October 26, 2013

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Relinquish myths of breast cancer

Kartik 11, 1420 Zilhajj 20, 1434 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 212

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Don’t cooperate with 'illegal' government Khaleda announces 60-hour hartal from tomorrow if government fails to initiate talks Opposition leader Khaleda Zia has called upon police and the civil administration to not carry out orders of the government from October 27 as she claimed Sheikh Hasina’s administration would become “illegal” from that day.

The former prime minister made the call from a much-hyped mass rally in the capital’s Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday.

“This government will be illegal from October 27. So, do not cooperate with it. Cooperating with an illegal government is also an illegal act and unconstitutional,” she said, although only a day before she had said that it would be from October 25 that the government would lose its legality.

Issuing yet another ultimatum for the government, she announced a 60hour countrywide hartal starting at 6am Sunday, October 27, if the government did not initiate talks regarding polls-time government by today.

“We are giving the government two days to initiate dialogue over pollstime government. If it [the government] does not start dialogue today or tomorrow…We are announcing a primary programme [hartal].”

She asked the government to come to the negotiating table over non-party caretaker administration saying: “Movement and dialogue will go on simultaneously.”

The BNP chief warned that if the government did not realise the demand for non-partisan government during the next few days, tough agitation programmes were in the offing.

She has issued a total of four ultimatums before in the same vein - March 12, 2012, June 21, 2012, May 4, 2013 and September 16, 2013.

“No symptom [of the government’s good intentions] is visible. Unilateral election will be resisted. Election will be held with the participation of all political parties,” she said yesterday.

“Let us amend the constitution to-

n Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee

was annulled in June 2011 by the 15th amendment to the constitution.

“No election will be held under Hasina. People have rejected your

The ruling Awami League has urged the main opposition BNP to withdraw the countrywide hartal it has warned of enforcing from October 27 to 29, and start preparing for the upcoming parliamentary election.

AL presidium member Mohammad Nasim made the appeal at a press conference held yesterday at AL president Sheikh Hasina’s office in Dhanmondi.

Earlier, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia announced after her meeting at the Suhrawardy Udyan plans for a 60-hour non-stop countrywide shutdown if the government failed to initiate a dialogue within the next two days.

Mohammad Nasim labelled Khaleda Zia’s remarks “misleading, unwanted, undemocratic and unconstitutional”.

“Khaleda has chosen the path of conflict by making provocative remarks,” he said, “Withdraw hartal and come to the path of constitution. Do not create sufferings for the people by

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ORDER

Police and civil administration asked to disobey government

ULTIMATUM

Start dialogue by today

HARTAL

60-hour countrywide hartal from tomorrow AH Mamun/DT Infographic

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Withdraw hartal and prepare for polls: AL to BNP

INCENTIVE ‘Political prisoners’ to be freed after ousting government

WARNING EC should not do anything ‘excess’ with the RPO Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir speaks to Khaleda Zia during yesterday’s rally SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

gether. It will require a small amendment to the constitution to implement our proposal [for a non-partisan ad hoc government].”

The then BNP-led government in

1996 accommodated the provision for a non-partisan polls-time government in the constitution in the face of strong opposition by the Awami League, then in opposition. The provision, however,

Six die, 300 injured in countrywide clashes n Tribune Report

Policemen stand guard at the Nayapaltan intersection after the BNP-led 18-party alliance rally ended yesterday

INSIDE News

3 At least nine people, including five police personnel and two journalists, were injured in clashes between BNP-led 18-party alliance activists and the police in Chittagong city and Sitakunda upazila in the district yesterday.

Nation

7 The government has planned to renovate existing warehouses and build some more steel silos to enhance fertiliser storage capacity of the state-owned Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation.

Op-Ed

11 Matthew Islam: Hilary Clinton had once said quite poignantly: “The difference between a politician and a statesman is that a politician thinks about the next election while the statesman thinks about the next generation.”

Entertainment

12 After the success of the first installment of Urban Youth Festival last year, the event came back with a month-long repertoire at the Goethe-Institut in Dhanmondi. The programme was inaugurated on October 24 amidst huge enthusiasm.

RAJIB DHAR

At least six people were killed and 300 others injured, including dozens of law enforcers, in a series of clashes across the country yesterday between activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance, Awami League and members of law enforcement agencies.

The clashes occurred as opposition activists brought out processions defying the section 144 restrictions imposed in different districts. Police fired hundreds of rubber bullets and tear gas canisters to bring situations under control, while hundreds of arrests were also made.

In Chandpur, three Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal men were killed and over 50 people were injured in a three-way clash among BNP, Awami League activists and the police in Faridganj upazila yesterday afternoon, according to our correspondent.

The deceased were identified as Mohammad Arif, 28, Jahangir, 26, and Sharif, 22.

Witnesses said the clashes began when police and ruling party activists attacked a BNP procession near the Veterinary Hospital in the upazila town around 4pm.

At one stage, police allegedly opened

Panic-stricken townsfolk Professionals rule out under home confinement Khaleda’s legality claim n Mushfique Wadud A deep-seated fear of violence overtook city dwellers who virtually felt trapped inside their houses throughout yesterday as the 18-party opposition alliances held rally in the capital.

The recreation areas represented a vacant look due to lack of the weekenders who were seized with apprehension that went down their spines.

Unless it was extremely needful, the city people seemed to have shied away from going out till late afternoon.

Following the rally in the evening, townsfolk hurried to come out only to get some necessary tasks done and return home as announcement of hartals instilled another fear into them.

There were very thin presence of vehicles on the deserted-looking city roads except some public buses struggling to get passengers.

Rickshaws and CNG-run auto rickshaws mainly plied across the metropolitan areas which were frequently patrolled by security personnel cars and armoured vehicles spreading more panic among people.

On weekdays, a large number of people are seen weekending at tea stalls and restaurants but yesterday was different.

Tea stalls and restaurant owners reported they were visited by a very small number of customers yesterday.

“Even I could not sell one fourth of the cups of tea I normally sell in other days,” said Mohammad Jamal, a tea stall owner in the city’s Shewrapara area.

Even the roadside traffic jam which was a very common sight even on weekends in the area was not noticed.

“I go to see my relatives in a Dhanmondi hospital every weekend. It normally takes one hour to go there from Pallabi, but it took only 20 minutes yesterday,” said schoolteacher Ashraf Ali. He noted that vehicles were largely off the most city streets the whole day.

Some private cars and public buses were seen plying on roads in the evening.

Though people breathed a sigh of relief after the rally as there was little violence in the city they said they were worried about volatile political situations in days to come.

“I heard that hartals have been called from Sunday and I am worried about it,” Milon Hossain, a rickshaw puller in Kolabagan area, told the Dhaka Tribune just after the rally.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

n Julfikar Ali Manik A number of experts on the constitution, some of whom have experience of conducting elections and running the public administration, have ruled out BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s claim that the present government would be illegal after October 27.

Talking with the Dhaka Tribune yesterday, they said Khaleda’s statement was “merely a political speech,” which had no legal or constitutional base.

In her address at a public rally at the Suhrawardy Udyan, the opposition leader yesterday urged officials in the administration and different departments not to carry out the present government’s orders and directives after tomorrow.

“This is an irresponsible remark,” said senior legal professional barrister Rafiqul Huq. “Her claim is not correct from the point of view of the constitution.

“If she claims so, the opposition party will also become illegal then.”

Former adviser to a caretaker government Akbar Ali Khan, who was a top bureaucrat, also termed Khaleda’s statement “political” and declined to comment on it.

“If there is any constitutional prob-

lem regarding the issue, they [the opposition] could have gone to court,” said Akbar Ali, who had served as the cabinet secretary at the end of his long career in the administration.

A leading law professional, Dr Shahdeen Malik, said: “I am sure she [Khaleda] is aware that technically hers is not a correct position.”

He said: “The government will not become illegal or unconstitutional from October 27. Hence it [Khaleda’s remark] is more of a political rhetoric in line with exaggerated claims or assertions or demand in our political discourse.”

Barrister Rafiqul Huq said the constitution clearly stated that the prime minister would continue her duty until the new prime minister took charge.

The present prime minister could even hold her office until a newly elected party formed the government as per article 57(3) of the constitution.

He said the present government – the prime minister and her cabinet – could continue even after January 24 if the new government did not take charge by then.

Article 58(4) says if the prime minister “resigns from or ceases to hold office, each of the other ministers shall  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

fire on the BNP men, leaving Arif dead on the spot. The law enforcers fired over 200 rounds of rubber bullets and teargas shells during the clashes.

Nazmul Haque, officer-in-charge of Faridganj police station said they were forced to fire rubber bullets and tear gas for bringing the situation under control.

Six people were killed in Chandpur, Cox's Bazar and Nilphamari as yesterday was marked by clashes in different districts between activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance, Awami League and members of law enforcement agencies Meanwhile, the local unit of BNP has called a dawn-to-dusk hartal in the area for today, protesting the attacks.

In Cox’s Bazar, two people were killed and 50 more were injured in clashes between BNP activists and law enforcers in Chakaria upazila town yesterday afternoon.

The deceased were identified as Belal Uddin Badsha Miah, 23, a teashop owner, and Mizanur Rahman, 25, a BNP activist, according to our correspondent.

Sources said, BNP activists defied  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Fresh spell of agitation casts shadow over imminent exams n Mushfique Wadud A fresh spell of agitation as declared by the leader of opposition yesterday, and the continued bellicose rhetoric being thrown around by opposing political blocs, have cast a shadow over the prospects of the tests and examinations about to take place soon.

Students, their guardians and teachers expressed worries over the development and implored for a shift in political attitudes as the academia rolls into its end-of-year exam season.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday threatened a 60-hour nationwide shutdown if the government failed to engage in talks to determine the nature of polls-time government.

The announcement came at a time when some two million examinees of Junior School Certificate (JSC) examination and three million examinees of Primary Terminal Examination (PTE) are taking last-minute preparation for their exams.

The two exams are slated to begin on November 4 and November 20 respectively. In addition, students of secondary and primary schools are also gearing up for their annual examinations  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Tight security and drizzle choke crowd at BNP’s rally n Abu Hayat Mahmud Inclement weather and elaborate security measures kept many 18-party activists and supporters away from the alliance’s rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital yesterday.

Seeking anonymity, a leader of BNP Sutrapur unit said: “Though thousands of people attended the much-talkedabout rally of the 18-party alliance, many of its activists and supporters could not attend because of the rain, and they were also afraid of being held by the law enforcers.”.

Abul Bashar, an activist of Islami Chhatra Shibir in Kafrul, also believed the non-stop drizzle had adversely affected the turnout: “We are happy with the number of attendants in the grand rally, but if the day was sunny, more people would have attended it,” he said.

While visiting the rally area, this correspondent saw many activists and supporters turn back on seeing the muddy field.

The law enforcing agencies - Border Guard Bangladesh, Rapid Action

Battalion, and police - were on high alert across the capital from Thursday evening, particularly in and around the Suhrawardy Udyan.

“We have deployed extra numbers of police around the Suhrawardy Udyan to maintain law and order,” Sirajul Islam, officer-in-charge of Shahbagh police station said yesterday.

BGB personnel took to the streets across Dhaka and Narayanganj as the government beefed up security ahead of yesterday’s political showdown.

A number of police personnel were also deployed in Shahbagh, Motso Bhaban, and locations inside the Dhaka University including TSC, Curzon Hall, Kalabhaban and Salimullah Muslim Hall areas.

Leaders of the ruling Awami League’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League patrolled the DU campus from Thursday to avert any possible violent activities of Bangladesh Chhatra Dal, the student wing of BNP. By bringing out brisk processions, leaders of the 18-party alliance started gathering at the rally venue from 3pm. l

Jamaat man dies of cardiac arrest while in procession n Tribune Report A Jamaat-e-Islami activist died of cardiac arrest while participating in a procession at Shyamnagar in Satkhira yesterday.

The deceased was Shafiqul Islam, 40.

Sagir Mia, officer-in-charge of Shyamnagar police station, confirmed the reason of Shafiqul’s death.

However, Kashimpur union Jamaat

Ameer Shahidul islam claimed that Shafiqul died in an attack by the Kashimadi unit ruling Awami League cadres.

Shyamnagar upazila Awami League President SM Jaglul Haider denied the allegation. There was no Awami League leader at Kashimadi, he said.

Jamaat-Shibir men attacked houses and shops owned by AL leaders and workers, Jaglul claimed. l

PM to phone Khaleda anytime: Inu n Tribune Desk Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will telephone archrival opposition leader Khaleda Zia anytime soon to talk about the formation of an all-party polls-time government, said Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu. The minister said this while talking to reporters at a programme in the city’s Gulshan area yesterday noon, says a UNB report.

Earlier, on October 23, the prime minister informed the cabinet members in its weekly meeting that she would telephone the opposition leader and talk about forming an all-party government which would oversee the next parliamentary polls.

Hasina also told her cabinet colleagues that she was ready for maximum sacrifice to break the current political deadlock over the next parliamentary election. l

A Mirpur-bound passenger bus in flames in the city’s Karwan Bazar yesterday

Professionals rule out Khaleda’s remark be deemed also to have resigned from office,” but they will continue to hold office until their successor has entered upon office.

“If this government cannot run the country, who will do that? Will the bureaucrats run the country?” barrister Rafiqul raised the question.

Brig Gen (retd) M Shakhawat Hossain, who has the experience in conducting the 2008 national elections as a member of the Election Commission, also said: “Constitutionally, it cannot be said that this government will be illegal from October 27. Constitutionally, the present government will remain in power until January 24 [next year].”

Shakhawat, however, pointed out a couple of “grey areas” in the constitutional provisions.

“It has not been stated [in the constitution] from when we will consider this government as an election-time

government,” he said, adding: “Will we consider this from October 27 or from the day of announcement of the election schedule?”

He said the constitution also did not mention anything about the “scope of work” and “functional jurisdiction” of the government during the 90 days from October 27 to January 24 – the period for holding the next national election.

“These 90 days in principle belong to the Election Commission,” said the former election commissioner. “For these 90 days the government is only to carry out routine work, the work for creating a perfect electoral atmosphere and providing support to the Election Commission for holding the election.”

“From October 27, the present government should be considered as an election-time government,” said Dr Shahdeen Malik. “And they should not do anything, such as inauguration of

development projects, bridges, hospitals etc, which may tend to influence the upcoming national election or its results.”

In reply to a question, Shakhawat Hossain said usually the EC considered the whole process “from the date of declaration of the election schedule to the publication of the gazette of the election results” as the election time.

He said the EC could announce the schedule any day after October 27, but it required at least 45 to 50 days before the polling day to complete their job of holding the polls.

In cases of any unforeseen reasons, such as severe natural disaster, the EC might need to re-adjust the polling date.

Considering all these factors, it was better to fix the voting date 10-15 days before January 24, Shakhawat Hossain said, terming it his personal view. l

around 5:30pm.

In Gazipur, clashes between Awami League and BNP supporters left at least 50 people hurt in Sheerpur area. The clashes took place when ruling party activists tried to stop BNP men from attending a rally.

In Chittagong, police recovered bomb-making materials from a thatched house in Akbar Shah area, said Abdul Majid, OC of Akbar Shah police station.

Acting on a tip-off, a police team raided the house on Thursday night and seized a kilogram of gunpowder, 15 small lid-boxes and scotch-tapes from the scene, he said.

In Noakhali, at least 50 people were injured in clashes that took place between Awami League and BNP activists after the opposition men allegedly set fire to the district Awami League office in town hall area, which also gutted 12 nearby shops.

Police Superintendent Anisur Rhaman said, 15 police men including himself were injured during the clashes.

In Netrokona, at least 20 people, including two police personnel, were hurt in clashes between police and BNP activists at Kalmakanda upazila town, which began after law enforcers tried to stop a BNP procession.

In Tangail, the local administration

imposed section 144 in Gopalpur upazila to avoid clashes between BNP and Awami League yesterday.

In Mymensingh, at least 20 people, including 10 police personnel, were injured during chase and counter chase between police and BNP men at Natun Bazar area yesterday evening.

In Khulna, at least ten people were injured after clashes broke out between Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and Shibir men over sitting arrangements at the opposition alliance’s rally at Ferry-ghat area.

In Lalmonirhat, at least 10 people, including three policemen and a journalist, were injured in clashes among the police, and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League and Chahtra Dal at Hatibandha upazila town.

In Bogra, a group of miscreants set fire to a government office in Nandigram upazila. Shahjahan Ali, OC of Nandigram police station, said two rooms of Bangladesh Rural Development Board office were gutted in the fire, along with government documents.

In Rangamati, at least 15 BNP activists and five policemen were injured in clashes between Awami League and BNP yesterday afternoon. The clashes began after ruling party men allegedly attacked a BNP procession. l

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Six die 300 injured in countrywide clashes  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

section 144 and gathered near the Chiringa bus stand for holding a rally after Jumma prayers.

The clash was triggered when police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel tried to prevent the opposition activists. The law enforcers later opened fire, leaving Belal and Mizanur dead on the spot and many more injured.

Ranjit Barua, Chakaria police station OC, confirmed the incident to the Dhaka Tribune.

The OC added that three BGB men and five policemen were also hurt during the clashes.

In Nilphamari, one person was killed and 15 others were injured in Jaldhaka of Nilphamari district during clashes between the police and Islami Chhatra Shibir men.

Police used 50 rounds of tear shells during the clashes, which broke out when law enforcers tried to stop Shibir activists from bringing out a rally.

The deceased was identified as Moslem Uddin, 32, a Shibir activist, confirmed Moniruzzaman, OC of Jaldhaka police station.

In the capital Dhaka, sporadic violence marked the day. Some unidentified people blasted two crude bombs in front of the Jhigatola house of Suranjit

Sengupta, minister without portfolio, at around 6:30am.

Mainul Islam, OC of Hazaribagh police station, said security had been increased at the house and a probe was going on about the incident.

Several crude bombs were also set off in front of BNP chairperson’s Adviser Osman Farruk’s residence at Indira Road.

Unidentified youths also set off a crude bomb in front of the Dhanmondi house of BNP chairperson’s Adviser Barrister Nasir Uddin at around 10:30am, said Masud Karim, OC of Dhanmondi police station.

He added that some eight to ten youths, riding on five motorbikes, also blasted crude bombs at BNP’s Dhaka district unit President Abdul Mannan’s house.

Many crude bombs were also set off by unidentified youths throughout the day in the city’s Shewrapara, Shahbagh, and Paltan areas.

A private car was set ablaze at 7pm in Segunbagicha, while a bus of ETC Paribahan was also torched at Karwan Bazar.

Police also fired four rounds of rubber bullets to disperse unidentified youths who blasted three petrol bombs in the city’s National Eidgah area at

Don’t cooperate with illegal government  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

[Hasina’s] formula. So you have to accept our formula,” Khaleda said. “We went to parliament and placed the proposal. We have sent a letter to them [Awami League]. If you have good intention then you can initiate dialogue by this time.”

Rejecting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s proposal for an all-party government to oversee polls, the opposition leader on Monday said the ad hoc government could comprise of 10 advisers from the 1996 and 2001 caretaker governments; and a respected and neutral person could head the interim administration.

Urging the people of the country to join the opposition’s movement,

Khaleda yesterday said she would meet them on the streets if the government failed to reach a decision on the pollstime government issue.

On October 20, the opposition chief told a convention of pro-BNP professionals that she would walk the path of movement alone if nobody else was ready to accompany her.

“Police, Rab and BDR carried out many illegal orders of the government.

I have no complaints against them. You love the country …Do not obey any illegal order of this government from October 27,” she said at the 18-party opposition alliance’s rally yesterday.

Accusing the government of “unduly” detaining many political leaders, the former premier assured their free-

NASHIRUL ISLAM

dom once the current government was dethroned.

Warning the election commission against not holding any unilateral polls, Khaleda said any amendment in the Representation of the People Order would not be tolerated. “If the Election Commission does anything in excess, consequences will not be good.”

The EC has recently been talking about amending the RPO and the electoral code of conduct because these two were meant to work under a non-partisan polls-time government.

Khaleda also lambasted the government for banning rallies. “You, as an illegal government, have besieged the country by imposing section 144 in different places. So if we do that, you

cannot prevent us.”

Khaleda condemned the government for its “misrule” and “misdeeds” saying: “You [the government] formed a special force for abducting people.

We know the name of that force... who are members of that force... we also know which vehicles were used.”

Senior leaders of the 18-party alliance addressed the rally chaired by former Dhaka mayor and BNP’s Dhaka Unit’s Convenor Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

Seeking anonymity, a high-ranked police official told the Dhaka Tribune that around 100,000 people attended yesterday’s rally. The figure, however, could not be immediately confirmed from an independent source. l

Panic-stricken  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

He said he carried a very few passengers yesterday and could earn only one third of his regular income.

“A lot of people come to Dhanmondi 32 No. lake on weekends and I carry a good number of them, but today I did not get any,” he said.

Ratan Mian, a guard of a private bank booth in Dhanmondi area, said a very few clients came to the bank’s booth yesterday to withdraw money.

“Normally, there is a rush of people who withdraw money on weekends, but today the ATM booth was visited by a few only,” he added.

A pro-master’s student Abdur Razzak of Dhaka University said he had classes yesterday, but dared not go to university fearing violence.

“I phoned one of my classmates and he told me most of our friends opted not to attend class amid the risk of violence,” he said. l

Fresh spell of agitation beginning in mid-November, while the admission tests in public universities will begin by early next month.

Many students said they were upset with the announcement of shutdowns just preceding their examinations, which they think would hamper their preparations.

“I have several model tests in this week alone and a shutdown now will mean rescheduling them, which is not possible. This is so last minute!” Tamim Hasan, a JSC examine from the Government Laboratory High School, said.

Aminul Islam, whose daughter is sitting for PTE from Viqarunnisa Noon School, told the Dhaka Tribune that he was worried that the political situation might worsen further and jeopardise the whole process of education.

Earlier this year, there were similar problems with holding the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examinations because of shutdowns enforced by the opposition alliance.

A number of examinations had to be postponed and rescheduled. It so happened that an examination was first postponed and rescheduled because of a shutdown, and then it had to be scheduled again because of another shutdown.

Farhad Hossain, the principal of Monipur School and College, is apprehensive that there would be problems in

conducting this year’s annual examinations if the country’s political situation remains unchanged.

“The annual exams in our school are slated for mid-November. But starting or finishing those in time would totally depend on a stable political situation, which seems unlikely at this moment.”

He urged the political parties to reconsider their tough stance on the key issues of contention in the greater interests of the students, and to refrain from enforcing strikes and shutdowns.

Azizul Islam, the president of Bangladesh Teachers’ Association, also called for a political reconsideration and said a lot depends on how political leaders determine their future course of action.

“With a whole array of exams and tests coming in quick succession, any major change or disruption in schedules may jeopardise our yearend academic plan.”

However, education officials are considering alternatives in case things do not pan out as planned. “So far as I can say, we have taken all preparations for holding the exams. But we still have to determine possible ways out in case of a shutdown or two,” said Taslima Begum, the chairwoman of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education.

Earlier, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid urged political parties not to call any street programmes that would hamper the preparation of JSC and PTE examinees. l

Withdraw hartal and prepare  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

enforcing shutdowns.”

Former home minister Nasim said while the prime minister is wishing to hold talks to reach a solution, Khaleda Zia is moving towards conflict.

Responding to the BNP chairperson’s claim that the present government will be “illegal” from October 27, the AL presidium member said: “As per constitutional provisions, the ruling government will remain in office till January 24, 2014, unless the PM takes any decision in this regard.”

Earlier in the day, after a combined meeting with the leaders of the 14-party alliance, Nasim, who is also the

spokesperson for the alliance, urged Khaleda Zia not to jeopardise the environment of dialogue with derogatory statements.

He thanked BNP for placing its proposal in parliament but asked the party to place it the House according to the rules of procedure.

“If you place your proposal in a proper way, then discussions on it can be held,” Nasim said.

Present at the Dhanmondi meeting were 14-party leaders Hazi Abdus Samad, Enamul Huq, Shahidullah Sarker, Ahmod Hossain, AFM Bahauddin Nasim Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, and Mrinal Kanti Das. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, October 26, 2013

18-party activists clash with police in Chittagong Nine people injured, Shibir men allegedly assault journalists Mahmud and FM Mizanur n Tarek Rahaman, Chittagong At least nine people, including five police personnel and two journalists, were injured in clashes between BNPled 18-party alliance activists and the police in Chittagong city and Sitakunda upazila in the district yesterday.

In Sitakunda, activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir allegedly swooped on a police van at Barabkunda area at around 6pm, leaving seven injured, said Sarif Mafizur Rahaman, assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of Sitakunda police station.

Later, police managed to disperse the attackers and take control over the area after an hour, he said.

The injured were Sitakunda police station ASI Kamal Hossain, Constables Mujibullah, Ruhul Amin, Korshed Alam and Rafiqul Islam, and two locals Ashanullah, 60, and Manik, 23.

Of them, Ashanullah, Manik and Constable Mujibullah were admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) in critical conditions, while the rest received primary treatment from local hospitals, said Nayek Hamidur Rahman of the CMCH police outpost.

Meanwhile, in the port city, several hundred opposition activists went on a rampage at Wasa and Ispahani intersections, while returning from a rally at Chittagong’s Kazir Dewri area.

At least two journalists were assaulted by Shibir men during the incident.

The police said several hundred BNP and Jamaat-Shibir men vandalised Amin Centre, a shopping mall owned

by Primary and Mass Education Minister Dr Afsarul Amin Chowdhury, at the city’s Ispahani intersection at around 4:45pm.

They vandalised the glass-wrapped front of the four-storied shopping cen-

Activists of BNP-led 18-party alliance start a blaze during clashes in Chittagong yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

ing the miscreants’ intention.

The Shibir men also allegedly assaulted Nasiruddin Tota, senior reporter of Banglavision, and Farid Uddin, cameraperson of ATN Bangla, said police and witnesses.

Later, police and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel dispersed the protesters by firing blank rounds and lobbing tear gas canisters, said the OC of Khulshi Police Station.

Meanwhile, another section of BNP and Jamaat-Shibir men blocked the Wasa intersection at 5pm by setting

tyres, bamboos, sticks and branches of trees on fire.

Traffic movement on the adjacent streets was halted for half an hour, before police brought the situation under control, witnesses said.

Elsewhere in the port city’s Bahaddarhat and Agrabad areas, Awami League and BNP activists locked into chase and counter-chase, while going to rallies of their respective parties.

Additional police forces, Rapid Action Battalion and BGB personnel were deployed at key points of port city, said

tre and adjoining four to five buildings, said Mainul Islam, officer-in-charge of Khulshi police station.

A senior official of Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP), seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that the alliance activists were led by the followers of war crimes convict Salauddin Quader Chowdhury, adding that the attackers intended to loot the Amin Centre.

Yusuf Ali, president of Amin Centre Traders Association, said they closed down the shutter of the market, sens-

Banaz Kumar Majumder, additional commissioner (crime and operation) of the CMP. Hundreds of leaders and activists of BNP-led 18-parties alliance gathered at the rally in Kazir Dewri intersection at around 3pm, demanding the next parliamentary elections be held under nonpartisan neutral government.

Speakers at the rally said the Sheikh Hasina-led government had become illegal from yesterday and blamed her for grabbing all rights of the citizens.

They urged the premier to leave power for the sake of public interest, adding that the public themselves would remove her if she refuses to do so voluntarily.

They also said the BNP-led 18 party alliance will take position in the city’s roads to regain democratic rights of the public.

Abdullah Al Noman, vice-chairman of BNP, was the chief guest at the programme, where alliance lawmakers, leaders and activists of Chittagong city and district unit also attended.

The AL leaders held their pre-scheduled rally on the Shaheed Minar premises at around 4pm, where they said the upcoming national polls will be held under an interim government led by Sheikh Hasina.

Awami League lawmaker Engineer Mosharraf Hossain addressed as the chief guest in the rally, which was presided over by ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, former city mayor and president of the city unit of the AL. Mosharraf said the next election will be held according to the constitution and there was no way to violate the provisions of the constitution.

The ruling party expects all political parties to take part in the national polls, he said.

Several thousand AL leaders and activists took part in the rally. l

3 AL members stay vigilant in city n Partha Pratim Bhattacharjee Leaders and activists of the Awami League’s city unit and its associate organisations took positions in front of their offices from early yesterday morning to foil any acts of vandalism ahead of the main opposition BNP’s rally in the afternoon.

Several hundred party members gathered outside AL’s central office on Bangabandhu Avenue and party President Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office. Central leaders were also present at party headquarters.

City AL leaders and activists were seen holding processions in almost all the areas in the capital, including Jatrabari, Mothijhil, Mirpur, Paltan, Dhaka University area, and Khilgaon.

AL leaders Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya, Adv Quamrul Islam and top leaders of the party’s associate bodies were all present at Bangabandhu Avenue from the morning.

Leaders and activists, defying yesterday’s light drizzle, brought out small processions with motorbikes and chanted slogans in favour of the incumbent government and the prime minister.

Party members attended Juma prayer and then took up positions at several mosques and madrasas to resist any possible acts of violence.

At least 12 monitoring cells, formed by the City AL, observed party activists from its 27 organisational thana units, 17 union units and 100 ward units in the capital.

Besides Bangabandhu Avenue, several leaders and workers were seen at the AL chief’s Dhanmondi office, where a meeting of the 14-party alliance was held.

Talking to the media on Bangabandhu Avenue, State Minister for Law, Quamrul Islam said: “The symptom is not good. If Jamaat-Shibir tries to create any anarchy, the law enforcing agencies will show zero tolerance,” he said. l

BNP to enforce hartal in Jamaat condemns war crimes trial, at Suhrawardy Udyan Faridganj today n Tribune Desk Local BNP has called a day-long hartal for today in Faridganj upazila of Chandpur, protesting the killing of three of its activists in police firing during a triangular clash.

Upazila unit BNP president Harunor-Rashid told UNB last night that the party will enforce the dawn-to-dusk shutdown in the upazila protesting the killing of three BNP men in attack by Awami League activists and police.

Three BNP activists were killed and over 50 people, seven with bullets, injured in a triangular clash among BNP and Awami League men and cops in Faridganj upazila headquarters on Friday afternoon.

The deceased were identified as Jahangir, 35, Gazipur union Jubo Dal president, Mohammad Arif, 28, a Jubo

Dal activist, and Sharif, 22, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal man.

Witnesses said BNP leaders and activists brought out a procession from T&T area of the upazila headquarters around 4pm. As the procession reached Veterinary Hospital, police and Awami League activists attacked it, triggering a triangular clash.

At one stage, police opened fire on the BNP men, leaving Arif dead on the spot and over 50 others injured.

The law enforcers fired over 200 rounds of rubber bullets and teargas shells during the clash. Six of the injured were rushed to Chandpur Sadar Hospital while the rest to other hospitals and clinics.

Of the injured, bullet-hit Jahangir died at the Sadar Hospital while Sharif succumbed to his injuries on the way to Dhaka from the hospital. l

Pre-Bali talks kick off n

Tribune Report

Failure in negotiations on trade facilitation in the upcoming WTO ministerial meeting in Bali will weaken the multilateral trading system, the interests of least developed countries (LDCs) like Bangladesh, analysts said yesterday.

They were also of the view that the Doha Round might get impetus or face death if the Bali meeting failed to bring any positive outcome. This will also create an opportunity for the developed countries to go for regional trade agreements, which will delay duty-free access of the LDCs’ products to the developed countries.

The remarks came at a three-day international conference on the upcoming ninth WTO ministerial in the city.

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) in association with a host of internation-

al organisations arranged the event aimed at creating a platform to discuss issues of concern and interests of the LDCs in the context of the current negotiations in Geneva and the upcoming negotiations in Bali, Indonesia on December 3-6.

The event brought together 15 overseas participants, including the WTO negotiators and ambassadors, officials from the WTO Secretariat, academics and trade policy experts and activists.

Commerce Minister GM Quader inaugurated the event and urged the LDCs to take a common stance to get preferential trade facilities from the developed countries.

Debapriya Bhattacharya, a CPD distinguished fellow, said there had been a lot of commitments for trade facilitation but no effective measures were taken for implementing those. l

Al-Masum Molla and n Mohammad Abu Hayat Mahmud Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir yesterday staged showdown as much as possible at the BNP-led 18-party alliance’s rally at Suhrawardy Udyan, a historic place related to Liberation war, held yesterday.

Jamaat actively collaborated with the Pakistani occupation army in killing three million people and violating over 250,000 women during the ninemonth-long 1971 Liberation War. The Pakistan army surrendered on December 16, 1971 at the ground, where the Jamaat-Shibir men yesterday gathered with big banners, festoons and portraits of the convicted and accused war criminals demanding their release.

Though the rally was set to begin at 2pm, the Jamaat-Shibir men started to arrive at the venue from 9am in small groups with an aim to grasp the key places around the stage from where the top alliance leaders including BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia delivered her speech.

Apparently, the venue initially took a look as if it was not the 18-party alliance rally rather only of the Jamaat.

The Jamaat-Shibir activists hung huge banners in and around the rally field containing pictures of their leaders facing war crimes charges. They also set two huge balloons adorned with images of the Jamaat leaders, but these were later removed upon the directive of BNP leaders.

Suhrawardy Udyan (ground) is also a historic place as Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman gave the historic speech on March 7, 1971, where he announced to get prepare for the struggle of independence. On March 26, 1992, “mother of martyred freedom fighters” Jahanara Imam held a mass

BNP Vice-Chairman Sadeque Hossain Khoka, a guerrilla freedom fighter, is in conversation with Jamaat acting ameer Moqbul Ahmed as another freedom fighter LDP President Oli Ahmed looks on during the BNP-led 18-party alliance’s rally SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN rally at this place where former Jamaat ameer Ghulam Azam was given a death sentence at a mock mass trial. Azam was sentenced to 90 years in jail by the war crimes tribunal on September 16.

Without mentioning any name, Khaleda in her speech said she would release all the “political prisoners” if her party assumed power. She also criticised the arrest and alleged torture of Shibir President Delwar Hossain which drew much applause from the Jamaat-Shibir men at the venue.

The Jamaat-Shibir activists gradually occupied the front rows of the audience since the morning and around 1:30pm they locked in a clash with the activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, students’ wing of the BNP, regarding sitting arrangement.

25 Bangladeshi migrants still confined in Iraq camp n Rabiul Islam Twenty-five Bangladeshi migrant workers, who have been kept confined in a labour camp in Iraq for the past eight months, are passing days in inhumane conditions.

“We are confined in a room for 24 hours and we cannot go out,” Mohammad Shaon, one of the workers, told the Dhaka Tribune over phone from Najaf city in Iraq on Thursday.

He said two more co-workers, con-

fined at the camp, had escaped. But it was not known where they had gone.

“Officials of Bangladesh Embassy in Iraq visited the camp once before Ramadan, but afterwards no one came to us,” Shaon said, adding: “We have no work and nobody is telling us anything.”

Md Hanif, brother of one of the workers named Mosharraf Hossain, claimed that his brother had neither been given any job nor had any step been taken to bring him back. “We have submitted applications to the chairman of the Na-

tional Human Rights Commission, the foreign secretary and the inspector general of police to take immediate action,” he told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Expatriates’ Welfare Secretary Zafar Ahmed Khan yesterday said: “I do not know the latest situation, but I am aware of the fact that the migrants have been suffering for long.”

The Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) was asked to look into the matter, he told the Dhaka Tribune, adding: “I would also look

into the issue seriously.”

According to a letter of the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry, Morning Sun Enterprise, Meghna Trade International, East Bengal Overseas, and Idea International sent 27 Bangladeshi migrants in February-March to work in the Iraqi company M Kodia Co General Trading.

Family members of the victims alleged that the recruiting agencies had charged over Tk3,00,000 from each worker, for sending them to Iraq. l

The senior BNP and Jamaat leaders had to get involved to bring the situation under control. Later, the activists of Chhatra Dal and Jubo Dal, the youth wing of the BNP, took up a position on the other side of the stage.

The Shibir men started thronging the venue since early morning chanting slogans “Shibir Police Bhai Bhai…”

(Shibir and police are brothers).

It was also seen that they chanted slogans demanding the release of their detained leaders and scrapping of the “controversial” International Crimes Tribunal which awarded capital punishment to the senior leaders of the party.

Due to the huge number of banners and festoons of the Jamaat leaders, the whole area turned into a stronghold of

Jamaat and while any Jamaat leader was addressing they cheered up and clapped passionately.

In his speech, acting ameer of Jamaat Moqbul Ahmed said: “Foreigners urged the government to maintain international standards at the tribunal, but they did not follow the suggestions.”

Terming the ruling Awami League a “communal political party,” he alleged that they had withdrawn all the cases against them, but not any case against the opposition leaders.

Another Jamaat leader, Izzat Ullah, demanded the release of the Shibir president, claiming that he had been tortured in custody.

While addressing the rally, Shibir leaders also criticised the International Crimes Tribunal. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, October 26, 2013

VIOLENCE ROCKS DIFFERENT DISTRICTS

Clockwise from top-left – Activists of ruling Awami League prepare for a procession in Gazipur yesterday; Activists of Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir engage in a scuffle at the protest rally of BNPled 18-party alliance in Khulna city yesterday; Jamaat-Shibir activists torch bamboos and tree trunks to block a street in Chittagong yesterday; A local Awami League office in Maijdi, Noakhali burns in flames after BNP-led 18-party activists set fire to it yesterday An injured activist being taken to hospital after the violence in Faridganj, Chandpur yesterday PHOTOS: FOCUS BANGLA AND BD NEWS

Drizzling to continue until tomorrow

n Abu Bakar Siddique Light drizzling that occurred throughout the country yesterday is likely to continue until tomorrow, the met office said.

The drizzle has been attributed to a well-marked low pressure formed over the Andhra Pradesh Bay, although such formation is atypical of this time of the year.

Bazlur Rashid, a meteorologist at the department of meteorology, said the situation would improve by the middle of Sunday. l

WEATHER

Temperature unlikely to change n UNB Rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty wind is likely to occur at many places over Dhaka, Khulna, Barisal, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions and at a few places over Rajshahi and Rangpur divisions until 6pm today.

Day and night temperature may fall by 2 to 3 degrees over the country, met office said.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:24pm today and rises at 6:02am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 30.5 degree Celsius was recorded yesterday at Khulna and lowest 21.8 degrees at Srimangal and Sayedpur.

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

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

26.1 28.0 24.6 26.5 30.5 27.4 30.0 28.0

22.4 25.5 22.8 22.6 24.5 25.0 22.5 24.0

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:45am 6:00am 11:42pm 3:47pm 5:23pm 6:40pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

Students upbeat with Jucsu polls news A section of anti-VC teachers opposes decision Students think it is a chance to re- lacked suitable environment for holding n Mahadi Al Hasnat sume the democratic platform of stu- the Jucsu election as there was no coexWhile unionised teachers have almost paralysed the Jahangirnagar University, the absence of an elected students’ union has left the core issues and rights of general students on the campus unattended and uncared for over two decades.

Jahangirnagar University Central Student’ Union (Jucsu), the centre of students’ activities, has been nonexistent for over 20 years, thus giving rise to teachers’ monopoly, often leading to disruption in academic and administrative activities over their narrow partisan or coterie interests.

Common students feel that because of the absence of this constitutional students’ representative body, they are being deprived of the platform to speak out about their rights and needs regarding academic activities, dormitory facilities and scopes for extracurricular activities.

Nonexistence of such a participatory body also blocks the unique way of practising democracy in student life, they believe.

The Juscu exists only in its name as the university authorities failed to hold elections since 1993 and keep this democratic platform of students active.

However, the authorities have declared to hold the Juscu election on December 6.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Anwar Hossain, who is under pressure from a section of teachers to resign, declared that he would leave the university after holding the elections to Jucsu and the VC panel before January 24.

His announcement has generated enthusiasm on the campus with students eagerly discussing the importance and the possibilities of the Jucsu election at this time.

dent politics in the public university and keeping at the bay the influence of student leaders of political parties representing governments at different times.

But a section of teachers, highly politicised and divided in various camps other than the recognised teachers’ association, stood against the announcement, saying they would not accept the Jucsu election under Prof Anwar.

This section of teachers, who have been boycotting classes and examinations for nearly six months demanding the resignation of the VC, believed that the VC planned to hold the Jucsu election to take revenge on them (agitating teachers).

The agitating teachers have so far ignored repeated appeals from several students’ organisations not to boycott classes and examinations for teachers’ political agendas.

Students believe things could be different if they had a strong and common platform like the Jucsu.

A number of non-political teachers and general students want to resume the Jucsu to safeguard students’ rights and interests as well as minimise teachers’ autocracy in the university.

Ahsan Habib, a master’s student of English, says: “Authorities did not take any initiative to hold the Jucsu poll in last two decades. Now they declared the election date which makes us hopeful about getting proper environment and platform to voice our demands.”

Considering students’ interests, the authorities should resume the Jucsu immediately, he stressed.

Prof Shamsul Alam Selim, an agitating pro-BNP teacher, said the campus

istence of all students’ organisations.

“The students are not prepared to join the election within one month while the teachers are also not supporting the VC’s plan right now. More time is indeed to resume the Jucsu as it is a huge task,” Prof Selim said.

The Jucsu was formed in 1972, after a year of university’s birth. Golam Morshed and Rokon Uddin were elected the first vice-president (VP) and general secretary (GS) of the Jucsu.

The last Jucsu election was held in 1992, when Masum Hasan Talukder and Shamsul Tabreez were elected VP and GS. But the Jucsu was suspended following an unexpected incident between teachers and students.

Since then, authorities did not take any step to resume the Jucsu, though the university gets budget from the government and takes money from students during admission in the name of Jucsu.

Former VC Prof Dr Khandakar Mustahidur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune: “Every country has some institutions to practice democracy freely. Central Students’ Union of a university is among the best places for making future leaderships.

“But unfortunately our governments have spoiled the university’s democracy,” he said, adding that peaceful co-existence of all students’ organisations was needed for a meaningful Jucsu election.

VC Prof Anwar told the Dhaka Tribune: “I have declared the date for the Jucsu election as per 1973’s University Act. At the same time, I have created an environment where all students’ organisations coexist peacefully on the campus.” l

Hajj pilgrim caught with gold bar n Tribune Report A returning hajj pilgrim was detained

by Armed Police Battalion at Shahjalal International Airport yesterday afternoon after he was found with 10 gold bars worth around Tk5m.

A team led by Senior Assistant Su-

perintendent of APBn Alamgir Hossain caught Md Suruzzaman, the 53-yearold owner of private tour operating company Elegant Aviation, with 1.16kg of gold around 4pm, according to the law enforcing agency.

Alamgir said Suruzzaman had returned by a Saudi Airline’s HV 806

flight around 2:30pm. Security personnel checked his baggage after he crossed green channel. “We found 10 gold bars hidden in his briefcase, money bag and passport holder. We are interrogating him,” he said, “An ornament shop owner gave him money to bring the bars when he went to perform hajj." l

Deep sea blocks up for fresh tender n Aminur Rahman Rasel State-owned Petrobangla will invite international oil companies again to tender for three deep sea blocks for oil and gas exploration in the Bay from tomorrow.

The bids will have to be submitted by January 12, 2014, Petrobangla Chairman Hossain Monsur confirmed yesterday.

All biding documents, including model production sharing contract (MPSC), will be available for purchase at the Petrobangla office from Sunday.

Petrobangla earlier suspended the deep sea blocks’ bidding process allegedly upon “requests” from interested IOCs. The state-owned gas monopoly first put 12 blocks out to international tender on December 17 last year for exploration under “Bangladesh Offshore Bidding Round 2012.”

Out of 12, nine blocks are in shallow sea and the rest in deep sea, covering 51,589 and 10,041 square kilometres respectively.

In July, PM Sheikh Hasina, who is also in charge of the energy ministry, consented to an Energy and Mineral Resources Division proposal to amend the Model PSC for deep sea hydrocarbon blocks.

On September 3, the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved the energy ministry’s proposal to amend the Model PSC, after its failure to attract bidders for deep-sea oil and gas exploration.

The amendments allow IOCs to sell around 50% of the gas produced to Petrobangla at $6.50 per Mcf (1,000 cubic feet).

Global oil giants will also be allowed to sell 50% of its share of gas to a third party inside Bangladesh. They could even sell off Petrobangla’s share, if the latter does not purchase it. At present, there is no scope to export gas.

The prices of gas produced by IOCs from deep sea fields will increase by 2% annually while the IOCs have also been exempted from paying the transportation tariff of 4% for using Petrobangla’s transmission lines under the amended Model PSC, 2012.

Recovery limit has been raised to 70% from 55% of the produced oil and gas, while Petrobangla will have to pay 37.5% in corporate tax on behalf of IOCs. Petrobangla has recently signed the initial for production sharing contract with Indian Oil and Gas Company, ONGC Videsh Ltd for two shallow sea blocks and US-based ConocoPhillips for one shallow sea block in the Bay of Bengal.

A joint venture of Santos and Kris Energy Limited has been awarded shallow sea block 11 in the Bay to explore hydrocarbons under a production sharing contract on October 23.

Four foreign companies – Chevron, Santos, ConocoPhillips and Tullow – are working in the country now, following international biddings in 1993, 1997 and 2008. l

Three sustain burn injuries in the capital n Tribune Report A housewife and her two employees sustained burn injuries at Chairman Bari in the capital’s Banani yesterday.

The incident took place around 11am in a flat at Banani road 2/B. The injured were Shahana Khanam, 30, house help Rijoana Akhter, 12, and an employee of the house Habibur Rahman, 56.

They were immediately taken to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Doctors at DMCH said Shahana sustained 60% burn injuries. Her condition was critical. The rest of the vic-

tims’ injuries were minor.

Ahsan Habib, chairman of online news portal poriborton.com and husband of Shahana, said he heard an explosion when Shahana and Rijoana were in the kitchen.

“I think electric short-circuit or explosion of fridge’s compressor caused the fire.

“A portion of the kitchen’s false ceiling caught fire and fell on Shahana,” he said.

The neighbours doused the fire before firefighters reached the spot.

Inspector of Banani police station Nasir Uddin said the family members did not inform them about the incident. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Prescription

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Saturday, October 26, 2013

Relinquish myths of breast cancer Breast cancer is now one of the most common cancers in women worldwide. But how much do most women really know about this disease? Through the years, there have been quite a few misconceptions about breast cancer. This list dispels these rumours and myths. Know the difference between breast cancer facts and fiction Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women.

According to the latest WHO data published in April 2011, breast cancer MYTH & deaths in Bangladesh FACT reached 8,396 or 0.88% of total deaths. Breast cancer specialists said, misconceptions often cause women more anxiety than necessary. And in some cases the fear paralyses women and prevents them from seeking the care that could lead to successful treatment. Here are some of the most common myths about breast cancer.

FACT: Being overweight is responsible for many diseases. Obesity, or being overweight, does increase the risk of getting breast cancer – especially if you’re past menopause and/or you gained the weight later in life.

MYTH: Breast cancer is preventable.

FACTS: Sadly, breast cancer is not preventable. Although it is possible to identify risk factors – such as family history and inherited gene mutations – and make lifestyle changes that can lower your risk – reducing or eliminating alcohol consumption, losing weight, getting regular exercise and screenings, and quitting smoking – roughly 70% of women diagnosed with breast cancer have no identifiable risk factors.

MYTH: Bras increase the risk of getting breast cancer.

FACT: Roughly 80% of lumps in women’s breasts are caused by benign (noncancerous) changes, cysts, or other conditions. Doctors encourage women to report any changes at all, however, because catching breast cancer early is

so beneficial. Your doctor may recommend a mammogram, ultrasound, or biopsy to determine whether a lump is cancerous.

MYTH: Using antiperspirant increases the risk of breast cancer.

FACT: Several studies have been conducted on the link between antiperspirants/deodorants and breast cancer, but there is no conclusive evidence found that they increase the risk of breast cancer.

Some deodorants contain aluminum. So it is better to avoid aluminumcontaining deodorants when you go for

a screening mammogram. This is because it could show up on the mammogram images and may lead to an inaccurate result, and make it harder to detect abnormalities in the breast.

MYTH: Caffeine causes breast cancer.

FACT: No causal connection has been found between drinking caffeine and getting breast cancer; in fact, some research suggests that caffeine may actually lower your risk.

So far it’s inconclusive whether breast soreness may be linked to caffeine. We mainly consume caffeine from tea and coffee.

MYTH: Herbal remedies and dietary supplements can help treat breast cancer.

FACT: No herbal remedy, dietary supplement or alternative therapy has been scientifically proven to treat breast cancer.

Furthermore, doctors do not know how these alternative medicines may interact with established medicines, have their own side effects or interfere with the traditional therapy’s effectiveness.

MYTH: A normal mammogram does not catch all breast cancer.

FACT: While a mammography does catch the vast majority of breast cancers, it is only one screening tool. Women should also have a breast exam done

FACT: Several studies conclude that having cosmetic breast implants does not increase the risk of getting breast cancer.

However, implants can sometimes make it harder to see breast tissue, and abnormalities, including cancers, on mammogram images. In fact, breast implants are not related to causing breast cancer.

If you have breast implants, continue to have regular mammograms but make sure to get the breast screening program.

Inform your doctor about implants before getting a mammogram. A special technique called implant displacement views can be used to screen women with implants.

MYTH: Men don’t get breast cancer.

FACT: Men have breasts and can develop breast cancer. Their risk, however, is very low.

Despite the small number of cases, breast cancer in men is not well understood and may be misdiagnosed or diagnosed at a later stage. Men, like women, are encouraged to be aware and discuss any unusual changes in their breasts with a health care provider. l The writer is an associate professor at Holy Family Red Crescent Medical College Hospital, Dhaka

FOOD THERAPY

Five slimming foods  Roasted carrots

Whether you call them garbanzos or chickpeas, a half-cup serving of these hearty legumes provides about 40% of your daily protein needs and 70% of your daily fibre intake, helping to stabilise blood sugar, control cravings, and prevent overeating. They’re also a great source of healthy unsaturated fats that can whittle your waistline. A 2009 study from the University of Newcastle in Australia found that participants who consumed the most unsaturated fats had lower body mass indexes and less belly fat than those who consumed the least. l

Relieve neck and upper back pain

Almonds

Nuts are another superfood rich in healthy fats that help you slim down.

Almonds in particular can help you shed pounds: In one study, people who added a daily helping of the nuts to a low-cal diet lost more weight than people who followed the same diet but swapped almonds for a carb-heavy snack like crackers. l

This steamy sip hydrates like water, which can help fill you up and shed pounds. Plus, the antioxidants in green tea will up your fat burn and calorie burn. One study found that five cups a day could help you lose twice as much weight, most of it around your middle. l

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n Gazi Kashif Yousuf Sitting at a computer all day can be a real pain in the neck. Millions of individuals sit at a computer for prolonged periods of time LIFESTYLE for their job or for recreation. One of the most common complaints of individuals who work at a computer for many hours a day is neck and upper back pain.

If you are reading this, you’re probably sitting at a computer right now. Check your posture, and try these simple stretches. Your body will thank you. Working at your computer

doesn’t have to tighten your neck and shoulders.

You can prevent stiffness by sitting correctly, using a chair that encourages you to sit with your lower back curving in towards your stomach and your torso centered over your hips. Keep your shoulders back and low (not inching up to your ears) and your head straight.

Additionally, you can relieve neck and shoulder tension with these yogainspired stretches.

Back soother

Hold the edge of your desk with your hands shoulder-width apart, then scoot your feet backwards until your spine is flat and parallel to the floor. Breathe in,

Insect bites

push against the desk with your hands, drop your head between your arms, and breathe out. Hold the stretch for a few breaths, and then breathe in as you stand up.

Neck nod

Drop your chin forward a few inches, about halfway to your chest. Keeping your chin pointed down, turn it towards your right shoulder. Raise your right arm over your head and place your right palm on the back left side of your head, pushing very gently until you feel a stretch up the left side of your neck and shoulder. Hold for three breaths, then repeat on the other side. l

To stop itching and inflammation of mosquito or other insect bites, apply one drop of peppermint oil directly to the bite. Peppermint has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. Peppermint oil is commonly used as flavouring in foods and beverages and as a fragrance in soaps and cosmetics. l

| Compiled by: Tahrima Marium

Sleeplessness can make you overweight! n Dr Mohammad Sayem

BIGSTOCK

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BIGSTOCK

BIGSTOCK

 Green tea

Lutein is a member of the carotenoid family of nutrients, and it protects the macula. The macula is the part of the retina which is responsible for central vision. Studies show that men who ate extra lutein – just half cup of spinach daily – were 20% less likely to need cataract surgery and had a 43% lower risk of AMD (Age-related Macular Degenaration). Get lutein from spinach or broccoli or take a supplement. l

Massage cod liver oil, rich in vitamin A, into cuticles and nails. After three months, nails will grow stronger and cuticles smoother. Wear disposable plastic gloves or rubber gloves with cotton liners to protect your hands from water or chemicals. Apply nail polish to slow the evaporation of water from your nail. Do not remove and reapply it more than once a week. Nail polish remover may increase splitting and breaking if used too often. l



BIGSTOCK

Look for lutein

Brittle nails

As a side or mixed in with your favourite meats, the high water and fiber content in carrots fill you up fast. Roast them for a better calorie burn: University of Arkansas researchers found that carrots roasted at 104 degrees contain three times as many antioxidants as raw carrots. l

Chickpeas

Spices have thermogenic (fat-burning) properties. A Canadian study found that people who ate chilli powder with meals lost more weight than those who didn’t. It is thought that the capsaicin in chilli increases the metabolic rate by raising the body’s temperature. Add cayenne, ginger, wasabi or tasty hot salsas to food. According to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, a daily serving of fish high in omega-3 fatty acids helped people lose more weight than just reducing kilojoule intake. Eating omega-3 fatty acids is also good for your heart, either as a portion of oily fish, such as salmon, mackerel or sardines 2 or 3 times a week, or using flaxseed oil on your salads, or taking fish oil supplements. l

BIGSTOCK

MYTH: Breast lumps are always cancerous.

BIGSTOCK

MYTH: Breast implants cause breast cancer.

Oats Oats are rich in fiber, so a serving can help you feel full throughout the day. Just a half cup packs 4.6 grams of “resistant starch,” a healthy carb that boosts metabolism and burns fat. l | Compiled by: Shirsho Sikder

Lack of sleep, rather than over-sleeping, could make you fat. We know that lack of sleep makes us feel tired but research reveals it may DID YOU lead us to gain fat. A KNOW? study conducted by the researchers of Colorado’s Boulder University revealed this.

Participants who slept for just five hours each night gained more weight over a week, and when they returned to adequate sleeping patterns, they shed their weight. Researchers said, while the results are definitive, weight loss or gain cannot be wholly attributed to lack of sleep.

Other studies have found that

inadequate sleep can slow down metabolism and boosts hunger, leading to weight gain. They also said, “Just

A study conducted by the researchers of Colorado Boulder University revealed that inadequate sleep can slow down metabolism, boosts hunger leading to weight gain.

getting less sleep by itself is not going to lead to weight gain.

“But when people get insufficient sleep it leads them to eat more than they actually need.” l

BIGSTOCK

FACT: It is claimed that underwire bras compress the lymphatic system of the breast, causing accumulation of toxins and cause breast cancer. But this conception has been widely debunked as unscientific.

The consensus is that neither the type of bra nor the tightness or material of the bra has any connection to breast cancer risk.

by their health care provider each year.

If you feel a lump, always get it checked out, even if your last mammogram was normal. Also, it is important to get a mammogram every year.

BIGSTOCK

MYTH: Being overweight is not related to breast cancer risk.

Light your fire

BIGSTOCK

n Dr Sajol Ashfaq

QUICK TIPS

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, October 26, 2013

4,000 fast-track future IT leaders to get jobs n UNB Around 4,000 fast-track future IT leaders (FTFILs) will get jobs in Information Technology (IT) and IT Enabled Service (ITES) companies soon, after a government project agreed to provide support to the companies for building up the FTFILs with training as per their skills demand.

The project titled “Leveraging ICT (LICT) for Growth, Employment and Governance Project” of Bangladesh Computer Company (BCC) under ICT Ministry will offer a package of incentives for the IT and ITES companies against recruitment of FTFLs and their training, officials said.

They said the initiative was part of the government’s plan to create 34,000 direct and 120,000 indirect jobs in the IT and ITES companies under LICT Project.

The World Bank will be providing $70m credit for implementing the LICT Project within five years.

Sources familiar with the ICT ministry said the LICT in collaboration with IT and ITES industries would select the FTFILs as per skills demand, especially in the areas of software development, business process outsourcing and IT/ ITES related management.

“In line with the government’s plan to build Digital Bangladesh, the ICT ministry has launched LICT Project under BCC to build IT learning manpower of 34,000 in the country by providing them with world-class IT training,” said ICT Secretary Nazrul Islam Khan.

He said the LICT Project will help meet the skills demand of IT companies and contribute to enhancing the export earnings of booming ICT sector.

Unveiling the plan to build FTFLs,

77 migrant workers fly to Malaysia n Rabiul Islam Seventy-seven migrant workers flew to Malaysia yesterday on a flight of Malaysian Airlines, informed Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET) Additional Director General Javed Ahmed.

Although 80 workers were scheduled to fly, three could not make the trip because the server was down at the Malaysian High Commission in Bangladesh, officials said.

“We will send these three workers with the next batch, which is tentatively scheduled to fly on October 28,” Javed informed.

Under a government-to-government arrangement with migration costs of around Tk30,000, the workers are going to Malaysia to work in the plantation sector. l

Project Director of LICT M Rezaul Karim said an incentive package will be provided to the IT and ITES industries to recruit the talented fresh graduates as FTFILs. The companies will train them according to their needs and after completion of six-month training, the trainees would be absorbed by the companies as FTFLs, he said.

Karim said the FTFILs will be brought under international certification by holding examinations and their activities would be monitored online by the LICT Project for a certain period of time.

He also said initially the programme will be launched for building 900 educated youths as FTFLs and befitting to the skills demand of IT and ITES companies by December this year.

Out of 900 initial FTFILs, 300 will be selected for software development, 300 for BPO and 300 for IT/ITES related management, Karim said adding that leading IT experts of IT and ITES companies will conduct the six-month training.

He said the LICT Project authorities have already asked the Bangladesh Association of Software Information and Services (BASIS), a platform of the country’s IT and ITES companies, to send the list of manpower required for IT and ITES companies.

“We expect to complete the recruiting process of 900 future IT leaders and their training programmes within six months,” he added.

The candidates who will be selected for job in three categories have to have a graduation degree in science or at least a SSC/HSC graduate in science background and for BPO Higher Secondary School passed. l

A man impersonates Jesus Christ going on a pilgrimage with his disciples in their traditional annual religious ritual in Nalitabari

Arsenic contamination on the decline Women are more exposed to drinking arsenic contaminated water than men: study The catastrophic affect of green marked tubewells increased in contaminated water. n Tribune Desk Nepal C Dey and Sifat E Rabbi of Re- end-line among all economic groups. arsenic toxicity, sourced by arsenic A study has shown with the increase of education, the tendency of drinking arsenic contaminated water has decreased. The people with access to media like television and radio showed significantly lower odds ratio for drinking arsenic contaminated water than those who have no access to media.

The household heads aged 30-45 years are comparatively less exposed to arsenic contaminated drinking water because of their awareness, finds the Brac study.

It says women are more exposed to drinking arsenic contaminated water than men. Household head’s occupation as agriculture and other occupations including household activities and unemployed student are significantly associated with drinking arsenic

search and Evaluation Division, BRAC, jointly conducted the follow-up study on ‘Arsenic Test and Exposure to Drinking Arsenic Contaminated Tubewell Water’.

Three consecutive surveys were conducted in 11 arsenic-prone upazilas from the first phase of BRAC WASH I programme, with data collected from 6,600 households – 600 from each of the 11 upazilas.

This study evaluated the changes in the status of arsenic test and exposure to drinking arsenic contaminated tubewell water in BRAC Water, Sanitation and Hygiene programme (WASH I) intervention during 2006-2011.

Analysis revealed that proportion of red marked tubewells decreased from baseline to end-line of the programme, whereas the proportion of

Expanded cultivation of BU dhan 1 increases food production Experts n BSS Experts at a crop-cutting ceremony have stressed the need for expanded cultivation of short duration BU dhan 1 during Aman season, adopting newer cropping pattern to increase food production through crop intensification amid adverse climate.

They were addressing the ceremony arranged at a farmers’ field day organised by RDRS Bangladesh for harvesting BU dhan 1 at the field of farmer Oliar Rahman in village Sarkerpara under Sadar upazila in Panchagarh on Thursday afternoon.

With Acting Programme Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh for Panchagarh Safkatul Alam in the chair, Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Abdul Matin attended the occasion as

the chief guest.

Chairman of local Magura union parishad Abdur Rahman addressed as the special guest in crop-cutting ceremony participated by over 150 male and female farmers of the area, public representatives, community leaders, journalists and local elite.

Senior Agriculture Officer of RDRS Bangladesh Anup Kumar Ghosh delivered the welcome speech narrating farming technology for BU dhan 1 adopting the short duration Aman paddy-mustard-mug- parija paddy cropping pattern evolved by the NGO. Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer Tapan Kumar, Chairman of Magura Union Federation Mottaleb Hossain and Assistant Agriculture Officer of RDRS Bangladesh Mahfuzar Rahman and its Research Assistant Abdul Khaleque also addressed the ceremony.

Anup Kumar Ghosh said 1,800 farmers have cultivated paddy on 1,800 bigha lands with the assistance of RDRS Bangladesh in eight districts of Rangpur division this year, and harvest of the paddy continues at this peak of the seasonal lean period.

“Due to medium fine quality and longer grain size as well as having some good flavours, the farmers get higher price as compared to other short duration rice varieties and the cattle heads highly prefer eating BU dhan 1 straws,” he said.

The chief guest lauded efforts of RDRS Bangladesh in popularising cultivation of short duration BU dhan 1 to increase rice output, enhancing cropping intensity enabling the farmers in farming four crops on the same land annually to get more profits. l

10-day group exhibition of woodcuts, screen prints open at Gallery Cosmos 2 n Tribune Desk A ten-day group art exhibition, showcasing water and oil based woodcuts and screen prints by 16 artists, kicked off in the capital yesterday.

Deputy chief of mission of the United States embassy in Dhaka, John F Danilowicz attended the inauguration of the exhibition, titled ‘Rhythm of Xylography’, at Gallery Cosmos-2, at Mohakhali DOHS.

United News of Bangladesh (UNB) editor-in-chief and chief executive Enayetullah Khan, Dhaka University Fine Arts Faculty dean Prof Syed Abul Barq Alvi, Mutual Trust Bank Ltd. managing director and chief executive officer Anis A Khan, former chief of army staff M Noor Uddin Khan, and director of the gallery Tehmina Enayet were present.

Speaking on the occasion, Enayetullah Khan said Cosmos is a gallery with differ-

ence. “It’s not a commercial gallery, but a place for artists for home and abroad to get connected and enriched by sharing the ideas and crafts of each other.”

Enayetullah Khan said: “I believe artworks can act for change and drive away the evil from the society.”

Deputy chief of mission of the US embassy John F Danilowicz handed over the certificates to the participants of the workshop during the inauguration of the exhibition. l

The proportion of unmarked tubewells significantly decreased from baseline to end-line.

12.6% of household drinking water in Bangladesh did not meet the government standard for drinking water quality The study recommended strengthening information and communication to encourage people to test and mark tubewells.

High concentration of arsenic in drinking water has been documented as a major public health concern in some parts of the world, affecting 100 million people.

contaminated water, has already been experienced in many countries, particularly in Bangladesh where 62 out of 64 districts are contaminated by arsenic.

Among the Asian countries, Bangladesh is the most arsenic-affected where 20 million people are at risk of drinking arsenic contaminated water-five times higher than the WHO estimation.

A study conducted by Unicef in 2009 found that 12.6% of household drinking water in Bangladesh did not meet the government standard for drinking water quality.

It was identified that poor are more exposed to arsenic contaminated water, and unmarked tubewell is one of the main reasons of exposure to drinking arsenic contaminated water. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

BSF returns 13-year old girl n Our Correspondent, Kurigram India’s Border Security Force (BSF) yesterday returned a 13-year-old Bangladeshi girl, who was detained in an Indian jail for six months.

Shanti, daughter of Fazal Ali of Barbanda village under Romari upazila, was returned through the RomariMankarchar border in the morning, following a flag meeting between delegates from Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the BSF. The BSF delegation was led by AC Norendro Singh of Mankarchar-Kakripara BSF camp, while Subedar Munir Hossain of Romari Sadar camp headed the BGB delegation. Sub-Inspector Alauddin was also present there on behalf of the Romari Police Station.

Earlier on April 28, Shanti was picked up by BSF members from the border, and later sent to jail firstly by BSF and then by police. l

Emerging from Rana Plaza ruins SIX MONTHS OF RANA PLAZA DISASTER

n UNB, Dhaka When Minu’s limp body was piled onto the mass of corpses after Rana Plaza collapsed, she prayed that someone would notice that she was still alive.

Too weak to call out, she had been smothered under dead bodies in the rubble without food or water for three days.

As they laid her out in the makeshift mortuary on the Adhur Chandra High School playground in Savar, someone heard the faintest of cries and realised she was still alive.

“As I laid on the school oval, I thought I couldn’t even make enough noise for someone to notice me. I had nothing left in me at all – I was just like another one of the bodies in the pile,” she recalls.

Minu Aktar had been working in Phantom Apparels on the fourth floor of Rana Plaza for four-and-a-half-years.

She still suffers from physical injuries sustained during the collapse, as well as ongoing trauma, from being trapped under the building.

Six months on, however, Minu is starting to overcome her grief with the support of her family and through the ILO’s Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Reform Project in partnership with Brac, a major nongovernmental organisation.

The programme, funded by the European Union, is equipping survivors

with the skills they need to get jobs in local workplaces.

As a result, Minu is now working in a tailor’s shop in Savar, mentored by an ILO/BRAC supervisor and master craftsperson.

“I didn’t think that I would ever be able to work again because of my fear and because of my injuries, but now I’m learning new skills and it feels really good. Tailoring and dress making is interesting and I’ve a good supervisor.

I’m also working together with another survivor called Khaleda, so we support each other and learn together,” says Minu.

“Seeing my family, having a job - I finally feel like I am alive again,” she adds.

Mizanur Rahman was a technician in Phantom Apparels on the third floor of Rana Plaza and had his right leg crushed in the collapse. He wanted to return to work in a factory but has been unable to because he cannot stand for long periods of time or walk for long distances.

He is now an apprentice in the programme, learning to repair mobile phones, a useful trade in a country where there are over 100 million active mobile phone users.

Trapped between steel rods in the collapsed building, Mizanur thought he would never be able to get out, let alone step into a workplace again.

Now he is looking forward to new skills, a new job and a new career path.

“I wanted to return but it was impossible and I also can’t do other types of jobs so I’m happy that I now have a way to make money. I’m learning a lot from the shop owner here. If there’s

any problem in a mobile phone set, we can repair it,” he says.

The skills training programme is based on an existing apprenticeship model, which was adapted to include Rana Plaza survivors, explains Srinivas Reddy, ILO Bangladesh Country Director.

“The TVET Reform Project has developed a number of models focusing on better delivery of skills. This particular model focuses on high employment trades, particularly those found in regional and rural areas, such as tailoring, motorcycle servicing and mobile phone repairing.

The model fits well with the needs of the survivors because, in just a short time, it gives people quality skills which they can then use to enter a sector in which almost all are guaranteed employment.”

Walk into Fashion Tailors in Savar now and you will be greeted by two smiling tailors - Minu and Khaleda working alongside their supervisor and master craftsperson, Sheikh Sadi. Not only is the skills’ training programme giving survivors the opportunity to learn new skills, but it is also helping them to cope with the tragedy.

In a corner of the shop are hanging three brightly-coloured red and orange dresses with matching scarves, still waiting to be picked up.

But Sadi knows that the girls he made the dresses for will never wear them. They died under the rubble of Rana Plaza.

Distressed by the loss of so many lives, he did not know how to help at first. Now, by training Minu and Khaleda, he is equipping them with the skills to make dresses like these - giving them a pathway into new jobs. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

BADC to get more fertiliser silos n

Tribune Desk

The government has planned to renovate existing warehouses and build some more steel silos to enhance fertiliser storage capacity of the stateowned Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation.

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) recently approved a project to this end titled “Maintenance, Rehabilitation and Strengthening Fertiliser Management Activity of the Existing Fertiliser Godowns of BADC.” BADC under the Ministry of Agriculture will implement the project by June 2018 with the cost of Tk1.34bn to be entirely borne by the government exchequer. The project area will cover 115 upazilas of all the 64 districts.

Talking to UNB, a Planning Ministry official said that under the project, some 118 existing warehouses would be renovated apart from building 14 pre-fabricated steel depots to increase the fertiliser storage capacity of BADC. Besides, some 6,000 dunnage racks

would be set up at the godowns alongside constructing 46 office buildings.

The project also aims to make the environment of the godowns suitable for fertiliser storage, ensure distribution of standard fertiliser among the farmers, digitalise the fertiliser management activity through mobile and online software (FMIS) and build skilled manpower through proper training to strengthen the fertiliser management activity.

Necessary infrastructures will also be built under the project to ease fertiliser transportation.

An official at the BADC informed that the fertiliser storage capacity of the corporation is currently 133,000 tonnes whereas the demand for high-quality fertiliser imported by the BADC is increasing every year.

As a result, the godowns have to store two to three times more fertiliser than its capacity while the sacks filled with fertiliser also have to be kept directly on the floor due to lack of dunnage racks at the godowns.

BADC started importing and

distributing non-urea (TSP and MOP) fertiliser on limited basis from 200607 fiscal while it also started importing DAP fertiliser from fiscal year 201011. The quantity of fertiliser import and distribution by the BADC from fiscal year 2006-07 to 2011-12 totalled 1,829,737 tonnes and 1,601,944 tonnes respectively.

The official also noted that BADC warehouses were built in the 60s while most of those rooftops, walls and other infrastructures were dilapidated after privatisation of fertiliser management.

The BADC official also hoped that once the project is completed with the renovation of the existing warehouses alongside building 14 steel ones, it would be possible to store additional fertiliser, which would help properly distributing fertiliser among the farmers in due time and thus play an important role in boosting food production.

The Pre-Evaluation Committee (Pec) meeting on the project was held on May 29, 2013 where the Planning Commission recommended giving approval to the project. l

7

Saturday, October 26, 2013

T-Aman yield to exceed target in southwest n Our Correspondent, Jhenaidah A bumper production of Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) is likely in the southwestern districts as farmers are expecting to outstrip output targets on the back of a crop-friendly weather condition that marked the past few months.

The current season has been characterised by sufficient rainfalls, modestly priced fertilisers and lesser incidence of pest attacks – all of which, coupled with a general increase in production acreage, played out nicely for the farmers.

Babar Ali of Kamarkundu village in Jhenaidah Sadar upazila cultivated T-Aman on a three-bigha land and is expecting at least 54 maunds of rice at the end of the season.

“The climate has been favourable all through the season, with sufficient rainfall. Further, there were infrequent pest attacks and diseases which also helped,” he said.

Ananda Kumar, a farmer at the Khalishpur village in Moheshpur upazila, is expecting at least 35 maunds of rice from his two-bigha field. He said he had assistance from the agriculture officials about pest control.

According to sources at the department of agriculture extension (DAE), some of the farmers faced minor attacks of pests, like Brown Plant Hoppers, but they were prepared to handle the situation themselves because of the trainings they had received before.

Sources at the Khulna DAE office said farmers of the ten southwestern districts brought a total of 703,267 hectares of land under cultivation this season, against the targeted 67,978 hectares. The figure was 693,370 in the last season, which produced 1,834,577 tonnes of rice.

The Jessore farmers brought 131,927 hectares of land under T-Aman cultivation, Jhenaidah farmers brought 93,415 hectares, Magura farmers 56,280 hectares, Narail farmers 32,130 hectares, Khulna farmers 90,440 hectares, Bagerhat farmers 68,215 hectares, and Satkhira farmers 92,070 hectares.

On the other hand, Kushtia farmers brought 75,885 hectares under cultivation, Chuadanga farmers brought 40,455 hectares and Meherpur farmers brought 23,450 hectares. Some farmers have already started harvesting the early varieties of T-Aman. l

Fire guts Garo leader’s house in Gazipur

n Our Correspondent, Gazipur The dwelling of a Garo community leader went up in flames in Masterbari Garopara area under Sreepur municipality after a major fire broke out in the early hours of Thursday.

Properties worth about Tk1m were gutted in the fire.

“I saw a spark of fire on the western corner of my homestead at midnight.

Sensing danger, I pushed my sleeping wife from bed in order to make her awake,” said Ratan Sangma, chairman of local Garo community.

Hearing their scream, locals rushed to the spot and doused the fire after an hour of frantic effort.

Homeowner Ratan Sangma laid blame on local hoodlums.

“A prize-giving ceremony was held following a Garo community football competition Thursday evening. As we did not invite one Shahjahan, his accomplices launched an attack on the programme and vandalised the stage.

I think they might have a hand in this incident,” he said.

Sripur Municipality Mayor Anisur Rahman Anis, also Sramik League president, visited the damaged house later. l

Farmers demand fixed prices for produce n Our Correspondent. Jhenaidah Farmers in Kaliganj upazila under Jhenaidah district brought out a rally and formed a human chain yesterday to demand the formation of a national commission to fix prices of agricultural products.

They alleged that even after 42 years of independence, the government is yet to form a price commission to protect the interests of the country’s farmers.

As such, they are not able to buy essential materials for production including seeds, fertilisers and pesticides on

time and at a fair rate.

Speakers at the human chain said because of this, they cannot regain the production cost, let alone draw further profit.

The farmers arranged the programme under the theme of Raise Voice against Poverty and Hunger.

They highlighted the fact that 38.8% of the people of the country have no food security.

Sonar Bangla Foundation, a local Non-Government Organisation (NGO), organised the programme in association with Karmajibi Nari, Oxfam UK and GROW. l

Terrorist gets life term in Pabna n UNB, Pabna

A court on Thursday convicted a man and sentenced him to life imprisonment for possessing arms.

The convict Abdur Razzak was known as a top terrorist of Kashinathpur village in Santhia upazila.

According to the prosecution, after being tipped-off, a team of members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested Razzak from Nur Dah village in Ataikula upazila on October 6, 2009.

Rab recovered a shotgun and five rounds of bullets from his possession.

Later Deputy Assistant Director

Mohammad Bakhtier of Rab 12 filed a case against him under the arms act.

Mamunur Rashid, investigation officer of the case, submitted a charge sheet against him on October 26, 2009.

After examining the records and witnesses, Additional District and Session Judge Court 1 Justice Munshi Mohammad Mashier Rahman handed down the verdict.

Razzak was wanted in several cases including murder, extortionz and mugging.

He was tried in absentia as he went into hiding after securing bail from the court. l

Miscreants set ablaze the house of a Garo community leader in Masterbari Garopara area under Sreepur municipality on Thursday

Road crashes kill 13 n Tribune Report As many as 13 people died in six separate road accidents across the country over the last two days, reports our correspondents and UNB. In Bogra, three people were killed and three others injured when a truck plunged into a roadside ditch in Sajahanpur upazila on Thursday.

The identity of the deceased could not be known immediately, reports UNB. Police said the accident took place near Fatki Bridge around 7:30am when a vegetable-laden truck slewed sideways into a roadside ditch as a bus was overtaking the truck, leaving three vegetable traders dead on the spot and three others injured.

The injured were rushed to Bogra Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital.

In Chuadanga, a man was killed and 15 others injured in a head-on collision between two human haulers on the Chuadanga-Meherpur road at Chulkuni Para in sadar upazila on Thursday, reports UNB. The deceased was Zadu Sardar, 40, of Daulatpur upazila of Kushtia.

Quoting witnesses, police said the accident occurred around 8pm when two human haulers collided head-on, leaving one person dead on the spot and injuring several others.

In Gazipur, six people were killed and 10 were injured in a head-on collision between a bus and a truck

in front of National Park in Rajendrapur area on Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway yesterday, reports our correspondent.

The identity of all the dead people could not be known immediately.

Four of the deceased were the bus driver Kawsar Mia, 25, of Rudrapur villages Jamir Ali, 62, of Shirir Chala village of the same area; Md Ariful Islam, 27, of Baluahat village, Sonatala upazila, Bogra; Shamim, 22, of Bairhati village, Katiadi upazila of Kishoreganj.

The injured were Obaydul Haque, 25, Samal Ali, 22, Ashraful Islam, 26, Hira Mia, 20, Tawfique, 18, Nayan Mia, 18, Ibrahid Hossain, 18, Ariful Islam, 18, Amir Uddin, 30.

A passenger of the bus, Obaydul Haque, said the bus started for Chandana Chowrasta of Gazipur city from Mauna Chowrasta of Shreepur.

When the bus reached in front of National Park at Rajendrapur on Dhaka-Mymensingh highway around 7:45am, it collided head on with a truck coming from the opposite direction.

Sergeant Iqbal Hossain, of Nawjor Highway Police Outpost confirmed the incident.

In Jhenaidah, a truck helper was killed under the wheels of another truck when he was engaged in repairing his truck near Rabeya Hospital at Arappur on Jhenaidah – Kushtia highway early yesterday,

4 held for printing anti-govt posters reports our correspondent.

The deceased was Razib Seikh, 22, of Char Rupsha in Khulna.

Jhenaidah police station SubInspector Shamsuzzoha said as Razib was engaged in repairing the front side of his truck around 4:30am in the morning a Jessore-bound truck knocked him from ignore this behind, killing him on the spot.

A case was filed with Jhenaidah police station in this connection and the body was sent to Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital morgue for post mortem examination, said police.

In Dinajpur, a woman and her daughter were killed and her husband was injured as a bus hit the motorcycle they were riding on at Baraihat in Phulbari upazila yesterday.

The deceased were Mukta Begum, 34, and her daughter Mrittika, 7, of Thanpara in Birganj upazila and the injured was Nazrul Islam.

Officer-in-Charge of Phulbari police station Rabiul Islam Khan said the speedy bus crashed into the motorbike around 1:30pm when Nazrul, along with Mukta and Mrittika, was going to Phulbari from Birganj, leaving Mukta and Mrittika dead on the spot.

Outraged by the accident, locals blocked Dinajpur-Dhaka highway, halting traffic for about one-and-a-half hours.

The vehicular movement on the highway became normal following police intervention. l

n UNB, Chuadanga

A team of Detective Branch of police in separate drives arrested four computer operators as they were printing anti-government posters and leaflets in several parts of the town on Thursday.

The arrestees were Roni, son of Mahrom Ali of Daulatdia, Firoz, 25, son of Osman Goni of Bagan Para, Nur Islam, 40, son of Golam Rahman of Muktipara, and Idris Ali, 35, son of Abdul Hye of Shantipara in the town.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of DB police arrested four computer operators from Sikha Printing Press and M Husain Art Press in Muktipara in the afternoon.

The DB also seized three computers. l

BSF picks up one in Thakuragon

n UNB Members of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) picked up a Bangladeshi cattle trader from Dharmagarh border area of Ranishankail upazila early yesterday.

The arrestee was Arif Mahmud, 22, of Mujahidabad village in the upazila.

Major Qazi Alamgir Hossain, acting commander of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Battalion 30, said BSF troops from Kokradah camp of India picked up Arif in the early hours when he entered into the territory of India to bring cattle.

Later, BSF members handed him over to Goalpur police station. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

NEWS IN BRIEF Girl electrocuted in Sherpur

A young girl died from electrocution and her brother was injured at Jogania village, Nalitabari upazila, Sherpur on Thursday.

The deceased was Khadiza Begum, 18, of the village. Family sources said Khadiza received an electric shock while attempting to re-charge her mobile phone and her bother Rubel Hossain, 15, also sustained injuries when he tried to save Khadiza. When she was rushed to upazila health complex doctors declared her dead. – UNB

Man found hanged in Benapole The body of an unidentified Bangladeshi man, aged around 55, was found hanging from a tree in Raftani Gate area of the Benapole check post early Thursday.

Locals alleged that members of Indian Border Security Force (BSF) beat him to death somewhere else and hanged the body on a tree near zero point inside Bangladesh territory at midnight. But BSF denied the allegation. Police recovered the body and sent it to morgue. Lieutenant Colonel Matiur Rahman of Border Guard Bangladesh battalion 26 also denied the allegation of BSF involvement in the killing. – UNB

814 bottles of Indian whisky seized in Sylhet Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) seized 814 bottles of Indian whisky from the bordering Companiganj upazila on Thursday night. Acting on secret information, a team of BGB battalion 5,

led by Habildar Mohammad Humayun Kabir, conducted a drive in the bordering area around 10:30pm and seized Officer’s Choice brand whisky worth about Tk1.2m from Nazirgaon field in an abandoned condition. The seized liquor was later deposited to Narcotics Control Department, Sylhet. – UNB

Man’s head recovered in Pirojpur Police recovered the head of a man, suspected to have been killed around a week back, from a pond of Haripagla union parishad in Nazirpur upazila yesterday.

The identity of the deceased could not be known immediately. Abdul Khalek, officer-in-charge of Nazirpur police station, said miscreants might have killed the man, aged around 45, by slitting throat in another place around seven days back and left the head there. – UNB

Minor girl drowns in Magura A 12-year-old girl drowned in a river at Darimagura village in Sadar upazila, Magura yesterday.The victim Suraiya Parvin, of the village, was a Class-V student of a local primary school. Officer-in-Charge of Magura Sadar police station Jahangir Alam said Parvin, along with her friends, went to the river to catch fish in the morning. She accidentally slipped into deep water and drowned as she did not know how to swim.

Locals rescued her in a critical condition and took her to the district hospital where duty doctors declared her dead. – UNB

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Germany for own Internet as spying scandal rankles n Reuters, Paris/Frankfurt As a diplomatic row rages between the United States and Europe over spying accusations, state-backed Deutsche Telekom wants German communications companies to cooperate to shield local internet traffic from foreign intelligence services.

Yet the nascent effort, which took on new urgency after Germany said on Wednesday that it had evidence that Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone had been monitored, faces an uphill battle if it is to be more than a marketing gimmick.

It would not work when Germans surf on websites hosted on servers abroad, such as social network Facebook or search engine Google, according to interviews with six telecom and internet experts. Deutsche Telekom could also have trouble getting rival broadband groups on board because they are wary of sharing network information.

More fundamentally, the initiative runs counter to how the Internet works today - global traffic is passed from network to network under free or paid-for agreements with no thought for national borders.

If more countries wall themselves off, it could lead to a troubling “Balkanisation” of the Internet, crippling the openness and efficiency that have made the web a source of economic growth, said Dan Kaminsky, a U.S. security researcher.

Rebel areas of Syria’s Homs need food aid: sources n AFP, Beirut Some 3,000 civilians trapped in a suffocating Syrian army siege of rebel areas in the city of Homs need urgent food aid, a monitoring group and activists said Friday.

“Three thousands civilians, among them 500 aged over 70, are living exclusively off the little food that had been stored in the besieged districts of Homs,” said Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman.

“People there are barely eating enough to survive,” he added.

For more than 500 days, hundreds of families have been living under a tight government siege of rebel-held areas of the Old City neighbourhood of Homs.

The army in July recaptured the Khaldiyeh neighbourhood, and hundreds of people who had been living there for months fled for other neighbourhoods under rebel control.

A few weeks ago, “the last remaining tunnels the rebels were using to bring in supplies were discovered by the army and destroyed. Now, all the people have to eat is what they had in storage,” said Abdel Rahman. l

France feared US hacked president, was Israel involved? n AFP, Paris

The alleged US spying on German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s mobile phone may have been run out of its Berlin embassy (R), less than a kilometre from the chancellery (L) AFP Controls over internet traffic are more commonly seen in countries such as China and Iran where governments seek to limit the content their people can access by erecting firewalls and blocking Facebook and Twitter.

“It is internationally without precedent that the internet traffic of a developed country bypasses the servers of another country,” said Torsten Gerpott, a professor of business and telecoms at the University of Duisburg-Essen.

“The push of Deutsche Telekom is laudable, but it’s also a public relations move.”

Deutsche Telekom, which is 32 per-

cent owned by the government, has received backing for its project from the telecoms regulator for potentially giving customers more options.

In August, the company also launched a service dubbed “E-mail made in Germany” that encrypts email and sends traffic exclusively through its domestic servers.

Government snooping is a sensitive subject in Germany, which has among the strictest privacy laws in the world, since it dredges up memories of eavesdropping by the Stasi secret police in the former East Germany, where Merkel grew up.l

Turkey, Iraq eye closer cooperation n Reuters, Ankara Turkey and Iraq, both concerned by the rise of al Qaeda in Syria, said on Friday their strained relations were improving and they would cooperate more closely to limit the spillover from Syria’s civil war.

The two countries’ dealings have been tense in recent years, not least because of Turkey’s deepening ties with northern Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region, locked in a dispute with the federal government over oil and land rights.

“Over the past two years our relations have gone through a bit of a problematic time,” Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu during a visit to Ankara.

“But the time has come for us to close this page and open a new one.

Even though we still have certain disagreements, we don’t have any problems that are not solvable.”

The war in Syria, which borders both Turkey and Iraq, has drawn Sunni Islamists from across the region and beyond into battle against President Bashar al-Assad’s government and has

nourished the revival of al Qaeda in Iraq.

Al Qaeda’s Syrian and Iraqi wings merged this year to form the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has mounted attacks in Syria and Iraq and has taken territory in northern Syria close to the border with Turkey in recent weeks.

Davutoglu said Syria had dominated the discussions with Zebari and the two had agreed on a formal mechanism for more intensive talks between their governments.

“We are the two countries that are the most deeply affected by developments in Syria,” Davutoglu said.

He will visit Baghdad in the first half of November, his first visit to the Iraqi capital since March 2011. Asked if Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki planned to visit Turkey, Zebari said he hoped relations would continue on a more senior level but he gave no date for any visit.

Iraq has been particularly angered

by Turkey’s involvement in the autonomous Kurdistan region’s oil and gas industry. l

France believed the United States attempted to hack into its president’s communications network, a leaked US intelligence document published on Friday suggests.

US agents denied having anything to do with the May 2012 cyber attack on the Elysee Palace, the official residence of French presidents, and appeared to hint at the possible involvement of Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, a classified internal note from the US National Security Agency suggests.

Extracts from the document, the latest to emerge from the NSA via former contractor Edward Snowden, were published

by Le Monde newspaper alongside an article jointly authored by Glenn Greenwald, the US journalist who has been principally responsible for a still-unravelling scandal over large-scale US snooping on individuals and political leaders all over the world.

The document is a briefing note prepared in April this year for NSA officials who were due to meet two senior figures from France’s external intelligence agency, the DGSE. The French agents had travelled to Washington to demand explanations over their discovery in May 2012 of attempts to compromise the Elysee’s communications systems.

The note says that the branch of the NSA which handles cyber attacks, Tailored Access Operations (TAO), had confirmed

a senior Iraqi security official said.

Washington agreed in August to

lance of Iraq’s desert border with Syria.

But Deputy National Security Ad-

that it had not carried out the attack and says that most of its closest allies (Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand) had also denied involvement.

It goes on to note: “TAO intentionally did not ask either Mossad or (Israel’s cyber intelligence unit) ISNU whether they were involved as France is not an approved target for joint discussions.”

Le Monde interpreted this sentence as being an ironic reference to a strong likelihood that Mossad had been behind the attack.

Hollande said Friday that French intelligence services had identified “several leads” for the attacks, speaking in Brussels after EU summit talks.

He did not elaborate further, but his comments came after he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel pushed for Washington to agree on new rules on the conduct of intelligence gathering among allies.

Merkel herself has also reportedly been the target of US espionage, with claims emerging this week the US tapped her mobile phone and spied on other allies.

“Spying between friends, that’s just not done,” an angry Merkel said Thursday at the start of the summit of European Union leaders, which was overshadowed by the issue.

The latest Le Monde report follows revelations published earlier this week that the NSA collected more than 70 million recordings of French citizens’ telephone data -- a claim contested by the top US intelligence chief. l

UK’s Cameron says Snowden and media spy leaks ‘helping enemies’ n Reuters, London Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday accused US whistleblower Edward Snowden and unnamed newspapers of assisting Britain’s enemies by helping them avoid surveillance by its intelligence services.

In his strongest remarks on the subject yet, Cameron told a news conference in Brussels that the classified information which Snowden had leaked was going to make it harder for Britain and other countries to keep its citizens safe from people who wanted to “blow up” families.

“What Snowden is doing and, to an extent, what the newspapers are doing in helping him do what he is doing, is frankly signaling to people who mean to do us harm how to evade and avoid intelligence and surveillance and other techniques,” Cameron told reporters.

“That is not going to make our world safer, it’s going to make our world more dangerous. That is helping our enemies.”

Cameron was talking after a European Council meeting in Brussels which had been overshadowed by allegations that the United States had tapped the mobile phone of German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

He declined to answer questions about Britain’s possible involvement, saying only that its intelligence services routinely shared information with other European countries and were subject to proper oversight.l

40 kiled near Damascus: Syrian media n AP, Damascus Syrian government troops on Friday ambushed rebels near the capital, Damascus, killing at least 40 opposition fighters, state media reported. The ambush was part of the military’s offensive against rebel strongholds around President Bashar Assad’s seat of power.

Also Friday, Kurdish gunmen battled jihadi rebels in a northeastern Syrian town along the border with Iraq, leaving a number of casualties on both sides, activists said. Such battles have become increasingly common in Syria’s blood-

letting, adding another complex layer to the civil war, now in its third year.

The ambush near Damascus came hours after Assad’s forces captured the town of Hatitat al-Turkomen south of the city, securing a key highway that links the capital with the Damascus International Airport.

State-run SANA news agency said 40 rebels were killed in the ambush, which took place near the Otaiba area, and that a large arms cache was seized, including anti-tank rockets. The area is part of a region known as Eastern Ghouta, which was the scene of a horrific chemical

weapons attack in August, when several hundred people, including many women and children, were killed.

An unidentified Syrian army officer in the area told state-run Al-Ikhbariya TV station that there were foreign fighters among the dead and that the ambush followed an intelligence tip.

The TV broadcast footage showing more than a dozen bodies of men lying on the ground in an open area near a small river, along with scattered automatic rifles and hand grenades. A scroll on the TV read: “Eastern Ghouta is a graveyard of terrorists.” l

130,000 flee north Syria district: NGO n AFP, Paris Tens of thousands of people have escaped from the Al Safira district in northern Syria, fleeing non-stop heavy bombing in a “massive exodus,” Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said Friday.

The non-governmental organisation, which has staff on the ground in the conflict-ridden country, said some 130,000 people had fled the district in the northern province of Aleppo, in-

Ukranian jailed for Iraq to press US on drones, F-16s to fight al Qaeda 40 years for British supply a $2.6bn integrated air defense viser Safa al-Sheikh Hussein said Iraq n Reuters, Baghdad system and F-16 fighter jets, with deliv- needs them now. “The first thing the mosque bombs, Prime Minister will ask for is to accelThe Baghdad government wants the ery due in autumn 2014.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who erate the processes for the shipment of immediate delivery of US drones and murder F-16 fighter jets in order to combat al will meets US President Barack Obama drones and F-16s,” said Safa al-Sheikh Qaeda insurgents, who are making in Washington next week, has also re- Hussein in an interview with Reuters. n AFP, London “The initial response from the US was swift advances in the west of the Iraq, quested drones to carry out surveilA Ukranian student was jailed for a minimum of 40 years by a British court Friday for murdering a Muslim grandfather and planting bombs near three mosques as part of what police called a racist terror campaign.

Pavlo Lapshyn, 25, had pleaded guilty on Monday to stabbing 82-yearold Mohammed Saleem to death as he walked home from a mosque in the central English city of Birmingham in April.

Lapshyn, a postgraduate student from the eastern Ukrainian city of Dnipropetrovsk, also admitted plotting to cause explosions at mosques in three towns in central England.

No one was injured in the blasts in the towns of Walsall, Wolverhampton and Tipton in June and July.

Judge Nigel Sweeney, sitting at the Old Bailey in London, the central criminal court for England and Wales, sentenced Lapshyn to life in jail with a minimum term of 40 years on Friday.

“You clearly hold extremist rightwing, white supremacist views and you were motivated to commit the offences by religious and racial hatred in the hope that you would ignite racial conflict and cause Muslims to leave the area where you were living,” the judge said.

“Such views, hatred and motivations have no place whatsoever in our multifaith and multi-cultural society.” l

Saturday, October 26, 2013

positive, but it depends on the delivery time. We want them immediately.” l

FROM BRITAIN WITH LOVE

cluding almost all those who lived in the town of Al Safira.

These add to the millions who have been driven from their homes since a brutal crackdown on Arab Spring-inspired protests in March 2011 escalated into a civil war that has now left some 115,000 people dead. “Faced with the magnitude of the needs of these displaced people, humanitarian aid is insufficient,” MSF said in a statement.

Marie-Noelle Rodrigue, head of operations at MSF, said the “extremely vi-

WORLD WATCH Russian parliament passes new anti-terror bill

The lower house of Russian parliament has approved a new legislation that toughens punishment for terrorism and requires terrorists’ relatives to pay for the damages caused in attacks. The bill, unanimously passed Friday by the State Duma, is expected to see a similarly swift approval in the upper house and be signed

by President Vladimir Putin to become law. The document says that training for terrorist activities is punishable by up to 10 years in prison. It also introduces a punishment of up to six years for those participating in a militant group abroad.

The measure appears to be a response to Russian nationals fighting alongside rebels in Syria. Russian officials have voiced concern that they may launch attacks at home when they return.

Petrochemical plant shutdown averted in Britain A Scottish petrochemical plant threatened with closure will stay open after unions agreed to a survival plan. The Grangemouth plant’s owners threatened to shut the facility after unions initially balked at the terms. The plant and adjoining oil refinery have been shut for a week because of the dispute. With 800 jobs at stake, union leaders changed course Friday, agreeing to a pay freeze and pension changes. Workers cheered as the announcement was made.

Reliability manager John Convery says the last couple of days have been “hellish” for workers and the surrounding community.

He said workers and their families “have been staring into the abyss.” Plant owner Ineos said it was losing 10 million pounds ($16 million) a month. It says it will invest 300 million pounds in the facility.

A dancer poses with a new painting by British graffiti artist Banksy on the front door of the Hustler Club in New York October 24

REUTERS

olent attacks” in Al Safira since October 8 had forced those who had already fled violence in other places to escape again.

“These people arrive in areas that already host a large number of displaced people, where the rare humanitarian players that are present are faced with huge needs,” she said in the statement.

According to MSF, new arrivals in the town of Manbij -- to the northeast of Al Safira -- were crammed into nearby farms, a makeshift camp on a parking lot that only has one latrine. l

Morocco teen jailed for 3 months for Obama tweet threat

A Moroccan court on Friday jailed a teenager for three months for threatening to kill US President Barack Obama on Twitter, judicial sources said. The 17-year-old identified as Soufiane I. pleaded guilty at a Casablanca court to “electronic crimes” and “calling for violence via electronic media,” after posting the death threat last year. “I will kill your president and everyone in his company. It’s what I’m going to do when I arrive in the United States next month,” the youth wrote on his Twitter feed. The teenager was arrested around two months ago in Casablanca. He is due to serve his sentence at the city’s Oukacha juvenile detention centre. The court hearing was closed to the media, and it was not immediately known whether the young Moroccan’s lawyers planned to appeal. Time spent in pre-trial detention is normally deducted from jail sentences in Morocco.

Muslim Brotherhood supporters rally in Egypt

Thousands of supporters of Egypt’s ousted president and his Muslim Brotherhood group have been marching in Cairo to keeping up the pressure on the country’s military-backed leadership. Scattered protests also are occurring across Egypt.

Supporters of Mohammed Morsi, Egypt’s first elected president, marched Friday in Cairo’s southern district of Maadi. Some held pictures of their fallen members.

Others called for Morsi to be reinstated, urging military leader Gen. Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi to step aside. Morsi was overthrown along with his Muslim Brotherhood-led government in July 3 coup after millions protested against his leadership.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

9

Saturday, October 26, 2013

India, Pakistan exchange gunfire over border Children have also been injured in the latest outbreak of violence

n AP, Srinagar Indian and Pakistani troops fired machine guns and mortar shells over the border in Kashmir, wounding at least 12 people — including children — as the disputed region sees some of the most serious tensions in a decade, officials said Friday.

A 2003 cease-fire between the nuclear-armed neighbors has largely held for the past 10 years, although sporadic violations are common. In recent days, however, the skirmishes have escalated significantly.

Both India and Pakistan have reported an increase in the number of cross-border attacks since the current Pakistani and Indian prime ministers held their first face-to-face meeting last month in New York and agreed on the need to reduce tensions.

The latest violence started Thursday

Saudi Arabia warns online backers of women drivers n AP, Riyadh Saudi officials stepped up warnings on Friday over plans by women to challenge the male-only driving rules in the ultraconservative kingdom, saying that even online support for the protest could bring arrest.

The warnings came on the eve of the planned protest by Saudi women activists who have obtained driver’s licenses abroad. The Internet has been a key tool in reaching out to international media and organizing the demonstration, similar to one staged last year by a small group of women.

Though no specific Saudi law bans women from driving, the rules are enforced by Saudi clerics who hold far-reaching influence over the ruling monarchy and give it political legitimacy.

Mention of the strict Saudi laws against online political dissent significantly broadens the possible fallout from the expected campaign by Saudi women, who have pledged to get behind the wheel on Saturday in defiance of Saudi traditions enforced by the nation’s powerful Islamic religious establishment.

Friday’s edition of the pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat quotes Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Turki al-Faisal as saying cyber-laws could apply to anyone supporting the women driving campaign.

Conviction can bring up to five-year prison sentences and stiff fines, the article quoted a Saudi consultant on cyber laws, Marwan al-Ruwqi.

Saudi Arabia has adopted some reforms in recent years, including allowing women to sit on the national advisory council and a decision by King Abdullah to permit women to vote and run in municipal elections in 2015.

But the driving ban appears to retain the backing of senior clerics, who also refuse to amend codes such as requiring women to obtain a male guardian’s approval to travel.

Al-Faisal, the ministry spokesman, was quoted as saying the cyber-dissident law “will be applied against violators” while other measures will be taken against “those who gather to support” the planned protest.

On Wednesday, he warned of police crackdowns against “disturbing public order.” The statement was issued after about 150 clerics and religious scholars protested outside a royal palace, saying Saudi authorities were doing nothing to stop women flouting the ban.

Some of the leaders of the campaign said they received phone calls from authorities emphasizing the warnings.

The London-based rights group Amnesty International said the main website of the women driving effort, oct26driving.org, was blocked early Friday and replaced with the message: “Drop the leadership of Saudi women.”

The women activists still plan to defy the driving ban, despite having their campaign website hacked and receiving repeated threats from the authorities to thwart the effort, Amnesty said.

“Saudi Arabian authorities use the excuse that society at large is behind the ban and claim that the law does not discriminate against women. But at the same time they continue to harass and intimidate women activists,” said Said Boumedouha, acting director of Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa Program.

In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said the US supports “the full inclusion of women in Saudi society.” l

night at about two dozen border posts along the frontier. As in most cases of firing along the border, India and Pakistan accused each other of initiating the fighting.

Shantmanu, an Indian civil administrator in Kashmir who uses only one name, said 10 civilians, including four children, were wounded.

In Islamabad, Pakistani military officials said Indian troops fired first, wounding two civilians. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with military policy.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry called the cease-fire violations “a matter of great concern.”

On Wednesday, India accused Pakistani troops of firing guns and mortars on at least 50 Indian border posts overnight in Kashmir, calling it the most

serious cease-fire violation in a decade.

Analysts say it is too early to determine whether the firing signals a more serious escalation on the horizon. Vivek Katju, a retired Indian diplomat, said the violence could be an attempt to raise tensions along the border to draw international attention to the conflict.

India and Pakistan have fought two wars over control of Kashmir, which is divided between them and claimed by both. India regularly accuses Pakistan of supporting Kashmiri rebels who have been fighting on the Indian side since 1989 for independence or a merger with Pakistan.

An estimated 68,000 people have been killed in the conflict, though most resistance is now shown through street protests. Pakistan denies giving any backing to the rebels beyond moral support.l

Indian villagers gather around an abandoned car with a broken window with shell holes allegedly caused by firing from Pakistan side at Garkhal village near the India-Pakistan international border AP

UN slams Myanmar’s anti-Muslim violence Thailand mourns top

Muslims in Myanmar cry after having their houses burned

n Reuters Violence against a Muslim minority in Myanmar is feeding a wider anti-Muslim feeling that poses a serious threat to the country’s economic and political reforms as it emerges from half a century of military rule, according to a UN envoy.

“The situation in Rakhine State has fed a wider anti-Muslim narrative in Myanmar, which is posing one of the most serious threats to the reform process,” Tomas Ojea Quintana, UN special rapporteur on the situation in human rights in Myanmar, said on Thursday.

“Rakhine State remains in a situation of profound crisis.”

REUTERS

“The underlying issue of discrimination against Muslim and particularly Rohingya populations remains unaddressed,” he told the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee, which deals with human rights issues. “Allegations of gross violations since the violence erupted last June, including by state security personnel, remains unaddressed.”

More needs to be done by the government to tackle the spread of discriminatory views and to protect vulnerable minority communities.

Tomas Ojea Quintana, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights The government says at least 192

people were killed in June and October 2012 during clashes between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims, most of whom Myanmar deem illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite roots going back generations.

The clashes led to unrest elsewhere in the country, where other groups of Muslims have been targeted, including Kamans, who are of different ethnicity from Rohingya Muslims.

“In our view the recent dramatic democratic changes in Myanmar were a clear demonstration of the changes of mindset in the government,” a representative of the Myanmar UN mission told the Third Committee.

“At the critical time of democratic transition no country is immune from challenges. Myanmar went through unfortunate communal violence in Rakhine state sparked by a brutal crime. We very much regret loss of life and property caused to both communities,” he said.

The violence in northern Rakhine State, one of Myanmar’s poorest regions that is home to one million mostly stateless Rohingya, has continued this year, with dozens more killed and 140,000 left homeless.

“However, more needs to be done by the government to tackle the spread of discriminatory views and to protect vulnerable minority communities,” he added.

An estimated 5 percent of Myanmar’s population of about 60 million is Muslim. l

Buddhist leader n AFP, Bangkok Flags flew at half-mast and crowds of mourners turned out to pay their respects Friday after Thailand’s top Buddhist leader died aged 100.

Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara died on Thursday due to a blood infection following recent surgery for an intestinal infection, according to Chulalongkorn hospital where he had been receiving treatment.

Police said thousands of mourners, some weeping and clutching pictures of the revered monk, lined the streets as his body was transported from the hospital to a temple in the capital for religious ceremonies.

People of all ages, from school boys to frail old women, crouched respectfully next to the heavy traffic. Most dressed in the mourning colours of black or white.

“I wanted to cry. I came early morning to pay my respects to his body and I cried,” said Panya Thammachat, 59.

Thailand’s most senior monk had been hospitalised for more than a decade.

The respected cleric -- a friend of the Dalai Lama -- was born Charoen Gajavatra on October 3, 1913 in the western Thai province of Kanchanaburi and ordained as a novice when he was 14 years old.

Japan secrecy act stirs fears 700 immigrants rescued off about press freedom Italy: official n Reuters, Tokyo

n AFP, Rome

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government is planning a state secrets act that critics say could curtail public access to information on a wide range of issues, including tensions with China and the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

The new law would dramatically expand the definition of official secrets and journalists convicted under it could be jailed for up to five years.

Japan’s harsh state secrecy regime before and during World War Two has long made such legislation taboo, but the new law looks certain to be enacted since Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party-led bloc has a comfortable majority in both houses of parliament and the opposition has been in disarray since he came to power last December.

Critics see parallels between the new law and Abe’s drive to revise Japan’s US-drafted, post-war constitution to stress citizen’s duties over civil rights, part of a conservative agenda that includes a stronger military and

Nearly 700 refugees including dozens of Eritreans have been rescued off Sicily in five operations, as leaders grapple with the issue of illegal immigration at a European Union summit.

Italian coastguard and navy vessels and a Maltese cargo ship have saved asylum-seekers from five boats in the past 24 hours, including at least two that were adrift, officials said on Friday.

“It was a night of rescues in the Strait of Sicily” -- the stretch of water between Sicily and Tunisia, the coastguard said in a statement.

The 318 migrants picked up by the navy were all packed on two boats and were later transferred onto the San March amphibious assault ship taking part in a massive search and rescue operation.

The operation was launched by the Italian government in the wake of an October 3 refugee shipwreck tragedy just off the Italian island of Lampedusa in which 366 asylum seekers perished.

recasting Japan’s wartime history with a less apologetic tone.

“There is a demand by the established political forces for greater control over the people,” said Lawrence Repeta, a law professor at Meiji University. “This fits with the notion that the state should have broad authority to act in secret.” l

Some of the refugees rescued between Thursday and Friday were also from Eritrea, the country where most of those on the boat that sank came from.

More than 33,000 migrants have landed in Italy so far this year -- nearly three times more than the number for last year. The most common countries of origin are Eritrea and Somalia and now also Syria.

The mayor of Lampedusa, the island where most of the migrants land, warned European leaders of the need for an urgent rethink of immigration policies.

“Unless Europe’s approach to asylum and immigration changes, it won’t only be the migrants but the EU that drowns off Lampedusa,” Giusi Nicolini said in Brussels, where she met with European Parliament head Martin Schulz.

The 300-bed refugee centre on Lampedusa is currently housing 700 and more of those who were rescued are arriving. Italian lawmakers say the squalid conditions in the centre are unacceptable. l

Madagascar holds first post-coup vote n AP, Antananarivo, Madagascar

Residents of the island nation of Madagascar voted Friday in a presidential election they hope will restore security, improve lives and mark the end of political and economic turmoil brought about by a 2009 coup.

Voter turnout increased by the afternoon after a slow start in the morning as residents chose to go to work instead of the polls. At the start of the vote, only 50 voters in line at a public junior school on the outskirts of Antananarivo, the capital.

Emilienne Ravaonasolo, 65, said she hoped the vote would help better the lives of the people in Madagascar.

“Hopefully the person I vote for will have the experience to restore security and improve the lives of the people,” she said. United Nations officials said polling was “going well.”

Fatma Samoura, a representative of the U.N. Development Program in Madagascar said “People are calm, they understand the importance of this election.”

Government officials have declared Friday a holiday to allow voters to cast

their ballots. But in a nation with high levels of poverty and a wage of a $1.10 a day, most people continued work instead of voting.

Goods were carted in ox-drawn carts past the polling booths. Women at a river near a station did laundry, and local markets selling chicken and building materials remained open.

“Here in Madagascar, if you don’t work, you don’t eat,” a resident said.

Madagascar, off Africa’s east coast on the Indian Ocean, plunged into turmoil after current President Andry Rajoelina, a former disc jockey and may-

or of the capital Antananarivo, seized power from ousted President Marc Ravalomanana with the help of the military in 2009.

Rajoelina told reporters after casting his vote in Antananarivo, that it was time Madagascar “returned to the constitutional order.”

“The crisis has lasted too long...we feel the need of the Malagasy to fulfill their duty,” he said.

Rajoelina allayed fears of a repeat of the 2009 coup saying “the results come from the choice of the people, we must accept it.” l

A Thai woman holds a newspaper with a portrait of Thai Supreme Patriarch Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara AFP He was appointed Supreme Patriarch in 1989 by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was “very sad” to hear of his passing, according to the royal household bureau, which was instructed by the monarch to mourn for 30 days.

Police asked entertainment venues across the country not to stage live music shows or allow dancing until November 8 as a sign of respect. l

Thailand seizes meth pills worth $30 mln n AFP, Bangkok Thai police announced Friday a huge seizure of more than five million illegal methamphetamine pills -- worth about $30 million -- believed to have been smuggled from Myanmar.

The drugs bust is one of the kingdom’s largest in years and reflects soaring production of amphetamine-type stimulants in Myanmar, which is emerging from decades of military rule.

Six people were arrested in two related seizures of the pills, known as yaba -- “crazy medicine” -- found at a house in Nonthaburi near Bangkok and in a truck in the central province of Phetchabun, authorities said.

“We seized around 5.3 million yaba pills worth around one billion baht,” Police Lieutenant General Surapol Thuanthong of the Narcotics Suppression Bureau told AFP by telephone.

He said the pills were produced in Myanmar and smuggled through the Golden Triangle region, where the remote edges of Thailand, Myanmar and Laos meet.

“Now production is increasing because it makes a lot of profits,” Surapol said. “Minority groups have small factories to make them.”

It is estimated that at least 1.4 billion yaba tablets -- with an estimated street value of $8.5 billion -- are being produced each year in the Golden Triangle region, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

There are an estimated 600,000 yaba users in Thailand.

The drug is mostly made in isolated mobile laboratories hidden in the forests of Shan state in Myanmar, which is also still the second-largest global source of opium after Afghanistan. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

Putting the nation first

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Khaleda looks to former caretakers for solution

7 warning signs to detect drug problems early

O

October 23

ur current political impasse is costing our economy dearly. According to forecasts by the World Bank, the IMF and ADB, the economic growth rate for Bangladesh will remain stuck at 5.7% because of our ongoing political problems. This rate is 1.4% lower than our government’s own projection.

Political instability does not necessarily translate into economic instability. However, when government action is seen to have tangible negative consequences on the economy, it is a clear sign that our leaders need to urgently rethink their priorities before our economy is sent into a tailspin.

Pushing the country to the brink is not in the national interest, but is motivated by selfish and short-sighted reaAs a nation already sons. We think the actions of dealing with energy both political parties, and the and infrastructural fact that they have refused crises, we simply to move an inch from their cannot afford to original demands, suggest have our situation they are refusing to look at aggravated because the big picture.

As a nation already dealing of petty political with energy and infrastrucdisagreements tural crises, we simply cannot afford to have our situation aggravated because of petty political disagreements.

Countrywide shutdowns and general uncertainty severely disrupt day-to-day economic activity and long-term planning.

Worries over the volatile situation are already scaring off foreign buyers and hurting our exports in the garment sector.

The same concerns are affecting business activity in other sectors as well.

Things cannot continue like this. The parties need to come together and reach a compromise for the sake of the whole nation and the economy. Such a resolution would be a step in the right direction.

These signs depict that an adolescent is already using drugs. Any measures taken thereafter are not preventive, rather curative.

The availability of illegal drugs has to be uprooted in the first place. Prevention is always better than cure! And with drugs especially, very few respond to these curative measures.

Addiction is a black hole which tends to swallow the victim and it is very difficult for them to turn back.

Farah Nusrat

The yellow submarine October 22

We are entering a critical phase. We have been here before but we made a hash of it. The truth is more important than ever so that we can do the right thing for ourselves and our country this time. Thanks to the writer for highlighting this crucial thing.

Amer In an age of freedoms, it is easy to forget that freedom of the press is often misinterpreted to mean freedom to fictionalise. A well-written, in-depth look at this issue was exactly what was needed in this time. Good job!

Ibtisam Impressed by the topic that was chosen – not many people are looking at it – although the irony of it being discussed in a newspaper made me chuckle a bit. Excellent writing!

Ayesha

Be Heard

Compensate Rana Plaza victims asap

Write to us at: Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email us at: letters@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion@dhakatribune.com Visit our website: www.dhakatribune.com Come join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

I

t is six months since more than a thousand people lost their lives and many others were injured in the Rana Plaza collapse. This incident, understandably, had adverse, long-term implications for many families.

The rescue operations have had substantial contributions from the mass people, and individuals have tried hard to stand by the affected in an effort to rehabilitate them.

What has been lacking is any substantial initiative from the sectors concerned and responsible for the accident due to negligence. The RMG sector and the government have, until now, failed to deliver on their promises of compensation.

It has to be made sure Six months is enough that nobody is able to time for these people to get away with their have been compensated and crime and the culprits parties concerned should are taken to task not be allowed to escape their responsibilities again, having failed to ensure a secure work environment for the labourers and having failed to assess the risk of working in a building that already had cracked walls.

As we have seen in the past, the owners have been reluctant to compensate workers after such accidents. The media had been vocal in the beginning but the uproar died down with time. However, it has to be made sure that nobody is able to get away with their crime and the culprits are taken to task, which includes, among others, compensation for the families of the deceased and the survivors, and proper trial of the owners, management, and the responsible authorities.

It is encouraging to see that a factory set up by a few surviving workers is doing quite well, and this shows the resilience of these hard-working people and we welcome more such endeavours. However, we must also make sure that the affected are duly and rightfully compensated for the loss they have incurred.

October 20 Not only political tension, lack of civic amenities in the tourist areas and concerns about mugging too significantly contribute at the ground level.

P Sarker

LETTER OF THE WEEK

Mohammad Zahinul Islam I am glad things are coming to an end. BNP’s proposal will be flatly rejected. One party election initiation will start. Blood bath will also start from 25th. Full chaos will create a pattern and pave the way for a government which will be imposed on Bangladesh by our partners in progress.

This will be led by none other than a person who is world renowned from Bangladesh. This government will continue for at least five years.

It will clean the system and ensure growth with a feel good atmosphere. The people will be completely allergic to politicians and politics and so called democracy and people will be more concerned with quality of life, jobs, healthcare and future.

After this qualitative attainment, if the election happens after five years, there will be level playing field for all parties and they will have to play to provide the attained quality in order to survive. This may sound very ridiculous but this is what’s going to happen.

TheNutkicker Vi That first part is very depressing.

Mohammad Zahinul Islam I know. There should be laughter after pain.

Government to launch project to improve RMG working condition October 20

Door for dialogue still open October 22

Dear prime minister, if you cannot sit with the opposition, then sit with the common people to see what we want.

We do recognise your development works, but yes, we do want a neutral caretaker government to oversee the elections.

Ahnaf

We have been hearing this for the last 20 years, but no government could even create a garment palli which garment-owners have been demanding for long. The root cause of all the disasters at the garment factories and the deaths of labourers is weak planning or no planning by the government!

Babul Sarwar Bangladesh has its “National Action Plan,” Europe has its “Building and Fire Safety Accord,” and the US has its “American Alliance.” But where’s the implementation??

Tunazzina Iqbal Sahaly

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU ACROSS 1 Drinks slowly (4) 3 Cautious (4) 7 Born (3) 8 Take as one’s own (5) 11 Says further (4) 12 Liberates (5) 13 Foreign (5) 15 Diplomacy (4) 18 Wagers (4) 19 Sovereign (5) 20 Commonplace (5) 21 Skirting board (4) 23 Worth (5) 24 Consumed (3) 25 That which binds (4) 26 Enquires (4)

Local tourism dashed due to political fears

October 21

DOWN 1 Egyptians’ sacred beetle (6) 2 Gain (6) 4 Also (3) 5 Lower in price (6) 6 Acceptance (3) 9 Quickly (mus) (6) 10 Perfect score (3) 11 Shrewd (6) 14 Smooth and even (mus) (6) 16 Makes vigilant (6) 17 Facts (6) 19 Edge (3) 21 Expert (3) 22 Lair (3)

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

How to solve Sudoku: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

Code-Cracker

DHAKA TRIBUNE

T

H

E

O

T

H

E

Op-Ed R

S

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D

Resisting confrontation

E

Obama’s spy games n Stephen Collinson

P

The rigid stance continues

H

n Matthew Islam ilary Clinton had once said quite poignantly: “The difference between a politician and a statesman is that a politician thinks about the next election while the statesman thinks about the next generation.” Oh, how poor we truly are. Not a statesman in sight.

The rhetoric on both sides of the aisle as it stands today is demeaning to all of us.

Every single person reading this must for their own self dignity never forget that our leaders have completely failed to lead us in any constructive direction.

AL and BNP’s rigid stance continues. Their insistence in not pursuing any meaningful dialogue is perplexing and boring.

Their inability to break the proverbial ice is deeply concerning. Elements within both parties who are continuously advocating for resistance both armed and otherwise look childish, desperate and naked to all of us who have the ability to decipher political emptiness.

While there are some glimmers of hope for an understanding in the offing, primary of which is the unprecedented offer of the prime minister to have a phone conversation with the opposition leader, I am sure it’s not too negative for me or anyone else in the country to have any respectable belief, that anything positive will transpire as a result of that conversation.

BIGSTOCK

A fair and serious negotiation, among other things, requires that an environment of confrontation be dialled down and none of our leaders are interested in doing so. If not any other sign, that by itself is indicative of the lack of seriousness of both sides in reaching a middle ground.

Therefore, I don’t agree with the diplomatic quarter’s assessment that dialogue in itself will help, it won’t. There has to be a meaningful, respectful dialogue devoid of threats of violence from both sides which, both in public and backdoors of power, these two main parties are incapable of doing.

that in speaking to us about your ability to hash it out on the streets like an open fight club is anything but enticing to a majority of us even though I admit there are parts of our society who enjoy such confrontations.

As I write this on Friday afternoon, no major incidence of violence has taken place. The instability however continues unabated and the kind of environment such a situation promotes is deeply damaging and seriously dangerous for nation.

All this needs is a spark that we all believe and fear will happen any moment now. To quote a cliché, “It’s not a matter of if but when.”

Their inability to break the proverbial ice is deeply concerning.

Elements within both parties who are continuously advocating for resistance both armed and otherwise look childish, desperate and naked to all of us who have the ability to decipher political emptiness

One could cite a few examples of cooperation between them but they are few and far between and sending sentimental letters to each other with insane demands don’t count.

In the lead up to the BNP rally, it was nothing short of shameful in how both sides drummed up their respective abilities to fight each other. People are being terrorised by the parties’ continued war posture.

The BNP and AL really don’t care

The reason that belief exists and gains credibility every passing day is the full display of political madness in the media that other developed nations around the world could only dream about.

It’s not reasonable for the BNP to ask the government to bend over backwards to alter the constitution and amend laws to reinstate the caretaker government system or to seek out 20 retired advisers both alive and dead to

11

Saturay, October 26, 2013

lead a poll time government or when they say that the government rules illegally starting today.

Similarly, why on earth would the AL not clarify it’s position regarding the head and structure of the poll time government, when it transitions to that state, is flabbergasting and besides me. Both parties have shown us that they don’t understand anything about the art of negotiation and that they are most adept at confronting each other.

The only real truth here is, no one in this country wants a repeat of 2006 and if such an incident does take place, it will be the most epic failure of our politicians in not having prevented it.

I urge the prime minister and the opposition leader to immediately muzzle their respective party men by stating in private and whatever public platform available to them to not use inflammatory language and order their colleagues to resist confrontational activities at all costs.

If there is going to be any hope for an understanding that leads us into the next election, the violent oneup rhetoric has to stop. That is the primary perquisite without which no dialogue will succeed and we have already failed it several times. Not that any of the stakeholders really care. 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.

resident Barack Obama must be used to the drill by now - picking up the phone to get an earful from another foreign leader venting at rampant US spies.

On Monday, it was France. On Wednesday, Germany. No one knows which ally will be next with gripes at National Security Agency snooping on their emails and telephone calls.

The drip, drip, drip of revelations from fugitive contractor Edward Snowden is becoming more than just an irritant for the White House - it is undercutting its claims to have rescued George W Bush-tarnished ties with America’s friends abroad.

Obama, once greeted as a hero across the Atlantic, is turning out, for many Europeans, to be not so different than the man he replaced.

A rebuke from German Chancellor Angela Merkel – hardly prone to intemperate outbursts – took the NSA snooping affair to a new level of diplomatic angst on Wednesday.

Merkel called Obama and told him that if the NSA had indeed tapped her cellphone, she would regard it as “a grave breach of trust,” and demanded answers.

Her pique could be read as a logical political move - given pressure she already faced over claims US spies monitored millions of foreign telephone calls and online exchanges as part of a sophisticated anti-terror sweep.

But it seemed to be something more.

Did the woman who grew up under the all seeing ears of East Germany’s Stasi secret police take the claims, first reported by Der Spiegel, as a personal affront?

“I do think the relationship between her and Obama is going to be damaged,” said Stephen Szabo of the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

“I think she is personally offended.”

On Monday, it was France.

On Wednesday, Germany. No one knows which ally will be next with gripes at National Security Agency

Obama has spent considerable energy courting Merkel and privately speaks in glowing terms of her intellect and political nous.

But the White House account of the call will do little to quell anger in Germany.

Obama spokesman Jay Carney said his boss told Merkel that Washington “is not monitoring and will not monitor” her communications.

That left the clear implication that her conversations may indeed have been swept up in the past.

Washington, while telling allies like France and Germany that their concerns are “legitimate,” hardly seems contrite over the activities of the secretive NSA.

The Obama administration has promised foreign leaders to seek ways to balance security and privacy, but has come nowhere near an apology for activity it says is vital to breaking up international terror networks.

Privately, officials say that every nation spies - even on allies - and that Merkel is fair game in the great espionage caper.

They also point to US cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies - hinting that governments who publicly protest at US spying are in fact complicit in the game themselves.

Security officials separately dispute the factual basis of many reports based on Snowden’s leaked material.

Even if the NSA is trawling through millions of calls and emails with sophisticated mathematical programs, it does not mean America is some kind of Big Brother that could, or would, actually “listen in” on mostly banal conversations.

But the sophistication of that argument cuts little ice in nations where indigenous resentment at US power is fanned by sensational media claims.

It does not mean America is some kind of Big Brother that could, or would, actually “listen in” on mostly banal conversations

“Since there are many such cases now in the news – Brazil, Mexico – I expect it will add to the general public anger aimed at the US among those already disposed to be angry,” said Jackson Janes, president of the American Institute for Contemporary German Studies at Johns Hopkins University.

Some analysts warn that US tech firms operating in Europe could face a backlash, or that the continent will use the furor to push for increased data protection rules in a proposed US-Europe trade pact.

Meanwhile, a political game is underway - weakened foreign leaders are quick to exploit the NSA’s red face.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff seized on allegations that the NSA was spying on Brazilian government and commercial interests to deflect from her political plight at home.

She thumbed her nose by cancelling a White House state visit and slapped Washington at the United Nations General Assembly.

French President Francois Hollande, with approval ratings in free fall, took his licks during a call with Obama on Monday, after Le Monde reported the United States intercepted millions of telephone calls in France.

Mexico’s new President Enrique Pena Nieto is making hay from claims the NSA delved into his personal email.

But Vicente Fox, one of Nieto’s predecessors, is playing the grizzled elder statesman.

“It’s nothing new that there’s espionage in every government in the world, including Mexico,” he said. “I don’t understand the scandal.” l This article was syndicated from AFP.

Modern families n Syeda Samara Mortada

S

omeone once said to me, “Why do you live at your in-laws? Isn’t it difficult? You should go there on weekends like I do and spend the rest of the days at your parent’s.”

“And the hubby, where does he stay?” I asked. “Wherever I stay of course!” she replied back.

I am definitely not suggesting that women should stop working after they have babies or that women who are working should not have babies

Dhaka today has three kinds of families: joint (with her side of the family), joint (with his side of the family) and nuclear. As more and more women are joining the workforce and starting families at the same time, they are counting on their parents to help them build the life they have imagined for

themselves.

I am definitely not suggesting that women should stop working after they have babies or that women who are working should not have babies. But once you have a child, his/her responsibility is yours and your partners.

Grandparents shall be grandparents; they are not supposed to raise your child for you! And if you decide to bring another person into this world, his/her life is in your hands, not anyone else’s. If you ask me what women under these circumstances ought to do, then I don’t have any tricks up my sleeve, nor are there shortcuts on how to raise a child.

Don’t we all wish there were better daycare centres in the country? Yes, but that is not the point of this piece.

Of course, it is an entirely other story if a girl lives at her parents’ because they are ill or old and she’s the only one who can look after them.

But living with them so that they can take care of you or your child after you have reached an age of adulthood is definitely not the prescribed way.

Many couples these days are also opting for a place of their own whereby they are free to lead the life that suits them. When both the partners contribute to the family, this idea becomes easier to materialise and is also the best option out of all.

Living with in-laws, abiding by their rules becomes a bit of a hitch for us folks as our daily routines are very different from theirs; we come home later than expected, eat out and sleep in late during weekends.

Not to mention the never-ending mother-in-law-daughter-in-law wars that leave the rest of the family members breathless and void of energy. On the contrary, there are some households in which the inlaws themselves ask their sons and daughters in law to get a place of their own so that civil relationships can be maintained.

I am sure that there is a genuine and logical reason for which men don’t join their wives in their homes after marriage. Call me old-fashioned, but that’s just how I see it. My general

observation is that those men who opt to stay at their in-laws after marriage usually do not earn a decent living and is dependent on them for taking care of his wife and kids.

Living with in-laws, abiding by their rules becomes a bit of a hitch for us folks as our daily routines are very different from theirs

Or maybe he does earn enough, but chooses not to spend it on his family.

Such men also usually shy away from responsibilities and want to spend their lives on someone else’s mercy.

There are maternally inclined societies elsewhere, but I can only vouch for what I have seen in my lifetime and what I have gathered from my experience is this: A married couple living with the girl’s side of the family

can only bring dismay to her life as well as those around her.

Even if her husband is worthy of respect, no one will give him that and will always assume that he is at the beck and call of his father-in-law. Not just that, the girl’s own parents will at one point tell her that she opted to live with them because of her own selfish needs.

As such, relationships with both sides of the family become messy with the girl’s side because of the endless help you seek from them and with the boy’s side because you have ignored their needs completely.

I am definitely not speaking for all couples. Like I said, this is what I have witnessed personally. Some rules are meant to be broken, others revised, whereas there are some more that if followed will continue to bring peace to the world. So, what’s your family structure like? l Syeda Samara Mortada is the associate editor of ICE Today, a lifestyle magazine and a freelance writer.

12

Entertainment

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Urban Youth Festival returns on bigger scale n Shadma Malik After the success of the first installment of Urban Youth Festival last year, which ran for four days, the event came back with a month long repertoire at the Goethe-Institut in Dhanmondi. The programme was inaugurated on October 24 amidst huge enthusiasm.

The theme of this year’s festival is “Student politics, Secularism, Social media and Art.” The festival in general highlights photo exhibits, wall paintings, concerts and roundtable meeting with experts on various issues.

The Deputy Ambassador of the German Embassy Dr Ferdinand Von Weyhe spoke at the inauguration ceremony and the keynote was presented by standup comedian Naveed Mahbub. Director General of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Liaquat Ali Lucky

and Director of Goethe-Institute Judith Mirschberger gave welcome speech at the event.

However, the most attractive feature on the inaugural day’s programme was the staging of a mime production.

The performers captivated the audience with their powerful expression and language of art. The show “Cross Connection” is about Campus Politics vs Polite-ice. Directed by Mir Lokman, performed by Dhaka University Mime Action, the story showed the struggle of the youth and the Independence gained after nine months of hardship.

The mime show further encouraged a healthy and peaceful environment were students can deal with politics, question oppression and bring positive changes in the society.

The ongoing programmes at the venue feature a photo exhibition “Portraits of Politics” by A J Ghani. Ghani

portrays specific objects which can be related to politics and people’s insanity. The photographs showcased are mostly on the Ramu incident and the Rana Plaza tragedy.

Besides the photo display, an installation “Thoughtlessness,” a joint venture by sculptors Sanjay Biswas and Protik Biswas, is also on display. It depicts the aimless, guideless and helpless individuals, despite the opportunities available for the youth in this country. But, the political unrest and the continuous accident prone scenario of the country are decapitating the thought process of the young individuals and their creativity is being smoldered to the ground.

As a part of the series of events at the festival, a workshop titled “Youth Workshop: Pathways to Tolerance” will be conducted at the Goethe-Institut tomorrow. l

A scene from Shunagoriker Shondhane

Shunagoriker Shondhane staged at Shilpakala Academy n Mujahidul Haque Lenin

Different moments of a mime show staged on the inaugural day of the Urban Youth Festival 2

ON TV MOVIES 7:30pm Star Movies

Underworld Evolution

9:30pm WB

The Hurt Locker

DRAMA 2:30pm Zee Café Political Animals

6:30pm Star Plus Mahabharat

COMEDY 10:30am Comedy Central MASH

8:00pm Star World 2 Broke Girls

London Film Fest sees surprise from Johnny Depp n Entertainment Desk Johnny Depp has made a surprise appearance at the London Film Festival to give a career honour to horror icon Christopher Lee. Depp called Lee “a national treasure” and “a genuine artist” as he presented the 91-year-old actor with a British Film Institute Fellowship on Saturday.

He said it had been “a childhood dream come true” to work with Lee. The two actors appeared together in Tim Burton’s “Sleepy Hollow,” “Dark Shadows” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” l

SADIA MARIUM

Lokonatya Dal staged its 26th production of a 55 minute-long drama “Shunagoriker Shondhane” on October 24 at the Studio Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

This is the 5th staging of the latest production of the troupe, which saw a houseful of curious audiences.

Shunagoriker Shondhane (in search of a good citizen) is basically a satire written by Moloy Bhowmic – a teacher of Rajshahi University.

The dramatist gives a message here illustrating the meaningless and irrational lifestyle of the society’s powerful citizens who often muscle in on the common citizen’s livelihood and live in luxury but shy away from cultural and knowledge-based practice, ironically thinking that their community fellows are the best.

They choose associates and followers thoughtfully so that their allies could never go against their notorious and selfish intentions.

These unproductive power bodies practice flattery for their boss and his deranged family members.

There are 11 actors and actresses including the head of the Town (NogorKorta), his arrogant wife (Nogorkortry), a minister who keeps himself busy flattering, a so-called adviser (Nogorpondit) having very negligible knowledge about what is happening around, and other unworthy team members.

The NogorKorta always indulges himself in passing unproductive time with recreation and keeps himself involved with different types of vulgar enjoyment.

He is scared of his dominating middle-aged wife who is

Aditya to romance Katrina in Fitoor n Entertainment Desk

Aashiqui 2 star Aditya Roy Kapur will be seen romancing Katrina Kaif in Abhishek Kapoor’s love story titled “Fitoor.”

Disney UTV announced that its next production Fitoor will star the fresh pair. This is for the first time that Aditya is paired opposite an established actress like Katrina. His last film was with newbie Shraddha Kapoor in Aashiqui 2 which was a huge hit.

“As a filmmaker, I have always invested in new and emerging talents and Aditya Roy Kapur is right up there.

I am delighted to have him on board,” director Abhishek Kapoor said. He is known for making the successful movie, Kai Po Che, with newcomers like Sushant Singh Rajput, Amit Sadh and emerging talent Rajkumar Yadav.

“Abhishek Kapoor was looking for a perfect cast for his timeless love story ‘Fitoor’ and we’re glad that he has found them in Aditya Roy Kapur and Katrina Kaif,” Rucha Pathak, Senior Creative Director - Studios, Disney UTV said.

The film is a screen adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations” and will see Aditya playing “Pip” and Katrina as “Estella.” The casting of the pivotal role of “Miss Havisham” is currently being processed and an announcement on the same is expected in the coming weeks.

The film will go on the floors in the first half of 2014. l

Solo painting exhibition Castles in the Sky By late Sohrab Khan Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Art Lounge House 60, Road 31, Gulshan 1 Group Exhibition Unity of Souls Time: 10am – 8pm Athena Gallery of Fine Arts A Heights, Cha-72/1/D Progati Shoroni

Theatre

Baramkhana Time: 7pm National Theatre Hall Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

Laila Sharmeen participates in Art Shopping in Louvre n Entertainment Desk Bangladeshi artist Laila Sharmeen will showcase her works at a three-day Art Shopping at the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris which began yesterday. Over 70 galleries from around the world will represent about 1000 artists at this art fair, an annual rendezvous of artists to this epicenter of world art.

Argentine art dealer and editor of the Argentina Art Yearbook “María Elena Beneito” is promoting Laila to this congregation of artists, critics, dealers and art enthusiasts. She will exhibit three of her latest works in mixed media on paper.

Her works demonstrate an artist whose sole concern is about devising some playful cultural codes that are intrinsically related to the stories emanated from essential Bengali hearts and psyche. Moreover, through many paintings, the insightful artist also expresses her frustration and agony about the anomalies that have been engulfing the whole world in recent times. But at the core of her heart she is a romantic dreaming about a utopian world amidst obscurantisms, hypocrisy and deceit.

Laila Sharmeen has 11 solos and over 50 international shows to her credit. In

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

always curious about his notorious husband and sets a spy on him but the head of town never misses the opportunity to engage in unworthy practice whenever possible.

The NogorKortry intended someday to celebrate her birthday and asked the NogorKorta to arrange a party.

The NogorKorta ridiculed her and told her that it would be remarkable if it were linked with the event of opening of the town’s Common Human Excavation Centre.

Hearing this, the NogorKortry becomes furious and proposes to initiate a programme to signify her birthday by searching for the best citizen of the town.

The Nogorkorta took the venture and employed his idiot team and adviser to do that.

The team does many things one after another and brings different citizens from different walks of life but none can comply with the funny interview of the Nogor Pondit in collaboration with the Nogorkorta.

The theater moves on and lastly the interviewee character is found to be a most deprived and striving weak person who is produced before the Nogorkorta and his arrogant wife.

They ask a series of irrelevant questions to him for the proof that he might be the best citizen.

Eventually, the people eat and then relay common citizens a core message, “Conscience provides strength to struggle to establish truth fighting against evil practices”.

The theater is directed by Khairul Alam Tipu while music is by Mujahidul Haque Lenin and dress and set design is by Kamrun Nur Chowdhury.

The director plans to do more work on redesigning the production in future. l

Film

Jobs Nishwartha Bhalobasa Titanic (3D) Monsters University in 3D Udhao Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini The Wolverine in 3D Bullet to the Head Level 8, Bashundhara City Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini Balaka Cineworld

Festival

Urban Youth Festival II Time: 11am – 8pm Goethe Institut Bangladesh Road 9(new), House 10 Dhanmondi R/A

Ram-Leela to open Marrakech Int’l Film Festival n Entertainment Desk Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, “Ram-Leela” is said to be an adaptation of Shakespearean epic, Romeo and Juliet, set in violent times.

The much-talked about film “Ram-Leela” will open the 13th edition of the Marrakech International Film Festival (MIFF) on November 29.

Starring Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone, this is touted as the first Indian film to open any international festival. The festival will celebrate Indian cinema with the premiere screening of the film. The occasion will be attended by the director as well as Deepika. l

2011 she won a Purchase Prize at the prestigious 16th Space International Print Biennial held at OCI Museum of Art in Seoul, Korea. She has recently participated in World Art Games spread over different cities of Croatia. Over

400 international artists were invited to the event marking Croatia’s accession to European Union. She has also represented Bangladesh in the first Argentine International Contemporary Art Exhibition and the Effectto Biennale in Mexico in 2012. l

Sport

Did you know?

Cristiano Ronaldo has now scored 57 Champions League goals overall, moving ahead of van Nistelrooy into third place behind Raul & Messi

Saturday, October 26, 2013

14 Neymar, Bale set for Clasico debut

14 Tottenham on brink of knockout stage after Sheriff win

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Warner hits record 197 in one-dayer

Rain has last say n Minhaz Uddin Khan Anti-climatically, the two Test match series between Bangladesh and New Zealand ended in a draw at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday after play was abandoned without a ball being bowled on the last day of the second and final match.

The match seemed to be heading for a draw after rain washed out about half of the overs that were supposed to be completed over the first two days. The 0-0 series result sees Bangladesh draw their second series in a row, following a 1-1 outcome in Zimbabwe in April earlier this year.

Earlier, New Zealand had taken a 155 run lead in the first innings and after dismissing two Bangladeshi batsmen early on the fourth day, looked to be in a good position with almost two days to go.

However, opener Tamim Iqbal and in-form Mominul Haque all but obliterated any hopes the Kiwis might have had for a win as they batted out most of the penultimate day while putting on 157 runs – the highest third wicket partnership for Bangladesh in Test

cricket. The dismissal of Tamim for a thoroughly and in the match circumstances, appropriately patient 70 in the last hour of the fourth day, might have given the visitors some hope for a positive result, but the incoming Shakib Al Hasan stood firm with Mominul, who completed his second century in the series.

Play being washed out on the last day denied Mominul Haque the opportunity of becoming Bangladesh’s highest run scorer in a Test series.

With 126 against his name, the 22-year old was just four runs shy of crossing the 379 runs Habibul Bashar compiled against Pakistan in a three match series in 2003.

Mominul was named man-ofthe-match and man-of-the-series.

He scored 376 runs in the two Tests at an average of 188.00 and was the leading run scorer from either side.

Sohag Gazi was the leading wicket taker for the series with eight scalps.

For New Zealand, Kane Williamson scored 250 runs at an average of 83.33, while Neil Wagner took seven wickets.

With the Test series concluded, the two sides will now move on to the three match ODI series beginning on October 29, after which they will play a Twenty20 game in Dhaka. l

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim (L) and New Zealand cricket captain Brendon McCullum (2R) take the Test series trophy with Bangladesh Cricket Board President Nazmul Hasan Papon (C) during the presentation ceremony after the second cricket Test match between at SBNS yesterday MUMIT M

Modest Mominul keeps feet on the ground n Mazhar Uddin

Mominul Haque was declared manof-the-series for his 376 runs against New Zealand but the young left hander remained humble about the achievement while talking to the press at the Sher-e-Bangla National stadium yesterday.

In the first Test, the man from Cox’s Bazar struck 181 and 22 not out. In the second match in Dhaka, he added 47 and 126 not out – the last effort being

critical in rescuing a side renowned for faltering when the pressure is on.

Asked what he had invented, Mominul, with his feet firmly on the ground, replied, “I can’t explain what I have invented anything new, it’s nothing like that. I just try to improve my game day by day.”

In Chittagong, the 22-year old had expressed disappointment at missing a double-hundred more than securing a maiden century. However, he was philosophical about rain denying him

Most Runs Player

M In NO

Runs HS

BF

SR

4s

6s

Mominul Haque (Ban)

2

4

2

376

181 188.00

Ave

599

62.77

2

0

54

0

KS Williamson (NZ)

2

3

0

250

114 83.33

511

48.92

1

2

20

1

Tamim Iqbal (Ban)

2

4

0

211

95

467

45.18

0

2

29

0

BJ Watling (NZ)

2

3

1

173

103 86.50

362

47.79

1

1

10

2

PG Fulton (NZ)

2

3

0

146

73

430

33.95

0

2

12

3

SR

5

52.75

48.66

100 50

Most Wickets Player

Mat Inns Overs Mdns Runs Wkts BBI

Ave

Econ

Sohag Gazi (Ban)

2

3

92.0

18

233

8

6/77

29.12 2.53

69.0 1

N Wagner (NZ)

1

2

37.0

9

116

7

5/64

16.57 3.13

31.7

1

Shakib Al Hasan (Ban)

2

3

76.0

19

211

7

5/103 30.14 2.77

65.1

1

IS Sodhi (NZ)

2

4

72.0

9

265

6

3/59

44.16 3.68

72.0 0

Abdur Razzak (Ban)

2

3

110.0

16

359

5

3/147 71.80 3.26

132.0 0

another opportunity to reach 200 yesterday, after finishing the fourth day at 126 not out. “You can’t say anything as it rained but I am not disappointed.

Whatever the almighty wanted, it happened.”

He took a similar attitude to falling just three runs short of becoming the highest scorer in a Test series for Bangladesh. Habibul Bashar’s 379 runs against Pakistan in a three Test series in 2003 remains the record. “I heard about that but I am not disappointed.

Even I might get dismissed on the first ball of the fifth day, you never know,” he speculated.

Mominul was not shy of crediting Tamim Iqbal, his partner in a record 157 run stand for the third wicket on the fourth day, for his guidance. “Tamim helped me a lot,” admitted Mominul. “I was not getting the single when I was on 99 runs and Tamim bhai told me that I can play hundred balls for a run, there will be no problem.”

Looking ahead to the ODI series, Mominul shared his intentions. “I will play with the same plan which I have been playing so far. At the moment I am not thinking about anything special. I am enjoying the game and will try to improve myself day by day.” l

Wonderers ready to play ball n Shishir Hoque Dhaka Wonderers Club have withdrawn their decision to boycott all hockey activity and have chosen to participate in the transfer window which is scheduled to start from October 29.

Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) general secretary Khwaja Rahmatullah hinted that the inter-clubs players transfer window, which is scheduled to take place between October 29-31, might be pushed back due political unrest in the country. The next league committee meeting tomorrow is expected to finalise the schedule for the long-awaited transfer window.

Earlier, six premier league hockey clubs - defending champions Mohammedan Sporting Club, Ajax SC, Dhaka Mariner Young’s Club, Bangladesh SC, Wari Club and Dhaka Wonderers – declared a boycott on all hockey activity in protest of the newly elected committee.

“We have talked to the club officials.

Wonderers agreed to participate in the players’ transfer activity. Bangladesh Sporting could also join,” said the BHF general secretary. Regarding the other four clubs, Khwaja said, “The rebel clubs should be relegated according to the bylaws. We will discuss it at the executive committee meeting and the committee will settle their fate,” he declared. l

n Mazhar Uddin

New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum thought that the Test series with Bangladesh ending in a draw was a fair result and praised Bangladesh for playing well as he signaled out Mominul Haque’s performance at the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

“We wanted to win this Test series, and we were expected to do so as well.

If we strip it right back, we played good cricket in this series. Our batting was outstanding, our bowling stood up in tough conditions. I think a drawn series is a fair reflection because Bangladesh played some excellent cricket as well,” said McCullum.

“We knew that Bangladesh were going to be tough proposition at home.

To come straight out of a winter and play against a spin-dominant bowling line-up and very skilled at playing in these conditions, we are pleased with how we have gone in this series. We didn’t get the results but we gave ourselves some opportunities. If it wasn’t for the weather, who knows how the Test would have panned out?” said McCullum.

The visiting team’s captain was

particularly impressed with Mominul Haque, who hundreds in both matches and was named man-of-the-series. “I have seen his scores, he hasn’t missed much. He has a nice demeanor at the crease, he’s very quiet and unassuming, goes about compiling runs. He’s started his Test career well, and seems suited to sub-continent conditions.

He’s a real prospect for Bangladesh, and he’ll get all the accolades he deserves because he’s a standout performer.”

Looking to his own side’s performances, McCullum was particularly happy with young leg spinner Ish Sodhi. “He’s only 20, he has immense ability and raw talent. We are really pleased at his development and how he has complemented the pace bowlers. It is an exciting time for our bowling unit because they are so young and skilled.”

However, the man known for his aggressive batting style was disappointed with his own performance. McCullum, who could only manage 54 runs in three innings, said, “I am not satisfied with my own performance. I wanted to contribute through this Test series.

That’s the nature of cricket sometimes.

It’s been a while but I haven’t scored too many centuries any way. I want to contribute as a batsman, to create results and set up an improving culture.” l

Mushfiq content but still hungry n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Bangladesh cricketer Mominul Haque poses with the Man of the Match and Series cheques at the presentation ceremony following the conclusion of the second cricket Test match between Bangaladesh and New Zealand at SBNS yesterday MUMIT M

Fair result: McCullum

After rain washed out the last day of the second Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand to ensure a drawn series yesterday at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, captain Mushfiqur Rahim was upbeat at the how the team’s attitude had changed from playing for a draw to aiming for a win.

“We don’t play for a draw and it is for a win that we get down on the field.

We had the same target but in Chittagong we played on such a wicket that we did not have enough time to take 20 wickets while here, almost one and a half days were lost to rain. Over all in the circumstances, played well but there are some areas where we can still improve. That said, they adapted very quickly and played well too,” Mushfiqur told the press at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

Before the series, Mushfiq had declared the aim of winning the series but was satisfied with the result. “We want-

ed to play well through the whole series and be consistent,” he modified.

The wicket-keeper/batsman went on to express concern that Bangladesh were not playing enough Test cricket, while maintaining that the team was getting better by the day.

“We want to win Test matches but more importantly we must have the opportunity to play more Test cricket.

I would like to request the concerned authorities to give us the opportunity to play more Test matches. There are many who says that we are not a good team but I ask you, if we are not a good Test side, how can a player like Mominul (Haque) score back to back hundreds? Or (Sohag) Gazi take six wickets? In future hopefully we will play more Test matches so that we can show that Bangladesh is improving day by day,” he said.

Before the series, Bangladesh had been inactive in Tests for six months since sharing a two game series in Zimbabwe 1-1. The captain was happy to see his side avoid a pitfall they have a

reputation for falling into – collapsing in the second game after held steady in the first. “After the first Test, it has often been the case that we could not carry on in the same vein. Though our batting did not click in the first innings in Dhaka, we proved our team is maturing in the second innings.

“The same player proved how determined and responsible they can be and that is a very good thing. I have always said that there are a lot of performers in our team now and they are more mature so I hope they will keep performing in the same manner,” he noted and hoped.

Bangladesh have now played 11 Test matches against New Zealand and this is the first time they have been able to draw a series. In all, the Tigers have drawn three matches against the Kiwis.

“At the end of the day, we’ve drawn the two Tests and this is an achievement,” assessed Mushfiq, before adding, “But to be honest we could not do everything that we wanted and there are certain areas where we could not dominate.” l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Neymar, Bale set for El Clasico debut n AFP, Madrid Neymar and Gareth Bale will get their first taste of a clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid since joining the Spanish giants in Saturday’s first El Clasico of the season.

The Catalans currently hold a three point lead over Madrid at the top of the table, but it is Carlo Ancelotti’s men who have enjoyed a significantly better week in the run up to the match.

Barca dropped their first points of the season with a 0-0 away at Osasuna last weekend and were then held 1-1 by AC Milan at the San Siro on Tuesday.

Madrid took advantage of that rare slip-up by their rivals with a 2-0 win over Malaga and just about sealed their place in the Champions League last-16 on Wednesday by beating Juventus 2-1.

The Malaga match in particular saw a marked improvement in Real’s performance to those earlier in the campaign and Madrid haven’t been beaten in their last five encounters against Barcelona.

However, Real defender Sergio Ramos doesn’t believe last season’s meetings between the two will be a big factor come kick-off at the Camp Nou. “On Saturday we have an important game and it would be a notable step to win in the Camp Nou, but we know meetings there are always difficult and anything can happen.

“When evaluating a Clasico you don’t have to look at the previous results, nor even the last one. These games are always of the highest level and intensity.

“There are things that we have to continue improving, but it is always nice to arrive at the Clasico after a victory.”

Ancelotti has some selection dilemmas for his own first experience

of a Clasico, particularly in the case of Bale.

The Welshman was introduced as a substitute with 25 minutes to go

Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti has admitted that it was his decision to allow Mesut Ozil to go to Arsenal on the final day of the transfer window last month.

The German international joined the Gunners for £42.5 million ($68.9 million), just a day after Madrid had sealed a 91 million euro ($125.5 million, £77.6 million) move for Gareth Bale.

However, Ancelotti insisted that it was his preference for Argentine winger Angel di Maria, rather than the arrival of Bale, which precipitated Ozil’s sale.

“It was a technical decision,” he told Spanish radio station Cadena SER. “For the balance of the team I preferred to have Di Maria. He has less quality than Ozil, but for his character and help he gives the team, I wanted him.

“With the arrival of Bale, I thought it was more important to have Di Maria than Ozil, looking at the overall balance of the team.”

Despite a series of stunning performances by Ozil on his arrival in England, the decision to keep hold of Di Maria has appeared a wise one as the Argentine has

Results Swansea Valencia Dinamo Zagreb Odessa Elfsborg Salzburg Wigan Athletic Zulte Waregem Pacos de Ferreira Fiorentina Bordeaux Eintracht Genk Dynamo Kiev Slovan Liberec SC Freiburg Lyon Real Betis Trabzonspor Apollon Anzhi FC Sheriff Karagandy PAOK

1-1 5-1 0-0 0-1 1-2 2-1 1-1 1-3 0-2 3-0 2-1 2-0 1-1 3-0 1-1 1-1 1-0 1-0 2-0 0-0 1-0 0-2 1-1 3-2

Kuban Saint-Gallen PSV Ludogorets Esbjerg Standard Liege Rubin Kazan Maribor Dnipro Pandurii APOEL Maccabi Tel Aviv Rapid Vienna FC Thun Sevilla Estoril Rijeka Vitoria Legia Warsaw Lazio Tromso Tottenham AZ Alkmaar Maccabi Haifa

showing on the overall failure of the team to maintain the intensity they showed in the opening period and insisted that Bale is now fit enough to

start.

However, it seems more likely that Bale will again be used as an impact substitute with Ancelotti also keen to

keep faith with the under fire Karim Benzema.

There is no doubt that Neymar will join world player of the year Lionel Messi in attack for the hosts and the Brazilian admitted that it is for this kind of game that he swapped Brazil for Barcelona in June.

“A Clasico is the most important game for any player,” he told Barca TV. “It is the game that every player wants to participate in and show their best football. This will be my first one and I want to make a great debut, preferably with a victory.”

Fixtures Malaga Barcelona Elche Levante

v v v v

Celta Vigo Real Madrid Granada CF Espanyol

Gerardo Martino must decide whether to recall Pedro Rodriguez and Cesc Fabregas after they were both dropped to the bench at Milan.

However, the Argentine may be forced into a change at the back as Gerard Pique is struggling with a hamstring injury meaning Carles Puyol may continue his comeback alongside Javier Mascherano.

Should Barca’s winless streak against Real continue, then Atletico Madrid will have the chance to move top of the table with a win over Real Betis on Sunday.

Diego Simeone’s men continued their 100 percent record in the Champions League with a 3-0 midweek demolition of Austria Vienna and the Argentine even had the luxury of resting a few of his key stars.

The likes of David Villa, Diego Godin and Mario Suarez should return to join Diego Costa, who took his tally to 12 goals in 12 games this season with a double in the Austrian capital. l

Ancelotti opted for Di Maria over Ozil n AFP, Madrid

against Juventus as he continues his comeback from injury, but failed to make any significant impact on the tie.

Ancelotti blamed his mediocre

been in stunning form throughout the first two months of the season.

However, Ancelotti suggested that it will be Di Maria’s place that Bale will take now that the Welshman appears to be over a series of niggling muscle injuries that have restricted his involvement so far.

Ancelotti dismissed suggestions that Bale could be hampered by a disc protrusion he is carrying in his back and hinted that he could even start in Madrid’s biggest game of the season to date when they travel to face Barcelona on Saturday.

“The protrusion is a normal problem, I had two or three (during my career) and there was no issue. Since Bale has been here he has had no pain in his back. His problem was physical conditioning, he hadn’t trained.

“Now he is fine, he is ready to play from the start.”

And the Italian confirmed that he will play on the right side of the Madrid attack, precisely the position that Di Maria has occupied throughout his three years in Madrid.

“If you ask the player he says that he prefers to play from the right. I think he likes to start on the right so he can come inside to shoot on his left foot.” l

Brazil will call up Spain target Costa n AFP, Rio De Janeiro Five-times world champions Brazil will call up Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa for the friendly internationals against Chile and Honduras next month, the country’s football federation (CBF) said Thursday.

The CBF sent a letter to world governing body FIFA saying they intend to call Costa into their squad for the World Cup hosts’ matches in Miami and Toronto.

World champions Spain had been hoping to win Costa’s allegiance for themselves as he has double nationality and did not feature in Brazil’s successful Confederations Cup campaign in June, when the hosts beat Spain in the final in Rio. In March, Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari called him up for friendly internationals against Italy and Russia, but as they were not competitive fixtures, Costa is not yet tied to one particular nation. Costa later made comments suggesting he would be interested in playing for Spain leading Spain coach Vicente del Bosque to say he would be interested in selecting the forward if FIFA approved his switch.

Earlier this month FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke indicated that would be possible. The 24-year-old was born in Brazil but moved to Spain in 2007, signing for Atletico. l

Wilshere warns Arsenal will show no mercy at Palace n AFP, London

Jack Wilshere is convinced Arsenal will bounce back from their European disappointment when the Premier League leaders bid to cement their position at the top against managerless Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Arsene Wenger’s team suffered their first defeat in 13 matches in all competitions on Tuesday as Robert Lewandowski’s late goal gave Borussia Dortmund a 2-1 Champions League group stage win at the Emirates Stadium.

But the Gunners, currently two points clear of second placed Chelsea, have a golden opportunity to erase the bitter memory of their first loss since the opening day of the season when they travel to face crisis club Palace at Selhurst Park.

Palace parted company with boss Ian Holloway in midweek following a 4-1 thrashing by Fulham that left the south London club second bottom of the table with seven defeats in their eight league matches.

Keith Millen will take charge on a caretaker basis this weekend, but England midfielder Wilshere, who hopes to recover from a recurring ankle injury in time to feature against the Eagles, warned Arsenal have no intention

of showing any sympathy for Palace’s plight. “We can’t let this result affect us now, especially in the Premier League where we are on a great run,” Wilshere said. “It will be tough away at Palace, it always is, they will fight for every ball and it will be a different game from Dortmund, but we still have to bounce back straight away.”

In the unlikely event that Arsenal do drop points at Palace, Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea could go top if they beat fourth placed Manchester City at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. The Blues romped to a 3-0 win at Schalke in the Champions League on Tuesday, with Spanish striker Fernando Torres scoring twice after being selected ahead of Samuel Eto’o.

City’s midweek Champions League win at CSKA Moscow was marred by racist abuse hurled at the club’s Ivory Coast midfielder Yaya Toure by sections of the crowd in Russia.

UEFA have charged CSKA over their fans’ behaviour and City will hope Toure, who was quick to condemn the supporters, can focus on helping his side at the Bridge.

Third placed Liverpool, two points behind the leaders, host West Bromwich Albion knowing a victory would keep them firmly in contention at the

Tottenham Hotspur closed in on a place in the Europa League knockout stages with a 2-0 win away to Moldovan champions Sheriff Tiraspol on Thursday.

It was a hard-earned win for Andre Villas-Boas’ side, with Sheriff applying plenty of pressure, but ultimately the Premier League team’s class shone through.

Elsewhere, there was frustration for another Premier League side as Swansea City were held to a 1-1 draw by Russian side Kuban Krasnodar in south Wales.

It looked like a beautifully-crafted Michu goal midway through the second half would be enough to give Michael Laudrup’s men a third win in as many games in Group A, especially as they had not conceded a goal in the section while their opponents had not scored.

Like Swansea, Wigan Athletic drew at home against Russian opponents, although the FA Cup holders came from

behind to hold Rubin Kazan 1-1 with Nick Powell cancelling out Aleksandr Prudnikov’s opener.

Meanwhile, Serie A side Fiorentina followed up their stunning weekend win against Juventus by keeping up their perfect start in Group E, Spanish winger Joaquin setting them on their way to a 3-0 victory against Romanians Pandurii in Florence.

Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany made it three wins out of three in Group F by beating Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv 2-0, and there was a much-needed win for Lyon, who beat Croatian side Rijeka 1-0 in Group I after a run of just one win in 12 games in all competitions.

Clement Grenier scored the only goal of the game in the second half and OL are level on five points with Betis, who won 1-0 at home to Vitoria Guimaraes.

Betis’ city rivals Sevilla, who won the UEFA Cup in successive years in 2006 and 2007, needed a late equaliser to draw 1-1 with Slovan Liberec of the Czech Republic in Group H. l

Fixtures Crystal Palace Aston Villa Liverpool Man United Norwich City Southampton

v v v v v v

Arsenal Everton West Brom Stoke City Cardiff City Fulham

troubled start to life under new manager David Moyes and they face Stoke at Old Trafford already eight points off top spot.

United have little margin for error if they want to mount a successful title defence and Stoke boss Mark Hughes added to the pressure on Moyes by claiming his former team look vulnerable.

“You have to be careful. There are only a certain amount of games you can lose,” Hughes said.

“Five or six enables you to still be in the title race. Lose any more than six then you make it very difficult, nigh on impossible, for yourself.

“They have lost three and maybe they are a little bit vulnerable at the moment.” l

Dortmund look for revenge in Ruhr derby

Tottenham on brink of knockout stage after Sheriff win n AF, Paris

top before a crunch clash at Arsenal on November 2.

Manchester United have endured a

n AFP, Berlin

Fresh from beating Arsenal away in the Champions League in midweek, Borussia Dortmund will be looking for a measure of revenge when they make the shorter trip to face Schalke in the Ruhr derby on Saturday.

Elsewhere on Saturday, Bayern put their 34-match unbeaten run in the Bundesliga on the line when they entertain Hertha Berlin, the capital club who sit fourth. Further down the table, 16thplaced Nuremberg are still without a win as they prepare to face Stuttgart away on Friday in what will be Dutchman Gertjan Verbeek’s first game in charge since he was appointed as the successor to the sacked Michael Wiesinger. l

Fixture

Swansea City's Miguel Michu scores against Kuban during their Europa League group A match at the Liberty Stadium, Swansea, Wales on Thursday AP

Leverkusen Bayern Munich Mainz Hanover 96 Schalke 04 Wolfsburg

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Augsburg Hertha Berlin Eintracht Hoffenheim Dortmund Werder Bremen

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Saturday, October 26, 2013

Quick Bytes

Siddukur rises Bangladesh golfing star Siddikur Rahman carded a 2-under-par 70 on the second day of the star-studded CIMB Classic at the Kuala Lumpur Golf and Country Club’s West course yesterday as he moved to joint 51st with a two day total of 1-over-par 145 at the US$7 million event. American Keegan Bradley turned on the heat with a sizzling six-under-par 66 to claim a four-shot lead at the halfway stage. The 27-year-old Bradley, who won the 2011 PGA Championship, was in fine form as he sank seven birdies to finish with a 13-under-par score of 131 to overtake overnight leader Ryan Moore of the United States. Moore stroked an even par 72 to be in second place while the third spot was shared by current Asian Tour Order of Merit leader Thai Kiradech Aphibarnrat and American Chris Stroud with a score of 136.

- Desk

Ex-Bangladesh coach Pybus handed Windies role Former Bangladesh coach Richard Pybus was on Thursday named as director of cricket with the West Indies Cricket Board on a three-year deal. Pybus, 49, also coached Pakistan from 1999 to 2003 and led the Titans and Cobras to a total of nine titles in South Africa. “I am delighted and honoured to accept this key role in West Indies Cricket and to help build on the progress that has been made in recent years,” said Englishman Pybus. “I am particularly looking forward to working with the West Indies teams, the First Class sides, the High Performance Program and the educational structures to ensure a rigorous, competitive system that feeds through elite players to international level.”

–AFP

Kenya call up old boys for Twenty20 qualifier

Kenya have summoned veterans Steve Tikolo and Thomas Odoyo out of retirement to join the national team for next month’s World Twenty20 qualifiers in the UAE, cricket officials said. Tikolo, 42, and 36-year-old Odoyo, who served as captain and vice-captain in the past, quit the sport after the 2011 World Cup, but have continued to play in the local league. Kenya is desperate to return to winning aways after a disappointing run in the ICC Intercontinental Cup and World Cricket League series this season. “The Kenya team badly needs the leadership to become competitive again,” a top Cricket Kenya official told AFP. –AFP

Serena sweeps into WTA Championships semi-finals Serena Williams reached the WTA Championships semi-finals by brushing aside 2011 winner Petra Kvitova 6-2 6-3 on Thursday to complete a clean sweep of her group matches. The defending champion was relentlessly focussed against the former champion from the Czech Republic, hitting 27 winners and 11 immaculately delivered aces, taking her total for the season to a remarkable 468.

–AFP

Groundsmen pull the covers over the field as rain washes out the fifth and the final day of the second cricket Test match between Bangladesh and New Zealand at the Sher-e Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka yesterday

Pakistan face defeat after South Africa charge n AFP, Dubai Pakistan were staring defeat in the second Test in the face after South Africa out-batted them and then bowled well on the third day in Dubai on Friday.

South Africa, seeking a series-levelling win, once again rocked Pakistan’s top order with three early wickets after compiling a mammoth 517 in their first innings for a big 418-run lead at Dubai stadium.

At the close, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul Haq (42) and Asad Shafiq (28) were at the crease but they still need a whopping 286 runs to avoid an innings

seven-wicket in last week’s Abu Dhabi Test.

Azhar Ali and Younis added 46 for the third wicket before part-time spinner Jean-Paul Duminy struck with his first ball, trapping Ali lbw with a low delivery for 19.

Younis was finally bowled for 38 by leg-spinner Imran Tahir off a strange shot, who took a career-best 5-32 to dismiss Pakistan for a paltry 99 in the first innings.

In the morning session, South Africa lost their last six wickets for the addition of 57 runs after resuming at 4604. Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal finished

with 5-161 while paceman Mohammad Irfan took 3-102.

De Villiers (164) was the first man to go, caught behind off Irfan in the fifth over of the day.

He hit 17 fours and a six during a commanding 376-minute innings and completed an all-time South African fifth wicket record partnership of 338 with Smith.

Smith was finally caught in the slip

by Younis off Ajmal.

Smith’s superb knock lasted 10 hours and 32 minutes during which he dominated Pakistan’s bowling, hitting 16 fours and faced 388 balls. l

Pinak stars for Bangladesh U-16 n Minhaz Uddin Khan Bangladesh Under-16 finished the first day of their three-day match against MPCA (Madhya Pradesh Cricket Academy) Under-16 at 167/6 at BKSP yesterday.

After being put in to bat, Bangladesh U-16 built their score around opener Pinak Ghosh’s 69 after play was delayed for half an hour due to a wet outfield.

Afif Hossain and Pinak started smoothly in putting on 32 before Afif was dismissed for 14. Pinak however, remained focused as he moved along to 69 from 158 balls (nine fours, one six).

At stumps, wicket-keeper batsman Jakir Al Anik was unbeaten on 32 along with Kazi Anik Islam who had scored 10. For the bowling side, Ritesh Shakya claimed four wickets. l

Warner hits record 197 in one-dayer South Africa penalised n Reuters, Sydney Australia opener David Warner fell three runs short of the first double century in domestic one-day cricket on Thursday, continuing a rich run of form which could earn him an international recall for the Ashes series next month.

Playing for New South Wales against Victoria in the semi-final of a provincial one day tournament at North Sydney Oval, the fiery 26-year-old hammered 197 off 144 balls before being caught on the boundary.

The knock, which included 20 fours and 10 sixes, was the highest one-day domestic individual score, beating the 187 Jimmy Maher scored for Queensland against Western Australia in 2004.

With three centuries in four matches in the competition, Warner has accumulated 527 runs at an

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defeat or bat out two days to force a draw.

The duo have added 62 for the fifth wicket and would need a Herculean effort to avoid defeat.

Dale Steyn gave South Africa an ideal start as he removed Shan Masood with the fourth ball of the innings, having him trapped in front of the wicket with a sharp delivery for nought.

It became two for two when Khurram Manzoor fell for his second duck of the match, caught off a miscued drive off Vernon Philander from the fifth ball of the second over.

Manzoor had made 146 in Pakistan’s

MUMIT M

average of 75 - a run of form that will not have been missed by selectors with the first Ashes test less than a month away.

Warner was left out of Australia’s limited overs squads for the ongoing tour of India and his international career remains precarious after a number of disciplinary offences.

Stood down after punching England batsman Joe Root at a Birmingham nightspot in the leadup to the first Ashes series of the year, Warner missed out on the first two tests.

That came three weeks after a highly-publicised Twitter rant against two Australian journalists which led to a fine and a dressing down from national governing body Cricket Australia.

Warner’s innings on Thursday helped New South Wales to victory by four wickets and they will play Queensland in the final on Sunday. l

for ball-tampering n AFP, Dubai South Africa were docked five penalty runs for ball-tampering on the third day of the second Test against Pakistan in Dubai on Friday.

Television replays showed South African fielder Faf du Plessis rubbing the ball on his trousers, which had a zip on them, in an apparent attempt to tamper with the ball.

Umpires Rod Tucker of Australia and England’s Ian Gould called South African captain Graeme Smith, changed the ball and added five runs to Pakistan’s score.

Pakistan were struggling at 62 for three with Dale Steyn about to start the 31st over when the umpires took notice of the ball and took the decision.

Under International Cricket Council (ICC) rule 42.1 on tampering, if an umpire spots a change in the condition of the ball

but doesn’t know who is the culprit, he will issue a first and final warning to the captain and the ball will be changed.

In case the ball is tampered with again, the bowling team will face a fiverun penalty and umpires will not only change the ball again but the captain will be held responsible and reported.

But in this case the umpires saw Du Plessis rubbing the ball in an apparent move to tamper with the ball and they called Smith and docked five penalty runs. An ICC spokesman confirmed the incident. “As per 42.1 of the ICC playing conditions, the umpires replaced the ball and fined South Africa five penalty runs for ball tampering,” said an ICC spokesman. The level two offense of changing the condition of the ball carries a fine of 50 to 100 percent match fee or a ban of one Test, two one-day or two Twenty20 whichever comes first for South Africa. l

What to do with Anamul? n Mazhar Uddin

The 0-0 outcome of the two Test series between Bangladesh between New Zealand saw the emergence of Mominul Haque and Sohag Gazi as potential long term linch-pins for the national side, but a question that has yet to be answered is who can effectively partner Tamim Iqbal at the top of the innings.

Anamul Haque was the man selected to do the job in the recently concluded series but a return of 50 runs in four innings at an average of 12.50 does not inspire confidence for the future.

Whether he will retain his place for the home series against Sri Lanka in January remains a problem for the selectors because there does not appear to be any obvious alternatives.

The 20-year old Anamul began his international career with a bang when he scored a match winning 120 against the West Indies in an ODI in Chittagong

last year. The performance would have raised expectations and hopes that he could perform with equal effectiveness at the Test level but to date, not only has that not happened but his technique has been found wanting.

In Chittagong, he was trapped LBW to an off-cutter from Doug Bracewell that he played back to – minutes after being caught of a no-ball. In the second innings, he scooped a ball off the back foot to the covers. In the first innings in Dhaka, he chose the wrong ball to pull and sent up a skier while the lazy poke that saw him caught at second slip in the second innings can only be described as casual.

Though far from being what can be called “successful”, what are the alternatives to Anamul? Imrul Kayes has scored 549 runs as an opener at an average of 17.15. Junaid has scored 220 runs at 16.92, Nafees has an average of 26.40 and Nazimuddin has scored 128 runs at an average of 20.83. Jahurul,

who opened for Bangladesh against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, is slightly above the rest with an average of 33.28.

Anamul replaced Jahurul on the basis of the good form he showed in the Dhaka Premier League and on the Bangladesh “A” team’s tour of England earlier in the year. He made his debut in Sri Lanka before that when Tamim was injured, but was unconvincing.

On a flat wicket that saw batsmen from both sides make hay, Anamul scored 13 in 68 balls and was out chopping a ball back onto his stumps in the first innings. He was out for just one in the second innings of his debut match.

Though Anamul has fallen short of expectations so far, the selectors will have a difficult decision to make when they sit down to discuss whether to retain him in the Test side and if they choose not to, who to take his place alongside Tamim at the top of the order. l

Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova poses at the Dream For Future Africa Foundation inaugural gala in Beverly Hills, California, on Thursday REUTERS

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Saturday, October 26, 2013

Election in January: Muhith

Civic leaders fear confrontation n Mohammad Zakaria

n Tribune Desk Reaffirming that the next general election will be held in January, Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday said all arrangements have already been made so that voters can exercise their franchise freely.

“The election will be held in January. It’ll be free, fair and neutral,” he said while addressing a rally at Baishtila under Khadimnagar union in Sadar upazila in the afternoon, says a UNB report from Sylhet.

Muhith said Awami League wants to continue the trend of overall economic progress achieved during the tenure of the present government, and alleged that BNP-Jamaat wants to destroy the achievements.

Claiming that Jamaat-Shibir never accepted the existence of the country, he said, “They don’t want country’s peace and welfare. They’re always out to destroy the country. Our struggle is against them, the next general election is against them.” l

Rubana among BBC’s 100 Women n Tribune Report Rubana Huq, a Bangladeshi entrepreneur, writer and philanthropist, has been selected to participate in BBC’s 100 Women conference.

Rubana is currently the managing director of Mohammadi Group and has written extensively on the RMG sector.

The BBC’s 100 Women programme has been running this whole month as a gesture to recognise ground-breaking works of women all over the world, further highlighting the numerous social and cultural challenges they face in their work.

On Friday, Rubana and the 99 other women from all across the world were scheduled to come together at BBC’s London headquarters for an entire day of debate and discussion.

An intersection connecting the Topkhana Road and Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital’s Paltan area is barricaded and heavily guarded by members of police ahead of BNP-led 18-party alliance’s rally at Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Private medical colleges want foreign students’ quota raised At present, private medical and dental colleges are only allowed to admit foreign students in up to 25% of their individual seats

n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

Prior to this conference, in a letter addressed to her 99 peers, Rubana wrote of the plight of Bangladeshi garment workers: “Women in Bangladesh are survivors and we move on with hope.”

On her Facebook page, Rubana wrote: “[I] Am so looking forward to joining as one of BBC’s chosen #100women global conversation on 25th Oct in London!”

The women who have been selected come from an array of professional fields including music, health, writing, and journalism. l

The Bangladesh Private Medical College Association has asked the health ministry to increase the quota for foreign students to 40% from the existing 25% for the current academic year (2013-2014).

Sources said the private medical and dental colleges put forward the proposal because they have been suffering from a fund crunch in recent years because of a fall in the number of foreign students.

They also said the ministry is scheduled to sit in a meeting on October 30 to make a decision on the request placed by the BPMCA. The meeting is likely to award higher foreign student enrolment quota to those colleges who fulfil certain conditions.

In the meeting, the ministry is also likely to fix $2,000 (Tk1.5m) as the admission fee for foreign students to get into a medical college, and $1,500 (Tk1.2m) for getting into a dental college, sources said.

These private colleges finance a ma-

jor portion of their operational costs from the money they charge the foreign students as tuition fees.

According to the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), the 54 private medical and dental colleges in the country have a combined capacity to accommodate 7,612 students. On that count, they can now admit up to 1,900 foreign students.

That also means the colleges can admit foreign students in up to 25% of their total number of individual seats.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that apart from a select few, most medical and dental colleges cannot attract foreign students. As a result, a big portion of the capacity goes unused.

The top colleges get a lot more applications from foreign students compared to their capacities. But they cannot admit more than 25% of their total seats although there is demand, depriving the country of significant amount of foreign currency.

The money that a foreign student pays in US Dollars for enrolling in a medical or dental college is considered

export revenue for Bangladesh.

The private medical colleges charge each foreign student around $40,000$50,000 (Tk3.1m-Tk3.9m) as tuition fees.

On the other hand, they charge Bangladeshi students initial enrolment fees ranging from Tk1m to Tk2m and monthly tuition fees of Tk5,000Tk15,000.

The foreign students pay more than one and a half times the amount of the monthly tuition fees that Bangladeshi students pay for the five year MBBS and BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery) degrees.

However, there are allegations that because of a lack of initiative from the health ministry, the private medical and dental colleges in the country did not get enough foreign students during the previous academic year (20122013).

Sources said the real reason behind the fall in the number of foreign students was the recent decline in the quality of education.

Statistics show that only 400 stu-

dents enrolled in the private med schools during the previous academic year. Of them, 250 were from Nepal and 100 from India’s Kashmir.

With an aim to overcome the foreign student crisis, a few months ago the government organised the Bangladesh Medical Education Fair 2013 in India, Nepal and Maldives.

BPMCA officials said around 400 students from these three countries confirmed that they would joining.

They also expressed hopes about being able to enrol more than 700 foreign students during this academic year.

The last date of application for foreign students is November 25.

BPMCA President Dr Moazzem Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune that if the health ministry agreed to extend the quota, the private med schools would be able to overcome the fund crunch.

Instead of admitting only local students, the private schools must also look to attract more foreign students for ensuring smooth operations, he said. l

With the leader of the opposition Khaleda Zia issuing ultimatum yesterday to initiate dialogue on the pollstime government or face 60-hour nonstop shutdown, senior citizens of the country feared that the nation’s political situation was moving towards a confrontation which would ultimately threaten the democratic system.

They urged the top leaders of the two major political parties to sit down and discuss the issue to make sure the next general elections was held in a free, fair and credible manner.

Senior legal professional barrister Rafiq-Ul Huq said: “She [Khaleda] has given the government two days to sit for a dialogue over the non-party caretaker government and threatened with three days of non-stop hartal. But, fact of the matter is that she has only given one day. It seems she invited the government, served food and then took away the plate even before they started eating.”

He said the formation of the pollstime government comprising the advisers of 1996 and 2001, would require amending the constitution.

Meanwhile, former adviser to the caretaker government Akbar Ali Khan said: “The time of political consensus almost ends. If the two political parties do not reach any consensus, the country will move towards conflict.”

Another former adviser to the caretaker government M Hafizuddin Khan said the time given to the government to discuss the caretaker government was very short.

He said: “A three-day non-stop shutdown across the country cannot be justified in any way.”He expressed his concerns over political violence as well.

President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) Kazi Akramuddin Ahmed urged the two leaders to resolve the ongoing political crisis through discussion.

He requested the political parties not to call hartals, as they were harmful for businesses.

“If there is no hartal, businessmen can run their trades properly, which will strengthen the country’s economy,” he said.

Rights activists Sultana Kamal said since there is an ultimatum, there is little space for dialogue between the two political parties.

“BNP Chairperson did not give the government a chance to hold dialogue over the formation of the polls-time government,” said Sultana Kamal, who also served for a short time as an adviser in the 2006 caretaker government under then president Iajuddin Ahmed.

Executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Iftekharuzzaman said: “The country’s democratic system will suffer due to the conflicting position taken up by the two major political parties. People of the country is now concerned over the prevailing political crisis.”

The possibility of confrontation has increased even more after the opposition leader issued the ultimatum, he said. l

Brahmaputra erosion hits people’s livelihood hard Islamists in deadly raid on n Nigerian police Abu Bakar Siddique

Poren Das comes from Dager Kuthi char (a raised part of sand or rocks in a river) nestled at Hatia of Ulipur upazilla in Kurigram, but travels extensively across the country to forage for food as he can hardly manage a work in his area.

He is a seasonal labourer; he stays in different parts of the country including Dinajpur, Panchagarh and Rangpur districts.

Like Poren, hundreds of rural people of Kurigram have to migrate to other parts of the country including the capital city and Chittagong to earn their livelihood as day labourers or rickshaw-pullers.

“Around 90% people of the char go to other districts as they don’t have adequate work in the area,” said Poren Das. River erosion and flood each year render people unemployed as these natural disasters leave the entire area next to the rivers nearly barren for agriculture, the primary source of employment, government officials said.

“Most of the people living in the char and flood plains of Brahmaputra, Teesta and Dharla rivers have to go to other places for work as there is little employment opportunity,” said Abu ABM Azad, deputy commissioner of the district.

A total of 16 rivers including the country’s largest water tributary Brah-

maputra (Jamuna) enter Bangladesh here and pass through the district.

Dr Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of Centre for Global Changes (CGC) who works on the ecosystem of the rivers, said in absence of male members of a family in the area specifically in the char, female members, especially adolescent girls, have to face serious social problems including physical harassment, forcing their parents to give them in early marriages.

There are at least 420 small and medium chars in the rivers. Of them, Brahmaputra alone has 150 chars, according to Char Livelihood Program (CLP), a project of the government to create employment opportunity in the area.

The DC office said about 150,000 people live in about 150 chars of Brahmaputra River. Of them, around 90% people frequently move to different locations in search of work.

Apart from lack of agricultural work, fishing too promises no prospect for the locals as the number of fish in those rivers are declining with the passage of time.

Mahiram Das, 50, a fisherman in his fourth generation living in Hatia Bhabesh under Ulipur upazila of the district, is now thinking of leaving his profession as he cannot get by on his meagre earning as the number of fish have severely depleted.

“Even ten years ago I could net fish worth Tk200 a day but now I have to

n AFP, Kano Suspected Boko Haram Islamists attacked police in the northeast Nigerian city of Damaturu, prompting a fierce gunfight with troops, a police officer and residents said Friday.

The gunmen late Thursday stormed the city in coordinated raids, burning at least four police buildings and leaving an unspecified number of casualties, said a senior police officer, who requested anonymity.

File photo shows Brahmaputra char depend on luck and sometimes I have to wait for three days at a stretch to catch a single fish in the Brahmaputra River,” he lamented.

Not only that, the number of fishermen too increased, thus shrinking employment opportunity in fishing profession, he observed.

His son Shamol Das, 30, has already left their family profession and now moves from one place to another as a seasonal labourer.

Excessive use of chemical substance like pesticide in agricultural sector and filling up of low land and flood plains are playing havoc on fish resources, said ecologist and environmentalist

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Ahsan Uddin Ahmed.

Freshwater fish usually breed and grow up in low land and flood plains during rainy season, he said.

The government has introduced Char Livelihood Program (CLP) to support char people but it has not yet made any remarkable changes in their lives, he noted.

The initiatives by CLP could not yield any positive result in the lives of locals as the CLP help rebuild damaged houses, and provides loan facilities, but it doesn’t have a plan to get those people out of the vicious cycle of unemployment leading to internal migration. l

It is fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north “They invaded the city in large numbers in vehicles and on foot from different directions and launched coordinated attacks on police facilities with guns and explosives and engaged soldiers and policemen in a fierce gunfire exchange that continued deep into the night,” he said.

“They have succeeded in burning down the police area command, the CID (criminal investigation department), the mobile (police) base and the ‘C’ Division police station, all located along Gujba Road on the outskirts of the city,” he added.

The insurgents started by attacking a military checkpoint outside the city, but were repelled by troop reinforcements, then they attacked police in Damaturu, the source added.

“There are indeed casualties, including a number of the insurgents, but it is difficult to say how many they are”, he said.

A resident, Haruna Sadi, said the attacks started around 5:00 pm (4pm) and continued late into the night, forcing residents to stay indoors.

“We didn’t sleep last night due to fright and the deafening gun sounds and explosions coming from all over the city, which was apparently under siege from Boko Haram gunmen,” Sadi said.

“Everybody is still indoors because of a radio announcement of a 24-hour curfew by the military who request everyone to stay at home as they conduct operations against the gunmen,” he said.

Boko Haram has said it is fighting to create an Islamic state in Nigeria’s mainly Muslim north.

Violence by the group is estimated to have cost more than 3,600 lives, including killings by the security forces.

Damaturu, capital of Yobe state, has witnessed several deadly attacks by suspected Boko Haram members. l

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