriya, deputy director of the department at Rajbari, however, denied the allegation, explaining how the red-heart disease came to being in the first place.

“The problem arose mainly because of incessant rainfall which started from before August. The disease takes place when water remain stranded in a field for a long time.” l

n Our Correspondent, Mymensingh Hundreds of jewellery shop owners brought a procession and kept their shops closed yesterday protesting the robbery at a jewellery shop on Sunday in Mymensingh town.

They demanded immediate arrest of the robbers and recovery of the looted gold of M Hossain Jewellers.

During the demonstration, protestors threw bricks aiming at police when the procession was stopped at Ganginarpar intersection.

Chandan Kumar Ghosh, secretary of Bangladesh Jewellers Samity of Mymensingh unit, said three robbery incidents took place in Mymensingh since February this year but no looted gold was recovered.

But this time they want back the looted gold, otherwise they would go

for tougher programme, he added.

A gang of robbers exploded 20 to 25 crude bombs before storming into M Hossain and Brothers Jewellers owned

by Kabir Hossain on Sunday evening.

The gang looted gold ornaments and cash worth about TK20m, claimed Abdul Quiyyum, the son of the proprietor of the shop. Four people— Kabir, proprietor of M Hossain and Brothers Jewellers, while three employees Gadashwar Karmaker, Abu Taleb, and Russell were injured in the incident.

The injured were admitted at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.

In last month on September 3, robbers looted gold ornaments worth TK1.5m from the volt of Labonya Shilpalaya at Durgabari. Another robbery took place at Alim Jewellers in the same town from where robbers looted gold worth Tk2om on February 11 this year. l

Phensidyl, sex stimulants seized in two districts n UNB

Youth jailed for 17 years for keeping arms in Feni n Our Correspondent, Feni

Detective Branch of police and members of Border Guard Bangladesh in separate drives seized a total of 984 bottles of Indian Phensedyl syrup and 3,000 pieces of sex stimulating tablets from different places of Jessore and Satkhira early Sunday.

In Jessore, BGB members seized 529 bottles of Phensedyl and 3,000 pieces of sex stimulating tablets from Gonga and Dulatpur border areas under Benapole Port police station.

Commanding Officer Tayef-UlHaque of BGB battalion 23 said acting on secret information a team of BGB conducted separate drives in Gonga and Dulatpur areas around 12:30am, and recovered the drugs and tablets from a sack in an abandoned condition.

Sensing the presence of BGB team, smugglers might have fled the scene leaving the sack behind, he added.

In Satkhira, a team of DB police seized 455 bottles of Phensedyl from Alipur Ballfield area of sadar upazila early in the morning. l

A Feni court yesterday sentenced a youth to 17 years rigorous imprisonment for possessing arms.

The convict was Alamgir Hossain Babu, 25, of Rampur village under Feni Sadar.

Magistrate Jebunnahar Ayesha of Feni District Joint Judge Court delivered the verdict at 11am.

Court sources said acting on a tip-off, a team of police led by Town Sub-Inspector Manjurul Alam raided a hotel beside Mohipal Plaza on February 26 in 2004.

Police seized foreign pistols, eight round of bullets and magazines from Alamgir’s possession.

Alam filed a case as a complainant with Feni Sadar Police Station against Alamgir under the Arms Act. Later, police submitted a charge sheet to the court. Of a total list of 12 witnesses, six have given statement before the court.

Assistant Public Prosecutor Enamul Karim Khandekar said the court sentenced the convict to seven and ten years in prison under two different sections. l

Mohila Parishad forms a human chain in front of Gaibandha Press Club protesting the rape of a teenager at the Gobindaganj police station

Headmistress canes over 100 primary students over trivial matter in Gaibandha n Our Correspondent, Gaibandha The headmistress of a government primary school in Gaibandha caned over 100 students for allegedly laughing at her as she fell off a veranda on Sunday.

More than 100 students of South Dopadanga Government Primary School in Sundarganj upazila of the district have become ill due to the cruel punishment, leaving their angry parents to demonstrate against the headmistress.

According to sources, the headmistress, Lainunnahar Begum, usually buys fresh milk from a house near the school. On the day of the incident, she sent a student, Akhitara, to collect the milk.

When Akhitara returned to the school with the milk, the head teacher’s three-year-old child suddenly pushed his mother off the veranda where she had been waiting, causing her to fall to the ground.

Witnessing the scene from their classrooms, the students of classes one and two allegedly started laughing, which infuriated Lainunnahar. At one stage, the enraged woman shut the

Abducted schoolgirl rescued in Jessore

n Tribune Desk Police rescued a schoolgirl from Shiromoni area in Khulna city on Sunday, 12 hours after her abduction from Barandi Mollapara area in Jessore town.

The law enforcers also arrested Maniruzzaman, 40, son of Akkel Ali of Baropata village in Khulna city, in connection with the abduction, reports UNB. Police said Khoka, son of Akkel Ali, and his associates picked up the girl on Saturday evening and took her to Khulna city. The victims’ father Tofayel Hossain filed a case against them with Kotwali Model Thana in Jessore.

Later, on secret information, police rescued the girl from the area and arrested Maniruzzaman, brother of Khoka, on Sunday morning. l

doors of the classrooms and reportedly caned the students, leaving over 100 youngsters injured.

When the students informed their guardians about the beating upon returning home, they gathered at the school yesterday and staged demonstrations demanding exemplary punishment of the headmistress.

The guardians also confronted Lainunnahar, but the headmistress failed to give them any satisfactory answer and left the school premises.

Despite repeated attempts, the headmistress could not be reached for comments as her mobile phone was switched off.

In August 2010, the government banned corporal punishment in all educational institutions across the country, describing it as inhuman. Under a directive issued by the education ministry, teachers who beat children will face disciplinary action by district education officers.

When contacted, upazila primary education officer, Akteruzzaman, said disciplinary action would be taken against the headmistress if she is found guilty after an investigation. l

BSF fires rubber Case-counter cases harassing Money stolen from bullets in Phulbari, innocent people in Gazipur bank counter 8 injured Mentioning a recent incident, Hun Our Correspondent, Gazipur n Our Correspondent, Barisal Kabir said a local inhabitant n Our Correspondent, Kurigram Filing of cases and counter cases regard- mayun Rubel, son of deceased Hashem Mas- A bag carrying Tk180,000 was stolen At least eight Bangladeshi cattle businessmen were injured as the Indian Border Security Force fired rubber bullets indiscriminately in the Khalishakotal border area early yesterday.

Sources said the BSF member of Boskotal camp was responsible for the incident.

Locals said a patrolling troop of the BSF fired rubber bullet to a group of cattle businessmen, who were returning to Bangladesh from the border, near sub pillar 5 of the international main pillar 934 of the border.

It was learnt that the group of cattle businessmen was a joint black marketeer syndicate of Bangladesh and India.

The injured were identified as Jahangir Alam alias Hando, 25, of East Phulmoti village, Rafiqul, 24, and Shah Alam, 30, of Gojer Kuti village, Sujat, 24, and Adam Ali, 30, of Gorok Mondol village, Momin, 25, Nuru, 27, and Shyamal, 26, who are now receiving medical treatment at different local hospitals.

The BSF members also seized 18 cows from their procession.

BGB Naeb Subedar Zakir Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune: “I heard the news, but the injured are missing. Patrolling in the border has been intensified.” l

ing land disputes has become a common phenomenon in Gazipur that has been causing harassment to the local people.

The allegation was brought at a meeting organised by Sripur Upazila Agriculture Training Center on September 30. Nazmul Islam Bhuiyan, upazila assistant commissioner (land) presided over the meeting.

The speakers also alleged that the local people were harassed because of these false cases, adding that creating probe report without proper investigation was yet another concern.

Sheikh Humayun Kabir Babul, a member of an upazila committee, said the number of counter cases had been gradually increasing and those cases were mainly filed centring land disputes. As a result, the true justice seekers were being harassed, he added.

If any victim file a case with a local police station regarding any land dispute, the offenders file a counter case with false information against the victim in order to harass him, he said, adding that usually, a third party was made complainant for the counter cases.

Speakers asserted that the offenders filed counter cases in order to force the actual victims to withdraw the cases.

Girl Guides for empowering girls to change society n Our Correspondent, Barisal Participants at a Girl Guides camp yesterday discussed the role of girls in achieving the millennium development goals and stressed on empowering them to change society.

The day-long event was held at the Barisal Islamia College as a part of the celebrations marking “girl-child day” with the theme “girl-child in leadership”. An oathtaking ceremony of Girl Guides Rangers was also held at the college campus.

The camp was conducted by regional trainer Shamsun Nahar, junior trainer Sumaiya Tabassum and Ranger Tanima Rahman Khan.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

The oath ceremony was led by Faizun Nahar, regional commissioner of Bangladesh Girl Guides Association.

Mohsin Ul Islam Habul, acting principal of the college, was chief guest at the closing ceremony, while Rangers Dinara Begum and Jebunnesa Begum were present as special guests.

The guests and participants said the girls of today are future mothers, so they should be extended special care for their proper physical, psychological and social development.

The participants received different types of life-skill training, with emphasis on attaining leadership skills and self-sufficiency not only

in family matters, but in all spheres of social life and national activities.

They also stressed on the role of girls in achieving the millennium development goals of eliminating hunger and poverty. They also called for ensuring women’s equal participation in decision-making in all fields to end all sorts of gender discrimination.

Identifying lack of skills, confidence and opportunities as the main reasons for backwardness of girls and women in Bangladesh, they recommended spreading Girl Guide activities for ensuring their education, leadership and skill development, employment, economic emancipation and political empowerment. l

ter, filed a case with Sripur police station on September 27. After one hour of filing the case, another local inhabitant Sadikul Samad filed a counter case against Rubel and eight other people with the same police station, he added.

Seeking anonymity, an inhabitant of Sripur Thana road said a section of dishonest officers in the police station filed false cases by making the complainant as defendant on the same incident.

Emdadul Haque, a lawyer of Gazipur district Judge Court, said filing of counter cases had eventually increased corruptions in the area. As a result, innocent people were harassed, he added.

Chairman of Gazipur Union Parishad Akram Hossain mentioned an incident where a tenth grade student was made defendant of a false case. Later, the student was arrested and produced before the court, he said.

In this regard, Officer-in-Charge of Sripur police station Amir Hossain said: “Sometimes court gives order to file a case.

“Dhaka Medical Collage provide medical certificate for counter cases, while Sripur Upazila Helath Complex provide medical certificate for original case if any clashes took place over any incident,” he claimed. l

from National Bank Barisal branch office yesterday.

Babul Shikadar, a clerk of the accounts department of Crescent Flower Mill, went to the bank to deposit Tk180,000 in the afternoon.

When Babul was writing the deposit-slip leaving the money carrier bag by his side, suddenly someone stole the bag within few seconds.

Shahidul Islam, manager, NBL Barisal Branch, acknowledged the incident and said they will check there close circuit camera records to find out the person who stole the money. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Attacks after deadly Egypt protests shatter relative calm n AFP, Cairo Suspected militants killed nine people in attacks in Egypt on Monday, a day after clashes between Islamists and police left dozens dead and dashed hopes of restored calm after president Mohamed Morsi’s ouster.

In south Sinai, a car bomb killed three people when it exploded outside provincial police headquarters, and gunmen shot dead six soldiers near the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya.

The attacks came a day after Islamists, hoping to galvanise their flagging protest movement, clashed with police as they tried to march on a Cairo square steeped in symbolism.

Assailants firing rocket propelled grenades on Monday also damaged a satellite communication dish in Cairo

that routes international calls, police said.

At least 51 people were the previous day killed in clashes, mostly in Cairo, in the worst violence in Egypt since mid-August when police dispersed two Islamist protest camps.

Police, joined by civilians opposed to the Islamists, fired tear gas and shots at the protesters when they tried to reach Tahrir Square in central Cairo.

Police say the Islamists protesters used firearms in the clashes.

The renewed violence appeared aimed at frustrating plans by the military-installed government to move on three months after Morsi’s overthrow by the military.

With its economy propped by aid from Arab Gulf countries, the interim government has sought to persuade

investors and tourists to return to the country.

But following several weeks of relative calm, the violence in the past 48-hours in the capital and south Sinai, which is dotted with tourist resorts, has shattered the appearance of restored security.

The Islamist coalition behind Sunday’s protests has called for further protests on Friday to converge on the same square, Tahrir, in central Cairo.

“No one will prevent us from going there, regardless of the sacrifices,” the Anti-Coup Alliance said in a statement late Sunday.

The square, where the military had held celebrations on Sunday to mark 40 years since the Arab-Israeli war, is highly symbolic for both supporters and opponents of Morsi. l

In focus: Egypt’s bad old days Stoter, Al Jazeera n Brenda Features When Egyptians revolted against former president Hosni Mubarak in 2011, it reflected their unhappiness with government corruption and police brutality. Many Egyptians are now receiving the same treatment after Mohamed Morsi’s ouster amid a series of violent incidents and arbitrary arrests.

More than 1,000 people, mostly Morsi supporters, have been killed in political violence since mid-August, according to human rights organisations. The arrests, meanwhile, highlight Egypt’s intensified crackdown on critics of the military since Morsi’s ouster.

The most common allegations against those detained in Egypt are for carrying weap-

Suspected Islamist fighters attack northern Mali city n Reuters, Bamako

ons or espionage. But others are being arrested on the streets for small offenses such as ignoring curfew, chanting slogans against the army, or simply “acting suspicious.”

The police crackdown hasn’t only affected Egyptians. Two Canadians were held for seven weeks by police, but released from prison on Sunday.

John Greyson, a renowned Canadian documentary filmmaker, and Dr Tarek Loubani were arrested during violent unrest in Cairo on August 15. Loubani had treated some wounded protesters at a demonstration that turned deadly and Greyson had filmed it.

They were accused of “participating with the Muslim Brotherhood” in an attack against police, but were never formally charged. The men said they were beaten and subjected to degrading treatment.

Their release came after a 16-day hunger strike, and high-level pressure from the Canadian government.

Last month, the 24-year-old French national Nevine Sana was detained for several hours because she broke curfew. Having a French passport “saved” her from spending a night in jail, she said.

“They body searched me, but when they found out I didn’t have any Egyptian papers, they let me go. My Egyptian friend got arrested too. Police officers were shouting at her, even threatening her with virginity tests,” Sana said.

A lot of people in Egypt are living in fear these days, said Sana. “Police officers are brutal and corrupt, just like before. Making sure you don’t give them any reason to arrest you is the only thing you can do.” l

Egyptian security forces and civilians detain a supporter of ousted Egyptian President

Wave of deadly attacks in Egypt kills 8 n AP, Cairo A drive-by shooting killed six Egyptian soldiers east of Cairo on Monday, shortly after a massive explosion, possibly from a car bomb, hit the security headquarters in a town near the area’s tourist resorts in southern Sinai, killing at least two and wounding dozens.

Also Monday, at least two rocket propelled grenades slammed into a compound housing the country’s major satellite earth station in a southern Cairo suburb, security officials said.

The attacks came a day after dozens were killed when holiday celebrations marking the start of the 1973 Mideast war turned into deadly clashes across Egypt, though it was not immediately clear if Monday’s violence was related.

The dawn attack on the earth station

in the leafy suburb of Maadi in Cairo caused only minor damage to one of the giant satellite dishes in the complex. But its significance was far wider, in part because it struck at the heart of the nation’s telecommunications center, making it the most serious attack in the capital since last month’s assassination attempt against the country’s interior minister outside his home in eastern Cairo.

The officials said the six soldiers were on patrol in a pickup truck when masked gunmen in another vehicle opened fire at them in an area west of the Suez Canal city of Ismailia. The six included an officer, a lieutenant, said the officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

The explosion at the security headquarter in the town of el-Tor killed two

Suspected Islamist militants hit the northern Malian city of Gao with artillery fire on Monday, in the first attack on the insurgents’ former stronghold in months, city residents, military and local government officials said.

Gao was the first city freed from Islamist occupation by a French-led military intervention that drove al Qaeda-linked fighters from the country’s north earlier this year.

While it bore the brunt of the guerrilla-war waged by remnants of the defeated insurgents in the months following the January offensive, until Monday’s violence the area had not seen an attack since May. “This morning from around 06:30 a series of four explosions hit the town.

One Malian soldier was wounded and a house was damaged,” Idrissa Cisse, a municipal official in Gao, told Reuters.

Cisse and Gao residents said Islamists had fired mortar bombs from outside the city, though a military official said the explosions had been caused by rockets. l

Hot air balloons are prepared before taking flight during the 42nd annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque, New Mexico October 5

Italy boat disaster: More bodies found n AFP, Lampedusa

Ethical issues as scientists peek into baby genes

Nobel medicine prize awarded n AP, Stockholm

Divers in Italy recovered 17 more bodies on Monday from a shipwreck in which over 300 African asylum seekers may have died, as EU states prepared to address the growing refugee crisis.

Hundreds of rescuers and army personnel have been deployed to the island of Lampedusa whose seas were described as a “giant cemetery,” with 211 bodies now pulled from the water.

A fishing boat packed with around 500 Eritrean and Somali migrants capsized and sank on Thursday after its captain set fire to a T-shirt to signal distress to coast guards, sparking panic on board. Emergency services managed to save 155 people.

Divers have described the horrific sight of the bodies trapped in the wreck under water at a depth of around 50 metres (160 feet), many still in the contorted poses in which they drowned.

“There are a lot of young people.

You imagine seeing your own children.

It is really a tragic scene,” said Angelo Vesto, an army officer responsible for transporting the black body bags.

Some 30,000 asylum-seekers have landed in Italy so far this year – more than four times the number from 2012, although still below the 50,000 in 2011 at the height of the Arab Spring revolts.

The majority are Eritrean, Somalis and Syrians. l

n AP, Washington

Americans James Rothman and Randy Schekman and German-born researcher Thomas Suedhof won the 2013 Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for discoveries on how hormones, enzymes and other key substances are transported within cells.

The Nobel committee said their research on “vesicle traffic” — the transport system of our cells — helped scientists understand how “cargo is delivered to the right place at the right time” inside cells.

Disturbances to the system can contribute to diabetes and neurological and immunological disorders, the committee said.

Rothman, 62, is a professor at Yale University while Schekman, 64, is at the University of California, Berkeley. Suedhof, 57, joined Stanford University in 2008.

The university said Schekman’s research led to the success of the biotechnology industry. Schekman studied normal and defective yeast to identify the process of vesicle transport, the university said.

The Nobel committee said Schekman discovered a set of genes that were required for vesicle transport, while Rothman revealed how proteins dock with their target membranes like two sides of a zipper. Sudhof found out how vesicles release their cargo with precision. l

Little Amelia Sloan is a pioneer: Shortly after her birth, scientists took drops of the healthy baby’s blood to map her genetic code.

Amelia is part of a large research project that is decoding the DNA of hundreds of infants. New parents soon can start signing up for smaller studies to explore if what’s called genome sequencing — fully mapping someone’s genes to look for health risks — should become a part of newborn care.

Should parents be told only about childhood threats? Or would they also want to learn if their babies carried a key gene for, say, breast cancer after they’re grown? Could knowing about

people and wounded nearly 50, signaling what could be the spread of attacks

by Islamic militants, already active in northern Sinai. Daily attacks against security forces in the volatile northern Sinai Peninsula have increasingly resembled a full-fledged insurgency.

But the region of southern Sinai, which includes the popular diving resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, has been mostly quiet since a series of deadly attacks in 2005 and 2006.

The four-story building sustained serious damage and the officials said the blast was likely caused by a car bomb detonated by remote control.

Monday’s attacks come a day after at least 51 people were killed in clashes between security forces and supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi across much of Egypt. l

New Da Vinci painting identified n AFP, Rome

A WHOLE LOT OF HOT AIR

future risks alter how a family treats an otherwise healthy youngster? And how accurate is this technology — could it raise too many false alarms?

This is the newest frontier in the genetic revolution: how early to peek into someone’s DNA, and how to make use of this health forecast without causing needless worry.

“This was something that was looming over the horizon,” said Dr Alan Guttmacher, a paediatrician and geneticist at the National Institutes of Health.

Last month, NIH announced a $25m, five-year pilot project in four cities — Boston, San Francisco, Chapel Hill, and Kansas City — to start answering some of the questions before the technology is widely offered for babies. l

AP

REUTERS

An Italian weekly said in its Friday edition that a new painting by Leonardo da Vinci of Renaissance noblewoman Isabella d’Este has been reliably authenticated with carbon dating.

The portrait, which was believed to have been either lost or never even painted, belongs to an Italian family which kept it in the vault of a Swiss bank, the Sette magazine reported.

It measures 61 by 46.5 centimetres (24 by 18 inches) and depicts the prominent Italian marquess, who was a patron of the arts, in profile.

It is “a faithful transposition of the famous sketch hanging in the Louvre,” said Sette, which belongs to the Corriere della Sera daily. This is a sensational discovery although it is still short of confirmations,” it said. It quoted Carlo Pedretti, a world expert in the Tuscan painter (1452-1519), saying: “I can immediately recognise Da Vinci’s handiwork, particularly in the woman’s face.”

Only around 15 works have been reliably attributed to Leonardo, including the “Mona Lisa” – the most famous and popular painting in the world. l

WORLD WATCH Milkshake murderer Kissel appeals against second conviction

American expatriate Nancy Kissel appeared in a Hong Kong court on Monday seeking to overturn her conviction for the murder of her Merril Lynch banker husband. Kissel, 49, has been in jail in Hong Kong since 2005 when she was found guilty of murdering her husband after giving him a drug-laced milkshake and then clubbing him to death with a metal ornament in their luxury home. She was convicted for a second time last year following a retrial.

Hobbit feet, Frodo’s sword among ‘Lord of the Rings’ auction items

Fans of Peter Jackson’s epic fantasy film series “The Lord of the Rings” will have the opportunity to bid on rare movie memorabilia, a Beverly Hills auction house said on Monday. Props from Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy will be up for sale at Julien’s Auctions on December 5, including a pair of prosthetic hairy Hobbit feet worn by one of the film’s main characters, Samwise Gamgee.

Other highlights from the fantasy realm of Middle Earth include the sword of lead character Frodo Baggins, played by Elijah Wood, estimated between $100,000 and $200,000, and a wizard staff belonging to Gandalf the White (played by Ian McKellan), expected to fetch between $50,000 and $70,000.

Spanish shepherds guide 2,000 sheep through Madrid

Shepherds led a flock of 2,000 sheep through Madrid on Sunday in defence of ancient grazing, droving and migration rights increasingly threatened by urban sprawl and modern agricultural practices.

Tourists were surprised to see downtown traffic cut to permit the ovine parade to bleat — bells clanking — across some of Madrid’s most upmarket urban settings.

Modern farming practices and the use of faster road transport are increasingly confining animals to barns or trucks, because shepherding is costly and time-consuming, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, which has promoted the colorful annual Transhumance Fiesta in Madrid since 1994.

Spaniards are proud of their centuries-old sheep rearing traditions and hold the native Merino breed of sheep in high esteem.

Yale searches for stinker adding feces to dryers

Yale University is hoping to identify the stinker who has been soiling students’ laundry by sticking human feces inside clothes dryers. The culprit has been dubbed the “poopetrator” and is being blamed for at least four incidents in the past month in the laundry room at Saybrook College. Saybrook Master Paul Hudak said Yale police are investigating.

Officials at the Ivy League school also are considering changes to laundry room access. Yale police declined to comment in the investigation.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

9

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Typhoon Fitow slams into China, five dead n AFP, Beijing Typhoon Fitow barrelled into China’s east coast Monday, packing winds of more than 200 kilometres an hour, after hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated and bullet train services were suspended.

At least three people were reported killed, all of them near the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province, the state broadcaster CCTV said.

Parts of Zhejiang, which borders the commercial hub Shanghai, saw nearly 29 centimetres of rain over 17 hours from Sunday to early Monday, while areas in Fujian to the south saw up to 16 centimetres, the official China News Service said.

In the hard-hit county of Cangnan in Wenzhou, more than 1,200 homes collapsed and damages amounted to hundreds of millions of yuan, China National Radio said.

One of the victims, 55-year-old Ni Wenlin, died “after strong wind blew him off a hill” late Sunday, Xinhua news agency said, citing municipal flood control authorities.

Another person died of electric shock, CCTV reported.

In Fujian the typhoon snapped electricity poles in half, leaving power lines on the ground, and bent iron road signs out of shape, the radio reported.

In the coastal city of Ningde, a village leader told the Beijing Times that huge waves had damaged a 200-hectare seaweed farm, on which nearly 100 families depended for their livelihood.

At least 59 bullet trains in Zhejiang were cancelled, along with 22 flights from the provincial capital Hangzhou and 27 in Wenzhou, Xinhua said.

Sections of highways were shut and more than 350 buses from Wenzhou were cancelled.

Forecasters said the storm was expected to move northwest but weaken quickly.

But continued rainstorms were expected due to another typhoon, Danas, which was set to hit Japan’s main islands on Monday.

Packing winds of up to 180 kilometres per hour near its centre, Danas was battering the southern Japanese chain of Okinawa, where more than 50 flights at Naha airport were cancelled while schools were shut, according to local media.

The Japanese meteorological agency issued an alert for strong winds and high waves, while urging residents to remain

on guard for floods and landslides as well as lightning and tornadoes.

Local authorities in Okinawa and Kagoshima separately issued evacuation advisories to some 6,500 households, public broadcaster NHK said.

In China, authorities had evacuated hundreds of thousands and issued the country’s highest alert on Sunday as Fitow approached the mainland.

The storm was packing winds of up to 151 kilometres an hour Sunday night as it moved towards the coast.

Winds rose to 201 km per hour in parts of Wenzhou, Xinhua reported later, citing local flood control authorities.

Zhejiang has so far evacuated more than 574,000 people, while in Fujian 177,000 have been displaced, it said.

Two port workers in Wenzhou were missing and may have fallen into the sea, the agency added.

The storm also forced the suspension of bullet train services in several cities in Zhejiang, Fujian and Jiangxi provinces, Xinhua said.

Wenzhou’s airport cancelled 27 flights Sunday, the agency said.

Xinhua quoted the weather centre as saying it was unusual for a typhoon

2 killed in Pakistan anti-polio drive n AP, Peshawar

Pakistani Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid, right, arrives with his bodyguard for an interview at an undisclosed location in Pakistani tribal area AP

Taliban linked across Afghan-Pakistan border n AP, Waziristan The Afghan Taliban are financially supporting Pakistani militants at war with Islamabad and providing sanctuary for them in neighbouring Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taliban’s spokesman said, highlighting the risk both groups pose to the Pakistani government.

The disclosure, which the spokesman made Saturday in an interview with a small group of reporters, is meaningful because Pakistan has long been accused of pursuing a policy of differentiating between the Afghan and Pakistan Taliban as so-called “good” and “bad” militants — even though Islamabad denies this.

Pakistan has historical ties with the

Afghan Taliban, and many analysts believe Islamabad views the group as a useful ally in Afghanistan after foreign forces withdraw.

But the Taliban spokesman’s comments illustrate the dangerous nexus between the two groups. This link could become even more dangerous for Pakistan as the US withdraws most of its combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014. “The Afghan Taliban are our jihadi brothers,” Shahidullah Shahid said in an interview in Waziristan, the Taliban’s main tribal sanctuary in Pakistan along the Afghan border. “In the beginning, we were helping them, but now they are strong enough and they don’t need our help, but they are now supporting us financially.”l

A bomb exploded next to a van carrying Pakistani security guards tasked with protecting workers involved in an anti-polio drive in the country’s northwest on Monday, killing two people, according to officials.

The attack was the latest incident of violence against the government- and UN-backed effort to eradicate polio from Pakistan.

The bomb killed a police officer and a member of a volunteer peace committee, said senior superintendent of police operations for Peshawar district, Najeeb ur-Rehman. Police initially reported that six people died but ur-Rehman said that figure was later revised to two.

The attack happened in the village of Malikhel, about 20 kilometres outside the provincial capital of Peshawar.

The victims were supposed to be protecting workers administering anti-polio vaccine to local residents.

In 2011, Pakistan had 198 confirmed polio cases, the highest number of any nation in the world. It was able to bring that number down to 58 in 2012 through an aggressive vaccination program.

But the success has come at a steep cost. Militants who oppose the vaccinations often target workers delivering the vaccine and threaten people who want to get their kids vaccinated.

Two powerful Pakistani Taliban militants have banned vaccinators from two tribal regions in the country’s northwest, North and South Waziristan, over roughly the past year because of their opposition to US drone strikes. l

huge waves send people fleeing for cover as Typhoon Fitow makes landfall on Monday to come ashore in China’s southeast during October, at the end of the storm season.

Chinese maritime authorities also issued red alerts, warning of storm tides and waves. Fishermen were urged to

AFP

return to port and local authorities told to prepare harbour facilities and sea walls for high tides.

In Zhejiang more than 35,000 boats returned to harbour while in Fujian nearly 30,000 vessels were called back,

Asian floods leave many dead n AFP, Phnom Penh More than 150 people have died in floods drenching swathes of Southeast Asia in recent weeks, officials said Monday.

Heavy rains have waterlogged homes and farmland across the region as recent typhoons worsened the annual rainy season.

In Cambodia, the death toll from floods since mid-September stood at 83 on Monday, nearly half of them children, according to the National Disaster Management Committee.

More than 10,000 families have been evacuated, while hundreds of schools and dozens of homes have been deluged.

Heavy rain and strong wind also

uprooted a 30 metre tree and sent it crashing into the ancient Preah Khan temple in the country’s famed Angkor complex in northeastern Siem Reap province on Friday.

In Thailand authorities said 34 people have been killed and 1.9 million have seen their homes or livelihoods damaged by the flooding.

Typhoon Wutip left a trail of destruction in Vietnam in late September, with high winds that ripped the roofs off nearly 200,000 houses according to state media. The country has seen some 40 deaths in flooding since early September.

Cambodia’s floods have prompted the government again to cancel the annual water festival in front of the royal palace in Phnom Penh. l

Al-Qaeda affiliate claims attack in Iraqi Kurdistan n Reuters, Arbil, Iraq An al Qaeda affiliate claimed responsibility for a rare bomb attack in Iraq’s usually peaceful Kurdistan region and said it was in revenge for the enclave’s support for fellow Kurds fighting Islamists in Syria.

At least six people were killed when militants tried to storm the headquarters of the security services in the Kurdish capital Arbil last month in the first big attack there since 2007.

In recent months, a Kurdish militia has been fighting mainly Arab rebels and Islamists in northern Syria, opening an ethnic front in a civil war that has increasingly

Filling in for an absent US President Barack Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday sought to assure Asia-Pacific business leaders that nothing will shake America’s commitment to the region and that the current government shutdown in Washington will soon be over and forgotten.

In an address to executives at an Asian economic summit in Indonesia, Kerry said that the shutdown is simply a “moment in politics.” He guaranteed America will move beyond it quickly and will come back more resilient than ever.

‘There is nothing that will shake the commitment of the United States to the rebalance in Asia ‘ Obama was scheduled to deliver the speech but was forced to cancel his participation to deal with the shutdown.

Kerry, who unsuccessfully ran for the White House nearly a decade ago, joked that his appearance did not exactly fulfill his former presidential ambitions.

“In 2004, obviously, I worked very, very hard to replace a president. This is not what I had in mind,” he said to laughter and applause from a packed auditorium at a luxury hotel on the resort island of Bali.

Turning to the shutdown, which has led to speculation that American lead-

ership and its place in the world may be faltering, Kerry warned against reading too much into it.

“No one should mistake what is happening in Washington as anything more than a moment in politics. We’ve all seen it before and we’ll probably see it again,” he said. “But I guarantee you we will move beyond this and it and we will move beyond it with strength and determination.”

Kerry told the executives that America’s resilience “will continue well beyond this moment being considerably forgotten by all of you” and maintained that the Obama’s administration determination to focus on Asia would remain unchanged.

The shutdown and Obama’s cancellation of his planned four-nation Asian tour has raised concerns that other nations, particularly China, may fill a vacuum left

by US preoccupation with domestic troubles. Kerry rejected those fears.

“I want to emphasize here that there is nothing that will shake the commitment of the United States to the rebalance in Asia that President Obama is leading,” he said, before urging the region’s business leaders to push their governments for wide-ranging reforms.

Kerry called on them to press for the elimination of corruption and the promotion of rule of law as ways to encourage investment and spur development. He also said climate change had to be addressed to prevent humanitarian and business catastrophes. l

32 dead in India lightning strikes

n AFP, Patna At least 32 people including nine children were killed over the weekend by lightning strikes in the eastern Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand, officials said Monday.“About 24 people including seven children were killed Saturday and Sunday by bolts of lightning across Bihar,” State Disaster Management Minister Renu Kumari Kushwaha said.

In neighbouring Jharkhand, eight people including two children died, Puran Mahto, an official in the state’s Dhanbad district said. Torrential rains accompanied by strong winds uprooted trees, damaged houses and brought down power cables across the region on Sunday night. l

Woman plants bomb near Iraq school

n AFP, Baghdad

been fought along sectarian lines.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s President Masoud Barzani said in August his well-armed region was ready to defend Kurds in Syria, but his chief of staff later clarified there were no plans to send troops across the border.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant said in a statement it had carried out the attack in response to threats by Barzani, whom the group described as a “criminal apostate.”

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was formed in April through a merger between al-Qaeda’s Syrian and Iraqi affiliates. l

Kerry assures CEOs on US role in Asia-Pacific n AP, Bali, Indonesia

according to Xinhua.

Named after a flower from Micronesia, Fitow has hit just two weeks after Typhoon Usagi wreaked havoc in the region, leaving at least 25 dead in southern China. l

A guard caught a woman planting a bomb next to a primary school in Iraq on Monday, while two blasts killed four Sahwa anti-al-Qaeda fighters, officials said.

The woman was trying to plant a bomb next to the wall of a school in Madain, south of Baghdad, but was discovered by one of the school’s guards, who turned her over to the army with the help of a second guard, an interior ministry official said.

The attempted bombing came a day after a suicide bombers attacked a primary school and a nearby police station in northern Iraq, killing 18 people, including 10 children.

A total of 36 people were killed in attacks across Iraq on Sunday. North of the capital, two roadside bombs killed four Sahwa anti-al-Qaeda fighters and wounded five on Monday. The Sahwa, who joined forces with the United States from late 2006 and helped bring about a sharp reduction in violence in Iraq, are frequently targeted by Sunni militants, who consider them to be traitors.l

16 killed in car crash in Thailand n AP, Bangkok

Damage of a burnt studio is seen at the pro-opposition television station after masked men set a fire in Male, Maldives

AP

Maldives pro-opposition TV station set on fire n AP, Colombo, Sri Lanka Masked men set a fire that gutted the studio of a pro-opposition television station early Monday in the second attack there in two years, the owner said.

About six men on motorbikes threatened and chased away a security guard before setting fire to the station, Akram Kamaludeen said. Other offices in the building also were damaged.

Kamaludeen said there was no evidence that pointed to a suspect. He said President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s government and his allies have been upset with the station’s coverage.

Last year, attackers broke into the building and cut cables, disrupting the station’s broadcasts.

The television station backs the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, and authorities have barred it from covering government events.

“This is a dark day for press freedom in the Maldives,” said Kamaludeen, saying police did not protect the station despite prior threats and has not investigating the previous attack.

Police were patrolling the neighbourhood at the time of the attack and are investigating how the group broke in, said police spokesman Hassan Hanif.

The Maldives is facing political turmoil, with a court postponing a presidential runoff election that was expected to be favorable to MDP candidate, former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Nasheed secured more than 45 percent of the first round votes on Sept 7 but fell short of the 50 percent needed. A runoff between him and his closest rival Yaamin Abdul Qayyoom, brother of the country’s former autocrat, was postponed by the Supreme Court after the third-placed candidate alleged fraud in the first round. l

At least 16 people, most of them construction workers, were killed when a pickup truck crashed into a tree on a rural road in Thailand’s northeast on Monday, police said.

The pickup truck was carrying a number of construction workers in the back when it hit the tree next to a road in Ban Dan district in Buriram province, 300 kilometres northeast of Bangkok, police Col Suthee Setthawong said.

He said that 10 men, including the 24-year-old driver, and 6 women, were killed, while at least five others were injured and taken for hospital treatment.

“The accident happened on a straight stretch of the road and there was no rain. No other cars were involved. At this point, it’s likely he was falling asleep while the car was traveling at high speed,” Suthee told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Police also found a tablet of methamphetamine in the driver’s pocket and a bottle of alcohol next to his seat, Suthee said. l

10 DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Rampal requires more than just assurances

This is how it is October 4

W

e have already editorialised on the bad ideas that are Rampal and Rooppur. Despite serious opposition from a wide cross-section of the nation, the government has been unmoved and has inaugurated the project without any regard for the public’s qualms.

It is not the case that the government is unaware of the concerns or the lack of public support for Rampal; rather, there have been attempts to simply trivialise and dismiss opinions against the projects from the prime minister herself.

The evidence suggests that Rampal continues We cannot forget that to pose an undeniable similar coal-based threat to the Sundarbans. projects are still It is worth pointing out, as we have before, that if illegal in India, which Rampal is established, and is why the project its operations do eventuhas been located in ally end up damaging the Bangladesh in the environment, a non-trivial first place likelihood, we will not then be in a position to halt production from Rampal, considering our power shortage and the significant economic effort that will go into it.

The PM simply stating that Rampal poses no threat to the Sundarbans is just not good enough to satisfy the people’s concerns, as overwhelming evidence suggests otherwise.

Considering the track record of the current government, and the air of secrecy around the signing of the project, it is difficult for the people to blindly trust the prime minister’s blithe assurances.

Even though the Indian premier has also assured us that Rampal will not harm the Sundarbans, we cannot forget that similar coal-based projects are still illegal in India, which is why the project has been located in Bangladesh in the first place.

Banks need to be free of political pressures

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here has to be a set policy on which loans can receive an interest exemption, and what the financial institutions do about the outstanding non-performing loans.

Wiping Tk6.8bn from the banks’ accounts receivables in the last 3 years, and not being able to recuperate Tk223bn in bad debt, cannot be a way forward for any emerging economy.

That the contribution of bad debt to our total loans taken out has risen 4 points, from 6% to 10%, makes the situation all the worse. It means that the sector has failed to put a leash on people misusing private savings at their whim, provided they have the correct influence.

We are all in for the growth of the business Wiping Tk6.8bn from sector, and we would like the banks’ accounts to see businesses being alreceivables in the last lowed easy access to credit 3 years, and not being to facilitate expansion, provided they use it properly. able to recuperate And interest exemptions Tk223bn in bad due to legitimate causes are debt, cannot be a not a bad thing. However, way forward for any the fact remains that it is emerging economy the people’s money that the banks lend.

Default loans and exemptions mean that the sector’s efficiency and the people’s returns from capital decreases, and the banks become conservative in sanctioning more loans.

Hence, business growth is hampered.

The downside to this trend is that the people defaulting loans or taking exemptions are politically connected and use the connections for leverage. So, the business sector has to bear the brunt of the misdeeds of a select few people, who in actuality are re-sanctioned loans due to their lobby anyway.

This malpractice cannot be sustained and banks need to be empowered so that they can eradicate this problem.

A reasonable, updated policy has to be put in place; more importantly, it has to be implemented properly.

CROSSWORD

We cannot buy apples, grapes and all kinds of fruits due to formalin and some other chemicals. Can we buy fresh fish? Obviously not. Because of high fees charged by specialist doctors, we cannot visit them for treatment.

Along with that, travel costs have increased significantly; CNG and taxicabs have not been using the meter for a long time. Educational expenses are also high, as the students have to go to private tutors, coaching centres, and buy many guides to find creative questions with answers. They have no time for play, or meeting relatives.

The Buriganga has become an industrial waste area; the Hazaribag leather factories worsen it.

Nothing improves; rather it deteriorates day by day. House rents have spiked, as have living costs over the last few years. The law and order situation has been deteriorating for a long time. The Chhatra League student leaders are out of hand, and, in some areas, people live in great fear.

Yet, the incumbent government claims it has made significant progress here, and will continue if they are voted back into power. Meanwhile, the people have proved, with their votes in five city corporation elections, that they are very unhappy with the incumbents.

Sheuly Haque Sirajgonj

Bangladesh-India relations under the microscope October 2

Bangladesh needs to focus on economic growth – from there will arrive the seeds for future military growth.

Any planned military expansion will only be sustainable through stable economic growth. There needs to be diversification amongst our economic sectors. We cannot just rely on garments and remittances. We will need to increase our economic complexity index. An interlocked web of economic sectors that support each other (eg steel/metals and electronics) so that they can help each other to grow and expand the overall economy. This economic complexity has proven to be the most effective indicator of economic growth, more so than even education and welfare.

Talking about being a strong military without strong future economic growth is futile and doomed to failure. Spending less on the military means that we have more money left over to spend on infrastructure and education – factors that almost guarantee future economic growth. We can afford to spend less on the military if we have one basic neighbour to take care of, (ie India) rather than have border issues with many (like India does – China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma etc). You can talk about whether our money is spent effectively; that is a better question to ask. For example, how much bang-for-our-bucks are

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September 30

Siam Ashraful Role? Why will they be awarded?

Aurnov Hasanovic Both of them rebelled against the British. Gaffar Khan was a close friend of Gandhi and he opposed the All India Muslim League and the Partition, even opposed the creation of Pakistan. Even India awarded him its highest civilian honour. And his son Wali Khan was one of the very few Pakistanis who was on Bangladesh’s side. He even hates Pakistan. Both of them are Pakistanis and were imprisoned because they were against Pakistan.

Govt to build 1,148 flats for DCC cleaners October 2

Shuvo Saha Wow, seriously?

Tanveer Rouf Only if they get built properly. I am guessing massive corruption will result from this!

Khandaker’s comment ‘absolute contempt of court’: Quamrul October 2

Very pathetic comment by a Home Ministry official! The cyber crime team should have launched into action as soon as the GD was lodged with the police.

Waliul Haque Khondker

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we getting from different military contracts and equipment? Are they serviceable for our needs, maintenance costs etc?

To spend $5m on one particular item or another is a good question. For this, we need transparency. But simply asking for a large hike in spending is utterly silly. Remember that the military in-and-of-itself is not going to expand the future economy. Therefore we need a rough focus on industries that will.

Countries like India and Pakistan are spending billions on defence and related items. Given the state their respective populations are in, you have to ask how wise a decision it is (especially in the case of Pakistan). Bear in mind both these countries have resources well in excess of BD in absolute terms, and probably per capita too.

A reasoned discussion, not just jingoism, sir.

You have to have realistic goals. We must provide healthcare, infrastructure, trade opportunities and education first. We definitely need a specialised military. But more in terms of skill than just out-of-control spending. In other words, let’s be the best military per taka spent, rather than attempt to be a military juggernaut, in any real sense.

More emphasis on skill – less on spending more money. Especially since we are certainly not yet a developed nation.

BanglaAzif

Bangladesh to award Pakistani politicians for 1971 role

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

Sudoku

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

A martyr isn’t shaheed? Please. n Ekram Kabir

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Protesters demonstrate against the perceived exploitation of workers in Qatar, the location of the 2022 World Cup, before a UEFA Congress in central London on May 24

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Qatar 2022 and labour rights

W n Niaz Alam

e live in an age in which public relations professionals fight a never ceasing battle to “spin” the 24 hour news cycle in favour of their clients.

Advertising agencies, (on whom newspapers and, for that matter, free at point of use email and social media services largely depend) are the biggest practitioners, and politicians are the most notorious.

It was once said that academic politics “is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, because the stakes are so low” and many now say this of conventional western politics as the war of ideologies has long since coalesced around a middle ground of floating voters.

However, the stakes in the case of world sporting events such as the Olympics and the World Cup are anything but low. The lure of prestige, jobs and money is so large that governments will invest millions and commit to signing draconian laws to protect the rights of the IOC and FIFA, just to secure the right to bid to host their events.

Nothing though could have quite prepared the Qatar 2022 World Cup committee for the furore that erupted among football fans following a British newspaper’s investigation into the desperately poor working conditions and slave-like service contracts endured by Nepali workers constructing foundations for the $45bn Lusail City development, a new city being built from scratch in the desert, which will include the 90,000-seater stadium that

will host the 2022 World Cup final.

The conditions: death and injury from unsafe conditions, forced overtime, delayed pay, and a lack of recourse because employers hold passports, plus the fact that workers have often borrowed thousands of dollars to travel there – will be familiar to a large number of Bangladeshi workers in the Middle East.

Although the finding of poor conditions was predictable, the International Trade Union Confederation’s claim, that about 12 labourers will die each week between now and 2022 unless action is taken, came as a shock to Western football fans. Poor labour conditions and labour rights are (sadly but not surprisingly) often expected of poorer countries, but the Guardian’s report in September sparked mass outrage about the disconnect between the oil-state’s wealth and the conditions of workers.

event already faces huge hostility because of the financial ramifications, should it force the most lucrative European football tournaments to truncate their seasons if, as is suggested, the world cup that year is moved to winter.

Of course FIFA, which has been lobbied by - and sometimes worked with - campaigns on working conditions in supply chains in relation to clothes, trainers and footballs since the early 1990s - had no excuse not to be able to anticipate exactly this type of criticism of abuse of workers. But then the BGMEA’s work with the ILO and UNICEF during the same period on child labour did not prevent the negligence and abuses that led to Rana plaza and Tazreen either.

One must now expect FIFA to make much play of commitments to corporate responsibility in its discussions with the media and Qatari authorities.

FIFA had no excuse not to be able to anticipate exactly this type of criticism of abuse of workers

Social media comments expressed an understandable distaste for a cash rich society promoting itself as a luxury business and travel destination for Westerners, whist building state of the art facilities on the backs of exploited Third World labourers.

Both FIFA and Qatar are taking this criticism seriously, and one can expect many discussions in the years ahead, not least because the 2022

Although like other international sporting bodies, it is plagued by allegations of poor governance and accountability and operates as a law unto itself, FIFA has unlike the IOC assiduously cultivated support in developing countries, so European calls for a boycott of 2022 are likely to fall on deaf ears and be put down to the sour grapes of countries like England whose World cup bids failed.

AFP

N

The biggest winner in all this is Qatar itself, which, by becoming the first Muslim state to hold such a tournament, stands to gain huge kudos.

The Qataris have been smart with some of their money. By investing in the news channel Aljazeera, and guaranteeing editorial freedom to the original staff from the BBC who had tried and failed to set up an Arabic BBC station in 1990s Saudi Arabia, the tiny emirate gained far more “soft power” than any amount of political broking or prestigious western holdings would have bought.

This was further consolidated when, for a record breaking amount of money, the Qatar foundation purchased the right to display its logo alongside UNICEF on the shirts of Barcelona FC in 2010. For such a profitable fan-owned club which had resisted commercial displays on its shirts for over 100 years, this was a sad indication of how money has come to dominate sport. Indeed, the worst has come to pass, as latterly, FCB shirts and branding have become indelibly linked with Qatar Airways.

I do not doubt that Qatar 2022 will skilfully make use of such associations to deflect criticisms of their host status.

But one can still hope that as a nation highly aware of its image, the glare of the global media spotlight will at least make this and other oil rich states sit up and take note of the urgent need to improve labour rights and working conditions in their midst. l

he gonosradho (mass respect) ceremony for the martyrs, who were Hindus, scheduled on October 4 has been cancelled, seemingly, due the case filed against it by Awami Ulemma League chief Mujibur Rahman Chishti. Shahbagh police station officials have verbally asked the organisers to back away from it.

According to Chishti, “no Hindu can be called a ‘shaheed’” and perhaps that’s why the government had to stop the organisers to stage such a prayer ceremony.

We have no language to condemn such an explanation for the word “shaheed” and the mentality of a certain section towards our martyrs. A question could also be raised as to why the government had to bow down to that section who has seemingly no respect to our valiant freedom fighters belonging to Hindu community. If the government truly had been scared away by AL’s ulemma chief, it, perhaps, should have asked the Islamic Foundation for the interpretation of the word.

To our minds, anyone who has sacrificed his/her life for our freedom is shaheed, no matter which religion they might have belonged to. The Oxford Dictionary says: shaheed is a noun meaning “a Muslim martyr.”

And I quote from Wikiepedia: “The word ‘shaheed’ originates from the Qur’anic Arabic word meaning ‘witness,’ which is used in the context of ‘those who bear witness.’ Its application to Muslim martyrs originates from the context of the martyr having died in the way of Islam and, therefore, having become a ‘witness’ to the ‘shahada,’ ie, ‘I bear witness that there is no God but Allah and that Muhammod is the Messenger of Allah’.”

According to Chishti, “no Hindu can be called a ‘shahid’” and perhaps that’s why the government had to stop the organisers to stage such a prayer ceremony

Niaz Alam has worked on ethical business issues since 1992 and is a former vice-chair of War on Want.

The Wiki further adds that the word “shaheed” in Qur’an is used to denote “witness,” not martyr. An example is verse 16:89 of the Qur’an: “And on the day when We will raise up in every nation a witness against them from among themselves, and We will bring you (Muhammad) as a witness against these (your people or the other witnesses); for We have revealed (sent down) to you a Book (Scripture) expounding all things clearly, and a guidance, and a mercy, and glad tidings for those who have Surrendered unto Allah (Muslims).”

Then again, in verse 3:98, Allah

in billions of dollars to salvage the drowning economy.

The crisis was somehow averted.

Again by the time the nation recovered from the initial shock, the US press started screaming that America would soon be a spending nation again. Are the average Americans (or just a few) happy to be spending (not saving) citizens? The fact is, there is no serious attempt or parleys to bring about change in the fiscal and economic policies (specially spending) to make it more realistic.

However short term may be the crisis, the impact could be crushing. If the crisis persists for couple of weeks it will be dangerous. According to an estimate, 800,000 government staffs are already out of work. Only a few weeks hold could take the amount of unpaid wages to more than 300m dollar mark.

The impact will be multiple.

The Republicans, who enjoy a majority in the House of Representatives, has for now, blocked the passage of the budget on the plea that it has to undergo some amendments. It could be, mainly to give Obama, a hard time.

Obama’s new image, just when he embarked as presidential prospect in 2006, took his oppositions by surprise.

Not only were those, his party members were also skeptical about his coming to limelight. They were envious with the glare of publicity. Promising change, Barack Obama swept all

the critics aside. Even his own Hillary Clinton was elbowed out.

However, it was great to watch Hillary working under the president as the secretary of state. Not only the Americans created history by electing the first colored president, the world looked on him as a possible friend of those who were thus far ignored by the previous presidents. The Islamic states and Muslim population were expecting a big turnaround in the US foreign and other global policies. But that did not happen!

Ever since his entering the White House, he has come up with number of social development proposals for, what he said, greater benefit of the people. He had to work hard to get them accepted.

Obama’s initiatives were mostly his personal, and he rode on his personal achievements to win the second term.

Obama desperately tried to make the Senate and others realise that there was urgent need to reform the US health care system. After all, there are millions of Americans who simply do not fall within the bracket of rich.

They are unusually unemployed, under paid, many without jobs, sick and can’t afford medical attention. Life has become tougher over the days.

By creating obstacle or standing on the way cannot help anybody. The people will be left to suffer more and the country is expected to plunge into

calls Himself a ‘shaheed:’ “Say, ‘O People of the Book, why do you reject the word of Allah when Allah is a witness to all that you do?”

So, we see that the etymology of the word “shaheed” suggests that it primarily means “witness” and the same word began to be used by Muslims as an respectable title for Muslim martyrs who died fighting for Islam.

As a result, and over time, the same word was adopted by non-Muslims in the Middle East and South Asia such as Arab Christians, South Asian Hindus and Sikhs to denote their martyrs.

As a secular political party that had led the nation during the war of independence - we believe - needs to rethink whether it should nurture think-tanks such as Mujibur Rahman Chishti

Interestingly, according to the Wikiepedia, the English word “martyr” originates from the Greek word “martur,” which also means “witness” in Greek.

So, in both Arabic and Greek languages, the origin for the word “martyr” is “witness.”

Now, if we, in several countries across the world, have adopted the word to honour the humans who died for a great cause, such as a liberation war, we shouldn’t apply the word only for the Muslims. Limiting the word’s meaning only to Muslims would, to our minds, reveal ourselves as religious bigots.

This could also mean a murky attempt politicise our society on the basis of religion, which we whole heartedly don’t want. Chishti’s act and interpretation are clear evidence of that attempt.

As a secular political party that had led the nation during the war of independence - we believe - needs to rethink whether it should nurture think-tanks such as Mujibur Rahman Chishti, who would be doing more harm than good to the party itself.

People like him want to create a divide through religious hypes and give the country a bad name. They would always want to hide the true spirit of religion. They would only try to exploit religion as a political tool for their own earthly gains.

As the party that has miles to go for this country needs to be careful about these elements; it needs to be courageous enough to weed out the characters who might misguide it and the people on religious issues. At the same time, we also urge the government to reorganise the gonosradho programme and pay respect to our Hundu martyrs. l Ekram Kabir is the executive editor of Natunbarta.com.

Here we go again

n Mohammad Ali Sattar

O

nce again, in less than ten years, America finds herself in severe economic crunch. The most powerful and the richest country of the world, America slipped into financial crisis just before the start of its fiscal year in October. Suddenly things went wrong and many areas of the government were shut down.

The deadlock over critical legislation was not unexpected though.

Analysts believe that this short-lived crisis will be over sooner than later

What triggered the crisis? The legislature failed to provide funds for the federal government. Therefore (may be for the first time in fiscal history of US) the government has no budget and the president is in a hopeless situation.

The legislature has, in a way, made the president hostage and stalled the wheels of the government.

Think now. The state and government machinery coming to a grinding halt! But the primary task of the

legislature was to ensure the necessary fund to keep the country running.

Popularly elected for the second term and now enjoying a majority in the Senate the president and the Democrats are caught in the wrong foot.

The deadlock over critical legislation was not unexpected though. Analysts believe that this short-lived crisis will be over sooner than later. Because they know that the US presidents and their colleagues in the government and the opposition all are strong proponents of democracy and has the intense urge to keep the US power and position atop all. They will not allow the inner squabble to smear the US image in the outside world. Moreover, a strong economy is the keyword for any US administration.

If we take a closer look at the American spending habit, we find that not only the American people are addicted in “over-spending;” it is also the successive governments that spend in non-productive sectors (arms race and engaging in wars). The amount the governments squander for arms and weapon building - can easily be diverted to socio-economic development causes. That could help the economy grow stronger. But that’s not happening.

Last time during 2008, President Obama and the Americans were caught in “titanic” economic depression. The government had to pump

another crisis. This political move might have “serious” socio economic impact. This the Republican should understand.

Apart from this, there are other issues, which need serious attention.

To avoid a wider and serious impact resulting due to the current shutdown, Congress ought to agree to raise the ceiling on government borrowing once again. If not done the whole country might witness more locks hanging and rise of unpaid government staff. The global finance will rock along with US. This will not bode well for the people living in distant shores.

The US economy has been in the shadows of crisis that will take a long time to end. Or might not see any end.

May be from now on, it will be for the leaders and finance managers of the country to make piecemeal arrangements just to make things move ahead.

They will need to evolve new theories of “cutting expenses” and “spending on priority areas” in other words. They will have to come up with pragmatic finance plans, for the world will never be the same again.

Americans should know that the earning and spending ways and means have been undergoing massive transformation.

The world won’t be easy to handle. l MA Sattar is a journalist, columnist and peace activist. He can be reached at: malisattar@ hotmail.com

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Wahid’s new album coming out on Eid n Entertainment Desk

President of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Md Abdul Hamid (fourth from right), and distinguished persons unveil the cover of the book ‘Great Masters of Bangladesh: Zainul Abedin’ on October 6 at a programme at Radisson Hotel. The book, jointly published by Bengal Foundation and Italian publisher Skira, consists of biography and works of the master painter Zainul Abedin. The programme also officially opened Bengal Foundation’s year-long programme celebrating the internationally acclaimed artist’s 100th birth anniversary

After seven years of hiatus, popular Bangladeshi pop singer Ferdous Wahid is bringing out his solo album “Madhuri” this Eid. About the much awaited album, Wahid states: “In this album, I did a cover song of the famous singer Abbas Uddin’s ‘Amay Bhashaili Re Dubaili Re.’ great emphasis is also put on the folk pieces. I really hope that this album and its melodious songs will leave its mark on the audience.”

The album consists of four songs, “Ahare Khoddar Banda,” “Nil Duiti Chokh,” “Bone Bone Horinie,” and “Ek Chhilo Tona,” composed by the popular musician himself and written by Mozammel Haq, Rakib, and veteran singer Robi. The music has been arranged by Toffi Reinar.

Popular folk tracks “Chabi Maira”

Omar Sunny and Moushumi pair up for Eid-ul-Azha

Towfiqur Rahman connects art and life

n Entertainment Desk

Towfiqur Rahman’s fourth solo exhibition, in his “concept of life” series, is going on at Gallery Shilpangan till October 12. His current exhibition is titled “Connecting Art, Life and Living,” and is an attractive display for art lovers to speculate on, as it is a conceptual exhibit that explores the connection between art and life.

Towfiq has been working in this series for quite some time now and the theme of the exhibition encircles on the philosophy that, art is not confined within the walls of a gallery, but can be discovered as we go through the process of living in everyday life.

“Artworks can be displayed anywhere and everywhere, it is best displayed in places where people can open up their mind and relate to the art,” says Towfiqur Rahman.

The artist has combined drawing, along with the twenty sculptures in one platform in his ongoing exhibition.

According to the artist, the purpose of displaying mixed medium of art in one platform is to give the display an essence of being inside an artist’s studio and feel the way an artist feels in his own world.

All his drawings are done with a pen, when asked about it, Towfiq shares: “I do not go for formal materials. Pen is an object we use in our everyday life, therefore, when I use it to create art, I can use it as a connecting medium of art and life.

One of the popular silver screen couples of Bangladesh, Omar Sunny and Moushumi is paired up together this Eid. Their chemistry is much appreciated by the audience of the country and both of them are talented in their own niche.

Tele-film “Ami Nayoker Bondhu,” is directed and written by Ashutosh Sujon and features, Moushumi-Omar Sunny, Miju Ahmed, Swapan, Tareq and many more. It will air on Maasranga Television on the seventh day of Eid. The story opens with a film crew

shooting their current project in a corporate office as required by their script.

The director of the team gets to talking with the head of that office. They start to get acquainted, and after a while, the boss (head) tells him about his own experience of acting in a movie.

A while ago, he got the chance to work in a film and reaches for early to look impressive. But, the assistant director, he shares, shouted at him and he forgets dialogues and other issues of acting when he was in presence of superstars. The story of the tele-film moves forward with the boss’s tale of acting as the hero’s friend in a film. l

Popular silver-screen couple Moushumi and Omar Sunny

n Shadma Malik

and “Sadher Lau” are also featured in the album.

The music video shoot of “Madhuri” will be starting from next week and is directed by Bappi and Polash. It will air on different channels before Eid. l

ON TV MOVIE 7:00pm Star Movies Goal!

10:20pm Fox Movies Premium Safe

DRAMA 11:00pm Star Plus Veera

11:30pm Colors Balika Vadhu

COMEDY 2:30pm Comedy Central Anger Management

11:00pm Star World 2 Broke Girls Seated Buddha (Welded Iron) 2010

Artworks can be displayed anywhere and everywhere, it is best displayed in places where people can open up their mind and relate to the art Also, it enhances my imagination and the creative process.”

Towfiq further states: “Drawing is the foundation of all medium of art, an artist initially draws on paper or in his mind. It is an important skill, it enables an artist to delve into the depths of an artwork. Drawing is also the

Past (Pen Drawing) 2011 primary stage of creating a sculpture.”

“The sculptures in my recent display are all works of welded iron and are of faces with different expressions.”

He also adds: “Every individual has two faces, the outer face is a mask with which we deal the aspects of our everyday life.”

The artist is inspired by the philosophy of Buddhism, his sculpture “Seated Buddha” is about peace and the values and teachings of Buddha. Also, he is influenced by the dynamism of soldiers on horseback that is consistent in his artworks. l

MISC 2:30pm FTV

Photographers

9:30pm National Geographic Chef On The Road

NEWS 4:00pm Desh Tv

Shongbad Shomoi

7:00pm Channel i

Shondhar Shongbad

Gravity tops US and Canadian box office n Entertainment Desk “Gravity,” a new 3D thriller about two stranded astronauts floating through space, soared to the top of weekend movie charts, setting a box office record for the month of October by pulling in $55.6m at US and Canadian theaters.

The film, which stars Oscar winners Sandra Bullock and George Clooney and wowed critics with its special effects, added $27.4m from sales in international markets, for a combined debut of $83m, distributor Warner Bros said on Sunday.

Last week’s box office winner, animated “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2,” dropped to second place with $21.5m from Friday through Sunday.

“Runner Runner,” a new drama about the dark and murky world of online gambling, finished third after earning $7.6m.

In “Gravity,” Bullock plays a novice astronaut and engineer alongside Clooney as a mission commander. After an accident caused by flying debris, the pair are sent hurtling into space with depleting oxygen and remote chances of returning to Earth.

Aamir Khan decides to unwind n Entertainment Desk The perfectionist that he is, Aamir Khan who will be soon seen in Yash Raj Film’s “Dhoom: 3,” seems to have worked beyond his limits to get the right look for his character.

A source close to the actor reveals that along with strenuous exercise, he had to ensure that his body was flexible and that the training for this role has been very different from the others.

“In fact, Aamir had to go for regular foot massage sessions to flex his muscles. He visited the spa regularly,” says the source.

Aamir would end up spending about 45 minutes in the spa, because he didn’t want to suffer any side effects due to the demanding work outs.

Aamir’s spokesperson confirms the news and says, “Aamir has been on a vigorous workout regimen for ‘Dhoom: 3’ so he was recommended massages to relax his muscles.” l

“It’s great because it’s a film that’s played well with the press and also equally well with the public,” said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros. president of domestic distribution.

Critics raved about the visual effects in the film, which cost close to $100m to make and reproduced space and zero gravity in ways never seen on screen.

Eighty percent of “Gravity” filmgoers purchased the higher-priced 3D tickets, Warner Bros said.

Overall, 98% of critics recommended “Gravity” in reviews collected on the Rotten Tomatoes website, with many suggesting Bullock will be a contender for another best actress Oscar.

The week’s other top films included “Prisoners,” a drama starring Hugh Jackman as a father searching for his missing daughter, which took in $5.7m. Car racing drama “Rush” took the number 5 slot with $4.4m.

Also this weekend, Sony released “Captain Phillips” in 800 theaters on Saturday to build advance buzz ahead of its wide release next Friday.

The film stars Tom Hanks as the leader of a ship hijacked by Somali pirates. A Sony spokesman said he did not have a dollar estimate for Saturday’s showing but said theaters were 75% full. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

Dhamrai Metal Craft Brass and bronze sculpture exhibition EMK Centre, Dhanmondi 27 I am Gautam Chakraborty Time: 1:00am – 7:30pm Galleri Kaya, Sector 04, Uttara

Invitation to the Dance Carel Richter Time: 12 - 8pm Bengal Art Lounge, Gulshan TUMI (YOU) Mostofa Jamil Akbar Shamim Time: 6:30 pm Institute of Asian Creatives Road 36, House 9, Gulshan 2

Group Photography Exhibition POV_Prime 50’s: Season 1 Time: 3pm – 8pm Dhaka Art Center (DAC) House-60, Road-7A Dhanmondi R/A

Film

Nari Cholochchitra Nirmatader Cholochitra Utsab 2013 Time: 3pm – 9pm National Art Plaza Auditorium, BSA

A scene from single episode play Facebook

TV play Facebook airs tonight n Entertainment Desk Single-episode play “Facebook,” the first episode of “Bluffmaster” series, in which each installment tells a new story, will be aired tonight at 8:25pm on Channel 9. The play represents how Facebook can be a platform to cheat innocent people.

The story is about a young girl Rimi who is a university student and belongs to a respected family. She meets Abir through Facebook and he impresses her by presenting himself as an established businessman and a respectable member of the society.

He also says that his family members stay in America, which is an attractive aspect to people in our society.

Soon Rimi falls for the man and they

develop a romantic relationship.

Gradually, the couple prepares for getting married. Rimi informs her family and friends about Abir and he ensures her about his family’s consent.

One day Abir calls Rimi to meet him at a shopping mall. They buy a lot of things in the mall and before they came close to the payment counter, Abir asks for Rimi’s mobile phone for a while and slowly leaves the mall while Rimi was busy otherwise.

The innocent girl finally understands that she was a victim of fabrication.

The drama highlights the new kind of frauds that is integrated in our society due to the proliferation of the social media, that is a dominant part of the mass media now a days. l

Did you know?

Manchester United have picked up more yellow cards (17) than any other team in the English Premier League this season

Sport

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

14 Juve defeat depleted Milan

14 PSG battle back to down Marseille

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Taylor wary of Bangladesh

Tamim hopeful in own backyard Uddin Khan n Minhaz from Chittagong Opening batsman Tamim Iqbal is looking forward to play at his home ground and believes they have a good chance of getting positive results in the first of the two-match Test series against New Zealand starting from October 9 at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS). With a new outfield and spin friendly wicket at ZACS, the local boy expects a competitive game.

“I am more hopeful about this Test series than the last ten Tests. It is our home ground, where we have started to push teams. Results recently have been very close. We hope to turn those results towards us. We know their weaknesses, so we will have to take advantage of it,” said Tamim to the media at ZACS yesterday.

“My feelings are the same as everyone else when playing at a new venue, but it is my home venue where I will play in front of family and friends. Bangladesh’s history at this ground is very good. We want to make a good start on the first day, which will set the tone for the rest of the game,” he informed.

Last time around it was the Tiger’s spin attack that had put the Kiwis into trouble and this time things are no different. Tamim informed that his team is working of the weaknesses of the New

Koster wants best from booters n Shishir Hoque Bangladesh U-19 football team head coach Rene Koster wants his team to be at its best when they take on hosts Iraq in the inaugural match of the AFC U-19 Qualifiers at the Francouse Al-Hareeri Stadium in the Erbil City, Iraq today.

The squad had their first practice session at the Ankawa Sports Centre after arriving safely in Iraq yesterday. Bangladesh – who are in Group C - will face Kuwait on October 10 and Pakistan on October 12.

Ahead of facing the toughest opponents in the group, who also happen to be former U-19 Asian champions, Koster said he was more concerned about the development rather than the result.

“We have tough opponents in this group. Our team had two months camp and we played some local practice matches. We saw the match videos of Iraq, Kuwait and Pakistan and they are pretty good. So we want to play our best against them. And of course in the age level tournament, you should be more concerned about the development not result,” said the Dutchman. Iraq were keen to keep up their winnings ways. “We have some good teams in this group but we will try to continue our winning run in this competition, as we were the champions in the last edition. So tomorrow’s match is very important for us and we want to start the tournament securing full point,” said the Iraqi coach. l

Zealand batsmen against the spin attack.

“We are thinking positively, but this is a different ball game. We have a lot to improve on. We know what their weaknesses are. At most times we haven’t taken advantage of the opposition’s weakness, but here we are working on their weakness. We hope it will be a spinning wicket in which we can stifle them, like we did the last time,” said the hard-hitting batsman.

Tamim was benched due to injury in the ODI series against the same opponents in 2010 where the Tigers went on to write history by winning the series 4-0. He was a mere spectator at the dressing room when the glory was achieved and the 24-year-old believes those winning memories will keep his team on front foot and work as a confidence booster.

“I was in the dressing room. I want to be a part of the happiness like 2010.

But for that, we need to work very hard. I think we have better chances if we do our job properly.

“We are thinking positive because of the results of the previous series, but then again we also need to think that it was ODI matches and what we have ahead is two Test matches. We know that we still have room to improve in the longer version, but still we are hoping for some good cricket ahead,” said Tamim. l

Bangladesh’s captain Mushfiqur Rahim, fourth right, and teammates warm up during a practice session ahead of the first Test match against New Zealand at the Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong yesterday. The first Test starts on Wednesday.

AP

Abahani continue in reverse Sheikh Jamal move to top of table Al-Amin made 37. With his dismissal, n Mazhar Uddin Abahani were unable to handle the Traditional giants Abahani extended their losing streak at the Walton Dhaka Premier League (DPL) to six matches as Gazi Tank rode on New Zealand allrounder Jacob Oram’s three wicket haul to snatch a 13 run victory at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium yesterday.

In other seventh round action, Afghan Ghulam Naib’s four wickets and Sri Lankan Dilshan Munaweera’s blistering 95 were the highlights in Sheikh Jamal’s eight wicket win over Prime Bank CC. Upul Tharanga’s 73 guided Mohammedan to a 42 run win against Victoria Sporting Club.

Abahani v Gazi Tank

Abahani skipper Shahriar Nafees’ decision to bowl first looked to be a good one after the Abahani bowlers put in a disciplined performance to bowl Gazi out for 189. Rakibul Hasan top scored with 42, while Imrul Kayes weighed in with 39.

For Abahnai, Al-Amin took three wickets while Zander De Bruyn, Nabil Samad and Alauddin Babu picked up two each.

Abahani struggled in reply and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Sri Lankan Talina Kandambi top scored with 44 and towards the end, young

pressure and finished with 176/8 to lose their sixth straight match.

Sheikh Jamal v Prime Bank

Sheikh Jamal’s Tushar Imran won the toss and asked Prime Bank to bat. Afghani Gulbadin Naib bagged the first four wickets to leave Prime Bank tottering at 48/4.

English player Ravi Bopara helped his side recover with a 78-ball 74 and Taibur Parvez’s unbeaten 48 took Gazi to 200 all out from 46.4 overs.

In reply, Dilshan Munaweera and national discard Junaid Siddique put on 130 for the first wicket to put Jamal firmly in command and they eventually reached the target comfortably for the loss of two wickets. Man-of-the-match Dilshan Munaweera made 95 runs from 57 balls (fifteen fours, three sixes) and Junaid Siddique scored 74 off 79 balls in the victory that put Sheikh Jamal on the top of the league table.

Mohammedan v Victoria

Mohammedan captain Mashrafe Mortaza chose to bat first after winning the toss. Mohammedan batted well to make 240 all out in 50 overs with Sri Lankan Upul Tharanga making 73. Left arm spinner Monir Hossain claimed

Brief Scores Abahani v Gazi Tank Gazi Tank 189/10 in 49 over Rakibul 42, Imrul 39, Styris 30 Al-Amin-2 27/3, Nabil Samad 28/2 Abahani 176/8 in 49 over Kandambi 44, Al-Amin-2 37, Oram 39/3 Gazi Tank won by 13 runs Sheikh Jamal v prime Bank Prime Bank 200/10 in 46.4 over Ravi Bopara 74, Taibur parvez 48 Gulbadin Naib 31/4, Nahidul Islam 23/2 Sheikh Jamal 203/2 in 29.5 over Dilshan Munaweera 95, Junaid Siddique 74 Sheikh Jamal won by eight wickets Mohammedan v Victoria Mohammedan 240/10 in 50 over Tharanga 73, Shamsur 44, Monir 50/4 Victoria 198/10 in 45.1 over Soumya 57, Siriwardana 43, Murad 26/3 Mohammedan won by 42 runs four wickets for Victoria.

After a bad start, Victoria’s middle order put up a fight with Soumya Sarkar making 57, Sri Lankan Milinda Siriwardana 43 and Rasel Al Mamun 32 but it proved to be in vain as the team were dismissed for 198 in 45.1 overs. Left arm spinner Murad Khan bagged three wickets as Mohammedan claimed their fourth win in the league. l

BCB ELECTION

Directors from category-2 set to be elected unopposed n Raihan Mahmood All the 12 directors of the category-2 of the Bangladesh Cricket Board elections are set to be declared winners unopposed as nine candidates among the 21 nomination paper submitters withdrew their names yesterday.

Nazmul Hasan, the councilor of Abahani Ltd, Ahmed Sajjadul Alam Bobby, the councilor of Sheikh Russell, Ismail Haider Mallik, the councilor of Brothers Union, Salahuddin Chowdhury of Kathalabagan Green Crescent Cricket Club, Rakib Haider of Prantik KC, Zikrul Huq Akash of Sheikh Jamal Cricketers, Zahir Ahmed and Azizur Rahman of Victoria Club and Lutfor Rahman Badal of Gazi Tank Cricketers withdrew their names from the category-2 to pave the way for the other 12 candidates.

Thus leaving the other 12 candidates - Gazi Golam Mortuza (Gazi Tank Cricketers),Tanzil Chowdhury (Prime Bank CC), Shawkat Aziz Russell (Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi), Najib Ahmed (Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi), Lokman Hossian Bhuiyan (Dhaka Mohammedan), Mahbubul Anam (Dhaka Mohammedan), Najmul Karim Tinku (Kalabagan KC), Enayet Hossain Siraj (Azad Sporting), Ahmed Iqbal Hasan (Young Pegasus), Afzalur Rahman Sinha (Surjo-

World Cup coming to Bangladesh n Shishir Hoque

BFF president Kazi Salahuddin speaks at the presser of the FIFA World Cup arrival at Dhaka at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel yesterday

MUMIT M

The football Word Cup is coming to Bangladesh. While hosting the tournament remains a distant dream, the actual trophy will be in Dhaka on December 17 and Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) president Kazi Salahuddin believes the event will give Bangladesh football inspiration as they plan for 2022.

This year the original World Cup trophy will be touring the country, confirmed both the Fifa website and the BFF president yesterday. The trophy will be in Dhaka from December 17 to 19.

The tour schedule of the 36.5 centimeter trophy in Bangladesh was officially revealed at a press conference at the capital yesterday. BFF chief Kazi Salahudin expressed his excitement at the development. “It will be a historical moment to view the ultimate award of the sports world in Bangladesh and give a golden opportunity to the football fans of the country. I hope it will add ac-

celerate the development of the game in the country and encourage people to become involved with the game,” said the BFF boss. “We will start fresh from December 17. I’m still upset about the Saff debacle like everyone. We will double, treble our efforts in the future,” he added. Debashish Dev, the country manager of Coca Cola, had similar feelings. “We are proud to sponsor the Fifa World Cup trophy tour of Bangladesh. It will be staying in the country for three days and football lovers will relish the extraordinary moments,” he said.

Fans will get the chance to view the most recognized trophy in the world close-up when it is showcased at the Bangabandhu National Stadium. They will have the opportunity to have a souvenir photo taken of them with the trophy, view a special hologram animation showcasing memorable moments in World Cup history, participate in interactive displays and enjoy other forms of entertainment. l

Torun), Hanif Bhuiyan (Rapid Foundation), Jalal Yunus (Rayer Bazar Athletic Club) to be elected unopposed.

However, there will be elections in category-1 and category-3 as the number of the candidates remained more than the available slots.

Category-1 that comprises the district and divisional cricket organisers was thrown to the election process as Mirza Zillur Rahman of Jamalpur DSA kept his nominations alive while Saniat Khan Bappa of Tangail withdrew. There are two director posts for the Dhaka division and former cricket skipper Naimur Rahman Durjoy, the councilor of Manikganj, Monjur Kader, the councilor of Munshiganj and Mirza Zillur Rahman will be fighting for the two slots. The number of voters of Dhaka is 18.

Rajshahi division will also see the election process as Rafius Shams Paddy of Rajshahi district and Saiful Alam Swapan of Pabna will also be appearing in the election for the one director slot.

However, the most competitive atmosphere will prevail in the category-3 where two former national captains Gazi Ashraf Hossain and Khaled Mahmud will be vying for the lone slot. Debabrata Paul, the councilor of Jahangirnagar University, withdrew his name to throw the former captains in the path of elections. l

Bti International Golf

Jamal, Saiyum share lead n Raihan Mahmood

Jamal Hossain Mollah and Md. Saiyum of Bangladesh clubbed five-under-par scores top the standings at the end of the first day of the bti International Golf Championship at the Kurmitola Golf Club yesterday. Jamal Hossain Molla struck eight birdies, out of which five were in the back nine in a row.

Indian golfer Ranjit Singh is closely following them with a score of fourunder-par. Besides, Shiva Ram Shriestha and Raju Ali Mollah posted threeunder-par.

Shamim Khan, another Indian golfer, shot a two-under-par. Bangladeshi golfer Shahid and Sohel played oneunder-par. Meanwhile, Indian rising golfer Harendar Gupta clubbed four birdies against three bogies to finally end the day with one-under-par.

A total of 70 professional golfers from the SAARC countries are participating in the four-day event. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Hamburg out of bottom three

Players let Moyes down: Rooney

Hamburg powered out of the Bundesliga’s bottom three with a stunning 5-0 win at Nuremberg on Sunday to give Bert van Marwijk his first victory as their coach.

Germany Under-21 striker PierreMichel Lasogga needed just eight second half minutes to claim his first Bundesliga hat-trick in a devastating spell as Hamburg scored four goals in just 14 minutes.

Manchester United’s players have let down new manager David Moyes after making the club’s worst start to a season since 1989, according to striker Wayne Rooney.

“Obviously the manager is under a bit of pressure but we know as a team it’s us who have let him down,” he said, in comments reported by several British newspapers on Monday.

“We have to pull together for the manager and show the sort of fight we have done here (in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Sunderland) and we’ll be fine.

“This will be a transition season because it’s a new manager with different styles and we have to adapt to them.

More importantly, we need to do better for him than we have been.”

Moyes gambled by handing 18-yearold winger Adnan Januzaj his first league start at Sunderland and the Belgium-born youngster rewarded his faith by turning the match around with a pair of fine second-half goals.

Rooney believes the decision to play Januzaj was testament to Moyes’s bravery.

“There was big pressure on us but the manager has trusted him (Januzaj) and he has repaid that,” he said.

“He’s very confident, that’s great to see. A lot of the young players who come through are a little bit timid and shy, but he looks comfortable and he’s confident in his own ability, which you need to be.l

n AFP, Berlin

Results Nuremberg

0-5

Freiburg

1-1 Eintracht Frankfurt

Hoefler 85

n AFP, London

Hamburg

(Van der Vaart 17, Lasogga 60, 63, 67, Arslan 74 Guenter 64-og

This was only the second game for Van Marwijk, 61, who coached Holland to the 2010 World Cup final.

Dutch midfielder Rafael van der Vaart opened the scoring with a superb scissor-kick volley on 17 minutes.

The Hamburg captain then provided the final passes for Lasogga to fire home his first two goals while the exHertha Berlin forward completed the hat-trick when he pounced on a loose ball and smashed his shot inside the inside post. Midfielder Tolgay Arslan bagged the fifth 16 minutes from time to leave Nuremberg reeling. The rout lifts Hamburg up to 14th, while Nuremberg slip into the bottom three. l

Michu gets maiden Spain call-up n AFP, Madrid Swansea City forward Michu has been called into the Spain squad for next week’s World Cup qualifiers against Belarus and Georgia after David Villa was forced to pull out due to arthritis in his left ankle.

It is a first ever international call up for Michu, who has scored five times for the Welsh side this season following an incredible debut campaign in the Premier League with 22 goals last season.

Villa, who is Spain’s all-time leading international scorer, was forced off just before the hour mark of Atletico Madrid’s 2-1 win over Celta Vigo on Sunday.

“He went off with some problems in his ankle. I imagine that in a short while it will respond and he will be fine,” said Vicente Del Bosque. l

Juventus' Andrea Pirlo scores a free kick against AC Milan during their Italian Serie A match at the Juventus stadium in Turin on Sunday

Juve defeat depleted Milan to close gap on Roma n AFP, Milan Champions Juventus overcame conceding a first-minute goal at home to AC Milan to stun bitter rivals 3-2 and move to within two points of Serie A leaders Roma on Sunday.

Title contenders Napoli had heaped the pressure on Juventus after a 4-0 rout of Livorno which moved Rafael Benitez’s men up to second place in the table.

But after being stunned by Sulley Muntari’s first-minute opener in Turin, Antonio Conte’s men were soon level thanks to Andrea Pirlo’s sublime free kick.

In a pulsating encounter played in torrential rain, Juve upped the pace af-

ter the interval when Sebastian Giovinco gave the hosts a 2-1 lead and Giorgio Chiellini added a third following the expulsion of Milan defender Phillip Mexes.

The shine was taken off a convincing win, however, when Muntari struck his second of the match and Juve escaped dropping two precious points when Cristian Zapata saw a bullet header go just over at the death.

Roma host Napoli in two weeks’ time following a break for World Cup qualifiers, and Benitez was clearly buoyant with his side’s performance following a 2-0 Champions League defeat to Arsenal last week.

“It was important to get back to winning ways,” said the Spaniard.

“Roma have won seven out of seven but we’ve won six and drawn one, so we’re on a level playing field.”

Inter, stunned 3-0 at home by Roma on Saturday, are seven points off the lead, five shy of Napoli and Juventus and only one ahead of Verona, who won 4-1 win away to struggling Bologna.

Francesco Totti scored a double in Roma’s rout, and while he was careful not to make mention of the word scudetto, he admitted: “This squad can go far and although the season is long and we will come up against teams that are stronger than us we have to fight for a Champions League place.

“That is our objective.”

Mazzarri, meanwhile, was philo-

Verona arrive late, fans ignore minute’s silence n Reuters

Paris Saint Germain's Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates after scoring a penalty against Olympique Marseille during their French Ligue 1 match at the Velodrome stadium in Marseille on Sunday REUTERS

PSG battle back to down Marseille n AFP, Paris

Paris Saint-Germain hit back from a goal down and being reduced to 10 men to beat bitter rivals Marseille 2-1 Sunday and move onto the shoulders of Ligue 1 leaders Monaco.

The defending champions trailed to a first-half penalty scored by Ghana’s Andre Ayew.

They also had Thiago Motta redcarded for a foul which led to the spotkick.

But Maxwell levelled on the stroke of half-time before skipper Zlatan Ibrahimovic slotted home a second-half penalty to silence the Stade Velodrome crowd and preserve PSG’s unbeaten start to the season.

PSG have 21 points but trail Monaco on goal difference while Marseille drop to fourth behind Lille on goal difference, four points off the lead.

Results Montpellier

Montano 16, 68, Mounier 45, Cabella 59-pen, 66

5-1

Bordeaux

4-1

Marseille

1-2

Lyon

Lacazette 47

Sochaux

(Saivet 21-pen, Jussie 38, Diabaté 70, 89) (Contout 17)

A. Ayew 34-pen

Paris SG

Maxwell 45, Ibrahimovic 66-pen

Just after the hour, Dmitri Payet unleashed a powerful, swerving drive that Sirigu flapped away as Marseille looked to make their one-man advantage count.

But it was PSG who were celebrating in the 66th minute when they were awarded a penalty for Andre Ayew’s needless challenge on Marquinhos who was heading away from the danger zone.

Up stepped Ibrahimovic to calmly steer home the penalty for his third goal of the Ligue 1 campaign.

Sunday’s win also extended PSG’s overall unbeaten record to 20 games in Ligue 1, a run stretching back to a 1-0 loss at Reims on March 2.

Beleaguered Lyon’s desperate form continued as the former Ligue 1 giants fell 5-1 at Montpellier.

Montpellier could largely thank the double act of strikers Victor Hugo Montano and Remy Cabella for their success.

Colombian striker Montano scored his third goal of the season after 16 minutes and just before the break Anthony Mounier added a second with a header.

Monaco had gone three points clear at the top on Saturday after a late Lucas Ocampos winner gave them a 2-1 victory over Saint-Etienne. l

Hellas Verona arrived late for their match at Bologna on Sunday after trouble outside the ground and their supporters then sang through a minute’s silence for victims of the Lampedusa migrant boat disaster.

The kickoff of the Serie A match was delayed by 20 minutes which Italian media said followed fighting between fans outside the ground which left three injured. Verona’s team bus was caught in the traffic and arrived late.

Like the weekend’s other Serie A matches, the game was preceded by a minute’s silence for the victims of Thursday’s disaster when a boat carrying around 500 migrants sank off the island of Lampedusa. The Italian authorities say 181 bodies have been recovered and more than a hundred are still missing.

Television sound and pictures showed Verona fans chanting throughout the minute’s silence. l

REUTERS

Results Parma

3-1

Bologna

1-4

Palladino 32, Rosi 70, Cassano 76 Diamanti 52-pen

Catania

1-1

Napoli

4-0

Sampdoria

2-2

Udinese

2-0

Juventus

3-2

Barrientos 59

Sassuolo

Berardi 45+6-pen

Verona

Cacciatore 22, Iturbe 29, Toni 56, Jorginho 93

Pandev 3, Inler 26, Callejon 54, Hamsik 83 Sansone 41, Eder 90+3-pen

Danilo 33, Di Natale 53 Pirlo 16, Giovinco 69, Chiellini 75

Genoa

Legrottaglie-og

Livorno

Torino

Immobile 66, Cerci 76-pen

Cagliari Milan

Muntari 1, 90

sophical after a defeat which he put down to Inter’s failure to take their chances.

“Sometimes things don’t your way.” l

Tottenham fan arrested over alleged ‘Yid’ chant n AFP, London A Tottenham fan was arrested after allegedly chanting the word “Yid” during his team’s 3-0 defeat against West Ham at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Yid is a term for Jew which is often considered derogatory, but fans of the north London club chant the word as an act of defiance against those who taunt them because of their links with the Jewish community.

Metropolitan Police had issued a pre-match warning to supporters of both teams that they could be arrested if they used the inflammatory word during the London derby.

Despite the police warning, large sections of the Tottenham crowd sang “Yid Army” and “we’ll sing what we want” before kick-off and the chants did not cease throughout the match. l

Boca silence River in ‘superclasico’ n Reuters, Buenos Aires

Striker Emmanuel Gigliotti scored his third goal in two games to give Boca Juniors a 1-0 win at River Plate in the ‘superclasico’ and lift them to third in the Argentine ‘Inicial’ championship on Sunday.

The 23rd-minute goal and Boca’s victory celebrations met with an eerie silence from the crowd of 60,000 at the Monumental stadium, with away fans banned at first division matches since the end of last season in an effort to curb hooligan violence.

Boca, who have gone four matches without conceding a goal and picked up 10 points in the process, are on 19, four behind leaders and title-holders Newell’s Old Boys halfway through the first of two championships in the season.

River dropped to seventh, nine points off the pace, after Racing Club’s woeful

season worsened with a 1-0 home loss at El Cilindro to Atletico Rafaela, who are now fifth. Racing are bottom with two points and have a 3-18 goals record in 10 matches.

Boca, who weathered an early storm of River attacks, went ahead when Juan Roman Riquelme sent a pass out wide to the right, Juan Manuel Martinez crossed low and Gigliotti deflected the ball past goalkeeper Marcelo Barovero into the net. River coach Ramon Diaz said: “Today the best team didn’t win ... A fairer result would have been a draw.

Both sides hit the post, Martinez towards the end of the first half and River substitute Rodrigo Mora with a header in the dying minutes as the visitors defended their lead.

River had more possession and created some good moves but were guilty of errors with the final ball against a generally tight defence. l

Wenger hails Wilshere strength of character n AFP Arsene Wenger hailed Jack Wilshere’s character as the midfielder put a testing week behind him by scoring the goal which sent Arsenal back to the top of the table.

England international Wilshere was reprimanded by his manager after pictures emerged last week of him with a cigarette outside a London nightclub.

Yet he responded by scoring his first league goal in over three years to earn a 1-1 draw at West Brom on Sunday as the Gunners climbed above Liverpool by virtue of having scored more goals. “He is an honest guy and when he is wrong he knows it,” Wenger said. “He learns very quickly. What is more interesting for England and Arsenal is that he shows the right approach on the pitch. l

Boca Juniors' Fernando Gago (L) is challenged by River Plate's Ariel Rojas as his teammate Juan Roman Riquelme (back) watches during their Argentine First Division match in Buenos Aires on Sunday REUTERS

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Quick Bytes

Maasranga lift WaltonDRU Media Cricket Maasranga TV emerged as the champions of the Walton-DRU Media Cricket beating NTV by 10 runs in the final held at the Hockey Stadium yesterday.

Batting first Maasranga posted 96 for one with Mahfuz scoring the highest 30 while Rakib and Zobayer added 29 and 23 respectively. In reply, NTV managed to score 86 for four in the stipulated six overs. Fahad’s 30 and Rashed’s 21 runs were not enough to take NTV past the target. Zobayer who took 2 for 28 was adjudged as the man of the final and he was also announced as the man of the tournament. Naimur Rahman Durjoy, the former national cricket captain distributed the prizes as the chief guest.

National Sports Council secretary Shivnath Roy, Walton’s executive director SM Zahid Hasan, additional secretary AFM Iqbal bin Anwar Dawn, DRU president Shahed Chowdhury, acting general secretary Elias Hossain, sports secretary Morsalin Ahmed were also present on the occasion.

–RM

School chess The country’s youngest Fide Master Mohammad Fahad Rahman, Mossammat Zhorna Begum and Junayed Al Sami became the unbeaten champions of their respective groups in the Sheikh Russell Memorial Chess Tournament at the federation hall room yesterday. Fahad topped the group C (senior group) with Fatematuzzohor Shraboni second and Sumaiya Khandokar third. Zhorna finished top of group B with Amit Bikram Roy runner-up and Kazi Fahim Wahid in third place. Sami emerged top of group A. A total of 50 school students are participated at the event, which had three, age-based groups. Earlier, Gazi Shayiful Tarique, general secretary of Bangladesh Chess Federation inaugurated the daylong event as chief guest.

-SH

Lokman’s mother passes away Member of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), chairman of the BCB grounds committee and the director in charge of Mohammedan Sporting Club Lokman Hossain Bhuiyan’s mother Ozifa Khatun passed away yesterday from old age complications. The President and Members of the Ad-hoc Executive Committee of the Bangladesh Cricket Board expressed profound sadness at the news of her passing. Ozifa Khatun was born on 1920 and was 93 years old when she died in Dhaka in the early hours yesterday.

-MU

Botha under renewed bowling action scrutiny Former South Africa allrounder Johan Botha has been ordered to undergo biomechanical testing again after once again being cited for a suspect bowling action, Cricket Australia said Monday. The 31-year-old South Australia captain will still be eligible to play and bowl but would face suspension if the analysis proves his action is illegal. Cricket Australia said that three umpires in a match must agree on a suspect bowling delivery, but it did not say in which game Botha had been reported. South Australia have played one domestic one-day cup match this season, a six-wicket loss to Victoria on Friday in which the offspinner finished with no wicket for 39 off nine overs.

– AFP

New no.1 Nadal eyes Masters record in Shanghai Newly re-crowned world number one Rafael Nadal can smash the record for Masters titles claimed in a year in Shanghai this week, as his great rival Roger Federer fights to save his season. Nadal has enjoyed one of the best spells of his career after he came back from seven months out to win two major titles, but he is still seeking further accolades. After replacing Novak Djokovic at the top of the ATP rankings – despite his loss to the Serb in Sunday’s China Open final -- Nadal can now become the first man to win six Masters trophies in the same season.

And the remorseless Mallorcan said he’s also motivated by the target of finishing the year as world number one for the third time in his career. “If I am able to be number one at the end of the season, then that’s an important achievement because I will be the best of the year,” he said.

– AFP

Day’s Watch Ten Sports 12:00pm ATP 1000 Masters 2013 LIVE Shanghai Rolex Masters Round 2

Sport

Taylor wary of Bangladesh Uddin Khan from n Minhaz Chittagong Yesterday was the first time since the New Zealand team arrived in Chittagong that the sun came out.

The Kiwis are scheduled to lock horns with Bangladesh in the first Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) starting October 9 but continuous rain and waterlogged fields have denied both teams from practice opportunities – including a three-day warm up game. Nonetheless, the sun shining bright came as a relief to the visitors.

The visitors were allowed onto the ZACS field for the first time and with couple of days to go before the Test, they were glad to have a chance to assess the conditions.

“Yes, didn’t expect to wake up and see the sun this morning to be honest.

But it’s nice to get out outdoors and face some bowlers on grass,” New Zealand middle-order batsman Ross Taylor told the media at the ZACS yesterday.

Though frustrating, Taylor was philosophically accepting about the warm up match being rained off. “It is what it is, you can’t control the weather. The guys have prepared well indoors but it’s refreshing to come outside and play on grass, but it was a good test for our players being indoors, and hopefully the sun comes

out tomorrow (today) and help us in our preparation,” said the former New Zealand skipper.

Bangladesh have a reputation of struggling against the new ball and good seam bowling and the Tigers have been preparing themselves for the challenges of combating New Zealand’s trio of left-arm pacemen – Trent Boult, Neil Wagner and Corey

15

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Anderson. Taylor however, warned that New Zealand’s spin attack could also pose a surprise or two for the hosts.

“Bangladesh wouldn’t have seen a lot of them (New Zealand spinners).

You know Oshe (Ish Sodhi) is yet to make his Test debut as well, and if he does I am sure he will relish it.

“Any leg spinner is going to be

dangerous, if they put the ball in the right areas for a long time. Bruce Martin has been around for a long time, and has been very successful in domestic cricket, I am sure he will looking to cement a spot in the test arena and what better place than to do that than in Bangladesh?” said the 29year old.

The last time New Zealand toured Bangladesh was in 2010 and the visitors went down 0-4 in the five match ODI series. Asked if there was a sense of looking for revenge, Taylor shook his head.

“Oh, until you mentioned it I forgot all about it. No I mean, as I said before, Bangladesh play very well in their home conditions and we need to be at the top of our game to not only compete but to putpressure on them as well.

“We are focusing on the Tests and we know that Bangladesh are a very good side in these conditions,” he said.

When asked if there is any particular cricketer in the Bangladesh line-up that New Zealand is worried about, Taylor said, “Well 1 to 11. Obviously Tamim (Iqbal) is a world class player and Shakib (al Hasan), there’s Abdur Razzak who has had a lot of success against us in the past. And (Sohag) Gazi we have seen a lot of him through footage. And Mahmudullah has played very well against us as well, scored a hundred in Hamilton.” l

Mushfiq praises Afghan triumph n Mazhar Uddin Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim praised Afghanistan cricket team for qualifying for the next 50-over World Cup on Friday. The Afghans beat a strong Kenya side by seven wickets at the ICC World Cricket League becoming the second best team of the tournament.

Mushfiq said, “Afghanistan is getting much stronger as a team and it’s a great achievement by them and its good news for the whole world.

“The process in which Afghanistan came up is very entertaining and they have came so far in a very short time and the way they qualified for the World Cup is the example of their good cricketing sense,” added the wicketkeeper-batsman.

Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has played for Sylhet Royals under Mushfiq’s captaincy in the Bangladesh Premier League-2 while hard-hitters like Mohammed Shahzad and Gulbadin Naib have also played with Mushfiq along with Nabi in the ongoing Dhaka Premier League.

“They always try to give their hundred percent and they try to learn as much as they can and naturally they are very talented,” said Mushfiq.

Australia and New Zealand will jointly host the 2015 World Cup where Bangladesh and Afghanistan are in Group A. “I am waiting to meet against Afghanistan in the World Cup and I hope they will become more experience and better side,” said Mushfiq. l

Pakistan ready for South Africa, says Misbah n AFP, Lahore Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq said Monday his side was ready to take on the mighty South Africans, despite missing an opener and enduring a wretched recent run of form.

The sides meet for a two-Test series in the United Arab Emirates starting next week, with Pakistan coming off the back of an embarrassing drawn series against minnows Zimbabwe.

South Africa, rated number one Test team in the world, whitewashed Pakistan 3-0 at home earlier in the year, but Misbah insisted his men would rise to the challenge.

“Our preparations and moral are good,” the 39-year-old skipper said as the team left for the UAE. “We have to forget the past and play competitive cricket in this tough series.” Pakistan have won only one of their last eight Tests, with their batsmen letting them down repeatedly.

They go into the series with just one specialist opener in the 12-man squad

as regular Mohammad Hafeez was dropped after scoring just 102 in his last five Tests. “No doubt Hafeez is a senior player but because he is out of form it was difficult for him (to get into the team) but I am sure others are also capable to do well,” said Misbah.

Misbah said a three-day practice match between Pakistan ‘A’ and a South Africa XI, starting in Sharjah on Tuesday, would give them the chance to identify a replacement.

“We will use a regular opener, there will be no makeshift arrangements and I am sure that we will find another opener from the three-day match,” said Misbah.

With the experienced Hafeez, Imran Farhat and Taufeeq Umar left out, it is a fresh-faced Pakistan top order that will take on the might of South Africa’s fourman pace attack.

The selected opener Khurram Manzoor has played only nine Tests while two other candidates for the second opening berth – Ahmed Shehzad and Shan Masood – have yet to make their Test debuts. l

Masranga TV celebrate their Walton-DRU Media Cricket title at the hockey stadium yesterday COURTESY

US Team members (L-R) Tiger Woods, Steve Stricker, Zach Johnson, Matt Kuchar, Jason Dufner, Keegan Bradley, Webb Simpson, Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson, Brandt Snedeker, Bill Haas, Jordan Spieth, Hunter Mahan, Davis Love III and Jay Haas after the US Team defeated the International Team 18.5 to 15.5 at the Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio on Sunday AFP

Sore Tiger seals Cup win, still Jack’s pick for 19 majors n AFP, Columbus Tiger Woods ignored an aching back at the end of a marathon golf weekend Sunday to clinch a dramatic Presidents Cup victory for the United States over the Internationals.

The 14-time major champion scored the clinching point in an 18 1/2-15 1/2 triumph by edging South African Richard Sterne 1-up in singles at rainsoaked Muirfield Village, then said he has had enough of golf for a while.

“I’m a little bit sore and certainly I’m looking forward to not touching a club for a while,” Woods said.

Sterne took a bogey at 16 to put Woods 1-up and the US star halved the last two holes to win, knowing that singles matches before the Cup is clinched go extra holes to decide a winner.

“I wasn’t feeling my best coming down the stretch and happened to get a 1-up lead. I was just trying to hang onto

India’s top court suggests new spot-fixing probe n

AFP, New Delhi

India’s Supreme Court on Monday suggested a fresh enquiry into the spot-fixing scandal surrounding the Indian Premier League, further delaying N. Srinivasan’s return as the country’s cricket chief.

The court proposed a three-member panel headed by a former judge to investigate the scandal that has rocked the popular Twenty20 league run by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Patnaik also told the court that the BCCI’s lawyers must reply to the proposal at the next hearing on Tuesday.

The probe will be separate from contin uing investigations by police, who have filed charges in court against a string of officials, players and bookmakers in the scandal.

Srinivasan, 68, widely regarded as

the most powerful man in world cricket, has been barred by the court from taking charge since his election as the BCCI chief for a third year on September 29.

A cricket body in the eastern state of Bihar which is not affiliated to the BCCI had asked the court to prevent Srinivasan’s return on moral grounds because his son-in-law had been charged in the scandal. The son-in-law, Gurunath Meiyappan, was the team principal of the Chennai Super Kings, the IPL franchise owned by Srinivasan’s India Cements company and captained by national skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni.

Srinivasan, who has not himself been accused of any wrongdoing, stepped aside temporarily as BCCI president in June when Meiyappan was named in the scandal.

The Bihar association had argued in court that an internal BCCI probe panel

had absolved Srinivasan, Meiyappan, India Cements and other IPL officials of wrongdoing even before police had filed charges in court.

Former Australian star Mike Hussey, who has played for the Chennai Super Kings since the inaugural IPL season in 2008, recently dismissed Srinivasan’s suggestion that Meiyappan was only a “cricket enthusiast”.

Hussey asserted in his new autobiography that Meiyappan was running the team since Srinivasan was busy with BCCI affairs. “Our owner was India Cements, headed by Mr Srinivasan,” Hussey wrote, according to excerpts published on the ESPNCricinfo website.

“As he was also on the board of the BCCI, he gave control of the team to his son-in-law Mr Gurunath (Meiyappan).

“He ran the team along with Kepler Wessels, who was (then) coach.” l

that,” Woods said.

“I knew I wasn’t feeling good and if I happened to mess up 18 and we had to continue playing until it was decided -I was like, I really don’t want to play any more, just can I win, can I halve this last hole, and it ended up being that way.”

Heavy rain fell all four days of the event, playing havoc with the schedule and making the course a muddy slog for players while forcing Woods to play 31 holes over three matches Saturday and 27 holes on Sunday.

“It has been a long week for all of us,” Woods said. “Our physios did a hell of a job this week of keeping us out there and keeping us going, especially with all the starts and stops and so many holes -- I’ve never played three matches in a day before.”

Woods is chasing the all-time record of 18 majors won by Jack Nicklaus, who hosted the Cup at the site where he hosts the US PGA Memorial tournament, an event Woods has won five times.

Nicklaus expects Woods, who turns 38 in December, will reach his career goal of breaking the major win record even though Woods has not won a major since the 2008 US Open.

For now, Woods will enjoy having won the trophy-clinching point for the third Presidents Cup in a row, all under US captain Fred Couples.

It didn’t come easily. The Americans needed four points in singles and took three with seven matches remaining, but Woods was the only US winner in those last matches.

It was an eventful week for Woods, whose girlfriend, US ski star Lindsey Vonn, startled him by putting a baby squirrel on his right shoulder.

Vonn found herself stuck in a golf cart on a muddy hillside Sunday before Amy Mickelson and Matt Kuchar rescued her.

And Woods was tested by 41stranked Sterne, an unfamiliar face to most US fans. l

I’m beatable, says China champion Williams n AFP, Beijing World number one Serena Williams denied there is a widening gulf between her and the other leading players after she claimed her tenth title of the year at the China Open Sunday.

The power-hitting American has had another season of domination, being confirmed as the top ranked yearend player last month, when she also become the first women to win more than $9 million dollars in a season.

The top seed eased to her second title in Beijing with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 demolition of Serbia’s Jelena Jankovic.

But the 32-year-old said she was still being challenged by the other topranked women’s players.

“Everyone is beatable I think at some point. I know I am,” she said.

“Everyone is a threat, you know. I don’t feel like I’m above anyone. I’m just

playing and doing the best I can. That’s all I can do. “I’m just happy that I’m just working hard to be the best right now.

Soon it will be someone else.”

Williams is on a career total of 56 titles with 17 major wins.

She became only the fifth women to hold all four Grand Slam titles simultaneously at the 2003 Australian Open, and has finished the year at number one previously in 2002 and 2009.

Williams joins Justine Henin and Martina Hingis as a three-time yearend number one, with only Steffi Graf (8), Martina Navratilova (7), Chris Evert (5) and Lindsay Davenport (4) ahead of her. When she arrived in Beijing last week, Williams told reporters she was not the greatest ever women’s player, but that she was “maybe top five.”

Williams won all of the 12 sets she competed in on her way to her victory in Beijing. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Cabinet approves n treaties with US The cabinet yesterday approved signing of two agreements on enhancing cooperation with the USA on counterterrorism and drugs control.

A meeting of the cabinet approved the signing of the “Bangladesh-US Counter Terrorism Cooperation Initiative” and the “Memorandum of Cooperation between Ministry of Home Affairs of Bangladesh and United States Drug Enforcement Administration for Mutual Cooperation in the Sphere of Drug Control.”

Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters that the approval had taken a long time for examining the treaties thoroughly.

JS enacts safe food bill n Kamran Reza Chowdhury Parliament yesterday passed a law to stop widespread food adulteration through commissioning of separate courts for the disposal of food-related crimes.

The Safe Food Bill 2013 has categorised 23 offences for which criminals will face maximum 5 years in jail or Tk1m fine. Thirteen of the offences are non-bailable.

The House enacted the law by voice vote in absence of main opposition BNP. The Pakistan government in 1959 promulgated the Pure Food Ordinance.

But the law had no mention of specific guidelines of punishment. The ordinance will be scrapped when a gazette is published enforcing the new law.

Food ministry officials said they held meetings with businessmen, who were opposed to higher punishment for food-related crimes.

The maximum punishment for adding radioactive ingredients or heavy metals to food stuffs is four years in jail or the Tk800,000 fine or both.

The highest punishment for adding insecticides, hormones, antibiotics and other chemicals above permissible limits is three years in jail or a fine of Tk600,000 or both.

Owners of restaurants and hotels, causing health hazards to consumers, will face maximum three years of jail or a fine of Tk600,000 or both.

The bill, however, says public servants failing to discharge duties stipulated in the law would face departmental disciplinary actions.

According to the bill, the government will form a 30-member National Safe Food Management Advisory Council, headed by the food minister, comprising of 14 secretaries, 11 heads of government entities and representation from other stakeholders.

Any aggrieved person can lodge complaints with the chairman of the Bangladesh Safe Food Authority. l

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Family receives Sukhia’s murder news after four years

COUNTERTERRORISM, DRUGS CONTROL

n Mohosinul Karim

Back Page

He said the Bangladesh-US Counter Terrorism Cooperation Initiative would be an official document, but it would not be considered as a legally-binding one.

“If the agreement is signed, cooperation between the two countries on resisting terrorism, exchanging technologies and information will be strengthened. It will play an effective role in getting legal aid, preventing terror financing and money laundering in the country,” he added.

On the other hand, if the drugs control agreement was signed, it would help Bangladesh government to get US assistance in preventing misuse of drugs and strengthen cooperation on investigation, he said. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina chaired the meeting. l

Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Almost four years after her murder, Sukhia Begum’s family on Sunday came to learn that their daughter was strangled to death by her husband Sazzad Hossain, 28, in Bandarban’s Lama upazila.

The family of Sukhia Begum, 20, got the news of her death from police after they recently detained and interrogated Sazzad on Sunday.

Sazzad was arrested from his workplace at a printing press at Zia Bhaban in Chittagong city’s Anderkilla area on Sunday following complaints from the Sukhia’s family, said police.

Sub-Inspector Md Kamruzzaman of Kotwali police station told the Dhaka Tribune that Sukhia’s family members from Pashchim Bakalia area in the port city filed complaints with his station after they grew anxious that Sukhia might be in danger as they could not communicate with Sazzad over the last few months.

Later, police nabbed Sazzad and interrogated him about Sukhia. But, he primarily denied knowing anyone called Sukhia.

However, after repeated attempts, Sazzad confessed to killing Sukhia near a hilly creek at Faitong village of Lama in Bandarban on September 27, 2009 and leaving the body at the scene.

Sazzad in his confession, said he and Sukhia worked together at a printing press in Chittagong city’s Anderkilla area back in 2008.

Following a love affair, they married each other in 2008, ignoring their objections from both families, at Shah Amanat’s Majar (Mausoleum), keeping it as a witness, and without any social and legal document.

They lived at the port city’s Shulokbohor area till June, 2009 before shifting to Bahaddarhat area in the city.

They left Chittagong city for Sazzad’s village, but, the couple got down at Chokoria in Cox’s Bazar while Sazzad and Sukhia continued to quarrel.

At one point of altercation, Sazzad took Sukhia near a creek, not far from his village home where he strangulated Sukhia to death at around 5pm.

SI Kamruzzaman told the Dhaka Tribune, Sazzad kept communication with Sukhia’s family even after four years of the murder.

He even went to her in-law’s house often and borrowed money many times naming different causes, Kamruzzaman said.

In the meantime, Sazzad stopped contacting his in-laws for the last few months and got involved in a relationship with one Poly.

SI Kamruzzaman said Lama Police had recovered Sukhia’s body from the creek on September 28, 2009 but did not find any clue.

An unnatural death case was lodged with Lama Police Station on that day and submitted a final report of the case to court on March 10, 2011, without any identification of the body or the motive of the killing.

Kotwali police produced Sazzad before the court of Second Metropolitan Magistrate, Muhammad Lutful Majid Noyonte, where he gave confessional statement yesterday.

Sukhia’s elder brother Tajul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that his family was so upset on hearing the news. “We want exemplary punishment for Sazzad,” he said. l

Groom children as future leaders: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina meets disabled children at Osmani Memorial Auditorium yesterday to mark the World Children Day 2013 PMO

n Tribune Desk Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon all including teachers and guardians to groom the children as worthy citizens of the country so that they could lead the nation in the future.

She urged them not to give children physical punishment and unnecessary rebuke that put psychological pressure on the kids and hamper their proper growth.

The prime minister emphasised projecting the true history of the country’s Liberation War to the children as well as to inspire them with patriotism.

“Today’s children will lead the world in future and be the architect of the changing days,” she said at a

function, marking the World Children Day 2013, at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital.

Chaired by State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroz Chumki, the function was also addressed, among others, by Secretary of the Ministry Tariqul Islam.

The prime minister reiterated her government’s firm commitment to build Bangladesh as the safe home for children as well as to ensure a children-friendly atmosphere and establish their rights in family and society.

Mentioning the assassination of her 10-year-old younger brother Sheikh Russell along with most of the family members, the prime minister said her government had

been working relentlessly to stop the recurrence of such heinous incidents.

She recalled that the Bangabandhu’s government had enacted Children Act in 1974 much before the UN adopted the Children Rights Charter in 1989. The present government formulated the National Children Policy 2011 and ensured rights and development of children through bringing them in the mainstream of country’s development.

Terming autistic children an inseparable part of society, the prime minister urged all including non-government organisations to come forward along with the government in transforming the autistic children as human resources.

Hasina highlighted the other initiatives taken by her government for the welfare of children.

She said by making primary education compulsory, the present government had expanded and developed its activities to a great extent while pre-primary school had also been introduced.

Besides, four work plans – Special Need Children, Gender, Tribal Children and Vulnerable group Children – were undertaken to bring all children under education programs, she added.

As a result, the premier said 99% enrollment of children had been ensured and dropout rate reduced significantly thereby enabling Bangladesh to win the MDG 2 award.

Besides, she said her government distributed free textbooks and provided stipends up to secondary level students while various steps were also taken to explore their talents in socio-cultural activities and sports.

Later, the prime minister enjoyed a cultural programme presented by the children. l

A noble way indeed! n Our Correspondent, Chandpur What is the best way to start your day at work? Singling out one as the best would be difficult. Officials at the Chandpur municipality made a judgement call when they were on the lookout for the most perfect way and how wonderfully they did that!

They decided to begin the day by standing in queues in front of the full-mast national flag before their office building and singing the national anthem – with the belief that doing so would give them a head start for the day.

While the initiative is one of its kind, it speaks of a deep sense of patriotism and awareness of national values at a time when paying tribute to the anthem has become something of a perfunctory ritual.

Except in the primary and high schools, no other institution has arrangements for the practice.

The impassioned act has also positively inspired many in the neighbourhood, who came to join the chorus with the hope to make a perfect start.

Many shop-owners would not open up without singing the anthem.

Municipality Mayor Nasir Uddin Ahmed took the initiative about seven years ago, said its Secretary Abul Kalam.

“The municipality has 18 councillors and 280 employees at present. Before starting their work, they all come to join the congregation and sing the anthem.

“This also gives an opportunity to exchange greetings with our colleagues before we get down to business. It refreshes our mind,” Kalam added.

The mayor told the Dhaka Tribune: “Through this, we wanted to show our respect to all that the song evokes – our history, tradition, collective struggle for independence. And we have had our rewards too. This municipality has already been recognised as a corruption-free institution.”

If the practice could be introduced at all public and private institutions, it would have a positive impact on the employees and professional integrity would be enhanced, he said. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed at Romask Limited, 184, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1215. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

B2 Youths display their products

B3 GP launches 3G

commercially today

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013

Business www.dhakatribune.com/business

High lending rates hold back growth Businesspeople ask banks, BB, finance ministry to act upon The central bank governor and the finance the government and the central bank should n Tribune Report minister should take the responsibility to fix the lending rates for banks.

State-owned and private banks should lower interest rate to help the country’s export sector stay afloat since competitors like those in India enjoy loans at 4%, said Rubel Aziz, managing director of Partex Group.

“We will consider the demands of lowering interest rate considering the interest of fund managers, depositors and fund users,” said Bank and Financial Institutions Division Secretary M Aslam Alam.

“We have to bring 80% population, who are currently out of the bank’s network, under banking system. It will help to bring more deposit and reduce interest rate,” said Alam.

Participants at the seminar urged the Bangladesh Bank governor to cap interest rate again and demanded that the banks should cut their maintenance costs so that they can lower interest rates.

“Saving instruments’ interest rate should not be more than 8%. Banks too should reduce lending rates but there must be a mechanism,” said Ahmed Al-Kabir, chairman of Rupali Bank. l

Businesspeople have urged banks to lower the lending rates as they find it difficult to run business viably paying 18% interest on loans.

Bankers endorsed the concerns of the business community, but shifted the blame on the government for raising interest rates of saving instruments and not reducing corporate tax on banks.

They came up with the arguments at a seminar on Banks’ Interest Rate and Charges, organised by the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers Commerce and industry (FBCCI) in the city yesterday.

“It is impossible to achieve desired level of development and industrialisation paying such a high interest on loans,” said FBCCI President Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed, adding that high interest regime hindered economic growth and employment generation.

“It is very tough to do business with bank loan after paying 16-18% interest and almost impossible to pay off loans,” said Nazrul Islam Majumdar, president of the Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB).

bring the interest rate down to a tolerable level, he added.

“Interest rates should come down theoretically as there are huge surplus funds held by the bank sector against low demand for loans,” said Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman. Interest rate depends on repayment of loans as banks tend to offer lower rate to those who pay off in time, he added.

The government has succeeded in taming inflation and ensured smooth flow of fund for the private sector, said Finance Minister AMA Muhith. The corporate tax regime needs reforms and the government is working on that, he added.

Bankers urged the government to lower interest rate of savings instruments, which, they felt, would lure depositors away from banks.

“Nobody will deposit money with banks if government’s savings instruments offer higher rates,” said AK Azad, former president of FBCCI who chairs Shahjalal Islami Bank’s board. The government is taking away our profits through 42.5% corporate tax, he added, suggesting that

Number of CIPs increased to 188

Paira seaport law gets cabinet nod

n Mohosinul Karim The government has increased the number of commercially important persons (CIPs) to 188 from 165, but the share for the trade bodies reduced to 38 from 40.

The decision was taken at a regular meeting of the cabinet at Bangladesh Secretariat yesterday as it amended the existing “CIP (Export) Guideline” with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. Cabinet Secretary Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters after the meeting that the decision is to increase the number of CIPs from export sector, which has expanded substantially. It will promote the exporters to expand their export business.

According to the amended guideline, a total 188 persons will get the status of CIPs from now-onward. Of them, 150 individuals and 38 leaders of trade bodies will get the status.

Out of 150 individuals, at least five persons will come from Export Processing Zone (EPZ) based ‘C’ category exporters, he added.

Meanwhile, the cabinet has decided to provide TK6b for development of jute sector.

Bhuiyan said the prime minister asked the finance minister to provide TK6b as bank loan for the development of the thrust sector. The finance ministry will provide bank loan for the sector shortly for developing the sector by importing technologies and research. l

n Mohosinul Karim The cabinet has approved Paira Seaport Authority Act, 2013 to build the country’s third sea port at Kalapara upazila of Patuakhali district.

The Act is expected to be passed in the current session of the parliament.

Official sources said the Paira seaport project will be implemented under the public-private partnership.

The approval came at a regular meeting of the cabinet yesterday with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair, cabinet secretary Mohammad Mosharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told the reporters after the meeting.

The project will be named as “Paira Sea Port” as it will be set up at the Paira River in the Rabnabad channel of the southern coastal belt. Feasibility study will be carried out before the construction works begin.

As per the proposed law, an executive board of six members will be formed to operate the activities of the port.

There will also be different panels of specialists and advisory councils to assist the board.

On August 5, the cabinet approved the act in principle. After the meeting, additional secretary of the cabinet division Khondakar Iftekhar Haidar told the reporters that the primary works of implementation would begin

by placing pontoons at the Rabnabad channel.

Sources said the Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) will begin will provide technical and financial supports to the establishment of the Paira seaport.

The distance between Ramnabad channel and entry point of the sea is 31 kilometres, said Iftekhar Haidar.

He said such distance in Chittagong port is 16km and in Mongla port is 130km.

The third seaport project is intended to improve the country’s export-import trading and infrastructures of the region where the new sea port will be built.

Earlier, the prime minister had announced at a public meeting the government’s decision to launch a third seaport.

In the proposed port area, a fish processing zone is likely to be introduced, which is expected to increase exports of fish and agro-products.

Iftekhar Haider said the PPP office will start a detailed feasibility study soon to begin the work of this port at the soonest possible time.

The total expenditure of the project will be estimated after completing the study.

The expenditure will be borne from the authority’s own fund, government’s exchequer and foreign sources. The authority will have the power to issue bonds, shares and taking loans from others. l

Lending rates to go down soon: Atiur n Tribune Report The lending rates would soon come down further due to continued cut in deposit rates by the commercial banks and falling inflation, said Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman.

“The recently approved new nine banks will increase competition among the banks for providing better services to the clients.

This will also help reduce borrowing and lending rates,” he told a function in Dhaka yesterday.

He said introduction of automated clearing house, electronic fund transfer and online CIB (credit information bureau) service will help cut operational costs of the banks.

The overall interest spread, the gap between credit and deposit rates, decreased to 5.01 percentage point in August, which was 5.02 percentage point in July, 5.13 percentage point in June, according to the BB data.

Over the last several months, Atiur said, the deposit rates continued to decline. As of September, term deposit rate of most banks was 11.5% and industrial term loan 15.5%.

In the last four years from 2010 through October 2013, the central bank allowed private firms to borrow $3.64bn or Tk279.6bn from foreign sources at lower interest of around 5%. Most of the credit goes to the telecommunication, power and textile sectors.

“Borrowing from foreign sources at lower interest rate will also help interest rate in the country’s financial market,” said governor. If this credit added to the total borrowing, the weighted average advance interest rate will stand at 13% from existing 13.56%, he added.

The return on asset (ROA) and return on earnings (ROE) of the banks stood at 0.64% and 8.2% respectively in 2012, which was 1.78% and 20.97% in 2010. But neighboring country in India during the same period, ROA and ROE is 0.26% and 3.16%, indicating that we are in a better position, said Atiur.

He said the interest rate depends on banks fund collection costs, expenses of administration, provision, profit margins and so on. “Banks efficiency is still lower than expected, which increases operational costs.

Higher operational costs have led banks to fix higher interest rate,” he said. l

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013

exports Youths display their products Q1 surge 21% n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

Uddokta Haat draws 25 projects

The country’s export earnings rose 21% to US$7.6bn in the first quarter of the current fiscal year as compared to the same period of previous fiscal year despite having unrest in the readymade garments sector.

According to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) statistics, the earnings were US$6.29bn in the first quarter of 2012-13.

The export earnings increased due to the execution of orders placed before the deadliest incident of Rana Plaza, said Abdus Salam Murshedy, president of Exporters Association of Bangladesh (EAB).

He said the impact of the incident would affect the export figure in the next quarter as the order trend from buyers already suffered setback.

It is a good sign for the country, but the figure should have been more, said Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD). l

n Tribune Report A two-day fair of products manufactured by fresh young entrepreneurs concluded in Dhaka yesterday, aimed at spreading new ideas of business across the country and developing new entrepreneurs.

The fair styled “Uddokta Haat” was organised to establish a sharing platform and encourage young entrepreneurs.

A total of 25 projects including electronics and computer products, online courier, e-commerce sites, website development, clothing and handmade products were displayed at the fair venue.

The fair attracted huge crowd on the closing day as many young people exchanged ideas on small business and shared thoughts on development of the projects.

Initiated by Bangladesh Open Source Network (BdOSN) and organised by facebook based group “Chakri Khujbo Na Chakri Debo.”

The young entrepreneurs were seen communicating and sharing views with the other entrepreneurs and visitors at the fair venue.

Organisers said a major portion of the population is youth and many of them do not have suitable jobs. “To solve the problem, entrepreneurship is one such solution and to make a platform for the young entrepreneurs. The haat is one such arrangement,” said one of the organisers. Program coordinator at BdOSN Promi Naheed told the Dhaka Tribune that the organisation is working towards promoting entrepreneurship and spreading the ideas across the country.

“Aiming to help develop skill, we are working since 2006 with the freelancers. But after a certain period of time, we realised the

Oil prices down on US debt ceiling concerns

n AFP, Singapore Oil prices edged lower yesterday in Asian trade on growing concerns the US budget crisis could spiral into a devastating debt default and ravage the global economy.

New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate for delivery in November fell 49 cents to $103.35 in afternoon trade, while Brent North Sea crude for November eased 35 cents to $109.11. The US government shutdown looks set to drag into day seventh on Monday, as a series of marathon talks between Democrats and Republicans in Washington failed to reach a resolution to the stand-off.

US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew warned Sunday that Congress was “playing with fire” as Republicans raised the threat of a US default if President Barack Obama refuses to negotiate on spending.

Lew said the United States will run out of cash on October 17, and with only $30 billion in hand to meet obligations that can run to $60 billion a day, it will quickly default.

Fears are growing that the shutdown could threaten a fragile economic recovery in the US, with some analysts suggesting it could push the country’s economy back into recession. l

Young entrepreneurs talking about their innovative ideas at Uddokta Haat in Dhaka freelancers are only being benefitted with our organization. But they have more to do for employment generation for others,” he said.

“To make an information and idea sharing platform for the upcoming entrepreneurs, we are here with the haat,” he added.

Naheed said the fair is here to give entrepreneurs a chance to exhibit their projects, to interact with others, and to help them with all sort of supports.

An entrepreneur Shahed Mehbub, director at 24haat.com, said: “Such fairs are very necessary to exhibit ideas of small entrepreneurs like us. I have exhibited my products and received good responses from the visitors. Without such programme, I may not get chances to

RAJIB DHAR

exhibit my ideas to the mass people.”

He emphasised on arranging such programmes from the government side to support the fresh entrepreneurs.

BD Venture Limited, a venture capital company, was offering financial supports at the fair to help entrepreneurs tap their potentials and fulfill their dreams.

“We support the entrepreneurs to help develop their project by financing their enterprises as a shareholder of the company,” said Mohammad Nowshad Chowdhury, an executive of the company. “If any young entrepreneur looks for expansion of their business, we are here to develop entrepreneurship by financing their companies.” l

EU works on next development cooperation n Tribune Business Desk The European Union has started preparing its next development cooperation programme for a seven-year period stretching from 2014 to 2020. The EU and the Economic Relations Division of Bangladesh government organised an inter-ministerial consultation yesterday in Dhaka to discuss further about the proposed intervention, reports UNB. To align with the development priorities of the government of Bangladesh, the EU has selected three strategic areas from Vision 2021, the Sixth Five-Year Plan and relevant national

strategies. The future programme will support democratic government and human rights, food security and nutrition, and education and skill development programmes.

It aims to contribute to Bangladesh’s inclusive growth, poverty reduction and resilience focusing on the poorest and most vulnerable portion of the population, while at the same time promoting people’s potentials, particularly that of women.

The EU delegation is also consulting with civil society, international organisations, private sector, parliament and EU member states to refine its proposed interventions. l

First BSRS MF to be redeemed on October 24 n Tribune Report

First BSRS Mutual Fund will be redeemed this month as the closed-end fund will complete its 10-year tenure.

With the wrapping up of the fund, it would be delisted from the stock market and transaction of the units would be discontinued from October 24, said Bangladesh Development Bank, sponsor of the fund, in a statement yesterday.

Redemption means the unit holders of a mutual fund would get back the net asset value (NAV) per unit of the fund in cash, upon maturity or cancellation by the issuer.

The redemption of a mutual fund is new for Bangladesh’s stock market and First BSRS Mutual Fund would be the second of its kind after ICB AMCL First that was redeemed last month.

October 23, 2013 will be the last trading day for transaction or transfer of unit of First BSRS Mutual Fund and the fund will be de-listed from both the stock exchanges.

The unit holders, whose name will be available on CDBL record on October 24, will be the owners of the redemption fund.

On the close of operation on October 03, 2013, the NAV per unit of the fund was Tk98.58 and the market price was Tk85.80 per unit against its face value of Tk10 each.

Seven other mutual funds would also be redeemed within this year in line with a regulatory directive.

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) in 2007 had asked the ICB to bring its mutual funds under the regulator’s mutual fund rules to control the funds under a set of rules to protect investor interests.

Following applications from the ICB, the BSEC in September last year extended the maturity period of the mutual funds up to December 2013. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013

GP launches 3G commercially today Baridhara, Bashundhara and Gulshan-2 will be the first areas n Muhammad Zahidul Islam Grameenphone is set to commercially launch the third generation mobile broadband service today, which will make the operator first in Bangladesh to reach the customers with high-speed wireless communication facility.

The initial launch will be limited to Baridhara, Bashundhara residential area and some parts of Gulshan-2 in the city, said high officials of GP. “Though we have launched 3G earlier, the commercial service is going to be offered from tomorrow (today),” said Tahmeed Azizul Huq, head of Corporate Communications of Grameenphone, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“The service will initially be limited to three areas of the city, but will soon cover the larger area,” he added.

On the occasion, Grameenphone organises a bicycle rally and a 3G experience zone at the Basundhara area and Baridhara today.

Although the state-owned Teletalk made test commercial launch last year, the GP is going to make the first full-fledged commercial launching.

Banglalink, Robi and Airtel are also in the process to come up with 3G service for their customers in a shortest possible time, said the officials of these three operators.

A high official of GP’s technological department said they have made 100 BTS 3G-enabled while another 50 BTS with such facility will be installed before Eid-ul-Azha.

“Commercial launching of 3G service is a part of a continuous process to reach our customers with the high-speed facility.

Within months, the service will be available in different areas of the city,” a high official of Grameenphone told the Dhaka Tribune.

He added: “We are desperate to bring the service. And we are very serious to meet our customers’ satisfaction.”

Grameenphone said they will hold launching in different places of the country.

There will be such a function on 12th this month at the Dhaka Metropolitan Police headquarters to launch 3G service at Ramna area.

After that, the GP’s priority areas for 3G launching in the city are Uttara, Dhanmondi, Banani, Badda, Mirpur and Motijheel,

Stocks continued to fall for the third session in a row in a volatile trade yesterday amid poor trading activities.

The market moved between positive and negative in early trading but from mid-session the sale pressure accelerated, pushing down the indices.

The benchmark DSEX index was down 25 points or 0.7% to 3,857, further down from previous session’s seven-week low. The blue chip index DS30 dropped 14 points or 1% to 1,403.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, declined 40 points to 7,543.

Turnover remained dry at the bourse –

Group backed by Internet giants seeks cheaper access for the poor n AFP, Abuja

Grameenphone launched 3G test run in Dhaka on September 29

By offering a seamless experience with instant internet access on the best network we will provide our customers with the competitive mobile service they expect from Grameenphone said operator sources. Late of last month, Grameenphone made a soft launce limited to the officials and some customers. During the soft launch, Tanveer Mohammad said the operator would be able cover 70% Dhaka city and 50% of Chittagong city by November.

In a statement yesterday, Grameenphone said their 3G would reach Gazipur and Narayanganj within few weeks.

“It’s a proud moment for Grameenphone as we now start serving customers with 3G-packages,” said Allan Bonke, CMO of Grameenphone.

“By offering a seamless experience with instant internet access on the best network we will provide our customers with the com-

NASHIRUL ISLAM

petitive mobile service they expect from Grameenphone,” he added.

Grameenphone, the country’s largest operator with 45.6 million subscribers’ base, got approval for 15 packages.

Of them, the major plans include 6 Gigabyte (GB) data at Tk1,400 with 1Mbps (Megabits per second).

The operator has more five packages with 1Mbps speed, that included 1MB for Tk650, 2MB Tk850, 3MB Tk1,000, 4MB Tk1,200 and 5MB Tk1,300.

Besides, the company has different kinds of small packages like 5-day package. The operator has also 512Kbps and 800Kbps speed packages.

A video call to other 3G-enabled GP numbers will cost Tk1.20 per minute with 10-second pulses. The video calls to other operators will be made possible in the next.

In the September auction, Grameenphone bought 10 megahertz spectrum at $221m while other three other operators – Robi, Airtel and Banglalink – bought 5 megahertz each. l

Stocks drop for third consecutive day n Tribune Report

3

the total market turnover stood at Tk2.3bn, which was 5.4% lower over the previous session.

“No positive surprise in political frontier kept future direction of capital market indecisive ahead of long closure to celebrate festivals. This put down investors’ sentiment during the session,” said IDLC Investment in its market analysis.

Majority of issues closed negative as out of 284 issues traded, 86 advanced, 166 declined and 32 remained unchanged.

Dragged by profit booking on selected stocks in major sectors like bank, non-bank financial institutions (NBFIs) and power, index continued to remain under pressure for the third consecutive session, said Lanka Bangla Securities.

Market capitalisation of food and allied sector advanced 2.52% followed by Jute, textile and pharmaceuticals.

NBFIs sector was the big loser with a fall of 7.8%, driven by heavyweight ICB which saw a price decline of 14% due to its less than expected corporate declaration of 40% cash dividend.

It was followed by fuel and power that was down 1.6%, engineering 1.5%, power 1.7% and banks 0.52%.

The positive performers were food and allied, textile and pharmaceuticals.

Argon Denims was the most traded stock of the session with a turnover of Tk88m, followed by CMC Kamal, BATBC, Delta Life, Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company Ltd, Sqaure Pharmaceutical and Padma Oil. l

Accessing the Internet in the developing world is unnecessarily expensive, partly due to government policies that hinder competition and should be scrapped, a new alliance backed by Google, Yahoo and Microsoft said yesterday.

The Alliance for Affordable Internet, which launched in Nigeria’s capital, said it will push for an “open, competitive and innovative broadband market” to boost access, especially in Africa, where only 16% of the population is online.

Other members of the alliance include the British and US development agencies, as well as Facebook and the inventor of the World Wide Web, Britain’s Tim Berners-Lee. “There is simply no good reason for the digital divide to continue,” Berners-Lee said in a statement, arguing that the infrastructure and technology needed to fully connect poorer countries was increasingly in place.

“The real bottleneck now is anti-competitive policies and regulations that keep prices unaffordable. The alliance is about removing that barrier,” he added.

In developed countries, people in 2012 spent on average 1.7% of monthly income for broadband while in the developing world the figure was 30.1%, according to the new group The initiative’s executive director, Sonia Jorge, told AFP that Ethiopia’s telecommunication policy “is an example of exactly what you don’t want to see.”

The state operator, Ethio Telecom, holds a near monopoly as a broadband service provider and the cost of connection is among the highest in the world when compared to monthly income, according to the US watchdog Freedom House.

Despite its roughly 90 million people, Ethiopia had only 27,000 broadband subscriptions in 2011. Significant price reductions were announced last year in an effort to boost access, however. The alliance said its goal is to reduce the cost of access to below five percent of monthly income worldwide.

In developed countries, people in 2012 spent on average 1.7% of monthly income for broadband while in the developing world the figure was 30.1%, according to the new group.

Prices have gone down in several areas, in part due to infrastructure improvements, including under-sea cables.

Following its Monday launch in Nigeria, the group will begin working in four countries, campaigning for liberal, open-market policies where private firms freely compete to provide lower cost broadband services. “It is important that the playing field is level,” Jorge told AFP. In some African countries, despite a flurry of new players in the market offering a range of services many feel “that prices haven’t really changed that much,” Jorge said, adding the competition policies may need to be refined so that people actually “reap the benefit.” l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013

China grabs limelight as US hobbled at Asia-Pacific summit n AFP, Nusa Dua China took centre-stage yesterday as Asia-Pacific leaders opened an annual economic summit in the shadow of global growth clouds that are darkening by the day with the US government paralysed by infighting.

The US federal shutdown has stopped President Barack Obama from attending the two-day Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit on the Indonesian island of Bali, and another summit this week of East Asian leaders in Brunei.

US Secretary of State John Kerry stressed anew Obama’s determination to remain engaged with the Pacific Rim region, but his absence has left the arena clear for the leader of one-party China to trumpet the mounting heft of the world’s second largest economy.

Interviewed by the Jakarta Post, President Xi Jinping said the “world economy has entered a period of deep readjustment” but China was ready to lead the way to a brighter day as part of “the world’s most dynamic and most promising region”.

The communist leader has been touring Southeast Asia, where there is much disquiet about China’s territorial ambitions, and also touted the benefits of free trade pacts after securing commercial deals worth tens of billions of dollars in Indonesia and Malaysia.

China is involved in talks on a trade agreement grouping 16 East Asian nations just as Washington’s rival “Trans-Pacific Partnership” (TPP) of 12 countries appears to be running into trouble.

While sympathetic to Obama’s political plight, the leaders of US allies in APEC such

China’s President Xi Jinping applauds the crowd after speaking at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation CEO Summit in Nusa Dua on Indonesia’s resort island of Bali AFP as Singapore expressed disappointment that he had been unable to throw his presidential weight personally behind the TPP and Washington’s stop-start “pivot” towards Asia.

Foreign friends and rivals alike, as well as financial markets, are worried by a threat bigger even than the shutdown: the possibility that the US government might default on its colossal debts unless Congress raises the federal borrowing limit by October 17.

An unprecedented default by the holder of the world’s reserve currency would affect “the entire planet, and not just those coun-

tries with a strong geographical and economic linkage to the US”, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said at an APEC business summit. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed similar sentiments to the business leaders gathered for the event.

“The dollar of the United States is still the biggest reserve currency in the world, so it is of utmost importance to all of us,” he said.”

But Kerry, taking Obama’s place at APEC, said the president’s epic tussle with the Republicans was merely “a moment in politics” that did not deflect the United States from its

strategic goals.

“I want to emphasise that there is nothing that will shake the commitment of the rebalance to Asia that President Obama is leading,” Kerry told the business forum.

The United States is stumbling politically at a moment when, according to a statement

by APEC foreign and trade ministers, the world economy can ill afford more instability following the 2008 financial crisis.

Previewing Tuesday’s final summit declaration in Bali, the ministers said that “global growth is too weak, risks remain tilted to the downside, and the economic outlook suggests growth is likely to be slower and less balanced than desired”.

Before he called off his foreign travel, Obama intended to throw his presidential weight behind a top-level round of talks among the TPP countries in Bali on Tuesday. But doubts about the TPP are gathering pace, and also about Obama’s vaunted “pivot”.

Attending APEC “would have been a golden opportunity for America and President Obama himself to show leadership in that context of the new emphasis towards Asia”, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said.

Obama was also forced to cancel visits to Malaysia and the Philippines due to the shutdown.

The perennial disputes that hobble all trade agreements, such as market access and protection of intellectual property, are rearing anew in the TPP negotiations and Najib sees the end-of-year deadline as “very tight”.

But Kerry said a deal was still achievable in the timeframe, as he sought to sell the merits of the pact. l

Stakes start rising over Washington gridlock n Reuters, London The world is watching Washington’s showdown over the federal budget and debt ceiling with the same feelings of horror, disbelief and ghoulish fascination that a slow-motion car crash produces.

The Republican-led House of Representatives is on a collision course with the Democratic White House. Both sides know the damage that would be inflicted on the country if the Treasury runs out of money later this month, risking an unprecedented debt default.

So one of them is sure to blink and swerve away. Aren’t they?

Well, they haven’t yet. Hard-line Republicans opposed to Obama’s healthcare reform have already forced a shutdown of non-essential government functions since October 1 by blocking new spending authority.

“They’re doing that, I would say, at the great expense of the average American, the US economy and, to some degree, the global economy,” said Jason Ware, chief analyst at Albion Financial Group in Salt Lake City.

After media reports that House Speaker John Boehner would work to avoid default,

even if it meant relying on the votes of Democrats, as he did in August 2011, Boehner stressed that his party would continue to insist on budget cuts as a condition of raising the borrowing authority.

For the issuer of the world’s reserve currency, whose interest rates form a global benchmark, to default would be nothing short of catastrophic, according to the US Treasury.

That is why investors, though they have been selling stocks as a precaution, still believe a deal will be struck.

“You can come back from a government shutdown. You cannot come back from a default on the debt,” said Ware.

The standoff is already damaging America’s standing - a point that US policy makers can expect to hear this week from finance ministers attending meetings in Washington of the Group of 20 leading economies and the International Monetary Fund.

“In view of the latest political failure, a replay of the 2011 summer drama seems likely, which is certainly a concern for US foreign creditors,” China’s state-owned Xinhua news agency said in an editorial last week.

The United States would join non-exalted company if the unthinkable were to happen.

A general view of the US Capitol Dome in Washington Angola, Argentina, Cote d’Ivoire, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Gabon, Greece, Grenada, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Paraguay, the Solomon Islands, Venezuela and Zim-

REUTERS

babwe have all defaulted or restructured their debt in the past decade, according to the GlobalWorks Foundation, a pro-trade non-profit group in Washington. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013

5

China says ‘clock is ticking’ on US debt ceiling n AFP, Beijing

US Trade Representative Michael Froman speaks during a news conference during the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministerial meeting in Nusa Dua, Bali island REUTERS

Canceled EU-US talks complicate trade ambitions n Reuters, Brussels Even before the cancelation of the latest round of EU-US talks, negotiations to create the world’s largest free-trade deal were getting into difficulty territory.

France won a concession to leave European movies and entertainment out of the pact, to shield them from Hollywood and Silicon Valley, raising concerns Washington may pursue opt-outs for its shipping industry on security grounds.

Then the first round of talks in July were overshadowed by reports the United States had bugged European Union offices under its surveillance program made public by fugitive former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Now, just before negotiators were due to get down to the nitty gritty in the search for a deal by the end of next year, the US government’s partial shutdown has forced next week’s talks in Brussels to be scrapped.

If that were not enough, a split is emerging between Europe and the United States on one of the most critical areas of the proposed pact: finance.

“This delay is not fatal, but if the US shutdown drags on and you are taking things off the table like culture and financial services, it is not a good way to start,” said Stuart Eizenstat, a former US ambassador to the European Union.

“This postponement may complicate the timetable of completing the talks by the end of 2014,” Eizenstat said.

EU and US officials say the deal, known as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment

Partnership, could boost economic output by some $100bn a year on each side of the Atlantic, creating a market of 800 million people.

After five years of crisis, both see a deal as a way to reinvigorate their economies that account for a third of world trade when China’s might threatens their global standing.

So it was with some frustration that US Trade Representative Michael Froman rang his EU counterpart Karel De Gucht on Friday to cancel the second round of talks because of the effects of the Congressional budget dispute.

De Gucht, who handles trade for the EU’s 28 countries, said the postponement “in no way distracts us from our overall aim of achieving an ambitious trade and investment deal.”

Assistant US Trade Representative Dan Mullaney is expected in Brussels to find a date for a second round of talks. Much depends on the US shutdown, while Congress must act by October 17 in to avoid a US government debt default.

Agreeing a deal by the end of 2014 is the goal of both sides, because the European Commission’s term ends in November next year and the United States holds mid-term elections.

Since tariffs between the EU and United States are already low, around 80% of the gains of any agreement will come from creating common rules for business.

The great, hoped-for benefit is that by agreeing shared regulatory standards, many costs and hurdles hindering transatlantic business will be removed, making the two

economies even more dynamic and speeding the wheels of trade and industry.

However, an emerging dispute is over finance.

The EU wants financial regulation to be a central part of the deal, whereas Washington is resisting, worried about losing control over its financial industry.

Financial ties between Europe and the United States are already huge, accounting for 60% of world banking. EU investors own $2.7tn of US stocks and bonds, while US residents hold almost as much in Europe.

However, the United States and European countries regulate banks, insurers and traders in very different ways, particularly in the $630tn derivatives industry.

Never was the difference more evident than during the financial crisis, when Washington moved quickly in 2008 to tackle problems at its banks. Five years on, the European Union is still struggling to impose order on its financial system and has had to give emergency aid to five countries.

This is mirrored in regulation, where the two sides have also clashed over the control of derivatives, with Washington demanding that global trading involving US firms be subject only to US rules, regardless of where it happens.

Europe wants a pact that spells out which regulators are responsible for what activities.

Some EU officials even talk about creating new EU-US institutions to oversee finance.

The United States’ Froman, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, has expressed Washington’s reluctance. l

A senior Chinese official voiced concern over a looming deadline for raising the US debt ceiling Monday, saying the “clock is ticking” to avoid a default that could seriously harm China’s economic interests.

“As the world’s largest economy and the issuer of the major reserve currency in the world, it is important for the US to maintain the creditworthiness of its Treasury bonds,” vice finance minister Zhu Guangyao told reporters.

“It is important for the US economy as well as the global economy.”

Zhu spoke with the United States government in a partial shutdown since the beginning of this month, due to a dispute between Republicans and Democrats over funding President Barack Obama’s signature health care programme that has prevented the passage of key spending legislation.

An even more serious problem is the prospect that the US government will not have enough cash to pay its bills if an agreement to raise its debt ceiling is not reached by October 17. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew said Sunday the US will have reached the maximum it is allowed to borrow on that date, and with only $30bn cash in hand to meet obligations that can run to $60 billion a day, it will quickly face default.

Zhu, one of three Chinese officials briefing reporters ahead of Premier Li Keqiang’s departure for a regional summit this week in Brunei - which Obama plans to miss due to the standoff in Washington - called on the US to take quick and decisive action.

“We hope that before October 17, the US will take credible steps to address its disputes over the debt ceiling in a timely fashion, avoid a default and ensure the safety of Chinese investments in the US and ensure the process of global economic recovery will not be seriously affected by this,” he said.

Zhu added that as the world’s two largest economies, the US and China are “inseparable”, stressing their annual bilateral trade of $500bn, US direct investments in China and China’s possession of a “vast number of US Treasury bonds”, without giving a total.

Over the years, China has recycled some of its trillions of dollars in foreign exchange reserves, the result of huge trade surpluses, by investing in US Treasury. As such it has become a significant creditor of the US, which runs chronic deficits.

Zhu said that the two sides have been in close contact on the issue and the US was clearly aware of China’s concerns about the gridlock.

He also acknowledged that Obama and Lew were working to avoid a possible default. “But we have to see that the clock is ticking,” Zhu said. “It is only one week away before the deadline on the 17th.

“The executive branch of the US government has to take decisive and credible steps to avoid a default on its Treasury bonds,” he said.

Only the US can work out what is a domestic issue, he said, “but it also has global implications so that’s why we say that the government and the Congress have to speed up their negotiations”. l

6

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013

DSE Broad Index: 3857.25 ⇓ 0.65%, Turnover: 2332.67 M.Tk ⇓ 5.40%, PE: 12.22 Turnover 2,515.84 MTk. ⇓ 4.85% October 7, 2013 MarketCap. 1,880.93 BTk. ⇓ 0.96% CSE All Share Index: 11955 ⇓ 0.53%, Turnover: 183.17 M Tk. ⇑ 2.86%, PE: 12.04 Combined Turnover Leader BATBCL -A Argon Denims Limited-A

BANK ABBANK | 2.95 | 32.60 | Vol. 226811 D: 22.50 ⇓ 0.88% | 22.56 | 24.00 / 20.50 C: 22.20 ⇓ 1.33% | 22.31 | 22.60 / 22.00 CITYBANK | 1.15 | 25.97 | Vol. 407606 D: 15.30 ⇑ 0.66% | 15.29 | 16.00 / 14.00 C: 15.10 ⇓ 1.31% | 15.13 | 15.30 / 15.00 IFIC | 1.10 | 18.34 | Vol. 60688 D: 19.60 ⇓ 1.01% | 19.80 | 20.00 / 18.00 C: 19.60 ⇓ 0.51% | 19.71 | 19.90 / 19.30 ISLAMIBANK | 3.78 | 27.16 | Vol. 263907 D: 35.80 ⇑ 0.56% | 35.73 | 36.00 / 33.00 C: 35.80 ⇑ 1.13% | 35.38 | 35.80 / 32.00 NBL | 1.05 | 15.76 | Vol. 1758568 D: 9.90 ⇓ 1.00% | 9.99 | 10.10 / 9.00 C: 10.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 10.05 | 10.20 / 9.50 PUBALIBANK | 1.92 | 21.18 | Vol. 393992 D: 31.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 31.22 | 31.70 / 28.50 C: 31.00 ⇑ 0.32% | 30.94 | 31.30 / 30.80 RUPALIBANK | 6.70 | 64.27 | Vol. 954 D: 57.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 57.65 | 60.00 / 55.90 UCBL | 1.90 | 21.72 | Vol. 568397 D: 17.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 17.27 | 17.40 / 16.00 C: 17.20 ⇓ 1.15% | 17.21 | 17.40 / 16.00 UTTARABANK | 3.42 | 26.97 | Vol. 113278 D: 25.00 ⇓ 0.40% | 25.00 | 25.20 / 23.50 C: 24.80 ⇓ 1.20% | 24.79 | 25.30 / 24.60 ICBIBANK | -1.60 | -13.03 | Vol. 63500 D: 5.70 ⇓ 1.72% | 5.72 | 5.80 / 5.70 EBL | 3.91 | 28.22 | Vol. 85195 D: 26.10 ⇓ 0.76% | 26.30 | 26.40 / 24.00 C: 26.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 26.00 | 26.00 / 26.00 ALARABANK | 2.03 | 14.91 | Vol. 456569 D: 13.40 ⇓ 2.19% | 13.54 | 14.00 / 12.50 C: 13.70 ⇓ 0.72% | 13.74 | 14.00 / 13.60 PRIMEBANK | 2.89 | 22.40 | Vol. 157077 D: 16.80 ⇓ 0.59% | 16.93 | 17.00 / 15.50 C: 17.10 ⇑ 2.40% | 17.04 | 17.50 / 16.90 SOUTHEASTB | 1.89 | 22.66 | Vol. 560832 D: 14.10 ⇓ 2.08% | 14.25 | 14.60 / 13.00 C: 14.30 ⇓ 0.69% | 14.23 | 14.30 / 13.00 DHAKABANK | 1.46 | 18.08 | Vol. 167179 D: 17.20 ⇓ 1.15% | 17.24 | 17.50 / 17.10 C: 17.50 ⇑ 1.16% | 17.15 | 17.50 / 16.20 NCCBANK | 1.90 | 15.88 | Vol. 330193 D: 10.60 ⇓ 0.93% | 10.68 | 11.00 / 9.80 C: 10.60 ⇓ 0.93% | 10.71 | 10.90 / 10.60 SIBL | 2.05 | 14.47 | Vol. 468206 D: 10.90 ⇓ 1.80% | 11.02 | 11.50 / 10.00 C: 11.00 ⇓ 1.79% | 11.01 | 11.10 / 10.90 DUTCHBANGL | 11.57 | 54.27 | Vol. 5540 D: 88.40 ⇓ 0.34% | 88.32 | 88.50 / 83.00 MTBL | 1.17 | 17.27 | Vol. 142220 D: 14.20 ⇓ 0.70% | 14.22 | 14.40 / 13.00 C: 14.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 14.00 | 14.00 / 14.00 STANDBANKL | 2.33 | 14.41 | Vol. 352331 D: 12.40 ⇓ 1.59% | 12.50 | 12.80 / 11.50 C: 12.50 ⇑ 0.00% | 12.48 | 12.50 / 12.00 ONEBANKLTD | 2.35 | 15.34 | Vol. 255099 D: 13.90 ⇓ 0.71% | 13.93 | 14.10 / 12.60 C: 14.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 13.99 | 14.10 / 13.00 BANKASIA | 1.35 | 20.80 | Vol. 710436 D: 18.60 ⇓ 1.06% | 18.71 | 19.00 / 17.00 C: 19.10 ⇑ 0.53% | 18.80 | 19.10 / 18.60 MERCANBANK | 2.07 | 16.59 | Vol. 487487 D: 11.20 ⇓ 0.88% | 11.33 | 12.40 / 10.20 C: 11.10 ⇓ 0.89% | 11.09 | 11.30 / 11.00 EXIMBANK | 1.80 | 14.31 | Vol. 465078 D: 10.50 ⇓ 1.87% | 10.60 | 10.80 / 9.70 C: 10.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 10.48 | 10.70 / 10.40 JAMUNABANK | 2.47 | 18.56 | Vol. 40516 D: 12.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 12.76 | 13.00 / 11.90 C: 12.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 12.83 | 13.10 / 12.80 BRACBANK | 1.51 | 24.87 | Vol. 219337 D: 27.30 ⇓ 0.73% | 27.39 | 27.90 / 25.00 C: 27.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 25.00 | 27.60 / 27.60 SHAHJABANK | 2.61 | 14.47 | Vol. 106252 D: 13.60 ⇓ 0.73% | 13.64 | 14.00 / 12.80 C: 13.50 ⇓ 0.74% | 13.52 | 13.60 / 13.50 PREMIERBAN | 1.18 | 13.95 | Vol. 375918 D: 8.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 8.90 | 9.10 / 8.10 C: 9.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 8.94 | 9.10 / 8.70

TO M. Tk.

% of TTL

Avg. P

241713

385.57

15.33

1,595.16

2283160

105.66

4.20

46.28

CMC Kamal Tex. -A

2170120

71.92

2.86

33.14

Square Pharma -A

364580

62.78

2.50

172.19

BD Submarine Cable-A

CompanyCode | EPS | BV | Volume Traded (Share) DSE/CSE: ClosePrice ⇓/⇑ Chn % | Avg.Price | Hi / Lo

Vol.

259930

54.61

2.17

TRUSTBANK | 0.50 | 18.00 | Vol. 61953 D: 16.70 ⇑ 1.21% | 16.56 | 16.80 / 14.90 C: 16.30 ⇓ 3.55% | 16.29 | 16.30 / 16.20 FIRSTSBANK | 1.85 | 13.89 | Vol. 259957 D: 10.90 ⇑ 0.93% | 10.88 | 11.00 / 9.80 C: 10.70 ⇓ 1.83% | 10.75 | 11.30 / 10.60 NON BANKING F I IDLC | 4.43 | 29.18 | Vol. 101655 D: 55.00 ⇓ 1.08% | 55.12 | 55.60 / 52.00 C: 55.30 ⇓ 2.12% | 55.27 | 56.00 / 55.00 ULC | 1.80 | 14.90 | Vol. 29200 D: 25.20 ⇓ 1.95% | 25.38 | 25.70 / 25.20 UTTARAFIN | 7.16 | 41.54 | Vol. 46209 D: 71.60 ⇓ 0.56% | 71.70 | 72.10 / 68.00 C: 71.90 ⇓ 0.14% | 71.85 | 72.00 / 71.50 MIDASFIN | 0.16 | 10.21 | Vol. 43185 D: 33.00 ⇑ 3.13% | 32.95 | 33.50 / 30.00 C: 31.90 ⇑ 10.00% | 31.90 | 31.90 / 31.90 FLEASEINT | 2.34 | 13.93 | Vol. 152060 D: 23.90 ⇓ 0.83% | 23.98 | 24.20 / 22.00 C: 23.80 ⇓ 1.65% | 23.93 | 24.50 / 23.60 PLFSL | 1.37 | 17.48 | Vol. 301395 D: 21.30 ⇓ 1.39% | 21.36 | 22.00 / 19.50 C: 21.30 ⇓ 2.29% | 21.49 | 21.80 / 21.20 PRIMEFIN | 0.87 | 17.88 | Vol. 146360 D: 21.90 ⇓ 0.90% | 22.04 | 22.50 / 20.50 C: 22.10 ⇓ 0.90% | 22.27 | 22.80 / 22.00 PREMIERLEA | 0.10 | 11.37 | Vol. 63567 D: 10.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 10.32 | 10.50 / 9.20 C: 10.20 ⇓ 0.97% | 10.23 | 10.30 / 10.20 ISLAMICFIN | 1.03 | 15.48 | Vol. 151575 D: 15.40 ⇑ 0.65% | 15.47 | 15.60 / 14.20 C: 15.50 ⇑ 0.00% | 15.50 | 15.50 / 15.50 LANKABAFIN | 1.61 | 31.07 | Vol. 116532 D: 54.10 ⇓ 1.64% | 54.33 | 56.00 / 50.00 C: 54.10 ⇓ 1.64% | 54.24 | 55.00 / 53.90 BIFC | 0.15 | 18.58 | Vol. 94427 D: 15.90 ⇓ 3.05% | 16.04 | 16.50 / 14.80 C: 16.00 ⇓ 2.44% | 16.11 | 16.20 / 16.00 IPDC | 1.23 | 19.43 | Vol. 42380 D: 17.70 ⇓ 1.67% | 17.82 | 18.30 / 16.20 C: 18.00 ⇑ 0.56% | 17.93 | 18.30 / 17.80 UNIONCAP | 0.54 | 17.85 | Vol. 24082 D: 28.90 ⇓ 0.69% | 28.86 | 29.10 / 26.60 BDFINANCE | 0.57 | 14.77 | Vol. 149609 D: 20.00 ⇓ 3.38% | 20.08 | 21.50 / 18.70 C: 19.90 ⇓ 4.33% | 19.98 | 20.40 / 19.80 ILFSL | 0.35 | 12.19 | Vol. 278500 D: 13.90 ⇓ 1.42% | 13.98 | 14.30 / 13.80 C: 13.90 ⇓ 0.71% | 13.88 | 14.00 / 13.70 PHOENIXFIN | 2.46 | 19.39 | Vol. 73304 D: 27.50 ⇓ 2.14% | 27.62 | 28.00 / 27.00 C: 28.40 ⇑ 1.07% | 28.40 | 28.40 / 28.40 FASFIN | 0.19 | 13.56 | Vol. 347000 D: 14.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 14.22 | 14.50 / 12.80 C: 14.00 ⇓ 0.71% | 14.05 | 14.20 / 14.00 DBH | 4.47 | 21.27 | Vol. 28000 D: 53.00 ⇓ 2.39% | 53.19 | 54.80 / 53.00 C: 52.50 ⇓ 3.14% | 52.52 | 52.60 / 52.50 NHFIL | 0.57 | 12.70 | Vol. 123700 D: 29.60 ⇑ 2.42% | 29.18 | 29.90 / 26.50 C: 29.50 ⇑ 1.03% | 29.21 | 29.70 / 28.80 BAYLEASING | 0.72 | 25.55 | Vol. 84904 D: 25.50 ⇓ 1.16% | 25.58 | 26.00 / 23.50 C: 25.50 ⇓ 0.39% | 25.54 | 26.00 / 25.20 ICB | 89.23 | 607.74 | Vol. 19256 D: 1597 ⇓ 13.96% | 1627 | 1698 / 1587 C: 1748 ⇓ 8.11% | 1748 | 1895 / 1605 GSPFINANCE | 1.63 | 22.23 | Vol. 20464 D: 23.90 ⇓ 0.42% | 23.94 | 24.20 / 22.00 C: 23.90 ⇑ 0.84% | 23.97 | 24.00 / 23.90 FAREASTFIN | 0.68 | 13.64 | Vol. 783500 D: 16.10 ⇑ 1.90% | 16.20 | 16.60 / 15.70 C: 16.30 ⇑ 2.52% | 16.25 | 16.60 / 16.00 INVESTMENT 1STICB | 75.63 | 942.30 | Vol. 50 D: 860.0 ⇑ 1.18% | 860.00 | 860.0 / 860.0 3RDICB | 26.16 | 235.16 | Vol. 600 D: 175.0 ⇑ 1.10% | 175.00 | 175.0 / 175.0 4THICB | 29.24 | 229.24 | Vol. 1100 D: 174.7 ⇑ 1.87% | 174.55 | 175.5 / 172.0

210.09

DSE Loser

C%

A%

CP

-13.96

-14.58

1597.25

Imam Button -Z

-9.82

-10.86

10.10

Aziz Pipes-Z

-8.92

-7.96

19.40

DSE Gainer

C%

A%

CP

Progressive Life-A

9.26

9.80

114.50

CMC Kamal Tex.-A

7.96

3.34

33.90

PragatiLife Insu.-A

6.84

3.43

120.30

Prime Islami Life-A

6.26

4.47

98.40

Meghna PET Ind.-Z

-7.53

-4.49

8.60

Jute Spinners-A

6.01

2.84

119.90

Fine Foods-A

-6.16

-8.30

27.40

6THICB | 10.99 | 60.14 | Vol. 7600 D: 45.20 ⇑ 0.44% | 45.14 | 45.60 / 44.80 C: 44.20 ⇑ 1.14% | 44.20 | 44.20 / 44.20 8THICB | 12.47 | 70.07 | Vol. 6000 D: 49.40 ⇑ 0.41% | 49.50 | 49.90 / 48.50 1STBSRS | 14.43 | 161.88 | Vol. 155000 D: 83.80 ⇓ 2.33% | 83.46 | 87.90 / 81.00 C: 87.30 ⇓ 9.81% | 87.33 | 87.40 / 87.20 AIMS1STMF | 3.02 | 15.70 | Vol. 407000 D: 36.60 ⇓ 2.92% | 37.05 | 37.80 / 36.50 C: 37.10 ⇓ 1.07% | 37.20 | 37.70 / 36.20 ICBISLAMIC | 2.21 | 26.81 | Vol. 23000 D: 16.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 16.70 | 17.10 / 16.00 GRAMEEN1 | 6.26 | 33.23 | Vol. 204000 D: 43.90 ⇓ 1.57% | 44.26 | 45.00 / 43.80 C: 43.60 ⇓ 2.02% | 43.60 | 44.00 / 43.00 ICB1STNRB | 4.06 | 35.31 | Vol. 16500 D: 21.70 ⇓ 1.81% | 21.76 | 22.50 / 21.50 ICB2NDNRB | 2.49 | 16.24 | Vol. 127500 D: 8.90 ⇓ 1.11% | 9.00 | 9.20 / 8.90 C: 9.20 ⇓ 1.08% | 9.17 | 9.20 / 9.10 GRAMEENS2 | 2.17 | 16.41 | Vol. 651000 D: 15.90 ⇓ 1.24% | 16.01 | 16.30 / 15.90 C: 15.90 ⇓ 1.24% | 15.94 | 16.30 / 15.80 1STPRIMFMF | 0.64 | 11.63 | Vol. 1046000 D: 21.40 ⇓ 4.89% | 21.97 | 23.00 / 21.30 C: 21.70 ⇓ 3.13% | 22.22 | 22.70 / 21.40 EBL1STMF | 0.55 | 12.62 | Vol. 287368 D: 6.60 ⇓ 2.94% | 6.73 | 7.00 / 6.60 C: 6.70 ⇓ 1.47% | 6.70 | 6.80 / 6.70 ICBAMCL2ND | 0.60 | 12.12 | Vol. 41500 D: 5.40 ⇓ 3.57% | 5.41 | 5.50 / 5.30 C: 5.50 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.50 | 5.50 / 5.50 ICBEPMF1S1 | 0.52 | 11.32 | Vol. 127500 D: 5.60 ⇓ 3.45% | 5.71 | 5.80 / 5.60 C: 5.50 ⇓ 3.51% | 5.50 | 5.50 / 5.50 TRUSTB1MF | 0.75 | 11.65 | Vol. 810711 D: 7.50 ⇓ 1.32% | 7.53 | 8.00 / 6.90 C: 7.50 ⇑ 0.00% | 7.45 | 7.50 / 7.00 PRIME1ICBA | 0.42 | 11.18 | Vol. 86000 D: 5.10 ⇓ 1.92% | 5.12 | 5.20 / 5.10 C: 5.10 ⇓ 1.92% | 5.13 | 5.20 / 5.10 DBH1STMF | -1.12 | 10.15 | Vol. 194500 D: 5.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.42 | 5.50 / 5.40 C: 5.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.41 | 5.50 / 5.40 IFIC1STMF | 0.83 | 11.88 | Vol. 1096337 D: 6.20 ⇓ 1.59% | 6.28 | 6.40 / 6.00 C: 6.30 ⇑ 1.61% | 6.30 | 6.30 / 6.30 PF1STMF | 0.51 | 11.11 | Vol. 165000 D: 5.20 ⇓ 1.89% | 5.27 | 5.40 / 5.20 C: 5.30 ⇓ 1.85% | 5.31 | 5.40 / 5.20 ICB3RDNRB | 0.00 | 10.60 | Vol. 117000 D: 4.90 ⇓ 2.00% | 4.96 | 5.00 / 4.90 C: 4.90 ⇓ 2.00% | 4.95 | 5.00 / 4.90 1JANATAMF | 0.78 | 10.68 | Vol. 265500 D: 5.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.73 | 5.90 / 5.70 C: 5.70 ⇓ 1.72% | 5.70 | 5.70 / 5.70 GREENDELMF | -0.82 | 9.72 | Vol. 791500 D: 5.00 ⇓ 1.96% | 5.05 | 5.20 / 4.90 C: 5.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.04 | 5.20 / 5.00 POPULAR1MF | 0.77 | 11.38 | Vol. 302478 D: 5.80 ⇓ 1.69% | 5.81 | 6.30 / 5.40 C: 5.80 ⇓ 1.69% | 5.80 | 5.80 / 5.40 IFILISLMF1 | 0.00 | 10.45 | Vol. 75000 D: 5.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.13 | 5.20 / 5.10 C: 5.10 ⇓ 1.92% | 5.10 | 5.10 / 5.10 PHPMF1 | 0.63 | 10.92 | Vol. 909500 D: 5.20 ⇓ 3.70% | 5.30 | 5.50 / 5.20 C: 5.20 ⇓ 5.45% | 5.30 | 5.50 / 5.20 AIBL1STIMF | -0.07 | 9.25 | Vol. 4500 D: 6.30 ⇓ 1.56% | 6.30 | 6.30 / 6.30 MBL1STMF | -0.16 | 9.08 | Vol. 165000 D: 6.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.28 | 6.40 / 6.20 C: 6.80 ⇑ 6.25% | 6.80 | 6.80 / 6.80 SEBL1STMF | 0.94 | 11.85 | Vol. 745900 D: 8.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 8.20 | 8.40 / 8.10 C: 8.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 8.05 | 8.20 / 8.00 EBLNRBMF | 1.07 | 10.88 | Vol. 500 D: 7.40 ⇓ 2.63% | 7.40 | 7.40 / 7.40 RELIANCE1 | 0.95 | 10.33 | Vol. 394200 D: 8.20 ⇓ 2.38% | 8.29 | 9.10 / 7.90 C: 8.20 ⇓ 2.38% | 8.22 | 8.30 / 8.10 LRGLOBMF1 | 0.50 | 10.82 | Vol. 566000 D: 7.70 ⇓ 6.10% | 7.81 | 8.20 / 7.50

ICB-A

ABB1STMF | 0.92 | 10.63 | Vol. 168000 D: 6.70 ⇓ 2.90% | 6.71 | 6.90 / 6.70 C: 6.70 ⇓ 1.47% | 6.67 | 6.70 / 6.60 NLI1STMF | 1.17 | 12.22 | Vol. 971750 D: 9.00 ⇓ 4.26% | 9.19 | 9.50 / 9.00 C: 9.10 ⇓ 3.19% | 9.20 | 9.30 / 9.10 FBFIF | 1.30 | 10.27 | Vol. 2000 D: 8.60 ⇑ 4.88% | 8.50 | 8.80 / 8.50 NCCBLMF1 | 1.16 | 10.48 | Vol. 20000 D: 9.60 ⇓ 4.00% | 9.60 | 11.00 / 9.10 ICBSONALI1 | 0.00 | 10.39 | Vol. 688500 D: 6.60 ⇓ 2.94% | 6.54 | 7.00 / 6.30 C: 6.60 ⇓ 4.35% | 6.64 | 6.90 / 6.50 ENGINEERING AFTABAUTO | 4.29 | 52.65 | Vol. 185478 D: 104.0 ⇑ 1.07% | 103.50 | 105.0 / 93.00 C: 103.8 ⇑ 0.68% | 103.96 | 105.0 / 103.1 AZIZPIPES | 0.39 | -42.04 | Vol. 9600 D: 19.40 ⇓ 8.92% | 19.78 | 21.10 / 19.40 C: 21.40 ⇓ 9.70% | 21.51 | 22.00 / 21.40 OLYMPIC | 5.94 | 14.91 | Vol. 87593 D: 199.9 ⇓ 2.30% | 201.51 | 206.0 / 192.0 C: 202.9 ⇓ 0.54% | 202.86 | 205.1 / 200.1 BDLAMPS | -5.31 | 37.07 | Vol. 13300 D: 143.8 ⇓ 1.91% | 144.48 | 147.1 / 143.0 C: 145.1 ⇓ 1.43% | 145.01 | 145.1 / 145.0 ECABLES | 2.04 | 18.87 | Vol. 4800 D: 71.70 ⇑ 1.85% | 71.70 | 72.00 / 70.10 C: 65.50 ⇓ 8.65% | 65.50 | 65.50 / 65.50 MONNOSTAF | 5.31 | 44.78 | Vol. 650 D: 320.1 ⇑ 0.82% | 320.00 | 337.9 / 300.0 SINGERBD | 9.99 | 45.74 | Vol. 55250 D: 190.9 ⇓ 1.29% | 192.49 | 195.0 / 183.0 C: 191.9 ⇓ 0.78% | 192.03 | 192.2 / 191.7 ATLASBANG | 11.98 | 207.70 | Vol. 5533 D: 166.3 ⇓ 0.72% | 166.81 | 169.9 / 151.0 BDAUTOCA | 0.25 | 6.23 | Vol. 21100 D: 42.20 ⇓ 1.40% | 42.89 | 44.20 / 41.90 QSMDRYCELL | 1.17 | 57.54 | Vol. 130620 D: 32.80 ⇓ 2.67% | 33.05 | 33.80 / 32.00 C: 32.40 ⇓ 1.82% | 32.59 | 33.00 / 32.40 RENWICKJA | 5.62 | -90.00 | Vol. 7550 D: 142.2 ⇓ 3.66% | 143.18 | 146.0 / 140.0 NTLTUBES | -2.52 | 312.10 | Vol. 17500 D: 71.50 ⇓ 1.24% | 71.37 | 72.90 / 70.60 BDTHAI | 0.43 | 39.35 | Vol. 355298 D: 28.20 ⇓ 2.42% | 28.37 | 29.20 / 26.20 C: 28.20 ⇓ 1.40% | 28.20 | 28.40 / 28.00 ANWARGALV | 0.51 | 8.08 | Vol. 146000 D: 27.80 ⇑ 5.30% | 27.59 | 28.50 / 26.70 C: 27.90 ⇑ 3.72% | 27.85 | 28.30 / 27.00 KAY&QUE | -3.89 | 6.03 | Vol. 7650 D: 17.00 ⇓ 5.03% | 16.98 | 17.10 / 16.20 C: 17.00 ⇓ 2.86% | 17.00 | 17.00 / 17.00 RANFOUNDRY | 2.84 | 18.62 | Vol. 38000 D: 91.60 ⇓ 1.72% | 92.54 | 94.80 / 91.50 C: 92.00 ⇑ 0.77% | 92.00 | 92.00 / 92.00 SALAMCRST | 3.31 | 20.00 | Vol. 67900 D: 38.20 ⇓ 1.80% | 38.42 | 39.10 / 36.00 C: 38.30 ⇓ 0.52% | 38.12 | 38.30 / 38.00 GOLDENSON | 3.70 | 28.70 | Vol. 261049 D: 39.50 ⇓ 1.25% | 39.52 | 40.30 / 36.00 C: 39.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 40.65 | 42.40 / 39.30 BSRMSTEEL | 3.06 | 19.53 | Vol. 71515 D: 62.40 ⇓ 2.19% | 62.77 | 64.00 / 57.50 C: 62.60 ⇓ 2.19% | 62.95 | 63.50 / 62.20 NAVANACNG | 4.09 | 27.04 | Vol. 49105 D: 63.10 ⇓ 0.79% | 63.31 | 64.00 / 58.00 C: 63.40 ⇑ 0.16% | 63.44 | 64.00 / 63.00 DESHBANDHU | 0.26 | 10.67 | Vol. 339323 D: 17.50 ⇓ 1.13% | 17.69 | 18.10 / 16.00 C: 17.60 ⇓ 2.22% | 17.79 | 18.00 / 17.50 GPHISPAT | 2.11 | 15.27 | Vol. 52200 D: 40.30 ⇓ 1.71% | 40.45 | 41.20 / 39.00 C: 40.90 ⇑ 2.00% | 40.65 | 41.00 / 40.10 BENGALWTL | 2.42 | 20.72 | Vol. 69400 D: 43.10 ⇓ 1.82% | 43.46 | 44.30 / 43.10 C: 43.20 ⇓ 0.92% | 43.23 | 43.50 / 43.10 NPOLYMAR | 2.01 | 324.37 | Vol. 29930 D: 54.10 ⇓ 0.92% | 54.51 | 55.90 / 50.00 C: 53.00 ⇓ 3.81% | 53.00 | 53.00 / 53.00

FOOD & ALLIED APEXFOODS | 2.54 | 90.81 | Vol. 15900 D: 91.40 ⇓ 1.08% | 91.37 | 92.10 / 91.00 C: 90.20 ⇓ 3.43% | 90.17 | 90.20 / 90.10 BANGAS | 7.20 | 50.27 | Vol. 46475 D: 448.6 ⇓ 0.58% | 453.25 | 460.0 / 440.0 C: 450.7 ⇓ 0.33% | 455.32 | 464.9 / 448.0 BATBC | 65.69 | 117.22 | Vol. 241713 D: 1590 ⇑ 5.02% | 1595 | 1600 / 1420 NTC | 29.88 | 110.05 | Vol. 550 D: 791.6 ⇓ 1.16% | 791.43 | 792.0 / 791.0 C: 810.0 ⇓ 1.22% | 810.00 | 810.0 / 810.0 ZEALBANGLA | -23.01 | -193.09 | Vol. 1100 D: 9.00 ⇓ 4.26% | 9.09 | 9.30 / 9.00 AMCL(PRAN) | 6.53 | 53.37 | Vol. 42610 D: 241.9 ⇓ 3.28% | 244.94 | 255.2 / 239.3 C: 241.9 ⇓ 4.35% | 244.85 | 250.0 / 240.2 SHYAMPSUG | -36.87 | -355.85 | Vol. 3700 D: 8.10 ⇓ 1.22% | 8.11 | 8.20 / 7.80 FUWANGFOOD | 1.26 | 12.37 | Vol. 227376 D: 24.30 ⇓ 0.82% | 24.47 | 25.20 / 22.50 C: 24.40 ⇓ 0.41% | 24.48 | 24.70 / 24.00 MEGHNAPET | -0.58 | -1.02 | Vol. 12500 D: 8.60 ⇓ 7.53% | 8.72 | 8.90 / 8.40 MEGCONMILK | -6.68 | -16.22 | Vol. 8500 D: 8.00 ⇓ 3.61% | 8.00 | 8.20 / 7.90 BEACHHATCH | 1.01 | 12.48 | Vol. 660269 D: 24.50 ⇓ 3.92% | 24.88 | 25.70 / 23.00 C: 24.50 ⇓ 3.16% | 24.44 | 25.50 / 24.00 FINEFOODS | -0.11 | 10.58 | Vol. 434520 D: 27.40 ⇓ 6.16% | 28.27 | 29.80 / 27.00 C: 27.90 ⇓ 3.79% | 28.59 | 29.90 / 27.20 RDFOOD | 0.91 | 16.84 | Vol. 1088410 D: 22.10 ⇓ 1.34% | 22.16 | 22.90 / 20.50 C: 22.20 ⇓ 0.89% | 22.40 | 23.60 / 22.00 GHAIL | 1.01 | 22.08 | Vol. 228780 D: 42.60 ⇓ 0.47% | 42.50 | 43.00 / 39.00 C: 42.50 ⇓ 0.93% | 42.18 | 42.50 / 42.10 FUEL & POWER LINDEBD | 31.71 | 144.00 | Vol. 5250 D: 642.9 ⇑ 0.14% | 639.43 | 644.0 / 635.0 PADMAOIL | 16.38 | 43.67 | Vol. 160546 D: 303.1 ⇓ 3.78% | 307.59 | 315.9 / 290.0 C: 302.4 ⇓ 3.57% | 306.01 | 315.0 / 302.0 EASTRNLUB | 6.32 | 68.68 | Vol. 400 D: 326.0 ⇓ 4.79% | 325.00 | 330.1 / 325.0 BDWELDING | 0.33 | 16.82 | Vol. 320597 D: 22.10 ⇓ 1.34% | 22.29 | 22.90 / 21.00 C: 22.30 ⇓ 0.45% | 22.17 | 22.50 / 22.00 SUMITPOWER | 3.17 | 19.26 | Vol. 323726 D: 30.70 ⇓ 2.54% | 31.04 | 31.70 / 28.40 C: 30.90 ⇓ 1.28% | 31.31 | 33.60 / 30.80 DESCO | 2.80 | 35.25 | Vol. 45875 D: 70.70 ⇓ 1.53% | 71.03 | 72.70 / 66.00 C: 71.10 ⇓ 0.84% | 71.10 | 71.10 / 71.10 POWERGRID | 2.56 | 48.08 | Vol. 30720 D: 53.90 ⇓ 0.37% | 53.94 | 55.00 / 50.00 JAMUNAOIL | 22.78 | 50.24 | Vol. 164834 D: 218.2 ⇓ 1.89% | 219.39 | 221.9 / 215.0 C: 218.9 ⇓ 1.57% | 219.66 | 220.2 / 218.5 MPETROLEUM | 16.98 | 40.41 | Vol. 185706 D: 253.2 ⇓ 2.28% | 254.31 | 260.0 / 237.0 C: 254.5 ⇓ 1.93% | 254.78 | 260.0 / 253.0 TITASGAS | 9.01 | 36.56 | Vol. 379377 D: 80.90 ⇓ 1.22% | 80.97 | 82.90 / 74.00 C: 80.20 ⇓ 1.35% | 80.32 | 80.50 / 80.10 KPCL | 4.73 | 15.86 | Vol. 113381 D: 43.80 ⇓ 2.01% | 43.93 | 45.00 / 41.00 C: 44.20 ⇓ 1.12% | 44.09 | 44.90 / 43.70 BEDL | 1.48 | 19.43 | Vol. 403354 D: 26.20 ⇓ 4.38% | 26.61 | 27.70 / 24.70 C: 26.30 ⇓ 4.01% | 26.86 | 27.50 / 26.20 MJLBD | 2.73 | 30.24 | Vol. 38268 D: 69.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 69.25 | 70.00 / 63.00 C: 68.70 ⇓ 1.01% | 68.38 | 69.00 / 63.00 GBBPOWER | 1.86 | 22.63 | Vol. 332132 D: 25.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 25.15 | 27.00 / 22.60 C: 25.30 ⇑ 0.40% | 25.18 | 25.40 / 25.00 SPPCL | 3.81 | 23.34 | Vol. 301420 D: 48.90 ⇓ 1.81% | 49.09 | 50.10 / 44.90 C: 49.30 ⇓ 1.40% | 49.46 | 50.20 / 48.80

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013

7

October 07, 2013 Sectotal Index: BANK: 31,160.53 ⇓ 0.11% NBFI: 19,082.10 ⇓ 0.87% INVS: 4,651.90 ⇓ 1.00% ENGG: 5,675.22 ⇓ 0.62% FOOD: 9,919.01 ⇓ 0.90% F&P: 9,888.47 ⇓ 1.56% TEXT: 3,053.08 ⇑ 0.32% PHAR: 16,737.65 ⇓ 0.49% PAPR: 1,084.11 ⇓ 1.52% SERV: 2,847.26 ⇓ 1.25% LEAT: 5,139.58 ⇓ 0.05% CERA: 491.30 ⇓ 0.09% CMNT: 4,312.83 ⇓ 0.71% INFO: 7,294.82 ⇓ 1.92% GINS: 9,454.99 ⇓ 0.41% LINS: 110,843.60 ⇑ 1.30% TELC: 1,316.45 ⇓ 0.95% MISC: 5,979.64 ⇓ 1.05% JUTE JUTESPINN | 2.06 | 17.42 | Vol. 8900 D: 119.9 ⇑ 6.01% | 117.08 | 124.0 / 109.0 SONALIANSH | 5.54 | 218.80 | Vol. 11750 D: 142.7 ⇓ 2.06% | 142.72 | 145.1 / 141.2 TEXTILE AL-HAJTEX | 1.35 | 15.64 | Vol. 69210 D: 91.00 ⇓ 2.57% | 92.39 | 96.00 / 90.50 RAHIMTEXT | 0.51 | 73.88 | Vol. 150 D: 267.3 ⇓ 1.22% | 266.67 | 270.0 / 263.0 SAIHAMTEX | 2.75 | 29.50 | Vol. 373500 D: 30.90 ⇓ 0.32% | 30.97 | 31.50 / 30.80 C: 31.30 ⇑ 0.97% | 31.02 | 31.40 / 30.30 MODERNDYE | 0.91 | 10.37 | Vol. 600 D: 106.0 ⇑ 1.73% | 106.67 | 114.6 / 102.0 DSHGARME | 0.72 | 12.00 | Vol. 37000 D: 75.60 ⇑ 1.34% | 74.78 | 78.90 / 72.00 DULAMIACOT | -8.46 | -27.78 | Vol. 2700 D: 9.00 ⇓ 3.23% | 8.89 | 9.20 / 8.90 TALLUSPIN | 2.56 | 12.06 | Vol. 674791 D: 43.20 ⇓ 0.69% | 43.49 | 44.10 / 42.80 C: 43.30 ⇓ 0.23% | 43.35 | 43.80 / 43.10 APEXSPINN | 2.01 | 49.32 | Vol. 4400 D: 69.10 ⇓ 2.68% | 69.09 | 69.50 / 68.30 MITHUNKNIT | 4.54 | 30.39 | Vol. 71600 D: 93.90 ⇓ 3.89% | 94.72 | 98.50 / 92.20 C: 92.60 ⇓ 5.12% | 92.74 | 93.60 / 92.30 DELTASPINN | 3.06 | 18.12 | Vol. 154100 D: 32.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 32.27 | 33.50 / 32.00 C: 32.40 ⇓ 0.61% | 32.32 | 32.80 / 32.10 SONARGAON | 0.27 | 34.50 | Vol. 181770 D: 19.00 ⇓ 2.06% | 19.12 | 20.00 / 18.50 C: 19.00 ⇓ 2.56% | 19.07 | 19.60 / 18.60 PRIMETEX | 1.01 | 63.54 | Vol. 158500 D: 27.00 ⇓ 0.37% | 27.13 | 28.80 / 26.70 C: 27.50 ⇑ 0.73% | 27.12 | 27.90 / 26.60 ALLTEX | -0.11 | 23.81 | Vol. 41500 D: 8.70 ⇓ 1.14% | 8.80 | 8.90 / 8.60 C: 9.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 8.71 | 9.00 / 8.60 ANLIMAYARN | 1.19 | 11.01 | Vol. 164000 D: 36.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 36.12 | 36.60 / 35.70 C: 36.70 ⇑ 2.51% | 36.18 | 36.70 / 36.00 HRTEX | 2.08 | 14.92 | Vol. 152700 D: 39.50 ⇑ 3.13% | 39.07 | 40.60 / 37.50 C: 40.50 ⇑ 3.85% | 41.30 | 41.70 / 40.50 CMCKAMAL | 1.37 | 19.31 | Vol. 2170120 D: 33.90 ⇑ 7.96% | 33.14 | 34.40 / 29.00 SAFKOSPINN | 0.95 | 21.78 | Vol. 312800 D: 24.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 24.67 | 25.20 / 23.00 C: 24.90 ⇑ 0.81% | 24.64 | 25.50 / 24.20 SQUARETEXT | 4.32 | 31.82 | Vol. 144805 D: 89.30 ⇑ 0.45% | 88.85 | 89.50 / 88.30 C: 88.30 ⇑ 0.23% | 87.91 | 88.30 / 87.50 METROSPIN | -1.00 | 19.59 | Vol. 221890 D: 17.00 ⇓ 1.16% | 17.10 | 17.90 / 16.00 C: 17.00 ⇓ 1.16% | 17.04 | 17.20 / 16.90 MAKSONSPIN | 0.16 | 20.55 | Vol. 880753 D: 15.70 ⇑ 1.29% | 15.70 | 16.00 / 14.00 C: 15.80 ⇑ 1.28% | 15.74 | 16.50 / 14.10 DACCADYE | 1.21 | 31.13 | Vol. 212599 D: 26.50 ⇓ 0.75% | 26.56 | 27.10 / 24.50 C: 26.60 ⇓ 0.75% | 26.46 | 26.70 / 26.30 RNSPIN | 2.80 | 16.58 | Vol. 1095084 D: 28.20 ⇓ 1.05% | 28.35 | 28.80 / 25.90 C: 28.30 ⇓ 0.70% | 28.37 | 28.60 / 28.10 BXSYNTH | 0.93 | 25.42 | Vol. 234812 D: 15.30 ⇓ 1.29% | 15.45 | 15.80 / 14.00 C: 15.50 ⇑ 0.00% | 15.50 | 15.90 / 15.40 MALEKSPIN | -1.44 | 46.87 | Vol. 283515 D: 24.70 ⇓ 1.20% | 24.86 | 26.00 / 23.00 C: 24.70 ⇓ 1.20% | 24.76 | 25.20 / 24.60 ZAHINTEX | 1.91 | 35.25 | Vol. 205250 D: 30.30 ⇑ 0.33% | 30.37 | 30.70 / 27.90 C: 30.50 ⇓ 0.33% | 30.49 | 30.60 / 30.40 SAIHAMCOT | 1.92 | 23.62 | Vol. 369250 D: 23.80 ⇓ 0.83% | 24.00 | 25.50 / 23.80 C: 23.80 ⇓ 0.83% | 23.98 | 24.20 / 23.80 GENNEXT | 1.68 | 15.15 | Vol. 1715926 D: 21.70 ⇓ 1.36% | 21.85 | 22.30 / 20.00 C: 21.80 ⇓ 1.36% | 21.85 | 22.30 / 21.60 ENVOYTEX | 3.26 | 39.26 | Vol. 500300 D: 53.10 ⇓ 0.38% | 53.05 | 53.50 / 48.00 C: 52.90 ⇓ 0.19% | 52.92 | 53.00 / 52.30 ARGONDENIM | 1.89 | 38.86 | Vol. 2283160 D: 47.20 ⇑ 5.12% | 46.32 | 48.40 / 40.50 C: 47.10 ⇑ 5.84% | 46.07 | 48.00 / 45.00

FAMILYTEX | 3.72 | 14.68 | Vol. 725000 D: 37.70 ⇑ 5.60% | 37.19 | 38.00 / 35.90 C: 37.40 ⇑ 5.95% | 36.87 | 37.50 / 36.00 PHARMACEUTICAL & CHEMICAL AMBEEPHA | 3.94 | 26.15 | Vol. 8000 D: 267.2 ⇓ 2.98% | 270.13 | 273.5 / 266.3 C: 271.2 ⇓ 2.09% | 271.15 | 271.2 / 271.0 BXPHARMA | 3.77 | 52.55 | Vol. 123878 D: 42.20 ⇓ 1.86% | 42.42 | 44.00 / 38.70 C: 42.30 ⇓ 2.98% | 42.63 | 43.10 / 42.20 GLAXOSMITH | 20.25 | 123.32 | Vol. 450 D: 877.6 ⇓ 0.50% | 877.78 | 899.9 / 870.0 ACI | -5.82 | 126.42 | Vol. 12170 D: 159.6 ⇑ 0.69% | 158.75 | 161.0 / 150.0 RENATA | 33.57 | 138.83 | Vol. 4252 D: 717.7 ⇑ 2.40% | 713.08 | 720.0 / 670.0 PHARMAID | 5.06 | 26.30 | Vol. 19300 D: 175.7 ⇓ 1.01% | 176.63 | 180.0 / 175.0 IBNSINA | 3.44 | 34.02 | Vol. 38860 D: 104.5 ⇓ 0.85% | 105.28 | 107.2 / 97.90 C: 103.5 ⇓ 2.08% | 103.68 | 105.1 / 103.1 LIBRAINFU | 4.64 | 1565.37 | Vol. 1200 D: 448.6 ⇓ 2.33% | 448.33 | 479.0 / 422.0 ORIONINFU | 8.72 | 1.73 | Vol. 81800 D: 43.70 ⇓ 1.58% | 44.00 | 44.70 / 43.10 C: 44.00 ⇓ 1.35% | 44.07 | 44.30 / 43.80 SQURPHARMA | 6.93 | 37.18 | Vol. 364580 D: 172.5 ⇑ 0.29% | 172.21 | 182.0 / 157.0 C: 171.9 ⇑ 0.41% | 171.89 | 173.0 / 170.8 IMAMBUTTON | -1.68 | 5.67 | Vol. 50500 D: 10.10 ⇓ 9.82% | 10.10 | 10.10 / 10.10 KEYACOSMET | 1.55 | 21.54 | Vol. 357819 D: 24.10 ⇓ 0.41% | 24.16 | 24.50 / 21.80 C: 24.00 ⇓ 0.83% | 23.97 | 24.20 / 23.60 BERGERPBL | 32.46 | 100.20 | Vol. 1950 D: 813.6 ⇓ 1.76% | 812.31 | 820.0 / 805.0 ACIFORMULA | 3.33 | 38.08 | Vol. 10000 D: 76.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 76.92 | 77.50 / 76.10 C: 77.10 ⇑ 0.13% | 76.48 | 77.10 / 75.20 MARICO | 27.53 | 62.47 | Vol. 4850 D: 775.7 ⇑ 0.19% | 793.05 | 815.0 / 769.9 C: 770.0 ⇓ 0.88% | 770.00 | 770.0 / 770.0 BEACONPHAR | 0.33 | 11.97 | Vol. 126100 D: 14.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 14.25 | 14.40 / 13.70 C: 14.30 ⇓ 0.69% | 14.40 | 14.50 / 14.30 ACTIVEFINE | 3.23 | 13.89 | Vol. 286434 D: 90.40 ⇑ 0.67% | 89.90 | 91.00 / 81.00 C: 89.40 ⇓ 0.89% | 89.42 | 90.00 / 89.00 SALVOCHEM | 0.68 | 10.57 | Vol. 244526 D: 21.00 ⇑ 0.48% | 21.00 | 21.30 / 19.00 C: 21.10 ⇑ 0.48% | 21.09 | 21.30 / 20.80 GHCL | 2.14 | 57.31 | Vol. 32000 D: 46.00 ⇓ 0.22% | 45.97 | 46.60 / 45.50 C: 46.20 ⇑ 1.09% | 46.10 | 46.20 / 46.00 ORIONPHARM | 5.02 | 68.68 | Vol. 611900 D: 62.70 ⇓ 0.95% | 63.25 | 63.90 / 57.00 C: 62.70 ⇓ 0.79% | 63.16 | 64.00 / 62.60 JMISMDL | 1.12 | 12.83 | Vol. 146500 D: 251.0 ⇑ 2.03% | 247.83 | 253.8 / 236.0 C: 249.1 ⇓ 1.93% | 246.27 | 255.0 / 240.0 PAPER & PACKAGING HAKKANIPUL | 0.64 | 11.02 | Vol. 11500 D: 31.70 ⇓ 1.25% | 31.73 | 32.90 / 31.30 C: 31.00 ⇓ 3.73% | 31.18 | 31.40 / 30.30 SERVICE SAMORITA | 2.31 | 17.25 | Vol. 23188 D: 104.4 ⇓ 1.60% | 105.84 | 109.7 / 102.0

SAPORTL | 1.23 | 38.39 | Vol. 82027 D: 25.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 25.19 | 25.50 / 24.50 C: 25.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 25.12 | 25.20 / 25.10 EHL | 2.87 | 18.48 | Vol. 103640 D: 54.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 54.08 | 54.70 / 48.70 C: 54.00 ⇓ 0.74% | 53.99 | 54.50 / 53.80 LEATHER APEXTANRY | 6.57 | 69.38 | Vol. 77500 D: 115.5 ⇑ 0.00% | 115.46 | 117.0 / 113.2 C: 114.6 ⇓ 0.09% | 114.67 | 120.0 / 114.0 BATASHOE | 49.12 | 135.53 | Vol. 2500 D: 703.5 ⇓ 0.13% | 703.60 | 706.9 / 702.1 APEXADELFT | 23.01 | 203.26 | Vol. 7600 D: 365.4 ⇑ 0.16% | 366.32 | 374.0 / 363.1 SAMATALETH | -0.07 | 12.08 | Vol. 3000 D: 11.80 ⇓ 0.84% | 12.00 | 12.00 / 11.60 LEGACYFOOT | 0.63 | 17.19 | Vol. 253841 D: 40.70 ⇓ 0.25% | 40.85 | 41.90 / 36.80 C: 40.50 ⇓ 0.98% | 40.62 | 42.00 / 39.80 CERAMIC MONNOCERA | 0.71 | 96.33 | Vol. 124700 D: 36.90 ⇑ 4.53% | 36.66 | 37.20 / 35.80 C: 36.10 ⇑ 0.28% | 36.10 | 36.10 / 36.10 STANCERAM | 1.07 | 15.97 | Vol. 4500 D: 38.30 ⇓ 2.79% | 38.44 | 40.90 / 38.00 FUWANGCER | 1.43 | 13.25 | Vol. 174705 D: 19.30 ⇓ 0.52% | 19.40 | 19.80 / 18.50 C: 19.10 ⇓ 2.05% | 19.16 | 19.30 / 18.80 SPCERAMICS | 0.62 | 30.92 | Vol. 150788 D: 15.90 ⇓ 0.63% | 15.98 | 16.30 / 15.00 C: 16.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 16.06 | 16.20 / 16.00 RAKCERAMIC | 1.98 | 16.76 | Vol. 120697 D: 49.40 ⇓ 1.00% | 49.61 | 50.90 / 45.00 C: 50.20 ⇑ 0.40% | 49.99 | 53.00 / 49.60 CEMENT HEIDELBCEM | 22.85 | 111.50 | Vol. 51100 D: 359.7 ⇑ 0.28% | 361.06 | 365.0 / 358.0 C: 358.4 ⇓ 1.78% | 377.65 | 384.0 / 355.1 CONFIDCEM | 6.23 | 90.76 | Vol. 73815 D: 114.9 ⇓ 1.88% | 115.67 | 118.3 / 107.2 C: 115.9 ⇓ 0.86% | 115.89 | 116.5 / 115.2 MEGHNACEM | 6.28 | 33.81 | Vol. 56100 D: 130.9 ⇓ 0.46% | 131.29 | 133.0 / 129.6 C: 130.0 ⇓ 3.70% | 130.00 | 130.0 / 130.0 ARAMITCEM | 3.03 | 14.65 | Vol. 65400 D: 70.30 ⇓ 4.35% | 71.34 | 75.00 / 66.50 C: 74.90 ⇑ 1.49% | 74.90 | 74.90 / 74.90 LAFSURCEML | 1.60 | 7.22 | Vol. 449000 D: 33.70 ⇑ 0.30% | 33.72 | 33.80 / 33.60 C: 33.80 ⇑ 0.30% | 33.77 | 33.80 / 33.60 MICEMENT | 4.14 | 40.00 | Vol. 125111 D: 91.00 ⇓ 0.98% | 91.22 | 92.20 / 84.00 C: 90.90 ⇓ 0.76% | 90.42 | 91.50 / 90.60 PREMIERCEM | 3.59 | 22.92 | Vol. 85000 D: 102.7 ⇓ 0.48% | 102.87 | 104.5 / 101.5 C: 102.0 ⇓ 1.26% | 101.91 | 103.0 / 101.3 IT IINDUSTRIES ISNLTD | 0.28 | 17.31 | Vol. 137016 D: 19.20 ⇓ 2.54% | 19.54 | 20.30 / 18.00 C: 19.30 ⇓ 2.03% | 19.45 | 20.80 / 19.00 BDCOM | 1.00 | 14.91 | Vol. 278535 D: 26.00 ⇓ 1.52% | 26.26 | 27.10 / 23.80 C: 26.00 ⇓ 5.11% | 27.48 | 27.90 / 25.80 INTECH | 0.94 | 10.08 | Vol. 212136 D: 16.90 ⇑ 1.81% | 16.79 | 17.80 / 15.50 C: 17.00 ⇑ 1.80% | 17.08 | 17.90 / 16.60 AGNISYSL | 1.07 | 25.52 | Vol. 135577 D: 22.70 ⇓ 1.73% | 22.85 | 23.40 / 21.50 C: 22.90 ⇓ 0.43% | 22.97 | 23.40 / 22.70

DAFODILCOM | 1.12 | 11.14 | Vol. 135000 D: 17.90 ⇓ 0.56% | 18.05 | 18.90 / 17.80 C: 18.00 ⇓ 1.10% | 17.99 | 18.00 / 17.90 AAMRATECH | 1.46 | 21.90 | Vol. 556350 D: 33.00 ⇓ 2.65% | 33.42 | 34.20 / 30.00 C: 33.00 ⇓ 2.94% | 33.31 | 34.40 / 32.90

PROVATIINS | 1.90 | 14.30 | Vol. 59185 D: 29.30 ⇑ 0.34% | 29.55 | 30.00 / 28.00 C: 28.50 ⇓ 1.72% | 28.47 | 28.50 / 28.40 DHAKAINS | 2.84 | 18.02 | Vol. 71500 D: 38.90 ⇓ 0.77% | 39.14 | 40.00 / 38.70 C: 38.80 ⇓ 0.26% | 38.78 | 39.50 / 38.50

GENERAL INSURANCE BGIC | 1.65 | 20.33 | Vol. 204774 D: 28.50 ⇓ 2.73% | 28.68 | 31.00 / 26.40 C: 28.70 ⇓ 4.33% | 28.90 | 29.00 / 28.70 GREENDELT | 4.05 | 64.44 | Vol. 17499 D: 97.60 ⇓ 0.20% | 98.12 | 100.0 / 94.00 UNITEDINS | 2.47 | 21.04 | Vol. 3600 D: 44.40 ⇓ 0.67% | 44.44 | 44.80 / 44.20 PEOPLESINS | 2.05 | 20.72 | Vol. 397430 D: 34.20 ⇓ 0.29% | 34.58 | 35.20 / 32.00 C: 34.30 ⇑ 0.29% | 34.38 | 35.10 / 34.00 EASTERNINS | 2.22 | 35.88 | Vol. 6000 D: 38.80 ⇓ 1.52% | 38.83 | 40.90 / 38.20 JANATAINS | 7.84 | 170.69 | Vol. 14990 D: 265.0 ⇓ 2.66% | 267.97 | 283.8 / 250.0 C: 267.0 ⇓ 3.96% | 267.30 | 270.3 / 265.3 PHENIXINS | 2.70 | 20.96 | Vol. 26995 D: 40.50 ⇓ 0.25% | 40.49 | 40.70 / 38.00 EASTLAND | 4.06 | 23.29 | Vol. 121600 D: 46.50 ⇓ 1.06% | 46.80 | 47.70 / 46.40 C: 47.50 ⇑ 3.04% | 46.80 | 47.50 / 46.30 CENTRALINS | 1.54 | 19.04 | Vol. 7112 D: 29.10 ⇓ 1.02% | 29.13 | 29.50 / 27.00 C: 29.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 29.00 | 29.00 / 29.00 KARNAPHULI | 1.56 | 19.42 | Vol. 74600 D: 23.70 ⇓ 2.47% | 23.91 | 24.50 / 23.50 RUPALIINS | 2.76 | 23.38 | Vol. 52579 D: 31.90 ⇓ 1.54% | 32.14 | 32.70 / 30.00 C: 31.80 ⇓ 2.15% | 32.12 | 32.50 / 31.50 FEDERALINS | 1.10 | 10.98 | Vol. 154450 D: 23.40 ⇑ 0.43% | 23.38 | 23.90 / 21.00 C: 23.50 ⇑ 0.43% | 23.54 | 24.00 / 23.20 RELIANCINS | 3.93 | 61.52 | Vol. 1500 D: 72.80 ⇓ 3.96% | 72.67 | 72.90 / 72.80 PURABIGEN | 1.05 | 18.71 | Vol. 140190 D: 22.40 ⇓ 0.88% | 22.47 | 23.10 / 21.50 PRAGATIINS | 2.01 | 50.30 | Vol. 13000 D: 55.00 ⇓ 1.79% | 55.04 | 55.30 / 55.00 C: 55.00 ⇑ 3.38% | 55.00 | 55.00 / 55.00 PRIMEINSUR | 2.14 | 14.14 | Vol. 45816 D: 32.00 ⇓ 0.31% | 32.08 | 32.70 / 29.90 PIONEERINS | 3.11 | 23.84 | Vol. 36000 D: 66.20 ⇓ 1.49% | 66.25 | 67.00 / 65.80 MERCINS | 1.53 | 14.50 | Vol. 100459 D: 30.20 ⇓ 0.33% | 30.36 | 33.30 / 27.30 C: 29.00 ⇑ 0.35% | 29.37 | 31.00 / 29.00 AGRANINS | 1.73 | 14.39 | Vol. 73928 D: 28.50 ⇓ 0.35% | 28.37 | 28.90 / 26.00 GLOBALINS | 1.09 | 11.78 | Vol. 41862 D: 30.00 ⇑ 0.33% | 30.00 | 32.00 / 28.00 NITOLINS | 2.59 | 15.41 | Vol. 12494 D: 35.00 ⇑ 1.16% | 34.98 | 35.50 / 32.00 ASIAPACINS | 1.84 | 13.76 | Vol. 80500 D: 30.20 ⇓ 2.27% | 30.72 | 31.10 / 29.90 SONARBAINS | 1.68 | 13.38 | Vol. 67000 D: 25.80 ⇓ 0.39% | 25.85 | 26.50 / 25.50 C: 25.50 ⇓ 1.54% | 25.50 | 25.50 / 25.50 PARAMOUNT | 1.26 | 13.19 | Vol. 40129 D: 24.00 ⇓ 1.64% | 24.00 | 25.00 / 22.00 CITYGENINS | 1.65 | 14.26 | Vol. 130923 D: 28.70 ⇓ 1.71% | 28.86 | 29.60 / 28.50 C: 28.90 ⇓ 3.02% | 28.92 | 29.00 / 28.80 CONTININS | 1.41 | 15.68 | Vol. 223223 D: 32.50 ⇓ 1.52% | 32.61 | 33.60 / 30.00 C: 33.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 33.70 | 33.70 / 33.70 TAKAFULINS | 2.19 | 15.17 | Vol. 44032 D: 44.60 ⇑ 0.22% | 44.81 | 45.50 / 41.70 C: 43.70 ⇑ 1.16% | 43.46 | 44.20 / 43.50 STANDARINS | 2.58 | 13.99 | Vol. 626 D: 40.60 ⇑ 3.31% | 39.88 | 40.60 / 37.00 NORTHRNINS | 1.77 | 11.15 | Vol. 55060 D: 44.40 ⇓ 1.77% | 44.64 | 47.80 / 40.70 C: 44.20 ⇑ 0.45% | 44.20 | 44.20 / 44.20 REPUBLIC | 2.14 | 12.42 | Vol. 43579 D: 44.30 ⇓ 4.94% | 44.78 | 46.50 / 44.00 C: 44.40 ⇓ 9.20% | 44.36 | 44.70 / 44.10 ASIAINS | 1.56 | 17.34 | Vol. 57438 D: 28.00 ⇓ 2.10% | 28.05 | 29.00 / 26.00 C: 27.80 ⇓ 5.76% | 27.80 | 27.80 / 27.80

LIFE INSURANCE NATLIFEINS | 12.34 | 80.99 | Vol. 3461 D: 249.8 ⇓ 0.60% | 250.08 | 253.0 / 235.0 C: 248.9 ⇑ 3.28% | 248.93 | 249.9 / 247.0 DELTALIFE | 38.53 | 189.40 | Vol. 8925 D: 5485 ⇓ 3.74% | 5557 | 5700 / 5485 C: 5671 ⇓ 3.43% | 5671 | 5689 / 5660 SANDHANINS | 2.39 | 28.22 | Vol. 75812 D: 71.10 ⇑ 2.01% | 71.99 | 73.60 / 66.00 C: 71.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 71.89 | 72.00 / 71.90 POPULARLIF | 3.70 | 715.41 | Vol. 1788 D: 172.4 ⇑ 0.41% | 172.26 | 172.8 / 165.0 FAREASTLIF | 9.21 | 60.79 | Vol. 60575 D: 94.10 ⇑ 1.84% | 94.30 | 95.40 / 90.00 C: 93.90 ⇑ 3.87% | 93.97 | 94.70 / 93.50 MEGHNALIFE | 10.82 | 48.87 | Vol. 45200 D: 101.6 ⇑ 0.69% | 102.61 | 104.7 / 99.90 C: 102.5 ⇑ 3.12% | 102.48 | 99.00 / 101.1 PROGRESLIF | 2.30 | 31.45 | Vol. 90901 D: 114.5 ⇑ 9.26% | 114.89 | 115.2 / 104.0 PRAGATILIF | 0.60 | 30.15 | Vol. 101067 D: 120.3 ⇑ 6.84% | 122.21 | 123.8 / 108.0 C: 125.0 ⇑ 8.51% | 125.00 | 125.0 / 125.0 PRIMELIFE | 5.51 | 27.10 | Vol. 40369 D: 98.40 ⇑ 6.26% | 97.15 | 101.0 / 92.80 C: 96.30 ⇑ 7.00% | 93.86 | 99.00 / 93.00 RUPALILIFE | 3.75 | 31.25 | Vol. 153583 D: 103.2 ⇑ 5.09% | 104.49 | 107.0 / 93.00 C: 103.3 ⇑ 7.60% | 103.30 | 103.6 / 103.0 PADMALIFE | 1.63 | 25.76 | Vol. 26000 D: 62.90 ⇑ 0.16% | 63.12 | 63.90 / 62.30 C: 63.50 ⇑ 1.28% | 62.86 | 63.50 / 62.10 SUNLIFEINS | 0.00 | 0.00 | Vol. 273525 D: 56.50 ⇑ 1.44% | 56.48 | 58.10 / 50.50 C: 56.00 ⇑ 0.54% | 56.61 | 57.80 / 54.20 TELECOM GP | 12.96 | 26.26 | Vol. 203996 D: 185.2 ⇓ 0.27% | 185.81 | 187.0 / 175.0 C: 185.0 ⇓ 0.43% | 185.18 | 186.9 / 184.5 BSCCL | 5.82 | 26.38 | Vol. 259930 D: 208.8 ⇓ 1.83% | 210.04 | 213.7 / 199.4 C: 208.8 ⇓ 2.29% | 210.41 | 213.7 / 207.5 TRAVEL & LEISURE UNITEDAIR | 1.10 | 12.87 | Vol. 3316290 D: 15.40 ⇓ 2.53% | 15.53 | 16.50 / 14.50 C: 15.40 ⇓ 2.53% | 15.51 | 15.90 / 15.30 UNIQUEHRL | 4.02 | 86.29 | Vol. 337035 D: 84.80 ⇓ 0.82% | 85.32 | 86.70 / 77.00 C: 85.00 ⇑ 0.35% | 85.01 | 85.80 / 84.70 MISCELLANEOUS ARAMIT | 16.07 | 99.93 | Vol. 24700 D: 307.0 ⇓ 3.79% | 306.76 | 320.0 / 298.0 BSC | 1.77 | 565.82 | Vol. 79310 D: 510.0 ⇓ 1.40% | 513.76 | 522.0 / 506.0 C: 512.0 ⇓ 1.16% | 514.41 | 525.0 / 511.0 GQBALLPEN | 6.55 | 250.45 | Vol. 31400 D: 148.6 ⇓ 0.87% | 149.29 | 151.0 / 145.0 C: 148.2 ⇓ 0.87% | 148.86 | 154.8 / 148.0 USMANIAGL | 0.50 | 26.03 | Vol. 30200 D: 136.8 ⇓ 1.08% | 137.72 | 141.0 / 136.0 C: 137.1 ⇓ 1.30% | 137.85 | 139.0 / 136.5 BEXIMCO | 3.24 | 86.74 | Vol. 852147 D: 28.00 ⇓ 2.44% | 28.19 | 30.00 / 26.00 C: 28.20 ⇓ 2.08% | 28.29 | 29.00 / 28.00 SINOBANGLA | 1.75 | 21.01 | Vol. 159500 D: 22.80 ⇓ 1.72% | 23.08 | 23.70 / 22.60 C: 23.20 ⇓ 0.85% | 23.23 | 24.30 / 22.90 MIRACLEIND | 0.14 | 14.90 | Vol. 168516 D: 16.60 ⇑ 1.22% | 16.70 | 17.00 / 15.00 C: 16.20 ⇓ 0.61% | 16.21 | 16.80 / 16.00 BOND IBBLPBOND | 0.00 | 1000.00 | Vol. 90 D: 955.5 ⇑ 0.08% | 955.56 | 956.3 / 952.8 ACIZCBOND | 0.00 | 1000.00 | Vol. 38 D: 870.0 ⇑ 0.00% | 870.00 | 870.0 / 870.0 C: 861.5 ⇑ 0.00% | 861.20 | 862.0 / 860.0

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2013

‘Consumers talk about brands at all times’ Prasun Basu, an expert in the field of innovation, new product development, brand communication research and consultancy, customer loyalty and customer satisfaction, an author, and the Managing Director of the South Asia region of Millward Brown, shares his secrets on customer satisfaction and innovation with Murshidul Hasan How has brand perception and loyalty of Generation Z changed towards companies?

It can be argued that loyalty levels were stronger earlier, or that observed loyalty has decreased. Competition has increased and there are good quality alternatives available. This is possibly the determinant of low behavioural loyalty seen today. Nonetheless, when consumers find something that fits their needs, they will still show a fair degree of loyalty.

Generation Z are more discerning, clear, and focused about what they want. They are smart and able to figure out the value of a brand. They could ideally stay with a brand unless another brand comes along and dislodges that position. If a brand dislodges some other brand from an established position that’s because they are offering a better alternative, not because consumers are less loyal.

As Millward Brown has only recently opened its branch in Bangladesh, in July, what is its vision? How do you plan to cater to the local market?

We will work extensively with local companies. We have gathered knowledge and learning through working in 60 countries, including a very large footprint in Asia and Africa. In the last 20 years, we have learnt significantly about developing markets.

Combined the understanding of Bangladeshi consumers, we are confident of assisting local companies to excel in marketing, branding, advertising, and media standpoints.

In the last 10 years, how has consumers’ interaction with brands changed?

Earlier, interactions were only one-directional, brands would speak to consumers. Now, it’s a two-way dialogue with the advent of social media. Consumers talk about brands at all times. There are forums where customers share their experiences and influence the paths that brands tread.

The second largest change is the increased number of touch points that brands have with consumers. 10-15 years ago, companies would be running marketing efforts and campaigns on one or two mediums, primarily on television, print, or on the outdoor.

Nowadays, brands run their campaigns simultaneously on television, outdoors, print, retail interface, digital, and social media.

What role does social media play in devising brand strategy?

Considering the depth of the engagements, social media is stronger as it brings consumers and brands closer. Interactions between brands and consumers are direct. Consumers influence brands’ positioning and what they stand for. However, the number of relations formed in traditional media is still larger of the two considering the reach it has.

Companies are underspending in digi-

Prasun Basu speaking at Commward 2013 tal and social media with only 5-7% of their marketing budget going to social channels.

Although it may reach 15-20%, there will still be another 80% spent on traditional media.

Are companies in South Asia slow in understanding the role social media can play for them?

It’s probably slower here than many parts of the world, but not because companies are slow to understand. It’s an evolutionary journey. Earlier, social media was only accessed through desktops, laptops, and cyber-cafes.

Social media today although is accessible on cell phones, but the bandwidth and handsets at certain prices are not readily available.

Hence, there is an affordability and distribution side to it.

If distribution and affordability is not widespread, marketers can’t do much. It’s a question of technology enabling social media, which is happening for the last 2-3 years.

For this, we are going mobile and hence social media is reaching the masses.

Companies are also starting to take advantage of social media, but many are still slow given where mobile technology is heading.

Companies could be more aggressive and faster to move into the platform. There is an opportunity and companies are moving to reap the benefits at a regular pace whereas it could be far dramatic.

Would you say that product has to be superior as well?

The product and the whole proposition should be superior. Product today does not mean “only product.” It satisfies a certain need – rational, physical, emotional, a need of trust, or something a person wants to associate with. If another brand comes and does that well, consumers would switch. This is because a company has done a better job in connecting and bonding. Millward Brown’s work also shows that there is fragmentation of brands, less observed behavioural loyalty, which may or may not be attitudinal.

How has your experience been in participating in Commward?

I was very impressed with the quality of the fellow speakers. They are experts in their own fields. They brought relevance and knowledge to the market. The audience has got some engaging knowledge that they can use in everyday life and improve the quality of business and advertising. The presentation of the nominations around the venue and the aesthetics were praiseworthy. l

World Bank cuts China, East Asia growth forecasts n Reuters, Singapore The World Bank lowered its 2013 and 2014 economic growth forecasts yesterday for China and most of developing East Asia, citing slower growth in the world’s most populous nation as well as weaker commodity prices that have hurt exports and investments in countries such as Indonesia.

“Developing East Asia is expanding at a slower pace as China shifts from an export-oriented economy and focuses on domestic demand,” the World Bank said in its latest East Asia Pacific Economic Update report.

“Growth in larger middle-income countries

including Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand is also softening in light of lower investment, lower global commodity prices and lower-than-expected growth of exports,” it added.

The Washington-based development bank now expects developing East Asia to expand by 7.1% this year and by 7.2% in 2014, down from its April estimate of 7.8% and 7.6%, respectively.

On China, the World Bank said the massive, investment-heavy stimulus program supported by credit expansion had run its course, and policymakers must focus on containing the rapid growth of credit and tighten financial supervision.

It added local government debt was a concern,

given the complexity and opacity of municipal finances, and said they should be reformed “with clear rules on borrowing, on allowed sources of borrowing, on debt resolution, and on the disclosure of comprehensive financial accounts by local governments”.

“The rapid expansion of shadow banking poses serious challenges, since shadow banking is closely linked to the banking system, is less regulated, and operates with implicit guarantees from banks and local governments,” the World Bank said.

But it added local governments in China had significant assets to meet liabilities as they held land reserves worth 10% of gross domestic

product (GDP) as well as shares in state-owned enterprises worth a similar amount.

China had shown some progress in rebalancing its economy, it added, with consumption contributing more to quarterly growth than investment in the two years up to the first quarter of 2013 and services accounting for a larger share of GDP. “Still, the economy has yet to make the decisive turn toward consumer-based growth,” the World Bank said.

The World Bank now expects the Chinese economy to expand by 7.5% this year, down from its April forecast of 8.3% and below the International Monetary Fund’s most recent forecast of 7.75%. l