November 23, 2013 0

Prescription

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Cold remedies in your hands

Agrahayan 9, 1420 Muharram 18, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 239

International

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2013 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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Jamaat: Sitakunda incident was a sample

PARLEY WITH KHALEDA

‘President’s dispatch of meeting’s BNP threatens to paralyse country if one-sided polls held; Jamaat to set it on fire if Quader Molla verdict changed minutes lawful’ n Kamran Reza Chowdhury n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla The president’s decision to send the The BNP-led 18-party alliance yesterday threatened to unleash a reign of terror and paralyse the country if the government did not give in to their demands. Jamaat-e-Islami, the key ally of the BNP, threatened to set the whole country on fire.

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir warned that the alliance would cripple the country from the moment the Election Commission announced polls schedules without settling the issue of the non-partisan government.

Issuing a threat, Jamaat leader Abdullah Mohammad Taher said Sitakunda incident was “just a sample”: “If the government tries to hold a one-sided election, the whole country will turn into Sitakundu.”

“If anything wrong goes with the Quader Molla verdict, the entire 56,000 square miles of the country will be set on fire,” growled another Jamaat leader Shafiqul Islam Masud at a rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital.

The rally was organised to protest the newly formed polls-time cabinet.

Addressing the rally, Mirza Fakhrul termed the new cabinet illegal and demanded unconditional release of the arrested senior leaders of his party.

The opposition combine announced that it would stage demonstrations in district and upazila headquarters across the country on Sunday.

Fakhrul said he heard that the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, hoist placards containing pictures of 10 top Jamaat leaders, accused and convicted in war crime cases, demanding their unconditional release at a rally of the 18-party alliance in Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday RAJIB DHAR

minutes of his meeting with Opposition Leader Khaldea Zia to the government for consideration of the cabinet was lawful but the request does not put the government under compulsion, legal experts say.

Lawyers and politicians belonging to all political beliefs yesterday said the president could act as an intermediary between the two sides to bury the hatchet.

Khaleda on Monday went to Bangabhaban to request the president to initiate a negotiation with the government over the polls-time administration.

The president gave a patient hearing and assured the opposition that he would do everything possible within his jurisdiction.

Accordingly the Bangabhaban sent the minutes to the government for consideration in the cabinet which should determine everything related to executive in a parliamentary democracy.

President Abdul Hamid also “personally” asked Awami League general secretary to initiate talks with the BNP secretary-general for an amicable solution to the political deadlock.

Constitution expert and former attorney general Mahmudul Islam in his book Constitutional Law of Bangladesh – considered the best book on the constitution of Bangladesh – writes that the president may request the prime minister anything for consideration of the cabinet.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Secretary Kerry backs Biswal’s move Hartals waste 370 school n hours so far this year

Polls schedule likely next week: Shah Newaz n Mohammad Zakaria

Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

Election Commissioner Md Shah Newaz yesterday told the media that the EC may announce the schedule of the next general elections next week.

“Hopefully we will complete the next parliamentary elections in the first week of January, but we are yet to take any final decision in this regard,” Newaz added.

But another election commissioner, when contacted yesterday, said the EC was yet to decide when to announce the polls schedule.

Election Commissioner Mohammad Abu Hafiz yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune: “We can only tell you about the announcement of the polls schedule after holding a full commission meeting.”

“We will take the final decision on announcing the schedule at the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

US Secretary of State John Kerry oversaw the inauguration of Nisha Biswal as his new assistant secretary for south and central Asian affairs on Thursday and immediately praised her strong position on the Bangladeshi political deadlock.

“This week in Bangladesh, Nisha showed how she never misses a chance

to speak up or stand up for America’s values,” Kerry said at the swearing-in ceremony in Washington, DC, “She spoke forcefully about the need for leaders to rise above partisan differences and find a peaceful way towards the ballot box.”

Nisha, in the programme, said Bangladesh would greatly benefit from the establishment of an Indo-Pacific economic corridor.

“Bangladesh, where I was earlier this week, stands to benefit ...if it can conquer the divisive legacy of its past and come together around a democratic political transition in the coming months.”

Nisha arrived in Dhaka last Saturday on an important three-day trip which took place before she had the ceremonial swearing-in.

The staging of free, fair and credible elections are key to creating the political stability Bangladesh needs to move forward socially and economically, according to a report prepared by two Canadian lawmakers.

Russ Hiebert and Joe Daniel released their pre-election observation report on the national political situation in

Bangladesh yesterday.

The South Asia Democratic Forum (SADF) pre-election observation mission visited Dhaka from November 1214 and met with a wide cross-section of society including religious leaders, journalists, lawyers, academics, former government and military officials, and representatives of various civil society organisations.

“The mission is convinced that last-

Farashuddin for chairman of interim pay commission n Asif Showkat Kallol The government has formed a 15-member interim pay commission instead of a permanent one because of legal complications.

The implementation division of the finance ministry will issue a gazette tomorrow on an interim pay commission and the new pay commission will submit a report within six months with recommendations

for reducing the discrimination of salaries of government staffs under the pay and services commission.

According to finance division sources, former Bangladesh Bank governor Dr Mohammed Farashuddin will be appointed as the chairman of the interim pay commission on a five-year tenure.

Sources said the other three permanent  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

INSIDE News

4 Hindu families who suffered the brunt of a recent arson attack on their minority community in Charkawa of Barisal Sadar upazila have started returning home and reconstructing their dwellings.

International

9 Hundreds of thousands were evacuated as a severe cyclone slammed into southeastern India Friday, packing strong winds and torrential rains and killing at least six people, according to officials.

News

Sports

has once again shelved the development work of Dhanmondi Lake in the capital until December this year. Earlier the development completion deadline was postponed twice.

started their Walton Federation Cup campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over a spirited Chittagong Abahani side at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

6 The 16-Engineering Construction Battalion

13 Last season’s treble winning Sheikh Russell

At least 370 school hours have been wasted so far this year due to the 47 days of countrywide hartals called by the opposition parties.

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Canada wants political stability n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

n MushfiqueWadud

ing political stability can be achieved if both government and opposition parties commit to fundamental reforms that will move Bangladesh towards democratic maturity. Such reforms might include the government devolving more power to parliament, and the opposition attending parliament to sincerely consider legislation,” said the report.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Examinees sitting the ongoing Primary Terminal Examination and their parents are also concerned about the completion of the examinations Covering the entire syllabus became a near-impossible feat for the schools because of the frequent hartals, meaning many students were left with no other choice but to sit for their annual examinations without completing the syllabus.

Normal school hours are 8am to 4pm, meaning the 47 national hartals

enforced by the BNP-led alliance consumed about 376 school hours, even before the locally-held hartals are taken into account.

Schools have also been forced to take extra classes and hold postponed examinations on weekends, frustrating the guardians who had to lose their weekend breaks.

“I cannot skip the office even on hartal days and after working the whole week, it is really difficult to take children to schools on weekends,” said Moshiur Rahman, a guardian who works for a private bank.

The children also complained about the extra weekend classes.

“I don’t want to go to schools on Fridays, but my parents forcibly send me to school,” said Raihanul Islam Rafin, a class-one student of Government Laboratory High School.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Ticfa to be signed on time: Mahmud Ali n Tribune Report New Foreign Minister AH Mahmud Ali has said Dhaka will still sign the Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (Ticfa) with Washington, despite the transition to interim government.

“It has to be done because a decision has been made in this regard earlier. Let’s see…we still have time,” he said in a meeting with foreign ministry officials after taking over the ministry on Friday, reports UNB. Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque, Foreign Secretary (bilateral) Mustafa Kamal and directors general briefed Mahmud Ali about current foreign affairs relevant to Bangladesh.

The career diplomat served as high commissioner in New Delhi and London and was the chairman of parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs prior to becoming the

disaster management minister last year. He replaced Dipu Moni as foreign minister in the interim government on Thursday.

“I have an idea about the works of the foreign ministry and I will have more interaction with them,” Mahmud said after the meeting.

“Bangladesh is ahead of many countries including India in numerous social indicators,” he said, adding that the country has to move forward and the role of the foreign ministry is very important.

When asked about his assessment of his predecessor, he declined to make any comment.

“It is not my job to asses her.”

When asked what Bangladesh’s position will be if the Indian government declared that it wanted to sign a Teesta agreement during the interim government period, he said he will face whatever issues came his way. l

Three Hizb-ut Tahrir men held n

Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Police detained three activists of banned Islamist organisation Hizb-ut Tahrir in the port city’s Panchlaish area yesterday.

Shah Mohammad Abdur Rouf, assistant commissioner of Panchlaish circle of Chittagong Metropolitan Police, told the Dhaka Tribune they caught the trio around 3:30pm as they were distributing leaflets containing anti-govern-

ment statements in the Hill View Residential Area.

The detainees are Farhad Alam, 23, master’s student of Statistics Department of Chittagong University; Ataul Islam, 24, fourth year student of the same department; and MM Iftekhar Uddin, 30.

A case was lodged with Panchlaish police station in this connection, said the police official. l

Posters humiliating Ershad removed by JP activists n Our Correspondent, Barisal

A number of banners and posters defaming Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad appeared at different points in Barisal city yesterday.

Manipulated images of Ershad showed him being slapped by an individual using brooms, shoes, or sandals, and were apparently created by Sachetan Nagorik (conscious citizens) protesting the JP leader’s involvement in the all-party polls-time government.

JP activists led by Bashir Ahmed Jhunu, district JP joint secretary and Sadar upazila convener, swiftly removed the posters and banners.

Jhunu blamed JP’s political rivals, saying: “Some narrow-minded people did this, against free, fair political

trends and democratic norms.”

He said the party chairman had done what was necessary as the nation wants to see an election.

“Party leaders acted according to their agendas. Ershad is playing a political role in favour of the country and will play an important role in bringing back peace in the nation through a free and fair parliamentary election,” hoped Mohsin Ul Islam Habul, district JP President.

One member of the public who saw a poster in the city, alleged that HM Ershad was a liar and would go down in history as a liar.

Others claimed Ershad had always deceived the nation with his false terms and Bangladeshi people would never trust him. l

Residence of tourism minister bombed n Kailash Sarker

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir addresses the 18-party alliance protest rally in the capital’s Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday. Story on Page 1 RAJIB DHAR

Buet teams visit 10 RMG factories on first day of inspections n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Expert teams from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) yesterday visited 10 readymade garment factories in Dhaka to assess fire safety issues and the structural integrity of the buildings.

“We have visited factories to gather information on the physical strength of the structures and have collected their designs to scan,” said Mehedi Ahmed Ansary, coordinator of the teams and a professor at BUET’s Department of Civil Engineering.

“We will place their findings in a report, every three day after a visit,” he further told the Dhaka Tribune, adding that although there are a total of 30 teams, only six were working in Dhaka.

During yesterday’s visit, the teams inspected 10 factories in the city’s Shantinagor, Demra, Matuail, Gandaria and Mirpur area. The decision on this inspection was made at a meeting of the National Tripartite Committee (NTC) held on Thursday at the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The inspections are being carried out under common standards following existing

rules and acts, which is aimed at preventing tragic events like Tazreen and Rana Plaza from happening again.

The team will complete the first phase of the inspections within the next eight weeks, and inspect 200 factories as part of the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) efforts to improve factory safety in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety will start factory inspection by the end of November, and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety will start in the first week of December, said a BGMEA source. l

Farashuddin for chairman of interim pay commission  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

members of the pay commission will be former local government secretary Sheikh Khurshid Alam, former secretary Sajadul Karim, and former election commission secretary Humayun Kabir.

The rest of the members will come from the finance, commerce, law, labour and health ministries and from Bangladesh Bank, sources said.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith said yesterday the government will issue a gazette on Sunday on a pay commission.

“Because of legal complications, we do not have enough time for a perma-

nent pay commission,” he said.

The minister made the announcement at a function organised by the Bangladesh Audit and Accounts Officers’ Association. The commission will be turned into a permanent one after an elected government assumes office, he added.

Officials of the finance division said the finance ministry would go for an interim pay and services commission as there is not enough time before the next parliamentary polls.

Earlier on November 19, an official of the finance ministry said Muhith had taken the prime minister’s consent on

the interim commission.

On Wednesday, Muhith said they had already selected the people for the posts but “we have to settle a few other things before giving them appointment.”

Announcement of the decision to form a permanent pay commission was warmly greeted by 1.3 million public servants who have long been demanding such a body.

Muhith made the announcement less than a month after the government on October 6 awarded 20% dearness allowance for public officials and employees just three months ahead of the next general elections. l

‘President’s dispatch of meeting’s minutes lawful’  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Locals point at a poster depicting the manipulated image of Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad in Barisal city yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

In his writing he referred to the article 48(5) of the charter.

“On paper this may not appear to be a power at all but it has considerable importance. A man of high stature, integrity and experience holding the office of the president can exert great influence on the government by way of advice and counselling and play a great role in building a bridge between the government and the opposition”.

Senior Awami Leader Suranjit Sengupta, who was the vice-chair of the constitution amendment committee of the Jatiya Sangsad, told the Dhaka Tribune that the constitution permitted the president to place before the government any matter he thought important.

“But such request in no way put the government under compulsion. The cabinet can either accept or reject it,” he said.

Barrister Rafiq-ul-Haque said the president was free on two occasions: appointments of the prime minister and of the chief justice.

“But the constitution has placed him above everyone. This president is very respectful so he can invite the prime minister and the opposition leader to discuss the current political stalemate for an amicable solution,” Barrister Rafiq told the Dhaka Tribune.

Dr Shahdin Malik, a lawyer, told the Dhaka Tribune that the president could ask the government to discuss any important matter for the country.

“So I do not see anything wrong with his decision to send the minutes (of the meeting with opposition) to the executive for consideration,” he said.

“But it is the cabinet that has the right to reject or accept the same”.

He said the president could invite any persons he thought important to take their opinion on any matter.

“Danger is looming large over the horizon of the country with the deteriorating government-opposition relations. Given the gravity of the matter the president has the moral authority to initiate talks between the feuding parties,” said Shahdin Malik.

“Nothing will prevent the president from taking any initiative to resolve any conflicting situation,” he noted. l

Jamaat: Sitakunda incident was a sample Hartals waste 370 school hours so far this year  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Election Commission was going to announce the polls schedule next week.

He said: “If the Election Commission announces the schedules without resolving the issue of the caretaker government, we will paralyse the country.”

Terming the EC subservient to the government, Fakhrul said it was formulating laws one after another to help the ruling party win the polls.

The BNP leader alleged that the government had shunned the path of negotiations to resolve the prevailing political crisis by forming the “illegal” cabinet.

“The leader of the opposition went to the president to resolve the crisis but as of now he has not taken any initiative,” he said, adding that the government was trying to establish a one-party BAKSAL rule rather than considering people’s expectations and aspirations.

Slamming the government for banning rallies and meetings, the BNP spokesperson said the police had cordoned off the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters and barred them from holding rallies and meetings in the capital. “Is it the sample of democracy?”

Branding the government as kill-

er, corrupt and illegal, Fakhrul said it had no right to stay in power. He called upon people to come on to the streets to oust the government.

Fakhrul urged the people of Dhaka city to “wake up” and intensify the party’s movement and take to the streets to compel the government to step down. “If the government retains to power, the country’s independence and sovereignty will be at stake.”

Referring to the trial of war crimes, Fakhrul said: “International community has raised questions about the trials.”

Abdul Moyeen Khan, a Standing Committee member of the party, said the government wanted to hold a lopsided election as it wanted to control the election results.

Redwan Ahmed, general secretary of Liberal Democratic Party, said: “The autocrat and the national betrayer has formed alliance [with the government] to hold the elections and they are giving lucrative offers to split the 18-party alliances. But it will not work as our unity is strong enough.”

Dhaka city unit BNP President Sadeque Hossain Khoka chaired the rally where other senior leaders of the BNP and the 18-party alliance also spoke. l

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Public examinations have also faced significant disruption. Several examinations of Secondary School Certificate, Higher Secondary Certificate, and Junior School Certificate have had to be postponed and rescheduled because of the shutdowns.

Six examinations of the JSC had to be rescheduled, while the students were often left uncertain about whether they had any examination newly re-scheduled for the next day.

The examinees sitting for the ongoing Primary Terminal Examination, as well as their parents, are also concerned about the completion of the examinations, amid rumours that more hartals might be called for next week.

At least 32 papers of the HSC examinations had to be rescheduled for nine countrywide hartals, while there were half-day hartals in some parts of the country during almost every exam.

In Chittagong board, the schedule for the English second paper test had to be changed four times.

At least five SSC exams between February and March were postponed because of countrywide hartals.

The O-level and A-level examinees also suffered, as the hartals caused several examinations to be rescheduled and forced the students to take some of the exams at midnight.

School teachers said they were facing problems to conduct annual examinations as hartals ate up a good amount of school hours.

“It has become impossible to design examinations as we do not know if hartals will be called during examinations,” said Abu Sayeed Bhuiyan, head teacher of Government Laboratory High School.

College and university activities were also affected by hartals, with many private universities having to curtail their semesters as classes were not held.

Educationist Rasheda K Choudhury said twice the thought should be given before calling hartals during public examinations.

She said hartals were seriously affecting academic activities in schools and other educational institutions.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid on several occasions urged the opposition parties to call off hartals during examinations, but his requests

went ignored.

When contacted, BNP’s Education Secretary Khairul Kabir Khokon told the Dhaka Tribune that they were trying hard to avoid hartals during public examinations but the government was forcing them to call the shutdowns during these times.

“We know this is causing problems to students, but the government has created such an environment that we have no other option but to call hartals,” he said.

Discussions were being held within the party and the alliance so that hartals can be avoided during public examinations, Khokon added. l Schools failing to make-up even though taking classes on weekends l Guardians’ life style changes as classes held on weekends l Students might take exams without preparation l 37 papers in HSC rescheduled for nine countrywide hartals l At least five SSC, six JSC exams postponed for hartals l O level, A level examinees at risk of losing one year l

At least four crude bombs were hurled at the residence of newly sworn in Tourism Minister Ruhul Amin Hawladar in the capital’s Gulshan area yesterday night, leaving a security guard of a neighbouring building injured.

Injured Mohammad Sujon, 19, was first taken to Shahabuddin Medical College and Hospital and later shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Sub-Inspector Kamrul Islam of Gulshan police station, who took Sujon to the DMCH around 11:30pm, told the Dhaka Tribune: “One of the bombs had hit Sujon and the others exploded indiscriminately in front of the minister’s residence.”

Sujon, who sustained injuries in the head and shoulder, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Three to four crude bombs were hurled repeatedly at the residence of the minister around 9:30pm when I was passing through the area after my duty ended.

“Two people on a motorcycle attacked the residence but sped away immediately after hurling the bombs.”

Asked about the transfer to DMCH, SI Kamrul said: “As it is a criminal case, we shifted the injured to the government hospital for his better treatment.”

Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gulshan police station, said: “We are yet to determine the cause of the attack and identify the attackers.”

The OC said: “There was a gathering of huge people inside the minister’s house when the attacks were made.”

He further said: “Police would file a case regarding the incident if the minister or the injured does not.” l

Canada wants  PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

The report said the role and participation of Jamaat-e-Islami in national politics required close scrutiny by authorities as this organisation had created deep concerns about the protection of the rights of women, minorities and others.

“BNP in particular must also reflect on the possible role that Jamaat may be playing in its party and work to distance itself from this extremist organisation,” the report said. l

Secretary Kerry  PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

“This is a very critical time and frankly that’s why I made it such a priority to get here even before I had been able to get my ceremonial swearing-in done,” she said at a press conference in the city on Monday.

During her visit, she met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, BNP Chairperson Khaldea Zia, Nobel Laureate Mohammad Yunus, ministers and members of civil society. l

Polls schedule  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

commission meeting. We are yet to take any such decision,” Hafiz said.

The commissioner confirmed that the decision to announce the polls schedule and the schedule itself would be finalised at that full commission meeting.

EC officials said they were yet to get any call for commission meeting on Sunday.

Commissioner Abu Hafiz said the meeting would be held on Sunday if the chief election commissioner called for it.

He said the commission had completed all kinds of preparations including the amendment of the electoral code of conduct and the Representation of the People Order to hold the next general elections within the timeframe stipulated in the constitution.

Some EC officials told the Dhaka Tribune the EC may announce the schedule sometime between November 24 and 28. The commission has completed all kinds of preparation for holding the polls, they said.

Commissioner Shah Newaz told reporters at Chandpur the EC was increasing the number of polls centres because of an additional seven million voters. Some 600,000 workers would work during the elections, he said.

“We have been calling for a fair and acceptable election. We want every party to participate in the elections,” the commissioner said.

“We have also asked the president to make efforts for this, and we hope that his efforts will be successful,” he added. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Mobile financial services to increase country’s GDP by 2% by 2020

College student arrested for spreading nude girlfriend video n n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Police arrested an HSC student yesterday who allegedly tricked his girlfriend into having sex with him on camera and posted the video on the internet after she refused to be blackmailed.

The student was identified as Mizanur Rahman Rabbi, 20, son of Kabir Khan of Alekanda Gazi Bari area in Barisal, a student at the city’s Syed Hatem Ali College.

Rabbi was arrested and jailed early yesterday after the victim – also an HSC student of a different college – lodged a harassment case with the Kotwali police station on Thursday night.

Sub-inspector Mohiuddin Sheikh, investigative officer of the case, said the girl in her complaint alleged that Rabbi, with whom she had a brief relationship, had promised to marry her and taken her to his friend Shuvo’s house in the city’s Kazi Para area, about four months ago.

There, she said, she was tricked into having sex with him while on camera.

Later, Rabbi tried to blackmail her into having sex with him again and went on to demand Tk500,000 with the threat to post the video on a porn site.

As she refused to do either, Rabbi spread the video through internet, the girl added.

Police arranged a face-to-face interview between the two before registering the case, said ATM Mujahidul Islam, deputy commissioner (south) of Barisal Metropolitan Police. l

Muhammad Zahidul Islam, from Thailand

Telenor, the parent company of Grameenphone, hoped that access to mobile financial services in Bangladesh could increase the country’s GDP by at least 2% by the year 2020.

The observation came yesterday as Jon Eddy Abdullah, chief executive officer of dtac, Thailand’s second largest mobile operator, a sister concern of Telenor informed the panel of “Many Faces of Mobile Financing Services” at the ITU Telecom World 2013.

Yesterday was the closing of the fourday event held in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Next edition of the ITU Telecom World will held in Doha, Qatar.

Telenor is also the parent organisation of Grameenphone, having 55.8% stake in the company.

In the discussion, mobile industry leaders and regulators expressed the urgency of mobile financing, especially for the unbanked.

They said, 75% of the world’s population has access to mobile phones, whereas only 50% were with bank accounts. In some countries only 5-15% of the popula-

tion have access to bank accounts.

In Bangladesh, mobile banking was launched back in 2011 under the mobile financial services guideline formulated by the Bangladesh Bank, providing the much needed financial access to the poor and unbanked population of the country.

However, mobile operators of the country have limited scope to flourish this service, as only model banks were the service providers, who only use the mobile operator’s network.

Access to formal banking system is still very limited in Bangladesh with only 15% of 160 million population having bank accounts.

In comparison, the 110 million mobile phone users in the country were fuelling the expansion of its mobile financial services.

Mobile banking system allows its customers to conduct a number of financial transactions through their mobile devices, and without having a bank account.

Meanwhile, though experts and telecom leaders emphasised on mobile banking’s importance, they urged on regulations as well.

On the other hand, the operators showed that some countries like Paki-

stan, where the regulations on mobile financial service were rather lax, the business flourished and when hard regulations were imposed, it became tough to deliver services to people, specialty in the rural areas.

They thought a collaboration between the banking, financial services and telecommunication regulators might establish a platform where the unbanked people would get the opportunity to avail different kinds of financial services smoothly with the access of mobile banking.

Jon Eddy Abdullah said, only mobile operators could break the geographical barrier within a few minutes for the financial services.

Abdullah pointed out Pakistan’s example and said: “When I worked there, it became the first mobile operator in the globe, who was allowed to acquire a bank and that’s how the mobile banking of that country flourished.”

Mobile financial services were also gathering momentum in Bangladesh as the number of the registered mobile banking customers soared to 7.4 million within two and a half years of launching.

John Ure, director of the Telecom-

munication Research Project, University of Hong Kong said: “Creating a separate new regulator for financial services through mobile networks could be a great idea. Here the mobile and financial regulators can work together with mobile operators, and they must incorporate other national security agencies.”

Eugene Juwah, executive vice chairman/ceo of Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) said there needs to be collaboration between the financial and the telecom regulators to flourish the mobile financial services.

Prashant Gokarn, chief strategy and planning officer of Indosat, Indonesia said, with the financial services, mobile operators also can serve as a micro insurance institution.

Marko Jagodic Jr, director of service network of Telekom Slovenia, who acted as a panellist in the seminar said: “Financially underserved people need the financial mobile service most and globally their number is 2.5 billion.”

He said, well financed people have different opportunities so we need to work with the unbanked people and they are the majority. l

At least 15 BNP men hurt in intraparty clash in Cox’s Bazar n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar An intra-party feud of BNP had left at least 15 of its activists hurt yesterday in Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar.

The conflict between the two factions of BNP took place at a demonstration staged in the upazila village market as part of the party’s countrywide protest programme.

Sources said upazila unit Jubo Dal convener Rafiqul Alam Chowdhury’s supporters were locked into a clash with his rivals.

When Rafiqul went to deliver his speech, his rivals chanted slogan against him, prompting his men to retaliate.

The face-off left more than a dozen of the party activists injured.

Later, the situation was brought under control through the interference of senior leaders of the party at the programme. l

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Saturday, November 23, 2013

A woman visiting the post-Eid reunion at the Probin Hitoishi Sangha and Geriatric Medicine Institute types a number into her mobile phone as the elderly woman, sitting on her right, who lives at the institute, requested her to connect a relative. The Sangha situated at Agargaon in the capital holds a get-together for its elderly residents every Friday NASHIRUL ISLAM

Fraud-charged doctor flees police station n Moniruzzaman Uzzal A suspended doctor of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) fled from Shahbagh police station hours after his detention on fraud charges yesterday.

Dr Jahangir Alam – who had been allegedly involved with selling false and fabricated medical injury certificates – was caught red-handed at the neurosurgery library room of the DMCH yesterday afternoon. He was later handed over to the Shahbagh police station in the presence of the DMCH director.

However, the accused doctor reportedly took advantage of a distracted duty officer and managed to flee the room without anyone noticing.

He had issued over 100 false medical injury certificates for the past three or four years as a doctor of the DMCH. The authorities were alerted about Jahangir and were finally able to catch him yesterday Brigadier General Dr Mustafizur Rahman, director of the DMCH, said it was a surprise to find out that the doctor had fled the police station.

He informed that Jahangir – despite being dismissed from the hospital – had issued over 100 false medical injury certificates for the past three or four years as a doctor of the DMCH. The authorities were alerted about Jahangir and were finally able to catch him yesterday, Dr Mustafiz said.

Sources said a few years ago, the health ministry had issued a posting order for Dr Jahangir to be appointed as a medical officer at the DMCH, where he joined under the neurosurgery department.

Within a few days, the then DMCH director Brigadier General Shahidul Hoque Mollick noticed that Dr Jahangir was issuing an unusually large number of medical certificates.

Following an inquiry with the ministry, the director found that Jahangir’s posting order was a false one.

A departmental case was later lodged against him and he was dismissed from the public job.

However, the dismissal did not stop the doctor from issuing the medical certificates.

Contacted, MA Jalil, inspector (investigation) of Shahbagh police station, admitted the doctor’s escape and told the Dhaka Tribune the accused walked out of the room of the duty officer while he was working on an FIR. However, a team is working to arrest him, the inspector added.

A fraud case has been filed against the suspended doctor, for using DMCH pad and stamp to issue false medical certificates. l

DPDC to install 144,500 prepaid meters on pilot basis Dr Kamal: Plot on to hold n voter-less polls drama Aminur Rahman Rasel

With a view to curbing non-technical system losses and provide improved services, state-owned Dhaka Power Distribution Company (DPDC) Limited will install 144,500 (out of a total 900,000) prepaid meters in six target areas of Dhaka metropolitan and Narayanganj on a pilot basis.

“Under the project, 140,000 single-phase pre-paid meters and 4,500 three-phase meters will be installed by December 2015,” AHM Mohiuddin, director of pre-payment metering project for number six NOCS (Network Operation and Customer Services) division and manager of DPDC told the Dhaka

tribune yesterday.

The areas to be brought under the pilot project, are, Lalbagh, Bashabo, Maniknagar, Bangshal, Jurain and Narayanganj east.

A digital pre-paid metre would cost between Tk8,000 and Tk12,000 compared to the existing digital metres which cost Tk1,200 to Tk2,000.

“DPDC will establish 29 utility vending stations and six utility customisation centres under the project,” he said.

It is a win-win situation for the company as well as its customers as it will provide a number of benefits for both, Mohiuddin said.

“It is easy and transparent, there can be no disputes regarding bills, while

customers would not face any hassles to pay bills. In addition, there would be no scope for disconnections or reconnections; no minimum charges will be applicable for the meters.”

The company would give couple of days to pay the bill for an upcoming month, but the duration of that window is yet to be decided, the project director said.

Meanwhile, upfront payments, improved cash flow, decreased non-technical losses, lower overhead expenses and metre tampering protection were the benefits the company would enjoy after introducing the new metres, he said.

“We were forced to undertake this

project to avoid weak commercial management of the DPDC and minimise its non-technical losses,” the project director said.

Apart from creating problems for DPDC, the existing system also creates problems for the customers as sometime they get bills after two or three months, sources said.

On October 29, 2013 Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec) approved the project having an estimated cost of Tk1.7335bn.

Of the total project cost, Germany’s KfW will provide $9m on loan, while Tk682.39m would come from the government exchequer. The rest of Tk141m will be borne by DPDC. l

CREDIT GROWTH TARGET

Banks to disburse Tk330bn by December n Jebun Nesa Alo

The scheduled banks may face challenges of achieving the credit growth target of 15.5% by December as they have to disburse Tk330bn more in advances during October-December.

In its monetary policy, the Bangladesh Bank set the target – to the tune of Tk670bn – for the first half (July-December) of fiscal year 2013-14. Banks have already disbursed Tk336bn – 7.7% of the target – until September.

Officials at the central bank say reaching the target in the remaining time is absolutely impossible for the banks.

Bangladesh Bank’s Chief Economist Hasan Zaman, however, said achieving

the credit growth ceiling was not mandatory. “If the credit ceiling is crossed, it will be a risk for inflation; and, if it stays below the target, then it indicates a sluggish investment,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

“The credit growth of 11.07% in September is not a risk for inflation.

When the growth remains close to the target, it is easy for us to manage inflation with GDP growth,” he said.

“The central bank is not worried about the slow credit inflow as investment is not in our hand. But if it exceeds the target, that will be a reason for the central bank to worry because keeping inflation stable is our main task.”

Hasan said the Bangladesh Bank

did not want to see any “unnecessary” disbursement. “We would prefer to be under the target rather than see waste disbursement,” he said.

The target was set on a year-onyear basis, which means it has to be calculated comparing to last December and to reach the target the banks will have to distribute Tk670bn from Tk4,328bn of that time. Of the required credit, the banks disbursed Tk192bn up to June as credit inflow to the private sector remained sluggish for a year because of political turmoil and lack of gas and electricity.

Bangladesh Bank data shows that only Tk140bn credit was disbursed during July-September and banks have to distribute Tk330bn in the next three months.

“Banks will face a big challenge to achieve the credit growth target as uncertainty is the big obstacle to it” Pubali Bank Managing Director Helal Ahmed Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune.

Private sector credit growth in FY13 also slowed in the second half of the year: it stood at 13.6% in May against 18.5% target up in June.

“Production of industrial sector reduced because of sluggish investment in the private sector and political uncertainty. In this situation, it is not possible to achieve the GDP growth target” said Bangladesh Bank former governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed.

The GDP growth target for the current fiscal year has been set at 7.2%. l

n UNB Gano Forum president Dr Kamal Hossain yesterday alleged that a plot was on to hold “polls drama” without voters in a bid to destroy parliamentary democracy.

Awami League-led alliance has become a chaos through the participation of Jatiya Party in the all-party government “A voter-less election like those held in 1986 and 1996 is looming large,” he said while addressing an extended meeting of his party’s central committee at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh.

Dr Kamal, also a noted jurist, described the just-formed all-party government as the first episode of the drama.

He said Jatiya Party Chairman Er-

shad was wooed on a promise to make JP the opposition for holding the “dramatic election” without BNP. Observing that the Awami Leagueled alliance has become a chaos through the participation of Jatiya Party in the all-party government, he posed a question, “Is there any provision for it (all-party government) in the Constitution?”

Kamal Hossain also observed that terms –“politics of division”, “politics of extortion”, “politics of tender business” and “nomination business” were gaining currency in the country in recent times against the norms of democracy.

“A politics of division is evident. We see attempts to do politics of division by using religion,” he said.

Participated by the party district-level members, the extended meeting of Gano Forum was conducted by its general secretary Mostafa Mohsin Mintu. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Students to take hard line on Jucsu pre-polls irregularities n JU Correspondent A section of general students at Jahangirnagar University (JU) yesterday called for a tougher movement from today against the irregularities of Election Commission overseeing JU Central Students’ Union polls.

Earlier on Thursday, the same section of students gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the EC to withdraw Mphil and PhD students from the polls scheduled for January 2, but to no avail.

Some 150 general students under the banner of “Oniomer Biruddhe Amra Shikkharthibrindo” staged a demonstration on the university campus and brought out a procession at 4pm.

The students alleged that JU authorities had a plan to elect their like-minded individuals in polls to carry out reforms, violating the Jucsu constitution and the university’s convention.

Recently, authorities have allowed Mphil and PhD level students to compete in Jucsu elections for the first time in the university, they said.

The agitating teachers also demonstrated in front of JU administrative office demanding removal of Vice-Chancellor Prof Anwar Hossain for allegedly violating the instructions given by President Abdul Hamid to eliminate JU crisis.

Teachers had confined the acting VC, pro-VC and registrar of the university to its administrative office from Wednesday in protest against the teachers’ representative election under the incumbent VC. Prof Kamrul Ahsan, secretary to Teachers-Students and Officers-Employees United Forum said JU teachers would hold an assembly today at 10:30 in front of the administrative office to mobilise support for their demand.

However, VC Prof Anwar Hossain was unavailable over his cellphone as he was on a two-day medical leave from Wednesday. Acting VC Prof MA Matin told the Dhaka Tribune they were trying to solve the problem through dialogue. l

Two jailed for 18 months for illegal drug trading n Our Correspondent, Jhenaidah A mobile court in Kaliganj upazila in Jhenaidah yesterday sentenced two people to 18 months imprisonment.

The court in the afternoon conducted a drive and arrested the duo while they were selling illegal drugs.

Later, Executive Magistrate and Upazila Nirbahi Officer Eradul Haque handed down the verdict.

Officer-in-Charge of Kaliganj police station Manir Uddin Mollah said Omedul Haque, 32, son of Jabbar Ali, and Abu Sayeed, 33, son of Tokkel Ali of village Faila under Kaliganj upazila, had been running illegal drug trading in the locality for long. l

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Hindu arson attack victims start returning Peace rally held demanding punishment for attackers n Our Correspondent, Barisal Hindu families who suffered the brunt of a recent arson attack on their minority community in Charkawa of Barisal Sadar upazila have started returning home and reconstructing their dwellings.

The district administration hosted an intercommunity peace and amity rally at the Kalikhola Matri Government Primary School of Char Aicha yesterday demanding punishment for the attackers and plotters.

On 14 November, college student Parvez Gazi was hacked to death and three others were injured. In retaliation, 15 houses and two temples of the Hindu community were fully gutted and seven others partly damaged in the neighbouring Char Kawa village.

The family members of the murdered college student and arson victims participated in the rally along with civil society members, local government officials and sociopolitical and cultural personalities.

Every arson victim received Tk19,000 in cash and three bundles of corrugated iron sheets from the district administration to help with the constructing their makeshift houses. Boy Scout volunteers also extended cooperation in cleaning debris.

“We have no alternative but to return home as we lost everything including shelter and sources for live-

Hindu residents of Char Kawa of Barisal have started returning to their village and reconstructing their houses that were burnt down in an arson attack recently DHAKA TRIBUNE lihood,” said Purnima Rani and her husband Gopal Chandra Haldar, who received two cows from the district administration after the cattle were burnt

alive in the arson attack.

Speakers at the rally were Advocate Talukdar Md Yunus, district Awami League secretary and lawmaker Ma-

n Mohammad Atiqur Rahman Bangladeshis are facing an increasing risk from asbestosis, a silent but fatal disease caused by long exposure to asbestos, a material used in different industries including ship breaking and cement.

The warning came from speakers at a meeting organised by Bangladesh Occupational Safety, Health and Environment Foundation (OSHE) at the Brac centre auditorium in the capital yesterday.

Domyung Paek, a professor at School of Public Health at Seoul National University, told the Dhaka Tribune that if the country wants a sustainable perspective, it has to ban the use of asbestos as a top priority.

Representatives from Australia, Bangladesh, China, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam gave

updates on the use of asbestos at the meeting.

SM Morshed, vice chairperson of OSHE presented Bangladesh’s update.

Representatives said the media can help to spread the message about the ills of asbestos, by describing the effects of exposure to it. They urged immediate ban on asbestos and shared how asbestos were degrading human lives, saying, more than 3,000 people die in the UK yearly from asbestosis.

50 countries have already banned asbestos and Bangladesh should do so, said Sanjiv Pandita, director of Asia Monitor Resource Centre. “Tell the ship-breaking industry that Bangladesh is not a dumping ground,” he said.

According to Bangladesh Bank, countries exporting asbestos to Bangladesh include Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cambodia, Denmark, Finland, French, Germany, Hong Kong and India.

Asbestos causes a kind of pneumoconiosis and can result in mesothelioma and even lung cancer. The process of being affected by the disease is slow.

People get affected by it gradually so the diagnosis of this disease is very complex.

According to regulation on the different form of asbestos, it is not illegal or unauthorised in Bangladesh. High risk industires include construction, car manufacturing and shipbuilding, while everyday exposure can occur through heat mats, electric heaters, carpets and blankets.

“Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos, which is very much painful and fatal”, said Sanjiv Pandita of AMRC, while discussing about the exposure levels of Bangladeshi and Indian workers.

He said there was a “powerful syndicate” behind bringing asbestos infected ships to Bangladesh. l

IMPORT OF ASBESTOS IN BANGLADESH Fiscal Year

Duration

Total Import USD

Monthly import USD

Remarks

2010-2011

July 2010January 2011

10,03,866

143409

Statistics Locally available but could not be verified from any alternate source

2009-2010

July 2009June 2010

15,47,880

128990

Jan- DEC

417240

2008

Rain likely in Khulna, Barisal, Ctg n UNB Rain or thundershowers is likely to occur at one or two places over Khulna, Barisal and Chittagong divisions until 6pm today.

Weather may remain mainly dry with partly cloudy sky elsewhere over the country, Met office said.

Night temperature may rise slightly and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country.

The sun sets in the capital at 5:11pm today and rises at 6:19am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 32.5 degree Celsius was recorded yesterday at Cox’s Bazar and lowest 11.4 degrees at Srimangol.

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

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

29.6 29.6 29.3 28.0 30.2 29.5 29.5 32.5

16.2 18.7 13.4 15.6 17.0 17.3 14.9 19.5

PRAYER TIMES 5:00am 6:18am 11:45am 3:35pm 5:11pm 6:30pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

nabendra Batobayal, district president Hindu-Bouddha-Christian Oikya Parishad Rakhal Chandra Dey, district president Puja Udjapan Parishad Hira

Lal Bala, father of the murdered college student Selim Gazi, local UP chairman Monirul Islam Chhobi, Sadar upazila nirbahi officer Shamima Ferdous, deputy commissioner Shohidul Alam.

Together, they demanded a free and fair investigation into the crimes and arrest and exemplary punishment for the criminals.

The speakers also called for steps to stop harassment of innocent people by law enforcers.

They said it was high time the authorities created an atmosphere for sustainable amity, harmony and peaceful coexistence of different community people.

Local UP chairman acknowledged that it would take some time to heal the trauma the victims went through and complete reconstruction of their destroyed houses.

The Awami League lawmaker and administrative officials assured the attendees at the programme that they would take steps to stop harassment of innocent people and punish the real culprits and masterminds behind the crime.

At the rally, different organisations distributed food, clothes and crockery items, Tk25,000 for the family of the murdered college student, Tk10,000 for the injured under treatment at Dhaka and Tk5,000 for the injured under treatment at Barisal and Tk10,000 for per family of the arson victims. l

Bangladesh urged to ban ‘killer’ asbestos 18-party alliance holds protest

Source: United State Geographical Survey (USGS) 2007

Jan-Dec

470184

39182

2006

Jan- Dec

447876

37323

2005

Jan-Dec

447876

37323

2004

Jan- Dec

343200

28600

2003

Jan- Dec

480480

40040

Source: Publicintegrity.org/asbestos consumption

rally in Chittagong n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong The BNP-led 18-party alliance held a protest rally in front of its city unit party office ‘Nasiman Bhaban’ in Chittagong city’s Kajir Dewri yesterday afternoon as part of their country-wide programme.

Activists and leaders of the alliance protested the formation of the all-party cabinet and demanded the unconditional release of all leaders and activists.

They also demanded formation of a non-partisan caretaker government to conduct a free and fair election.

Several hundred leaders and activists of the alliance, chanting slogans and holding banners, thronged the BNP party office around 4pm where some agitated alliance men lit fires on the road using bamboo, sticks and other wastes.

The rally was continued till 5pm and vehicular movement on the road was

Statistics available in international documents

stopped for one hour, causing suffering to townspeople.

Speakers at the rally included Abdullah Al Noman, vice-chairman of BNP; Mir Mohammad Nasir Uddin, adviser of BNP chairperson; Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, president and Shahadat Hossain, general secretary of the city unit of BNP; and Jamaat-eIslami lawmaker ANM Shamsul Islam.

Speakers said if BNP would form the government for the next time, Awami League government would face trial on charges of changing the country’s constitution for their own interest.

The people of Bangladesh never tolerate the AL’s autocratic conduct for holding power, the speakers added.

They urged the government to come into the track of democracy and introduce non-partisan neutral interim government for free and fair polls. l

Three passengers injured as bus catches fire n Kailash Sarkar

Source: Import Department of Bangladesh

WEATHER

Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

News

At least three passengers were injured when the gas cylinder of a bus exploded after its heated engine caught fire at Zero Point near the GPO in the capital last evening.

Two children and an elderly woman sustained injuries as they could not escape in time when the Skyline Paribahan bus caught fire.

Other passengers were able to get out of the bus safely, said Golam Sarwar, officer-in-charge of Paltan police station. Local people rescued the injured children and woman, but

their identities could not be known immediately.

Anisur Rahman, an official of the Fire Service and Civil Defence, said the overheated engine of the bus had caused the fire around 5pm.

A witness said soon after the Sadarghat-Dhamrai route bus caught fire, panicked passengers got out for safety but the children and the woman could not get out quick enough.

The fire engulfed the entire bus within a few moments and its gas cylinder exploded with a big bang. The vehicle was completely damaged before fire fighters reached the spot. l

Essentials’ prices unstable n Tribune Report The prices of essential items have finally started to come down but market analysts say the respite may only be temporary if more hartals are called for next week as feared.

The prices of vegetables were stable in the last four to five days following the most recent shutdown enforced by the opposition alliance. Except for a few spices, the prices of most vegetables showed signs of decreasing, but it might take another week before all prices come down to rates seen prior to the 84-hour hartal.

Customers, however, are sceptical about the continuation of this state of relative stability with fears of a fresh political turmoil looming large. They suspect prices will go back up if more hartals are called, and some have even begun to stockpile food and other essentials to help them cope with such an eventuality.

“I heard the opposition is planning to go for nonstop shutdowns and communication blockades soon. If they do, it will indeed affect the prices,” Sezan Mahmud, a freelance software engineer, said. “I am storing certain com-

modities in my house as a preparation for a new period of price increase.”

Retailers have confirmed that the supply and prices of essentials had come back to a normal level and that even hoarders were selling their stocks at normal rates.

“We are selling beans at Tk40 per kg, down from Tk60 a week ago. The prices of radishes came down to Tk35 from Tk40, cauliflowers to Tk30 from Tk35 and brinjals to Tk35 from Tk55,” Shahadat Hossain, a vegetable seller in the Sukrabad Kitchen Market, said. “But the prices of these items were Tk5-10 less than these before the hartal.”

However, not all kitchen markets in the capital showed similar signs of downward movement, with some still charging higher prices. In any case, the prices of onions decreased by Tk10 in almost all the markets.

The situation is similar in the fish markets also, where prices have yet to become stable. Customers are still paying Tk10-40 higher than normal times against each kilogram of fish. The prices of rice, especially the miniket and najirshail varieties, came slightly down while the price of pulse remains as before. l

A fire-fighter tries to douse the flames on a passenger bus, which caught fire after the engine over-heated yesterday near Nayapaltan in the capital DHAKA TRIBUNE

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Prescription

5

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Cold remedies in your hands Sudden weather changes immediately cause cough and cold to many. These are common health problems which attack everyone during the changes in weather Honey works honestly n Dr Ashfaquzzaman Take a spoonful of honey each day or

can take it with a cup of warm water.

Honey will act as syrup for curing cough and cold. It will give you best results as compared to any other cough and cold syrup. You can have honey with milk as well to cure cough and cold.

These home remedies, traditional and used since ages, are now scientifically proven to cure and prevent colds like cough, sneezing, HEALTH and nasal discharge.

FLASH Though these are not a complete treatment, they will give some sort of relief to the common cold patients.

Go for gargles

Hot water gargle helps to get quick relief from cough and cold. Hot water gargles with a pinch of salt helps to kill bacteria and will give quick relief from cough and cold. Salt is an astringent and helps relieve a painful throat.

Sleep plenty

Getting fewer than seven hours of sleep a night raises your risk of catching a cold threefold, as compared to people who sleep average eight hours a night.

Take warm shower

Steamy showers (or your head over a steamy bowl of soup) and saline nasal sprays can help relief congestion, at least temporarily, by hydrating and moisturising irritated nasal passages.

A cup of hot tea with honey does the same trick as chicken soup; it loosens up your nasal passages and makes that stuffy nose feel better. Folk healers have known this secret for centuries.

They often suggest drinking tea with spices and herbs that contain aromatic oils with antiviral properties. Try tea with ginger, mint and lemon. Lemon grass tea is one of the effective home remedies for cough and cold. Just take few twigs of lemon grass and boil it with water. You can add a pinch of sugar to this tea.

Chillis hurt but ...

A cup of hot tea with honey does the same trick as chicken soup; it loosens up your nasal passages and makes that stuffy nose feel better

Hot and spicy foods are notorious for making your nose run and your eyes water. The hot stuff in peppers is called capsaicin and is pharmacologically similar to guaifenesin, an expectorant ingredient found in some cough syrups. This similarity leads some experts to believe that eating hot foods can clear up mucus and ease that stuffy nose.

Nasal irrigation

Research has shown that washing away nasal secretions can reduce swelling.

You can make your own saline drops or spray by adding one-fourth teaspoon salt to one cup water. Fill a clean nasalspray bottle or dropper with the salt water and spray or drop into each nostril three or four times. Repeat five to six times daily.

Choose chicken soup

It is scientifically proved; chicken soup does help in cold. Chicken soup contains cysteines, which are good

HEALTH NEWS

FDA to ban trans fats in foods US Food and Drug Administration has made a preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils, a major source of artificial trans fat in processed foods, are not generally recognised as safe for use in food.

Many food companies and restaurants have eliminated trans fats over the past decade, in part because of FDA nutrition label changes enacted in 2006. Many cookies and other baked goods, some microwave pizzas, readyto-eat frostings and a host of other everyday foods contain trans fats, which are often labeled partially hydrogenated oils. Trans fats raise total blood cholesterol levels even more than saturated fats, which can lead to heart disease. l

Snoring may be bad for pregnancy A new study published in the journal Sleep said, pregnant women who snore three or more nights a week are more likely to have a cesarean section and smaller babies. Compared to non-snorers, those who snored before and during pregnancy (chronic snorers) were two-thirds more likely to have a small baby and more than twice as likely to have an elective cesarean section. l

Treat rheumatoid arthritis early

It is very important to start treatment of a patient diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in earliest time. A new study suggested, im-

How to prevent indigestion

Tea for terrific result

Drink plenty of fluids

Fluids may help thin the mucus, thus keeping it flowing freely and making it easier for the body to expel. Water and other liquids also combat dehydration.

So drink at least one glass of fluid every two hours to stay hydrated. Drinking hot water early in the morning will help you flush out the toxins (poison produced by living organism) of cough and cold and helps to get rid of cough and cold.

QUICK TIPS

mediate and effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis reduces the risk that patients will have joint damage and disability within a few years.

Unfortunately, many people delay effective treatment approaches because they are afraid and they come back a year later, often with joint damage that could have been prevented. The longer the inflammation in the joints, the more likely you are to have joint damage. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease of the joint with pain, swelling and other signs of disability. l

Skipping breakfast is not good Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a peasant. Eating breakfast fuels your brain, fuels your body. if you are trying to lose weight, then skipping breakfast isn’t necessarily the worst thing for you to do. Because it slows down your metabolism. When you don’t eat, the brain sends a message to the rest of the body to conserve energy, signaling it to hold onto the stored fat that you’re trying to get rid of. They found participants who skipped breakfast were 27% more likely to experience a heart attack or to die as the result of coronary heart disease attack. l – Prescription Desk

Indigestion is common in adults and can occur occasionally or as often as every day. It is also associated with smoking, high fat and large meals and excessive alcohol consumption. Indigestion can be prevented by eating several small, low-fat meals throughout the day at a slow pace, refraining from smoking and abstaining from consuming coffee, carbonated beverages, and alcohol. Stopping medications that may irritate the stomach lining, such as aspirin or anti-inflammatory drugs also help. l

Avoid environmental irritants

Turn on Inhalation

at thinning mucus. Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center discovered that chicken soup

has anti-inflammatory actions which helps to reduce pain and congestion of nose.

The steam from a vaporiser can loosen mucus, especially if the mucus has become thick. It may make you feel more comfortable and will keep the nasal tissues moist. That’s helpful because dry nasal membranes provide poor protection against viral invasion. l Dr Ashfaquzzaman is an ENT specialist.

Know about blood sugar n Prescription Desk

Usually blood sugar levels are tested in the “fasting” state – when you have not had anything to eat or drink for eight hours. The MEDITECH normal range for fasting blood sugar is anything from 3.0 to 5.5 mmol/L. If you have not fasted, the normal range for random blood sugar is between 3.0 and 7.8 mmol/L. The body can usually keep the blood sugar within this range despite variations in food intake and energy expenditure, but if the blood test is done very soon after eating, it is possible it may be slightly above.

Other conditions which may temporarily cause increased blood sugar readings include acute infection, trauma and physical or psychological stress.

In such cases the raised blood sugar may not be indicative of diabetes and the test should be repeated once the condition of circumstances have stabilised or resolved.

If your blood test was done immediately after eating a large amount of carbohydrates or if you had a concurrent health condition or circumstances such as those described above, this might explain the result being mildly above the range for random glucose.

But if your result of 8.0 was after fasting for eight hours this is very concerning as it could well indicate a diagnosis of diabetes.

If you did not fast for your last test, your doctor may advise you to repeat the test and fast this time and hope-

Your nose will run if it’s irritated, and some noses are more susceptible to some irritants than others. Environmental irritants such as pollution, dust and tobacco smoke – even chemicals and perfumes – are common causes of a runny nose. Among its other harmful properties, tobacco smoke is a common nasal irritant. Unfortunately, you can’t always avoid these things, especially if you live in a smoggy city or with a smoker. Still, there are things you can do to help. Keep your nasal passages moist with saline spray. Running a humidifier can help, too, although you need to make sure it’s clean so it’s not pumping irritants into the air along with its soothing mist. And drinking plenty of fluids will ensure your sinuses stay moist, among other benefits. If you know something irritates your nose, avoid it altogether if possible. l

Be cautious about gum bleeding

Conditions which may temporarily cause increased blood sugar readings include acute infection, trauma and physical or psychological stress

fully it will be in range (below 5.5 mmol/L). If your level of 8.0 was after fasting, your doctor may advise repeating the test (a fasting blood sugar that is repeatedly over 7.0 indicates a diagnosis of diabetes) and possibly doing a

further test known as a glucose tolerance test (GTT).

With the GTT you have a baseline fasting blood sugar level done and then you are given a standard measured dose of a glucose drink to consume over five minutes. Your blood sugar level is taken again two hours later. The result should be less than 7.8. A result between 7.8 and 11.1 is indicative of “impaired glucose tolerance” and a result above 11.1 indicates a diagnosis of diabetes.

People diagnosed with impaired glucose tolerance are considered “prediabetic.” l

Bleeding gums are never a good sign.

If your gums bleed when you brush, that’s your body’s way of telling you that you have plaque trapped under the gum line. And that means that it’s time for a trip to the dentist for a professional cleaning which is commonly known as dental scaling – the only way to eradicate plaque that has already crystallised on teeth. At home, you can help keep plaque (and bleeding) at bay by stepping up your brushing routine. Furthermore, dental plaque can be accumulated, because traditional brushing is not enough to prevent the process. l

| Compiled by: Dr Kazi Mahbuba Akhtar

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Dhanmondi Lake development scheme put off again n Abu Hayat Mahmud The 16-Engineering Construction Battalion has once again shelved the development work of Dhanmondi Lake in the capital until December this year.

Earlier the development completion deadline was postponed twice.

The authorities concerned, however, on Thursday expressed hope that they could finish the work by December 15.

Project Officer Captain Md Anisur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have reached the final stages and hopefully the rest will be done by December 15.”

“Only some portions of the overbridge are yet to be constructed,” he added.

About the delay Anisur Rahman said: “We needed additional time to revise and change the design of the scheme and to empty some plots of land in adjoining areas of the lake which had been illegally occupied.”

In 2011, the government took on the development project which covers approximately 39.2 hectares of the Dhanmondi Lake area from Road 32 to Road 6 in order to give a facelift to the greenery and make the area more attractive to a wider range of city dwellers.

The initiative was undertaken by the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD) as well as the Dhaka City Corporation (now Dhaka South City Corporation).

Later it was handed over to the 16-Engineering Construction Battalion under the Special Works Organisation

of the Bangladesh Army for implementation with Vitti Sthapati Brindo working as the project consultant.

Project Officer Captain Anisur Rahman said under the project they had set up an orchid garden, a children park named Russel Sishutosh Angan beside the Kalabagan playground and also planted almost 50 thousand trees along the lake shore.

In 2011, the government took on the development project which covers approximately 39.2 hectares of the Dhanmondi Lake area from Road 32 to Road 6 in order to give a facelift to the greenery and make the area more attractive to a wider range of city dwellers Other developments made under the project include the construction of 2km of walkway, 1.5km of drainage system, foot over-bridges at Kalabagan and Dhanomndi Road 8, installation of 10 pure drinking water points and the construction of four public toilets.

The project also repaired four existing bridges, 2km of walkway and installed a modern lighting system.

Officials said maintenance and security of the lake would be ensured properly after completion of the project.

A visit to the project site revealed that most of the work has been completed with only the foot over bridge still under construction.

Ninety percent of the funding for the Tk245.3m project came from the LGRD and cooperatives ministry with the rest coming from the city corporation. l

Part of Dhanmondi Lake area where a foot over-bridge is still incomplete. The project was taken to give a face-lift to the greenery in the lake area but it has been shelved for the third time much to the annoyance of city dwellers RAJIB DHAR

Dhaka needs access to health Footpaths no more the pedestrians’ prerogative services and sanitation n UNB, Dhaka

n Tribune Report Greater efforts to enable access to affordable health care services, safe water and sanitation, especially for the low-income residents, is essential to make Bangladesh’s cities liveable, a senior government official said yesterday.

Secretary of the Economic Relations Division Md Abul Kalam Azad said the rapid urbanisation in Bangladesh was giving rise to significant challenges in making life in cities safe and healthy.

German development agency GIZ and several other organisations jointly organised the symposium in the city, says a press release.

The Symposium brought together concerned scientists, policy makers, individuals and organisations to discuss healthy urban development in Bangladesh and the works of people on the front lines of policy and practice.

Azad, in his speech as the chief guest, stressed that given the density of population in urban areas, ensuring the provision of services and infrastructure “was a huge undertaking.”

He emphasised that to make a city healthy and provide a safe home to its citizens was everybody’s duty, - city dwellers, decision makers, the business community, and private sector and government institutions.

Other urban health challenges that need to be tackled are the ones that affect the high-income and low-income citizens equally; such as high levels of air or noise pollution, natural disasters or disease epidemics, he said.

Local Government Division’s Additional Secretary Ashoke Madhab Roy, health ministry’s Additional Secretary Zillar Rahman echoed the need for coordinated efforts to address the rapidly changing challenges in the urban context of Bangladesh. l

Walking on the city’s footpaths with ease and in comfort has become quite unimaginable these days because of their poor maintenance, with slabs often missing or broken and pavements under the grip of hawkers, illegallyparked vehicles and kiosks, garbage and construction materials.

“I’m an avid walker and I love walking in the evenings, but now I’m giving it a second thought because of various problems. We have to get down to main roads since the footpaths are filled with garbage. And where apartment buildings are being constructed, the footpaths are buried under construction materials,” Mujibul Haq, an engineer in his mid-60s, said.

“Just take a tour around Dhaka – everywhere you look, you’ll find hawkers squatting on the pavements. I don’t know what will become of these footpaths in future.”

During a visit to the city’s Motijheel,

Paltan, Rampura, Badda, Malibagh, Farmgate, Dhanmondi, Mirpur, Mohammadpur and Gulshan areas, this correspondent found the front-sides of many roadside buildings constructed occupying notable portions of pavements.

They need to really strengthen their efforts in this regard, or there might come a day when the city’s roads and pavements would be even narrower In other cases, beggars, floaters and goods of grocery shops occupy the pavements, to the obvious displeasure of pedestrians. Illegal parking and operation of bicycles and motorbikes are also causing a nuisance.

Saima Begum, a schoolteacher of Malibagh area, said walking on the footpaths had become “hazardous” with vendors occupying significant parts of the footpaths. “Every day I

have to use footpaths and there is always something or other to disturb your mind.”

Shahidul Islam, a banker of Rampura area, likened the footpaths to “a racecourse beyond the control of its managers” and held the city authorities responsible for their pathetic condition. “Often children and elderly people have to suffer because of the pavement-using bikers.”

“About 80% of the city’s buildings have been constructed disregarding their approved plans,” said Abdul Mannan, a member of the planning board of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha. “We will take steps against these structures in phases. As for pavement encroachments, it is not the responsibility of Rajuk but the city corporation to take action against those responsible.”

He further said mobile courts were active “round-the-clock” to halt illegal construction initiatives.

In this regard, Nazmul Islam, administrator of Dhaka South City Corpo-

ration, said a team of the corporation led by two magistrates was conducting drives to free footpaths from illegal occupation and demolish unlawfullybuilt structures.

Akhter Hossain Bhuiyan, administrator of Dhaka North City Corporation, said a cautionary notice would be published in the newspapers soon warning the owners of makeshift shops and buildings on footpaths to clear the pavements within seven days of its publication.

“Currently, we are conducting an eviction drive in the city’s Farmgate area, and it will be strengthened further in future.”

Urban planner Prof Nazrul Islam, however, alleged that the authorities of both sides of the city corporation were not taking necessary steps to free the footpaths. “They need to really strengthen their efforts in this regard, or there might come a day when the city’s roads and pavements would be even narrower.” l

14 held for adopting unfair means at DU admission test n Tribune Desk

48 buy AL nomination papers to contest polls in Khulna

The authority of Dhaka University yesterday held 14 examinees who appeared at the admission test under Kaunit for adopting unfair means.

Sub-Inspector of Shahbagh police station Masud Rana said the DU proctor had called and handed over the examinees to police at about 3:30pm, reports BSS. “The DU authority will lodge written complaint against them,” he said.

Written test for admission into first year honours classes for the session 2013- 2014 under Ka- unit of the DU was held peacefully yesterday. A total of 70,934 candidates appeared at the admission test this year for 1,618 seats. l

At least 48 leaders of Awami League including its front organisation Jubo League and women wings bought nomination papers from the party central office in the capital to seek polls tickets to contest in upcoming parliamentary elections in six constituencies of the district.

Several young Awami League and Jubo League leaders are among the nomination seekers.

Most of them have started their informal campaign in their respective constituencies.

Those who have bought nomination papers are Khulna 1 incumbent lawmaker Nani Gopal Mondol and incumbent lawmaker from women reserved seat Begum Noor Afroz Ali, ex-lawmakers Panchanon Biswas and Sheikh Harun-ur-Rashid, central leader Asit Baron Biswas, UP chairman of Batiaghata upazila Md Ashraful Alam Khan, UP chairman and vicechairman of Dakop upazila Abul Hossain and Joyanti Rani Sarder, Dakop upazila unit vice-president Binoy Krisna Roy, Chalna Pourashabha Mayor Dr Achinta Kumar Mondol, advocate Nimai Chandra Roy, Khulna 2 AL city unit general secretary Mizanur Rahman Mizan, incumbent lawmaker from women reserved seat Begum Noor Afroz Ali, Khulna district unit joint secretary Dr Shekh Baharul Alam, AL Sadar thana unit general secretary advocate Saiful Islam and Jubo League city unit convenor advocate Anisur Rahman Poplu.

Khulna 3 incumbent lawmaker and State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnuzan

n BSS

The two-day music festival featuring songs of Radharaman Dutta was inaugurated on the premises of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Four killed, 26 injured in accidents in three districts n Tribune Report

A total of four people were killed and 26 others injured in separate road accidents in Kishoreganj, Chittagong and Comilla yesterday.

In Kishoreganj, an expatriate was killed in a road accident in Pakundia upazila of the district after being hit by a motorcycle, reports our correspondent.

The dead was identified as Murshid Uddin, 27, son of Abdul Hay of Charlakkia village in Pakundia.

According to police and local sources, the accident took place on the Pakundia-Hossainpur Highway near the upazila bazar on Thursday night after a motorcycle hit Murshid’s bicycle from behind, leaving him critically

injured.

The locals had taken him to Pakundia Upazila Health Complex but later shifted to the capital’s Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University. He succumbed to his injuries yesterday morning around 8am.

Police had seized the motorcycle and its two riders but were released later.

In Chittagong, a person was killed and at least 26 others were left injured, including women and children, after a bus fell into ditch near Chatre Choumuhony area of Anwara upazila in the morning, reports our correspondent.

The identity of the dead could not yet be known immediately, police sources said.

Humayun Kabir, officer-in-charge

of Anwara police station, said a Chittagong-bound bus from Bashkhali upazila fell into the roadside ditch after the driver lost his control over the steering, leaving 27 passengers injured.

Later, the injured were taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital where the duty doctors declared an individual aged about 37 years dead, according to Nayak Bashar of CMCH police outpost.

In Comilla, two people, including a primary terminal examination candidate, were killed in a collision between a bus and a CNG-run auto-rickshaw at Alekharchar of the district’s sadar upazila in the morning, reports UNB. The dead were Saiful Islam Rony, 12, a primary terminal exam candidate

and son of Abu Taher, and his cousin Aklima Akhter, 8, daughter of Ershad of Rampur village in Burichang upazila of the district.

Officer-in-Charge Mashiur Rahman of Mainamati highway police station said the bus collided head-on with the three-wheeler on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway around 10:30am, killing Rony and Aklim on the spot.

Aklima’s mother Zakia Akhter, 34, was also injured in the accident which took place when the victims were going to Kotbari from Comilla Cantonment.

The injured was admitted to Comilla Medical College.

Police recovered the bodies and seized the auto-rickshaw. However, the bus sped away after the accident. l

Sufian, Khulna City Corporation former panel mayor 2 Moniruzzaman Khan Khokon, Daulatpur thana unit AL president Sheikh Sayed Ali and its city unit publicity secretary Md Ashraful Islam.

Khulna 4 incumbent lawmaker Molla Zalal Uddin, ex-lawmaker SM Mostofa Rashidi Suja, prime minister’s Finance Adviser Minister Dr Moshiur Rahman and his wife Eva Rahman, Terokhada upazila Chairman Sarfuddin Biswas Bachchu, Rupsha upazila Chairman Sheikh Ali Akbar, district unit Jubo League president Md Quamruzzaman Zamal and central Prajonmo League vice-president major (retd) Md Modasser Hossain.

Khulna 5 incumbent lawmaker Naryan Chandra Chanda, Dumuria upazila Chairman Gazi Abdul Hadi, Phultala upazila ex-chairman Sheikh Akram Hossain, upazila Awami League leaders Dr Mahbubul Islam, Sarder Abu Saleh, Mostofa Sarwar, Ajoy Sarker, and central Jubo League leader Mrinal Zoadder.

Khulna 6 incumbent lawmaker advocate Sohrab Ali Sana, ex-lawmaker Sheikh Md Nurul Haque, his son Sheikh Monirul Islam, prime minister’s Finance Adviser Dr Moshiur Rahman, his wife Eva Rahman, district unit AL vice-president Gazi Muhammad Ali, Paikgachha upazila Chairman Rashiduzzaman Morol, Paikgachha Lawyers Association president advocate Abul Hossain Zoadder, Paikgachha Pourashabha Mayor Selim Zahangir, district unit Jubo League general secretary Akteruzzaman Babu, Koyra unit Jubo League president SM Shafiqul and Bangabandhu Sainik League member Subrato Bain. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

7

Saturday, November 23, 2013

‘Attacked Hindu communities in Lalmonirhat left unsecured’ n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat A five-member team from the Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), a human rights body, have visited and conducted inquiry at two Hindu-populated villages in Lalmonirhat that were recently attacked allegedly by organised gangs.

Over the past two days, the team spoke to the victims of the attacks at Satpatki Majhipara and Shafinagar villages in Lalmonirhat sadar and Patgram upazilas respectively.

Abu Ahmed Fajlul Kabir, the ASK team leader and in-charge of the ASK investigation unit, said the Hindu communities of the two villages were still left unsecured and might face further attacks by organised gangs.

“I have talked to the Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner Habibur Rahman and Superintendent of Police Habibur Rahman about the attacks on the minority Hindu people. They confirmed providing all legal support to the Hindu people at these two villages,” he said.

The police said Jamaat-Shibir and BNP activists attacked the Hindu

17 held over AL leader Raihan murder n Tribune Desk Police arrested 17 people, including an Islami Chhatra Shibir activist, from different places of Satkhira town on Thursday night for their alleged involvement with the killing Abu Raihan, organising secretary of Debhata upazila Awami League unit.

The arrestees were identified as Manirul Islam, Amzad Hossain, Firoz Alam, Sohrab Hossain, Shahidul Islam, Rafiqul Islam, Abdur Rahim, Abdul Hamid, Nazmul Islam, Abdullah Al Mamun, Rabiul Islam, Afsar Ali, Nabab Ali, Alam and Maniruzzaman.

All of them are residents of the upazila, reports UNB. On receiving secret information, a team of police from sadar police station conducted a drive at a village under the upazila and arrested the 17 people at night.

Abu Raihan, 38, organising secretary of the upazila unit of the ruling party, was stabbed to death by some unidentified miscreants at Parulia Bazar in Debhata on Thursday night over previous enmity. l

residents of Shafinagar village on October 27, during an ongoing nationwide 60hour hartal.

Sixteen shops belonging to Hindu owners were looted and vandalised, while some of the stores were also torched, resulting in damages worth Tk3m.

Police sources also said a gang of miscreants, consisting of men who had been expelled from the BNP, vandalised and looted four houses belonging to Hindu families at Satpatki Majhipara village on November 4, during another spell of 60-hour hartal by the opposition alliance. The gang also searched through 40 more houses of Hindu families in the area and assaulted 15 people, including six women.

Two separate cases had been lodged with Patgram and Lalmonirhat sadar police stations on October 29 and November 4. Only three of the 111 accused on the Patgram case have been held so far, while none of the six identified accused in the Lalmonirhat sadar case was yet to be arrested, members of the local Hindu community said. l

Maize is the only cash crop of the country’s Char areas and its season has already begun. The farmers of Gaibandha hang carcasses of at least five crows in each field to avoid attack of crows. They do not even know that killing a bird, which is important in maintaining environmental equilibrium, is illegal in our country FOCUS BANGLA

Bird poaching rampant in southern wetlands

Hunters catch and kill birds by placing poison traps in swampy areas drive to arrest the hunters and recover Bagerhat, Mongla, Rampal, Satkhira, Jes- of Azgara Government Hospital in Tern Tribune Desk sore, Narail, Magura, Faridpur, Gopalganj, okhada upazila. the captured birds.

Indiscriminate poaching of birds by a section of local people has started in the wetlands of the southern region, including Khulna, barely with the advent of winter this year.

Both with a callous disregard for ecology and greed for money and meat the poachers catch and kill the innocent birds by placing poison traps in the swampy areas.

The wetlands in the region, which are home to different local species of birds, now echo with chirping and fluttering of the local species of birds, which will be later joined by the migratory birds from the cold countries like Siberia.

To ensure unhindered movement of the birds, both migratory and local, forest department has intensified its crackdown against their poaching, reports UNB. The department is continuing a

Sources at the Wildlife Section of the Forest Department, Sundarbans said migration of the birds to the wetlands begins in November and continues till March.

The crime control unit of the wildlife section said poaching of birds goes on unhindered in 18 districts and upazilas of the south-western region The poachers catch the birds by laying several traps in the beel (water body) areas and then sell those in local markets openly.

Sources at the crime control unit of the wildlife section said poaching of birds goes on unhindered in 18 districts and upazilas of the south-western region.

These are Khulna Sadar, Rupsha,

Madaripur, Sharistpur, Barisal, Agailjhara, Pirojpur, Barguna and Patharghata.

Bird poachers also in groups continue their acts in Basuakhali beel of Terokhada upazila and Faltita area of Fakirhat upazila.

They have taken bird poaching as the main source of their income.

Most of the families in the areas are involved in bird poaching.

Meanwhile, the wildlife section of the forest department, Sundarbans, conducted several drives to arrest the poachers.

On November 3, members of the wildlife section conducted a drive in Naoapara Daktarmore area in Fakirhat upazila and arrested a young man named Niranjan Mandal along with 15 poached birds.

Later in another drive on November 4, the same members arrested Ferdous Morol along with 32 birds from in front

One held with stolen microbus in Chittagong n Tribune Desk

Magura Sadar Hospital limps on with manifold problems

One person was held with a stolen microbus from city’s Mehidibag area under Chawkbazar thana on Thursday night.

The arrestee was identified as Iqbal Hossain, 36, son of Haji Mia, hailed from Biyazid thana in the city.

Babul Akter, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Detective Branch said based on secret information a team of DB police arrested Iqbal from Mehidibag area with a stolen microbus at 11pm.

The arrestee confessed that he along with his three accomplices stolen the microbus from Kustia Sadar thana on November 15 last introducing themselves as police officials. l

Patients at Magura Sadar Hospital are being deprived of proper healthcare service as the hospital is facing multifarious problems, including bed shortage and scarcity of food.

About one million people of the district are dependent on the hospital for health service.

Hundreds of patients come to the hospital but many of them are deprived of proper treatment for shortage of meal allotment, scarcity of bed and influence of brokers.

The hospital was established in 1968 with 50-bed capacity and later in 1998 the hospital bed was upgraded to 100bed hospital.

But the number of beds is quite inadequate compared to the number of patients which is two to three times higher than the accommodation it offers.

Consequently, around 100 to 200 patients have to receive treatment lying on floor. And for that reason the condition of patients very often deteriorate rather than improve, said hospital sources.

Patients alleged that about twothird of patients are deprived of food as the hospital authorities have capacity to provide food only to those with beds.

Subsequently, the patients who do not afford to purchase meal from outside pass their days with little food or sometimes in starvation, the patients said. In 1998, the hospital was provided with a generator which has remained inoperative for long because of fuel crisis.

The hospital has no allotment for fuel of generator, causing inconve-

14 gamblers arrested in Hili frontier n Tribune Desk Fourteen gamblers were arrested in separate raids conducted at different places in Hili frontier town under Hakimpur upazila in Dinajpur district yesterday afternoon, police sources said.

Led by Officer-in-Charge of Hakimpur Thana Ahsan Habib, a special police team conducted raids in Moharapara and Churipotti areas in the frontier town and arrested the gamblers, aged between 18 and 35, red-handed while gambling, reports BSS. The arrested gamblers are Jonny, Ashraf, Mostafa, Azizur, Arman, Harun, Fazal, Mithu Shakhawat and Mostafa of Hakimpur upazila, Anwarul of Parbotipur upazila in Dinajpur, Abu Raihan and Rabiul. l

Jubo Dal leader shot dead in Lakshmipur n Tribune Desk

However, the wildlife section released the seized birds.

They also seized several traps and recovered different species of migratory birds including Kain, Talkus and Dankur.

Mohamamd Lutfur Parvez, ranger of wildlife crime control unit, said the crime control units-1 and 2 are continuing drive in the bird sanctuaries every day.

They collect information from the local people and arrest the hunters in the guise of customers. The crackdown will continue till March next year, he added.

Jahidul Kabir, a forest official, said poaching birds violating the Wildlife Conservation Act will carry one year’s imprisonment and fine of Tk 50,000.

He also laid importance on social resistance and awareness to stop bird poaching. l

NEWS IN BRIEF Youth picked up by BSF in Thakurgaon

Members of Indian Border Security Force picked up a Bangladeshi young man from Beorjhari border in Baliadangi upazila on Thursday. The victim was identified as Delwar Hossain,23, son of Khorshed Alam of Udoypur village in the upazila. Quoting locals, BGB said BSF troops from Barobillah camp of India had aught Delwar in the evening while he was entering the Indian territory passing by pillar no. 380. Confirming the incident, commanding officer of Thakurgaon BGB Colonel Iqbal Hossain said they sent a letter to BSF asking for return of the youth. – UNB

n Our Correspondent, Magura

119 sued in Comilla for attack on cops

Patients and their attendants are sitting on the floor nience to patients and their attendants during load-shedding and their suffering knows no bound in summer as the district experiences eight to ten hours power outage a day.

A number of middlemen are active in the hospital who have hot connection with some doctors.

These middlemen persuade patients to go to a particular clinic and pathology in exchange for commission. These agents also exploit the patients with higher clinic and pathology charge and patients are compelled to provide the charge finding no alternative.

Moreover, medical representatives

A local Jubo Dal leader was gunned down and his business associate injured by bullets by some unidentified miscreants at Nandigram in sadar upazila early yesterday.

Police said a group of miscreants numbering 10/12 had fired gunshots at Morshed Alam, son of Sirajul Islam of the village, general secretary of Bashikpur union unit of the BNP’s youth front, and his business associate Sumon in the area while they had been visiting their fish project in the dead of night, leaving Morshed dead on the spot and Sumon critically injured, reports BSS. Hearing their screams, local people rescued Sumon and took him to a local hospital from where he was later shifted to Dhaka after his condition worsened.

On receiving information, police recovered the body and sent it to hospital morgue for an autopsy.

Iqbal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, confirmed the murder. A case was filed in this connection. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

are also hampering healthcare service.

Although visit of medical representative is restricted from 9am to 5pm every day it is ignored rampantly.

On average, about 50 to 60 representatives visit the doctors every day during the period.

Muktadir Rahman, residential medical officer of the hospital, acknowledged bed and food crisis.

Asked about the disruption of healthcare service by medical representative, he said no medical representative visits the hospital.

He, however, said he would look into the matter. l

A case was filed on Thursday against 119 people on charge of attacking policemen during a clash between the activists of Awami League and BNP in Monohorganj upazila on Wednesday. Sub-Inspector of Monohorganj police station Ujjal Sarkar filed the case against 39 identified people and 80 unidentified ones. Police said local BNP-Jamaat men clashed with Awami League activists over catching fish at Bhaupur village in the uapzila on Wednesday that left 15 people injured. When police went to the spot some BNP-Jamaat men attacked the law enforcers, leaving three cops injured. – UNB

Potato trader hacked to death in Chittagong A potato trader was hacked to death over a trivial matter at Jhautala under Khulshi Police Station in the city yesterday afternoon. The deceased was identified as Babul Mia, 50. Witnesses said Babul picked an altercation with Belal Mollah over a trade-related issue in the area at 12 noon. At one stage, Belal chopped Babul indiscriminately with a sharp weapon. Angered at the incident, supporters of Babul

attacked Belal and hacked him with sharp weapons, leaving the duo injured. – UNB

Housewife commits suicide in Jessore A housewife allegedly committed suicide by taking poison at Chanchra Barmanpara in Sadar upazila of Jessore district on Thursday night. The deceased was identified as Shantilata,50, a resident of the village. Family sources said Shantilata took poison at her room at night following a family feud. Later, family members got her admitted to Jessore Medical College Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries later. Police sent the body to morgue for an autopsy. – UNB

3,257 bottles of phensidyl seized in Chuadanga Members of Border Guard Bangladesh in separate drives seized 3,257 bottles of phensidyl syrup and a firearm in Jibannagar and Damurhuda upazilas on Thursday. BGB sources said acting on secret information, a team of the 6th BGB battalion conducted a drive at Haldarpara village in Damurhuda bordering area and recovered a revolver, three rounds of bullet and 47 bottles of phensidyl lying in an abandoned condition in a field. – UNB

Garlic worth Tk2.5m seized in Jessore Members of Border Guard Bangladesh seized a truckload of garlic worth Tk2.5m from Sadipur border area early yesterday.

Commanding officer Lt Col Matiur Rahman of BGB Battalion 26 said they had information that a group of smugglers was sending a huge amount of garlic to India through the border. Based on the information, a BGB team conducted a drive in the area in the morning and seized the truck loaded with the spice. However, no one was arrested in this connection. – BSS

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Rescuers search for survivors of Latvia supermarket cave-in

Syria Islamist rebel factions merge: spokesman

n AFP, Riga Rescuers in Latvia frantically combed the rubble of a supermarket on Friday, a day after its roof collapsed on shoppers near the capital Riga, killing at least 33 people.

The tragedy shocked the small Baltic state, with the government declaring three days of mourning starting on Saturday and planning to hold a moment of silence on Monday for its worst accident since regaining independence in 1991.

The roof of the Maxima supermarket smashed down on customers during peak shopping hours around 6:00 pm on Thursday in the Riga suburb of Zolitude.

Rescuers rushed to the scene, but many were themselves trapped when the roof caved in a second time.

“Everything was crashing down: the walls, the roof, everything!” witness Jana told LNT television.

“I don’t know what happened to the cashiers – if you were sitting down, there is no way you could have got out in time,” she said.

Police spokeswoman Sigita Pildava told AFP that 33 people have been confirmed dead and at least 38 others injured following the cave-in of about 500 square metres of the roof (600 square yards).

Police refused to say how many people were thought to be inside the twoyear-old building, and there were fears that teenagers could have been among them as a high school is near the store.

Among the dead were three firefighters who were killed trying to rescue people following the initial cave-in of the roof.

“I am proud of my Dad – he died helping others, not thinking about him-

Saturday, November 23, 2013

n AFP, Beirut

Rescuers search for survivors at the scene where the Maxima supermarket roof collapsed in Riga on November 22 self,” said a Twitter message retweeted by the fire and rescue service from a girl named Katrina whose father was among the dead.

Around 200 rescue workers, backed by military personnel, combed through the rubble through the night.

“We are working at maximum capacity but it’s a very dangerous situation in the building – it seems likely we will have to continue working all day long,” said fire chief Oskars Abolins.

Visiting the scene, Prime Minister Valdis Dombrovskis said police had launched a criminal investigation to find the cause of the disaster.

“The state will do everything neces-

sary to help the injured and pay compensation where it is appropriate,” he told reporters.

Speculation about the possible cause centred on plans to build a rooftop garden.

Local council official Juris Radzevics said that plans had been submitted to the council to turn the roof into a green area.

“The project was submitted in accordance with all regulations but of course we will be looking at whether materials and works were carried out to the proper standards,” Radzevics told the LNT television channel.

A police spokesman said emergency

AFP

sirens had been set off in the store before the cave-in, adding that they were probing who sounded the alarm and why.

Run by the Lithuanian-owned Maxima chain – Latvia’s number two retailer after Rimi – the supermarket was built in 2011 and was named one of the country’s top three architecture projects that year.

Maxima published a statement on its website saying the company was “overwhelmed and shocked” by the disaster but that it was not yet aware of the cause and was providing “all the information at our disposal” to the authorities. l

Six key Islamist groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria joined forces on Friday, a spokesman for Aleppo’s biggest rebel force said.

“Thank God, the complete merger of the major military factions fighting in Syria has been announced,” Liwa alTawhid spokesman Abu Firas said in a posting on Facebook.

The creation of the joint force – which has been dubbed the Islamic Front – came after major regime advances on key battlegrounds around Damascus and Aleppo in northern Syria.

Opposition sources and experts have attributed the regime’s successes in part to rebel disunity.

The groups merged days after the death of Liwa al-Tawhid’s charismatic military chief Abdel Qader Saleh, who had reportedly made calls for such a rebel alliance.

According to Abu Firas, the groups merging their troops were Liwa alTawhid, Ahrar al-Sham, the Army of Islam, Suqour al-Sham, Liwa al-Haq and the Ansar al-Sham battalions.

All the groups are Islamist and merged “under the banner of ‘There is no god but God, and Mohammed is his prophet’,” said Abu Firas, citing the Islamic profession of faith.

Speaking to AFP over the Internet, Abu Firas said “the doors are open to all the military factions, and a committee is working to study the entrance of all groups that also want to join” the merger.

“It has been decided that all the factions’ military, media, humanitarian and administrative offices will merge

over a transitional period of three months,” he added.

A spokesman for another rebel faction that had joined the merger confirmed the report, and said an official statement would be released “shortly.”

News of the merger came as anti-Assad protesters in Syria took to the streets for their weekly demonstrations, this time under the rallying cry “The blood of the martyr (Abdel Qader Saleh) unites us.”

‘It has been decided that all the factions’ military, media, humanitarian and administrative offices will merge over a transitional period of three months’ Saleh died from his wounds Monday, after an air strike hit the building in Aleppo where he and other faction leaders were meeting days earlier.

Activists on the ground welcomed news of the merger as “bad news” both for Assad’s regime and for the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which has fought against some rebel brigades in opposition-held areas.

“The news will terrorise the regime and ISIL at the same time,” said another activist group.

Also welcoming the merger, Aleppo-based activist Abu Omar told AFP it “will help bring control on all the liberated (opposition-held) areas in Syria, and prevent the emergence of divided statelets.”

As well as daily violence, rebel areas are racked with insecurity and criminality that flourish with the lack of a centralised authority.l

Russia grants bail to US Ukrainian PM booed in parliament after snubbing EU captain of Greenpeace ship n AP, Kiev

n AP, St. Petersburg A Russian jail has freed on bail the US captain of a Greenpeace ship and six crewmembers who were arrested following an anti-oil drilling protest in Arctic waters two months ago.

Peter Willcox was released from a St. Petersburg prison on Friday along with the others, bringing the total number of those freed to 18 of the 30 people on the ship who had been detained.

“I feel like I’m down out of the tree but still in the forest,” Willcox told journalists. “But it’s a big step.”

All 30 still face hooliganism charges, which carry a sentence of up to seven years. They were detained after some of the activists aboard the Arctic Sunrise ship attempted to scale an offshore drilling platform owned by the stateowned natural gas giant Gazprom.

Crewmembers Marco Weber of Switzerland, Mannes Ubels and Faiza Oulahsen of the Netherlands, Paul Ruzycki of Canada, Anthony Perrett of the United Kingdom, and British freelance videographer Kieron Bryan were also released Friday.

Judges this week granted bail, set at 2 million rubles ($61,500), to 26 people

Drunk Pakistan Airlines pilot jailed for nine months in UK

n AFP

A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) pilot was jailed for nine months in Britain on Friday for being drunk before he was due to fly a plane with 156 people on board. Irfan Faiz, 55, was asked to leave the cockpit during checks for the flight from Leeds Bradford airport to Islamabad on September 18 because he smelled of alcohol and was unsteady on his feet. The father-of-two was found to have three times the legal amount of alcohol in his blood, prosecutors told the court in Leeds in northern England. Faiz told police he had drunk three-quarters of a bottle of whisky but had stopped drinking at about 3:00 am, some 19 hours ahead of the planned take-off of the Airbus 310. His behaviour would have been permitted in Pakistan, where the rules state only that there should be 12 hours between “bottle and throttle” no matter how much the pilot had drunk, the court heard. Judge Peter Coulson described this rule as “extraordinary” and said he was also “astonished” to hear that pilots regularly flying out of Britain did not know about the far stricter regulations there. l

from the Greenpeace ship. The remaining three detainees are expected to hear their rulings Friday.

Greenpeace lawyers are filing an appeal for the release of Australian Colin Russell, who was denied bail on Monday.

‘I feel like I’m down out of the tree but still in the forest,’ Willcox told journalists. ‘But it’s a big step’

Photographer Denis Sinyakov, who was released on Thursday, said he believed the decision to grant bail to the detainees came from the top — and Russell, who was the first to face the court, was denied bail simply because the judge hadn’t gotten the signal in time.

It remained unclear whether the foreigners, who have no Russian visas, would be allowed to leave the country. l

The enraged opposition booed prime minister in parliament Friday and called for street protests against government’s abrupt decision to shelve a landmark deal with the European Union and turn toward Moscow instead.

Ukraine’s Cabinet on Thursday suspended preparations for signing a free trade and a political association agreement with the EU at next week’s summit. The turnaround marked a big victory for Russia, which has worked aggressively to derail the deal and keep Ukraine in its orbit.

Prime Minister Mykola Azarov told lawmakers Friday that Ukraine cannot afford to lose trade with Russia and suggested the EU did not offer Ukraine any compensation for that.

He also complained that the conditions the International Monetary Fund has set for rescuing its struggling economy with a bailout loan were impossible to fulfill.

“What will be our compensation for the huge losses from losing the Customs Union market, what, I am asking you?” Azarov asked referring to an economic alliance of former Soviet republics being pushed by Moscow. “Unfortunately, we did not receive a realistic

UK: Three women held captive for 30 years n AP, London Three women have been freed after spending 30 years held captive in a south London home, including one woman believed to have spent her entire life in domestic slavery, police said Thursday.

London’s Metropolitan Police announced the rescues after two people — a man and a woman, both 67 — were arrested early Thursday on suspicion of forced labor and domestic servitude.

The suspects were later released on bail.

The arrests were part of a slavery investigation launched after one of the women contacted a charity last month to say she was being held against her will along with two others.

The charity went to the police, and the women — a 69-year-old Malaysian, a 57-year-old Irish woman and a 30-yearold Briton — were freed on Oct. 25.

Kevin Hyland, head of the Metropolitan Police’s human trafficking unit, said the women are “highly traumatized,” having had “no real exposure to the outside world” for the past 30 years.

“Trying to find out exactly what has happened over three decades will understandably take some time,” he said.

Police initially said they did not believe any of the victims were related, but later appeared to backtrack, saying the relationship between the three is part of the investigation and they will not speculate on it.

The police also said there is no evidence to suggest anything of a sexual nature, but cautioned that the investigation is still not finished. Police also would not speculate on any motivation, disclose the suspects’ nationalities or say if the suspects were a couple.

The revelations raised numerous questions about how the women’s ordeal began and why it endured for so long. What brought them to London?

What freedoms — if any — did they have?

What restrictions and conditions were they subject to? Did neighbors ever see them? Did they ever try to escape?

The women — whose names have not been released — are now safe at an undisclosed location in Britain and have been working with severe trauma experts since their rescue, Hyland said.

They are doing “as well as we can expect them to,” according to Anita Prem, founder of the charity that helped facilitate their release. l

Opposition lawmakers hang EU flags in parliament after the Ukraine government shelved a EU deal and turned towards Moscow answer to this question.”

The opposition lawmakers dressed in sweaters reading “Freedom to Ukraine” and “Ukraine is Europe” booed Azarov, started throwing stacks of paper at his ministers, and headed toward his seat in order to block the speech.

Opposition leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk

French courier Mory Ducros declares bankruptcy

n AFP, Paris

France’s second-biggest courier firm Mory Ducros filed for bankruptcy on Friday, putting its 5,000 employees at risk.

The move, announced at an emergency board meeting, is the biggest bankruptcy case in France since 2001 when household goods maker Moulinex, which had some 5,500 workers, closed shop.

The CFDT, the dominant trade union in Mory Ducros, had raised the alarm on Wednesday, saying it feared 2,000 to 3,000 jobs would be lost because of the company’s financial problems.

Created a year ago with the merger of two transport firms Mory and Ducros, the company lost 79.5 million euros ($107 million) in 16 months until the end of December last year, according to court papers cited by Le Monde newspaper. Its turnover was 765.5 million euros.

It is the biggest bankruptcy case in France since President Francois Hollande took power in May 2012.

Hollande’s Socialist government has been struggling to contain lay-offs in a morose economic climate, marked by record unemployment and high production costs. l

denounced the government’s decision as state treason, accusing President Viktor Yanukovych of selling out to Moscow in exchange for cash and ensuring his re-election in 2015.

“This is a well-planned scenario by Yanukovych: how to sell the Ukrainian state and to buy himself a seat of the governor of Little Russia as part of the

great Russian empire,” he said.

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, speaking in St.Petersburg Friday, denied putting pressure on Ukraine. He said that Moscow will have to slap duties on goods imported from Ukraine if it signs the free trade deal with the EU as a necessary move to protect Russia’s market.l

WORLD WATCH Posthumous pardon in 1931 Alabama rape case

Three black men falsely accused and convicted of raping two white women in Alabama have received posthumous pardons, more than 80 years after their arrests. Haywood Patterson, Charles Weems and Andy Wright were among nine teenagers, dubbed The Scottsboro Boys, who were convicted by all-white juries in 1931, in a case which came to symbolise racial injustice in the US. All but one were sentenced to death. “Today, the Scottsboro Boys have finally received justice,” Robert Bentley, governor of Alabama, said. Five of the men’s convictions were overturned in 1937 after one of the alleged victims recanted her story. One defendant, Clarence Norris, received a pardon before his death in 1976. State law at the time did not permit posthumous pardons - a situation which lasted until April 2013, when Republican state SeNator Arthur Orr spearheaded a change in the law. “It is a promising reminder of how far we have come as a state since those regretful days in our past,” he said following the pardons issued by the state parole board on Thursday.

852 Thai children set human Christmas tree record

Christmas is not a holiday in predominantly Buddhist Thailand, and its palm trees

AP

outnumber pines, but the country still set a world record with its holiday spirit.

One of the country’s largest shopping malls arranged a publicity stunt involving 852 schoolchildren dressed in green and red hoodies to break the Guinness World Record for the largest human Christmas tree. They outdid a German record of 672 participants in 2011.

Rhino poaching nearly outpaces births, group warns

Deaths of rhinos by poaching are fast approaching a tipping point, with the number of endangered creatures killed annually nearly outnumbering births for the first time, international experts warned Friday. South Africa is the epicenter of the crisis, with a record 827 black and white rhinos killed so far this year, already far surpassing last year’s record of 668, said the International Rhino Foundation. “These poaching levels threaten to wipe out decades of conservation progress, and it is imperative that we take action now,” said IRF executive director Susie Ellis.

Despite the heavy toll of poaching, birth rates by black rhinos – of which there are 5,000 left in nine countries in Africa – continue to slowly increase, said the IRF. Meanwhile, the white rhino population of about 20,400 is also slowly increasing.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Hundreds of thousands evacuated as Cyclone Helen hits India n AFP, New Delhi Hundreds of thousands were evacuated as a severe cyclone slammed into southeastern India Friday, packing strong winds and torrential rains and killing at least six people, according to officials.

“Cyclone Helen has made landfall,” an official with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) told AFP, as rains lashed Andhra Pradesh, disrupting life and snapping communication lines.

Six people were killed by falling trees in the storm that comes a month after a cyclone left at least 18 people dead and a trail of destruction along coastal Andhra Pradesh and in the eastern state of Orissa.

Disaster authorities expect “high rainfall during the next 24 hours” in

three coastal districts of cyclone-prone Andhra Pradesh, said the disaster management official.

The cyclone was expected to be downgraded into a “deep depression” later Friday, the official said.

State authorities have evacuated hundreds of thousands of people out of the storm’s path and rushed emergency services into areas reeling from the high winds and heavy rains.

“Hundreds of thousands have been moved. We were expecting the evacuation of 400,000 people,” the NDMA official said.

Rains, accompanied by winds packing speeds of up to 70 kilometres (43 miles) an hour, lashed parts of the mainly farming state, she said.

“Sea conditions will be very rough off Andhra Pradesh coast during the next 12 hours.”

The Indian weather office said there could be “extensive damage to thatched roofs and huts.”

Some 20 rescue teams have been deployed in the flood zone to provide help, the official said.

Helen, which is labelled “severe,” is considerably weaker than the “very severe” cyclone Phailin which pounded the east coast further to the north in October.

The most powerful storms which strike India at this time of year are classed as “super-cyclones,” followed by “very severe” and “severe.”

Phailin, which had winds of over 200 kilometres an hour, tore across parts of Andhra Pradesh, ripping out trees, flipping trucks, snapping power lines and flooding farmland.

In 1999, over 8,000 people were killed when a cyclone hit the state of Orissa, which took years to recover. l

China tests first stealth combat drone n AFP China has tested its first stealth combat drone, state media said Friday, citing online photos of an aircraft resembling a shrunken US B2 bomber and hailing the advance toward Western-level technology. The test flight of the “Sharp Sword” unmanned aircraft is another step in China’s years-long military build-up, with its defence spending now the second highest in the world and growing by double-digit percentages each year. It comes weeks after Tokyo said a drone had flown near East China Sea islands claimed by both it and Beijing, ratcheting tensions between the rivals up another notch.

“The successful flight shows the na-

Anti-Australia protests in Indonesia as crisis spreads to business

n

tion has again narrowed the air-power disparity between itself and Western nations,” the China Daily newspaper said, adding the flight made China the “fourth power... capable of putting a stealth drone into the sky.”

Images posted online showed a sleek grey delta-wing aircraft apparently powered by a jet engine and resembling an American combat drone.

Beijing is steadily building its military muscle and unveiled its first stealth fighter, the J-20, in early 2011, though it is not expected to enter service until 2018. China’s first aircraft carrier – a refurbished vessel purchased from Ukraine and named the Liaoning – went into service in September 2012, but is not expected to be fully opera-

tional for several years.

The Sharp Sword might be intended for eventual use with the aircraft carrier and for “long endurance” surveillance missions, said Rick Fisher, a senior fellow at the US-based think tank International Assessment and Strategy Center.

“This demonstrates the enormous investment that China is making toward building a world class level of military power,” he said in an email.

This type of aircraft “will greatly complicate the defence” of other countries, including Japan and the US, he added.

A drone was at the centre of a recent spat between Beijing and Tokyo, whose dispute over islands known as Diaoyu in Chinese and Senkaku in Japanese has raised concerns of conflict. l

Oil pipeline blasts in eastern China kill 35

Firefighters work on a damaged site following a pipeline explosion in Qingdao in east China’s Shandong province AP

n AP, Beijing Leaked oil from a ruptured pipeline in an eastern Chinese port city exploded Friday, killing at least 35 people, injuring 166 and contaminating the sea in one the country’s worst industrial accidents of the year, authorities said.

The leaked oil triggered two huge blasts, one of them tearing up concrete along a city road in Qingdao. Photos posted online showed ripped slabs of pavement, bodies, overturned vehicles and shattered windows in nearby buildings. Black smoke rose above gigantic fuel silos and darkened much of the sky.

The pipeline owned by China’s largest oil refiner, Sinopec, ruptured early Friday and leaked for about 15 minutes onto a street and into the sea before it was shut off. Hours later, as workers cleaned up the spill, the oil caught fire and exploded in two locations, the city government said. The Beijing News cited a resident surnamed Gao, who works in logistics, as saying he was driving past Qingdao’s Huangdao district when he felt the force of the blasts, and then

realized the ground in front of him had fractured. The air was pungent, many cars on both sides of the road were overturned and there was dark smoke rising in the distance, he said.

“It felt like an earthquake, and I was dumbstruck,” Gao said, adding that there was chaos on the street as people ran, panicking, in all directions. Authorities ruled out terrorism but the incident remained under investigation, it said.

President Xi Jinping urged local officials to go all out in finding missing people, treating the injured and in finding the cause of the accident, state TV broadcaster CCTV said. Calls to Sinopec’s headquarters in Beijing were not immediately answered, but a statement online offered condolences to victims. “We will investigate the incident with responsibility and give timely reports,” Sinopec said.

The Qingdao Environmental Protection Bureau said barriers had been set up to contain the oil as it spread into the sea, but that a mixture of gas and oil from a storm sewer exploded and caught fire over the sea. l

Philippine typhoon death toll rises above 5,000 n AP, Manila The death toll from one of the strongest typhoons on record has risen above 5,000 and is likely to climb further, although recovery efforts are beginning to take hold, Philippine officials said Friday.

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas said 4,919 people were killed on Leyte, Samar and nearby islands in the Eastern Visayas region. Civil defense chief Eduardo del Rosario said 290 others died in other parts of the central and southern Philippines.

The regions were battered two weeks ago by fierce winds and tsunami-like storm surges from Typhoon Haiyan, locally called Yolanda.

Del Rosario said there were 1,611 people still missing.

“That is the sad record of Yolanda’s passage through our country,” Roxas said. But he added that “The worst is over.”

He likened the region to a patient that has been moved out of the emergency room into an intensive care unit.

“We have overcome the most difficult part,” he said. “In the first week we can say we were in the emergency room ... this second week we are now in the ICU, still critical but stabilised.”

He said the hard-hit Leyte provincial capital of Tacloban reported 1,725 dead.

“I believe this number in Tacloban city is not yet final,” he said.

Most of the bodies have been buried in mass graves, many of them unidentified, he said.

“It is possible that some of the missing are among the unidentified,” he said.

Journalists in Tacloban say the stench of death from piles of debris, upturned vehicles and remnants of what once were homes indicates that bodies remain trapped underneath.

Roxas said the situation was stabilizing, with major roads on Samar and Leyte cleared of debris and some banks, grocery stores and gas stations now open. l

Afghanistan rebuffs US security deal demand

SITTING ON STACKS OF IT

n AFP, Kabul

AFP, Akarta

Hundreds of protesters in Jakarta pelted the Australian embassy with eggs Friday, as an escalating spying row spread to the business world when an Indonesian state-owned firm froze plans to buy an Australian company.

And in a blow to Jakarta’s efforts to present a tough stance on the issue, Indonesia’s former spy chief said tapping national leaders’ phones was “normal” and dismissed official anger at the scandal as an overreaction.

The allegations that Australian spies targeted President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and ministers in 2009 has sparked a snowballing diplomatic crisis.

Jakarta recalled its ambassador from Canberra earlier this week and suspended cooperation with Australia in the sensitive area of people smuggling.

On Friday about 400 protesters from nationalist and Islamic hardline groups descended on the Australian mission in the capital Jakarta, the second straight day a rally has been staged at the mission.

They threw eggs, flour and tomatoes at and over the wall of the heavily fortified compound, while a huge contingent of police stood guard.

“Burn, burn, burn down Australia, right now,” shouted members of the hardline Islamic Defenders’ Front, who were wearing traditional Islamic skullcaps and white robes.

“The wiretapping is clearly a betrayal and an unacceptable act,” said Ismail Yusanto, of Islamic group Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, adding the Australian embassy should be shut down.

In the city of Malang, East Java province, scores of protesters demonstrated outside the local government offices and set fire to an Australian flag.

In a sign the spying row was starting to damage business ties between the major trading partners, a state-owned Indonesian company said it had suspended talks to buy an Australian cattle breeder.

Rajawali Nusantara Indonesia, which is charged by the government with looking for cattle-breeding opportunities in Australia, is the first company known to have frozen a business venture due to the spying allegations.

Communications director Budi Perbawa told AFP that due to the “sensitive issue between Australia and Indonesia” the company had decided to postpone plans to acquire a cattle breeder in Australia. l

9

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Afghanistan on Friday rebuffed a US demand to sign a highly anticipated security pact as soon as possible, insisting the document must wait until after next year’s presidential election.

Washington warned Kabul on Thursday to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) pact as soon as possible, with senior officials hinting that delaying beyond the end of this year could mean no post-2014 US troop presence.

The latest US run-in with President Hamid Karzai was set off by the Afghan leader’s statement that the painstakingly negotiated pact would not be signed until after the election in April.

US officials bristled, saying the deal, which governs the conditions of any post-war American counter-terrorism and training mission in Afghanistan,

must be signed by the end of the year.

The White House said it needed a swift decision from Karzai to start planning the footprint of any US forces, and warned Obama had not yet decided on whether to keep US forces in Afghanistan.

“Failure to get this approved and signed by the end of the year would prevent the United States and our allies from being able to plan for a post-2014 presence,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.

Karzai had said the pact currently under consideration by a loya jirga, a meeting of tribal chieftains, could only be signed “when our elections are conducted, correctly and with dignity.”

His spokesman Aimal Faizi stood firm on the issue on Friday. “Security, peace and good elections are key to the signing of the BSA,” Faizi told AFP. l

Laden-finding Pakistani doctor charged with murder n Reuters

Sri Lankan Tamil farmers transport coconut husk in Jaffna, 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of the capital Colombo on November 18 AFP

Indian magazine editor faces possible rape charge n

AFP, Panaji

Indian police said Friday they had begun investigating the editor of a top investigative news magazine who faces a possible rape charge after allegedly assaulting a woman colleague.

Tehelka magazine, which pioneered undercover sting operations in India, has been embroiled in scandal since Wednesday when it was leaked that editor Tarun Tejpal had agreed to take six

months leave for “misconduct.”

Emails from a colleague claimed she had been sexually assaulted twice in a hotel in the holiday state of Goa during a conference organised by the magazine last month.

Though the victim has not pressed charges, police in Goa told AFP that they had begun an investigation based on media reports with Tejpal facing possible charges of rape and “outraging the modesty of a woman.” l

Pakistan on Friday charged with murder the doctor who helped the United States track down al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, in the latest development in a case that has strained ties between the two countries.

Shakil Afridi, hailed as a hero by US officials, was arrested after US soldiers killed bin Laden in May 2011 in a secret raid that outraged Pakistan and plunged relations between the strategic partners to a new low.

Pakistan arrested Afridi and sentenced him last year to 33 years in jail

for membership of militant group Lashkar-e-Islam, an accusation he denies.

But in August, Pakistan overturned his conviction, citing procedural errors and ordering a retrial. Friday’s murder charge, relating to the death of a patient eight years ago, dims Afridi’s chances of going free and could further sour ties with the United States. It centres on the death of Suleman Afridi, at a hospital in Pakistan’s rugged Khyber Agency region in 2005, and was brought by the man’s mother, a local official told Reuters.

“A woman blamed Afridi for the death of her son,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. l

Malaysia’s ‘Lizard King’ back in business n AFP, Kuala Lumpur A notorious Malaysian wildlife trafficker dubbed the “Lizard King” for his smuggling of endangered reptiles is back in business, according to an Al Jazeera report that prompted outraged wildlife activists Friday to demand action.

Anson Wong was arrested in August 2010 at Kuala Lumpur’s international airport while attempting to smuggle 95 endangered boa constrictors to Indonesia.

He was sentenced to five years in jail, but a Malaysian appeals court freed him in 2012, sparking an outcry.

In an investigative report, Al Jazeera said Wong and his wife Cheah Bing Shee were believed to be trading albino pythons and other wildlife from their base in the northern Malaysian state of Penang.

Trade in the pythons requires a permit, said the report by the Qatar-based network, which saw journalist Steve Chao go undercover to talk with wildlife dealers and associates of Wong’s.

The report, called “Return of the Lizard King” and aired late Thursday, said documents also revealed shell companies used by Wong to hide his activities.

Illegal trade in wildlife is thought to be worth at least $19 billion a year worldwide, according to conservation groups.

Outraged conservationists demanded action from the government and expressed shock over the lax attitude by the authorities for failing to monitor Wong.

“The ‘Return of the Lizard King’ raises so many doubts and questions about Malaysia’s commitment to that fight. It is time we had some solid answers from government,” Shenaaz Khan, an official with wildlife-trade monitoring network Traffic, said in a statement. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

Support young entrepreneurs and start ups

T

his week saw the launch of StartupBash, an event that brought together successful entrepreneurs and people interested in startups in order to inspire more people to innovate and create new businesses.

This type of an initiative is much needed in the current context of Bangladesh and we hope that many more similar initiatives will be undertaken by the private sector and the Young entrepreneurs government to encourage can give Bangladesh entrepreneurship among the competitive edge young people. needed to succeed in the Bangladesh is a young global stage country with half its population under the age of 25. In order to reap the demographic dividend, we not only need to create jobs for the youth, but also develop the supportive infrastructure that will allow young people to venture into entrepreneurial activities.

Currently there are very few sources for young entrepreneurs to get funding for their projects. The lending environment is also notoriously risk-averse which stifles innovation since it discourages people from trying out disruptive, risky new ideas.

Entrepreneurship also cannot happen in a vacuum. More training opportunities are needed for young entrepreneurs on topics such as developing business plans, management, accessing finance (including from global sources) and marketing. Platforms where entrepreneurs can connect and learn from each other’s successes and failures are also crucial.

The creativity of young entrepreneurs can give Bangladesh the competitive edge needed to succeed in the global stage.

It is now up to our policy makers and private sector partners to create the nurturing environment that will help us tap into that potential.

Address the cause not symptoms of worker discontent

T

CROSSWORD

Nisha Desai’s visit raises hope for BNP

Resignations and the constitutional crisis November 15

Surely our law minister and even the PM are aware of what the constitution is and how they amended the constitution in the last five years! Yet, they speak their mind and not what the constitution says. fadingHOPE

No more heroes anymore?

November 14

Taj Hashmi Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew’s eldest son Brigadier General Lee Shien Lieu is the current prime minster of the country, and his other son is the CEO of a government-run corporation.

Waliul Haque Khondker Taj Hashmi: Both are well-educated and capable for the posts they hold. They could be there in their own merit, in spite of their father! LKY won’t allow a spoilt brat to be anywhere near power! Unlike in our land!

Gujarat has a poor healthcare and education record, the majority are downtrodden. Modi has done some work on infrastructure building, that’s all. He doesn’t have a secular credential.

Minorities don’t feel safe with him. How can he be expected to govern the largest secular democracy of the world?

I just echoed the feelings of the Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen. My feelings are exactly the same! Modi as PM of India means disaster for South Asia. We have to wait a while to see the sense and sensibility of the Indian people in the forthcoming general elections there. :(

Watchdog shelves CHT land dispute resolution act amendment Is the standing committee being referred to as a “watchdog” body? I’m not sure that is the correct term to refer to this body. Theoretically a watchdog body is a neutral, non-affiliated body, which the standing committee is not.

Sadia Zoha

Vehicles become easy targets of pickets November 13

Perhaps, miscreants are doing this to discredit the opposition. rutland waters

Vehicles become easy targets of pickets

November 15

Zaidul Islam We hope that her visit can bring a solution.

Waziuddin Chowdhury This is almost too funny. One relatively junior US diplomat visits Bangladesh and the whole nation anticipates a sigh of relief.

Where is the “hombi-tombi” of the citizens who felt demeaned when the leaders of the two leading political parties were shuttling between the embassies?

And I am impressed with the possibility of the goons taking a reprieve from their recreational activities of burning buses and hurling cocktails!

November 13

CU admission test begins Saturday

Perhaps, miscreants are doing this to discredit the opposition. rutland waters

Feeda Hasan But there’s a hartal this Sunday, right?

November 15

Trinan Ahmed The C unit exam is on Sunday!!

Bangabhaban, Cabinet Division ready to swear in interim cabinet November 13

This is nothing more than another farce.

Rawa

Be Heard 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

MD Easir Arafat Siddik Please don’t be cruel to the potential leaders (I mean students). A humble request to the political parties.

Banglalink employees stage sit-in outside office November 15

Saema Chowdhury Good. I too was employed with this company, so I understand the employees’ situation.

Reaz Ahmed Substitute those employees!

Sanjida Mayesha Tj Have you even read what they are protesting for?

Reaz Ahmed The employees should leave their jobs to make the company realise it is wrong. And isn’t there any union to help their case?

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

CODE-CRACKER DOWN 1 Grope about Clumsily (6) 2 In a frenzy (4) 3 Garment (5) 4 Monkey (3) 5 Waterway (5) 6 Frozen treat (3) 7 Early freshness (3) 11 Drive back (5) 13 Dance (5) 16 Underground Passage (6) 18 Domesticates (5) 20 Melodies (5) 22 Fashion (4) 23 Faucet (3) 24 Period of time (3) 25 Light blow (3)

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

November 13

he government has claimed that industrial unrest in the RMG sector is being instigated by vested interests and has blamed firebrands for instigating incidents.

It is reported that the intelligence agencies have been collecting personal information about hundreds of labour leaders and have been tracking the movements of them and other people via their mobile phone numbers.

Worker discontent Experience suggests that exists, deal with its as well as undermining causes appropriately civil liberties, such a blanket approach may not be effective in gathering intelligence, so questions need to be asked about the appropriateness of these actions.

A bigger concern however is the very presumption that industrial unrest is caused by instigators. This is not backed by any substantial evidence.

The authorities have a duty to uphold law and order so clearly have an interest if individuals were actively trying to break the law. However, whether or not such people exist in any numbers, they can only gain traction with larger numbers of workers if there are other pre-existing reasons for discontent.

Poor safety and working conditions are not uncommon in many factories , so it is wishful thinking on the part of the government to blame worker discontent on instigators or outsiders when such more obvious reasons are available.

Rather than playing up fears of firebrands, the government can do far more to address and alleviate the causes of discontent by continuing to work with stakeholder representatives and workers organisations. It could also help improve the representativeness and accountability of some unions and worker bodies by doing more to support training initiatives for worker representatives.

ACROSS 1 Exploit (4) 4 Sour (4) 8 Drinking vessel (3) 9 Step (4) 10 Satellite (4) 11 Replenish (5) 12 Flying toy (4) 14 Headwear (3) 15 Fate (3) 17 Newt (3) 19 Fish trap (3) 21 Gloomily sullen (4) 23 Speed and rhythm (5) 26 Naming word (4) 27 Region (4) 28 Was ahead (3) 29 Gone by (4) 30 Vend (4)

Saturday, November 23, 2013

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

Sudoku

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Winners and losers

The long shadow of famine n Naomi Hossain

G

BIGSTOCK

A

n Bijon Islam s the dust settles after the latest round of wage negotiations, with BGMEA and BKMEA accepting the government determined wage rate of Tk5,300, questions abound as to who gained and who lost from the deal. BGMEA leadership had been reluctant to give in to workers’ demands and subsequent rounds of discussion bore no concrete results.

The re-adjusted minimum wage, agreed upon by the wage commission, was squarely rejected by RMG owners.

Amid such disagreements, violence flared up in Savar and Gazipur belts as workers agitated for more equitable pay. Finally, the PM had to step in by convincing the BGMEA and BKMEA leaders to accept the new minimum wage for greater stability of the RMG sector.

Before delving further into the issue, it is imperative to understand the economics of minimum wages in relations to the RMG sector. Many economists discourage the practice of setting minimum wages as it distorts the demand-supply mechanism.

Minimum wages, according to them, only provide temporary respite while negatively impacting competitiveness, and reducing efficiency.

Many RMG owners point to the possible decline in RMG competitiveness due to increasing the wage. Also, they

highlight that the minimum wage is applicable to trainees only, with more skilled workers earning 2-3 times more than the minimum.

RMG workers complain of missing out from the good fortune of the booming RMG sector. Despite doubling exports over the last five years, the wage hike has not caught up with inflation. Over the last three years, the real wage of RMG workers has actually declined.

afforded them the bargaining power for favourable terms. Despite calls for allowing the formation of trade unions, RMG owners have influenced policymakers and stifled the growth of organised trade unions. Present labour unrests can be attributed to a lack of singular leadership among workers, which resulted in chaos and vandalism.

With a large asymmetry in the bargaining power between the BGMEA

Higher wages will reduce the possibility of labour unrest, at least in the near future. Higher wages will also enable workers to invest more on healthcare and nutritious food, which may result in better worker productivity

Only with the latest catastrophe in Rana Plaza and Tazreen fashion, and amid international outcries, did the authorities pay sufficient attention to the plight of the workers. According to a recent CPD study, a worker with family of four requires at least $67 per month to eke out a living. The study further concludes that a hike in minimum wage to Tk5,300 is essential for the workers’ survival.

BGMEA and BKMEA normally exercise significant influence over government policy. The RMG sector’s status as the country’s leading exporter has

and workers, the government has to step in from time to time to create a level playing field. Governments normally refrain from prodding RMG owners as many of them contribute significant funds to the party’s coffers.

Moreover, many RMG owners are actively involved with politics, and some are sitting MPs. Recent wage hikes will adversely hit the profitability of RMG factories and some may even have to close down.

However, RMG owners should seize the opportunity to renegotiate pricing with international retailers. Many

prominent buyers, including H&M and Wal-Mart, are well aware of the current impasse regarding wages, and may positively respond to the prospect of higher prices.

Higher wages will reduce the possibility of labour unrest, at least in the near future. Higher wages will also enable workers to invest more on healthcare and nutritious food, which may result in better worker productivity.

Workers should thank their luck for getting a favourable deal as the election looms near and the government seems intent to please its voter base.

Although workers’ wage demands are not fully met, they should be content with how things stand. But a mechanism should be in place to review wages on a yearly basis, keeping in mind the country’s inflationary trend.

The RMG industry has the potential to reach new heights as major competitors like China diversify on to more value adding sectors. If Mckinsey’s report is to be trusted, the sector has the potential to reach $36bn before 2020. RMG owners’ entrepreneurial drive, capital, and the sincere efforts of workers are important ingredients for the RMG success story that we see today. Both sides must find a solution to ensure the survival and growth of the sector. l Bijon Islam is Director of Finance at LightCastle Partners.

obindalal Das was a young journalist when in 1974 he watched a passenger jump out of a train at the northern Bangladesh town of Gaibandha and vomit on the platform. What he saw next has stayed with him forever: another man ran up to where the passenger stood vomiting and ate it.

He was starving. The story Das wrote for his newspaper Dainik Bangla went, as we would now say, viral, and the world heard of the famine that killed up to 1.5 million people in the new nation of Bangladesh.

This story is well known in Bangladesh, but I first heard it from the author himself when we met at the Gaibandha Press Club in October. Das compresses decades of reporting on poverty and hunger into insightful commentary on what has changed here.

The famine is never far from his mind. Some say it still casts its shadow on policy and its implementation here, and has driven a great deal of positive change. Das still writes on issues of poverty and hunger, but there is much less bad news on that front these days from Gaibandha.

Only three years ago, news editors demanded stories of the seasonal famine – the dreaded “monga” for which the present Bengali month earned the title “Morar (Deadly) Kartik.” Kartik is no longer deadly. In fact, most of the news from this area seems good, now.

Agricultural development as driver for change

The main driver of change, our journalist friend stressed, is agricultural development. You can actually see this from the road – more diversification and more specialisation, clusters of vegetable and dairy production, modern processing plant, complex distribution and storage systems – all just a couple of kilometres off the main inter-district highway.

The Jamuna Bridge has made a huge difference to the north in the past decade by eliminating the chaotic ferry crossing. Mobile telecoms make markets more accessible and remittances are contributing. The good news extends to the local chars (fertile islands washed up by river erosion, usually occupied by very poor people) which are growing new crops, more productively.

The DFID-funded Chars Livelihoods

Programme gets a positive namecheck from the journalists for its work on dairy farming. A sign of the times is that mega Bangladeshi food corporations like Pran are said to be in supplier contracts with local farmers – a development worth watching, if true.

Famine politics are foundational

The government has also sharpened up its food distribution mechanisms since the 2008 food price crisis. At the District Food Controller’s office we saw bigger and better godowns for storing procured grains. Systems remain in place to know where and when to release staples into the market in order to bring prices down, allay jitters or deter speculators, and to ensure access for the poor.

Famine politics are foundational in Bangladesh, which is why each government prioritises food production and distribution, no more so when crisis looms. They do so or else they don’t get a second shot

It’s a responsive system: transfers, sales, and procurement are triggered when prices are high or a shock occurs. While by no means perfect, the system is at least quick, and big enough to impact on food markets.

Famine politics are foundational in Bangladesh, which is why each government prioritises food production and distribution, no more so when crisis looms. They do so or else they don’t get a second shot.

The targeted food and cash transfer programs and the Open Market Sales or OMS, and the willingness to dig deep in the fiscal pocket to import grains when domestic production falls short – all of these are there for a reason, shared among the Bangladeshi elite.

It is fortunate that while Bangladesh’s political classes do not agree on many things, keeping famine at bay is at least one. l Naomi Hossain is a Research Fellow in the Participation, Power and Social Change research team at the Institute of Development Studies.

Devi-Yatras, here and there n FS Aijazuddin

O

ne would not have expected to encounter Devi in Balochistan and certainly not in a gully deep in the Keerthar mountains. And yet, 250 kilometres along the Karachi-Gwadar highway, her presence is commemorated there in a small shrine embedded in the rock, protected by an overhang.

To Hindus, she is revered as Mata Hinglaj – the supreme Kuldevi. Local Muslims know her as Bibi Nani. The shrine marks the spot where (legend has it) the head of Devi was buried by her grieving husband Siva. He disposed of her other 51 body parts all over India.

Anyone expecting to see a finely carved representation of Devi will be disappointed. The epicentre of worship is no more than a natural formation of stone, its visage daubed with saffron paste and two eyes accentuated with white paint. Yet, in April each year, devotees congregate there in their thousands to affirm their faith in her powers.

“Faith is to believe what you do not yet see,” the Christian St Augustine said. To witness faith in action, one needs to visit the areas in an around

Kangra (Himachal Pradesh), where temples to Devi are as numerous as her many manifestations.

Some 15km from Dharamsala lies the temple to Chamunda Devi, the sobriquet applied to her after her victory over the demons Chanda and Munda.

If the local pundits are to be believed, the temple was founded over 400 years ago. The present temple building is all too obviously modern, built some time after the devastating earthquake of April 1905 that flattened most of the old monuments in Kangra.

Nowadays, pilgrims queue to pay homage to something not dissimilar to Mata Hinglaj, for here too the image is a natural formation, enlivened with vermilion paste. For those who wish to purify their sins, there is a pool fed by water diverted from the adjacent Baner stream (a tributary of the river Beas).

Another 40km away from the Chamunda temple is the more famous and certainly more historic shrine of Devi as Jwalamukhi or “she of the flaming mouth.” Locals have still not forgiven Mahmud of Ghazni, even after a thousand years, for looting Kangra and its rich temples (including Jwalamukhi) during his attack in 1009.

They are more indulgent towards

the emperor Akbar. They revenge themselves with a story about how Akbar tried to extinguish the flames that emanated from the natural rock.

Unsuccessful, he then tried to mollify the goddess with an offering of a gold umbrella which she spurned, transmuting it into a baser metal.

Akbar’s version is different. His chronicler Abul Fazl in the “Akbarnama” recounts how in 1582, Akbar set out to see the temple where devotees were said to demonstrate their faith by cutting out their tongues. Within days, the tongues would grow again.

The origin of this tradition was that Devi’s tongue, one of her 52 parts, was supposed to have been dropped in Kangra by Shiva.

Even before Akbar could reach the sacred site, though, an apparition appeared to him in a dream. It warned him against going any further. That was enough for Akbar. He turned his forces around and returned to the plains.

Had he persisted, Akbar would have had to battle his way, as modern visitors do, uphill through a phalanx of shopkeepers peddling votive offerings. Nowadays, they thrust with aggressive determination fresh flowers or videos of the shrine complex or

distinctive woollen caps from Kulu.

One of the shopkeepers, disappointed that he could not sell anything, offers a VIP darshan. He says he doubles as a temple pujari, and takes the afternoon shift.

At least Mata Hinglaj and Chamunda Devi have some image to offer the faithful; Jwalamukhi is devoid of any idols, nothing except a flame fed from natural gas emanating from a fissure in the rock. That is revered as the fiery mouth of the goddess. In the centre of the temple is a deep pit, hewn out of the hard rock, and through one of the walls a flame flickers. Smoke from ghee applied by the priests to revivify the ignited gas has darkened the interior of the pit into a stygian black void.

Around the pit rotates a never-ending line of pilgrims, jostling for a glimpse of the sacred flame.

The manifestations of piety are all outside. Surmounting the temple is a golden dome, donated by the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1815. Six years earlier, he had visited Jwalamukhi, and there sealed a pact over the flame with the Katoch Raja Sansar Chand.

Unlike Akbar’s gift, Ranjit Singh’s has retained its golden sheen. Similarly, the folding doorway donated later by his son Maharaja Kharak Singh has

survived, its silver intact.

Pilgrims returning downhill carry with them an open basket which contains sweet prasad, marigolds, and a lamp with a dangerously open flame.

Those without insurance shield theirs in glass lanterns. They see their Devi in each flicker of every flame; they see what they believe.

The epicentre of worship is no more than a natural formation of stone, its visage daubed with saffron paste and two eyes accentuated with white paint

Many Indians and most Pakistanis are unaware of the significance of Mata Hinglaj or Chamunda Devi or Jwalamukhi. That is understandable. Our post-1947 midnight’s children and their younger siblings live in a shared twilight, in un-illumined ignorance of one another. l

FS Aijazuddin, OBE, is the author of more than a dozen books. This article was first published by Dawn.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Sci-fi battle between monsters and robots at Star Cineplex

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Elita Karim to perform at IGCC today n Afrose Jahan Chaity A musical evening will be presented by versatile singer Elita Karim tonight at 6:30pm in the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC). In association with Asian Paints, IRCON and Marico Bangladesh, IGCC organised the programme that is open for all and requires no ticket. In a one-to-one with the artist, she shares her future aspirations and current situation with the Dhaka Tribune:

Which songs will you perform today?

I will perform songs from my previously released albums. I never plan the line-up before my performances, I just go with the flow. I will perform songs of John Denver, Bryan Adams and more is on the list.

What are you doing now?

n Entertainment Desk Mexican director Guillermo del Toro’s epic sci-fi movie Pacific Rim is currently being showcased at the city’s popular movie theatre Star Cineplex. Originally released on July 12, the movie sees mankind fighting giant alien monsters called Kaijus, derived from Japanese lore, with giant human-operated mechanical robots called Jaegers, and taps into Del Toro’s own childhood fascination with Japanese movies and robots.

“I think that the awe we felt as kids watching giant monster movies was lost,” said Del Toro. “They were so big, so crazy, that they were unreal. I wanted to bring it back.”

Rooted in the epic battle scenes are 10 characters connected to the Jaeger program, exploring relationships that include a father-son team, brothers-inarms and a romance, all of which Del Toro says give

the film “heart.”

The director selected actors best known in cult television shows, such as Charlie Hunnam from FX’s drama Sons of Anarchy, Idris Elba from HBO’s gritty drug series The Wire and Charlie Day from FX’s comedy It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Day particularly impressed the director, stepping out of his eccentric, dim-witted character that he is known for on Always Sunny to play the intelligent, fast-talking alien enthusiast, Dr Newton Geiszler.

The movie opens with giant lizard like creatures coming out of the ocean and attacking every city killing millions. All the nations come together and build giant robots called Jaegers.

They are piloted by two individuals who are linked up to them mentally. While they are able to defeat the creatures whom they call Kaijus, eventually they adapt and even the Jaegers can’t stop them.

Biswajit to release album on Valentine’s Day n

Entertainment Desk

Kumar Bishwajit’s new solo album will be released on the Valentine’s Day. The delay behind the release of his new solo is due to the fact that the celebrated singer was abroad for some time and was busy with on stage performances.

It has been four years since Biswa-

The songs have been written by Gazi Majharul Anwar, Dr Golam Mostafa, Liton Adhikari Rintu, Kabir Bakul, Zulfiqar Russell and Shafiq Tuhin.

About Tutul’s work in his new album, Biswajit states: “Tutul is not only passionate about music, but he is also a fantastic singer. This is the first time I am working with Tutul on music ar-

So all the heads of the nations decide to stop the program and to try other tactics. But Pentecost the man in charge of the Jaeger program decide to continue the program. He recruits Raleigh Becket, a former Jaeger pilot, who left after his co-pilot, who’s also his brother, died.

He tries to find a compatible co-pilot and when he finds no one, he gives Pentecost’s assistant, a girl named Mako a chance. When she proves to be the best, he wants her but Pentecost doesn’t think she’s ready. They try to hook up with their Jaeger, he sees what she’s been through, which is what Pentecost was worried about.

In the meantime, one of the scientists working on how to defeat the Kaijus thinks he found a way but he needs an actual Kaiju brain so Pentecost sends him to see a man who uses Kaiju remains to make a profit, so that he could get a Kaiju brain. l

ON TV

I am working with Mahadi on the sequel of our first album titled Ontohin, which was released in 2009. The sequel will be called Ontohin-2. The songs for the upcoming album have been written

by Asif Iqbal and composed by Adit.

The album will feature some romantic numbers as well.

On the other hand, I am working on my solo album which I am thinking of releasing at the end of December.

Given the choice between journalism and music, which one will you choose?

Journalism is my true profession and I can’t keep myself away from it. I am also very passionate about music. I have been running with both for the last ten years. I never think about choosing between the two.

Elita Karim is a multitalented artist who performed alongside renowned musicians from Bangladesh and abroad at the ICC Cricket World Cup opening

Kareena: Saif hardly sees Hindi movies n Entertainment Desk He may be one of the most bankable stars in Hindi film industry but Saif Ali Khan’s actor wife Kareena Kapoor has revealed that her husband hardly watches Bollywood movies.

Kareena, 33, who worked with Saif in films like LOC Kargil, Omkara, Kurbaan and Agent Vinod, said the couple keep their professional lives separate from their personal ones.

“Saif hardly sees any Hindi movie.

He acts in Hindi movies but he doesn’t watch them. He doesn’t know anything about what films I am going to do. He has never asked me about what film I am doing or who I am working with. We never discuss work at home as a rule.

Same profession is not the reason why we are together today,” said Kareena.

The actor, also said that they do not like to go to Bollywood parties.

“We don’t go to a typical Bollywood party. We don’t like to go to. We have other friends and we talk about other things apart from films,” she added.

Kareena, who is 10 years younger than Saif, said she is learning something new from her more experienced husband everyday.

“He is an intelligent person and he reads a lot. While I don’t. So, I keep learning things from him. I have learnt how to live life through him.” l

MOVIES 9:30pm WB

Journey to the Center of the Earth

11:00pm Zee Studio Real Steel

DRAMA 8:00pm Sony Aadalat

8:30pm Star Plus Arjun

COMEDY 12:00pm Comedy Central Happily Divorced

9:30pm FOX Crime Psych SI Tutul and Kumar Biswajit working together for the first time in Biswajit’s upcoming album jit’s fans had the pleasure of hearing their favourite singer’s new work.

Popular musician SI Tutul played his part in the upcoming album by arranging the music and tune of the much awaited release.

Hugh Jackman fights cancer n Entertainment Desk The Wolverine star Hugh Jackman revealed he has been treated for skin cancer and shared a selfie showing his bandaged nose.

“Deb said to get the mark on my nose checked. Boy, was she right!” he wrote on Instagram, referring to his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness.

The 45-year-old Oscar-nominated Jackman said, he had a basal cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer that is rarely fatal. The note he posted early Friday didn’t say when his medical treatment took place.

“Please don’t be foolish like me. Get yourself checked. And USE sunscreen!” he wrote. Australia has the highest skin cancer rate in the world, and two in three Australians will be diagnosed before age 70, according to the national health department.

Jackman is an advocate for cancer research. He has revealed that when he asked his mother-in-law Fay Duncan — president of the Fight Cancer Foundation in Australia — for her blessing when he proposed to Furness, she told him that supporting the fight against cancer was one of the requirements to get that blessing. l

rangements. I hope on getting a good output.”

Tutul expressed that he had the urge to work with Kumar and it is his privilege to have finally had the chance to work with the distinguished singer. l

ceremony in 2011.

Elita’s first recording was in 2002 with the band Black in their first album Amaar Prithibi, where she sang the song Mittha, a composition which went on to become very popular with the youngsters in the country. She started as a trainee journalist with the culture section of The Daily Star in the year 2003 and at the same time started her own distinctive form of music. She did a rendition of Arnob’s famous song She je boshe Aache with Black again in a mixed album Shopnochura.

Elita has performed live with many popular bands of Bangladesh such as Ayub Bachchu, Dalchhut & Shunno etc.

She has also done a few duet numbers with Mahadi Faisal, a prominent singer of Bangladesh. She founded the Band Raaga in 2005.

She won the Red Cross International Award in 2009 for a story she wrote on trafficking of teenage girls from Bangladesh who were forced to work as sex workers. l

MISC 3:00pm Travel XP Strictly Street

9:30pm FTV Models Talk

The new Hunger Games movie wins impressive reviews n Entertainment Desk The Hunger Games has managed to win the appreciation of both the audience and critics with its sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire once again, just like the previous movie. The star of the show is undoubtedly the young and fabulous actor Jennifer Lawrence who dominates this movie, according to a review posted on Washigton Post.

Once more the movie opens with the 12th district in the dystopian world of Panem, ruled by the super evil President Snow (Donald Sutherland).

After winning the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), along with her best friend and fake soul man Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson), is about to go out on a victors tour.

Life is good for both Katniss and Peeta. They live in comfortable houses, have all the food they could possibly want, nice clothing and are the “darlings” of Panem. Of course, there is a price for all of these goodies. They have to keep up the charade of being madly in love with one another. This proves extremely difficult for Katniss, since as we all know, her true love is Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth), who now works in the 12th district’s mines.

That’s not the only thing difficult for Katniss. She’s haunted by all the people she was forced to kill in the

Games and it’s hard for her to hide this. All you have to do is look in her eyes and you know this is one pissed off lady.

It’s especially obvious to President Snow, who pays Katniss a visit in her new home. He lets Katniss know that he’s watching her - and she better not screw up. This translates to, “if you don’t go along with the program, I’ll kill everyone you’ve ever loved.”

Lucky for Katniss, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) and Effie Trinket, (Elizabeth Banks) are by her side as she and Peeta set out to visit all of the districts. Along the way, Katniss senses that a rebellion is simmering and so does President Snow, who blames this on Ms Everdeen and decides she must die. The question is how to do this without upsetting Ms Everdeen’s many, many fans.

Thanks to Snow’s new Games director, Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman), they come up with a brilliant idea. The Quarter Quell, aka The 75th Annual Hunger Games, where all the past Victors have to fight for their life once more.

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is directed by Francis. The film is filled with surprises, excitement and great performances by the supporting cast.

Simon Beaufoy and Michael deBruyn wrote the screenplay based on the novel Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Film

Planes in 3D Step Up Revolution in 3D Bullet to the Head Purno Dhorgho Prem Kahini Level 8, Bashundhara City Panthapath

Fair

Very Graphic Fair Animation/Short-film Screenings Time: 8pm Bengal Art Lounge 60 Gulshan Avenue , Road 131, Dhaka

Exhibition

Very Graphic: The Art of Storytelling in Graphic Detail Group Exhibition Time: 12pm – 6pm Bengal Art Lounge, 60 Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan 1

Theatre

Troupe Prangonemor’s 10 year celebration Time: 6:30 – 8:30pm Dance and Music Centre Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Shegun Bagicha

Did you know?

Brad Haddin took his 200th catch in his 95th Test innings yesterday - only Adam Gilchrist reached this landmark in fewer innings (92)

Sport

Saturday, November 23, 2013

14 Barca wary of ‘Fifa virus’ ahead of Granada visit

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

14 In-form Liverpool 15 Aussies on top as want derby win to Johnson destroys spark title challenge England

Francico disappointed by empty stands n Raihan Mahmood Francico Andres Pasquetta, the Uruguayan midfielder of Sheikh Russell, was disappointed with the empty stands at the Bangabandhu National Stadium when he made his debut in Dhaka yesterday.

The one touch player performed well in his first match after landing in Dhaka just eight days ago. His one touch game was a relish to watch but he still lacked the ideal understanding with his fellow teammates.

“I come from Uruguay where football is next to religion, a crowd of 40 thousand is a simple matter in a football match there. However, I enjoyed my match here and it’s a new challenge for me, I am ok here,” said Francisco.

The performance however, did not satisfy Francisco. “We have to improve, there is room for improvement and the team are eager to play better in the next match,” said the Uruguayan.

Russell coach Maruful Haque, who guided the team to three titles last season, also expressed displeasure. “I won all the three points, that’s all but the performance was not satisfactory.

I don’t have a specialist left back and the midfield was disorganized. It takes time to set a new team, as nine players left the club at the end of last season, I admit the team is weaker than last year, but I look forward to meeting the challenges,” he said. l

Sk Russell’s newly signed Uruguayan midfielder Francisco (C) goes past Chittagong Abahani players during their Walton Federation Cup match at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday

Dutch coaches frustrated n Raihan Mahmood The two Dutch national football coaches, Lodewijk de Kruif and his assistant Rene Koster asked the football federation to arrange practice matches for national team at a meeting with the federation president yesterday.

With no work to do at the moment, the two coaches are fed up of sitting idle as the federation has failed to come up with new assignments after the Saff Championship in Nepal in September. Moreover, there are some certain problems regarding unpaid salaries also.

Kazi Salahuddin, the president

of BFF, assured the coaches that all the problems will be taken care of by February and blamed the troubles on the political turmoil in the country. In the meantime, he assured the coaches they will be receiving their salary partially shortly. Salahuddin also assured the coaches he would arrange a couple of practice matches within the next two months.

Bangladesh Football Federation is struggling to cope with the demands of the time as they presently do not have any official sponsors. The three year log sponsorship deal worth Tk240m with Grameenphone expired last June and BFF has yet to strike another deal. l

Another bad day for Siddikur n Tribune Desk

Five bogeys made Siddikur Rahman’s second day at the ISPS Handa World Cup a poor one as the Bangladeshi carded a 4-over-par 75 and slipped to joint 49th spot in the individual category at Royal Melbourne Golf Club yesterday.

The 29-year-old, who posted a 2-over-par 73 on the opening day, posted only a single birdie on the second round to make his total 6 over-par 148 at the halfway stage of the US$8m grand event.

He was the first Bangladeshi to win

on the Asian Tour in Brunei in 2010 and is a pioneer in representing his country in the World Cup. A second victory on the region’s premier Tour in India earlier this month ensured Siddikur finishes inside the top-10 of the Asian Tour Order of Merit for the third time in the last four years.

Menwhile, American Kevin Streelman battled to a 69 to trail Bjorn by one while Jason Day of Australia and Ricardo Santos of Portugal share third place with 138 in the individual category, which is offering US$7 million in total prize money. l

Tapu spares BJMC blushes n

Shishir Hoque

A very late strike from Mahadi Hasan Tapu rescued Team BJMC from a shocking defeat as the Bangladesh Premier League side kicked off their Walton Federation Cup campaign with a 2-2 draw against Police AC at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

BJMC, who played without the service of key players like Omor Faruk Babu, Ismail Bangoura and Jean Jules Ikanga, had to pay for their misfiring forward line. After taking the lead, they missed two glorious chances in the opening half to seal the game.

It was also Tapu who put BJMC ahead in the 17th minute. Shajib’s shot following a through pass from Uche Felix rebounded off the goalie and fell at the feel of Tapu, who chipped the ball over the goalkeeper from outside the box.

Police stunned BJMC in the 88th minute when Kabirul Islam scored with a low shot after his teammate Johurul and BJMC goalie Himel collided at the top of box and unmarked Kobirul put the ball into the empty net.

However, Tapu emerged as the hero for BJMC saving them defeat as the former national striker scored his second two minutes into injury time.

Following an Ali Akbar Kanon cross from the left flank, Felix lay the ball down for Tapu. l

Russell struggle to opening win n Shishir Hoque

Last season’s treble winning Sheikh Russell started their Walton Federation Cup campaign with a narrow 1-0 victory over a spirited Chittagong Abahani side at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

A first-half strike from Moroccan forward Youness Roux was the only thing Sheikh Russell is likely remember from their first game of the season.

Chittagong Abahani put up an exceptional performance in the game and could have scored two or three goals from counter attacks they produced in the second half.

It was not the same Sheikh Russell team Bangladesh football saw last season. The depth and strength of the team has decreased with the loss of vital players like Sony Norde, Mamunul Islam, Zahid Hossain, Linkon, Zahid Hasan Ameli and Nahidul Islam.

Yesterday’s match appeared to prove that the club has failed to bring

in the right men as replacements.

New foreign recruits Moroccan forward Roux, Jamaican Ricardo and Uruguayan midfielder Francisco appeared to not as yet have found their rhythm.

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS Sk Russell 1-0 Ctg. Abahani Youness Roux 18 GOAL! 18” Mithun Chowdhury provides a through pass to Anwar, who runs on the right flank and slots a low cross to Youness Roux. Roux easily places the ball into the net.

53” Substitute Sohel Mia misses a glorious opportunity for Chittagong Abahani, shooting straight to Biplob in a one-on-one situation.

56” Another chance for the visitors.

After breaking into the Russell defence, Nepoleon Gabriel’s weak shot is easily saved by Biplob.

58” Jamaican forward Ricardo hits the side of net following a lovely through ball from Mithun.

MUMIT M

Russell played without any specialist full-backs in their team as centre-backs Hasan Al Mamun and Mamun Mia had to play on the left and right back respectively, leading to the opposition counter-attacking through the center regularly.

The only goal of the match came in the 18th minute when a superb low cross from Anwar allowed Roux to find the net. Russell dominated the midfield for a while but the port city club were outstanding after the break.

Sorting out the weakness of Russell, the recently promoted Chittagong Abahani dominated the second half and created counter attacks on both flanks but due to lack of finishing touch, failed to find the back of the net.

Substitute forward Sohel Mia made an immediate impact on the game but misfired a golden chance seven minutes into the second half.

Russell’s veteran goalie Biplob had a busy night. Chittagong Abahani’s foreign recruits Nepoleon Gabriel and Mohamedn Conte’s ball control and pace troubled the Russell defence but the finishing was missing. l

Mushfiq stars in huge chase n Mazhar Uddin National captain Mushfiqur Rahim’s match winning unbeaten 145 and Australian Steven Crook’s hundred helped Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club chase down the huge target of 305 runs against table toppers Prime Doleshwar at the BKSP 2 ground yesterday.

At the Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium, Gazi Tank skipper Mahmudullah and Netherland’s Ryan ten Doeschate’s unbeaten knock secured the top position in the league table as the team beat Prime Bank CC by six wickets, while Mohammedan Sporting clinched their first win of the super league by defeating Kalabagan CA by 76 runs at the Khan Shaheb Osman Ali stadium.

Gazi Tank’s Ryan ten Doeschate hits a six while Prime Bank players look on during their Dhaka Premier League Super Six match at SBNS in Mirpur yesterday MUMIT M

Sheikh Jamal vs Prime Doleshwar

Opting to bat first, Prime Doleshwar’s English opener Joshua Cobb started

to smash Jamal bowlers right from the start and was later joined by countryman Dawid Malan. The partnerships was broken by national player Abdur Razzak, who removed Dawid for 61.

Cobb went on to smash his century and his 130-ball 123 featured ten fours and five sixes, as Doleshwar posted 304/7 from their 50 overs.

Steven Crook and Lankan bowler Dilshan Munaweera took two wickets apiece, while Abdur Razzak, Elias Sunny and Subashis Roy bagged one each for Jamal.

In reply, Jamal was in all sorts of trouble as both the openers Jahurul Islam (0) and Junaid Siddique (7) fell early to leave them at 32/2.Soon after, Lankan recruit Munaweera left the field after getting injured and it was left to national captain Mushfiqur Rahim to make a fight of it. Mushfiq lost Tanveer Haider for 33 to left arm spinner Taijul Islam but kept on smashing boundaries and sixes regularly, with Aussie cricketer Crook at the other end.

Crook departed after smashing his

hundred of just 83 balls (seven four, six sixes) but man of the match Mushfiq who not only smashed his hundred but also remained unbeaten with 145 runs off just 118 balls (twelve fours, five sixes) as Jamal reached the target for the loss of four wickets with four overs to spare.

Doleshwar’s national cricketer Sohag Gazi picked up two wickets for the bowling side.

Gazi Tank vs Prime Bank

Batting first, Prime Bank CC rode on opener Saikat Ali’s 60 and English cricketer Ravi Bopara 95 off 81 balls (five fours, five sixes) to post 247/8 in their 50 overs.

Left arm spinner Arafat Sunny picked up three wickets for Gazi Tank.

Chasing the target of 248, all the Gazi batsmen chipped in, with skipper Mahmudullah (67) and Netherland’s Ryan ten Doeschate (68) starring as the side reached248/4 in 47.5 overs to ensure Gazi remained on top of the league table with nine wins in twelve matches.

Mohammedan vs Kalabagan CA

Opting to bat first, Mohammedan batters lost some early wickets to go down to 38/3 before English cricketer Samit Patel came to the crease and steadied the ship for the giants.

The eventual man of the match was finding the boundary whenever a bad ball came down as he played a patient knock of 86 off 122 balls (seven fours, one six), while Afghan cricketer Rahmat Shah scored a quick 33 off 16 balls to see Mohammedan to 226/9 from their 50 overs.

Left arm spinner Nazmul Apu picked up three wickets, while Maksudul Hasan and Sharifullah took two each for Kalabagan.

In reply, Kalabagan kept losing wickets at regular interval and were eventually bowled out for 150 in 40.1 over, with Kalabagan’s opener Avishek Mitra’s 51 being the highest score.

English bowler Samit Patel took three wickets while leg spinner Rahmat Shah and Habibur Rahman bagged two each for Mohammedan. l

14

Sport

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Bale enjoying Madrid life after slow start n AFP, Madrid

(L-R) Real Madrid's Welsh striker Gareth Bale, French forward Karim Benzema, Croatian midfielder Luka Modric, Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo, defender Alvaro Arbeloa, Brazilian defender Marcelo and Portuguese defender Pepe take part in a training session at the Valdebebas training ground in Madrid yesterday AFP

Gareth Bale has said he is relishing life at Real Madrid now that he is clear of the niggling injuries that blighted his start to life in the Spanish capital.

Bale, who cost Real a reported 91 million euros ($123 million, £76 million) back in September, spent nearly a month on the sidelines due to a thigh problem.

However, he has made a blistering return to form in the past month with three goals and five assists in his last four games.

“It has been great ever since I have been here, everyone has made me feel very welcome,” he said at a sponsor’s event on Thursday.

“I felt very comfortable straight away, but obviously after an injury and a bit of a slow start I am now enjoying everything on the pitch now and I am just looking forward to the rest of the season.”

The triumvirate of Bale, Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo have combined for 16 goals and 11 assists in Madrid’s last four outings.

“I think it is important first and foremost that we qualify mathematically (in the Champions League) and we make sure get through that. But even with the Champions League, we’re always 100 percent focused on the league as well. No matter what competition it is we’ll be going out to win every single game.” l

Barcelona wary of ‘FIFA virus’ Injuries take toll on hosts n Reuters, Madrid Leaders Barcelona host Granada today (1500 GMT) hoping to avoid another dose of the “FIFA virus”, the dip in form they have often suffered in their first match back after an international break.

In their two La Liga outings immediately following their players’ return from country duty this season, Barca needed a last-gasp Alexis Sanchez goal to scrape past Sevilla 3-2 in September and were held to a 0-0 draw at Osasuna last month, the only points they have dropped in 13 matches.

Their task against eighth-placed Granada has been complicated by a rash of injuries to key performers, in-

cluding World Player of the Year Lionel Messi, playmaker Xavi and goalkeeper Victor Valdes.

Messi is unlikely to play again before mid-January, Xavi is a doubt for Saturday and Valdes, who has made a host of crucial saves this season, is out for around six weeks.

Coach Gerardo Martino will be looking to Brazil forward Neymar to shoulder some of the burden of scoring and creating goals in Messi’s absence, while Chile forward Alexis has been in fine form for club and country in recent weeks.

Barca are three points clear of secondplaced Atletico Madrid, who host city rivals Getafe on Saturday (2100), after Real Madrid, a further three points back in third, play at promoted Almeria (1900).

Real’s Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, La Liga’s top scorer with 16

goals, is on a high after his brilliant hattrick against Sweden on Tuesday secured his country’s place at next year’s World Cup finals in Brazil.

The 28-year-old is close to unstoppable on current form but Real coach

FIXTURES Barcelona Sociedad Almeria Atletico Madrid

v v v v

Granada Celta Vigo Real Madrid Getafe

Carlo Ancelotti also has injury problems to deal with, especially in defence.

Ancelotti will also have to shuffle his midfield after regular starter Sami Khedira tore knee ligaments playing for Germany last week and has been ruled out for six months.

Playmaker Isco, who started the season strongly but has faded in recent weeks, could come in to play behind Real’s formidable attacking trident of Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and record signing Gareth Bale, Ancelotti said this week.

Atletico have emerged as a genuine third force alongside wealthy Real and Barca, at least for the time being, but face a stiff test against Getafe, who have out-performed this term and are sixth.

Atletico coach Diego Simeone, whose nickname is “Cholo”, has infected his players with the same fighting spirit he showed as a combative midfielder and Messi had warm words of praise for his Argentine compatriot in Marca.

Fourth-placed Villarreal, seven points adrift of Real, play at mid-table Levante Sunday (1100). l

for Germany’s ‘Clasico’ n AFP, Berlin

Second-placed Borussia Dortmund host leaders Bayern Munich today in a Bundesliga top-of-thetable showdown with injuries having decimated the hosts’ defence.

The rematch of last season’s Champions League final between the Bundesliga’s top sides - billed as Germany’s Clasico or Der Klassiker - comes with Pep Guardiola’s Bayern four points clear and Dortmund’s defence in disarray.

Centre-back Mats Hummels and left-back Marcel Schmelzer have been ruled out after returning from international duty with injuries.

With centre-back Neven Subotic out for six months with torn ligaments and right-back Lukasz Piszczek only just back in training after surgery, Dort-

FIXTURES Nuremberg Augsburg Braunschweig Frankfurt Hertha Berlin Dortmund

v v v v v v

VfL Wolfsburg Hoffenheim Freiburg Schalke 04 Leverkusen Bayern Munich

mund will face the European champions without their entire first-choice back four.

“It is a disaster,” admitted Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke. l

In-form Liverpool want derby win

Arsenal’s attacking Club WC a ‘test’ for Morocco options bolstered n AFP, London as Walcott returns credentials: Blatter Liverpool captain SteMorocco missed out on hosting the ven Gerrard heads into n Reuters, London n AFP, Rabat 2010 World Cup to South Africa but the Merseyside derby Premier League leaders Arsenal have received a boost with the inclusion of Theo Walcott in the squad for today’s match at home to his old club Southampton while Lukas Podolski’s return is less than a month away.

Manager Arsene Wenger has hailed the availability of England international Walcott, who he signed as a 16-year-old in 2006, after the forward’s season was interrupted by an abdominal operation in September.l

Fifa president Sepp Blatter told a Moroccan newspaper on Thursday that next month’s Club World Cup will provide a test of the north African country’s prospects of hosting a future World Cup. The last eight editions of the Club World Cup have been held either in Japan or the United Arab Emirates, but this year’s competition will be staged in Morocco from December 11-21, with games being played in Agadir and Marrakech.

PSG put record to test as French ride crest of wave n AFP, Paris After a week in which the national team’s qualification for the World Cup provided a huge boost to French football, Paris Saint-Germain will bid to extend their long unbeaten run as Ligue 1 returns.

The capital club, who come into the weekend four points clear of Lille at the top of the table, travel to Champagne country to face Reims on Saturday afternoon. They have a score to settle with Hubert Fournier’s side after losing 1-0 at the Stade Auguste-Delaune last season, although remarkably they have not lost in the league since that match on March 2, a run of 24 games.

Indeed, the capital club have not lost any of their 18 matches in all competitions this season, but Saturday’s opponents are in formidable form themselves.

Reims have lost just once in 13 matches, a run that has seen them beat Lille, Lyon and Marseille, and draw with Mo-

naco, while they also knocked the principality club out of the League Cup. They come into the weekend in sixth position and Fournier is hoping his side can spring another surprise.

FIXTURES Reims Evian Lyon Montpellier Rennes Sochaux

v v v v v v

PSG Lorient Valenciennes Guingamp Bordeaux Bastia

Elsewhere, second-placed Lille entertain Toulouse on Sunday looking to extend a run of eight games without losing or even conceding a goal, while Nantes, in fourth, face third-placed Monaco.

Two of France’s most famous clubs, both were promoted back to Ligue 1 in the summer, but while big-spending Monaco were expected to compete near the top of the table, Nantes have surprised observers with their impressive form. l

Blatter is keen to see how they cope ahead of a possible bid for the 2026 World Cup finals.

“When Morocco failed with their candidature for the 2010 World Cup, the king said to me that his country would not give up,” Blatter was quoted as saying in an interview with the daily Al Massae.

The Club World Cup “is a true test for Morocco, to see close up how capable they could be of organising a World Cup. l

Poyet issues Sunderland ultimatum on transfer policy n Reuters English Premier League strugglers Sunderland could be looking for their fourth manager of the season if current boss Gus Poyet does not get his way in the January transfer window, the Uruguayan has warned.

“We talked about a position the other day and considered four players,” Poyet was quoted as saying by British media.

“I picked two. It was simple. One of the other two (selected by De Fanti) was a definite no. If that one is coming, I won’t be here. The player has to be the right one for me. If not, I’m not going to accept it.

“They need to give me the options and I need to pick the ones I like. We need to see if they are available and if they fit into the financial possibilities, then we will move forward.

“I’m sure it’s going to be done in the right way, in the common sense way.

Everyone has a responsibility.” l

against Everton admitting there will be a “huge hole” in his career if he retires without winning the Premier League.

Gerrard has enjoyed a magnificent career with Liverpool and is already regarded as one of the club’s all-time greats after almost single-handedly inspiring their 2005 Champions League final win over AC Milan.

The England midfielder cherishes the memory of his heroics that epic night in Istanbul and also a year later

in the FA Cup final victory against West Ham. But he knows the absence of a Premier League winners medal from his

FIXTURES Arsenal Everton Fulham Hull Newcastle Stoke West Ham

v v v v v v v

Southampton Liverpool Swansea Crystal Palace Norwich Sunderland Chelsea

glittering CV is a major blemish.

If Liverpool slip up at Goodison in Saturday’s early game, Arsenal will

have a chance to move further clear with a win over Southampton at the Emirates Stadium.

Arsene Wenger’s team should be boosted by the return to fitness of former Southampton winger Theo Walcott after two months out following abdominal surgery.

Third-placed Saints will travel to north London looking to maintain their impressive run and boss Mauricio Pochettino insists his side have no reason to fear the Gunners.

Chelsea, four points behind Arsenal in fourth place, can’t afford another slip when they make the short trip across London to face West Ham at Upton Park.l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Carlsen dethrones Anand as world chess champion

Mushfiq shows the way in domestic cricket

n Agencies

n Mazhar Uddin

Magnus Carlsen is the new world chess champion. After game No. 10 of the world championship ended in a draw in Chennai on Friday, the 22-year-old Norwegian got the required half-apoint needed to reach 6.5 points and dethrone India’s super Grandmaster Viswanathan Anand. The world championship is a 12-game affair over 20 days and the first to reach 6.5 points wins the series. This is Carlsen’s maiden title.

After suffering his third loss in the ninth game on Thursday, Anand (3 points) needed three wins in-a-row to force the tie-breaker, but it was not to be. Anand played with Black on Friday and started on an aggressive note in a bid to crash through Carlsen’s defenses.

But world No. 1 Carlsen defended well in a whirlwind first hour that saw the players making 21 moves each. The second hour saw just seven moves as both players backed their chances to win a full point.

The first time control was reached after 41 moves as a gritty Anand gave it all but Carlsen seemed to be in a slightly better position. All three results looked a possibility in a long and gripping endgame where Carlsen looked desperate for a win. The draw was finally agreed after 65 moves after an almost a fivehour battle. The final scoreline 6.5-3.5 in Carlsen’s favour.

The Norwegian sensation needed a draw after scoring his third win over reigning champion Anand on Thursday. l

Where most of superstars’teams could not even reach the super six phase of the Walton Dhaka Premier League cricket. National captain Mushfiqur Rahim is an exception as the national captain has led from the front as his club Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi not only reached the super league, but are also in the race to win the league after Mushfiq smashed a match winning 145* runs against Prime Doleshwar yesterday to snatch their second win in the super league.

The 25-year old, who is known for his hard working nature and disciplined approach, has been impressive in domestic cricket in addition to several fine performances on the international scene.

So far, the Sheikh Jamal skipper scored 411 runs in nine DPL matches at an average of 58.71 with a hundred and a fifty.

“Mr. Consistent”is a suitable name for the right hander as he has contributed in almost every league matches for his club and as a result, Sheikh Jamal is currently second in the point table with eight wins in 12 matches, including the last two.

On the other hand, Tamim Iqbal’s Brothers Union failed to make the super league after losing to Jamal in a controversial replayed match.

Tamim, who could only play five matches for Brothers after sustaining an injury in the series against New Zealand, scored 266 runs at an average of 66.50 – largely due to an unbeaten

QUICK BYTES

Bolt sets sights on breaking own WR Jamaican sprint star Usain Bolt has set his sights on breaking his own 200-metre world record in 2014 with no competitions to distract his focus. Records were off the agenda for Bolt this year despite claiming the world-leading 200 time in Moscow - a situation the 27-year-old is keen to rectify as he plans his strategy for 2014. “Definitely for this season me and my coach have decided to focus on running faster because there is no championship, so we are definitely targeting the 200 metres,” Bolt said during a visit to Tokyo’s Olympic Stadium on Friday. “We’ll see what happens. Hopefully I can stay injury-free and everything will go well this season and I can break the world record.”

–AFP

Sharapova takes on Groeneveld as coach Four-time Grand Slam champion Maria Sharapova has hired Sven Groeneveld as her new coach for the 2014 season. The Russian world number four made the announcement on her Facebook page on Thursday after being without a coach since parting ways with Jimmy Connors in August. Connors lasted just a month after joining the 26-year-old following the Wimbledon tournament in July.

–Reuters

DAY’S WATCH Star Sports 1 6:00AM Australia v England 1st Test, Day 3 Neo Sports 6:00AM HSPA World Cup Golf, Day 3 Star Sports 4 English Premier League 6:00PM Everton v Liverpool 9:00PM Arsenal v Southampton 11:30PM West Ham v Chelsea La Liga 1:00AM Almeria v Real Madrid 3:00AM At Madrid v Getafe Star Sports HD 9:00PM La Liga Barcelona v Granada Italian Serie A 11:00PM Hellas Verona v Shievo Verona 1:30AM AC Milan v Genoa Star Sports HD 2 10:00PM Brazil Grand Prix Qualifying Ten Sports 10:00PM French Ligue 1 2013/14 Stade De Reims vs PSG Ten Action 1:00AM French Ligue 1 2013/14 Lyon v Valenciennes

Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson celebrates the wicket of England's Graeme Swann during day two of their first Ashes Test at the Gabba Cricket Ground in Brisbane yesterday AFP

Aussie pacers destroy England n AFP, Brisbane Recalled paceman Mitchell Johnson returned to his brutal best Friday as Australia blew away England for just 136 to turn the first Ashes Test on its head.

Australia, castigated for a top-order failure on day one, roared back to rattle the trophy-holders with six wickets for nine in one of their worst Ashes collapses.

By stumps on the second day in Brisbane, the home side had cruised to 65 without loss, 224 runs in front, with David Warner on 45 and Chris Rogers not out 15.

And it was Johnson, who has been erratic in his Test career and was targeted mercilessly by England’s Barmy Army fans in the 2010/2011 series, who sparked the turnaround.

The left-armer, steaming in and bowling at hostile pace, captured four for 46 off 13 overs, taking the wickets of Jonathan Trott, Michael Carberry, Joe

Root and Graeme Swann in his first Test appearance since March this year.

The confidence flooded back into the Australians, coming off a 3-0 series loss to England three months ago, with Ryan Harris taking three wickets, spinner Nathan Lyon denied a hat-trick and Steven Smith holding three catches.

They will now be confident of extending an unbeaten record at the Gabba ground which goes back to 1988. Australia are also trying to avoid losing four Ashes series in a row for the first time in 123 years.

England, who lost six wickets for just nine runs, were left to contemplate their heaviest collapse since Melbourne 1990, when they gave up nine wickets for 47.

England’s lowest first-innings score since the 102 against Australia at Headingley in 2009 came after the key scalp of Kevin Pietersen triggered a clatter of wickets.

England were pinned down for 13 dot balls before Pietersen, on 18 from

Tribunal meets press today n Mazhar Uddin

The trials of the nine individuals who were found guilty for fixing offences during the second edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) will be a challenging one, informed the head of the BCB disciplinary committee former Chief Justice Abdur Rashid.

“Every new rule is a challenge, and it’s the first time in the history of Bangladesh to start a trial. But it’s our job to overcome those challenges,” said Abdur Rashid.

The disciplinary panel was formed on November 9 and the three member tribunal has been also formed. The member of the tribunal will meet the press today and Justice Khademul Islam Chowdhury will interact with the media regarding the tribunal.

“Most of them are not aware about the work of the tribunal, but everyone wanted to know about it and for that reason we wanted to inform about the

media about it tomorrow (today),” said Abdur Rashid.

Meanwhile the tribunal has announced its first trial today and all the nine individuals have been informed about the trial. “All the nine individuals who were found guilty for match fixings have been informed about the trials well before the date was given,” said Rashid.

However, Dhaka Gladiators franchise informed that they will not attend the hearing today. Justice Abdur Rashid said that the tribunal will go on with its work regardless. “If anybody wants to say anything, they can say it at the trial, and if they won’t attend, the tribunal will move according to its rule. But the tribunal is not so cruel that we won’t listen to the accused individuals,” he said.

Two of the accused - Mosharraf Hossain and Mahbubul Alam Robin - have submitted their papers to the tribunal through their respective lawyers.l

42 balls, lost concentration and flicked Harris off his pads to mid-wicket, where debutant George Bailey accepted a fine catch.

Johnson struck again three overs later when he peppered Carberry with some short deliveries before getting him to edge to Shane Watson at second slip for 40.

Then Lyon struck, removing the dangerous Ian Bell (5) and Matt Prior (0) with consecutive deliveries.

Smith snapped up a bat-pad catch to dismiss Bell, the man of the last series in England, and took a magnificent sprawling catch again next ball to send Prior on his way after a DRS review for a golden duck. Ashes villain Stuart Broad came out to loud boos and saw off Lyon’s hattrick ball, but Joe Root was the seventh wicket to fall in the next over for two.

Root played away from his body and nicked to third slip, where Smith took his third catch in two overs to leave England shellshocked at 89 for seven.

Swann was next to go, caught close in

by Bailey off Johnson for a duck, while Harris dismissed Chris Tremlett (8) and Siddle finally ended Broad’s spirited knock of 32, caught in the deep by Chris Rogers.

Before lunch Australia had removed England skipper Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott cheaply.

Harris coaxed an edge off Cook to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin for 13 and Johnson followed up snaring the wicket of Trott, who tickled one down the legside to Haddin for 10. The first innings

by Australia had ended on 295 when Haddin was run out chasing a century.

The veteran wicketkeeper, 78 not out overnight, attempted a risky second run on 94 but was beaten by Carberry’s throw from deep point to Prior behind the stumps.

Broad, England’s hero of the first day, walked off the Gabba holding the match ball aloft in tribute to his six for 81 off 24 overs. l

BRIEF SCORES

Sheikh Jamal v Prime Doleshwar Prime Doleshwar 304/7 in 50 over Joshua Cobb 123, Dawid Malan 61 Munaweera 49/2, Steven Crook 57/2 Sheikh Jamal 305/4 in 46 over Mushfiqur Rahim 145*, Steven Crook 100 Sheikh Jamal won by six wickets

Gazi Tank v Prime Bank CC Prime Bank 247/8 in 50 over Ravi Bopara 95, Saikat Ali 60 Arafat Sunny 57/3 Gazi Tank 248/4 in 47.5 over Ten Doeschate 68*, Mahmudullah 67* Gazi tank won by six wickets

Mohammedan v Kalabagan CA Mohammedan 226/9 in 50 over Samit Patel 86, Asghar Stanikzai 38, Rahmat Shah 33* Nazmul Apu 46/3 Kalabagan CA 150/10 in 40.1 over Avishek Mitra 51 Samit Patel 25/3, Habibur Rahman 24/2 Mohammedan won by 76 runs

century.

Defending champions Victoria Sporting, for whom star Nasir Hossain played, also failed to make the super six phase, although their star top scored with221 runs in seven matches with two fifties.

Mushfiq’s success in domestic cricket indicates the confidence and momentum national players can get at this level and players like Nasir and Tamim will surely want to follow suit as they prepare for the more demanding calls of the international arena.l

SCORE CARD, DAY 2 England 1st innings Alastair Cook b Haddin b Harris 13 Carberry c Watson b Johnson 40 Jonathan Trott c Haddin b Johnson 10 Kevin Pietersen c Bailey b Harris 18 Ian Bell c Smith b Lyon 5 Joe Root c Smith b Johnson 2 Matt Prior c Smith b Lyon 0 Stuart Broad c Rogers b Siddle 32 Graeme Swann c Bailey b Johnson 0 Chris Tremlett c Lyon b Harris 8 James Anderson not out 2 Extras (b4, lb2) 6 Total (all out; 52.4 overs) 136 Bowling Harris 15-5-28-3, Johnson 17-2-61-4, Siddle 11.4-3-24-1, Lyon 9-4-17-2 Australia 2nd innings Chris Rogers not out 15 David Warner not out 45 Extras (lb5) 5 Total (0 wkt; 22 overs) 65 Bowling Anderson 5-1-16-0, Broad 5-1-13-0, Tremlett 4-2-8-0, Swann 6-1-22-0, Root 2-1-1-0

Siddikur eyes win in Hong Kong n Agencies

Siddikur Rahman will be looking for a result worthy of his status as Bangladesh’s number one golfer when he steps up to the tee at the US$1.3 million Hong Kong Open which returns to the spectacular Hong Kong Golf Club from December 5-8.

The 29-year-old holds the distinction of having achieved many ‘firsts’ for his country.

He was the first Bangladeshi to win on the Asian Tour in Brunei in 2010 and is also the pioneer to represent his country in the ISPS Handa World Cup of Golf this week.

A second victory on the region’s premier Tour in India earlier this month has also ensured Siddikur finishes inside the top-10 of the Asian Tour Order of Merit for the third time in the last four years.

The Bangladeshi is now raising the

bar higher and has set his sights on winning the storied Hong Kong Open, which is also one of the most important events on the Asian Tour Schedule.

“After winning two Asian Tour tournaments, it would be good if I can go on to win a co-sanctioned tournament with the European Tour. My target is always to win golf tournaments and I’m hoping I can do it in Hong Kong,” said Siddikur.

The Hong Kong Open is Hong Kong’s oldest professional sporting event where its early beginning dates back to 1959. It is co-sanctioned by The European Tour, the Asian Tour and the Hong Kong Golf Association.

The Hong Kong Open is the third event of The 2014 Race to Dubai, and one of the last on the 2013 Asian Tour schedule.

Riding on a rich vein of form, Siddikur believes he can become a dominant force at the Hong Kong Golf Club if he

perfects his short game.

“I’ve been talking to my caddie about trying to win a couple more tournaments and he’s told me to putt better,” said Siddikur.

“I have a good feeling at the moment and also have good confidence after winning in India,” added the Bangladeshi.

Siddikur will be up against defending champion Miguel Angel Jiménez, who will defend the title he won in recordbreaking fashion 12 months ago, when he became the oldest winner in European Tour history at the age of 48 years and 318 days.

Other likely contenders at the Hong Kong Open include China’s Liang Wenchong, who won his third Asian Tour title in Philippines last week, Chinese teen prodigy Guan Tian-lang and India’s heavyweights Anirban Lahiri and Gaganjeet Bhullar. l

Stars likely to miss hockey season n Raihan Mahmood With four leading national players suspended and a number of players committed to Mohammedan, the upcoming hockey season is all set to see a big group of players remaining out of action.

Bangladesh Hockey Federation imposed suspensions on national forward Russell Mahmud Jimmy, goalie Zahid Hossain, defender Imran Hasan Pintu and midfielder Qamruzzaman Rana on disciplinary grounds during the Asia Cup. Moreover, Asaduzzman Chandan, Shamsuddin Tuhin, Ashiquzzman all former national numbers - are also suspended for alleged aggressive actions towards national hockey coach Naveed Alam during the preparation of

the national team for the Asia Cup. With these players sure to miss the league, another group of leading player’s fate are also hanging in the balance due to different issues.

National forwards Pushkor Khisha Mimo, Moinul Islam Koushik, talented midfielder Sarwar Hossain may also join the list as they have reportedly taken money in advance from Mohammedan for the upcoming season. As Mohammedan are not playing in the league and other tournaments, these three young players may remain idle for the season.

Koushik and Sarwar played for Usha and Mimo was a member of Abahani last year. As per the rules, any player who does not pick his token up during the players transfer remains as

a part of the club they played for the previous year.

Usha and Abahani claimed that they are not in touch with the players as they are not responding to the calls.

It was learnt that as they have taken money from Mohmmedan and are afraid to committ to the club. Mohammedan manager Ariful Haque Prince admitted the scenario. “They all have taken money from us and they have committed to playing for Mohammedan. If Mohammedan is not playing in the league or tournaments, they will also not play,” said Prince.

Prince added that the federation has relied on the BKSP players and the players of the services team to start the league but a good number of players will refrain from playing in the league. l

World and Olympic champion sprinter Usain Bolt (C) enjoy a training with Japanese children during a sports event at the National Stadium in Tokyo Yesterday AFP

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Saturday, November 23, 2013

DRUG PRICE HIKE

Prices of over 200 drugs climb in less than a month The DGDA controls only 117 out of 22,000 drugs n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The prices of the most common and essential drugs have experienced a sudden spike across the country, with pharmaceutical companies reportedly hiking the prices of more than 200 types of drug by 40-60% over the last month.

These drugs are used by thousands to treat common diseases such as fever, cold, cough, headache, stomach pain,

high blood pressure, diabetes and skin problems.

Sources said neither the pharmaceuticals nor the Directorate General of Drug Administration had served any notice prior to the hike.

Monir Hossain, assistant secretary general of Bangladesh Chemist and Druggist Samity, confirmed that pharmaceutical companies had made the increase recently and it had caused retailers a lot of trouble. “Most customers

are getting angry and quarrelling with drug sellers after hearing about the sudden increase.”

Seeking anonymity, several officials of the Drug Administration, said the DA had control over only 117 out of 22,000 types of drug produced by more than 250 companies. They alleged that the health ministry was not interested in controlling increase in drug prices.

Checking with different drug stores in the capital, it was found that the price of

commonly used antibiotics of Azithromycin group from all reputed companies increased by Tk5 per tablet from its previous price of Tk30. The price of Ciprofloxacin 500mg also increased by Tk1 to Tk3 while that of diabetic drug of Gliclazide group increased by Tk10 per strip from Tk60.

The price of drugs of Losartan Potassium group used to treat high blood pressure climbed from Tk60 to Tk80 per strip while that of Amlodipine+Atenolol group increased from Tk40 to Tk60

per strip. The price of pain management Aceclofenac drug has gone up by Tk10 and now stands at Tk40. The prices of different types of saline have also climbed up by Tk30-40.

Arif Ahmed, owner of Tahsin Pharmacy near the Border Guard Bangladesh third gate, told the Dhaka Tribune that they were facing problems for the sudden price hike by the companies and that customers were now blaming the pharmacists for putting up “fake”

price stickers on medicine packets.

Manik Sarder, owner of a confectionary shop at Nilkhet, said the price of the drug he uses for migraine was Tk3 per strip but it has been increased to Tk15 now.

When asked, Golam Kibria, one of the directors at the DA, said the allegation of mass price hike of drugs was not correct at all. It was a common practice by the pharmaceutical companies to increase or decrease drug prices, he added.l

COP19 yields small; some issues unclear K Sarker from n Probir Warsaw, Poland The 11-day climate talks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Warsaw, Poland has not been satisfactory for the developing and climate vulnerable countries since a lot of issues including the release of funds were still undecided on the closing day yesterday.

The negotiations might drag long into the night as governments grapple with the backtracking on pollution controls of Japan, the failure of developed countries to honour their climate finance promises and with blocking by Australia and the US on a loss and damage mechanism, say observers.

The Conference of Parties (COP19) and the Conference of Parties serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol (CMP 9) began on November 11 at the Warsaw National Stadium with 194 member states. The high-level segment on ministers began on November 19.

So far, a number of rich countries have pledged some $100m in the adaptation funds for the poor and developing countries to cope with the adverse impacts of climate change. The structure and functions of Green Climate Fund has been finalised, but no money is there yet. Negotiations on the international loss and damage mechanism were very contentious. The COP until yesterday evening was yet to finalise the new legally-binding agreement to cut carbon emission and the countries were discussing on the fourth draft on this issue.

On Thursday, in an unprecedented move, over 800 UN observer NGOs and social movements walked out of the conference blaming the developed nations for chocking the negotiations and applying tactics to delay the process.

The G77 and China also staged a walk out on Wednesday from the negotiations as there was no progress in the talks and the language proposed by some countries which were not acceptable.

The $100m pledge could not make the developing countries happy. But

Nations ‘dishonoured’ for shaming climate issues K Sarker from n Probir Warsaw, Poland Climate Action Network, an umbrella of over 850 NGOs operating in around 100 countries, on the closing day of the UN climate talks yesterday awarded Australia this year’s Colossal Fossil for its stance during the negotiations in Warsaw, Poland.

“The delegation came here with legislation in its back pocket to repeal the carbon price, failed to take independent advice to increase its carbon pollution reduction target and has been blocking progress in the loss and damage negotiations,” said CAN. Canada was “dishonoured” with a special “Lifetime Unachievement Fossil Award” for its long-standing efforts in preventing this process from making a sufficient contribution to the fight against climate change.

Every day the CAN awarded a country with the Fossil titles for blocking the negotiations. Yesterday, the first Fossil of the Day was awarded to Singapore for blocking the development of framework.

The second place went to the US as it was blocking progress on a Long-Term Finance pathway and an agreement on the relationship between the COP and the Green Climate Fund, and opposing the establishment of an international mechanism on loss and damage.

Saudi Arabia was given the third title for asking governments for financial compensation “when they have one of the highest GDPs in the world for selling the substance that caused climate change in the first place.” l

they console themselves as the adaptation fund is almost empty now. The amount would be released immediately to fuel the pending projects to prepare the vulnerable communities for adverse weather impacts.

“However, it is not clear whether this is new money or money diverted from other aid budgets. Like the UK’s contribution of £10m is to be diverted from other funds,” said Paul Brown of Climate News Network.

“Most people feel that the $100m pledged at this conference is far short from what is needed to get near the $100bn pledged in Cancun for disbursement every year from 2020 onwards.”

In the beginning of the conference, the developing countries thought there would be new money for adaptation and to compensate loss and damage.

“But that does not seem to be happening here,” said the senior observer on climate talks.

Regarding the Green Climate Fund, he said: “It is now up and ready; all the administration, the functions, the staff and the headquarters have been sorted out. But we don’t have money in the fund.

“If it’s not ready by this time at next year’s COP, it’ll be a serious blow on the future of the climate talks.”

Countries like the Philippines are facing typhoons very frequently while people from the small Islands and coastal areas of many countries like Bangladesh will also find it tough to adapt with the rising sea level and extreme weather events like irregular rain, droughts and loss of crops and livelihoods. These losses cannot be covered by the adaptation fund, say observer NGOs. About the loss and damage mechanism, the rich countries wanted it to be brought under adaptation fund while some countries stood against its formulation fearing that they might have to pay the poor nations a lot as compensation because of the number of incidents happening. “So they don’t want any open-ended commitments,” said Paul. l

Riaz, a four-year-old child, helps his mother, Kaniz Begum, collect withered leaves from the edge of the Dhaka-Mawa Highway. Both mother and son, knowing the danger of being crushed under speeding vehicles, have to risk their lives for survival MAHMUD HOSSAIN O

DIGITAL FRAUD IN DU AND JNU ADMISSION TESTS

42 students held, masterminds still at large n Mohammad Jamil Khan An organised gang has allegedly been using mobile phone messages to provide answers to the examinees at the admission tests for Dhaka University (DU) and Jagannath University (JnU).

Sources at both the universities claimed that members of Bangladesh Chhatra Legaue had been allegedly conniving with the gang, adding that a section of university staff and teachers have also been bribed to help carry out the practice.

Around 10 syndicates were involved in the illegal practice for the DU tests, while five other groups were working for the JnU tests, the sources said.

Since the admission exams for the next academic session began on November 1, authorities at the DU and the JnU have so far handed over 42 admis-

sion-seekers to law enforcers, for their cheating attempts during the tests.

In the latest move yesterday, 14 students were caught during exams at the DU, while seven more were detained during JnU tests.

Contacted, DU Proctor Dr Amzad Ali told the Dhaka Tribune that the answer-sheets of 14 applicants from different centres of the capital were cancelled yesterday during the Ka-unit admission tests and they were handed over to Ramna, Mohammadpur and Shahabagh police stations for using mobile phone text messages during the ongoing tests.

Dr Asoke Kumar Saha, proctor of the JnU, said seven admission-seekers were handed over to law enforcers yesterday for using mobile phones during the admission test.

According to sources, the answers

for the DU and the JnU tests are sold for Tk600,000 and Tk300,000 respectively, with the answers for the C-unit exam being sold for the highest price.

The sources added that Gazi Hasib and Elahi Manzur were the top leaders of two syndicates, while other syndicates in the DU included two in Mohsin Hall, two in Bangabandhu Hall, three in Zahurul Haq Hall, two in Zia Hall, three in Shahidullah Hall, two in Ekushey Hall and three in Surja Sen Hall.

On the other hand, JnU BCL President Shariful Islam, Joint Secretary Mofizul Islam, Vice President Hanif Bepari, Organizing Secretary Kamrul Islam, Mittun Joy Das, and Chhatra Dal leader Khokon were involved with the business at the JnU. Explaining the cheating procedure, sources inside the syndicates said some gang members first used fake

identities to apply for the admission test, and attended the exam for only 10 minutes before coming out with the question script by “managing” the invigilators.

Another group sat ready with books outside and solved the question quickly to send the answers through text messages or by using headphones.

Prof Dr Mizanur Rahman, vice-chancellor of the JnU, said the proctorial body as well as the DB police have been asked to take necessary steps against the people involved with the illegal activity.

AAMS Arefin Siddique, vice-chancellor of the DU, said the people involved in such fraud cases would receive punishment through proper lawful ways, adding that instructions have been given to take all necessary steps in this regard. l

Illegal logging rampant in reserve forest Miazee, back from n Manik Moulavibazar Various kinds of trees including some rare species are being illegally logged in the forest reserve of Lawachhara with the backing of the local administration at Kamalganj upazila of Moulavibazar.

Miscreants have been involved with logging 100-year-old teak and other trees, locals said.

They said the syndicate had been involved with cutting trees from Kumara in Rajkandi reserve forest at Kamalganj and selling them to wood traders with the support of the local administration, law enforcement agencies and the forest department.

Under the shelter of Islampur Union Parishad Chairman Suleman Mia, around 100 workers were involved with the wood trafficking, locals alleged.

A local tourist guide said the loggers had an innovative technique to conceal their crimes. “They cut trees in different ranges and then fill the area with land to hide any evidence.”

Asked how many trees were there at the forest and how many of them were being logged, Forest Range Officer Mostafizur Rahman said he did not have any exact statistics.

“I am aware of the trafficking issue, but I joined this position last month and have not had the time to update the list of trees available,” he said.

The forest officer claimed that his department had recovered around 100-200 trees that were cut down last year.

Islampur UP Chairman Suleman Mia admitted the allegations of logging, but denied claims of his involvement. l

Mother Language Day architect Rafiqul dies n Tribune Report Rafiqul Islam, the Bangladeshi expatriate, who played a pioneering role in achieving recognition of February 21 as the International Mother Language died in Vancouver General Hospital in Canada on Wednesday.

He was 63.

His family members said he had been suffering from leukaemia for over two years, and lastly he was admitted in hospital the day after Eid-ul-Azha, after his condition deteriorated.

Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN AKA Momen confirmed the news of Rafiqul’s death.

He was from Rajbari in Comilla, and had been living in Canada for the last 18 years.

Initiatives by Rafiqul Islam and Abdus Salam, members of Vancouver-based Mother Language of the World, inspired the Bangladesh government to work towards achieving UN recognition of the

glorious Language Movement.

Responding to Bangladesh’s formal proposal, the Unesco in 1999 declared February 21 as International Mother Language Day. Education, Primary and Mass Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid yesterday condoled the death of Rafiqul Islam.

The minister prayed for the eternal peace to his departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family members.

In a message of condolence, Nahid said: “Rafiqul Islam under the banner “Mother Language Lovers’ Group”, a multilingual and multinational organisation, proposed to the secretary general of the United Nations in 1998 to declare the February 21 as the International Mother Language Day. In line with the proposal, Unesco declared February 21 as the International Mother Language Day on November 17, 1999, the minister added. l

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