October 12, 2013

Prescription

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Meet the confusions about red meat

Ashwin 27, 1420 Zilhajj 6, 1434 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 201

International

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Libyan PM accuses ‘political party’ of kidnapping him

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2013 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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RMG SOURCING

Buyers still prefer Bangladesh despite disasters n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Apparel manufacturers and buyers have said recent factory disasters did not affect the sourcing of readymade garment products from Bangladesh.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune at the ongoing 24th Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition (Batexpo)-2013, Enzo De Renzo, manager (import) of European retailers CAPRI and Alcott, said: “We [buyers] are not leaving Bangladesh and going to other countries for sourcing RMG products.”

Commenting on foreign companies’ reaction to the disasters at Rana Plaza and Tazreen Fashion, he said the percentage of disasters was very low as only two or three among the large number of RMG factories had witnessed disasters.

Admitting that Bangladesh was still very strong in the RGM sector because of comparatively low prices and low wages of workers, Renzo however suggested that Bangladesh needed to

INSIDE News

3 Thousands of homebound people leaving the capital ahead of Eid-ulAzha were stuck on Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Chittagong highways as vehicular movement came to a halt since Thursday night at different spots, causing them immense sufferings.

retrofit the factories and ensure fullfledged compliance to rules for averting accidents.

Also present at the Batexpo, Senior Manager (marketing) of Beximco Textile Mohammad Delwar Hossain said the disasters in the readymade garments (RMG) sector did not cause downtrends for sourcing of RMG products from Bangladesh.

Saying the suspension of generalised system of preferences (GSP) was also unable to have a negative impact on the sector, Hossain argued that owners would have had to shut down factories and sack labourers if there was a fall in foreign orders.

The buyers express concerns after the occurrence of any incident, but do not stop their orders as they are able to buy products from Bangladesh at comparatively lower prices, he noted.

Wilburt, a buyer from Philippine, echoed Hossain, saying the quality of  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

BNP eyes common platform to press caretaker demand

News

n

currently preparing a probe report on the alleged Tk10m bribe taken by former Detective Branch deputy commissioner Mollah Nazrul Islam from a businessman by making a death threat.

Main opposition party BNP has apparently taken a page out of the ruling Awami League’s book to strengthen the movement for reinstating the caretaker government system after Eid-ul-Azha, especially targeting its October 25 rally.

The BNP wants to engage political parties that are not in the opposition 18-party alliance, and the like-minded professional bodies to strengthen the movement.

Party insiders said the plan was not to form an alliance but to bring all the forces outside the ruling cartel to a common platform and exert pressure on the government together.

In 2006, the Awami League, then in opposition, took a similar strategy by amassing all the forums, including the professionals, outside the then ruling four-party alliance to a single platform.

The forums that stood by the Awami League then also included some with whom the party’s political ideologies did not quite match.

BNP leaders believe that the small

4 The Anti-Corruption Commission is

International

8 North Korea on Friday threatened to “bury in the sea” a US aircraft carrier, as it slammed a three-nation naval drill involving US, South Korean and Japanese warships.

Sport

13 Bangladesh were on the back foot after losing two early wickets after New Zealand made 469 in the first innings of the first Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, but a heroic performance from top order batsman Mominul Haque and solid support from captain Mushfiqur Rahim, the Tigers were able to recover as they ended day three 89 runs behind the tourists with three wickets in hand.

People from all walks of life rush to the Mayor Hanif flyover yesterday after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated it. However, the road underneath experienced huge traffic congestions since many roads were closed for the inaugural event. Story on Page 3 MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Mominul's maiden Test ton lifts Tigers n Tribune Report

October 20

National Convention of Sammilito Peshajibi Parishad

October 24

Rally of Skikkhak Karmachari Oikya Jote

October 25

Rally of BNP

October 26

Rally of Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum

parties may not have huge vote banks, but some individuals in those parties have the charisma to put pressure on the ruling party.

To make the mission successful, the main opposition party has been contacting Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rob), Krishak Sramik Janata League, Gonoforum, and some other parties.

Bikalpadhara President Badruddoza Chowdhury yesterday said his party, Krishak Sramik Janata League and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Rob) had already united for the sake of building up a greater unity to resist any election without non-party caretaker government.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Young left-handed batsman Mominul Haque hammered an impressive 181 as the Tigers made light of Kiwi bowling attack on the third day of the first Test in Chittagong on Friday.

The 22-year-old anchored the innings to notch up his maiden Test century as the hosts, replying to New Zealand’s 469, cruised to 380-7 by stumps at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury stadium.

P13 DETAILS ON BD-NZ TEST Skipper Mushfiqur Rahim (67) added 92 for the fifth wicket with Mominul to lift Bangladesh to 301-4, before both batsmen fell in the space of six deliveries after tea.

Nasir Hossain (46) and Sohag Gazi (28 not out) frustrated the Black Caps further with a 70-run stand for the seventh wicket.

Mominul fell just 19 runs short of becoming only the second Bangladesh batsmen after Rahim to score a Test double-century. The skipper Rahim hit 200 against Sri Lanka in Galle in March this year.

“I am disappointed that I could not get to 200, because I don’t know when I will get another chance,” Mominul said. l

Sexual abuse of women takes an alarming form n Muktasree Chakma Sathi While the International Day of the Girl Child was observed worldwide with a focus on “Innovating for Girls’ Education” yesterday, a number of girls in Bangladesh are being compelled to drop out from schools to escape sexual harassment at present day.

Figures released by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) reveal that 2,538 incidents of girls being harassed on streets on their way to schools took place from 2008 to 2012. 71 girls took their own lives as a direct result of such harassments.

A recent report of human rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra disclosed that eight girls refrained themselves from pursuing education within the period of January to September this year, due to social pandemic.

This year, the International Day of the Girl Child had been observed with a view to embrace “new ways to overcome barriers that keep girls out of school and keeping girls safe as they walk to and from school.” Experts state that situation of the girls are much worse in reality than showed in the reports.

Women Rights Activist Khushi Kabir said: “The actual number of incidents of

sexual harassment would be much higher as reports of the human rights organisations accommodate only the number of cases that have been reported.”

This reporter met two victims of sexual harassment who did not file any report until they were physically hurt by their stalkers last month.

A recent report of human rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra disclosed that eight girls refrained themselves from pursuing education due to social pandemic Drishty Patang, 14 and Lima Patang live in Kalachandpur in the vicinity of Gulshan area in the capital. For almost one and a half years, they constantly faced sexual harassment by local goons named Bappa Dipra and Babu, as they mention.

As a result, they decided to stop going to school on September 21 after the night when Bappa and Babu, accompanied by seven to eight goons forcefully entered their house and left their family members injured.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, October 12, 2013

PM visits Chittagong today to inaugurate 29 projects n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to visit Chittagong city today on a daylong schedule to inaugurate 29 different projects in the district.

She will attend a programme at the Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA) and address the port city dignitaries in a meeting at the Jamiatul Falah Mosque ground, said sources.

Out of the 29 projects, 12 are under the Chittagong Development Authority (CDA).

Ahead of the PM’s visit, the port city has already been given a new look, including repair works and beautifications, said CDA sources.

Security has been beefed up on the occasion of the Prime Ministers’ visit, said Banaz Kumar Majumdar, additional commissioner (crime and operation) of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP).

According to the district administra-

tion, the PM will arrive in Chittagong Cantonment by a helicopter around 9:45am.

She will inaugurate the Bahaddarhat Flyover at Bahaddarhat intersection and the mural of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Chittagong Press Club in Jamal Khan area of the city.

Later, Sheikh Hasina will attend the dignitaries’ meeting, where she will inaugurate several other projects digitally.

After that, the PM is scheduled to go to the BMA to inaugurate Bangabandhu Complex and attend the “Darbar” of the armed forces, after taking some rest in Chittagong cantonment at noon.

At last, she will go to Bangladesh Naval base in the city’s Patenga area, and later fly for Dhaka from there.

Earlier, the PM had visited Bhujpur area of Fatikchhari upazila in Chittagong on August 30. l

Members of families, including children and elderly ones, wait for their 8am bus at Gabtoli bus terminal yesterday as they wish to spend Durga Puja and Eid-ul-Azha holidays with their relatives. Their bus did not arrive even at 1:30pm when the photo was taken because of huge tailbacks on the highways NASIRUL ISLAM

Bangladesh embassy’s earning in KSA jumps

B Chy urges PM to amend constitution n Tribune Report

AL hijacked Jatrabari flyover: BNP

n Rabiul Islam

Bikalpadhara Bangladesh President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury yesterday warned that all opposition parties would resist the next general election together if the caretaker government system was not restored by October 24.

“Refrain from holding an election in the [one-party] Baksal style; hold it under a non-party caretaker government,” the former president urged the prime minister while speaking at a discussion arranged at the party’s Baridhara office, marking his 83rd birthday, reports UNB. B Chowdhury alleged that the PM had amended the constitution in 2011 “for her own gains killing democracy.”

He said although the present government had bagged majority votes in the last election, “it indulged in corruption and looted public money instead of public welfare” over the last five years.

He also criticised the government for its failure to build the Padma bridge, the share market scam, killing of SagarRuni, and disappearance of BNP leader Elias Ali. He also blamed the government’s “weak foreign policy” for not getting justice in Felani killing in the hands of Indian Border Security Force. l

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Bangladesh embassy in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia earned Tk1.05bn in less than six months from undocumented migrant workers in exchange for consular services.

The embassy usually earned around Tk800m by providing consular services to migrant workers both from Riyadh and Jeddah, a high official at the embassy told the Dhaka Tribune over phone on Thursday. But, the earning had increased since May 10, he said, seeking anonymity.

He said 10% of the earning went to the Wage Earners' Welfare Fund and the rest was deposited at the government exchequer.

On May 10, the Saudi government granted amnesty for all illegal expatriate workers and later extended the time up to November 3.

“The Saudi authorities have informed us that they will not extend the date further,” Labour Counsellor Md Emdadul Hoque said over phone.

“Around 350,000 illegal Bangladeshi migrant workers have so far become legalised through the consular services,”

which include issuing of new passports, renewal of passports and travel permit.

Asked about the fate of the remaining undocumented workers, he said: “There is no accurate figure; the number is insignificant and they will be legalised before the deadline.”

Saudi Arabia, which is a destination of 2 million Bangladeshi workers, has planned to track down the illegal workers and punish them and their employers.

On Tuesday, the Saudi labour ministry made an announcement in this regard.

Meanwhile, a ministerial panel of Saudi Arabia recommended lifting the ban on recruitment from Bangladesh, according to a recent report by Arab News.

Officials of Bangladesh embassy, however, claimed that the Saudi government had not imposed any such ban but migration had slowed down considerably.

According to the website of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, 14,666 workers went to the KSA in 2009; 7,069 in 2010; 15,039 in 2011; and 21,232 in 2012.

According to Bangladesh Bank, the country received a total of $14.46bn from abroad in 2012-2013 – 3.82bn from Saudi Arabia. l

The main opposition BNP has claimed all the development initiatives including Mayor Mohammad Hanif flyover had been taken during the BNP led four party alliance, while Awami League government had simply hijacked them and called them their own.

Almost 40% work was completed in our term. The prime minister is saying today it is their credit, even though she only inaugurated an incomplete project “Only BNP is to be thanked for all the visible development projects in the capital. Those who do not want to give us due credit have hijacked our projects. We strongly condemn such falsehood,” Sadeque Hossain Khoka, former mayor and vice chairman of the party, said at a press briefing at the party’s Naya Paltan headquarters yesterday.

Khoka came up with the allegation just hours after the prime minister inaugurated the flyover.

“Jatrabari Flyover project was under to resolve the traffic jam in Dhaka when BNP was in office, as per direction of the then prime minister Khaleda Zia,” he said.

“This was the first project under public private partnership. Almost 40% work was completed in our term.

The prime minister is saying today it is their credit, even though she only inaugurated an incomplete project.”

The BNP leader alleged that the government was taking credit simply by inaugurating the projects which the BNP-led four party alliance government had undertaken.

When asked whether Awami League did not have any development projects to its name, Khoka said, “It is true that the Khilgaon Flyover project was initiated during the Awami League government in 1996 and we completed the project.”

Adviser to the BNP chairperson Osman Faruk said the flyover’s cost had risen from Tk6.27bn to Tk21bn. “It is highly unusual in a PPP project. I think there should be an investigation to find out the reason behind the expenditure going up so high,” he said. l

Buyers still prefer Bangladesh  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Models walk the ramp at a fashion show held at the Batexpo 2013 at Hotel Sonargaon in the capital yesterday

BNP eyes a common platform  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

Mahi B Chowdhury, joint secretary general of Bikalpadhara, said: “We are already in the middle of a process to approach all the parties on caretaker issue. We will stand on the same platform after Eid to rejuvenate the movement for reinstalling caretaker government system.”

Kader Siddiqui, head of the Krishak Sramik Janata League, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The movement has already begun because except for a few from the ruling alliance, virtually everyone wants elections under a neutral government.”

At a rally in Rajshahi on September 16, Khaleda said: “Let us get united and sit together, no matter how big or small a party is, who is left or who is right, who is behind or who is in front …or who is a big leader or who is small. Now we do not have time to judge. Our only concern now is to save the country and arrange free and fair elections ousting the Awami League government.”

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir told the Dhaka

Tribune: “Madam [Khaleda Zia] has actually called upon all the political parties and forces to get united on a common platform to save the country and democracy. Political polarisation is going on. Wait and see …I cannot tell you anything more right now.”

In addition to its plan to paralyse the capital through continuous blockades and sit-ins at strategic points isolate it from the rest of the country, BNP wants to exert force on the government through various bodies of professionals like doctors, lawyers, teachers, engineers, journalists, and so on.

The pro-BNP professionals, apart from trying to press home their own demands through a series of programmes after Eid-ul-Azha, would also pressure the government to switch back to the provision of non-partisan polls-time government.

Opposition chief Khaleda Zia is expected to attend and address the rallies that the professionals will stage.

The Skikkhak Karmachari Oikya Jote, the pro-BNP teachers’ organisa-

DHAKA TRIBUNE

tion, will hold a rally in the capital on October 24.

The Sommilito Peshajibi Parishad, a platform of pro-BNP professionals, will hold their rally in Dhaka on October 20.

The Jatiyatabadi Ainjibi Forum, the pro-BNP lawyers’ body, will hold a rally on October 26.

Selim Bhuiyan, chairman of the Skikkhak Karmachari Oikya Jote, told the Dhaka Tribune that apart from strengthening their long-standing demands for nationalisation of jobs, cancellation of the draft education policy and enabling MPO in all educational institutions, they would also raise voice for a non-partisan polls-time government.

Dr AZM Zahid Hossain, secretary general of the Sammilito Peshajibi Parishad, said they would hold a national convention at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center on October 20, demanding election under a non-party caretaker administration and some other issues relating to democracy. l

Bangladeshi RMG products are very good, and buyers are attracted for the comparatively low prices.

Md Mahbubul Alam, general manager (sales) of Cosmo Group, said the company has not observed any sign of falling trends for its export of apparel accessories to China, India, Pakistan and Malaysia.

Imrose Sohel, general manager (marketing) of Uniglory Accessories Limited, said there had been an increase in demand for RMG accessories, especially for cartons. This proves that export had increased, he claimed.

BM Ashif Iqbal, executive (sales) of Expo Freight Limited, also said the ordering trends were on the rise. Buyers, however, were putting pressure for hiking wages to improve the living standard of workers, he said.

Meanwhile, participants at Batexpo said this year’s turnout was less than previous ones because of Eid, while a section of foreign buyers did not take part in the fair fearing political violence.

The three-day BATEXPO-2013, organised by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), began on Thursday to showcase local apparel products to the international buyers.

Export Promotion Bureau statistics showed RMG export posted over 24% growth to $6.2bn in the first quarter of the current fiscal year, compared to $5bn from the same period of last year.

In the last fiscal year, the RMG sector earned US$21.51bn, which was 12.7% higher compared to the earnings of 2011-12 fiscal year.

On the other hand, according to BGMEA statistics, over 1275 workers died in the last two years in RMG factory disasters. The fire at Ashulia’s Tazreen Fashion killed at least 124 people in November 2012, while 1,129 workers were killed in April this year when Rana Plaza collapsed in Savar.

The latest fire that broke out at Gazipur’s Aswad Composite Mills Limited on Tuesday, killed seven people. l

3 killed, 30 injured in Kishoreganj cattle market clash n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj At least three people were killed and 30 others injured during a bloody clash between heavily-armed supporters of BNP and Bangladesh Krishak League, an associate body of ruling Awami League, at a cattle market in Kishoreganj yesterday.

Violence broke out in front of the Singpur Government Primary School in Nikli upazila following a dispute over purchasing sacrificial cows and “establishing superiority,” according to police and eyewitness accounts.

Declared dead at the scene were Md Waskuruni, a 30-year-old Krishak League supporter and the son of Malek Mia of Natunpara village under Singpur union; and Kanchan Mia, 40, a BNP supporter and the son of Abbas Ali of Gorgor Hati village of the same union.

Kanchan’s younger brother, Hadis Mia, 25, sustained stab wounds during the fight and died en route to Dhaka for advanced medical treatment.

Md Abdul Hashim, the secretary general of Krishak League Singpur union unit, led one of the groups while his BNP counterpart Harun Mridha led the other.

As the clash erupted around 5:30pm, they chased each other with sharp knives and guns.

Waskuruni was among three people who suffered gunshot wounds while Kanchan was stabbed brutally—both dying on the spot.

Of the injured, bullet-hit Idris Mia and Muzammel Mia were admitted to hospital in critical conditions. Twenty others were admitted to different hospitals in Kishoreganj and the rest were given first aid at the scene of the incident.

Locals said there had been a longstanding feud between the two arch rivals over the question of superiority in the vicinity.

On April 14, they engaged in gunfights at a Baisakhi fair, injuring 20 individuals, of which nine sustained bullet injuries.

AKM Mahbubul Alam, the officer in charge of Nikli police station, said police rushed to quell the situation as soon they learned of the development.

Additional police force was deployed at the trouble spot, he added. l

Sexual abuse of women takes an alarming form  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Lima’s father Madak Rangma, also brother-in-law of Drishty, told he was thinking of going back to his native village and engaging the girls in agriculture.

“In our scariest nightmare, we never imagined that they would come to our house following the girls and attack us.

It is better not to send them to school by risking their lives. The girls are also not willing to go to school anymore amid such harassments,” said Madak.

Tariq-Ul-Islam, secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, told the Dhaka Tribune that most of the time the sexual predators manage to escape from law as the victims and their families do not file any case against them. Our efforts for holding the criminals would bring in results only when the victims, their families and the society would act as a whole.”

“We have a help line which is 10921, for reporting such incidents. Moreover, there are mobile courts functioning

with magistrates to deal with such crimes,” he added.

Not only on streets, girls are being subjected to various forms of sexual harassments like physical and mental abuse as well as rape both at home and at workstations at an alarming rate.

According to the report of BMP, 2436 incidents of rape took place between the years 2008 and 2012.

Several other reports suggest that only during the months of October and November in 2012, 21 and 26 female children were raped respectively.

According to a statistics of Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), 398 domestic workers were murdered and 399 were either wounded by physical abuse or harassed sexually during 2010-2012. It also flagged out that 83% of the domestic workers who were females and aged under 18, went through the same torment.

Shockingly, perpetrators of such crimes include law enforcers as well.

Many of a time, the victims are deprived of justice because of the political and legal power of the predators.

In September 2012, an 11-year-old indigenous girl was raped by police in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, according to a report of Asian Human Rights Commission.

On September 30, five police constables allegedly raped an adolescent girl for three consecutive days in Gaibandha’s Govindaganj police station. The recent development of the case says no steps have been taken against the five police constables so far, except for transferring the acting officer-in-charge Sheikh Delwar Hossain of the station to Nilphamari.

When asked how only transferring the officer paves the way to justice for the victim, Tariq-ul-Islam, said: “The ministry had been monitoring the case and the OC was transferred following public demand. I am certain that further investigation would be carried out by the police into the case.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Homebound people stuck on roads and highways n Tribune Report Thousands of homebound people leaving the capital ahead of Eid-ul-Azha were stuck on Dhaka-Tangail and Dhaka-Chittagong highways as vehicular movement came to a halt since Thursday night at different spots, causing them immense sufferings.

The rush before the festival, when Durga Puja is also underway, resulted in a tailback, stretching over 40km, from Chandra of Gazipur to Elenga of Tangail yesterday morning, according to our Tangail correspondent. Gridlocks also occupied the Kaliakoir-Nabinagar Road.

The gateway of 26 districts including northern districts faced the situation mainly because of numerous cattle-laden trucks moving towards the capital and returning after unloading the sacrificial animals.

Highway police said the pressure began to mount since Thursday evening and finally resulted in gridlocks within early yesterday.

The commuters witnessed more pressure of vehicles as the cattle-laden vehicles started to increase in the evening. Deadlock situations were created when drivers tried to overtake othersseeing open spaces on the opposite lanes, highway police said.

Meanwhile, a goods-laden truck

Adilur freed on bail n Tribune Report Adilur Rahman Khan, secretary of rights group Odhikar, was freed on bail yesterday, two months after his arrest for “distorting information.”

Kashimpur Jail Super Jamil Chowdhury said Adilur walked out of jail around 10:30am, reports UNB. On Tuesday, the High Court granted six-months bail to Adilur. The following day, the Appellate Division upheld the bail order dismissing a petition filed by the government.

In June, Odhikar published a report titled “Assembly of Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh and Human Rights Violations” which claimed it had collected the names of 61 people allegedly killed during the “evacuation” by law enforcers at Shapla Chattar in the city’s Motijheel on May 5 night.

On August 10, plainclothes police arrested Adilur from near his Gulshan residence.

On September 11, the newly-constituted Cyber Crime Tribunal of Dhaka took into cognisance the charges of publishing “fake, distorted and defamatory” information against Adilur and Odhikar Director AKM Nasiruddin Elan under section 57 (1) (2) of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act. l

broke down in Saheb Bazar area of Kaliakoir in the morning causing a gridlock. Though Kaliakoir police managed to remove the vehicle after about an hour, tailbacks on both the reached around 30km by that time.

Moreover, potholes on the road from Konabari to Kaliakoir’s Mouchak slowed the vehicles, adding to the traffic congestion.

A similar situation was seen a Korotia of Tangail with hundreds of vehicles at halt on the highway.

Mirzapur highway police Officer-in-Charge Zobaidul Alam, however, denied the allegation and said the situation had been created in the last two days as 20 times more vehicles were plyign the roads against its possible capacity.

Adding to the problems, two truck drivers were killed in a road accident on Dhaka-Bangabandhu Bridge Highway near Vatkura in the early hours, creating huge gridlock, Kamruzzaman Raz, OC of Elenga highway police station said.

On the other hand, a 15km-long tailback was created on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway near Sitakunda since Thursday night. Vehicles were sitting idle the whole night from Barabkunda of Sitakunda to Baroawlia Highway.

Police tried until morning but failed to ease the traffic jam. However, from about 10am, vehicles were seen to start moving. l

Decks of different launches occupied by home-bound people as they start to leave the capital ahead of Eid-ul-Azha and Durga Puja festivities. The photo was taken from Sadarghat yesterday NASHIRUL ISLAM

Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover opens to traffic n UNB Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover, the country’s largest flyover built on PPP initiative was opened to traffic yester-

day, fulfilling a long-cherished dream of the city dwellers and also adding a new milestone in the country’s road communication system.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

The prime minister pays a toll of Tk50 after using the newly built flyover

FOCUS BANGLA

Dope gangs on the rise ahead of Eid n Mohammad Jamil Khan

The malfeasance of dope gangs in and around the capital is on the rise ahead of Eid ul-Azha and ongoing Durga Puja.

The gangs are thumbing their noses at the law enforcement agencies and doping people without any let.

In the last fifteen days, some 50 people fell victim to the gangs and were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, of whom one died yesterday.

The deceased was around 50 years old who fell into a trap of the gang members on Wednesday and admitted to DMCH. The Mogbazar resident succumbed to his injury at the hospital on Friday at 7am, said Abdus Sattar, sub-inspector of Ramna police station.

The police official added that the identity of the deceased was yet to be known, but all police stations across the capital had been asked to carve out his identity.

The crimes of these gang members mainly surface ahead of festivals’ rush when people are in a hurry.

The gang members loot valuables of their victims drugging them first.

Divided into 50 groups, more than 300 members of dope gangs commit crimes at different key points across the city.

According to intelligence report, dope gang members are active at 23 points of the city.

They are Mogbazar, Sayedabad, Mohakhali and Gabtoli bus terminals, Sadarghat launch terminal, Kamlapur

rail station, Jatrabari intersection, Rampura, Banani, Kakoli, Gulshan, Banani chairman Bari, Arambagh, Farmgate, Asad Gate, Sahjahanpur, Khilgaon, Fakirarpool, Dainik Bangla intersection, Motijhil culvert, and Mirpur intersection.

Asked, Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner of DMP media wing, told the Dhaka Tribune that “Law enforcement officials are actively working in the cattle market and nearby areas to arrest the criminals so that cattle traders can conduct their business without facing any harassment.”

He further suggested the city dwellers for awareness of unknown people moving around them and offering them something to eat. l

itised the interest of the common people so that their ways of living become easier. “We come to power to give, not for taking,” The PM called upon all to help the government’s activities so that the country could be self-reliant and stand on its own feet instead of relying on others.

“We cannot always move ahead through lending, rather we’ll be able to build the country with our talents and prudence, and I believe in this,” she said.

The Prime Minister called upon the city dwellers not to throw any wastes here and there to keep the city clean to help maintain its beauty as well.

She said it is very important to protect the environment and scenic beauty of Dhaka to build it as a liveable city for the generations to come. “So, I urge people to come forward to this end.”

LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, State Minister for LGRD and Cooperatives Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Local Government Division Secretary Abu Alam Mohammad Shahid Khan and Orion Group

Ershad for fair, credible polls n Manik Miazee

Military land director shot at home

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday affirmed his party’s commitment to a peaceful and internationally-acceptable parliamentary election.

To resolve the prevailing turmoil over election-time administration, Ershad, also a ruling government ally, requested the heads of Awami League and BNP to sit for dialogue. He made the remarks while addressing the launching of the party’s permanent central office in the capital’s Kakrail.

Ershad claimed that there had been no development since 1991. “JP is aiming to save people from the autocratic government,” the former military dictator said. l

n Kailash Sarkar

BATEXPO 2013

Slow response for stock lot sellers n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Stock lot sellers and garment accessories providers have reported sluggish sales at the 24th Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition (Batexpo) 2013.

Organised by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the three-day Batexpo 2013 was launched on Thursday to showcase local apparel products to international buyers.

“We did not get our desired response from the buyers as most of the Indian and Sri Lankan buyers are on vacation to enjoy Durga Puja,” said Md Tasrik Imam, a senior marketing executive for Montrims Limited, adding that

the sellers would have seen a better response if BGMEA had arranged the fair for after Eid. “We got a meagre response from foreign buyers as the representatives of buying houses, who work as middlemen, are very busy ahead of Eid-ulAzha and pre-winter shipment,” said Md Mahbub Hosain, a merchandiser of Galpex Limited.

“Business was satisfactory but it could have been better,” said Md Mahbub Alam, general manager sales of Cosmo Group, which sells garments accessories like gum tapes, cardboard boxes, printed labels, TTR ribbons and backboards.

A salesman for the Sweater Fashion stall at the show said stock lot sales or-

ders were lower than last year. “This year we got more domestic buyers than foreigners,” he added.

At Batexpo 2012, around 159 apparel buyers and 2,846 representatives from foreign and local buyers attended, placing spot orders worth about US$62m, of which $1.42m came from spot lot sale.

This time, a total of 80 stalls are showcasing products, of which 20 are occupied by foreign apparel makers, while domestic apparel manufacturers have put their products on display at 60 stalls.

As of now, 65 international buyers from 18 countries are participating.

BGMEA Vice President Reaz Bin Mahmood told the Dhaka Tribune that participant flow was low due to politi-

Chairman Obaidul Karim also spoke on the occasion.

Administrator of Dhaka South City Corporation Mohammad Nazmul Islam presided over the function, while Project Director of the flyover Md Ashiqur Rahman gave an overview on the project.

The flyover is expected to make road connectivity between 30 south-eastern districts and the capital faster. It will also help ease the perennial traffic gridlock in Saydabad, Jatrabari, Tikatuli, Gulistan and Fulbaria areas.

The Tk2.3bn project, country’s first ever Public Private Partnership scheme, has been constructed on a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis. The concessionaire, Orion Infrastructure Ltd, is to hand it over to the government after 24 years of concession period, officials said.

The construction work of the flyover began in 2010 under the supervision of Dhaka City Corporation.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone of the flyover on June 22 in 2010. l

inaugurated the much-awaited 11.8km-long flyover in the afternoon, terming it as a gift on the occasionof the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha for the city dwellers from the present Awami League government.

“Before, we opened the Kuril Flyover, which was a gift of the Eid-ul-Fitr.

Today, we’ve inaugurated the Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover, the largest flyover in the country, and it’s a gift of the Eid-ul-Azha for the city dwellers,” she said.

The Prime Minister was addressing the inaugural function of the Mayor Mohammad Hanif Flyover held at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the city.

The Prime Minister earlier inaugurated the flyover, named after the first elected mayor of Dhaka city Mohammad Hanif, by unveiling its plaque at Kutubkhali (Shanir Akhra) point near the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway.

She made a trip from Kutubkhali point from the Gulistan point andafter unveiling the plaque, she paid Tk50 toll for using the flyover.

Addressing the function, Hasina said her government has always prior-

cal unrest.

“We are hopeful (that) the show will help Bangladesh rebuild its image, as it is aimed at giving a positive idea about the RMG sector,” he said.

BGMEA President Atiqul Islam on October 6 said BGMEA had decided to arrange Batexpo a month earlier than usual due to the upcoming election, saying foreign buyers were fearing political unrest.

He also said there were huge stock lots as buyers had cancelled orders due to reasons various including economic slowdown.

“We have put emphasis on displaying ready stock apparels as a number of entrepreneurs requested for the arrangement of spot sale,” he said. l

A gang of armed criminals shot and stabbed a director of the Directorate of Military Land and Cantonment (DMLC) in the capital’s Mohammadpur area early yesterday.

The miscreants stormed into the house of DMLC Director Abdullah Mamun. They pinned his wife down to the ground at gunpoint.

Shahinul Islam, director of the Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR), said injured Mamun was undergoing treatment at Bangladesh Medical College Hospital in Dhanmondi. He, however, could not give any further details about the reason behind the attack.

According to police and hospital sources, over 45-year-old Mamun received a bullet to his left leg and a stab injury to the left wrist. He came under the attack when they were about to enter their house after attending a func-

tion at one of their relatives’ house.

Quoting family members, Abdul Aziz, officer-in-charge of Mohammadpur police station, said: “A gang of three criminals suddenly stormed into the premises on Salimullah Road and attacked him.

“The incident has remained shrouded in mystery as the attackers took nothing but the cell phone of Mamun.

They took away the phone when he was talking to somebody during the attack.”

The Mohammmadpur OC said the criminals beat up the DMLC official, and before fleeing the scene they shot and stabbed him.

Aziz said the DMLC official and his wife claimed to have no idea about the attack and the attackers.

Asked, he said neither the victim nor any of his family members officially informed the matter to police and no case was filed as of filing the report at 11pm. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, October 12, 2013

ACC probing Tk10m graft by ex-sleuth n Syed Samiul Basher Anik The Anti-Corruption Commission is currently preparing a probe report on the alleged Tk10m bribe taken by former Detective Branch deputy commissioner Mollah Nazrul Islam from a businessman by making a death threat.

According to the allegations, senior officer Mollah Nazrul Islam instructed detective branch sub inspector Abul Hasnat and inspector Azhar Uddin to pick up Syed Abidul Islam from Gulshan on April 7 and help him to extort Tk10m from the businessman by threatening him with “death in crossfire.”

The commission now says it has interrogated everyone concerned with the case and is reviewing the documents and their statements.

“There is no need to quiz more people. As soon as we finish reviewing the evidences, we will submit a report before the commission for consideration,” said Commission Director and Wing Commander Tahidul Islam, adding that the probe team was hoping to submit its findings in the first half of October.

Tahidul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune that investigators had collected lists of mobile phone calls of Mollah Nazrul and a video footage of the alleged extortion. However, a senior commission official told the Dhaka Tribune that the commission was going slow with the investigation of the case.

“We have information that Mollah Nazrul was persuading the businessman to withdraw the allegation and

come to a settlement. Thus the commission is going slow with the case. If they can come to an understanding, the case might not be completed,” he said.

Following the incident, Kabirul Haque, a relative of the victim and also a ruling party lawmaker from Narail 1 constituency, filed complaints with the home ministry and police headquarters against Nazrul. Nazrul was transferred as deputy commissioner (protection) on June 1 and the commission in July formed a body to investigate.

The commission has already interrogated Nazrul, Hasnat and Azhar at the ACC headquarters, and taken statements from Kabirul Haque MP and businessman Abidul Islam. Both of them submitted written allegations against the police officers. l

EC beefs up security at secretariat

Jamaat-Shibir parade slain activist’s body n Tribune Desk Jamaat-Shibir activists on Friday brought out a procession with the body of a Shibir man killed by police firing on Thursday in Damurhuda upazila.

Witnesses said a group of activists of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir brought out the procession from Sharajganj area of Sadar upazila after police handed the body of Rafiqul Islam to his family at noon following the completion of a postmortem.

The 22year-old son of Jahidul Islam of Boalia village in Damurhuda upazila was killed and two others injured in the clash with law enforcers at Darshana in the upazila on Thursday.

The protesters also held a rally, which was addressed by district unit Jamaat ameer Anwarul Haque Mallcik, general secretary Azizur Rahman and other leaders.

The speakers demanded the trial of the killing of Rafiqul Islam.

Later, Rafiqul was buried at his family graveyard at Boalia village following a namaz-e-janaza after Juma prayers.

Officer-in-charge of Damurhuda Model Police Station Ahsan Habib said they filed a case on Friday against 500 Jamaat-Shibir men on charges of attacking cops during the previous day’s unrest, reports UNB. He also said they arrested three Shibir men and detained district Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal joint convener Manjurul Zahid in this connection.

Meanwhile, Shibir will enforce a half-day hartal in four districts – Chuadanga, Jhenaidah, Meherpur and Kushtia – on Sunday protesting the killing of its activist. l

WEATHER

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

Moderately heavy falls are also likely at places, Met Office said.

Day and night temperature may fall slightly over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:35pm today and rises at 5:55am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 35.2 degree Celsius was recorded yesterday at Khulna and lowest 21.8 degrees at Srimangal.

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

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

34.7 32.5 34.4 32.4 35.2 34.2 34.2 34.2

24.3 25.2 24.3 23.8 25.4 24.7 23.0 25.0

n Mohammad Zakaria The Election Commission has beefed up security measures in and around its secretariat in the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar to help prevent any untoward situation ahead of the next parliamentary elections.

Meanwhile, the election-related necessary kits and equipment for the upcoming general and upazila parishad polls are reaching the commission. The law enforcing agencies would secure those too, Commission Secretary Muhammed Sadique said.

EC officials said the commission had sent a letter to the inspector general of police seeking security of its secretariat, saying the existing measures were not enough. “The commission needs additional security force,” it said.

Nine police personnel were on duty at the commission secretariat, which is located on the Planning Commission premises. Additionally, two members of the police and one of Special Branch were deployed at the entrance of buildings five and six.

Following the letter, police authorities yesterday deployed 10 members

of Battalion Ansar at the secretariat and these were supplemented by four members of the law enforcing agencies, instead of the usual two, at two entrance points.

From tomorrow, 18 police members led by an officer-in-charge would be on duty. Of them, six would be deployed at the entrance of the EC secretariat while the rest are to be stationed at the Planning Commission gate.

The commission is procuring 300,000 indelible ink pots, 297,000 official seals, 509,577 marking seals, 42,260 brush seals, around 1.5m ballot box seals, and necessary number of forms.

After finalising candidacy, the EC would print the ballot papers.

Materials including official seals, marking seals and brush seals reached the commission yesterday while the rest will arrive by October 24, said officials.

The commission will setup 37,200 centres, around 2,500 more than the previous polls in 2008.

For this, the commission is procuring 40,000 more ballot boxes. The transparent ballot boxes are supposed to reach the commission this week under a project assisted by the UNDP. l

Swachip leaders in a tug-of-war about promotions n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The government has finalised a list of more than 200 doctors for what is said to be the “final promotion” during this tenure through the Departmental Promotion Committee of the health ministry.

However, a scheduled meeting of the DPC on Thursday was cancelled reportedly because health minister AFM Ruhal Haque had objections with the list.

The meeting was supposed to finalise the list that would have been published tomorrow following the president’s order.

Reportedly, the health minister, who is a doctor by profession and also the president of the ruling party-backed doctors’ association Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad (Swachip), was unhappy with the list because it had too many names of pro-opposition doctors.

Sources said the spree of promotion at the eleventh hour of the government’s tenure was part of a plan to reward the pro-ruling party doctors.

According to tradition and existing arrangements, assistant and associate

professors must have certain years of teaching experiences and publications in international journals for becoming associate and full professors respectively.

However, there are allegations that many doctors are being considered for the latest promotions on the basis of their loyalty towards the ruling party instead of their academic achievements.

Moreover, sources said some doctors from the BNP-backed Doctors’ Association of Bangladesh (Dab) had also been included in the list to avoid lawsuits.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that a disagreement has been brewing for a few weeks between Swachip President and Health Minister Ruhal Haque and Secretary General Dr Iqbal Arsalan surrounding finalising the names for the list.

Recently, Secretary General Dr Iqbal Arsalan and some of the other Swachip top brass finalised a list of doctors for the promotions.

However, unhappy after having a look at the list, the health minister summoned a number of top officials

4:40am 5:54am 11:45pm 3:57pm 5:35pm 6:50pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

of the health directorate, including its director general and director (administration), to his office and told them that he was not happy with the list.

The minister reportedly told them that he had had to face the music the last time as well for promoting doctors, who were known to be supporters of BNP and Jamaat, through the DPC.

According to tradition and existing arrangements, assistant and associate professors must have certain years of teaching experiences and publications in international journals for becoming associate and full professors respectively.

He also said he had received allegations that some Swachip leaders proposed names of opposition-backed doctors after being heavily bribed.

Ruhal Haque asked the top officials of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to rework the list and make sure that only the deserving

candidates, who had been waiting for years for rightful promotions, were included in the list.

Some DGHS officials close to the promotion process said they had now been caught in the middle of a tug-ofwar between the Swachip president and secretary general and hence had been finding it really difficult to finalise the list.

They said they were having to include and exclude names at the last moment although the list was supposed to be published tomorrow.

Dr Md Shahnewaz, director (administration) of the DGHS, told the Dhaka Tribune that it was true that a list of more than 200 doctors was being considered for promotions. He, however, declined to disclose any more detail regarding the process.

The government has so far promoted a total of 1,700 doctors in three phases through the DPC of the health ministry.

The DPC was introduced because the previous process of promotions through the Public Service Commission was very lengthy. l

Moudud to fly to London for treatment today n Tribune Desk Ailing BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed is likely to fly to London today for better treatment after suffering chest pain and falling at his Gulshan residence on Sunday afternoon.

The veteran BNP leader has since been undergoing treatment at United Hospital and now physicians there have recommended he seeks speciallist treatment abroad.

“Moudud is scheduled to leave for London by a regular flight of Emirates Airlines on Saturday morning,” his chamber junior Ehsanur Rahman told UNB on Friday.

The current MP and former minister went to Sylhet to join a public rally of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on October 5. He complained of light chest pain at night and flew back to the capital the following morning.

Only few hours after returning home, Moudud collapsed. He was immediately taken to the United Hospital for various tests, but the doctors could not identify any specific cardiac problem. l

Remove sluice gates to save river Boral: Environmentalists n Abu Bakar Siddique Environmentalists yesterday demanded the removal of sluice gates and the eviction of all establishments set up illegally along Boral River, in a bid to save its fragile ecology.

Several portions of the river, which provides livelihood to around five million people, have also been encroached on by local influential groups.

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

Several organisations form a human chain in front of National Press Club yesterday demanding punishment to those responsible for the deaths of workers in the fire of Aswad Composite Mills in Gazipur, rights to form trade union and increase in salary MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan Mozena recently made a courtesy visit to the head office and principal branch of NRB Commercial Bank Limited. Chairman of the Board of Directors of the bank engr Farasath Ali, Managing Director & CEO Dewan Mujibur Rahman, senior executives and shareholders welcomed the guest. The ambassador went round all the departments of the head office and the branch. He expressed hope that the bank would earn good name in the near future. Later a power point presentation was made describing different activities and future plans of the bank DHAKA TRIBUNE

They also urged the government to demarcate the river boundary as per the Cadastral Survey (CS) and include the water body in the government’s dredging programme, which is already running for the Padma and Jamuna rivers.

The calls were made at a press conference jointly organised by Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (Bapa) and National River Protection Movement at Dhaka Reporters Unity Auditorium.

Dr Abdul Matin, secretary general of Bapa, said the government should remove the existing sluice gates to ensure regular water flow and save the area’s agriculture and biodiversity.

In 1985, Bangladesh Water Development Board set up three gates at the source of the Boral in Rajshahi, while it later also set up two more further downstream at Natore. There are several more sluice gates at different sites where the river meets other water bodies, like Beels.

“Most of the sluice gates are currently outdated and have remained closed over the years, thus making the Boral

River gradually die,” said Shafiullah Sarker, former president of Institute of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh (IDEB) and a river speciallist.

The 220km-long Boral River is the main branch of the Padma which originates at Charghat area of Rajshahi and passes through Chalan Beel before falling into Jamuna at Sirajganj. lt is drying up and becoming narrower due to the introduction of several unplanned embankments along its length.

Several portions of the river, which provides livelihood to around five million people, have also been encroached on by local influential groups.

The press conference was also attended by activist Syed Abul Maksud, Bapa Joint Secretaries Sharif Jamil and Iqbal Habib, and Executive Director of Nagorik Uddyog Zakir Hossain and others. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Prescription

5

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Meet the confusions about red meat

Many people enjoy eating red meat but wonder whether it’s healthy. Lean red meat can be healthy if consumed in moderation, FESTIVAL but people should HEALTH avoid other red meat due to their association with heart diseases and cancer.

good shape with a normal cholesterol levels in blood can take red meat every week. Researchers warned that while red meat is a valuable source of iron, eating too much can lead to cancer and heart disease. Scientists advise consuming on average no more than 70gm of red meat a day, about 500gm a week, in order to cut the risk of developing bowel cancer. This is the equivalent to two slices of roast beef a day.

Controversies on hormone injection to cattle

In our country farmers fatten up the

cattle using hormones. Injecting hormones into young cattle can make them gain weight faster. More weight means more meat, which means more profit for the producer. The hormones are administered directly to muscle or through implant under the skin of the ear and delivered in measured amounts throughout the animal’s life.

Synthetic estrogen and testosterone are the most common. Initial concerns about estrogen injected cows centered on a compound called diethylstilbesterol (DES). However, It was discovered that DES has related to cause vaginal

A guide to healthy cuts of beef

n Dr Kazi Mahbuba Akhter

Whether you’re watching your health or your weight, you can still enjoy beef on occasion.

You have the opportunity to choose leanest part of your sacrificed animal in this Eid Ul Azha.

In a simple way you can choose cuts with the least amount of visible fat.

Ground beef is the option for the lowest percentage of fat. Ground beef is made of beef, finely chopped by a meat grinder. Grill, roast or stir-fry your meat for the healthiest result. A

grilled 8oz rump or sirloin steak supplies fewer than 300 calories and only 4g of saturated fat

Lean or extra lean?

A lean cut of beef is about 100 grams that contains less than 10 grams total fat, 4.5 grams saturated fat, 95 milligrams cholesterol. Extra-lean cuts of beef are about 100 grams that contains less than 5 grams total fat, 2 grams saturated fat, 95 milligrams cholesterol.

How to cut off the fat

Even the leanest cuts of beef can be-

FOOD THERAPY

10 iron-rich foods n Prescription Desk Iron is a mineral needed by our body. Iron deficiency is a condition resulting from too little iron in the body. Iron deficiency anaemia is the most common deficiency in our country. But it can be prevented by taking iron rich foods.

To boost the amount of iron in your diet, try these foods:          

Red meat Egg yolks Dark, leafy greens (spinach, collards, taro) Dried fruit Iron-enriched cereals and grains Sea fish and local small fishes Local chicken Beans, lentils, chick peas and soybeans Cow liver Green Banana (Kacha Kola)

And here’s a tip: if you eat iron-rich food along with food that provide plenty of vitamin C, your body can better absorb the iron. l

come high-fat diet-busters if you prepare them in unhealthy ways. Here are a few simple ways to control the fat: Cut off any visible, solid fat from meat before preparing, and then remove any remaining visible fat before eating.

After cooking ground meat, put it into a strainer or colander and drain the fat. Then rinse the meat with hot water.

Blot the meat with a paper towel to remove the water.

After cooking, chill beef juices so that you can skim off and discard the hardened fat. Then add the juice to stews, soups and gravy. l

On the occasion of Kurbani, there is risk of getting minor cuts while processing meat.

Minor cuts and scrapes usually don’t require a FIRST AID trip to the emergency room. Yet proper care is essential to avoid infection or other complications.

Minor cuts and scrapes usually stop bleeding on their own. If they don’t, apply gentle pressure with a clean cloth or bandage. Hold the pressure continuously for 20 to 30 minutes. If the bleeding does not stop then seek medical assistance. If bleeding stops then rinse out the wound with clear water or antiseptic solutions.

Don’t use soap; it can irritate the wound. If debris still remains, see your doctor. Thorough cleaning reduces the risk of infection and tetanus. There’s no need to use hydrogen peroxide, iodine or an iodine-containing cleanser. After that, apply a thin layer of an antibiotic cream or ointment, which contains Neomycin.

Now it’s time to cover the wound. Bandages can help keep the wound clean and keep harmful bacteria out. Don’t use tight bandage, it will hamper the blood circulation to the wound.

When the wound is healed enough to make infection unlikely, exposure to air

Beef is the most consumed red meat in our country. Other than red meat, Offal of halal animals – including liver, kidneys, tongue and tripe – is a good choice, as it is rich in iron, protein and contains vitamin B, good for energy release and the nervous system. Limit consumption of beef organs, such as liver, to about 3 ounces (85 grams) a month since organ meat is high in cholesterol. l

Fish and beans are healthier than beef

Even if you choose lean or extra-lean cuts of beef, don’t go overboard. If you want to include beef in your diet, do so in moderation. Other than special occasions, consider the beef in your diet as a side dish, not a main dish. And remember that beans and fish are generally healthier protein options than beef. l

Avoid processed meat

will speed up healing. Change the dressing at least daily or whenever it becomes wet or dirty. If it is dry there is no need to change it. Get stitches for deep wounds.

A wound that is more than 1/4-inch (6 millimeters) deep or is gaping or jaggededged and has fat or muscle protruding usually requires stitches. Adhesive strips or butterfly tape may hold a minor cut together, but if you can’t easily close the wound, see your doctor as soon as possible. Proper closure within 6 hours reduces the risk of infection.

See your doctor if the wound isn’t healing or if you notice any redness, increased pain, drainage, warmth or swelling. If your wound is deep or dirty and your last shot for tetanus was more than five years ago, your doctor may recommend a tetanus shot booster. Get the booster within 24 hours of injury. l

The World Cancer Research Fund advises against processed meat such as salami, hot dogs, etc. Smoking or curing meat, or adding preservatives, cause the formation of carcinogens.

The most sinful of all meat products is the doner kebab; an average portion supplies nearly all of an adult’s recommended daily salt content and 50% more saturated fat than an adult should have in a day. l

| Compiled by: Shirsho Sikder

Statins help reduce risk of dementia n Dr Mohammad Sayem Statin is very commonly prescribed drug for lowering blood cholesterol or lipid level for preventing heart attacks and strokes, has recently been shown DRUG to reduce the risk of develBENEFITS oping Alzheimer’s disease (disease of forgetfulness).

A study of nearly 58,000 patients in Taiwan found that patients on high dose high potency statins, such as Atoravastatins and Rosuvastatins, had cut off the risk of developing dementia compared to those who were not on the drugs. Sample patients had no history of dementia and were tracked for five years.

Researchers also said, higher doses of

A study of nearly 58,000 patients in Taiwan found that patients on high dose high potency statins, such as Atoravastatins and Rosuvastatins, had cut off the risk of developing dementia compared to those who were not on the drugs

BIGSTOCK

Even the leanest cuts of beef can become high-fat dietbusters if you prepare them in unhealthy ways

BIGSTOCK

How to choose lean beef

The tastiest cuts of beef are often the ones with more fat. But when you’re concerned about your health, you should choose cuts from the leg or loin of an animal. If you’re having a steak, choose a rump or sirloin cut, Rib eye, top and bottom round steaks for less fat. Least healthy is the rib eye.

The writer is Associate Professor in Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital, Dhaka.

Cautions for minor cuts

n Gazi Kashif Yusuf

DID YOU KNOW?

cancer. It has also been known that breast cancer risk increases with higher lifetime exposure to estrogen. These facts have led many to question whether the continued use of synthetic estrogen in cattle is safe.

Bovine somatotropin (bST) or Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) is a synthetic (man-made) hormone that is marketed to dairy farmers to increase milk production and growth in cows. It has been used in United States since it was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993, but its use is not permit-

By-products are also good

BIGSTOCK

There are some nutritional benefits of eating red meat. Red meat is high in iron. The type of iron found in red meat, known as “heme iron,” is easily absorbed by the body. So red meat can rapidly meet up the iron deficiency of the body.

In our country iron deficiency anaemia is fairly common in rural areas especially among teenage girls and women in their childbearing years. But some researchers said, heme iron has also been linked to heart attack and colorectal cancer. Excess iron can damage cells in the bowel, increasing the risk of cancer. Eat meat with fibrous foods such as vegetables, to reduce the amount of time it lingers in the body.

Red meat also supplies vitamin B12, which helps make DNA and keeps nerve and red blood cells healthy, and zinc, which keeps the immune system working properly. Red meat provides protein, which helps build bones and muscles.

It is better to avoid red meat, if you have heart disease, hypertension and high cholesterol levels. But children and younger people have no reason to avoid it. Every healthy young adult and children of normal weight who are in a

BIGSTOCK

Red meat is not unhealthy for all

is administered through injection and stimulates (IGF-1) which the cow uses to convert nutrients into milk. Simply put, cows given bST produce more milk than non-injected cows.

The residual levels of hormones in meat and milk is the source of controversy. The researchers from producers’ side said, any residual hormones do not harm consumers.

The residual hormones found in meat and milk are at too low of levels to cause any response in the human body, or in the case of bST they are dead hormone cells that simply pass through the digestive system. But the arguments against growth hormones are still going on.

Some studies say it is unhealthy for cattle. And the cattle have to use some antibiotics to combat the side effect of the hormone. These antibiotics can build up a resistant strain of bacteria in the human body.

Steroids and other growth hormones can cause early maturity in children and make them obese. Steroids are a known immunosupressor, which means it reduces natural defence of the body. Several studies show that residual hormones are linked to an increased risk of breast, colon, prostate and lung cancer in humans.

Before choosing an animal for sacrificing on Eid Ul Azha, you also have to pay attention to the health of that animal. To have an anthrax free cow, it is better to consult to a veterinary doctor. l

QUICK TIPS

BIGSTOCK

Looking forward to festival of Eid-ul-Azha, cattle farmers are tempted to use hormones on young cattle to make them gain weight faster. More weight means more meat, which means more profit for the producer.

Several studies showed, the residual hormones are linked to an increased risk of breast, colon, prostate and lung cancer in humans. Some people think that all red meat is unhealthy whereas some think it is healthy. The truth lies somewhere between these two extremes ted in European Union, Canada, and n Dr Sajol Ashfaq some other countries. The hormone

high potency statins gave the strongest protective effects against dementia. Leading cardiologists have suggested that all over 50 years of age should take statins with the consent of physicians because they are very effective at reducing cholesterols and cutting the risk of strokes and heart attacks. Statins also have anti-inflammatory and bone strengthening functions as well. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, October 12, 2013

‘Phailin’ moves northwestwards n UNB

Indian cattle also carry risks of contagious diseases

n Tribune Desk

The very severe cyclonic storm “Phailin” continued moving slightly northeastwards on its path over the westcentral Bay and adjoining east-central Bay area yesterday, packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 180kph.

At 3pm “Phailin” was centred around 780kms southwest of Chittagong port, 715kms southwest of Cox’s Bazar port and 680kms south-southwest of Mongla port.

It is likely to intensify further and move in a northwesterly direction, said special bulletin No-17 of the Met Office.

Seas will remain very rough and so the maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox’s Bazar and Mongla have been advised to keep hoisted distant warning signal No 2.

Under the peripheral influence of the cyclone, gusty or squally wind may affect the North Bay. All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay have been advised to remain in shelter till further notice. l

Eight-day trade halt in Benapole port for Eid, Puja n Tribune Desk Export and import activities between Bangladesh and India through Benapole land port will remain suspended for eight days from October 11 on the occasion of Eid-ul-Azha and Durga Puja.

Kartik Chandra Das, general secretary of C&F Agents Staff Welfare Association of Petrapole land port, said trade between the two countries through the land port will remain halted from October 11 to 18 and it will resume on October 19.

Aminul Haque, vice-president of Benapole Export-import Association, said export-import activities through Benapole land port remained halted from Friday and will resume on October 19.

Due to the suspension of trade, huge goods-laden trucks will remain stranded on both sides of the bordering area, reports UNB. Tofazzal Hossain, director of Benapole land port, said trade activities between the two countries will remain suspended for eight days but the port and customs offices will remain open on October 11 and 12 as per directives of the National Board of Revenue.

Manjarul Alam, sub-inspector of Benapole check post, said, however, crossing of the passport-holding travelers of both countries will continue as usual during the trade suspension. l

A huge number of sacrificial animals have been brought to the city’s Gabtoli cattle market. The photo was taken yesterday

NASIRUL ISLAM

Cattle traders stung by Eid-ul-Azha tolls on all routes into capital Police also complicit, say affected farmers Abdur Rahim, 45, a trader who came n Mohammad Jamil Khan to the capital’s Azimpur market with Cattle traders heading to Dhaka ahead of Eid ul-Azha say they are facing rampant extortion at various points along highways and water routes into the capital.

Traders say extortionists have gained the upper hand over police and Rab, despite preventative measures by the Home Ministry including the deployment of additional forces, intensification of patrolling, and the installation of regular checkpoints.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that dealers are having to part with money at 15 separate points on the way into Dhaka from North Bengal, and at 10 points on routes from the south. Some corrupt lawmen were also extorting money from them, they alleged.

only ten cattle on a mini-truck from Chuadanga, told the Dhaka Tribune he had to pay Tk150-Tk200 at 10 police checkpoints.

“I had to part with the money because if I did not pay, the officials on duty would unnecessarily cause delay in the name of checking valid documents,” alleged Rahim.

Other traders in Azimpur and Gabtoli markets relayed similar experiences of having to pay de facto Eid bonuses to highway policemen, sergeants, musclemen and staff members manning the ferries, thus hiking cattle prices ultimately.

Sohel Mia, a cattle trader from Jessore recently arrived at Gabtoli market, alleged to this correspondent that

a very large amount of money was being extorted at Daulatdia, Aricha, Nagarbari, Maowa and Kaorakandi ferry terminals.

Manzur Mia transported his cows from Bogra to the market at Gabtoli, and alleged he had to pay Tk300 to police and local politicos on both sides of Bangabandhu Bridge, Tk300 while his cattle truck arrived at Tangail, and Tk200 and Tk300 at Ashulia and Aminbazar respectively.

Traders from the south of the country are experiencing similar problems, paying an additional Tk500Tk600 on average on both sides of Mawa and Aricha.

Traders are being forced to pay tolls at Arial Kha, Vanga of Faridpur and at the capital’s entry points – Postagola, Savar, Gazipur, Baipail and Ashulia.

Rustom Ali Khan, secretary general of the Bangladesh Truck and Covered Van Owners’ Association, told the Dhaka Tribune they held a meeting with administrative officials to protect cattle traders from extortionists.

In this regard, Shamsul Haque Tuku, state minister for home and affairs, said police and Rab officials had already been asked to take appropriate measures to stop extortion from cattle markets ahead of Eid ul-Azha.

He said: “All cattle markets have been kept under intelligence watch, and we have a plan to deploy mobile court in the markets to ensure fullproof security,” he added.

With only four days to go to Eid day, cattle were yet to reach the capital in large numbers . l

Huge inflow of Indian cattle ahead of Eid-ul-Azha every year not only discourages the fattening of the local stocks, but also brings risks of various contagious cattle diseases like foot and mouth (Khurarog) and TB, observed veterinarians of the Department of Livestock Services (DLS).

Indian cattle also do not suit the sacrificial purposes as these are usually very old and their meat contains high concentration of undigested bilirubin, uric acid and various other metabolites mostly due to the ageing, they added.

Several veterinarians, wishing anonymity, criticised the growing trend among people to choose bigger cattle brought from India instead of the locally bred and fattened ones, which they claim is much healthier and perfect for the sacrificial purposes, reports UNB. Cattle fattening by feeding them with the mixture of urea-molassesstraw after internal and external deworming of the animals does not carry any health risk for both the animal and the consumers, they claimed.

“The mixture contains only 50 grams of urea for a cow per day. And it doesn’t affect the quality of meat,” said a deputy director of the Animal Health and Extension section of the DLS. “Cattle can be fattened by other ways - by applying steroid which is harmful for the animal. I can’t tell you about the impact when people eat the meat with steroid concentration,” he added.

Veterinarians never suggest steroids for the animals unless it becomes the question of saving the life of the animal, he said, adding that some quacks in collaboration with some dishonest quarters are engaged in the evil practice. l

CU student injured by stone thrown at shuttle train n CU Correspondent A student of Chittagong University was injured when miscreants pelted a stone at a shuttle train on Thursday night.

Rahman Shoaib, a second year communication and journalism student and the university correspondent of the daily Janakantho, was hit on the head outside Sholosahar railway station in the city around 8:45pm.

Later he received primary treatment from the CU medical centre.

CU proctor Helel Ahmed warned students to be vigilant as miscreants often throw stones at running shuttle trains at different spots on the line. l

11-day ban on hilsa catch starts Sunday n Anisur Rahman Swapan, Barisal

Employees of Masranga Television form a human chain in front of their office, demanding fair and immediate trial of the killers of Sagar-Runi FOCUS BANGLA

An eleven-day ban on hilsa netting was imposed by the department of fisheries yesterday to ensure uninterrupted spawning during the upcoming breeding season.

The ban, effective from early Sunday (October 13) to October 23, is expected to prevent roughly 15m mother hilsa from being caught ahead of time and about 46,800kg spawns from being destroyed.

Announcing the prohibition, Dr AKM Aminul Huq, divisional officer and deputy director of the department, said: “The ban will be effective on not only catching hilsa across the 7,000sqkm stretch of spawning grounds but also on its marketing, selling and transportation anywhere in the country.”

“The move will ensure safe spawning, protect mother hilsa and create a good breeding environment,” he added, urging consumers not to buy or eat hilsa during the season.

Art of Idol making under threat, opine idol artisans n Our Correspondent, Barisal Many of the idol artisans in the country are abandoning the noble and traditional profession due to lack of patronisation and financial crisis, observed participants at a reception ceremony in Barisal yesterday.

Due to lack of economic and institutional support, this age-old art was now under threat of extinction, they noted.

The fifth annual reception programme honoured idol artisans of the country, popularly known as “Pal” and “Kumar,” on the eve of “Sharodiyo Durgotshob,” the biggest religious festival of the Hindus in the country.

Mritshilpi Sammelon O Sanmanona Udjapon Parshad of Barisal organised

the programme at Aswini Kumar Hall in the city.

Nikhil Sen, cultural activist, presided over the ceremony while Associate Editor of the Bengali daily Samakal, attended the programme as the chief guest.

Crest, money, clothes and sweetmeats were distributed among 116 Pals and Kumars including seven female artisans who came from different upazilas under Barisal district.

Bula Rani Pal from Goila, Barisal and Uttam Pal from Jhalakathi, were awarded special honour for their achievements in the field.

For over hundred years, the Pals and Kumars had nurtured this heritage of idol making, despite absence of any government recognition of the profes-

sion, said the speakers.

The artisans suffer an acute economic crisis throughout the year, they mentioned.

The idol artisans observed that the main religious festival of the Bengali Hindus, could be successfully celebrated because of their labour. However, unfortunately those who were at the end of the creations had to return home with a negligible amount of honorarium and pass rest of the year in hardship after the festivity was over, they claimed.

Moreover, the idol artisans are not socially recognised for their job, noted the artisans and speakers.

A team of five-six artisans need 1721 days for making a large sized “protima” (sculpture of a deity), while for

the smaller ones they need 13-17 days, highlighted the artisans.

For making the idols each team is paid Tk25000 to Tk50000 ahead of the festival and accommodation and food are usually provided by the Puja Mandop Committee, they added.

The five-day Sharodiyo Durgotshob commenced on Thursday.

More than 500 puja-mandaps (alter) of the district including 33 in the city have been decorated with colour and lightning. The festivities would end with immersion of the idols and images of the deities in different rivers and canals amid exchange of greetings of ‘Bijoya Dashami’ on October 14, a government holiday close to Eid-ul-Azha festival of the Muslims this year. l

“The key to the success of the restriction is in its proper implementation and a collective awareness of all parties involved, which would hopefully save millions of eggs,” said Bankim Chandra, the assistant director of the department.

Hilsa, despite being a sea fish, lays eggs in rivers during the five days before and the five days after full moon in the Bangla month of Ashwin. Large numbers of fish are caught as they move to the Padma-Meghna-Jamuna delta for this purpose and also as the fish fries, commonly called jatka, swim back to the sea.

Fishery officials believe if only 50% of the lain eggs can be saved while in embryo, more than 29m jatka can be produced every year. A Jatka generally grows 2-2.5cm in length per month and starts its seaward journey after reaching 15-17cm. It moves back to sweet waters after growing to an adult size of 25-28cm.

“There is a year-round restriction

against netting Jatka—below 23cm in length—throughout the country and saving 10-20% of them would mean about 200,000 more hilsa every year,” said the district fisheries officer Wahiduzzaman.

Fisheries officials have already started taking preparation including campaigning against premature netting through advertisements, posters, and organising awareness-raising and views-exchange programmes.

The district and upazila administrations, law enforcement agencies and authorities of navy and coast guards were instructed to monitor activities on the coastal rivers and estuaries and ensure that no violation of the ban order took place, sources said.

Under the fisheries ordinance amended on October 25, 2005, anyone violating a netting ban may be fined Tk1,000 with up to six months in prison for the first time, and a “double-punishment” in the event of a reoccurrence. l

Three cases filed against Shibir activists n Tribune Report Police filed three cases against 259 Islami Chhatra Shibir activists yesterday after hundreds of members of the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami were reportedly involved in attacking law enforcers in the two districts.

Jhenaidah police station Officer-inCharge Kazi Jalal Uddin Ahmed said Shibir activists brought out a rally from Kabi Sukanta Sarak around 9am on Thursday.

Trouble flared when they encountered law enforcers near Jhenaidah press club.

The Shibir activists started pelting brick bats and stones at the officers, injuring

policemen Sohan and Sazib.

Jhenaidah police filed a case against 150 activists of Islami Chhatara Shibir, naming 22 of them, reports our correspondent.

In Comilla, two cases were filed against 109 Shibir activists including nine named men on charges of attacking police and vandalising a police vehicle in the city on Thursday, according to UNB. The violence began after Shibir activists brought out a procession from Chawlkbazar on Thursday as part of their central programme. They exploded several crude bombs and vandalised a police pickup from the procession, leaving three policemen injured. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

7

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Poultry farmers decry price fall in Gaibandha n Our correspondent, Gaibandha Poultry farm owners in Gaibandha district are being hit by a double whammy of a falling market price for chickens and a rise in costs, making it harder for them to turn profits.

The price of broliers – both factory-farmed and domestic – has fallen almost 30% over the past three weeks, triggering an outcry from farms rearing and selling chickens commercially.

The price drop has been attributed partly to an increase in supply as more people, mostly peasant farmers, turned to selling their domestic chickens as an alternative means of livelihood following the end of regular cultivation season.

“The incubation cost of a 1.5kg broiler is around Tk180 but its running market price is Tk140,” said Mani Miah, a farmer from the Chand Karim village of Sadullapur upazila.

“Counting a loss such as this, or similar amounts in case of chickens weighing more or less, is too much for me to bear on a regular basis,” he added.

Poultry farmers say the market has

become more competitive, and their problems are being exacerbated by a parallel rise in the prices of chicken feed and other essentials.

Zillur Rahman, another farmer residing in Nayanpur village of Sadullapur, said many farmers purchased chicks and chicken feed on credit but, with poultry prices going down, they could not manage enough cash to repay their loans.

According to sources, about 3,500 poultry farms – including 1,333 registered – have been set up in recent years in all seven upazilas of the district by mostly young entrepreneurs.

Many of them took need-based training from the department of youth development prior to opening their ventures, and received loans from organisations including commercial banks. Now a repeated failure to repay loans could force many to close their farms.

Zillur Rahman believes the government should move to ensure “fair prices” for chickens so that small-scale entrepreneurs can make enough profits to stay afloat. l

Garment workers staged demonstration in front of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association in Narayanganj, demanding minimum wage of Tk8,000

FOCUS BANGLA

Settlers demand cancellation of CHT Irregularities, corruption in VGF rice Land Commission Amendment Act distribution in Lalmonirhat n Our Correspondent, Rangamati Two organisations of Bangalee settlers have demanded the immediate cancellation of Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Settlement Commission Act amendment 2013.

On May 27, the cabinet approved a draft of the legislation to curb the authority of the commission’s chairman.

According to the proposed amendment, land in hill tracts illegally occupied as well as land where refugees have been rehabilitated as per the CHT Peace Accord, will come under the jurisdiction of the commission.

The amendment paves the way to give the indigenous people priority in the recruitment of staff for the land commission.

The Parbottyo Bangalee Chattra Parishad and the Parbottya Chattagram

Nagorik Committee presented their demand at the Rangamati press club in the district town yesterday.

Leaders of the Bangalee communities said if the new version of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission (amendment) Act 2013 is implemented, they would be driven out from the hill tracts Blaming prime ministerial adviser Gowher Rizvi for the amendment, leaders of the organisations said blocking ratification of the amendment was essential to upholding the equal rights of Bangalee settlers, who have been living in the hill tracts for more than three

decades.

Leaders of the Bangalee communities said if the new version of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Land Dispute Resolution Commission (amendment) Act 2013 is implemented, they would be driven out from the hill tracts. The leaders of both organisations threatened to enforce hartal in future if the amendment is not cancelled immediately.

Among those attending the press conference were President of Nagarik Central Committee Alkash Al Mamun Bhuiyan, Organising Secretary of the Committee Sheikh Muhammad Raju, President of Bandarban Unit Nagarik Committee Md Atikur Rahman, President of Rangamati Unit Nurjahan Begam, and President of Bangalee Chhatra Parishad, Rangmati unit Muhammad Ibrahim. l

n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat Significant corruption and irregularities were found in the distribution of Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) rice in almost all 45 unions and two municipalities at five upazilas in Lalmonirhat yesterday.

The rice was being distributed among the ultra-poor people who had been given a VGF card by concerned UP chairmen, members, municipality mayors and councillors in a government initiative.

The government had allocated 959 tonnes of rice against the 95,819 VGF cards distributed to the ultra-poor people in the five upazilas so that they could observe Eid and Puja festivities peacefully.

However, some VGF cardholders claimed they only received 6 to 8kg of

Six killed in road accidents n Tribune Report

A devotee offering Shaptami prayers to goddess Durga at temple in Bogra

FOCUS BANGLA

Farmers rejoice, environmentalists decry bumper paddy yield n Tribune Desk Farmers in the hill district are celebrating a bumper crop of paddy ahead of the Nabanna Utsab harvest festival, despite facing criticism over new cultivation methods used to boost yields.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension, a total of 2,362 hectares of land have been brought under Jhum cultivation in Khagrachari this year, of which 1,759 hectares were given over to paddy farming.

Favourable weather, and the use of fertilisers, pesticides and high yield-

ing seed varieties have combined to boost the yield in recent years, reports UNB. Environmentalists have raised concerns over the excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides, which they fear will reduce the fertility of land in the hilly region, where marginalised farmers have historically used traditional ‘Jhum cultivation’ to maintain their livelihoods.

Convener of Khagrachari Environment Protection Movement Pradip Chowdhury said even four or five years ago, Jhum farmers did not know about

the use of fertilisers and pesticides.

“This may threaten the food security of the Jhum people,” he warned.

Khagrachari Hill Agriculture Research Centre Chief Research Officer Dr Mohabba tUllah said there is no alternative to Jhum cultivation in the hill areas.

“We are examining to increase the crop production by using high yielding variety of seeds with traditional Jhum cultivation. We are also doing research on cultivation of alternative crops on fallow land apart from Jhum cultivation,” Dr Mohabbat said. l

At least six people were killed in separate road accidents in Gazipur and Tangail yesterday.

At least four people, including two siblings, were killed and five others injured as a truck rammed a human hauler on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway in the Naujor area in Gazipur yesterday.

Among the deceased, three people were identified as Sumon, 18, his brother Faruk, 19 and Alam, 32 of Muktagacha upazila of Mymensingh while the identity of another victim could not be known immediately. All the four people were construction workers, said police.

Police said a speeding truck hit a Konabari-bound human hauler, leaving three people dead on the spot and injuring six others. The injured were rushed to Gazipur Sadar Hospital where one of died.

Of the injured, three were shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and a private clinic in capital’s Uttara as their condition was stated to be critical.

Police recovered the bodies and sent those to sadar hospital morgue.

In Tangail, two truckers were killed when a truck knocked them down on the Dhaka-Tangail Highway at Bhatkura in Sadar upazila in the early hours of the day.

The deceased were identified as Abdul Halim, 45, a resident of Savar and Nasim Ali, 50, a resident of Pallabi in Dhaka.

Police said when the two truckers were going to Dhaka from Dinajpur with rice-laden trucks they got stuck in a long tailback on Dhaka-Tangail highway.

At one stage, they got down from their trucks and when they were crossing the road a North Bengalbound truck from Dhaka hit the duo around 4am, leaving them dead on the spot.

Police recovered the bodies and sent those to Tangail General Hospital morgue for autopsy. l

rice instead of the 10kg assigned to each card. They alleged that the municipality mayors, councillors, UP chairmen, members, UP secretary and local influential people benefitted from each card.

Arzina Bewa, a 65-year-old widow at Shaheed Shahjahan Colony in Lalmonirhat municipality, alleged she received only 7kg of rice during the VGF rice distribution.

“I was deprived 3kg rice but I did not protest to the councillor, thinking of the next opportunity in the future,” she said.

Rickshaw-van puller Narayan Chandra Barmon, 45, from Rajpur village in Lalmonirhat sadar, said he had received only 6kg rice against the VGF card. He claimed most cardholders in the village faced the same problem, adding that the chairmen, members and their recruited brokers were bene-

fitting from the VGF. Aklima Begum, 52, of Char Kulaghat village in Lalmonirhat sadar, alleged the UP chairman and members allotted the VGF cards to their chosen people without measuring poverty. She said about 60% of VGF cardholders were unfit to enjoy the facility but were still enlisted for the programme.

Seeking anonymity, a UP chairman said all public representatives benefitted from the VGF programme and the concerned officials also had knowledge regarding the matter.

The District Relief and Rehabilitation Officer Anowarul Islam said he had heard about the corruption and irregularities in distribution of VGF cards and rice. He said if anybody submitted a written allegation, he would officially take necessary actions against the UP chairmen and members after inquiry. l

NEWS IF BRIEF Eight held in Jhenaidah for theft of 7,000 trees Eight men were arrested in Jhenaidah district late Thursday for allegedly stealing 7,000 trees from government land. They are accused of cutting down trees including Mehegoni, Babla, Neem and more from land belonging to the Bangladesh Water Development Board in Sailkupa a few months back, police said. The trees were planted by the beneficiaries of the board in 2004. Sailkupa police station assistant sub-inspector Abdul Baten said the men were finally apprehended in different parts of the district on Thursday night.

– Our Correspondent

Pistol, ammo seized after cops-robbers gunfight in Bogra Plainclothes police seized a pistol and five bullets following a gunfight with robbers in the Jamuna River in Sariakandi upazila of the district early Friday. Being tipped off that a gang of bandits was taking preparations for committing robbery in trawlers loaded with sacrificial cattle, a team of Detective Branch of police conducted a drive at Manikdipa Ghat of the river around 5am.

Sensing the presence of detectives, the robbers opened fire on them that forced the DB team to retaliate, said assistant superintendent of police Gaziur Rahman.

At one stage, the robbers fled the scene by jumping into the river. – UNB

6 suspected muggers held in Gazipur Detective police in separate drives arrested six suspected muggers along with sharp weapons from different places of the city on Friday. Police sources said Detective Branch (DB) of police arrested three people for their suspected involvement in mugging from behind the house of the deputy commissioner (DC) of the district early in the morning. The three arrestees-Badrul Islam, 28, Abul Hossain, 18, and Al Amin, 20 – hail from different areas of the city. On the other hand, Joydebpur police arrested three others – Parvez Mia, 25, Sa-

jal Mia, 18, and Rubel Mia, 18 – suspecting them to be muggers along with homemade arms and machetes from Chandana intersection on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in the morning. – UNB

9 houses gutted in Gazipur Nine houses were gutted by a fire that broke out at Baniar Chala village in Sadar upazila of the district on Friday. Fire service sources said the fire originated from a kerosene stove in a house of garment workers at the village at about 11:00am and soon engulfed eight other adjoining houses. On information, a fire fighting unit rushed to the spot and doused the blaze after one hour’s frantic efforts with the help of local people.

Locals said the extent of losses from the fire could go up to Tk20 lakh. – UNB

Trader stabbed to death in Natore A trader was stabbed to death by some unidentified miscreants at Narayanpur in sadar uapzila here Friday. The deceased was identified as Mohsin Ali, 25, son of Mohammadullah of the area. He had a shop of mobile phone recharge card at Gaopara in Puthia upazila in Rajshahi adjacent to Natore distirct. Witnesses said miscreants attacked Mohsin when he was returning home from his shop around 2 am. They stabbed him indiscriminately and fled the scene leaving him injured. Local people rescued him and rushed to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries in the morning. Sadar thana police and Puthia than police of Rajshahi visited the spot. – UNB

195kg hilsa seized at Hili frontier

Members of Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB) seized 195 kilograms Hilsha fish from Satkuri Railgate area on Hili frontier under Hakimpur upazila in Dinajpur today, the BGB sources said. A special BGB patrol party from Basudebpur border outpost under Joypurhat seized the fish from an engine-driven Votvoti, locally made vehicle, there before those were being smuggled out to the neighbouring country. – BSS

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

N Korea warns of counterattack on US warship n

AFP, Seoul

North Korea on Friday threatened to “bury in the sea” a US aircraft carrier, as it slammed a three-nation naval drill involving US, South Korean and Japanese warships.

The latest warning from the isolated regime came a day after the United States launched a two-day joint military drill with South Korea and Japan off the southern coast of the Korean peninsula.

The drill involved the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington, guided-missile ships, anti-submarine helicopters and early warning aircraft.

“The war drills show that the USJapan-South Korea tripartite military alliance has developed into the nuclear war alliance and has become operational in actuality,” the North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said in a statement.

If the three countries launch “a nuclear war while talking about ‘sign’ and ‘preemptive attack’ despite repeated warnings of (North Korea), its revolutionary armed forces will immediately mount counter-attack to bury the aggressors, provocateurs in the sea together with the carrier,” it said.

North Korea has repeatedly condemned joint military drills south of the border and threatened counter-attacks that have not materialised.

On Tuesday North Korea warned the United States of a “horrible disaster” over the latest drill and put its troops on alert.

US and South Korean officials have described the drill as a search and rescue exercise to improve readiness for humanitarian disasters.

Seoul and Washington last week agreed a joint strategy to address what they described as the mounting threat of a North Korean nuclear attack after

Edward Snowden given ‘integrity in intelligence’ award n

AFP, Washington

US fugitive Edward Snowden has been honoured with a prize awarded annually by former CIA staff for exhibiting “integrity in intelligence,” the group said.

The 30-year-old, currently in Russia, is wanted by Washington on espionage charges after disclosing details about the vast scope of the US government’s surveillance operations.

The Government Accountability Project said Snowden received the Sam Adams Award – a “symbolic candlestick” – at a ceremony in Moscow late Wednesday.

Those present included former National Security Agency senior analyst Thomas Drake, former Department of Justice ethics advisor Jesselyn Radack, former FBI agent Coleen Rowley and former CIA analyst Ray McGovern, the group said.

In a statement on its website, the group said the award is “given annually by a group of retired CIA officers for members of the intelligence community who exhibit integrity in intelligence.”

Word of the prize surfaced the same day that Snowden’s father landed in the Russian capital hoping to meet his son for the first time since the former US spy agency contractor became a fugitive.

In comments heavily dubbed into Russian from English, he admitted he still didn’t know where his son was staying.

Edward Snowden Snowden’s whereabouts have been a mystery ever since Russia granted him temporary asylum.

The group – which says its mission is to promote corporate and government accountability – did not disclose any details about where in Moscow Wednesday’s ceremony took place.

However, Radack, now with the Government Accountability Project, was quoted as saying that “Edward looks great. He’s cantered, articulate, and closely following the issues, both in the United States and globally.”

“He loves America and wants to see it returned to its democratic ideals, which are completely antithetical to a closed and secret society that make for turn-key tyranny,” Radack added.l

Pyongyang restarted an ageing plutonium reactor.

Analysts have attributed the regime’s recent bellicose rhetoric to its desire to attract the United States’ attention and draw it back into dialogue.

The United States and South Korea have long demanded that Pyongyang show commitment to ending its nuclear weapons programme before six-nation talks on disarmament, which have been stalled since December 2008, can resume.

Although the North’s atomic test in February – its most powerful to date – sent tensions soaring, the temperature has been lowered in recent months after a series of conciliatory gestures by Pyongyang towards Seoul.

But acute concerns remain over the North’s nuclear programme, with South Korea’s spy agency telling lawmakers on Tuesday that Pyongyang has restarted its ageing Yongbyon reactor. l

South Africa’s Amplats says miners return to work after stike ends

n Reuters, Johannesburg Miners at Anglo American Platinum’s operations in South Africa have started to return to work, a spokeswoman said on Friday, after the company clinched a deal with the union to end a near twoweek strike over job cuts.

Amplats, as the unit of global miner Anglo American is known, said it would grant “voluntary separation” packages to 3,300 employees it had previously sought to lay off.

A spokeswoman for Amplats told Reuters that miners had started reporting for duty from the morning shift on Friday. She declined to comment further.

Separately Amplats CEO Chris Griffith told a state radio station the strike had cost the world’s top platinum producer 44,000 ounces or “nearly 1bn rand ($100m) in lost revenue.”

“These individuals were offered voluntary separation packages before the strike. They did not need to lose two-week’s wages, they did not need to go on strike,” he told SAFM radio.

Amplats had already rowed back from an initial target of 14,000 job cuts under intense government and union pressure and still has to complete a tough round of wage talks.

Amplats was forced to review operations after last year’s wildcat strikes helped push it into its first-ever annual loss. A return to profitability hinges on an overhaul of its Rustenburg mines, northwest of Johannesburg.

Its shares closed 4 percent higher on Thursday. ($1 = 9.9178 South African rand) l

Syrian army retakes two Damascus suburbs from rebels: activists n Reuters, Amman Syrian army troops and Shia militia fighters loyal to President Bashar al-Assad captured two southern suburbs of Damascus on Friday, killing at least 70 people, opposition activists said.

The fighters, including some from the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah and Iraqi Shias backed by Syrian army tanks, searched al-Thiabiya and Husseiniya, a Palestinian refugee camp, for pockets of resistance after overrunning them, the sources said.

The capture of the two districts, located between the two main highways leading to Jordan, strengthens Assad’s hold on major supply lines and puts pressure on rebel brigades under siege for months in areas adjacent to the center of Damascus.

Buoyed by opposition divisions and the receding prospect of US military strikes, Assad has tried to tighten his grip on areas in the country’s center and along the coast and the north-

For many of her compatriots, Malala Yousafzai is a stooge of the United States and a CIA agent, a symbol of the West’s evils and a global conspiracy to bring down her native Pakistan.

She has won the European Union’s prestigious human rights award and was one of the favorites to win the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, but in her native Swat valley, friends and neighbours reacted with a mixture of resentment, fear and jealousy.

“Malala is spoiling Pakistan’s name around the world,” said Mohammad Rizwan, a shop owner in her hometown of Mingora. “We didn’t need Malala to come and tell us how important education is.”

Around the corner from his shop is the quiet street where Malala, 16, was shot a year ago after trying to defy the Taliban with her outspoken views on women’s right to education.

She survived after being airlifted to Britain for treatment and has since become a symbol of defiance against militants holed up in nearby tribal areas on the Afghan border.

But in this deeply conservative part of Pakistan, where women are expected to stay at home and keep their views to themselves, many people view Malala’s campaign with suspicion.

In a nation thriving on conspiracy theories, some have even doubted the sincerity of her campaign, claiming it is part of her family’s ploy to move to Brit-

south highways, as well as the capital and its environs - a major area of operations for his foreign Shi’ite allies.

The two suburbs are near Sayida Zainab, a district where a Shia shrine is located and which Iran-backed Hezbollah and Iraqi fighters have used as a base to deploy in southern Damascus.

Assad’s Alawite sect is an offshoot of Shi’ite Islam.

Speaking from the south of the capital, activist Rami al-Sayyed said 20 out of the 70 people killed on the rebel side were hit by sniper fire as they tried to flee al-Thiabiya through farmland. A rebel commander said 45 Shia militiamen were killed in the last 24 hours.

Sayyed said three brigades - Ahfad al-Rasoul and al-Umma and Aknaf alBayt al-Maqdesi, which is mainly comprised of Palestinian refugees - had repeatedly asked for back-up from better equipped rebels brigades in eastern Damascus.

“They were let down. The loss of these districts is largely due to lack of

Blood and spears at Thailand’s vegetarian festival n AFP Thailand’s nine-day Vegetarian Festival in the tourist island of Phuket is a spectacular – and bloody – Chinese Taoist procession in which devotees purify themselves in public displays of self-mutilation.

AFP photographer Christophe Archambault, who was at this year’s bloody display, writes: I took these pictures at the Chinese Taoist temple in Bang Neow. About 100 devotees, who’d abstained from eating meat for several months before the festival, put themselves into trances in front of the altars inside the temple.

Participants believe they become possessed by spirits and, imbued with the power of otherworldly beings, are able to skewer their bodies and faces with a variety of imaginative implements, including guns, guitars and garden umbrellas.

Assistants accompany the men into a small courtyard by the temple, where they sit on plastic chairs. The piercing happens quickly, and all without anesthesia.

When you see it close up, it seems horribly painful. The penitents moan and groan, their faces scrunched into terrible grimaces. Blood is spurting everywhere.

Those inserting the objects wear rubber gloves, which they change between each “operation.” But apart from that, hygiene is completely nonexistent. Each procedure is pretty quick.

Many penitents have scars - they are regulars.

It can be dangerous taking pictures in these conditions. In the courtyard,

Malala, survivor of Taliban, resented in her hometown n Reuters

Saturday, October 12, 2013

ain or that she is just an attention seeker.

Social media sites are brimming with insulting messages. “We hate Malala Yousafzai, a CIA agent,” says one Facebook page.

“Here, people have been unkind to her. They want to forget her. They think she is a drama queen. But what can you do?” said Ahmad Shah, a childhood friend of Malala’s father who helped write her speech at the United Nations this year.

In this deeply conservative part of Pakistan, where women are expected to stay at home and keep their views to themselves, many people view Malala’s campaign with suspicion “Here in Swat, we have seen the hell that is Taliban rule. And yet, some people still say they would much rather side with the Taliban than Malala.

Sometimes people never learn.”

In an impoverished region where violence is part of daily life, some of Malala’s neighbours were simply afraid. Some appeared keen to forget about her and move on.

The picturesque valley was overran by the Taliban, who imposed strict Islamic laws and kept its people in fear, in 2007. It is now controlled by the Pakistani army. Mingora, a dusty town of windy roads surrounded by jagged hills, is festooned with billboards reading “Long live the Pakistan Army!”l

which is rather cramped, each penitent person is surrounded by a throng of amateur and professional photographers and curious onlookers. It’s chaotic, and in such cramped conditions you need to be aware of what’s happening behind your back to avoid getting poked by something being pushed through another tranced-out vegetarian’s cheek. The penitents themselves seem unaware of what’s going on around them.

But at the same time there’s no aggression in the crowd, people are smiling and everything happens in a good-natured manner.

Then there’s a procession through the town, lasting about an hour and a half in an overwhelming heat. Thousands of people, most of them dressed in white, take part. The penitent vegetarians are surrounded by their assistants who, carrying rolls of toilet paper, mop up the blood flowing from wounds. Others are carrying religious idols on palanquins, or litters, while members of the public let off huge firecrackers, some of them looking like sticks of dynamite. When we go into the temple at the end of the procession we wade through thick layers of charred paper.

The Vegetarian Festival honours Chinese gods and is thought to have begun in 1825 in Phuket, which has a sizeable ethnic Chinese population.

The vegetarian side of the festival isn’t obvious, but participants are supposed to avoid all meat and avoid vice for the duration of the nine-day festival. Pregnant women, considered impure, are not allowed to attend. l

coordination and the reluctance to assist the defenders,” Sayyed said.

Al-Thiabiya and Husseiniya have been hit by multiple rocket launchers for the past week from an army camp situated on the high ground near the area, providing cover for Shia fighters who did most of the street fighting, opposition sources said.

In a last-ditch effort to save the two districts, rebels attacked loyalist forces in Sayida Zainab with mortar bombs and automatic weapons on Thursday, but the counter-offensive failed.

The Iraqi and Lebanese militia backed

by Syrian army tanks and fighter jets overran Sheikh Omar, another southern suburb near Sayida Zainab, earlier this week, putting pressure on several Islamist rebel brigades trying to hold onto strategic outskirts of the capital.

The 2-1/2-year war has killed more than 100,000 people and forced millions from their homes into sprawling refugee camps in neighboring countries. l

WHO launches drive against mercury thermometers n AFP, Geneva The World Health Organisation and campaigners launched a drive Friday to try to wipe out mercury in medical thermometers, a day after nations signed a UN treaty to control the toxic liquid metal.

“Mercury is one of the top ten chemicals of major public health concern and is a substance which disperses into and remains in ecosystems for generations, causing severe ill health and intellectual impairment to exposed populations,” WHO head Margaret Chan said in a statement.

Working with the campaign group Health Care Without Harm, the UN agency said it aims by 2020 to eliminate mercury from fever thermometers, as well as blood pressure devices which use it.

It explained that the goal would be achieved if the manufacture, import and export of such devices was halted, and accurate, affordable, and safer non-mercury alternatives were deployed.

On Thursday in Japan, delegates from some 140 countries and territories signed a UN treaty on mercury, in the city of Minamata.

The location was highly symbolic, as Minamata was the scene of a mercury scandal exposed in the 1950s.

Tens of thousands of people were poisoned – around 2,000 of whom have since died – by eating fish and shellfish taken from waters polluted by discharge from a local factory.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury, which is the world’s first legally binding treaty on the highly toxic metal, will take effect once ratified by 50 countries, something the UN expects will take three to four years. l

WORLD WATCH ND farmer finds oil spill while harvesting wheat

A North Dakota farmer who discovered an oil spill the size of seven football fields while out harvesting wheat says that when he found it, crude was bubbling up out of the ground. Farmer Steve Jensen says he smelled the crude for days before the tires on his combines were coated in it. At the apparent break in the Tesoro Corporation’s underground pipeline, the oil was “spewing and bubbling 6 inches high,” he said in a telephone interview Thursday. What Jensen had found on September 29 turned out it was one of the largest spills recorded in the state.

At 20,600 barrels it was four times the size of a pipeline rupture in late March that forced the evacuation of more than 20 homes in Arkansas. But it was 12 days after Jensen reported the spill before state officials told the public what had happened, raising questions about how North Dakota, which is in the midst of an oil boom, reports such incidents.

Woman says NY Fed fired her over Goldman Sachs

A former employee has sued the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, saying she was wrongfully terminated because she refused to change the results of her investigation into the banking firm Goldman Sachs. Carmen Segarra filed her federal lawsuit against the New York Fed on Thursday in Manhattan. Segarra’s lawsuit says the New York Fed interfered with her examination of Goldman Sach’s legal and compliance divisions and directed her to change her findings. She says she refused

and was fired three days later, in May 2012. The firing caused her career in banking to be “irreparably damaged,” says her lawsuit, which seeks her reinstatement to her position as senior bank examiner, back pay, compensation for lost benefits, compensatory damages, attorney’s fees and other expenses.

Starbucks asks customers to sign petition

Starbucks, known for its piping hot coffee, is throwing itself in the middle of yet another heated national debate. The world’s biggest coffee chain said Thursday that it will ask customers and businesses to sign a petition calling for an end to the partial government shutdown that has forced hundreds of thousands of federal workers off the job. The petition, which will be available at all Starbucks 11,000 US locations to sign beginning Friday, calls for reopening the government, paying debts on time and passing a long-term budget deal by the end of the year. In addition to Starbucks customers, the company is trying to get the CEOs of the nation’s largest companies to sign. The move is unusual for a company like Starbucks.

While big brands generally steer clear of politics to avoid alienating customers, Starbucks and its outspoken CEO, Howard Schultz, in recent years have run toward the spotlight by trying to gain a voice in national political issues. But because the company’s efforts are generally non-partisan and unlikely to cause controversy, marketing and corporate image experts say they burnish Starbucks’ reputation as a socially-conscious company.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Libyan PM accuses ‘political party’ of kidnapping him

Car bomb at Swedish consulate in Libya, no casualties reported

n AFP, Tripoli

n Reuters, Tripoli

Libyan Prime Minister Ali Zeidan has accused a “political party” of organising his brief abduction by armed gunmen on Thursday, the latest example of the lawlessness prevailing since Moamer Kadhafi’s overthrow.

The premier appeared in good health when he arrived at government headquarters after his ordeal, waving to waiting well-wishers as he climbed out of an armoured car.

“I hope this problem will be resolved with reason and wisdom” and without any “escalation,” Zeidan later said in comments broadcast by state television as he left a cabinet meeting.

The pre-dawn seizure of Zeidan came five days after US commandos embarrassed and angered the government by capturing senior Al-Qaeda suspect Abu Anas al-Libi on the streets of Tripoli, whisking him away to a warship in the Mediterranean.

Witnesses said Zeidan was held at a police station south of the capital, and that his captors released him after armed residents surrounded the building and demanded he be let go.

An employee at the hotel – where Zeidan had taken up residence for security reasons – told AFP a “large num-

A car bomb exploded outside the Swedish consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Friday, damaging the building’s front and nearby houses, but no casualties were immediately reported, a Reuters witness said.

The bomb exploded a day after Libya’s Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was briefly abducted by a group of former rebels.

The Swedish foreign ministry said it had no information about the incident.

Nobody claimed responsibility for attack, which took place days after a US special forces’ raid captured a Libyan al-Qaeda suspect in Tripoli, outraging Islamist militants, who called for revenge attacks.

ber of armed men” had entered the building but that the staff did not know what was happening.

A Libyan government statement said Zeidan had been taken “to an unknown destination for unknown reasons by a group” of men believed to be former rebels.

After being freed, Zeidan met with his ministers and members of the General National Congress (GNC) – Libya’s highest political authority.

The Operations Cell of Libyan Revolutionaries, former rebels who had roundly denounced Libi’s abduction and blamed Zeidan’s government for it,

Poll: Americans find little to like in Washington n AP, Washington Americans are finding little they like about President Barack Obama or either political party, according to a new poll that suggests the possibility of a “throw the bums out” mentality in next year’s midterm elections.

The AP-GfK poll finds few people approve of the way the president is handling most major issues and most people say he’s not decisive, strong, honest, reasonable or inspiring.

In the midst of the government shutdown and Washington gridlock, the president is faring much better than his party, with large majorities of those surveyed finding little positive to say about Democrats.

The negatives are even higher for the Republicans across the board, with four out of five people describing the GOP as unlikeable and dishonest and not compassionate, refreshing, inspiring or innovative.

Negativity historically hurts the party in power - particularly when it occurs in the second term of a presidency - but this round seems to be hitting everyone.

More people now say they see bigger differences between the two parties than before Obama was elected, yet few like what either side is offering.

The numbers offer warning signs for every incumbent lawmaker, and if these angry sentiments stretch into next year, the 2014 elections could feel much like the 2006 and 2010 midterms when being affiliated with Washington was considered toxic by many voters. In 2006, voters booted Republicans from power in the House and Senate, and in 2010, they fired Democrats who had been controlling the House. l

said it had “arrested” the premier under orders from the public prosecutor.

But the cabinet said on its Facebook page that ministers were “unaware of immunity being lifted or of any arrest warrant” for him.

Later, the Brigade for the Fight against Crime, a police division made up of former rebels, claimed responsibility, the official LANA news agency.

The government said it suspected both groups of being behind the abduction.

The two groups fall under the control of the defence and interior ministries but largely operate autonomously. l

Few approve of Obama, Dems and GOP An AP-GfK poll shows that although fe people like President Barack Obama’s handling of major issues, he rates better than the Democratic and Republican parties. Participants were asked how well each word describes them Very/ somewhat well

President Barack Obama Likeable 49% Decisive Strong Honest Inspiring Reasonable

47 58

38

4 4 4

54 52

4

42 43

54 53

4 4

65

5

27

68

5

31

64 69

4

27 24 33

71 63

The Republican Party Likeable 16% 80 Decisive 25 71 Strong 30 66 Honest 17 79 Inspiring 13 82 Reasonable 20 76

4 5 4 4 5 5 5 5 4

NOTE: Poll of 1,227 adults; conducted Oct. 3-7, 2013; margin of error +3.4 percentage points. Percentages may not add up to 100 precent due to rounding Source: GfK Public Affairs & Corporate Communciations, AFP

Libya is deep in turmoil two years after the fall of Col Muammar Gaddafi, with its central government and nascent army struggling to control rival militias and Islamist militants who have turned the vast North African country into a safe haven.l

Inforgraph: MSS/GT/DT

The Maldives is one of the world’s most exclusive holiday destinations but it has quietly opened up to backpackers in the last five years with a reform that has upset religious hardliners.

Most visitors arrive at the country’s airport island, take a speed boat or seaplane to their expensive coral-fringed private resort and spend the next week relaxing in blissful ignorance of the country around them.

It has been this way for decades, the result of a deliberate policy of keeping the wealthy holidaymakers – mostly Westerners and often newly-weds – on uninhabited islands separate from the local Muslim population.

The Islamic Republic applies different laws for both: travellers are free to drink alcohol, eat pork, and for those not on their honeymoon, enjoy pre-marital sex. Elsewhere, Maldivian women can be flogged in public for fornication.

“Since Maldives is a Muslim country, we have always supported the idea that the tourism industry should be separate from the inhabited islands,” says Mauroof Hussain, vice president of the conservative Adhaalath Party.

Miss Universe apologises to In Venezuela, music eases India over Taj photoshoot pain of kids with cancer n AFP, New Delhi Organisers of Miss Universe extended their “deepest apologies” to India over a photo shoot at the Taj Mahal that triggered a police case and accusations that she disrespected the famed monument to love.

Reigning Miss Universe Olivia Culpo, a 21-year-old American from Rhode Island, visited the Islamic mausoleum on Sunday during a 10-day tour of India.

During her time at the World Heritage site, she posed for cameras with branded shoes and sat on the Diana Seat, a marble ledge named after the late British princess who visited in 1992.

Acting on a complaint from the site’s caretaker, police filed a case because any advertising or promotional work is banned at the site.

“The Miss Universe Organisation would like to extend its deepest apologies to the people of India for the incident involving the reigning Miss Universe,” said a statement sent to AFP late Thursday.

It said Culpo was making a video diary for fans. “As part of these videos, we sometimes incorporate sponsors into these shoots,” it said, adding the footage was not meant for commercial purposes.

“We sincerely apologise for any unintentional harm our indiscretion and insensitivity may have caused,” it added.

Indian-born fashion designer Sanjana Jon, who accompanied Miss Universe to the site, has also been booked for an alleged breach of the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act. They are likely to face a fine if found guilty, officials say. l

n AFP, Caracas Nine-year-old Victoria Alzuru looks earnest and determined and happy as she practices her violin before undergoing chemotherapy.

The girl pulls the bow across the strings and makes music – anxiety-relieving music – before she goes in for another session of treatment that has already cost her an ovary.

“It makes her forget everything,” says her 43-year-old mother Lourdes, who brings Victoria to a children’s hospital in Caracas every two weeks from their home in Los Teques in the northern state of Miranda.

The music lessons are a treat from an award-winning music program called the National System of Children’s and Youth Orchestras. In Venezuela, people just call it “El Sistema.”

It has been around for decades, working to rescue children from poverty and street crime through music education.

And in recent years it has expanded into hospitals, detention centers, shelters and remote settlements for indigenous people.

In downtown Caracas, the state-run Hospital JM de los Rios is the first to go musical with El Sistema.

Children receive classes while they are hospitalized or undergoing chemotherapy. They attend concerts or are lent instruments to play during their long periods of convalescence.

“Children learn very fast, especially those that are hospitalized, because they are here all day and have nothing

Mosque and school spark new feud between Turkey and Greece n AFP, Athens Greece and Turkey, which share a history marred by bitter territorial disputes and Christian-Muslim feuds, are at loggerheads once again over religion.

The latest row erupted after Greece flatly rejected the idea of reviving two Muslim mosques in Athens in return for the reopening of an Orthodox clergy school in Turkey.

Mosques have been a thorny issue for a long time in Greece, where the population is predominantly Greek Orthodox. Athens is one of the few European capitals without an official mosque.

The Halki seminary has also been a subject of controversy. The Orthodox clergy used to train in the school located on an island off Istanbul but it was closed in 1971, after Turkey fell out with Greece over Cyprus.

Turkey, a country where Muslims make up 99% of the population, recently decided to give back to the seminary lands that had been seized in 1943, but there was no talk of reopening.

“While we return something, we have the right to expect the return of other things,” said Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who said

he wanted two mosques revived in exchange for the seminary.

“Greece’s position on the subject (the re-opening of the seminary) is clear, (it is) in accordance with international law and has been expressed on numerous occasions,” Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos said earlier this week.

Any further public discussion on the matter would be “counter productive,” Venizelos said when asked to comment on Erdogan’s suggestion.

Erdogan also wants Greece’s Muslims to be able to elect their own Mufti (religious leader), something that the Greek government is currently in charge of.

Greece is home to around 500,000 Muslims - many of them undocumented migrants – including a community of over 100,000 Greek citizens of Turkish origin in the country’s northeast.

A staunchly Orthodox state with bitter memories of nearly four centuries of Ottoman Turkish rule, Greece currently offers sanctioned Muslim religious sites only near its northeastern border with Turkey.

The issue of mosques in Greece started popping up shortly after 2000, as the 2004 Athens Olympics were looming up. l

Culture war as the Maldives opens up to backpackers n AFP, Male

41 44

The Democratic Party Likeable 30% Decisive Strong Honest Inspiring Reasonable

Refused/ not answered

Slightly/not at all well

The bomb exploded a day after Libya’s Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was briefly abducted by a group of former rebels

9

Saturday, October 12, 2013

else to do: they can just pass the time or they can learn something,” said Marlon Franco, a musician and driving force behind the program.

Victoria’s face is pallid. She wears a colorful cap to hide her hair loss. She giggles as she plays the violin, and is part of a quartet with other kids who play the maracas, the mandolin and a ‘cuatro,’ a Venezuelan stringed instrument for playing folk music.

“I also want to learn to sing,” Victoria tells one of her teachers.

Music for cheering up and enduring “Music and all arts in general help the child have a much more positive outlook. It helps them relax and more readily accept treatment against leukemia, for instance,” said Susana Pachano, a doctor who heads the hematology department.

Near her, children in bed with cancer-fighting chemicals dripping into their veins listen to a waltz played with a violin, maracas and a double bass.

“It cheers up the unpleasantness of the chemotherapy, the transfusions. It helps the children and their families,” Pachano adds.

In the waiting room, a young orchestra director who came out of El Sistema, Dietrich Paredes, chats encouragingly with two kids who are about to strum ‘cuatros’ with other musicians.

“Keep fighting. We are proud of you,” he tells them. Then the music starts: two mandolins, some maracas, a violin and a double bass. Parents and relatives look on, their faces a mix of hope and sadness. l

“If the hippy-type of travellers come, along will come drugs and narcotics which even now our society is suffering from,” says Hussain, whose party has been a minority partner in successive governments since 2008.

While the archipelago is still far from the hippy trail, the sight of backpackers wandering around Male and the nearby island of Maafushi is growing thanks to a new policy to attract budget travellers.

“Things like nudity are not acceptable in a place where people are living,” adds Mauroof. “The people complain that they are praying in the mosque and just outside there are tourists in bikinis.”

Since a reform under the country’s first democratically-elected president Mohamed Nasheed in 2009, Maldivians have been allowed to open their own guesthouses on populated islands.

While fundamentalist interpretations of Islam imported from the Gulf and Pakistan are progressively taking root in the Maldives, Mauroof’s views lie far outside the mainstream and are ridiculed by many.

What started as a trickle of guesthouses has become a torrent with en-

trepreneurs like 25-year-old Ibrahim Mohamed converting properties and profiting from what is the islands’ biggest business and foreign exchange earner.

“Maldivians are very welcoming people. It wasn’t Maldivians that wanted separation, it was the government and a few businessmen saying that they should be isolated,” Mohamed told AFP. “The Maldives can’t hide from the world anymore.”

His three-roomed Sundhara Palace located on a busy street of the cramped capital Male opened at the beginning of September, offering basic en-suite accommodation for $30 a night.

The cheapest resorts are usually about 10 times this, with prices stretching up to several thousand dollars a night – with expensively priced food and drink on top.

Mohamed stresses that the guesthouse policy is also “a good system to get money to the people instead of to wealthy businessmen.”

A handful of well-connected resort owners who prospered under the 30-year autocratic rule of strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom continue to control the Maldives economy and are active in politics.l

HEALTH WISE Falls tied to post-operation complications in older people

n Reuters The number of falls older people take before surgery may help predict their health during recovery, says a new study.

Researchers found that older people who reported falling during the six months before heart or bowel surgery had more complications than people who reported no falls.

“It’s one more marker for older adults that lets us see who is going to do poorly after an operation,” Dr Thomas Robinson, the study’s lead author, said.

Falls are not necessarily the reason people do poorly after surgery, he cautioned.

Instead, falls represent how frail an older person is, said Robinson, an associate professor of surgery at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora.

“When we talk about falling and we talk about older adults falling, these are people who are doing their normal activities of daily living and they fall to the ground,” he said.

Current tools for estimating how well a person will fare during recovery are not specific for an older population, Robinson’s team writes, so predictive signs are helpful.

For the new study, the researchers compared the recoveries of 78 people who reported a fall within the six months before a heart and bowel surgery to 157 people who reported no falls.

All were patients at the Denver Veterans Affairs Medical Center between January 2006 and October 2010. They were mostly male and all were 65 years old or older.

Researchers found that 59% of the people who fell before bowel surgery experienced complications afterward, compared to 25% of patients who hadn’t fallen.

Among those who reported falls before heart surgery, 39% had later complications, compared to 15% of patients with no reported falls.

Post-surgery complications included heart attacks, pneumonia, strokes, comas, infections and blood clots.

Those who fell were also more likely to end up coming back to the hospitals within 30 days of being released, and to end up in a rehab center or nursing home.

Estimating recovery risks has many benefits, Robinson said.

Patients and families can know what to expect during recovery, such as whether they’ll need to go to a nursing or rehab center. It may also convince doctors, patients and families to choose a different treatment.

“If you are a patient who is at a low risk of complication, you might opt for surgery,” said Dr. Emily Finlayson, an assistant professor of surgery and health policy at the University of California, San Francisco.

On the other hand, people who are at a high risk of complication may opt for medications or other treatments besides surgery, said Finlayson, who wasn’t involved in the new study.

Robinson said his team is currently studying whether it’s possible to improve a person’s frailty through physical activity before an operation.

10 DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

The emperor’s new clothes?

T

he arrest warrant against a National University teacher, for posting an unflattering Facebook status about the PM and her son, is a preposterous mis-application of laws that were designed to safeguard the veracity of publicly available information.

It also takes our leaders’ inabilities to tolerate ridicule to unacceptable levels.

Not only is this a violation of the teacher’s fundamental right to express his thoughts and feelings on a personal platform, it is a threat to every individual in the country who might happen to have an opinion that contradicts the government-approved one.

Moves like these It is precisely for reaill-suit a democratic sons like these that the republic and belong recently enhanced ICT in kingdoms where law is viewed with alarm speaking against as it can easily become the monarch is a a serious impediment to our freedoms of thought punishable offence and speech – freedoms that Bangladeshis are not willing to surrender quite so easily.

The warrant raises other questions as well – why and how can it be seditious or detrimental to the national interest to undermine the prime minister, much less her son, who is still just a private citizen?

Moves like these ill-suit a democratic republic and belong in kingdoms where speaking against the monarch is a punishable offence. Unless our leaders are trying to suggest they are unnaturally elevated and beyond the reproach of citizens who they are in fact, completely answerable to, they should discourage this from happening again in the future.

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Sundarbans must be saved at any cost October 8

Our heartfelt gratitude to the National Committee. To protect our oil, gas, mineral resources, power, and in part for their endeavour to save Sundarbans, they arranged a long march to Rampal in protest of the government’s plan to set up a coal-fired power plant near the world’s largest mangrove forest and to thus destroy our heritage once and for all, because it would be impossible to bring back the Sundarbans to its original state.

An independent Environmental Impact Assessment report prepared by Dr Abdullah Harun, Professor of Environmental Discipline of Khulna University revealed that most impacts of coal-fired power plants are “negative and irreversible, which cannot be mitigated in any way.” The researcher believes that the selected area is not suitable for any type of coal-based power plant.

What an unfortunate nation we are! The government is supposed to look after the welfare of the country and its people but is least bothered about it. So, sixteen crore people of Bangladesh must come together and compel the government to abandon the plan of setting up the power plant at Rampal. They must not give up until the goal is achieved.

Nur Jahan Chittagong

Girl riding a motorbike October 5

Tehreen Islam And they still can’t take their eyes off the girl who is on a bike. Ridiculous!

Pakistan woman stoned to death for owning cell phone October 5

horrified This is barbaric and unfortunately done by people who can’t read and don’t know any better, and their sick leaders who can read and want to abuse women. hazrat.mahdi.alayhissalam Verily they are those who’ve chosen to be pawns of a biggest sin, which throws Islam from its exalted state to an unfair, primitive, dirty, unmerciful bloody scene; for this they will receive their punishment. Maybe they have yet time for tawba but forever.

Allah did not give any permission or order to harm anyone. Everyone is son of Adam, everyone is son of Abraham.

Waliul Haque Khondker A few questions beget answers. Are these tribal courts covered under the constitution of Pakistan? Do these courts function under auspices of the federal supreme court of Pakistan? Do these laws exist in the penal code of Pakistan?

Answers to all these, most probably will be no!

Then this act is a cold blooded murder of an innocent woman. And the perpetrators must be brought to justice.

The Holy Quran in this regard very specifically says that the killing of an innocent person is as though the entire humanity has been killed.

Mohammed Abdullah Maybe the fact that there was a camera man taking her picture had something to do with it? Or maybe it was the fact that she is riding a bike (still a rare thing in BD – women riding bikes) for which they are in awe. Then again, I’m a simple-minded person, so I could be wrong.

Siam Ashraful Tehreen and Abdullah: Hahahahaha nice comments.

Nothing to say, both of you are right. Those are the reasons behind the photo.

Dopor Bela Tehreen: The fact that a woman is riding a bike is a rare case. Think and be positive!!

Be Heard

Faruq She’s wearing a helmet. Proud of her.

Dhaka Tribune

Rubaiya Ahmad What a great photo! Who is the photographer?

Fix the energy shortage

Quazi Monirul Islam Manik Good advertisement for the bike. :) Rashna Ali Yaay, she rides a bike. How awesome!

T

he energy shortage in the country is costing our economy dearly. The crisis in affordable gas and power, combined with the current political instability, is taking a toll on our manufacturing sector and holding back our economic growth.

At present there is a demand for gas of about 3,000 million cubic feet per day, while only 2,300 million are being produced. The government must immediately address the problem of the gas crisis as it is one of our most affordable energy sources.

The dismal facts show the damage to our econThe government omy: The manufacturing must stop its petty sector has seen a reducpolitical fights and tion as a percentage of the focus on providing total GDP in the last fiscal clean, sustainable and year. Textile, leather, jute affordable energy and pharmaceuticals have issue all seen a drop in machinery imports. Smaller and medium-sized businesses end up suffering the most as they cannot afford to switch to energy alternatives, such as diesel.

Many industrial units have simply halted due to the lack of affordable energy, and growth has slowed down for others. Currently, our output is nowhere near our potential.

Output across all industries has seen a sharp decline.

Everything from glass to industrial chemicals to electronic goods has shown a slowdown in growth. Smallscale industries such as footwear and leather products have experienced negative growth.

This is an outrage and it simply cannot go on. The government must stop its petty political fights and focus on providing clean, sustainable and affordable energy. If it fails to do so, we may be headed towards an economic disaster.

CROSSWORD

Waziuddin Chowdhury Ask any girl about what makes her feel uncomfortable in Bangladesh and you don’t have to be on a bike sporting hot pink clothing and helmet. The answer invariably is: “the way they stare at you!”

DOWN 2 Employed (5) 3 Period of time (3) 4 Digits (7) 6 Gone by (4) 7 Prayer (6) 8 Perfect score (3) 9 Snow runners (4) 15 First (7) 17 Sophisticated (6) 19 Lazy person (5) 20 Sport (4) 22 Augury (4) 23 Small spot (3) 25 Mineral spring (3)

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Ziaul Haque Yes, yes, a girl riding a bike. What an alien concept!

What a thing to stare at!!

Email us at: letters@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion@dhakatribune.com

Kazi Ahmed Everybody is looking at the alien. Come on, get a life!

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HaQue TaSnim TaBassum Hats off to the girl!

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CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

CODE-CRACKER ACROSS 1 Head cook (4) 5 Blemish (4) 10 Part of the eye (4) 11 Land measure (3) 12Mohammedan Scriptures (5) 13 Transgression (3) 14 Presents (5) 16 Unexpected (6) 18 Division of Yorkshire (6) 21 Brag (5) 23 Horse’s mother (3) 24 Mohammedanism (5) 26 United (3) 27 Sleeveless garment (4) 28 Look after (4) 29 Bird (4)

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

Saturday, October 12, 2013

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US arms halt to Egypt largely symbolic n Jay Deshmukh

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The mangrove forest protects us from natural calamities

WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Don’t destroy the Sundarbans

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n Asif Reza Akash uthorities all over the world are continuously justifying their wrongdoings in the name of the greater good. This time, the Sundarbans has become the victim of that notion.

The mangrove forest is about to be sacrificed in the name of the greater good but at a price that we cannot afford. It was not long ago that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina strongly accused developed countries for their contribution to global warming and urged them to compensate the sufferers, ie developing countries like Bangladesh, but now she has signed the death verdict on the Sundarbans.

The human race has been honoured with the highest dignity not just because of its independent thinking but for its ability to take care of wildlife, nature and the environment.

But the intentional destruction of the Sundarbans is not only a suicidal move, it is also a violation of natural laws. It will make Bangladesh more vulnerable than we can imagine.

The Sundarbans, shared by Bangladesh and India, and the largest mangrove forest in the world, is an enclosure for the coastal areas and gives the country protection from major natural calamities, such as past hurricanes like Sidr and Aila.

It is enriched with huge natural resources and is a safe-house of diverse wildlife. Most importantly, it is a natu-

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ral holder of the ecological balance and our ecosystem. It provides livelihood to a great number of local inhabitants.

In spite of all this, the government is advancing to install a coal-based thermal power plant of 1,320 MW capacity which will occupy almost 768 hectares of land and is barely 9km away from the Sundarbans.

Though, the government is considering this as a safe distance, the partner of this project, India, has passed its own law where they are not allowed to install such plants within the 25km radius of forests in their territory.

The water of the rivers will be contaminated. The climate, topography, faunal and floral diversity will be destroyed. Allegedly, the materials which will be used in the plant contain hazardous chemicals such as sulphur, carbon dioxide, cadmium, radium, arsenic, lead, mercury and nickel.

These toxic chemicals could affect the health of the inhabitants, even those living in government-certified safe areas. According to rough estimations, this plant will immediately displace about 5,000 families from their land.

As a lower riparian country and with low lands, we are vulnerable to coastal floods, cyclones and hurricanes. Without the Sundarbans our people cannot survive

Ironically, they are doing just that in our homeland and our government is acting like our resources belong to India, not to us.

If this plant is installed, a huge amount of coal will be transported through the Possur River. The noise pollution and other waste produced from the plant will damage the biodiversity substantially.

The fish in the confluence of the rivers will face extinction. The area will become uninhabitable, and the air will be so polluted that no living creature will be able to breathe there.

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A large number of forest-dependent poor people like honey-collectors and fishermen will get unemployed. The Sundarbans is a tourist attraction, a sector which will take a hit once the project starts.

Many studies have already been done by different think-tanks, researchers and journalists but no one could credibly claim that the benefit of this plant will outweigh the costs.

It is true that our demand will increase day by day, but that does not mean that we should destroy all our natural treasures just to satiate our

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demands. There are many other viable options to produce energy.

Solar power, windmills and biogas are options. The Sundarbans are unique and irreplaceable. As a lower riparian country and with low lands, we are vulnerable to coastal floods, cyclones and hurricanes. Without the Sundarbans our people cannot survive.

We Bangladeshis are very good at seeing the near future and short-term benefits which cause us to lag behind other nations. It is high time we gained some wisdom. We must act before it is too late.

Protesters of the initiative have been labelled “impractical” and “anti-development” by ministers and government advisers.

Other than the Hasina administration, not a single person has supported the idea of generating power at the cost of the destruction of the Sundarbans. This project will bring no benefit to our unborn generations, and the Sundarbans is not just an asset of Bangladesh, it belongs to the world.

It is a world heritage site and the home of the world-famous endangered Royal Bengal Tiger. I implore all Bangladeshis as well as the world community to not turn a blind eye on this issue, but to listen to their conscience.

This is a time of moral crisis. l Asif Reza Akash is pursuing a BBA from the Department of Accounting and Information Systems, University of Dhaka.

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y suspending military aid to Egypt, Washington is pressing Cairo to end the bloodshed on the streets but its largely “symbolic” act is unlikely to have a concrete impact, analysts say.

They say the “half-measured” move reflects the lack of a clear US foreign policy on Egypt, where a political crisis since strongman Hosni Mubarak was toppled in 2011 has worsened after the July 3 ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

On Wednesday, Washington suspended deliveries of major military hardware and cash assistance of $260m to the Egyptian military, which ousted Morsi in a coup.

The decision will stop deliveries of big-ticket items such as Apache helicopters, F-16 fighters, M1A1 Abrams tank parts and Harpoon missiles.

Washington says the suspension will remain in place until Egypt moves towards an elected and “inclusive” democratic civilian government.

“The political impact of this decision is more important than the material impact on the ground,” said Hassan Nafaa, professor of political science at Cairo University.

“By postponing the military aid, the US administration is putting pressure on the Egyptian administration to change its policy (towards supporters of Morsi) but that will not happen.”

Islamists and members of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood have been the target of a brutal government campaign since a deadly August 14 assault by security forces on two pro-Morsi protest camps in Cairo.

More than 1,000 people have been killed across Egypt since then, and over 2,000 Islamists have been detained.

Morsi too has been held at an unknown location since his ouster.

Washington has repeatedly called for an end to the bloodshed that has rocked Egypt since Morsi’s ouster, as his supporters, who reject the new military-installed interim government, regularly clash with security forces.

‘By postponing the military aid, the US administration is putting pressure on the Egyptian administration to change its policy (towards supporters of Morsi) but that will not happen’ On Sunday, at least 57 people were killed, most of them in Cairo, when Morsi’s Islamist supporters battled security forces.

Days after the August 14 crackdown, US President Barack Obama said that “our traditional cooperation cannot continue as usual when civilians are being killed in the streets.”

Obama had ordered his national security team to review the total $1.5bn in annual US aid to Egypt.

Egypt said it would not succumb to the latest US move which came as an Egyptian court set November 4 for the

start of Morsi’s trial for inciting the murder of protesters outside his presidential palace last December.

“It is a flawed decision in terms of content and timing and raises serious questions over the United States’ readiness to provide strategic support to Egypt’s security programmes,” Egypt’s foreign ministry said.

Egypt, traditionally a key US ally in the Arab world, said it “will continue to take decisions regarding its domestic affairs with full independence and without foreign pressure.”

For analysts, Washington’s decision is the latest example of a short-sighted policy towards Egypt with no significant impact US Secretary of State John Kerry tried to appease Egypt on Thursday, saying Washington’s move was not a “withdrawal from our relationship” with Cairo or “severing of our serious commitment to helping the government” on the transition to democracy.

For analysts, Washington’s decision is the latest example of a short-sighted policy towards Egypt with no significant impact.

“This is a short-term measure divorced from any broad strategy. There is no need to read much into it. But the fact is that this US adminstration lacks a clear foreign policy,” Shadi Hamed, director of research at Brookings Doha Center, told AFP. He said that the decision would not force Egypt’s military to look elsewhere for its future arms needs as “you can’t overnight overhaul your military systems.”

“But what it shows is that this symbolic move is adopted by a cautious US administration which has no bold measures for the Middle East. It leaves a lot of questions unanswered,” Hamed added.

Hisham Kassem, an independent political analyst, said Washington’s decision also showed that the United States was concerned only about Israel’s security.

“Washington is sending a message that Obama is only bothered about Israel’s security and not of Egypt,” he said.

Kassem referred to the fact that the United States will continue to offer Cairo assistance aimed at securing Egypt’s borders and for bolstering “counter-terrorism, proliferation, and security in Sinai,” which neighbours Israel and Gaza.

The 1978 Camp David peace accords between Israel and Egypt have until now been a cornerstone of Washington’s military aid to Egypt.

Israel had reportedly asked Washington to maintain military aid to Egypt.

“What we are seeing is a fickle shortterm policy initiative. A time will come when the Americans would have to find a back door for the position they took on Egypt,” said Kassem. l This article was syndicated from AFP.

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Try continued governance n Matthew Islam

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emocracy, as many experts would suggest, is an ongoing experiment in governance - that which morphs and improves with a lot of time. No matter how small the change, often there is a quantitative and qualitative upward trend in most democracies over time which we often do not realise.

“Our democracy is an infant one” many experts go on to suggest. I agree with them. As a people we are demanding. The real problem is that we have a lot of tolerance and the shortest political memory known to mankind.

This leads us in big numbers to keep changing governments every five years, partly to avenge our complaints with the incumbent and partly stemming from the belief that change is truly just beyond the cusp of every switchover.

Unfortunately, in our short stint as a democratic nation until the events that followed 1/11, we have seen firsthand that that is not true. Regardless of the party in power, it’s always been business as usual.

Post-2008, however, just by glancing at the election manifestos placed in front of us by both parties, we knew that the events prior had contributed to a hard rethinking of governance policies and visions.

BNP’s manifesto sunk by election time as it was burdened with the weight of failures during their immediate regime and AL had a clear path and meant to propose a different future that looked attractive and fresh to the people.

AL’s victory proved that their manifesto amongst other factors had true national appeal. Fast forward five years, we have a lot of people still grumbling about government and considering another change not-

By no means am I suggesting that the AL government has delivered on all its promises or performed even close to a universally acceptable standard but they have delivered on a lot of vital issues that the nation deeply needed urgent work on and to me understanding the nature of our politics, people and the system, had I voted for AL in the past election (I voted No because I wanted real change) then I would be inclined to consider voting them again in the upcoming elections.

The real problem is that we have a lot of tolerance and the shortest political memory known to mankind

withstanding that unlike all previous governments and their promises, a lot of progress has been made on the 2008 manifesto commitments.

It is a fact that a lot has been achieved. Yes, hard targets haven’t been fully met on a majority of those manifesto points and some positions even reversed like that of caretaker government reform but overall, positive progress has been made on many vital substantive issues.

Is there more to do? Of course there is. Are there legitimate concerns?

Yes, Rampal, Rooppur, human rights, inter-party violence, ICT provisions come to mind.

I strongly believe it is time for us to start a new experiment. This, within the prevailing status quo we already have in place. In the absence of new leadership and the unlikely appearance of a viable third party with a legitimate agenda, I suggest we try a

new tact with what we have.

It is less revolutionary and more evolutionary in nature. I strongly urge all the readers of this op-ed to consider a state of continued governance. It’s benefitted the US and India to name a few.

We always vote the incumbent government out of power and all development stops for a considered revision by way of partisan readjustment and alignment. It’s damaging and a waste of our limited resources.

Then we witness the political revenge game post-elections and we find ourselves not concentrating on what’s important ie continued development by taking forward the achievements of the previous government.

We repeatedly stunt our own growth. The first year of any new government is crucial and we can’t risk resetting the progress counter to a zero to start all over again when we have so much work already done and so much in the pipeline left to do.

So why not give the incumbent another chance? What could we end up losing that we haven’t lost over our limited time as a democracy? How bad could it possibly get?

Therefore, I am likely to vote AL, if not solely based on the memory of the previous BNP performance and the absence of a No Vote on the ballot this time, then to at least try the experi-

Stay on the same track, or break away? ment of continued governance with a steady agenda.

If all else fails, we always have 2021 to make our feelings amply known.

In democratic politics nothing lasts in perpetuity and therefore there is no harm in trying something different. To not do so would be foolish. l Matthew Islam is a Barrister-at-Law, a textile businessman and a columnist at the Dhaka Tribune. He can be contacted on twitter via @matthewislam.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Saturday, October 12, 2013

to premier Orchestra performance at BSA Aranyak Swapnopothik today mesmerises audience at BSA n Entertainment Desk Aranyak is to premier their new production Swapnopothik today at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy at 7pm in the presence of invited guests and the press. Yesterday at the same premises, a technical rehearsal of the play took place.

The plot of the play is based on the tragic accident of the Rana Plaza fiasco and is written by Harun Rashid and directed by Mamunur Rashid. The light design of the production is by Thandu Raihan, set designing is done by Foyez

Performance of Sunny Jubayer and his team

SADIA MARIUM

n Afrose Jahan Chaity Musical productions by renowned classical music directors premiered at the National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on Thursday and have received applaud from the audience present at the event.

Five new musical compositions by Sunil Chandra Das, Rezwan Ali, Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Sunny Jubayer, Dr Saim Rana and Iftekhar Anwar were performed at the programme with dazzling dexterity that left the audience mesmerised.

“Touch of Music” by Sunil Chandra Das, “Saw of Sun to Nature” by Rezwan Ali, “Flying Birds” by Mohammad Moniruzzaman, “Colour’s Changing Hue”

by Sauny Jubayer and “Delight of hunting and Tears of Midnight” by Dr Saim Rana and Iftekhar Anwar was performed one after the other consecutively.

“Touch of Music” represented the natural tones that were a part of music from its very beginning. The

TODAY IN DHAKA Theatre Debi Bohubochon Time: 7pm Experimental Theatre Hall Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Deep Natyatirtha Time: 7pm Studio Theatre Hall Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

Exhibition Solo painting exhibition By late Sohrab Khan Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Art Lounge House 60, Road 31 Gulshan 1 Solo painting exhibition

By Shahabuddin Ahmed Time: 10am-7pm Gallery Chitrak Road 7, Dhanmondi Group exhibition Unity of Souls Time: 10am – 8pm Athena Gallery of Fine Arts A Heights, Cha-72/1/D, Progati Shoroni Soaked Dream

By Firoz Mahmud Time: 11am – 6pm Goethe Institut Bangladesh, Road 9(new) House 10, Dhanmondi R/A

Film Titanic (3D) Nishwartha Bhalobasa Monsters University in 3D Star Cineplex, Bashundhara City

performance was carried out using an array of musical instruments such as violins, sitar, flute, table, keyboard, percussion, harmonium and octopod that honed a melodious tune which left its impression long time after the performance was over.

“Saw of Sun to Nature” by Rezwan Ali represented the effects of sun on nature and its relationship with time. They captivated the audience by their marvelous synchronisation. More life was brought about in the musical piece by the use of lights.

The following performance “Flying Birds” by Mohammad Moniruzzaman symbolised the happiness of feeling free as birds. They started with the sound of birds chirping. The performance was as relaxing as its name.

The next performance by Sunny Jubayer was “Colour’s Changing Hue,” that was a musical presentation of the colours of nature, how it changes with time and its relationship between feelings and colours. The presentation lacked the oomph it promised.

Sunil Chandra Das and his team

SADIA MARIUM

The last performance of the show was by Dr Saim Rana and Iftekhar Anwar and it was divided into two parts “Delight of Hunting” and “Tears of Midnight.” The first bit presented the joyfulness of hunting. The synchronisation of the use of different musical instruments was noteworthy and was appreciated by the audience.

Nahiyan Kabya was the youngest performer of the evening and he went in head to head with the much more experienced performers without losing a beat.

The second part of the musical piece was also a flawless showcasing of musical mastery at its best.

All the pieces have been produced as part of BSA’s huge project “Deshojo Sangskritir Bikash O Antorjatik Sangskritir Shathe Melbondhon,” (for the prosperity of native culture and its blending with global culture). Eminent artist Mostafa Monwar was the chief guest of the evening. Director of Music and Dance department of BSA, Sohrab Uddin gave a welcome speech, while Director General of BSA, Liakat Ali Lucky presided over the programme. l

Aranyak members rehearsing their latest production Swapnopothik

Pentagon celebrates 20th anniversary n Limana Solaiman

Popular rock - reggae band Pentagon is celebrating their 20th anniversary today at Cafe33. The band members are in a festive mood and the celebration will be a reunion ground for well known musical bands and popular musicians who supported and encouraged Pentagon in their long journey. All the previous members of the band will be present at the event.

Dhaka Tribune caught up with Mohammad Ali Sumon and Ishraque Husain Anita, the vocalists of the band, to talk about their 20 years’ journey.

Tell us the story of forming the band.

Mohammad Ali Sumon: Pentagon was formed back in 1993 with Shouquat Ali Imon, Ranjan, Shelly and Babu. After leaving two of the most famous bands of 90’s, Winning and Chime, Ranjan and I felt a profound desire to get back to the music arena.

Soon we got hold of three other talented musicians. Imon, who had left Chime, Babu and Shelly, who had quit Winning. So once approached, we received a good response from them.

We got together on the 13th of October 1993, named the band Pentagon.

What is the secret behind the longevity of the group?

Mohammad Ali Sumon: I am the only member from our original lineup as everyone got busy with their personal lives and moved on. I never gave up, I kept on pushing to keep the legacy alive. Although the lineup changed several times over the years, I did not lose heart but took every change positively.

I am grateful as I got to work with several talented musicians of the country such as Anan (keys), Tipu (percus-

Band members of Pentagon sions), Jibon (acoustic drums), Mahbub (keys), Balam (guitar & back up vocal), Mobin (bass), Kazi Faisal Ahmed (guitar), Shams Mansoor Ghani (keys), Alif Alauddin (vocal), Farshid Alam Aumi (vocal & harmony), Mehedi Faruq (keys), Masum Hossain (keys), Masum Wahidur Rahman (guitar), Rajib Hossain (guitar), Shafkat Ahmed Dipto (guitar) and Tanim (guitar), who were all a part of Pentagon in its extensive journey.

Pentagon was formed in 1993 and the first album came out in 2002. What was the reason behind this delay?

We were busy with performances, we got quite popular among the foreigners and performed in many international clubs. We released our first album with the title “Shei Ami” in 2002.

The next album came out in 2009 titled “Eight O’ Clock.” The reason behind this delay is that we got busy with performances, also the lineup of the

Bollywood classic Sholay’s 3D release pushed back to 2014 n Entertainment Desk The 3D version of the 1975 Bollywood classic “Sholay,” which was slated to release on megastar Amitabh Bachchan’s 71st birthday Friday, is now likely to release in January 2014. The makers wanted a “four-week window” for the film.

“We have requested cinemas to give us a four-week window. So, we are currently in talks with cinemas for a date in January,” said Jayantilal Gada, who is the presenter of the film.

The film is very significant for the makers, who have spent three years on the 3D project.

“It’s an old film. We don’t want to rush to cinemas for a one-week window because this is not like a ‘Chennai Express’ or any new film which gets a big opening,” Gada added.

“Sholay,” directed by Ramesh Sippy, is a landmark film in Indian cinema. It featured Dharmendra as Veeru, Amitabh as his friend Jai, Hema Malini, who played the effervescent Basanti and the late Amjad Khan, who played iconic villain Gabbar Singh. l

band changed once again.

When are you planning to release your next album?

We are not planning on releasing any more albums, we will release singles, quality songs that the audience will appreciate.

Tell us about your journey with Pentagon.

Mohammad Ali Sumon: It is a long journey filled with bittersweet memories, strong emotions, laughter, sorrow, anger, to sum it up, it is an unforgettable journey. It was a struggle that I met with gusto and here we are today, 20 years and still running. Our current lineup is very strong in my opinion and is comprised with myself (vocal & guitar), Morshed Khan (bass), Shamim Ibrahim (acoustic drums), Tahsir Maqsoom (keys), Ishraque Husain Anita (vocal & high part percussion) and AA

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Zahir and renowned dancer Warda Rihab, who is the director of Driti Natyanalaya, is in charge of the choreography.

The cast of the production is comprised of popular theatre activists Mamunur Rashid, Momena Chowdhury, Tamalika Karmaker, Arif Ahmed Apel, Abu Hasib Masuduzzaman, Chitra Chobi, Shaju, Kamrul, Monir Zaman and almost fifty more actors of the Aranyak group will act in the massive production that tells a heartbreaking tale of the incident that brought devastation and loss upon thousands of life. l

Mahmood Lonnie (guitarist & back up vocal).

Ishraque Hussain Anita: I joined Pentagon in the later part of 2009 and so far it has been a great experience. I am the youngest member of the band, but everyone is very affectionate towards me and is respectful of my opinion. It gave me the opportunity to evolve as a singer and explore territories that are new to me.

War comedy starring Soha Ali Khan released n Entertainment Desk Soha Ali Khan and Sharman Joshi’s war comedy “War Chhod Na Yaar” helmed by debutant director Faraz Haider released yesterday.

Touted to be India’a first war comedy “War Chod Na Yaar” is a satirical but thought-provoking film on the concept of war. The film has been low on promotions however it has made its presence felt.

In “War Chhod Na Yaar,” Faraz has delved into many layers of comedy situational, spoofy, slapstick, tonguein-cheek, and even over-the-top.

An apparently different storyline is the film’s USP. Now, with Ranbir Kapoor’s “Besharam” bombing at the box office the film hopes to hit a bullseye.

In, “War Chhod Na Yaar,” Soha plays a war correspondent. The actress was last seen in “Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns” in March last year. l

What is the most memorable experience of the band?

Mohammad Ali Sumon: There are so many, but I will share the one I enjoyed the most. It was back in 2004, Pentagon was invited by Tara Bangla channel who wanted to promote Bangladeshi music in a joint collaboration with MTV. In Mumbai, we had ten music videos shot from our first album, which are still being aired on Tara Bangla channel under MTV logo. l

Akshay’s movie Boss enters Guiness Book n Entertainment Desk We all know that the “khiladi” of Bollywood is popular, but his fan club Team Akshay proves just how popular he is by entering his movie boss into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” held the Guinness World Record for being the largest poster in the world. Akshay Kumar’s upcoming film Boss breaks the record.

The actor’s fan club, Team Akshay, put together logistics into place and made the special poster of Boss aiming to make it the largest poster in the world. The poster was completed in four months.

The largest poster in the world was unveiled at Little Gransden Airfield, Little Gransden, UK, on October 03, 2013. Macro Arts (UK) did the manufacturing of the poster. Incidentally, Macro Arts is the same company that made Michael Jackson’s poster. l

Did you know?

The teams to have conceded the fewest goals in the top five European leagues this season so far are Roma (1), Southampton (2) & Bayern Munich (3)

Sport

Saturday, October 12, 2013

14 Germany’s Gunner 14 Don’t expect too Ozil loving the much from jet-lagged London life Brazil, says Scolari

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Federer still greatest of all time, says Laver

Mominul’s day at the ZACS Uddin Khan n Minhaz from Chittagong Bangladesh finished day three of the first Test at Chittagong’s Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium (ZACS) yesterday at 380/7, on the back of a brilliant maiden hundred from Mominul Haque. The home side are 69 runs behind New Zealand’s first innings total.

It was Mominul’s day as the lefthander hammered the ball to all corners of the ZACS. His final score of 181 was studded with no less than 27 boundaries and came off just 274 deliveries.

Mominul and debutant Marshal Ayub began the day with the score at 103/2 and left hander carried on from where he had left of the previous day as he charged the slow bowlers and looked to dominate proceedings. Striking five fours from the first 27 balls he faced in the day, Mominul moved to his hundred quickly though not without playing a few edgy shots.

Marshal looked shaky from the start on a pitch that continued to play as true

as it had in the two previous days. He faced 109 balls for his 25 before Corey Anderson had him caught to break a 126 run partnership for the third wicket.

This brought Shakib Al Hasan to the crease and in the course of making 19, the all-rounder crossed the 2,000 run mark. After his dismissal, captain Mushfiqur Rahim shared a 121 run partnership with Mominul, who slowed down considerably after reaching his century.

He was eventually out for 181 – the third highest score by a Bangladeshi following Mushfiq’s 200 and Mohammad Ashraful’s 190 – LBW to Corey Anderson, and Mushfiq followed soon afterwards for 67.

It was left to Nasir Hossain to marshal the tail and he added 70 for the seventh wicket with Sohag Gazi, but the star batsman was out just four overs before close of play, caught at mid-on from a wild swing. Sohag remained unbeaten with 28 to his name at stumps and the other not out batsman was veteran spinner Abdur Razzak. For the Kiwi bowlers, it was a hard day’s work on a lifeless pitch. Seamers Doug Bracewell and Anderson have two wickets apiece. l

Highest Individual Test Scores for Bangladesh

Bangladesh batsman Mominul Haque celebrates his maiden century during their 1st Test against New Zealand at ZACS yesterday

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Disappointed to miss double: Mominul Uddin Khan n Minhaz from Chittagong Bangladesh were on the back foot after losing two early wickets after New Zealand made 469 in the first innings of the first Test at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, but a heroic performance from top order batsman Mominul Haque and solid support from captain Mushfiqur Rahim, the Tigers were able to recover as they ended day three 89 runs behind the tourists with three wickets in hand.

Mominul’s 181 is the third highest by a Bangladeshi player in the Test arena and not only did it save his team blushes, but set up a situation where the Tigers remain on an even footing.

Mominul came to the middle in the fourth over of the innings with the scoreboard reading eight for two, Bangladesh 461 runs behind. There were other pressures on the 22-year old as

well as he had yet to cement his place in the side and with Naeem Islam waiting in the wings, a failure could have resulted in left-hander losing his place in the next Test.

Responding to the situation with equal parts determination and brilliance, Mominul carved into the New Zealand bowlers. In the 92 minutes he spent in the middle on the second day, Mominul crashed 77 runs and his fifty came up in just 36 balls. The following day, he began in similar vein to reach his maiden hundred and then batted more carefully. Massive though his achievement has been, the youngster was disappointed to have missed a double hundred.

“I am actually disappointed to be honest. Being so close, I missed the double century, I wonder if I will ever get the opportunity again,” Mominul told the media at ZACS yesterday.

Mominul attributed the pacing of his innings to the bowling. On the second day, the Kiwi bowlers strayed in direction, allowing for the fireworks

U-19 look to claim 2nd spot n Shishir Hoque The Bangladesh Under-19 football team will be looking to secure second position in Group C of the AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers when they complete their group games against Pakistan at the Francouse Al-Hareeri Stadium in Iraq today.The game kicks off at 4pm BDT. After losing their first match 0-6 to Iraq, Bangladesh bounced back to defeat Kuwait 1-0 on Thursday to move to second position in the group. They will secure that position if they beat Pakistan today and Iraq beat Kuwait.

Bangladesh’s chances of qualifying for the AFC U-19 Championship 2014 in Myanmar are slim, even if they win today’s game. A total of 15 teams will qualify for the event from the nine qualifying groups – the nine group champions and six second placed teams - and several of the prospective runners-up in other groups are significantly better placed than Bangladesh on points and goal difference.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh will be without the services of two key midfielders due to suspensions against Pakistan today. Skipper Hemanto Vincent is suspended after receiving a red card against

Kuwait while Mezbah received two yellow cards.

Bangladesh head coach Rene Koster was confident of winning the game but warned against complacency. “Pakistan are a strong team and they are unlucky in their previous two games. This is their last chance to gain three points in this tournament. So, we know that they will try hard to win against us,” he said yesterday. “We will miss two very good players in our midfield, Hemanto and Mezbah, but our team will play better to beat them. I promise everyone we will play our better game.

“We are positively developing in football. Most Important thing is some players showed the coaches that they are ready for the National Team,” he added.

The Dutch coach was full of praise for his players, who beat Kuwait with after being reduced to 10 men. “Yesterday (Thursday) we played with 10 men against 11 of mighty Kuwait. They fought like tigers. This young team has very good mentality, maturity and very good team spirit. This is the attitude we want to see in every team of Bangladesh. They displayed their ability, determination, ball possession which we want them to play in every match.” l

display, but on day three, the bowling was much tighter.

“I faced many bad deliveries and that might have been the reason that I hit so many boundaries and things happened quick. They (New Zealand) might not have had any idea about me when I went to bat on the second day.

But today (third day), I had some pressure for which I was careful and it was tough to face them,” he explained.

With his hundred coming up in 98 balls, Mominul did not give it away.

With Marshal Ayub falling and the next man Shakib Al Hasan failing to stay long, it was particularly important for him to keep going as he did.

With captain Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul added 121 runs for the fifth wicket. As Mominul reached 150 from 198 balls, Mushfiq brought up his 12th Test fifty and passed 2,000 runs along the way.

The impressive innings came to an end when Mominul shuffled across his stumps and was trapped LBW by a ball that kept low from Corey Anderson.

Shocking Siddikur cards 8-over-par, misses cut n Fazley Rabbi Moon Bangladesh golfer Siddikur Rahman carded a shocking eight-over-par 80 in the second round of the CJ Invitational and missed the cut of four-over-par at the Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Club, Seoul yesterday.

The 29-year-old had to start playing his 6 first round holes in the early morning after his opening round was halted by bad weather on Thursday. Siddikur got a double bogey in those remaining holes to complete his first round score at an even-par 72 at the US$750,000 showpiece event. He then played one of his worst sessions during which the 2010 Brunei Open winner posted two birdies, two bogeys and four upsetting double-bogeys in the second round to make his two-day total an eight-over-par 152. Though a total of 59 players will resume the interrupted second round at 7am today, Siddikur has no chance of making it into the third round after missing the cut comfortably.

Meanwhile, Kiradech Aphibarnrat seized the second round clubhouse lead in windy conditions at the Asian Tour event. l

Nonetheless, he had done his job and turned a game that could so easily have gone the opposition’s way entirely. l

Scorecard, 1st Test, Day 3 New Zealand 1st innings: 469 (K. Williamson 114, BJ Watling 103, P. Fulton 73, Abdur Razzak 3-147) Bangladesh 1st innings (overnight 103-2) Tamim Iqbal c Williamson b Boult 0 Anamul Haque lbw b Bracewell 3 Marshall Ayub c Watling b Anderson 25 Mominul Haque lbw b Anderson 181 Shakib Al Hasan c Watling b Williamson 19 Mushfiqur Rahim c Taylor b Bracewell 67 Nasir Hossain c McCullum b Sodhi 46 Sohag Gazi not out 28 Abdur Razzak not out 1 Extras: (lb8, w1, nb1) 10 Total (for seven wickets, 116 overs) 380 Fall of wickets: 1-1 (Tamim), 2-8 (Anamul), 3-134 (Ayub), 4-180 (Shakib), 5-301 (Mominul), 6-301 (Rahim), 7-371 (Nasir).

Bowling: Boult 17-7-32-1 (w1), Bracewell 18-2-71-2 (nb1), Martin 21-2-83-0, Sodhi 22-2-89-1, Anderson 14-7-23-2, Williamson 24-3-74-1 Bangladesh trail by 89 runs with three wickets in hand

Player

Runs

Balls

4s

6s

Opposition

Ground

Date

Mushfiqur Rahim

200

321

22

1

Sri Lanka

Galle

8 Mar 2013

Ashraful

190

417

20

1

Sri Lanka

Galle

8 Mar 2013

Mominul Haque

181

274

27

0

New Zealand

Chittagong 9 Oct 2013

Ashraful

158*

194

24

3

India

Chittagong 17 Dec 2004

Tamim Iqbal

151

183

18

3

India

Dhaka

24 Jan 2010

Presidency awaits Nazmul n Mazhar Uddin Twelve months after becoming the head of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) ad-hoc committee, Nazmul Hasan is set to become the first elected president of the BCB today at the National Sports Council Tower.

Previously, the president of the board was nominated by the government but the constitution was amended in 2012 to the effect that the president would be elected by elected directors. Nazmul, who took over as head of the ad-hoc committee last October 17 from previous president AHM Mostofa Kamal, is running for president unopposed.

On Thursday, two former captains of Bangladesh Khaled Mahmud and Naimur Rahman, along with Manzur Kader were elected BCB directors. Khaled Mahmud beat out another former captain,Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, to earn his category C spot. Nineteen directors were already elected unopposed last Friday in addition to Hasan and incumbent

ad-hoc committee members Ahmed Sajjadul Alam and Ismail Haider Mallick who filled the National Sports Council’s quota of directors.

With Nazmul set to become president, it is possible that Gaz iAshraf Hossain Lipu may yet become a director as Nazmul will have to vacate his position to take on his new position.

The process of electing the president is still unclear. The constitution simply states the president will be elected by the directors.

It was learnt that aspiring candidates would present themselves to the directors after which a vote would be taken, but with Nazmul almost certain to run unopposed, the voting process will be skipped.

Earlier, former BCB president Saber Hossain Chowdhury was seeking to run for president, but backed out of the race claiming that the election process was unfair.

With Saber out of the way, Nazmul is certain to become the first ever elected BCB president today. l

Shakib, Mushfiq reach 2,000 runs Uddin Khan n Minhaz from Chittagong

Bangladesh national skipper Mushfiqur Rahim and star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan joined the 2,000 runs club during the ongoing Test against New Zealand at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium yesterday.

The duo follow former national skipper Habibul Bashar, Mohammed Ashraful and Tamim Iqbal as the third and fourth Bangladeshi players to reach the mark.

Shakib needed 16 runs to reach the landmark when he went to the middle to bat in the 1st innings. The left-arm all-rounder scored 15 runs before lunch to take his tally to 1,999.

After the break, a four off seamer Kane Williamson took Shakib past 2,000 runs although he was out to the very next ball.

The middle-order batsman has featured in 31 Test, including the ongoing game, since his debut in 2007. He has two centuries and 13 half-centuries to his name and averages 36.07, with a highest-score of 144 against Pakistan in Dhaka in 2011.

Mushfiqur started his innings with 1,993 career runs. The wicket-keeper batsman faced 32 deliveries to score his first seven runs and like Shakib, reached 2,000 with a boundary – hitting Ish Sodhi over mid-off The right-hand batsman continued on to play a captain’s knock of 67 and

shared a 126 run partnership with Mominul Haque before he was caught in the slips.

The 25-year old is playing in his 35th Test match and has made two centuries and 11 half-centuries. His top score of 200 is the highest score by a Bangladeshi. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Neymar can be world’s best player, says Ronaldo n Reuters, Sao Paulo

Brazilian footballers participate in a training session yesterday ahead of a friendly match with South Korea in Seoul. The match will take place at Seoul World Cup Stadium today

Don’t expect too much from jet-lagged Brazil, says Scolari n Reuters, Seoul

had taken on the squad and the challenge the twice Asian champions posed.

“My condition is to be honest not so good due to the 12-hour time difference but we have prepared a lot for this game. We will make it a good game,” the Chelsea player said. “One of the important reasons we came to Korea earlier than usual is to get over the jet lag.”

Brazil thrashed Australia 6-0 in a friendly match in September as they continue preparations ahead of hosting the World Cup next year.

But Ramires said he expected a tougher challenge from the Socceroos’ Asian Football Confederation rivals, who look unlikely to match the achievements of the 2002 team who finished fourth at their home World Cup. “I heard 80 percent of the players on

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari warned South Korean fans not to expect too much Samba skill from his jet-lagged squad when the two World Cup finalists clash in a friendly in Seoul on Saturday.

“Since many were tired after 30-hour flight, we practised one day in an indoor pool and spent another day doing a light workout,” Scolari told reporters in Seoul on Friday. “We don’t expect anything.

Our players won’t have the best conditions tomorrow.”

Scolari, who led Brazil to World Cup glory in South Korea in 2002, said that his prized striker Neymar would be fit to play in the friendly clash.

Despite the concerns about tiredness, the Confederations Cup winners

are favourites to overcome the Koreans, who struggled through their World Cup qualifying campaign before booking a place in Brazil.

Scolari, though, was cautious about the challenge the Koreans would pose now under former skipper Hong Myung-bo, who was appointed head coach in June. “South Korea has been playing quite well,” the former Portugal, Palmeiras and Chelsea coach said.

“It is advancing to the World Cup for the eighth time now. The record shows it is a strong team.” South Korea suffered a 2-1 home loss to Croatia last month after thrashing Haiti 4-1 and have slipped to 58th in the FIFA rankings. Their lowest position was 62nd in 1996. Midfielder Ramires echoed his coach’s sentiments about the effects the long trip to Seoul

Torres bemoans overreaction to Chelsea bad times

Germany’s Gunner Ozil loving the London life

n Reuters, London

n AFP, Cologne

Fernando Torres knows he needs to do more to justify his British record transfer fee although he feels there has been an exaggerated reaction to the bad moments he has endured since joining Chelsea in January 2011.

The Spain striker has scored 37 goals in 139 appearances for the west London club since leaving Liverpool for 50 million pounds ($79.77 million) but believes he is unfairly treated when things go wrong.

“There has been an overreaction about everything,” Torres told Chelsea Television. “Overreact when I did a miss or if I have a red card or I hit the crossbar instead of scoring a goal.

“It was a good season (last year), a good number of goals (23) that gave us a chance to fight for trophies but if you ask the people, they will say he can do better, should do better.

“It’s like I said, with me good things are looking so-so and bad things are looking really bad. For me, it (the fee) has never been a problem,” said Torres.

“When I joined Liverpool from Atletico Madrid they paid 36 million euros ($48.68 million) and it was the same situation and never affected me.

Everyone is talking about that but it’s not true.”

Torres, however, admits he needs to replicate the consistency that helped him notch 81 goals in 142 appearances at Liverpool.

“The people are looking at me thinking I should do much better and it’s true,” he said. “The reason you pay that money for someone is that he has shown in the past he is worth that.

“Now what you have to show is you can have the same value or even more value for things you have done at Chelsea. l

Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has said he is loving life in London as he prepares to help Germany secure their World Cup berth against Republic of Ireland in Friday’s qualifier.

Ozil joined the Gunners from Real Madrid for 50 million euros (£43 million) in September and is enjoying life in the English capital -- even if it means driving on the other side of the road, albeit with help from Germany teammate Per Mertesacker.

“I am really happy at Arsenal and feel really well there,” Ozil said in Thursday’s press conference in Cologne.

“The coach trusts me and the team are fully behind me, which is really important for me.

“I really like London, it’s an interesting city and I have even got used to

driving on the left.

“I thought it would be much more difficult than it really is, but (Arsenal defender) Per Mertesacker gave me some ‘driving lessons’ and they helped me, so I can drive there.”

Ozil’s Gunners initiation included the traditional singing in front of his team-mates, something he admits embarrassed him.

“I sang a Turkish song, which of course they didn’t understand,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to do that again.

I don’t think my voice is very good.”

With a five-point lead in Group C, Germany need just one point against the Republic of Ireland in Cologne to secure their berth at the 2014 World Cup. “We are really well prepared and we’ll give our all to win the game,” said Ozil, who will make his 50th international appearance. l

the Korean team are currently playing abroad, which means the game tomorrow will be difficult,” he warned.

Ramires’s team mate at club and international level, David Luiz, also talked up the challenge of the Koreans, highlighting two players to watch out for but admitting he knew little about the others in the squad. “I think South Korea is one of the strongest teams in the world.

I know that nine of them are playing in Europe and that Kim Bo-kyung, who is playing in England as a midfielder, is an outstanding player,” the shaggy-haired defender said.

“I also remember Son Heung-min of Leverkusen. Other than two, however, there is no player I know by name.” Brazil will head to China after Saturday’s match to face Zambia in Beijing on Tuesday. l

The body that represents Europe’s leading clubs has rejected a claim from Galatasaray president Unal Aysal that they are planning to launch a breakaway pancontinental Super League by 2018.

Speaking earlier on Thursday, Aysal said that the new competition would replace the hugely lucrative Champions League and its sister competition, the Europa League, and would run alongside existing national championships.

“The first 15, 20 big clubs of Europe all agree with this. Nobody will say no – Manchester United, Paris Saint-Ger-

main, Real Madrid, of course,” he told reporters at the Leaders in Football conference in London.

“There may be one or two exceptions for local reasons, political reasons, and I will understand, but as the future for European clubs and the future of football, nobody can say no to this.”

However, the European Club Association, which represents 214 leading European clubs from across the continent, said that no such plans had been discussed.

ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: “Our European Super League is the UEFA Champions League!

'Martino rotations will prevent another Barca flop' n Reuters, Madrid

Gerardo Martino’s policy of alternately resting key Barcelona players will help prevent the team suffering a similar slump to the one that wrecked last season’s Champions League campaign, according to midfielder Cesc Fabregas.

Under Martino’s predecessor as coach, Tito Vilanova, Barca struggled past AC Milan and Paris St Germain into the last four of Europe’s elite club competition last term before they were trounced by eventual winners Bayern Munich.

The German side swept Barca aside with a combination of physical intimidation and lethal finishing to inflict a 7-0 aggregate defeat on their Spanish rivals, by far Barca’s worst reverse in Europe.

Since taking over from the ailing Vilanova, Martino has implemented a

policy of resting some of his top performers for La Liga games, including Fabregas and fellow Spain midfielders Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets.

“What happened last year was a lesson,” Fabregas said in an interview with Spanish sports daily Marca published on Friday.

“We were in a mess and really weak towards the end of the season,” added the former Arsenal captain, who is preparing for Spain’s World Cup qualifier at home to Belarus later on Friday.

“From February on we were having to force things. We were lacking in bite at the time when everything was decided.

“Tata is calculating the playing time really well. That will help on a physical level and in terms of competition in the squad because nobody knows who will play or who will be rested.”l

France's under 21 national team's Florian Thauvin (C) vies with Armenia's under 21 national team's Varazdat Haroyan (L) and Arman Hovhannisyan (R) during their UEFA Euro Under-21 qualification match in the Armenian capital Yerevan, on Wednesday AFP

European clubs dismiss ‘Super League’ claims n AFP, London

AFP

Young Brazil playmaker Neymar has improved since leaving Santos for Barcelona in June and could go on to become the best player in the world, according to compatriot Ronaldo.

“He has evolved and I am sure he will evolve even more,” former Brazil and Barcelona striker Ronaldo told reporters in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.

“If he keeps getting better he will be the best player in the world.”

Ronaldo said Neymar could be firing on all cylinders by the time he returns to his home country for the 2014 World Cup. “I am sure he’ll be coming to Brazil an even better player,” he added.

Ronaldo, whose sports marketing company has Neymar on its books, has good reason to talk up the 21-year-old and told the former Santos player that he needed to go to Europe to fulfil his potential.

While the young playmaker has been criticised for diving, he has shown in his first few months in Spain that he can shine alongside the best in the world like Barca team mate Lionel Messi and Real Madrid and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo.

“I am delighted with Neymar’s start, he’s playing well and scoring and creating goals,” said the Brazilian Ronaldo who also had spells with Real, Inter Milan and AC Milan.

“He has Messi alongside him, who is out of this world. In every game he is brilliant and scores two or three goals,” he added of the Argentine forward.l

We are very happy with the current competitions and our extremely fruitful collaboration with UEFA. “We will continue to work together with UEFA, and this beyond 2018.”

Aysal, who believes European football has become “stagnant”, admitted that no concrete moves towards the formation of such a competition had been taken, but he expressed a firm belief that it would come to pass.

“Every reality starts with a dream.

At the moment it looks like a dream, a vision. I am sure sooner or later, in a maximum of five years’ time, it will be a reality,” he said. l

Ferguson ‘couldn’t coach’, claims Barton n AFP, London

Outspoken English footballer Joey Barton claimed former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson “couldn’t coach” as he called for improvements in coaching standards in the English game.

Barton was discussing how to increase the number of English players playing in the Premier League after Football Association chairman Greg Dyke set up a commission to look into the matter.

“We’re giving good players to mediocre coaches, because we’re not developing coaches,” Barton told the Leaders in Football conference in London on Thursday. We don’t honour coach-

es. We honour managers, we love managers – everyone loves Alex Ferguson.

“I’m not here to disrespect Fergie – great manager, the icon, the pinnacle of British managers – but he couldn’t put on a coaching session to save his life. I’ve spoken to people about it. He could barely lay out cones. This is not a coach, this is a manager. This is the difference. There’s a big, big difference between a coach and a manager.”

Ferguson retired as United manager in May after a record-breaking 26-and-a-half-year spell in which he won 38 competitions, including 13 Premier League titles and two Champions League crowns. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Saturday, October 12, 2013

Quick Bytes

Strauss wants no new row with Pietersen Former England captain Andrew Strauss said Friday he didn’t want to become involved in a “war of words” with Kevin Pietersen over the Indian Premier League. Strauss retired last year following a series with South Africa where Pietersen was accused of sending derogatory texts regarding his then skipper to Proteas’ players. The opener had previously been a member of an England management group who found themselves opposed to star batsman Pietersen’s desire to spend more time playing in the lucrative Indian Premier League tournament. But in his recently published autobiography, ‘Driving Ambition’, Strauss wrote England “run the risk of slipping behind other teams in both ODI and Twenty20 cricket if our players don’t participate (in the IPL).

– AFP

‘Pest’ Warner gets the message from Taylor Wayward Australian batsman David Warner says former Test captain Mark Taylor has helped him realise he needs to grow up and stop being “a pest”.

Warner, 26, admitted he has taken his cricket for granted and a frank discussion with Taylor this week reinforced the need to pull himself in line and avoid squandering his talent.

“I’ve probably been a pest in the past but now it’s about maturing and settling down and actually working hard at the game,” he told Sky Sports radio.

“I know the last probably three or four years I probably have taken things for granted. I’m not getting any younger, the age keeps going away from you so hopefully I can leave this game in 10 years as a person to be remembered.”

The dashing top order batsman has been in constant trouble this year.

Punching England opener Joe Root in a Birmingham pub cost him his place in Australia’s Champions Trophy squad and two Ashes Tests, an incident that came after he was fined for a Twitter spat with Australian cricket writers.

– AFP

Vettel quickest as tragedy shocks drivers Runaway leader Sebastian Vettel timed quickest ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix Friday as Formula One reeled from the tragic death of a former reserve driver.

Vettel avoided a rash of spins and crashes Friday to clock 1min 33.852secs in the afternoon session, 0.168 quicker than teammate Mark Webber, in hot conditions. The performance was ominous from Vettel, who will win his fourth straight world title if Fernando Alonso finishes outside the top eight on Sunday. The Ferrari man was 10th in the second session. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg was third with Lotus’s Kimi Raikkonen fourth. “It’s good to see we are up there today, but it’s not always so important,” Vettel said.

– AFP

Pele sued by grandkids for child support Two teenage grandchildren of Brazil football legend Pele are suing him for child support, the Diario de Sao Paulo reported Thursday. The two, aged 13 and 15, are the sons of Pele’s daughter Sandra Regina, who died in 2006. They are seeking support payment of $6,000 for each to cover health insurance and education as well compensation of an unspecified amount. The daily quoted their lawyer, Claudio Forssell, as saying that the teenagers “were abandoned intellectually, morally and materially” by their grandfather. “Pele always rejected them,” according to the lawyer who said the teenagers had not met with their grandfather since 2011. Pending a final ruling scheduled for next month, judges ordered Pele to pay each grandchild $760. Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento and nicknamed O Rei (the king), Pele, now 72, is widely considered the greatest player of all time having helped Brazil win World Cup titles in 1958, 1962 and 1970.

– AFP

Day’s Watch ESPN 10:00am Duleep Trophy 2013 LIVE East Zone v North Zone Star Sports 10:30am MotoGP World C’ship LIVE Qualifying ESPN 10:50am F1 World C’ship LIVE Qualifying Ten Sports 2:30pm ATP 1000 Masters 2013 LIVE Shanghai Rolex Masters Semi-Finals

New Zealand players celebrate the wicket of Bangladesh skipper Mushfiqur Rahim during their 1st Test at ZACS yesterday

Rutherford hopes for turn as match wears on Uddin Khan n Minhaz from Chittagong Though it was Bangladesh’s day, New Zealand who are still 89 runs ahead with three wickets to take – feel they are in a good position in a game that has seen many a change of momentum already.

“I think we still are in a very good position. The pitch is very flat and it hasn’t broken up as much as everyone would have thought. So leading into tomorrow (today), 89 runs ahead, and couple of early wickets would put us in a very good state,” New Zealand opening batsman Hamish Rutherford told the media yesterday.

With over 450 runs on the board and having taken two quick wickets, the Kiwis were in an even stronger position earlier. However, top order batsman Mominul Haque’s 181 turned the tables and let the visitors know that the match at the port-city is still on.

“He (Mominul) batted very well and once he got to a hundred, he really knuckled down and he carried on.

I am not sure if our score in the first innings was enough, but if we can get them (Bangladesh) out with runs in our favour, then those will be the runs that they will be worried about scoring.

And then get in there get some runs and let’s see what happens,” said the right handed batsman who is playing in his sixth Test. The wicket at ZACS has been the talk of the town since day one. The

flat pitch has not helped the spinners at all and bowlers from both sides have struggled. Rutherford was not optimistic about day four being any different.

“I am not sure, like I said it’s very flat, I am not too sure if it’s getting better. Hopefully it will start to break and maybe some spin on day 5, up and down for the seamers,” said Rutherford.

When queried If New Zealand will be able to pick Bangladesh’s 10 wickets in the second innings, Rutherford said, “Yeah I think we can hopefully, maybe tomorrow (today), the wicket might start to break up and then maybe we might stand a chance, but leading into day 5 obviously if we can take these wickets early tomorrow, get out there and score some early runs, hopefully, the pitch can help us take those wickets.” l

MUMIT M

Federer still greatest of all time, says Laver n AFP, Shanghai

Australian tennis legend Rod Laver says Roger Federer is the greatest player of all time despite a slide down the rankings and another painful defeat on Thursday – but admits Rafael Nadal is making a strong case for himself.

Federer has won a record 17 Grand Slam titles and occupied the number one spot for a combined total of 302 weeks in a gilded career that has had many rushing to proclaim him as the finest in history.

But the Swiss, now 32, has tumbled to number seven in the world. The rise and rise of fierce rival Rafael Nadal, who now has 13 majors, has led many to question whether in fact the Spaniard will in time be regarded as the finest player ever.

Federer’s third-round defeat at the Shanghai Masters to Frenchman Gael Monfils, ranked a lowly 42nd in the

world, will only add to the swirling debate over when he should hang up his racquet.

Laver, speaking in Shanghai before the match, said: “When I look at Federer, with what he’s accomplished, against the competition that he’s accomplished it with, I’d have to say I would think that Roger is the greatest player.

“Just because his record, the consistency over a span of six, eight years has been pretty amazing. I think that sort of tells you something.”

But Laver, the only man twice to win the calendar “Grand Slam” – all four Grand Slam tournaments in a calendar year – acknowledged that Nadal was also pushing for the accolade.

The Spaniard, 27, has this season made a remarkable return from a long injury lay-off, winning 10 titles including his eighth French Open crown and the US Open. He returned this week to the top of the world rankings. l

Pakistan add three players for SA Tests n AFP, Sharjah Pakistani selectors Thursday included openers Ahmed Shehzad and Shan Masood, and middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq in their final 15-man squad for the two-Test series against South Africa starting next week.

Shehzad and Masood scored attractive half-centuries in the drawn threeday side match for Pakistan ‘A’ against South Africa which ended in Sharjah on Thursday.

The 21-year-old Shehzad is tipped as favourite to make his belated Test debut, having already played 27 one-day and 15 Twenty20 internationals since 2009.

The first Test starts in Abu Dhabi from Monday while the second Test

will be played in Dubai from October 23.

Masood, a left-hander, was also part of the squad for the drawn 1-1 Test series against Zimbabwe last month. He made 50 in the Sharjah game.

Shafiq managed 42 on Thursday and was included to support a struggling middle-order.

But there was no place for Umar Akmal who was cleared as fit to play after suffering a seizure while playing in the Caribbean League in July.

Squad: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Khurram Manzoor, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Umar Amin, Adnan Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Zulfiqar Babar, Abdul Rehman, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, Rahat Ali, Asad Shafiq, Ahmed Shehzad, Shan Masood. l

U-19 footballers attend a training session yesterday prrior to their AFC U-19 Championship Qualifiers match against Pakistan

Nadal, Djokovic stay on course for potential showdown n AFP, Shanghai Rafael Nadal survived a fierce assault from Stanislas Wawrinka to reach the Shanghai Masters semi-finals Friday, staying on course for a potential title match against Novak Djokovic, who recovered from a set down to also claim victory.

World number one Nadal was pushed to the limit by eighth seed Wawrinka in a highly competitive first set, but the relentless Spaniard came out on top in a gripping tie-break lasting more than 20 minutes.

It was one-way traffic in the second set as he prevailed 7-6 (12/10), 6-1.

Top seed Djokovic kept his side of the bargain under floodlights at the Qizhong Tennis Center, withstanding a feisty challenge from Frenchman Gael Monfils to win his quarter-final 6-7 (4/7), 6-2, 6-4.

Elsewhere in last-eight action, JoWilfried Tsonga and Juan Martin del Potro breezed through their matches in straight sets as they hunt berths at next month’s elite World Tour Finals

Nadal, 27, who has won 10 titles – including the French Open and US Open – this year, fended off three set points for Wawrinka, against whom he now boasts an 11-0 record, before taking his fourth opportunity to win the opener.

A dispirited Wawrinka ran out of steam in the second set against neversay-die Nadal, who regained the number one ranking this week and is chasing a record sixth Masters title in a single season. “The match in general, first set especially, was a very, very hard one,” said Nadal. “I think I played a great set.

But the court is fast. His serve was huge.

“He came to the court with that determination to hit every ball by taking the ball earlier, hit the ball very quick, go for the big shots in every moment. So was very difficult to stop him.

“The positive thing is when he was playing well, I was playing well, too. I was able to resist.”

Earlier, Monfils and Djokovic, 26, swapped two service breaks each before the match settled into a more regular groove, going to a tie-break won by the Frenchman when the top seed went

long with a backhand.

But Monfils, cutting an imposing figure in his bright orange top with a shock of dark hair, let his intensity slip at the start of the set and Djokovic immediately seized the initiative with a break.

A time violation for Monfils rattled him and he became embroiled in an argument with the umpire. He was soon flat on his back receiving treatment on his abdominal muscles as the set slipped away from him. Djokovic made the crucial break in the decider before going on to seal the match after an absorbing two hours and 22 minutes.

“Inexplicably I started serving quite badly, but not many unforced errors,” said Djokovic. “It happens. I mean, I was preparing for this match as well as I prepare for every other. It’s just sometimes that you start off slowly and you’re not feeling the ball as much.”

“Today was a very physical match and very intense,” he added. “Both of us, we played many rallies. I knew coming into the match that he’s going to run for every ball and he’s going to make me play an extra shot.” l

COURTESY

Comeback-man Yuvraj leads India to big win n Agencies

Brief Score

Yuvraj Singh made a fantastic comeback to the national side as he blasted his way to a 35-ball 77 to power India to a comfortable six-wicket win over Australia in the high-scoring one-off Twenty20 International, here today.

Yuvraj forged an unbeaten 102-run stand with skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who played a second-fiddle, as India chased down a huge 202-run target with two balls to spare. Yuvraj carried his sublime form, with which he forced his way into the team, into the game as he plundered eight fours and five sixes in his 35-ball knock.

The left-hander whacked the bowlers all around the park as his trademark powerful flicks, ferocious cuts and elegantly lofted drives enthralled the packed house even as the Australians watched helplessly.

Batting like a man-possessed, Yuvraj reached his 50 with a straight six off paceman James Faulkner while Dhoni (24 off 21) finished the match with a four and couple of runs off Shane Watson.

Aaron Finch had powered Australia to a

Australia: 201/7 in 20 overs Finch 89, Maddinson 34, Maxwell 27, B Kumar 35/3; Vinay 26/3 India: 202/4 in 19.4 overs Dhawan 32, Yuvraj Singh 77*, MS Dhoni 24*, McKay 50/2 challenging 201 for seven with his blistering 89-run knock off 52-ball as visiting batsmen made merry on a flat wicket after being invited to bat at SCA stadium.

Finch plundered 15 boundaries, including a six, as he anchored the Australian innings while debutant Nic Maddinson (34) and Glenn Maxwell (27) also played more than handful knocks for their side. Had it not been for some exceptional bowling by pace duo of R Vinay Kumar (3/26) and Bhuvaneshwar Kumar (3/25), who shared six wickets between them, India would have been in more deep trouble. An off-colour R Ashwin and Ishant Sharma bled 93 runs in six wicket-less overs between them and that cost India dearly. However, the wicket had nothing for the bowlers even as they bowled poorly. l

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Saturday, October 12, 2013

Shikalbaha rental plant may get extension n Aminur Rahman Rasel The government may extend the tenure of oil-fired Shikalbaha 55MW rental power plant in Chittagong, six months after it refused to extend the power purchase contract considering environmental hazards.

A meeting is likely to be held between the Power Division and several rental power plant entrepreneurs tomorrow, when the Shikalbaha power plant may receive a three-year extension.

The government is now negotiating with the rental power plant entrepreneurs to renew the contracts to buy electricity at a lower price for different terms until 2020, said a Power Division official.

The previous caretaker government approved the Shikalbaha plant for three years that ended on May 6. Several requests since made by Energies Power Corporation Limited, owner of the plant, for an extension were rejected since its black smoke was harming other power plants in the vicinity. Now it is urging the authorities to extend the contract by three years.

The state-owned Power Development Board generally purchases electricity from rental power plants at high prices and sells it to consumers at considerably lower prices. This has forced the government to cover up the gap by giving huge subsidy in the power sector.

The PDB has sought from the government about Tk10bn as subsidy to pay outstanding bills to the “costly” rental, quick rental and independent power plants for July and August period. Now the government is buying electricity at Tk14-17 per unit from the rental power plants that use fuel oil.

According to officials, the PDB incurred a loss of about Tk5bn each month in July and August this year since it distributed electricity at subsidised prices.

Upon a “verbal order” of the Power Division, the board is currently purchasing electricity from two private rental power plants even though their terms have expired, a PDB official told the Dhaka Tribune.

RZ Power owns the 47MW diesel-fired plant in Thakurgaon while Precision Energy Ltd runs the gas-fired 55MW plant in Ashuganj. The three-year contract with RZ Power expired on August 2 while the other agreement lapsed on April 7.

Extension plea rejected several times

In March, the PDB recommended that the Power Division should not extend the existing contract.

“We rejected the proposal for extending the tenure as it was causing damages to the PDB power plant by discharging huge amount of black smoke,” PDB Chairman Abdul Wahab Khan to the Dhaka Tribune.

The PDB has a 150MW gas-based power plant and another proposed dual-fuel plant of the same capacity near the Shikalbaha 50MW one.

On October 7, a meeting held between the Power Division and several rental power plant entrepreneurs including Energies ended in stalemate as the companies were rigid on their demand to realise the same price for electricity in the extended period. l

Global temperature to pass danger zone n Tribune Desk

Hijal and koroch trees stand in the submerged Tanguar Haor, exhibiting a glowing green about the environment. The water body is a unique wetland ecosystem, which was declared an ecologically critical area by the government in 1999. The Ramsar Convention marked it as a Ramsar site next year. The photo was taken recently SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Guardians, students worry First bone marrow in late October as pro-BNP teachers to go transplant n on strike from Oct 22 Moniruzzaman Uzzal

Uncertainty on covering syllabus in time for upcoming exams

n Mushfique Wadud The United Alliance of Teachers and Employees, a pro-BNP teacher organisation, is scheduled to go on strike in all non-government educational institutions from October 2 demanding nationalisation of their jobs.

A section of insiders of the organisations told the Dhaka Tribune that they were making preparation for a massive agitation programme at the end of the government’s tenure.

The organisation’s Chairman Salim Bhuiyan is now visiting different parts of the country and holding rallies to organise the pro-BNP teachers and employees for a greater agitation programme.

“All teachers will observe strike from October 22 to October 26 for nationalisation of their jobs in non-government educational institution,” announced Salim at a rally in Faridpur on Thursday.

He said they would hold a grand rally in Dhaka on October 24 to realise their same demand.

Meanwhile, students and their guardians have become worried about the teachers’ announcement ahead of

Air raids near Syrian chemical weapons site n Reuters, Beirut Syrian air force warplanes bombarded rebel-held targets close to a major chemical weapons facility yesterday, in fighting that highlights the perils facing an international mission to eliminate President Bashar al-Assad’s chemical arsenal.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize yesterday, is due to visit 20 sites across Syria to verify the destruction of 1,000 tonnes of chemical agents and precursors.

The mission in the midst of a civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people is an unprecedented challenge for the OPCW, whose members came under fire near Damascus in August.

The OPCW experts have visited three undisclosed sites in their first week of operation and say that Syrian authorities have been cooperating. But they will face great challenges reaching locations in rebel-held or disputed territory.

The air raids struck the town of Safira, on the edge of a sprawling military

The failure of politicians to make emission cut commitments meant Earth’s temperature was set to pass the danger zone of 3.5 degrees, new research says.

A two degree Centigrade rise in temperature will cause dramatic changes in vegetation across the planet and expose a billion more people to severe water scarcity. So vast are the potential changes that scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany commented that they doubted if humans can manage the impacts, according to Climate News Network.

In a paper published yesterday in Earth System Dynamics, scientists said they were surprised by predicted impacts of crossing the two degree threshold.

Dr Dieter Gerten, lead author of one of the studies contained in the paper, said, “If population growth continues, by the end of our century under a business-as-usual scenario these figures would equate to well over one billion lives touched.”

The scientists did not however, venture into predicting what conflicts might arise if a billion people or more whose food supply would collapse embarked on mass migration to avoid starvation.

The scientists used their findings to show that the current world leaders had the key to the fate of the planet.

If they reduced emissions now, they could prevent the worst of the temperature rises. l

complex believed to hold chemical weapons production facilities, after overnight clashes between rebel fighters and Assad forces in a nearby village, activists said.

The army has fought hard to retain control of the Safira military complex and is now trying to recapture the town from rebel brigades including the alQaeda-linked Nusra Front and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

Unless they succeed in pushing those fighters back, any attempt by the OPCW experts to visit Safira would be risky.

“Right now it would be impossible with the clashes and the air strikes, especially as there is a strong presence of the Islamic State and the Nusra Front, who don’t believe in anything called the international community,” said Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The head of the OPCW Ahmet Uzumcu appealed on Wednesday for temporary ceasefires to allow the mission to operate safely in conflict areas, but Abdulrahman said the Nusra Front and Islamic State fighters would not respect calls for a halt in hostilities. l

annual examinations in the schools and colleges scheduled in late November.

Primary Terminal Examinations and Junior School Certificate examinations are also scheduled to be held in November.

Students said a good amount of time had already been wasted this year and if teachers went for strike further, students would face another problem to complete their syllabi.

“Many of our classes were not held due to general strikes and agitation programmes throughout the whole year. If teachers call for strike, it will be difficult for us to take annual examinations,” said Rezaul Karim, a student of Monipur High School.

The Secondary School Certificate and Higher Secondary School Certificate examinees faced problems this year while taking their tests.

A number of examinations were postponed and rescheduled because of hartals called by the opposition.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid laid blame on general strikes and demonstrations for this year’s decrease in pass rate in HSC exams.

Guardians of Primary Terminal ex-

aminees and JSC examinees expressed their concern about the teachers’ strike and ensuing political vendetta.

The Primary Terminal examinations are scheduled to be held from November 20. Approximately 2.6m students will take the examinations.

“We fear that our children will do bad on the tests if the political situation turns volatile during this time,” said Nazmul Islam whose daughter will take examinations from Viqarunnisa Noon School.

Nazmul said education activities should be spared from teachers’ strike or political programmes.

“If education is affected, the nation as a whole will be under threat,” he said.

Contacted, Director General Fahima Khatun of the Directorate of Secondary and Higher Education told the Dhaka Tribune that they would look into the matter.

“If strike is called during this time, students will face problems, she said, adding that non-government teachers had already been given dearness allowance and other benefits.”

“We will take every action to protect the interest of students,” said Fahima. l

Cancer patient Alamgir Hossain, 51, is set to become the first ever patient to have his bone marrow transplant done in the country, with senior officials of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) expressing hopes that the procedure will be held in the last week of this month.

Since October 6, Alamgir, a retired army sergeant who is suffering from a form of blood cancer called multiple myeloma, has been receiving a 10-day treatment of stem cell mobilisation drugs as preparation for the bone marrow transplant (BMT), under the hematology department of DMCH. Sources said a bone marrow transplant specialist will collect stem cell from the patient’s bone on October 17.

Senior DMCH officials said the transplant procedure may be held on October 24 or 26.

To assist the transplant, three BMT experts from Massachusetts General Hospital in the US have already arrived at the DMCH, as part of a memorandum of understanding penned between the two hospitals.

On Thursday, Director of the DMCH Brigadier General Dr Mustafizur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune: “It is true that we have been taking all sorts of preparation to do the ever first bone marrow transplant in Bangladesh at DMCH-2. The DMCH will bear all the

Chemical weapons watchdog wins Nobel Peace Prize

n Reuters, Oslo The global chemical weapons watchdog working to eliminate chemical arms stockpiles around the battlefields of Syria’s civil war won the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize declared yesterday.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a relatively small organisation with a modest budget, dispatched experts to Syria after a sarin gas attack killed more than 1,400 people near Damascus in August.

Their deployment under a UN mandate helped avert a US strike against President Bashar al-Assad and marked

an unusual step into the limelight for a group more used to working behind the scenes overseeing the destruction of chemical weapons worldwide.

“We were aware that our work silently but surely was contributing to peace in the world,” OPCW head Ahmet Uzumcu said. “The last few weeks have brought this to the fore. The entire international community has been made aware of our work.”

Nobel Peace Prize committee head Thorbjoern Jagland said the award was a reminder to nations such as the United States and Russia to eliminate their own large stockpiles, “especially because they are demanding that others do the same, like Syria.

“We now have the opportunity to get rid of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction...That will be a great event in history if we could achieve that,” he said.

Pakistani teenager Malala Yousafzai, shot in the head a year ago by the Taliban, had been the bookmakers’ favourite to win the prize for her campaign for girls’ right to education.

The OPCW Syria mission was unprecedented in taking place in the heat of a civil war that has driven the

country and killed more than 100,000 people. Members of the Hague-based OPCW team themselves came under sniper fire on August 26.

While the inspection and destruction of chemical weapons continues, with a team of 27 in the field, Assad forces and rebels clash across the country using conventional weapons.

Yesterday, the government forces were trying to regain control of an area around Safira, about 20km southeast of Aleppo. The town, controlled by rebels including the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, is close to a major suspected chemical site.

The award marks a return to the disarmament roots of the prize after some recent awards including the European Union last year and US President Barack Obama in 2009.

Those awards led to criticism that the committee was out of line with the spirit of the prize, founded by Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite.

His 1895 will says the prize should go to one of three causes – “fraternity between nations,” the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the formation and spreading of peace congresses. l

expenses of the first transplant at free of cost.”

He said a special unit – with five specialised beds and special instruments – has been established on the 10th floor of DMCH-2, adding that several doctors, nurses, and technicians have taken specialised training on BMT at home and abroad.

The DMCH director also expressed hopes that the first transplant of bone marrow would be done in the last week of October.

On Thursday, the patient’s daughter Lubna Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that her father is an ex-army personnel, hailing from Kahalpur village in Bagerhat.

Since his blood cancer was diagnosed in December 2009, Alamgir had been receiving treatment at the Combined Military Hospital, Lubna added.

It was learnt that three more patients were on the queue for next BMT procedures.

Sources said the special DMCH unit will be able to bring down the cost of the transplant to Tk500,000, compared to BMT costs of around Tk10m in the US, over Tk5m in Singapore and over Tk4m in India.

Bone marrow transplant has the potential to cure the blood disorder thalassaemia (major and minor), several types of bone cancer, and other non-malignant and non-cancerous diseases. l

Talibans ‘delighted’ Malala missed out on Nobel n AFP The Pakistani Taliban said yesterday that they were “delighted” as Malala Yousafzai, the teenage education activist they tried to kill, missed out on the Nobel Peace Prize.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) shot Malala in the head on her school bus on October 9 last year for speaking out against them.

After the shooting, she was flown to the UK for specialist care and made a remarkable recovery, going on to become a global ambassador for children’s rights.

Taliban spokesperson Shahidullah Shahid said the 16-year-old had done nothing to deserve the Nobel, which went to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for its work to rid the world of chemical arms.

“We are delighted that she didn’t get it. She did nothing big...so it’s good that she didn’t get it,” Shahid said by telephone from an undisclosed location.

“This award should be given to the real Muslims who are struggling for Islam. Malala is against Islam, she is secular,” claimed the Taliban spokesperson. l

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