18 december, 2013

Interview

7

The next generation of leadership in Bangladesh

Poush 4, 1420 Safar 14, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 264

International

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United Nations: $12.9 billion aid needed in 2014

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013 | www.dhakatribune.com

Sport

13

World Cup on display at Radisson

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Talks doomed to disappointment

Dhaka summons Pakistan high commissioner over Molla resolution n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

AL’s offer to discuss 11th parliamentary polls, not the upcoming ones, dejects BNP

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla Hopes of a political settlement over the mode of polls-time administration between the Awami league and BNP are beginning to fade away as both camps reportedly stuck to their guns.

The talk this time was initiated by the United Nations Envoy Oscar Fernandez Taranco to end the political stalemate.

A senior BNP leader who was not present in the dialogue said Awami League at the third round of meetings on December 13 came up with a proposal for talks over the 11th parliamentary polls as the BNP could not join the election this time.

The proposal actually exposed the government’s intention over the talks and dashed the prospect of the dialogue, he said.

Apparently dejected the BNP, after the dialogue prospect was stumbled, decided to go for more vigorous movement to realise its demands After that meeting none contacted each other as both the parties were rigid on their stances. The delegates of both parties, however, told the media that they would talk to their top leaders and meet again.

A senior BNP leader who was not present in the dialogue said a senior Awami League leader at the third spell of meetings proposed for talks over the 11th general elections, not for the 10th general elections while another Awami League leader seconded his proposal.

The BNP leader also said the Awami League leaders, however, did not mention any time frame for the 11th general polls.

In reply to the proposal BNP leaders argued that if Awami League cannot go beyond constitution now how it could

do the same during the 11th parliamentary elections before completing its five-year term since that would be a violation of the constitution.

Rather the article 123 (3) (b) now can open the avenue towards a settlement, they said.

When asked, Dr Abdul Moyeen Khan, BNP standing committee member, said: “The fact that Awami League has been forced to declare 154 MPs elected already without any election taking place is a confirmation of the BNP’s contention that there cannot be any free and fair polls under the Awami League Government. This is also a major victory for BNP as it proved the contention of BNP on the lack of confidence by the people on Awami League as a viable government of the day who can be trusted by them for a credible election.”

Gowher Rizvi, International affairs adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, declined to comment on the dialogue issue as they were committed not to reveal the discussion points.

However, he said: “The BNP, by rejecting the election commission’s polls schedule, has missed the train and it does not seem to have any opportunity to participate in the next elections.”

“Under the provisions of the constitution, there is no room for any delay in the election beyond January 24 when the current parliament expires and therefore all doors seem to have closed.

“However, nothing would give us greater satisfaction if we could bring the BNP into the election race.”

Apparently dejected the BNP, after the dialogue prospect was stumbled, decided to go for more vigorous movement to realise its demands.

The ruling Awami League, on the other hand, has taken all-out preparation to thwart the movement.

Meanwhile, BNP Chairperson  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Bangladesh has strongly protested the resolution adopted by Pakistan National Assembly on Monday over the execution of war criminal Abdul Quader Molla and his trial at the International Crimes Tribunal.

It also protested the resolution adopted by Punjab Provincial Assembly last Wednesday and the remarks made by Pakistan home minister on Friday over the same issue.

Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Quader Molla, well-known as “Mirpurer Koshai” (Butcher of Mirpur), was hanged on Thursday night for committing crimes against humanity against the pro-liberation people in 1971.

Pakistan High Commissioner Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi went to the foreign ministry just before 5pm yesterday, and at 5:25pm he entered the room of foreign ministry Secretary (bilateral) Mustafa Kamal.

Pakistan parliament resolution on Molla uncalled for, interference in Bangladesh’s domestic affairs

Vigilance was increased after 18-party opposition activists wreaked havoc on railway tracks during shutdowns and blockades recently across the country. The photo was taken from the capital’s Tejgaon area yesterday RAJIB DHAR

During the 30-minute meeting, Kamal handed him over an Aide Memoire.

Mehdi left the ministry without talking to the press.

In the Aide Memoire, Bangladesh expressed grievance and dissatisfaction in the strongest possible terms over the resolutions and the statement of Home Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.

Nisar on Friday said Quader Molla had been hanged due to “loyalty and solidarity with Pakistan in 1971.”

But Quader Molla in his testimony at the tribunal claimed that he had taken training as freedom fighter during the Liberation War. However, the claim was rejected both by the tribunal and the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court.

In the Aide Memoire, it was stipulated that: “The Bangladesh government  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Moudud sued for grabbing state property n Tribune Report The Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) has filed a case against BNP Standing Committee Member Barrister Moudud Ahmed and his brother on charge of grabbing a government land worth about Tk300crore.

ACC Deputy Director Harun-ur Rashid filed the case against Moudud and his brother Manzur Ahmed, now living in London, with the Gulshan police station in the capital yesterday.

According to the case statement, the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

INSIDE Business

B1 NRB Bank violated age limit in appointing a senior executive vice president and expenditure ceiling in purchasing a motor vehicle.

Nation

6 Lack of buyers due to the unavailability of transportation, a result of of the ongoing political unrest, has caused a drastic decline in the price of the salt produced in Cox’s Bazar.

Four die in blockade violence in three districts n Tribune Report

Amid an ongoing joint-forces crackdown to curb violence, two BNP men were found shot dead in Laxmipur, and an Awami League leader was killed in Satkhira yesterday.

An activist of Jamaat-e-Islami, who suffered bullet wounds during Saturday’s clash with law enforcers in Joypurhat, also died at a private hospital in the capital early yesterday.

The first day of the opposition alliance’s countrywide blockade, demanding the cancellation of the upcoming election, was relatively relaxed except for a few incidents.

In the capital, two buses were

torched at Mirpur and Paltan in the evening.

The Laxmipur victims — Abdul Mannan and Zahirul Islam were BNP activists, claimed Mainuddin Reaz, president of BNP’s Sadar upazila unit.

Both the victims had been missing since Sunday’s crackdown by the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) on opposition activists in Uttar Jamiltoli, claimed family members of the deceased.

Police said they recovered Mannan and Zahirul’s bodies from the bank of a canal at Battoli around 7am.

“Both victims had been shot in the head,” said Iqbal Hossain, officer-incharge of Laxmipur Sadar police station.

Mannan and Zahirul were accused

Bishwajit Das murder verdict today Sanaul Islam Tipu and n Md Mohammad Jamil Khan

Verdict in Bishwajit Das murder case is set to be delivered today, a year after the activists of ruling Awami League’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League killed him in broad daylight in presence of law enforcers in Old Dhaka.

The prosecution sought death penalty for all the 21 accused persons as it claimed to have proved the case, said SM Rafiqul Islam, special public prosecutor of the Speedy Trial Tribunal 4.

Tribunal judge ABM Nizamul Haque set the verdict date on December 4 after hearing the prosecution and the defence arguments.

The prosecution placed 32 out of 60 witnesses including the plaintiff at the court to give deposition.

Of the 21 accused, eight who are now in jail were present in the dock

yesterday. The 13 others are on the run.

Contacted yesterday, the family members of innocent Bishwajit said they were eagerly waiting for the verdict.

Uttam Kumar Das, elder brother of the victim, told the Dhaka Tribune that the accused had killed his inno-

Many of the 13 absconding accused are moving freely dodging police cent brother, “so, me and my family are waiting for a remarkable punishment of the criminals.”

Twenty-four-year-old tailor Bishwajit came under the attack near Bahadur Shah Park around 9:15am on December 9 last year while going to work at Shakhari Bazar. Few minutes back, Chhatra League activists of Jagannath  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

in a number of cases filed with Sadar police station, the OC said.

In Sunday’s crackdown, BNP Dighulia union unit Joint Secretary General Asaduzzaman Babul and member Khorshed Alam Sumon were killed in

P3 JOINT-FORCE OPERATION a “shootout” with Rab. On that day, Babul’s wife claimed that the Rab members had stormed their house and shot her husband dead while he was taking supper.

They had also taken the body away, she claimed.

Meanwhile, in Kaliganj upazila in Satkhira, activists of Jamaat-e-Isla-

mi and Islami Chhatra Shibir stabbed to death a union-level Awami League leader, hours after locals vandalised a Jamaat office there. Another AL activist was also injured.

The victim was Moslemuddin Ali, 65, the president of the party’s Bishnapur union unit.

Earlier, around 1pm a joint force of police, Rab, BGB and Ansar conducted a raid in Bishnapur union where Jamaat-Shibir men had blockaded the Kaliganj-Balidanga Road since the morning.

During the raid locals, who were “angry at Jamaat-Shibir for the recent violence and attacks on minorities,” vandalised the office of Mosharraf

The values of her ornaments and the furniture remained the same – over Tk1.32m and Tk740,000 respectively.

Meanwhile, Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad in his latest affidavit said his annual income from his ‘job’ (as a member of parliament) stood at over Tk1.45m, while his earnings from businesses stood at over Tk62,000 every year, which was Tk450,000 in 2008.

The statement, in which Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan labelled executed war criminal Abdul Quader Molla as “innocent,” has been widely censured by the Pakistani citizens in the online edition of The Express Tribune, a Pakistani newspaper.

The readers even called Imran Khan an “opportunist” for siding with the historic lie only to remain in good terms with Pakistan’s Jamaat-e-Islami.

Some regretted how they had viewed this world-famous cricketer, who enjoys huge popularity in Bangladesh too, as a harbinger of change in Pakistani politics. “hahahahahaha just want to see the faces of all those who voted for Imran Khan for a change. lol yes he wants to change Pakistan…” wrote a reader using the name TJ. “Once again bowing down to maulvis. Story of Pakistan’s politicians,” wrote another reader named Shah in his comment drawing as many as 229 likes by yesterday evening.

According to Radio Pakistan, Imran made the assertion while speaking at the National Assembly of Pakistan on Monday. He quoted a lawyer of the international human rights organisation Reprieve who was defending Quader Molla.

The lawyer had told Imran that Quader Molla had nothing to do with the charges brought against him.

Pakistani newspaper The Express Tribune ran a report titled “Resolution passed: Abdul Quader Molla was innocent, Imran Khan claims” quoting the Radio Pakistan.

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Earnings of Hasina and Ershad increase Reza Chowdhury and n Kamran Mohammad Zakaria

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has earned Tk1m by selling trees, while she earns over Tk700,000 as salary every year and over Tk1,38,000 from house rent, according to the affidavit she had placed in the election commission for vying in the 10th parliamentary polls.

Her annual income from the agricultural sector stands at Tk75,000, said the statement, which also added that she annually earns Tk4,50,000 from hatchery business.

Sheikh Hasina – who referred politics as her profession – and her dependents have a bank deposit of Tk4,647,185; which was Tk2,079,067 ahead of the 2008 polls.

The prime minister and her dependents have Tk498,000 cash in hand, along with a deposit of over Tk10m at

Pakistanis term parliament resolution ‘act of shame’ n Emran Hossain

the Jatiya Sangsad branch of the stateowned Sonali Bank.

In 2008, the bank deposit was over Tk31.8m.

She and her family members have savings certificates in the post offices and other banks worth over Tk51.2m, according to the affidavit.

Sheikh Hasina earns Tk10 lakh selling trees

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

2 workers shot dead, another injured in city n Kailash Sarkar A gun attack launched allegedly by a gang of ruling party cadres left two day-labourers dead and another injured at a construction site in the capital’s Moynarbagh at Madhya Badda yesterday morning.

The attack was made after the building owner had refused to pay the toll money demanded by local criminals.

The deceased are Faruq Hawlader, 30, who was also a contractor of the day-labourers, and Milon Hawlader, 26. With a bullet injury on his chest, another worker Mahmud Hossain, 25, was undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Faruq and Milon were declared dead soon after they had been taken to the DMCH, said Iqbal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Badda police station.

According to the police and witnesses, a group of four to five masked criminals equipped with firearms and bombs appeared at the construction

site around 8:30am. Four labourers were digging the land at that time.

Md Ripon, who survived the attack, said the criminals had first asked the labourers to stop work at the site. And as Faruq wanted to know the reason, they opened fire and blasted crude bombs indiscriminately.

“In the face of attacks with guns and bombs, we started running for safety.

But Faruq, Milon and Mahmud could not save themselves,” said Ripon, who is a cousin of the injured. He said the criminals had fled the scene immediately.

OC Iqbal said the incident had taken place following a feud between Md Faruk Hossain, owner of the construction site, and some local leaders and activists of the ruling Awami League.

Family members of deceased Faruq said local criminals, led by one Nirob, were demanding toll when the construction work had begun.

The process of filing a case was on, police said. l

‘Pakistan’s reaction utterly objectionable’ n Mushfique Wadud Eminent citizens yesterday said Pakistan’s reaction over war criminal Quader Molla’s execution was objectionable and Bangladesh government should strongly protest such reactions.

They said the reaction was nothing but interfering in Bangladesh’s internal matters and the judicial system. Before adopting the resolution Pakistan parliament should have considered that Molla execution had come through a judicial process.

On December 16, the Pakistan National Assembly adopted a resolution, expressing concerns over the execution and the following political situation in Bangladesh.

Former DU VC Prof Emajuddin Ahmed said Pakistan’s reaction was an interference in Bangladesh’s internal matters. “If

anyone commits a crime, Bangladesh’s judicial system can give them punishment. No neighbouring countries have the right to interfere in it.”

He said the Bangladesh government should convey this message to the Pakistan government.

M Shahiduzzaman, professor of international relations at DU, said the reaction proved that Pakistan had no repentance for the genocide that its army had committed in 1971. “The Pakistani parliament did not say anything about the 1971 genocide and the resolution was full of false expressions.”

Anisuzzaman, professor emeritus of Dhaka University, said by giving such a reaction, the Pakistanis had proved that Molla was their people.

“Moreover, such a reaction against the judicial system of another country is utterly objectionable,” he added. l

Relatives of Milon burst into tears on the news of his death. Milon and Faruq, two workers, were shot dead by miscreants in the capital’s Badda area yesterday

Talks doomed to disappointment Four die in blockade violence  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Khaleda Zia was supposed to hold a press conference on December 15 to present its view on the current political situation but the date was deferred as its key ally Jamaat-e-Islami called shutdowns across the country on that day, said another senior leader.

Yet another senior leader said they were holding a series of meetings with diplomats and briefing them about the latest political situation of the country.

He also said the European Union diplomats’ decision of not going to the National Mausoleum was also a projection of their grievances on the government.

“The government wants the dialogue to continue but it is unwilling to suspend the election schedule. Then what is the dialogue for? The dialogue prospect is fading away as the government is hell-bent on its stances,” Nazrul Islam Khan, BNP standing committee member, observed.

Bishwajit murder verdict today  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

University unit held a procession to protest against the opposition’s blockade and chased a pro-BNP lawyers’ procession. As two crude bombs blasted near him at that time, Bishwajit started running.

The Chhatra League men, reportedly taking Bishwajit as an opposition activist, caught him and started beating with sticks and iron rods. The cadres later hacked him with machetes for around 20 minutes. At one point, Bishwajit ran towards Shakhari Bazar and fell down on the street in front of a rickshaw. The rickshaw-puller took him to Mitford Hospital where he succumbed to injuries.

Several hundred people and law enforcers witnessed the incident. The newsmen from print and electronic media took footage and photos which were widely publicised.

Sub-Inspector Jalal Uddin of Sutrapur police station filed a murder case the same day. After the case proceedings had begun, a pro-BNP lawyer submitted a petition at the court to include the members of police as accused in the

case for neglecting duties. The court, however, rejected the plea.

The detained Chhatra League men are Mohammad Rafiqul Islam alias Shakil, Mahfuzur Rahman Nahid, AHM Kibria, Quiyum Miah Tipu, GM Rasheduzzaman Shaon, Saiful Islam, Emdadul Haque Emdad and Golam Mostafa.

The 13 absconding accused are Rajon Talukder, Monirul Haque Pavel, Rafiqul Islam, Md Alauddin, Obaidul Quader Tahsin, Imran Hossain alias Imran, Khondoker Md Yunus Ali, Tarique Bin Zohor alias Tamal, Azizur Rahman, Noor-e-Alam Limon, Al Amin Sheikh, Mosharraf Hossain and Kamrul Hasan.

On December 23 last year, Shakil, Nahid, Shaon and Emdad gave confessional statements admitting their involvement.

Dhaka’s Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Jahurul Haque on June 2 framed the charges against the 21 accused. The court also acquitted four people who were detained by the police on suspicion.

Accused moving free

Even though the police say they

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Two more senior Awami League leaders yesterday also said there was no way for the BNP to join the national polls slated for January 5.

They, however, said if there be any consensus it could be possible for 11th general elections.

“As there has been a significant progress in the election preparation the BNP, in no way, can join the polls even if any consensus can be reached. If we go for any consensus it can be for the next elections,” Obaidul Kader, a presidium member of the Awami League, told journalists.

Another presidium member Suranjit Sengupta said the 14-party alliance government had won the mandate for the second time and got the majority in the 10 parliament.

“Talks can be held on the 11th parliament polls. If there is any ground for a negotiation on a mid-term polls that can go on for a peaceful settlement,” he said.l

Pakistanis term  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

could not arrest the 13 absconding accused, many of them were seen in different areas of the capital, said students of Jagannath University and several Chhatra League leaders of the campus unit.

The Dhaka Tribune investigation found traces of at least three charge-sheeted accused. Of them, Imran lives at a single-room in Doyaganj area. Kamrul was seen in Shahbagh area couple of days ago and the sources said he lived there. One of the main accused Tahsin lives at a rented house in Maghbazar Warless Gate area.

The police are yet to arrest Rajon Talukder who made the first attack on Bishwajit.

When contacted, Sanowar Hossain, additional deputy commissioner of the Detective Branch of Police, said after submission of the charge sheet in February, they had sent it to all police stations concerned to arrest the fugitives.

“It is the responsibility of the local police to arrest them.”

He added that the detectives too had been trying their best to arrest the fugitives. l

“Wow, defendant’s lawyer says he is innocent! Who would have believed it?” said a reader named Parrot in his comment that got 202 likes.

Many readers considered passing of the resolution – expressing concern over Quader Molla’s execution – in the National Assembly as an “act of shame.” There were comments supporting Imran too, but only a few.

“Looks like Pakistan worries about everyone in the world except for the ones who live in Pakistan!” wrote Rafi Ka Deewana who gained 307 likes.

A reader under the name of Unbelievable wrote: “Defending someone convicted of murder and rape just because he was ‘pro Pakistan’ is outright dumb…”

“This guy Imran Khan is Pakistan’s biggest clown. He rants, cajoles and begs on issues that are totally irrelevant to the world, including Pakistan,” reads another comment.

One of the remarks made by one Umar summed it up all in a single line: “PTI is another JI so no surprise that they are as usual on the wrong side of history too.” l

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specially by the responsible quarters of the government,” the Aide Memoire said.

The resolution was, however, not supported by two other political parties – PPP and MQM. The Pakistan high commissioner told the secretary that he would convey Bangladesh’s feeling to the higher authorities in Islamabad.

Later at a press briefing, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said Bangladesh had conveyed to Pakistan that the tribunal was internal affair of the country.

“Bangladesh has reached at a level where it does not afraid of anybody,” he said.

When asked whether Bangladesh would summon other envoys whose countries or organisations earlier issued statements against the tribunal, the minister said each of the statements had different premises.

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

Hossain, the ameer of Jamaat’s Bishnapur unit, said Ali Azam, the officer-in-charge of Kaliganj police station.

Jamaat activist Abdur Rahman, 45, who suffered bullet wounds during Saturday’s clash with law enforcers in Joypurhat, died in a private hospital in the capital yesterday around 12:30am.

Rahman was injured during a gunfight between Jamaat activists and police, Rab and BGB on Saturday evening, after Jamaat-Shibir men hurled crude bombs and stones at law enforcers.

Two Jamaat men, Shamim Hossain, 24 and Insan Ali, 22, died on the spot.

Whilst a wounded rickshaw puller died later that night. With eight bullet wounds, Rahman was shifted to a hospital in Dhaka.

Yesterday in Joypurhat sadar upazila’s Pakurtali area, Jamaat-Shibir activists broke both arms and legs of Hafizur Rahman Happy, a former office secretary of the Akkelpur Upazila unit of AL around 1pm. He was going to Joypurhat from his village when he was attacked.

Locals rushed him to a hospital.

At least five people were hurt during a joint law enforcement drive at Jhikargachha on the Jessore-Benapole Road around 11am. Law enforcers picked up Jamaat Jhikargachha upazila unit’s Amir Arshadul Alam.

In Lalmonirhat, Jamaat-Shibir activists removed 100 fishplates from

railway tracks at Bawra and Awliarhat on the Lalmonirhat-Burimari route in Patgram upazila, halting rail communications between Lalmonirhat and Bogra-Dinajpur early yesterday.

They also put barricades on the same railway route, felling trees at Bawra, Awliarhat, Barakhata, Kachirbazar, Beltoli and Mirzarcoat areas in the upazila, said Shamsul Alam, the officer-in-charge of Government Railway police station.

In the capital, a few Shibir activists brought out a procession at Boubazar in Rampura and tried to vandalise vehicles. The activists dispersed when law enforcers chased them. Police detained a lawyer after pickets blasted two crude bombs in the court area of Old Dhaka in the morning.

Two persons, named Prince and Akhter, were beaten up by Buet students after they hurled two bombs at Polashi intersection. At Paltan, blockaders clashed with cops around 7pm.

Three vehicles were ransacked during the incident.

Police and Rab members were deployed at all the key points of the capital. The presence of vehicles was thin.

No inter-district bus left Dhaka but launches and trains kept running.

In Feni, three transport workers sustained bullet injuries when police opened fire following a bomb blast in front of the Star Line bus counter during the afternoon. l

Moudud sued for grabbing land in capital’s Gulshan area belongs to Mohammad Ehsan and his wife Inge Maria Flatz, two Pakistani nationals who left the country before the liberation war of 1971.

Following their departure, the house no 159 on the 1.13bigha (0.374 acre) land inside the Gulshan Avenue was included in the list of government abandoned properties on January 21, 1972.

On August 2, 1973, Moudud prepared a fake power of attorney of Maria Flatz to grab the land and used it to gain his own interest. Since then, Moudud had been living in the house showing himself as a tenant of Maria Flatz.

However, the commission could not

trace any record of Maria’s return to Bangladesh.

While holding different posts as minister during 1978-2006, Moudud tried to grab the house misusing his power. He made the fake documents in the name of his expatriate brother Manzur Ahmed.

Following ACC’s investigation, the commission found both the brothers responsible for illegally occupying the government land and thus, filed the case against them, according to the first information report (FIR).

Moudud Ahmed is currently in jail in connection with two cases filed for “attempted murder of cops and creating violence in the capital.” l

“We will deal with everybody separately,” he said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay, and the European Union also issued statement against the tribunal and the execution of Quader Molla.

According to a press release issued by the foreign ministry, Mustafa Kamal told the high commissioner that the establishment of the tribunal had been Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s commitment as reflected in the 2008 election manifesto.

The trials are not being conducted with any specific intention to rake up memories of 1971 as misconstrued by some quarters in Pakistan, but to put a legal closure to the injustice and pain suffered by the victims’ families and the Bangalee nation as a whole, the press release added.

Kamal referred to the campaign of

genocide launched against the peaceful and innocent people of Bangladesh by the Pakistan Army and its cohorts which consisted of war criminals like Quader Molla.

The Aide Memoire said: ““The Bangladesh government would like to state in unequivocal terms that the war crimes trial in Bangladesh is an internal matter of Bangladesh and as such the uncalled for resolution on the part of the Pakistan National Assembly and the Punjab Provincial Assembly demanding of the Bangladesh government to end the cases against the war criminals and refrain from raising the issues of 1971, which tantamount to interference in the domestic affairs of Bangladesh and stands against the spirit of international principal of noninterference. This also does not augur well for the friendly bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan enjoyed over the decades.” l

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Earnings of Hasina and Ershad Dhaka summons Pakistan high commissioner over Molla  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

The former military ruler – who is now a director of the newly-launched Union Bank – has bonds, letter of credit and shares of listed or unlisted companies worth Tk400m. His income from the shares, saving certificates and bank deposit stands at Tk9.15m, while he has a fixed deposit receipt (FDR) of Tk75m. In 2008, the income was Tk25m.

Ershad, referring his profession as “chairman and proprietor,” said he has over Tk12.6m in cash. His deposit in the banks and financial institutions stands at over Tk1.7m. Ershad has three cars valued at Tk4.65m, Tk7.45m and Tk150,000; while his electronic items are worth Tk350,000 and the furniture worth Tk250,000.

Two ministers, Rashed Khan Menon and Hasanul Haq Inu, in their affidavits disclosed that their annual incomes from participating in television talk shows were Tk175,000 and Tk182,200 respectively.

Referring his profession as the managing director of Sudipto Printers and Packages, Workers Party President Menon disclosed that his annual income from his business stood at Tk600,000.

He has Tk150,000 in cash while his wife had Tk30,000 and $300.

Menon’s deposit in the banks and the financial institutes stands at Tk1.02m and his wife’s at Tk200,000.

Menon owns savings certificates worth Tk50,000 against his wife’s Tk2.5m. The Menon couple has non-agriculture land worth Tk3.5m, while Menon’s wife owns two flats received as shares from the developers.

Hasanul Haq Inu, the president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, mentioned politics and engineering as his profession in the affidavit. The sources of income for him and his dependents are business, job and TV shows.

The earning from the business stands at over Tk800,000 per annum while the salary fetches Tk1.65m every year. l

also noted, with regret the reported remarks by a Senior Cabinet Minister of the Pakistan government calling the execution of a convict as a judicial murder and reviving old wounds between Bangladesh and Pakistan. Bangladesh finds such remarks completely untrue, biased and absolutely inappropriate.”

Bangladesh also in the Aide Memoire conveyed strong protest on the Pakistan government’s reaction to the verdict against Quader Molla.

The National Assembly adopted the resolution, moved by Pakistan Jamaat member Sher Akbar Khan and supported by the ruling party – Pakistan Muslim League-N. “It is the expectations of the people of Bangladesh that decisions and stature of the highest courts and judicial bodies of Bangladesh are duly respected by all concerned in Pakistan and utmost restraint is exercised

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Joint operations in 15 more districts The law enforcers are asked to take all necessary steps against those involved in sabotage n

Mohammad Jamil Khan

With the joint forces’ drive in Satkhira already making headlines, law enforcers are ready to launch similar operations in 15 other districts around the country in the wake of violence and sabotage over political disagreement and war crimes verdicts.

Field level police monitoring marked 49 districts as vulnerable to violence with many of them having inadequate number of police to stave off such terrorist acts.

Of the 49, police red-marked 22 districts where incidents of violence erupts frequently while in 27 other districts it is infrequent.

Law enforcers have already launched their first joint operation last Monday in Satkhira districts in which five people were killed. “It will continue unless the situation is under control,” said a police source.

They will launch joint operation in 15 other districts. They are Bagura, Jamalpur, Rajshahi, Gazipur, Chapainababganj, Chittagong, Shirajganj, Joypurhat, Chandpur, Feni, Noakhali, Comilla, Brahmanbaria, Bagerhat and Munshiganj.

Hassan Mahmood Khandker, inspector general of police (IGP), said police are trained enough to foil all kinds of militancy and political violence and they are working on it.

“Police are committed to ensuring punishment of those involved in subversive acts,” he noted.

The railway too was not spared as the violence escalated across the country. In many places rail tracks were uprooted leading to a good number of rail accidents killing many and injuring hundreds. The railway police said they had identified 1041 vulnerable spots and deployed additional security forces to stop violence.

Apart from those 16, six others districts – Lalmonirhat, Natore, Narayanganj, Jhenidah, Sylhet and the capital city Dhaka – are also under police watch as there have been reports of violence regularly since October 26.

The districts that have witnessed stray incidents of violence are Nilphamari, Dinajpur, Rangpur, Naogaon, Kurigram, Meherpur, Pabna, Sherpur,

Police are committed to ensuring punishment of those involved in subversive acts Tangail, Maymenshing, Netrokona, Kishorgonj, Manikganj, Rangamati, Khagrachari, Jessore, Norail, Khulna, Barisal, Pirojpur, Cox’bazar and Patuakhali.

Several police supers in the violence-prone districts, on request of anonymity, said they could not contain violence as those districts lack additional police forces.

They also said Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) forces were deployed in those areas after the insistence of field level forces several times.

A high official of police headquarters in return for anonymity says that they are planning to improvise the security system in districts and in this regard all kinds of preparations have already been taken. Security forces will be in place as per the demand shortly.

Advocate Shamsul Haque Tuku, state minister for home, said they had issued order to law enforcers to remain alert and take all necessary steps against those involved in sabotage.

Plain-clothes police officials have been deployed at sensitive points, he said. l

BGB members take positions in Natore yesterday on the first day of 72-hour fresh blockade programme enforced by the 18- party alliance DHAKA TRIBUNE

‘No environment for observing polls now’ n Mohammad Zakaria

Government killing opposition men as per hit list: BNP

A section of local election observers yesterday told the Election Commission that there was no environment for observing the electionsat present, saidEC sources.

A delegation of the Election Working Group (EWG) yesterday met the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KaziRakibuddin Ahmad to discuss election observation.

Meanwhile, no foreign election observers have applied for observing the elections so far, despite the commission’s invitation.

Following yesterday’s meeting, Executive Director of the Democracy Watch, Taleya Rahman, told the media that it was not possible for them to observe the 10th parliamentary polls, until the political violence across the country came to an end.

The CEC also agreed on the matter, she said. l

The main opposition BNP yesterday alleged that the government had been killing opposition leaders and activists using the joined forces “on the basis of a hit list.”

“Ruling party cadres have started attacking opposition men’s houses in different parts of the country in the presence of law enforcement agencies and killing opposition leaders and activists using the joint forces as per a hit list,” BNP Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said yesterday.

At a press conference at the party chairperson’s Gulshan office, Nazrul claimed that at least 25 leaders and activists had been killed in the past few days in Lakshmipur, Joypurhat, Satkhira, Nilphamari, Noakhali, Lalmonirhat and Jessore.

He held the Election Commission, too, responsible for the “killings” as the joint force’s operation had been going since the announcement of the election schedule.

Lawyer submits, then withdraws legal notice for Ershad’s release

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Nazrul said their movement and the dialogue process were centred on the 10th general elections. “No one is thinking about the 11th general elections except Obaidul Quader. We urge the important persons in the government to refrain from making such misleading speech,” he said.

Asked about the resolution passed by the Pakistan parliament over war criminal Quader Molla’s execution, Nazrul said the government had split the country to thwart people’s movement and “a country could pass such a proposal because of that.”

“The government should have protested much earlier. The BNP always demands trial of the war criminals but what the government is doing is trying the crimes against humanity. Trial of war criminals and that of crimes against humanity are not the same,” he said.

Replying to another query, Nazrul said: “There is still time for reaching an understanding. It is possible to hold the elections, cancelling the election schedule.” l

n Muktasree Chakma Sathi Historians, academics and freedom fighters yesterday said the European Union legates not paying homage on Victory Day could be termed as “breaching diplomatic norms.”

They also said the EU might be trying to convey a message that they were against the death penalties handed down to the war criminals.

Eminent citizens made the observation at the special premier of a documentary titled “Bangladesh Kon Pothe” – translated which way Bangladesh is headed – directed by Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee leader Shahriar Kabir at the Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs auditorium in the city.

On December 16, going against diplomatic practice, EU envoys based in Dhaka did not pay homage at the National Memorial on the Victory Day. The EU Dhaka office said the envoys

The legal notice served yesterday by senior lawyer Rafique-Ul Huq for “freeing” Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad was withdrawn within hours.

The Supreme Court lawyer sent the notice on behalf of JaPa Organising Secretary Bakhtiar Uddin Khan around noon. “The leader misled me to send a legal notice to the home secretary for release saying that Ershad was detained,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

“But after reading newspapers and watching television, I have come to know that Ershad was not detained as his family members and the party leaders met him at Combined Medical Hospital. So I withdrew the legal notice [in the afternoon].” l

The Pakistani occupation army, with the help of war crimes accused Syed Mohammad Qaisar, had inhumanly tortured and raped one Majeda in Habiganj during the 1971 Liberation War, said the prosecution yesterday adding that they would place the war child as witness in the case.

The International Crimes Tribunal heard prosecution arguments on the charge framing matter against Qaisar, a former minister during HM Ershad’s regime, and set December 19 for the defence hearing.

The prosecution claimed that they had enough verbal and documentary evidence to prove the case. They said Qaisar had fled the country just after

Tribunal accepts plea to re-examine witnesses The International Crimes Tribunal 2 yesterday allowed a defence petition to recall seven prosecution witnesses in the case against AKM Yusuf for cross-examination which were closed earlier.

At the same time, the tribunal rejected another plea to withdraw the ex-

pulsion order on defence lawyer Syed Mizanur Rahman.

Saifur Rahman, defence counsel for the accused Jamaat-e-Islami leader, submitted that Yusuf had appointed Mizanul Islam as the new counsel to defend him. So, they prayed to cross examine the witnesses who had already testified at the tribunal.

Earlier, the tribunal closed cross-ex-

amination of seven prosecution witnesses as the conducting defence lawyers had skipped the proceedings during blockades.

Senior prosecutor Syed Haider Ali said the witnesses could not be produced again under the current situation of the country.

The tribunal said they had accepted the petition for the sake of justice and

US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan Mozena has expressed concerns about the security of his embassy and its staff in the backdrop of demonstrations in the nearby diplomatic zone.

“He [Mozena] raised the issue at a meeting with the foreign secretary [Md Shahidul Haque]. The secretary assured him that the government would ensure security of all embassies and foreign diplomats,” said an official of the foreign ministry.

Briefing the media after the unscheduled meeting, the US ambassador said: “There is no room for the violence that we’ve been witnessing and this must stop.

“Violence that has marked the political equation here is absolutely unacceptable from all sides. From the opposition side, I don’t know who those people who are doing these horrific acts. It must stop.”

Mozena also said there must not be excesses by the police and other law enforcement agencies.

Asked about the credibility of the election in which 154 had already been elected unopposed, he said they were still assessing the situation.

He said the dialogue was still open and proceeding urgently was needed “to find some way that there can be a kind of elections that people of Bangladesh want and people of Bangladesh deserves.”

Mozena said there needed to be political space for all of the players and it was the government’s obligation to provide that space while it was the opposition’s obligation to use that political space peacefully.

Asked about postponement of the election schedule, he said this was not an issue for him to address. “This is an issue for the participants of the dialogue.”

Three sessions of the dialogue have already taken place and Mozena met a number of the participants in those sessions. l

were busy attending a meeting and preparing a report on the political situation in Bangladesh. Later, however, they attended the president’s reception at Bangabhaban.

Speaking at the premier, historian Muntasir Mamun said: “They boycotted the programme since they are not in favour of death penalty. Some of us are against monarchy. What about that?”

Shahriar Kabir said: “It [paying homage] is mandatory for them, also is attending all kinds of national celebration, especially the Victory Day. They said they could not go there because of a meeting. But the meeting was at noon and paying homage started around 7:30 in the morning.”

“All they are trying is to convey the message that they are not in favour of death penalty. That execution was carried out in line with country’s laws.

They do not have any authority to comment on this,” Shahriar said.

On December 12, war criminal Abdul

Quader Mollah was hanged to death for committing crimes against humanity in 1971. A number of international organisations and countries expressed dissatisfaction with the execution saying capital punishment violated human rights.

Shafique Ahmmed, former law minister and the prime minister’s legal affairs adviser in the polls-time government, however, differed with these observations. “I do not know how far making such observation regarding the EU is practical.”

He told the German ambassador in a meeting yesterday that the war crimes trials were conducted following national laws and the verdicts therefore were national issues. “We accommodated international crimes such as crimes against humanity in the national law.”

For upholding the rule of law, ensuring justice to the victims and ending the culture of impunity, death penalty was a must, Shafique said he told the German ambassador. l

War child to testify against Qaisar n Udisa Islam

n Udisa Islam

Mozena concerned over US embassy security n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

‘EU envoys’ behaviour against diplomatic norms’

n Nazmus Sakib

Leaders and activists bring out a procession in the capital yesterday, protesting the detainment of party Chairman HM Ershad DHAKA TRIBUNE

3

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

to avoid any question over the trial. It also ordered the defence to provide the prosecution with Tk40,000 by today for transportation of the witness.

The tribunal ordered that the defence would have to complete questioning witnesses 12, 13, 14 and 15 between December 23 and 24, and witnesses 16, 17 and 18 on December 29 and 30. l

the independence to London. After his return in 1977, the accused joined politics and become an MP from Habiganj 4 constituency.

Prosecutor Rana Das Gupta placed 18 charges including genocide, killing, rape, abduction and confinement committed in Habiganj. The accused himself led a force named “Qaisar Bahini” which collaborated with the Pakistani army and committed crimes against humanity.

The prosecutor also described charge number 14 which states about the torture and rape of Majeda.

Later defence counsel Abdus Sobhan Tarafder submitted an adjournment plea as they wanted to scrutinise the probe report. The three-member tribunal 2, headed by Justice Obaidul

Hassan, then set December 19 for the defence hearing.

The charges against Qaisar include genocide in 22 Hindu-dominated villages under Nasirnagar police station where 108 were people killed on November 15, 1971; killing of Nazimuddin and rape of indigenous woman Hiramoni Santal at Chanpur Tea State.

Earlier on September 22, the tribunal’s investigation agency submitted the probe report after examining 81 witnesses. The tribunal took the charges into cognisance on November 14.

Qaisar was arrested on May 21 at a hospital in the city in compliance with an arrest warrant issued by the tribunal.

Later on July 30, the tribunal granted him conditional bail considering his health. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Political turmoil may affect Boro harvest

Writ filed to check fake drugs

n Nazmus Sakib Farmers are not getting the fertiliser they need at this time of the year as the transport system collapsed To control illegal production and marbecause of the ongoing blockades and hartals keting of fake drugs, two Supreme Court lawyers yesterday filed a writ According to the industries ministry, gladesh Fertiliser Association, claimed ditional research director of Centre cal turmoil would not hurt Boro pro- petition seeking a High Court order to Asif Showkat Kallol n the current government stock of urea that the situation had not been in for Policy Dialoge, told the Dhaka Tri- duction, Agriculture Secretary Dr SM form a monitoring cell.

Disruption in distribution of fertiliser and diesel because of the ongoing political turmoil have raised fears that the harvest of Boro paddy, slated for April-May next year, may get seriously hampered.

With Boro accounting for nearly 60% of the country’s aggregate demand for rice, economists said there were chances that food security might come under threat if the political turmoil got stretched.

A senior official of the agriculture ministry said the government might not admit that Boro production might be hampered.

But farmers have said this (December) was the time of the year and the harvest cycle when they apply fertiliser to the immature paddy to accelerate growth and production.

fertiliser stands at 120,000 tonnes; but the demand for urea in December is 256,000 tonnes.

There are allegations that sellers are hoarding fertiliser amid the political violence, thus giving rise to the “unnatural” supply shortage. Some are reportedly selling urea fertiliser at Tk10-Tk15 above usual price.

The government generally procures the fertiliser from dealers and stores.

Then when time comes, the fertiliser is distributed among the farmers.

But since the government has been finding it difficult to ensure smooth transportation of fertiliser around the country, some farmers are having to buy the fertiliser directly from the dealers at higher prices.

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Kamrul Ashraf Khan, president of Ban-

their control because of the prolonged blockade. He also snubbed out the allegations that the dealers had been trying to sell fertiliser at higher prices.

Ashraf also said the supply of diesel – used for fuelling irrigation machines – has also been badly hampered as the transportation system in the country had collapsed because of the prolonged blockade.

He said the 16 southern districts, who mainly contribute to the production of the country’s main crop, have been the worst sufferers due to the supply shortage of diesel and also fertiliser.

Over the last couple of weeks, Boro growers in a number of districts demonstrated in front of their respective deputy commissioners’ offices demanding fertiliser and diesel.

Khondaker Golam Moazzem, ad-

bune that the targeted Boro production might not be reached if the government failed to ensure smooth supply of fertiliser.

He added that it all depended on how the government handled the political turmoil to keep up the transportation of fertiliser.

Moazzem also said harvest of Aman – the other major crop of the country – had been quite good a few months ago because the government had managed to keep the supply chain up and running amid the political turmoil.

According to the CPD director, shortage of diesel would not hurt Boro production if the government could ensure electricity supply because irrigation pumps could be run by electricity as well.

However, hoping that the politi-

Nazmul Islam said the current position of government’s urea fertiliser stock was good – both in Dhaka and at the regional levels.

“700,000 to 800,000 tonnes of urea fertiliser is currently kept stored at the warehouse of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation,” the secretary claimed.

He also said although there had been some stray incidents where fertiliser-laden trucks had been torched by pickets, in most cases, mobile courts and police had managed to keep the roads clear.

The last harvest brought around 18.77 million tonnes of boro rice between May and June; up from 18.75 million tonnes in the previous season, according to a provisional estimate of the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. l

ACC to file charges against Paharpur Museum official n Tribune Report

Hannan, Sapu and Babu granted bail n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court granted bail to BNP Standing Committee Member ASM Hannan Shah in a vandalism and arson case yesterday.

Vacation Judge Humayun Kabir also granted bail to Swechchasebak Dal General Secretary Mir Sharafat Ali Sapu, and Organising Secretary Shafiul Bari Babu.

The duo were accused in a case filed with Ramna police station.

Sapu was currently undergoing treatment at Birdem Hospital, while Bari was undergoing treatment at the jail hospital, said Defense Counsel Md Sanaullaha Miah while submitting medical certificates before the court in his bail plea.

He told the Dhaka Tribune that the three leaders would not be released since more cases were pending against them. l

BCL apologises to DU reporters n DU Correspondent Bangladesh Chhatra League yesterday apologised to Dhaka University reporters for attacking a university correspondent of a Bangla newspaper.

Bodiuzzaman Shohag, president of the party, and Siddique Nazmul Alam, secretary of the party, along with some other leaders of the university unit, went to Dhaka University Journalist’s Association and apologised for attacking MD Yamin Shazed, the university correspondent of the daily Amar Desh.

The leaders also assured the association that they would take action against those who had attacked the journalist on November 17. l

WEATHER

Dry weather likely n UNB Weather is likely to remain dry with partly cloudy sky over the country until 6pm today.

Light to moderate fog might occur over river basins of the country during late night till morning, 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 5:15pm today and rises at 6:36am tomorrow.

Country’s highest temperature 28.4 degree Celsius was recorded at Sitakunda and lowest 7.2 degrees at Srimangal yesterday.

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

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

28.0 25.0 25.7 22.7 27.5 27.0 26.3 28.0

13.0 13.4 10.4 12.5 12.4 11.4 13.0 12.4

An indigenous farmer shows a dead leopard cat, which is considered near extinct, in Khagrachhari yesterday. The cat entered into a paddy field that cost its life

5:14am 6:34am 11:55am 3:39pm 5:15pm 6:36pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

BANGLAR CHOKH

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday decided to press charges against M Mehedi Hasan, cash officer of Paharpur Museum, for misappropriating around Tk1.88 lakh over three years.

Following evidences of irregularities, a commission meeting yesterday approved filing of a charge-sheet in the embezzlement case against Mehedi, ACC Public Relations Officer Pranab Kumer Bhattacharya said.

The accused official allegedly embezzled the money using 16 separate documents during his posting at the museum from July 18, 2001 to June 30, 2004.

The official reportedly stole Tk61,898 to deposit at the bank, Tk38,928 to pay electricity bills and Tk87,000 from a provident fund.

Tanvir Ahmed, ACC deputy assistant director in Rajshahi, investigated the allegations against Mehedi and sought the commission’s approval to file a charge-sheet against the accused under section 409 of the Penal Code and 5(2) of the Corruption Prevention Act 1947. l

Young journalists can help Migrant workers in dire condition society: Canadian HC n Rabiul Islam

n Tribune Report Impartial and independent media can play a key role in reinforcing human rights, the rule of law, and democracy in the country during times of political tension, Canadian High Commissioner Heather Cruden said.

She made the remark at a meeting with the participants of a leadership development workshop at the Canadian High Commission in the capital’s Baridhara area on Sunday.

The Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre organised the three-day workshop, entitled “leadership development for the next generation of media professionals,” from December 13–15 Cruden observed that quality journalism has made major contributions to countries around the world, particularly to the growth of democracy and independence.

BYLC chairperson Manzoor Hasan said in today’s world it was challenge for media professionals to remain unbiased and not be swayed.

The workshop aimed to instil quali-

ties in the participants that would help them continue with courage and efficiency, both in their personal and professional life.

BYLC President Ejaj Ahmad convened the workshop to reframe the facts they believe as the “truth.” Journalists’ “assumptions” can lead to serious conflicts in society; therefore they need to be careful.

They should serve the whole nation not any particular group, he added.

Given the current circumstances in Bangladesh he said: “If we can open ourselves to multiple interpretations and become a little more curious to understand the viewpoints held by diverse groups, then it will be easy to progress and handle tougher challenges through dialogue.”

Around 27 university students and media professionals were selected from a large pool of applicants. The workshop aimed to instil values of leadership, courage and ethical standards in journalism.

BYLC works on developing skills to bridge the gaps in society, and unite youths from diverse backgrounds. l

The rights of migrant workers are being violated in various forms across many countries including the Middle East, a rights group has claimed.

Bangladeshi migrant workers, especially female migrants working as housemaids, are facing abuse, both mental and physical torture, while being paid low wages and a lack of food and water at their places of work, they said.

The group said migrants from various countries call them over phone complaining about torture at the hands of their employers.

“We receive complaints of rights violation from migrant workers from many different countries,” Bangladesh Ovibashi Mohila Sramik Association (Bomsa) Founding Director Sumaiya Islam told the Dhaka Tribune over phone, yesterday.

In some countries, migrant Bangladeshi housemaids are beaten up if the demand wages. They are not allowed to go out of the homes they work in and their passports are taken away by the employers, she said.

“The government has to ensure that

the workers are paid regularly through banks,” Sumaiya said.

Under the government-to-government system, Malaysia has to give around 900 Ringgit to a worker but migrant workers have told Bomsa that they were receiving around 500-600 Ringgit.

Meanwhile, a government fact-finding team found out that Bangladeshi housemaids in Jordan were facing various problems including low wages, being denied sufficient food and drinking water and an insurmountable language barrier.

The six-member delegation led by expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry’s Joint Secretary M Khalid Mahmud visited Jordan from November 9-19 to see the condition of workers including housemaids and garment workers.

The team recommended strengthening pre-departure training for outbound housemaids and setting up a shelter home to protect victimised female workers, a senior official who accompanied the team told this correspondent.

Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU) founding Chair Tasneem Siddique also admit-

ted that the rights of migrant workers were being violated in many countries, including Saudi Arabia.

She mentioned that Philippines had stopped sending female workers to Saudi Arabia.

“Our migrant workers do not get salaries regularly in a number of countries including Qatar,” Tasneem told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

According to RMMRU’s records, at least 4% of all migrant workers have reported violations of rights, she said.

“Many returning migrant workers do not want to admit that they were being tortured,” she added.

“The extent of the violation of rights of migrant workers has decreased and we have taken various steps,” Expatriates’ Welfare Secretary Zafar Ahmed Khan told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

He said steps were underway to increase the capacity of the missions in these countries and a total of 101 posts had been created which would be filled very soon.

According to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training, the country received $14.17bn as remittance. In 2013, 607,000 workers were sent abroad. l

Sreda sees little progress n Aminur Rahman Rasel

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

The petition also sought directions from the government to prepare a list of the names of drugs produced by different companies and their rates fixed by the respective companies.

It also sought an order to prepare a list of names of the drugs supplied free of cost at different government medical colleges and publish it in the media.

It called the government to prepare a list of over-the-counter drugs (drugs sold directly to a consumer without a prescription from a healthcare professional).

Supreme Court lawyers, Mirza Al Mahmud and Sharif U Ahmed lodged the petition on behalf of Supreme Court lawyer JR Khan.

Law secretary, health secretary, director general of drugs administration and director general of health department were the respondents to the petition. l

Photo taken yesterday shows motorcycles burnt during hartals and blockades enforced by the opposition parties are piled up in front of Nilphamari police station DHAKA TRIBUNE

A year after forming the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (Sreda), there has been little progress at the organisation, except appointment of its chairman; resulting in difficulties for interested public entities and private entrepreneurs.

The Sreda Act 2012 was passed by parliament last December, and at the end of May this year the Ministry of Public Administration approved seven posts, including the chairman, five members and a secretary.

Sreda Chairman Md Abdul Wahab Khan, who was appointed in the first week of November, said: “We will appoint the necessary manpower soon.

Though my appointment was a bit delayed, I will try to overcome the diffi-

culties of the Solar Home System, Biogas and other sectors.”

The organisation will have 61 departmental posts, including directors, deputy directors and assistant directors.

Professor of Dhaka University’s Institute of Renewable Energy Department Saiful Haque said the development of the renewable energy sector had stalled as there was no oversight authority.

He pointed to the sector being supplied with low-quality solar panels in the absence of proper monitoring.

“Entrepreneurs are not interested in making any effort within the sector,” he said.

Sreda has an ambitious plan of producing 800MW of electricity by 2015.

Bangladesh currently produces about 100MW from renewable sources while the grid is under extreme pres-

sure to meet demands, with a shortfall of around 1000MW. Sreda has been established as a focal point for the promotion and development of sustainable and renewable energy, with responsibility for efficiency and conservation of energy.

Power Division officials hope that it will gradually solve the existing problems within the renewable power sector.

Though use of renewable energy is growing rapidly worldwide, in Bangladesh the progress has been slow. Bangladesh’s energy sector largely relies on costly hydrocarbon imports, such as coal and oil.

The government is also hoping to diversify production with greater exploitation of natural gas reserves and the development of nuclear power with the help of Russia. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Train derailment causes sufferings to passengers All locomotives were instructed to run at a cautionary speed to evade any untoward incident ter-city and mail trains could not arrive n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong in the port city on time, said Chittagong Several thousand commuters from Chittagong and other railway stations suffered immensely as the Dhaka-Chittagong and Chittagong-Sylhet rail routes remained suspended for several hours till early yesterday because of a train derailment incident at Comilla on Monday night.

A compartment of Mymensingh-bound “Mymensingh Express” was derailed near Gunoboti railway station in Comilla around 9:30pm on Monday, and rescue trains and technicians restored the rail communication around 4am yesterday, railway sources said.

As a result of the accident, schedules of Sylhet-bound “Udyon Express,” which was scheduled to leave Chittagong previous night, left the port city yesterday morning.

Besides, all Chittagong-bound in-

railway station Manager AA Shamsul Alam, adding that trains of different destinations could not leave station as per schedules too.

Meanwhile, all locomotives were instructed to run at a cautionary speed to evade any accident or attack by pro-blockade activists, which also delayed the train schedules.

During a visit to Chittagong railway station, this correspondent found several thousand commuters waiting for trains.

Mohammad Torikullah, a Chittagong University student, said he had to return his ticket of “Subarna Express” because of the delayed schedule.

Another commuter Taslima Khatun said she could start her journey from Chittagong at noon because of the schedule collapse though she was scheduled to reach Sylhet by morning. l

International Migrants Day today n Tribune Report

BOUNTY ON 11 JAMAAT-SHIBIR MEN

The International Migrants Day is observed in the country today as elsewhere across the globe with a call to make migration work for the benefit of migrants and countries alike.

On December 4, 2000, the UN General Assembly, taking into account the large and increasing number of migrants in the world, proclaimed December 18 as the International Migrants Day. On that day in 1990, the UN assembly adopted the International Convention on the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages, signifying the importance of the day. l

Cultural personality Mamunur Rashid addresses a rally arranged in protest against the attack on the motorcade of actor and Member of Parliament Asaduzzaman Noor

DB claims to have identified three n Kailash Sarkar Officials from the Detective Branch of police yesterday claimed to have identified three of the 11 Jamaat-Shibir activist responsible for the mayhem in the capital on December 13. The bounty for each is Tk100,000.

The DMP officials hinted of possible drives by the joint forces in the capital, like those carried out recently in Satkhira.

Talking to the media yesterday, Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam at the DB headquarters in Minto Road said: “So far three among the 11 attackers in Motijheel and Fakirapool have been identified, just within two days of the announcement of the Tk100,000 bounty.”

He declined to disclose the details for the sake of the arrests and investi-

gation but said: “Drives are on to arrest the identified criminals and their associates.”

Sources at the DB and DMP claimed that the detectives have already arrested three of the 11 Jamaat-Shibir activists.

None of the officials, however, admitted the detention Terming the 11 individuals “criminals, enemies to the nation and a threat to the country”, the DMP, on December 15, had announced the bounties and urged people to help in their arrest.

Following the announcement, photographs of all those 11 criminals were circulated on different social media sites and on the DMP website.

Jamaat-Shibir activists, in reaction

to the execution of war criminal Abdul Quader Molla on December 12, vandalised and set fire to over 100 vehicles and shops, exploded over 200 bombs and clashed with police immediately after Juma prayers on Friday, December 13.

Joint Commissioner Monirul said since the announcement, they have been receiving lots of information from many people.

Meanwhile, sources at the DB and DMP claimed that the detectives have already arrested three of the 11 Jamaat-Shibir activists. None of the officials, however, admitted the detention.

A DMP spokespersons said, considering the circumstances, joint-forces drives, much like those in Satkhira, might be launched in Dhaka at any time. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

BCL beats DU students suspecting Shibir n Arif Ahmed Bangladesh Chhatra League leaders and activists of Solimullah Muslim Hall unit of Dhaka University yesterday beat four students of the same hall, suspecting them as Shibir activists.

General students of the hall said Chhatra League General Secretary of the hall Didarul Islam along with his fellows beat the four students mercilessly at the hall garden.

The four students are Mehedi of Finance Department, Razu of Banking Department, Arif of Social Welfare Department and Ismail of Law Department. All these students are fourth year students and were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after the incident.

One of the students of the hall, seek-

ing anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune: “The Chhatra League leaders beat the students without any issues. They tortured them at least one hour. They also kept the four tied up at the general secretary’s room, where Chhatra League leaders and activists beat them with rods and sticks.”

Hearing the screams of the four, a house tutor went to the spot and rescued them, he added.

When asked, General Secretary Didarul claimed: “The students are involved with Islami Chhatra Shibir and we have proofs.”

For this the general students beat them up, he added.

DU Proctor Amzad Ali said he had heard about the incident, adding that actions would be taken following an investigation. l

Child court a must to ensure children’s rights, safety n Our Correspondent, Barisal

Guests at the launching ceremony of ‘Bittersweet Victory: A Freedom Fighter’s Tale’ at Bangla Academy in the city on Sunday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Bittersweet Victory: A Freedom Fighter’s Tale n Tribune Report A book entitled “Bittersweet Victory: A Freedom Fighter’s Tale” written by A Qayyum Khan was unveiled at Bangla Academy on Sunday.

Published by Press Limited, the book combines personal recollections, key historical events, and commentary – in lucid and simple language. The launch ceremony of the book took place at Abdul Karim Shahityabisharad Milonayatan, at the city’s Bangla Academy.

Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Mohammad Ziauddin, Bir Uttam, Commander of 1 East Bengal during the Liberation War, was present at the ceremony as the guest of honour.

Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran attended the event as a special guest.

The event included a discussion on the

book conducted by Afsan Chowdhury.

Among others, Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam, former ambassador Mahboob Alam and Professor Kaiser Haq, were present.

In the book, Pakistan’s history leading up to 1971 is described through the eyes of a young student. A first-hand description of the crackdown recounts how the author and his family coped with the Pakistan army’s brutality.

There is a fairly elaborate description of the early days of the Mukti Bahini, its trials and tribulations and how ordinary civilians were turned into guerilla fighters in a matter of weeks.

The memoir ends with the difficulties faced by the new republic.

A Qayyum Khan joined the Liberation War and fought under Sector 7 as a second lieutenant. l

Arakan army member arrested

n Our Correspondent, Bandarban Bandarban police arrested a member of Arakan army from Thuilang Para area of Naikkhongchari upazila in the district yesterday.

The arrestee was Thankchui Ka Si Mong, 55, from Arakan state of Myanmar. Police also seized one local gun and one round of bullet from his possession.

Police said Mong had entered into Bangladesh illegally around 10 years ago. He got married with a Marma girl and since then he had been living at the upazila.

Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Naikongchari police station, said acting on a tip-off police arrested him with weapons and he would be produced before a court soon. l

Participants at a daylong discussion yesterday called for initiating trials with cameras, and opening child courts to ensure children’s rights and safety in the country.

Children under 18 years-old are 41%, nearly half, of the population, and the majority are poor and malnourished, speakers told the discussion, quoting the statistics of the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association.

Girls and boys of this vulnerable age group often suffer from sexual exploitation, human trafficking, forced labour, drug addiction and criminal activities caused by financial crisis.

The interactive workshop was organised at Celebration Point auditorium in Barisal city by the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association, under the International Child Protection and Rights Consortium, funded

by European Union and supported by Save the Children International.

Ataur Rahman, International Child Protection and Rights Consortium project officer of the woman lawyers’ association, conducted the training workshop assisted by Advocate Qamrunnahar Tanu, Keka Ansari of BNWLA. Participants included Sajjad Parvez, probation officer of the social services directorate, Advocate Rashida Aktar Shirin, divisional law officer of the cell for the prevention of torture against women and children, Advocate Kazi Manjuara Begum, divisional officer-in-charge of BNWLA, representatives from the administration, police, judiciary, media, legal profession and rights organisations.

The participants of the workshop said members of law enforcement agencies are not child-friendly, so opening a child court and arranging camera trials for accused children should help protect child rights in the country.

MoU signed between DU and Yokohama University of Japan n Arif Ahmed In order to promote education and research, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed yesterday between the University of Dhaka and the Yokohama National University of Japan.

The signing was held at 3pm at the VC’s office at Dhaka University. DU Vice-Chancellor Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique and President of Yokohama National University Kunio Suzuki signed the MoU on behalf of their respective Institutions.

According to the Mou, DU and Yokohama National Uni-

versity will exchange faculty members, researchers and students to share academic experiences and materials.

Prof Masayoshi Watanabe of Yokohama National University, Prof Takeoka Yukikazu of Nagoya University, and Prof Dr Shin Ichiro Imabayashi of the Shibaura Institute of Technology Japan, attended the program.

Prof D Md Yousuf Ali Mollah, Prof Md Abu Bin Hasan Susan, Prof Muhammed Shah Miran of DU and the acting registrar of the university Syed Rezaur Rahman were present at the occasion. l

They also called for more female officers in the judiciary and law enforcement agencies to ensure the safety of female children.

The speakers at the workshop said protecting children’s right to protection would not be possible without expanding children’s education, strengthening oversight of the activities of state officials, and proper implementation of the existing laws with regular ratifications.

They called for a network to enhance awareness among caregivers, law enforcement agencies, civil society and government.

Formation of child protection caucuses and legal advisory groups , care communities for the reintegration of children , job and school placements for abused and exploited children , capacity building and training on psychosocial care, and research on sexual exploitation. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Hartals and blockades hurt salt demand

Three murdered in Comilla, Cox’s Bazar n Tribune Desk

Price of salt has decreased drastically to Tk100 per maund, from the rate fixed by the government, which is Tk160 per maund

n Our Correspondent, Cox’s Bazar Lack of buyers due to the unavailability of transportation, a result of of the ongoing political unrest, has caused a drastic decline in the price of the salt produced in Cox’s Bazar.

Boat owners are refusing to carry salt during hartal and blockade programmes, tremendously hampering the marketing chain in different districts. As a result, salt farmers and businessmen are facing severe losses.

Price of salt has decreased drastically to Tk100 per mound, from the rate fixed by the government, which is Tk 160 per mound.

Although the supply of salt had increased, the demand, especially in Dhaka and Chittagong, has fallen sharply. At least 15, 00000 mounds of salts has been left lying in salt fields.

Salt farmers of Kutubdia upazila under the district said: “In the last month, at least 5, 00000 mounds of salt was produced in six unions of the upazila. Farmers produced 10, 00000 mounds of salts and had been storing it in holes in the ground, hoping to sell it at a higher price later.”

However, according to the farmers,

Four killed in road accidents n Tribune Desk Four people were killed in separate road accidents that took place in Mirzapur, Dinajpur and Jessore.

A sergeant of Khulna Metropoliton Policewas killed in a road accident in Noapara new bus stand area on the Jessore-Khulna Highway under Abhaynagar upazila of the district on Monday night.

The deceased was identified as Naim Ahmed, 38, a serjeant of KMP. Police said the motorcycle Naim collided head-on with a truck coming from opposite direction in the area, leaving the cop injured. He later died at hospital.

A Dhaka-bound bus from Dinajpur skidded off the Dhaka-Tangail Highway and fell into a ditch beside at about 5am after its driver lost control over the steering, leaving the duo dead on the spot and 20 people injured Two people, including a minor girl, were killed and 20 others injured as a bus plunged into a roadside ditch at Jamurki in Mirzapur upazila early yesterday.

The deceased were identified as Abdul Majid, 65, a resident of Haribhanga village of Panchagarh district, and Runa Akhter, 9, daughter of Rashedul Islam of Gazipur village of Birganj upazila of Dinajpur.

Police and locals said a Dhakabound bus from Dinajpur skidded off the Dhaka-Tangail Highway and fell into a ditch beside at about 5am after its driver lost control over the steering, leaving the duo dead on the spot and 20 people injured.

Of the injured, critically five were rushed to Mirzapur Kumudini Hospital while seven others were admitted to Mirzapur Upazila Health Complex. The rest eight were given first aid.

On receiving information, police recovered the bodies and sent those to hospital morgue for autopsy.

Meanwhile, a college girl was killed in a road accident in Hajir Morh area in Chirirbandar upazila of the district on Monday night.

The deceased was identified as Farhana Setu, 20, an honours thirdyear student of Zoology Department of Rangpur Karmaikel University College, and daughter of Faizur Rahman of Ghughumari area in Parbatipur upazila.

Officer-in-charge of Chirirbandar Police Station Abdur Rahman said a speeding truck from the district town hit from behind a motorcycle Setu and her uncle were riding in the area around 2pm. Setu slipped off the motorcycle and fell under the wheels of the running truck and died on the spot.

However, the killer truck left the scene quickly after the accident. l

their efforts were in vain; they still could not sell the stocked salt.

In the last month, at least 5, 00000 mounds of salt was produced in six unions of the upazila. Farmers produced 10, 00000 mounds of salts and had been storing it in holes in the ground, hoping to sell it at a higher price later Samsuddoha, a salt labour in Shikadar Para in the upazila, said: “The salt price has plummeted because of the shutdowns and blockade programmes. There is hardly any demand among the consumers in Dhaka and Chittagong to buy salt at a cheaper rate.”

Abdur Rahim, another salt trader in Lemshikhali, said: “We cannot deliver salts to different mills in Dhaka and Chittagong because of a lack of transport. At least 10,000 mounds of salts are stacked in fields.”

According to the local salt traders, there were more than 100 salt traders in the upazila.

Many local farmers have lost interest in producing salt. l

Two girls returning home after fetching water from a well as acute crisis of drinking water has been prevailing in Kolapara in Patuakhali for the last few days FOCUS BANGLA

Three people were murdered in separate incidents in Comilla and Cox’s Bazar districts yesterday and Monday night.

In Comilla, muggers stabbed a Grameen Bank official to death at Sujanagar of the city yesterday afternoon.

The victim was identified as Dilip Kumar Banik, field level officer of the micro-credit lending organisation and son of Prabandhan Kumar Banik of Kongai village in Chandina upazila.

Locals said Dilip came under the attack while returning to his office after collecting installment money from the loan recipients.

On the way, muggers intercepted him at Sujanagar and tried to take away the bag containing the money.

Resisted, the hoodlums stabbed him indiscriminately in the belly, leaving him critically injured, reports UNB. Locals whisked Dilip to Comilla Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

In another incident, police recovered the throat-slit body of an expatriate from a house in the Housing Estate area of the city on Monday night.

The victim was identified as Samsul Huda, 38, a Singapore expatriate and resident of Chouddagram upazila.

Police said Samsul who returned home from Singapore on December 11 was kidnapped for ransom and killed by a gang. Police arrested three people, including a woman, on suspicion. The arrested were identified as Ripon, 32, a hotel trader and his girlfriend Taslima, 26, and their staff Shahab Uddin, 22.

In Cox’s Bazar, a shrimp trader was stabbed to death allegedly by his partner over payment of borrowed money at Maizpara in Sadar upazila yesterday.

The deceased was identified as Kalimullah, 28, of the area. l

Marginal farmers fall prey to exploitation by landowners

‘Freedom fighters deserve due honours’

n Our Correspondent, Narsingdi

The nation must pay its due honour to the Freedom Fighters (FFs), the best sons and daughters of the soil, during their lifetime to uphold spirit of the War of Liberation, speakers said here today.

They were addressing a reception ceremony accorded to three valiant freedom fighters by Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry at RCCI auditorium in the city as a part of observance of the great Victory Day- 2013.

The RCCI organised the ceremony for according reception to freedom fighters Shahidar Rahman, Enayet Ullah and Khalilur Rahman and distributing crests among them for their extra ordinary contributions and heroism in the War of Liberation.

Commander of Rangpur district unit of Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangshad and former RCCI President Mosaddek Hossain Bablu attended and addressed the ceremony, participated by over 100 freedom fighters, as the chief guest.

Noted educationist Professor Maloy Kishore Bhattacharya attended the reception ceremony as the special guest

Sharecropper farmers often fall prey to exploitation by landowners and irrigation service providers.

Farmers say that although they from work dawn to dusk in fields to produce the crops, landowners take away the lion’s share of their produce.

A sharecropper has to give away at least 60% of his/her produce to the landowners, whilst they have to pay all costs, including for fertilisers, pesticides and labour.

According to Ayub Ali of Baghabo village, Farid Miah of Shimarbag village in Shibpur upazila, and Ambar Ali of Paikerchar village under Narsingdi sadar upaizla; a shallow irrigation machine costs Tk32,000 to Tk35,000, but they cannot afford to buy one because of their dire poverty.

They have to spend substantial amounts to hire shallow irrigation machines, and to buy pesticides and other things for cultivation.

“We can keep only a small portion

of our produce after we give the landowners their share and meet the demands of the irrigation service providers,” said a farmer.

According to Ayub Ali of Baghabo village, Farid Miah of Shimarbag village in Shibpur upazila, and Ambar Ali of Paikerchar village under Narsingdi sadar upaizla; a shallow irrigation machine costs Tk32,000 to Tk35,000, but they cannot afford to buy one because of their dire poverty If land is fertile, it produces at least two crops in a year, so many sharecroppers scramble to get it.

Locals said natural disasters, such as storms, droughts and floods, often shatter the sharecropper’s hopes of good harvest.

Some other sharecroppers told the Dhaka Tribune that lack of money of-

n Tribune Desk

ten hinders them in their struggle for survival.

As they have no access to institutional loans from commercial banks, they are compelled to take loans from village moneylenders – at exorbitant rates of interest.

“Sometimes we have to pass our days in starvation after paying all dues and share of land owners as we do not have money, said another farmer.

“But once you are in the trap of the moneylenders it becomes difficult to escape their clutches.”

They also stated that they faced hassle at every turn when trying to get agriculture loans from the banks.

Despite of all these obstacles, famers of the district seem to be very happy, as they have had a good harvest of Aman paddy.

The production of paddy has exceed targets set by DAE this year.

According to the department of Agriculture Extention, some 49,500 hectares of land have been brought under Aman cultivation this year. l

Drug dealers evicted, one held with Phensidyl n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat Locals evicted drug peddlers from two dens, while police arrested a woman carrying Phensidyl at a den in Khochabari Linerpar in Lalmonirhat town yesterday.

The arrested woman, Shefa Begum, 30, was held with six bottles of Indian phensydil, an illegal drug.

Shefa’s husband Mazidul Islam, 44, is also a drug peddler, but he managed to escape arrest.

Hundreds of people swooped and vandalised their houses, in order to make the drug peddlers stop their trade.

Seeking anonymity, a schoolteacher said local people had asked the traders to stop several times, but they never listened.

He added: “We want a drug free environment.”

Mahbub Islam, sub-inspector of Lalmonirhat police station, said police arrested Mazidul’s wife Shefa Begum

and were trying to arrest her husband Mazidul Islam too.

Local people alleged that the two drug peddlers– Golam Rabbani, 44, and Mazidul Islam had been selling illegal drugs at their homes for a long time, and that their homes had become safe dens for drugs abusers.

Golam Rabbani had already been arrested while selling phensydil in his den a month ago, and had been awarded a one year jail term by a mobile court. l

Locals evicted drug peddlers from two dens at Khochabari Linerpar in Lalmonirhat town yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

with RCCI president Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu in the chair.

Former RCCI President ATM Shahnewaz Bablu, its former Senior Vicepresidents Mohammad Jahangir and Abul Kashem, former Junior Vice-president Ramkrishna Somani, incumbent Directors Shah Mohammad Selim, Mostafa Ahamed, Fazlul Haque and Mozammel Haque Dambel, also spoke.

Vice-president of RCCI Golam Zakaria Pintu narrated the heroism and contributions of the three freedom fighters through power point presentation in the ceremony participated by private sector bankers, businessperson, teachers and students of RCCI Public School & College, local elite and journalists.

The speakers said the freedom fighters presented an independent country without thinking anything in return while they were fighting against the welltrained Pakistani occupation forces to liberate the country in 1971. They asked all concerned for upholding the true spirit of the War of Liberation through building an exploitation-free non- communal Sonar Bangla as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. l

NEWS IN BRIEF Aman rice procurement begins in Panchagarh Procurement of Aman rice has started in Panchagarh recently. The programme will continue till February 28 of the next year.

District Food Controller Office sources said this year 3,615 tonnes of rice would be procured. District Food Controller Md Nazrul Islam said the rice would be procured from the husking mills and auto rice mills of the district. BSS

Two BNP activists found dead in Lakshmipur

Police recovered the bodies of two local BNP activists from Battali area of sadar upazila of the district yesterday morning. The deceased were identified as Abdul Mannan, son of Khalilur Rahman of Uttar Jamtali village of Sadar upazila, and Johirul Islam, son of M Mohsin Khokon of Spatarampur village of Chatkhil upazila of Noakhali district. Locals spotted the bodies near a canal of the area in the morning and informed police. Police recovered the bodies at about 8:00am and sent those to hospital morgue for autopsy, said Iqbal Hossain, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station. Upazila unit BNP president Main Uddin Chowdhury Riaz claimed the two victims--Mannan and Johirul-to be their party activists. The reason behind the death could not be known immediately. However, locals said the duo had remained missing since after a Rab crackdown in Jamirtali area of Sadar upazila on Sunday night. UNB

12 held in Cox’s Bazar while going to Malaysia illegally

Police in a drive arrested 12 people from Kolatali area in sadar upazila on Monday night while they were set to go to Malaysia by a boat. All of the arrestees were from different places of Narsingdi and Jessore districts. Assistant subinspector of Cox’s Bazar Sadar Model police station Rezaul Karim said a team of police launched a drive in two residential hotels-- Hotel Lodge and Hotel Blue Sea on a tip-off around 11:00pm and arrested six people from each of the hotels.

Quoting the arrestees, the ASI said three human traffickers brought them there some days ago on promise of sending them to Malaysia by a boat for Tk20-25 thousands per head. At one stage, the traffickers took away mobile phone sets from them so that they could not contact anyone. UNB

One held with phensidyl in Chuadanga

Police arrested one person and recovered 263 bottles of phensidyl from Joforpur village under Chuadanga Sadar upazila of the district yesterday. Acting on a secret information, a team of detective branch of police rushed to the spot and recovered the phensidyl from a passenger who was carrying it by a mechanized transport locally named Korimoon. The arrested was identified as Idris Ali, 36, son of Abdus Sattar of Medinipur village under Jibannagar upazila of the district. A case was filed with Chuadanga sadar police station in this connection. BSS

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Interview

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

7

The next generation of leadership in Bangladesh Ejaj Ahmad discusses some of the root causes of the leadership crisis, the challenges that young people in Bangladesh face in exercising leadership and the BYLC approach to training the next generation of leaders

T

n Farzana Nawaz he term “leadership crisis” has been mentioned many times in recent weeks to characterise the current political impasse. As we celebrate the 42nd anniversary of the Victory Day of Bangladesh, it is more urgent than ever that we examine what leadership means in the context of Bangladesh, how a “crisis” in leadership has come about and what we can do to overcome it.

Dhaka Tribune recently sat down with Ejaj Ahmad, founder and president of Bangladesh Youth Leadership Centre (BYLC) that aims to create a new way of thinking about and teaching leadership in Bangladesh.

What was your motivation behind starting the BYLC? What do you think it can do to address some of the problems that we see in our society today, particularly in the political arena?

I was trained as an economist and although I studied abroad I came back to Bangladesh in 2003 because my heart was here and I started working as a research economist. While working with projects funded by the World Bank, UNDP and the Ministry of Commerce, I realised that the main reason that Bangladesh is poor is not because of money but because of our mindset.

Unless we can change the mindset and behaviour of people, we cannot change Bangladesh. I also realised that the main challenge facing our country is a lack of leadership and I wanted to do something about changing the quality of leadership in Bangladesh.

To set up your own organisation requires a lot of courage and a lot of money and I had neither. So I took a safer option and I went back to graduate school in the US. I was at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard for two years where I studied public policy and leadership. I came back to Bangladesh in 2008 to launch BYLC. The reason I wanted to work with young people is because when I started BYLC I myself was fairly young and I thought young people would listen to me. The other reason is that more than 50% of the population in Bangladesh is below the age of 25, and therefore I thought any intervention targeted to-

enough resources or are not competent enough. Or, people who are competent but who don’t care about others. For good leadership you need a combination of both. Competence and compassion are values we strive for at BYLC and these are the attributes we try to instill in young people through our leadership programme.

In recent years we have also witnessed several youth uprisings passionate young people have came together at Shahbag and at the Shapla Chattar. While these movements demonstrated the willingness of the youth to engage, I think they also brought to the fore the divisions that exist in our society that for many years

Leaders learn from others but write their own stories. And how many of us can say that? What other people say don’t matter. What matters is, are you being true to yourself? have been neglected. I think a root cause of Shahbag and Shapla Chattar is the divided education system – between English and Bangla medium and madrasa school systems. BYLC is the first organisation in Bangladesh that brought together students from these diverse backgrounds on a common platform to learn about leadership and then go to the community and practice what they learned in the classroom.

Let’s talk a little bit about the challenges that young people in Bangladesh face. For example, an education system that doesn’t encourage leadership, cultural norms that privilege age and status, and a political context that seems out of reach for a lot of people, to name a few. Young people who are capable of exercising a lot of compassion and competence might not want to engage with the political system as it exists

Response to any crisis has to be at two levels: the immediate short-term where you have to control stress and provide direction to the group to restore some level of equilibrium; and the mid-to-long term where you have to address the root cause of the problem. Both are equally important. Therefore, the main purpose of the immediate short-term intervention is to buy time and create a space where the real work of adaption can take place.

When the same problem is reemerging in cycles, just as our democratic system is, it’s an indication that we are only treating the symptom, i.e. a caretaker framework to hold elections, but not addressing the underlying challenges of lack of trust in government, accountability of public institutions and an electoral system where the loser gets nothing. wards the development of the country should have a focus on youth.

Looking at the current political context, there are several things that come to mind – I think what we are seeing is a dearth of leaders who are compassionate, who care about others. We need leaders who engage with their hearts. At the same time you need leaders who are competent.

Unfortunately, in our society today we see that either there are people who are compassionate but don’t have

right now. Drawing on your experience from working with BYLC, do you think such a grassroots approach can overcome some of these systemic challenges?

I think any sustainable movement has to start from the grassroots. However, the challenge with this approach is that it takes time. Change will not happen overnight.

You mentioned a few things – for example, deference to authority.

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There is a common misconception in our society where we often relate authority with leadership. Authority is about the chair, the position. It’s a noun. Leadership is an activity – it’s a process that anyone, regardless of their position in the authority structure can participate in.

The value of thinking of leadership in this way is that you empower young people to take ownership of their own problems in life. Instead of looking to authority to solve all our problems, we need to take ownership to solve our own problems. Because if the whole country is in a mess, if the system is in a mess and you are part of the system then you’re also contributing to this mess. It might be true that the politicians have a larger part in this mess but they are not the only stakeholders.

You and I are also stakeholders in the system and acknowledging this is important.

Second, because of a cultural deference to age, it is difficult for young people to get attention and attention is the currency of leadership. However, I think young people can learn creative ways of engaging with authority and of turning authority figures into allies to make progress. So, I don’t see our work as being at the peripheries, work at the core is what Bangladesh needs.

I think change and adaptation will take time and that is also one of the undervalued qualities of leadership – you need to ripen the issue, you need to give time for things to mature. The ability to diagnose a problem and to determine the right time to act is necessary.

You need people who are reflective – who are committed to action, but who can also think. We need a combination of thinkers and doers.

My assumption is that if you have a combination of these then people will have the courage to step outside of their comfort zone, to step out of the status quo and to work together to make progress.

Regarding our education system, I think there is one major flaw. Our education system rewards everything at an individual level; but leadership is not about “I”, it’s about “we,” about “us.” Leadership is not about promoting yourself or getting the limelight or to rise to a position of authority.

Because we see leadership as being synonymous with power, everyone is running to get that power, but no one is thinking about whether Bangladesh is moving forward, whether we are making progress, building a more inclusive society or ensuring economic and social justice? I think this is due to a lack of understanding of what leadership means.

I am wondering a bit also about the motivation of young people and the pressures that they face at an individual level. They face enormous economic and social pressures – to succeed in the job market, make enough money to survive, be respected by their communities. So, even if they want to contribute to their community and country, they might be suffering from a lack of “bandwidth” to fit these issues in. How do you build resilience among your students to withstand these pressures of the real world? As far as I understand, the courses are usually not very long.

So, how do you make sure that the graduates carry forward what they have learned?

I approach this issue with a sense of humility. Ultimately, it comes down to how you see the purpose of your life, about what really matters. I think the goal of human beings cannot be just to survive. I think the bigger purpose is to thrive, to grow in new ways, to connect to something that is bigger than yourself and to contribute to a larger cause.

In our course we try to challenge students to think about this larger purpose. In addition to giving students tangible skills, we help them question and explore what their purpose in life is. If you can connect to something that is bigger than yourself then I think that gives you resilience to disappoint people around you and to take the path less travelled. Of course, it is a difficult enterprise.

However, I also want to make clear that changing the world doesn’t mean you have to be poor or that you have to give up everything. We usually meet two types of young people in our courses – the type who are very ambitious, about their own goals and their careers and the other type who are very idealistic and they want to change the world.

I think you need a balance. Aspiration is your desire to do good for others and ambition is what you do for yourself. You need to find a balance between your ambition and aspiration.

So, Bangladesh can be a priority but your ambition can also be a priority.

Helping people figure out how to make their lives meaningful is an integral part of teaching leadership.

Leadership is not letting others define who you are. I think leaders are “originals.” They are not Xerox copies of other people’s expectations. Leaders learn from others but write their own stories. And how many of us can say that? What other people say don’t matter. What matters is, are you being true to yourself? That’s a conversation that

people need to have with themselves and if these conversations can be facilitated then I think young people can make more informed choices about their lives and that’s what we try to do.

The media it seems also has a crucial role to play in changing people’s views about what is important and to highlight courageous work being done by youth.

Yes, absolutely. I think it’s unfortunate that we live in a glamour-obsessed world where things need to be seen as being “cool,” especially to the youth, to be attractive. Whereas, the work of leadership is difficult, and not necessarily glamorous or “cool.”

I realised that the main reason that Bangladesh is poor is not because of money but because of our mindset. Unless we can change the mindset and behaviour of people, we cannot change Bangladesh

Focusing on the wrong things, such as glamour, is also part of the reason why we have a leadership crisis in Bangladesh, because that’s what the voters want. Our politicians are telling us what we want to hear, they are not engaging in leadership. They just want our authorisation to represent us in parliament. The task of leadership, on the other hand, is to help people face difficult reality and to collectively mobilise people to make progress. It’s a collective process, not an individual process.

There needs to be a paradigm shift in how we think about and approach leadership. I think the idea of the “lone hero” is no longer useful. Leadership now has to be about teams, groups, collective vision and shared purpose.

Since we have been conditioned to look for the wrong qualities in our leaders, we end up picking the wrong leaders to represent us. This is what we want to change through the work of BYLC. If young people can be taught what good leadership looks like, how to measure it and how to practice it then when they look at the politicians in the country they will know what qualities to look for. And that will have an enormous impact. l Farzana Nawaz is a GIZ returning expert and editorial fellow at the Dhaka Tribune. She can be reached at farzana.nawaz@gmail.com.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

United Nations: $12.9 billion aid needed in 2014 n AP, Geneva The United Nations said Monday it will need nearly $13 billion in aid in 2014 to reach at least 52 million people in 17 countries, including the millions of Syrians who have been displaced by their civil war.

“This is the largest amount we’ve ever had to request at the start of the year,” said Valerie Amos, the U.N.’s humanitarian chief. “The complexity and scale of what we are doing is rising all the time.”

The aid is to be provided by 500 organizations, including the main U.N. agencies for food, refugees and children.

About half of the requested $12.9 billion in aid — some $6.5 billion — would go toward delivering food, shelter and health care in Syria and neighboring countries affected by the war.

“This is the largest ever appeal for a single crisis,” Amos said.

In Syria, there are 2.5 million people in “hard to reach communities” because of fighting and security concerns, she said.

The nearly 3-year-old conflict has claimed more than 100,000 lives and displaced millions, and even if it ends tomorrow the humanitarian aid would still need to continue, Amos said.

“We’re facing a terrifying situation here where, by the end of 2014, substantially more of the population of Syria could be displaced or in need of humanitarian help than not,” said the U.N.’s High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres.

“This goes beyond anything we have seen in many, many years, and makes the need for a political solution all the much greater,” he said.

A year ago, the U.N.’s humanitarian request looking ahead to 2013 was for $8.5 billion, but Syria’s civil war forced the world body to revise that assessment upward to $13.6 billion. U.N. and other aid officials said Monday that their 2013 request will be only 60 percent funded.

Such funding gaps will leave many people hungry, lacking shelter and unprotected from violence, they said.

“When looking ahead to the 2014 plans for humanitarian response and the funds that are required, the NGO

community is very concerned that this year’s appeals are still vastly underfunded and that leaves gaps in meeting immediate humanitarian needs and also slows down the recovery process for millions of civilians, leaving an unbearable scar for years to come,” said Jasmine Whitbread, CEO of Save the Children International.

She said the 2013 requests for Haiti, Somalia, Djibouti, Central African Republic, and the Philippines “are all less than 50 percent funded.”

Speaking from the Lebanese border town of Arsal, U.N. refugee agency spokesman Peter Kessler told The Associated Press that the focus in 2014 will shift to helping host countries develop and upgrade their infrastructure to accommodate the large number of refugees.

Unlike in Turkey, Jordan and Iraq, the Lebanese government is not providing facilities or land to temporarily accommodate refugees, despite the continuing influx into the country of 4.5 million. The refugees are scattered all over the country, and mostly live in informal tented settlements in the north and in the Bekaa Valley.

More than 20 percent of Lebanon’s inhabitants are now Syrians, who have fled the fighting, Kessler said. He estimated that at least 120,000 Syrians seek shelter in neighboring countries every month.

“That means that thousands of people need blankets, clothes, health care, education and a decent shelter to live in,” Kessler said. “The needs are enormous and the host countries cannot meet them on their own. They need help,” Kassler said.

The U.N. acknowledges that its request for 2014 is formidable, “but attainable.”

After Syria, the next biggest requests are for $1.1 billion for South Sudan, $995 million for Sudan, $928 million for Somalia, $832 million for the Congo, and $791 million for rebuilding in the typhoon-hit Philippines.

Other major requests are for $591 million in Yemen, $406 million for Afghanistan, $390 million in the occupied Palestinian territories, $247 million for Central African Republic and $169 million for Haiti. l

A Syrian refugee woman fetches water at a refugee camp in the eastern Lebanese border town of Arsal, Lebanon, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013. Tens of thousands of impoverished Syrian refugees living in tents, shacks and unfinished buildings throughout Lebanon face a miserable winter AP

Egypt taxi driver lynched by Islamist protestors n Reuters

Islamist protesters killed a taxi driver who tried to drive through a demonstration in Egypt, officials say.

Witnesses told the state-run al-Ahram newspaper that he was dragged from his vehicle after running over one of the protesters at the rally on Monday

in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura.

A preliminary medical report said he died from a deep cut to the neck. A photo of his body was posted online.

The interior ministry said that police had arrested 10 suspects.

The protester who the taxi driver is said to have run over was in a critical condition in a hospital in Mansoura, al-Ah-

ram quoted a Facebook page called “AlAzhar University in Mansoura” as saying.

The protesters were reportedly supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamist movement of ousted President Mohammed Morsi.

Security has deteriorated in Egypt in the nearly three years since the uprising that forced President Hosni Mubarak to

resign. There were a number of lynchings during Mr Morsi’s one-year rule.

In June, four Shia Muslims were lynched by a mob apparently led by ultraconservative Salafist clerics in a village outside the capital, Cairo. Three months earlier, vigilantes hanged two suspected thieves in a rural Nile Delta village as a crowd of thousands watched. l

Germany’s Merkel starts 3rd term n AP, Berlin Germany’s Parliament elected Chancellor Angela Merkel to a third term as the leader of Europe’s biggest economic power on Tuesday, nearly three months after an awkward election result forced her to put together a new governing coalition.

Merkel now heads a “grand coalition” of Germany’s biggest parties — her conservative Union bloc and the center-left Social Democrats, which are traditional rivals. Parliament’s lower house elected her as chancellor by 462 votes to 150, with nine abstentions The new government will move Germany somewhat leftward, for example introducing a national minimum wage, but will take a largely unchanged approach to Europe’s debt crisis.

In this handout image from the United Nations Mission in South Sudan, taken on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2013, Civilians arrive at UNMISS compound adjacent to Juba International Airport to take refuge AP

Fighting resumes in South Sudan, at least 26 killed in two days n Reuters, Juba Gunfire erupted in South Sudan’s capital Juba again on Tuesday, witnesses said, a day after President Salva Kiir said security forces had put down an “attempted coup” by supporters loyal to his former deputy Riek Machar.

After constant gunfire and explosions in the early morning, it was relatively calm for a few hours but sporadic gunfire then started up again.

At least 26 people have been killed in nearly two days of fighting in the capital, Makur Matur Kariom, Health Ministry undersecretary, told Reuters.

“These are the people we received at the hospital and who died actually at the hospital. Whoever died outside the hospital, we don’t have their numbers,” Kariom said from Juba Teaching Hospital.

Sporadic gunfire continued to ring out in South Sudan’s capital, Juba, as

the military “cleared out remnants” of a faction of soldiers accused of mounting a coup attempt, the foreign minister said Tuesday amid growing tension over the likely fate of the former deputy president who is accused of leading the failed plot.

Barnaba Marial Benjamin told The Associated Press that the military had arrested five political leaders with suspected links to the coup attempt and that many more were yet to be traced.

Chief among the wanted is former Vice President Riek Machar, he said, who is now believed to be in hiding after he was identified by President Salva Kiir as the political leader favored by a faction of soldiers who tried to seize power earlier this week.

“They are still looking for more ... who are suspected of being behind the coup,” Benjamin said, referring to the military.

Machar, he said, “is wanted by the government.” The United States Embassy in Juba and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan denied they are harboring Machar, he said.

The hunt for Machar, an influential politician who is one of the heroes of a brutal war of independence waged against Sudan, threatens to send the world’s youngest country into further political upheaval following months of a power struggle between Kiir and his former deputy. The international community continued to urgeSouth Sudan’s leaders to exercise restraint amid fears the military’s actions in the aftermath of the attempted coup could spark wider ethnic violence.

Hilde Johnson, special representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for South Sudan, warned against “hate speech” that could spark violence against certain ethnic groups. l

British doctor dies in detention in Syria, family says n Reuters A British surgeon, imprisoned in Syria for over a year, has died in detention his family has told the BBC. Dr Abbas Khan, a 32-year-old orthopaedic surgeon from Streatham, south London, travelled to the city of Aleppo last year to help civilians.

His brother Afroze said the Syrian National Security Agency had promised his release this week but on Monday it said he had died.

The Foreign Office said it was “extremely concerned” by reports.

Mr Khan, 34, said: “My brother was going to be released at the end of the week. We were given assurance by the Syrian government.

“My brother knew that. He was ready to come back home.

“He was happy and looking forward to being released.”

He added: “We are devastated, distraught and we are angry at the Foreign Office for dragging their feet for 13 months.”

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: “We are extremely concerned by reports that a British national has died in detention in Syria.

We are urgently seeking clarification of this from the Syrian authorities. l

It features Germany’s first female defense minister, conservative Ursula von der Leyen, and sees former Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, return to his old job. Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, a powerful figure in Europe’s debt crisis, is staying on.

The parties’ effort to form a government after Sept. 22 national elections, in which Merkel’s conservatives came close to a parliamentary majority but saw their previous coalition partners lose all their seats, has been the longest in post-World War II Germany.

It was extended by the Social Democrats’ decision to put the coalition deal to a ballot of all their members.

They won approval last weekend but some remain wary because the party emerged weakened from a previous

grand coalition in Merkel’s first term, from 2005 to 2009.

At least 42 government lawmakers didn’t vote for the chancellor on Tuesday but, given the new coalition’s enormous majority, that is unlikely to worry her.

Conservatives and Social Democrats hold 504 of the 631 seats. Germany’s best-known ex-communist, Gregor Gysi, becomes the opposition leader; his hardline Left Party is the bigger of two left-leaning opposition groups.

Germany’s biggest-selling newspaper, Bild, declared on Tuesday’s front page: “Dear grand coalition, we are your extraparliamentary opposition now!” Editor Kai Diekmann wrote that “this parliament is too weak; its opposition too small and too left-wing.” l

Ancient hand bone dates origins of human dexterity The discovery of an ancient bone at a burial site in Kenya puts the origin of human hand dexterity more than half a million years earlier than previously thought.

In all ways, the bone - a well-preserved metacarpal that connects to the middle finger - resembles that of modern man, PNAS journal reports.

It is the earliest fossilised evidence of when humans developed a strong enough grip to start using tools.

Apes lack the same anatomical features.

The 1.42 million-year-old metacarpal from an ancient hominin displays a styloid process, a distinctively human morphological feature associated with enhanced hand function.

Its discovery provides evidence for the evolution of the modern human hand more than 600,000 years earlier than previously documented and probably in the times of the genus Homo erectussensu lato.

The styloid process helps the hand bone lock into the wrist bones, allowing for greater amounts of pressure to be applied to the wrist and hand from a grasping thumb and fingers.

Prof Carol Ward and her colleagues note that a lack of the styloid process created challenges for apes and earlier humans when they attempted to make and use tools.

This lack of a styloid process may have increased the chances of having arthritis earlier.

Prof Ward, professor of pathology and anatomical sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia, said: “The styloid process reflects an increased dexterity that allowed early human species to use powerful yet precise grips when manipulating objects.

“This was something that their predecessors couldn’t do as well due to the lack of this styloid process and its associated anatomy.

“With this discovery, we are closing the gap on the evolutionary history of the human hand. This may not be the first appearance of the modern human hand, but we believe that it is close to the origin, given that we do not see this anatomy in any human fossils older than 1.8 million years.

“Our specialised, dexterous hands have been with us for most of the evolutionary history of our genus, Homo. They are - and have been for almost 1.5 million years - fundamental to our survival,” she said.

The bone was found at the Kaitio site in West Turkana, near an area where the earliest Acheulian tools have appeared.

Acheulian tools are ancient, shaped stone tools that include stone hand axes more than 1.6 million years old. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

International

9

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

India: Treatment India approves of diplomat and landmark anti-graft ‘despicable barbaric’ bill as elections near n AP, New Delhi

n

Reuters, New Delhi

India’s parliament voted on Tuesday for the appointment of a powerful anti-graft ombudsman to investigate wrongdoing in government, ending years of dithering, as public anger has mounted over a string of corruption scandals.

The ruling Congress party, which suffered big losses in state elections over the past month in part over allegations of a pervasive culture of corruption, rushed through the Lokpal or ombudsman bill in the upper house of parliament.

“We must listen to the voices outside the House. I hope that the bill creates history,” said Law Minister Kapil Sibalafter the bill was cleared by a voice vote.

It will now go to the lower house of parliament for final passage on Wednesday.

India is due to hold a national election by next May, and corruption and clean governance are expected to be top campaign issues.

Under the new law, the prime minister’s office and all top government servants and departments will come under the purview of the ombudsman.

The bill’s progress came as anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare continued his hunger strike for an eighth day on Tuesday to put pressure on politicians to act on the measure that was proposed 46 years ago.

He told cheering supporters gathered at his village in western Maharashtra that he was happy political parties had finally agreed on the measure

to combat corruption, but he would wait for the final passage of the bill on Wednesday.

Hazare’s fast in 2011 and massive public protests forced the government to introduce the legislation in parliament.

An associate of Hazare’s later set up a political group called the Common Man’s Party that finished second in a stunning debut in elections to the Delhi assembly this month, underlining public support for more accountability in governance.

“The bill is the result of the government realising which way the wind was blowing on corruption,” said Arun Jaitley, a leader of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Only the regional Samajwadi Party opposed the bill on Tuesday saying it would further paralyse government decision-making as officials would be too scared to take decisions for fear of investigation.

The ombudsman will be appointed by an independent committee comprising the prime minister, the head of theSupreme Court, the leader of the opposition and an eminent jurist.

India has existing laws to tackle corruption but civil rights activists have argued that these are not enough in the light of the large number and scale of scandals in one of the world’s fastest-growing economies.

India is ranked 94th in a list of 177 countries on Transparency International’s 2013 global corruption index, rated as worse than China, South Africa and Brazil in terms of graft. (Reporting

by Sanjeev Miglani and Nigam Prusty; Editing by Pravin Char) l

India’s national security adviser on Tuesday criticised the arrest of an Indian diplomat in New York City on visa fraud charges, calling her treatment “despicable and barbaric,” in a snowballing diplomatic row between the two countries.

India’s foreign secretary summoned the US ambassador, and angry politicians refused to meet with a visitingUS congressional delegation.

Devyani Khobragade, India’s deputy consul general in New York, was charged last week with visa fraud and making false statements on an application for her housekeeper to work for her in the United States.

According to Indian officials, Khobragade was arrested and handcuffed Thursday as she dropped off her daughter at school, then strip-searched and kept in a cell with drug addicts before posting $250,000 bail.

“It is despicable and barbaric,” National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon told the Press Trust of Indianews agency.

Prosecutors in New York say Khobragade, 39, claimed she paid her Indian maid $4,500 per month but actually paid her less than the US minimum wage. She has pleaded not guilty and plans to challenge the arrest on grounds of diplomatic immunity, her lawyer said last week.

The arrest quickly became a major story in India, with politicians urging diplomatic retaliation and TV news channels showing the woman in a series of smiling family photos.

That reaction may look outsized in the United States, but the case touches

China says clash in western area by ‘terrorists’, six abducted n

AP, Beijing

China claimed Tuesday that a clash between police and locals in a restive far western region was an organised and premeditated attack by a small terrorist group.

The official Xinhua News Agency said that 16 people were killed in the Sunday night incident — 14 assailants and two police officers — in China’s northwestern region of Xinjiang, home Uighurs and Xinjiang Uighurs are ethnically Turkic Muslims They make up about 45% of the region’s population; 40% are Han Chinese China re-established control in 1949 after crushing short-lived state of East Turkestan Since then, large-scale immigration of Han Chinese Uighurs fear erosion of traditional culture to a simmering rebellion against Chinese rule among parts of the Muslim Uighur population who want more au-

tonomy from Beijing. Recentclashes, including an attack on a police station, left dozens of people dead this year.

The Chinese government typically calls such incidents terrorist attacks linked to radicals based overseas, although there is little evidence that they are carefully organised. In many cases, the violence appears caused by anger over poverty and strict rules on Uighur culture and Muslim worship.

Xinhua described the assailants as “terrorists” and said an initial investigation found that they were from a 20-member terrorist group led by a man identified as Hasan Ismail. Tuesday’s report said six members of the group were captured, but it did not say if Ismail was among those killed or apprehended.

Police had been searching for Ismail in a village in Shufu county in far-west Kashgar prefecture came under attack with explosive devices and firearms at around 11 p.m., Xinhua said.

Calls to local authorities rang unanswered or were picked up by officials who said they did not know about the attack.

Sweden-based Uighur (pronounced

Map showing Xinjiang region in China WEE’-gur) activist Dilxat Raxit said Sunday’s incident was the latest example of how Chinese security forces are increasingly opting to kill suspects at the scene rather than capturing them and putting them on trial. Police also killed nine assailants in the attack on the police station in November.

“They are now opening fire and killing people, then calling them terrorists,” Raxit said by phone. “This deprives them of their right to defend themselves in a court.” l

Indian workers remove a barricade that had been erected as a safety measure outside the main entrance of US embassy, New Delhi reportedly in retaliation to the mistreatment of Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade AP on a string of issues that strike deeply in India, where the fear of public humiliation resonates strongly and heavy-handed treatment by the police is normally reserved for the poor.

For an educated, middle-class woman to face public arrest and a strip search is almost unimaginable, except in the most brutal crimes.

Far less serious protocol complaints have become large issues in the past.

Standard security checks in theUS regularly are front-page news here when they involve visiting Indian dignitaries, who are largely exempt from friskings while at home.

India’s former speaker of Parliament, Somnath Chatterjee, once refused to attend an international meet-

ing in Australia when he wasn’t given a guarantee that he would not have to pass through security. Chatterjee said even the possibility of a security screening was “an affront to India.”

The treatment and pay of household staff, meanwhile, is largely seen as a family issue, off-limits to the law.

The fallout from the arrest was growing. On Tuesday, Indian political leaders from both the ruling party and the opposition refused to meet with the US congressional delegation in New Delhi. The Indian government said it was “shocked and appalled at the manner in which the diplomat had been humiliated” in the US Indian Foreign Secretary Sujata Singh summoned US Ambassador Nan-

Media: US Navy harassed Chinese squadron

Six US soldiers killed in Afghan air crash

n AP, Beijing

Six US soldiers from the NATO mission fighting Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan have been killed in an aircraft crash, a US defence official said, the largest death toll in a single incident to hit the international force in months.

It was not suspected to be a military strike, NATO said, adding it happened in the Zabul province of southern Afghanistan where there was no fighting reported at the time.

The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for the deaths, saying their fighters had shot down a US helicopter in the province of Zabul.

“The cause of the crash is under investigation, however initial reporting indicates there was no enemy activity in the area at the time,” a NATO statement said. l

An official Chinese newspaper on Monday accused the US Navy of harassing a Chinese squadron earlier this month, shortly before a near collision that marked the two nations’ most serious sea confrontation in years.

There has been no direct comment from China’s Foreign Ministry or defense officials on the Dec. 5 incident in the South China Sea, where the USS Cowpens was operating in international waters. The US ship, a 10,000-ton Ticonderoga-class cruiser, maneuvered to avoid the collision, the US Pacific Fleet has said. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying referred questions to the Defense Ministry, but insisted China “always respects and observes international laws and the freedoms of normal navigation and overflight.”

The Global Times newspaper said the USS Cowpens had been getting too close to a Chinese naval drill involving the country’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, and its support ships.

The paper said the Cowpens came within 45 kilometers (30 miles) of the Chinese squadron, inside what it called its “inner defense layer.”

“The USS Cowpens was tailing after and harassing the Liaoning formation,” the newspaper said, citing an unnamed source it described as being familiar with the confrontation. “It took offensive actions at first toward the Liaoning formation on the day of the confrontation.”

China’s Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a faxed query and calls to its office rang unanswered.

The US State Department said it has raised the matter at a high level with the Chinese government.

The incident comes amid heightened tension over China’s growing assertiveness in the region. Despite strenuous objections from Washington, Beijing recently declared a new air defense zone over parts of the East China Sea requiring foreign aircraft submit flight plans, identify themselves and accept instructions from the Chinese military. The move was widely criticised and the US, Japan and others have refused to comply.

The Dec. 5 confrontation was the most serious incident between the two navies since 2009, when Chinese ships and planes repeatedly harassed the US ocean surveillance vessel USNS Impeccable in the South China Sea. l

Japan invests in new military kit as China row simmers n AFP, Tokyo Japan announced Tuesday it will buy stealth fighters, drones and submarines as part of a splurge on military hardware that will beef up defence of far-flung islands amid a territorial row with China.

The cabinet of hawkish Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed to spend 24.7 trillion yen ($240 billion) between 2014 and 2019 in a strategic shift towards the south and west of the country -- a five percent boost to the military budget over five years.

The shopping list is part of efforts

by Abe to normalise the military in Japan, which has been officially pacifist since defeat in World War II. Its wellequipped and highly professional services are limited to a narrowly defined self-defensive role.

It comes with the establishment of a US-style National Security Council that is expected to concentrate greater power in the hands of a smaller number of senior politicians and bureaucrats.

Fears are growing in Japan over the rising power of China, with the two countries embroiled in a dispute over the sovereignty of a group of islands in the East China Sea, and the perennial threat posed by an unpredictable North Korea.

New guidelines approved by the cabinet on Tuesday said Tokyo will introduce a “dynamic joint defence force”, intended to help air, land and sea forces work together more effectively.

Abe said the shift would allow Japan’s military to better shoulder its responsibilities on the global stage.

“We hope to make further contributions to the peace and stability of the international community through proactive pacifism,” he said. “This shows with transparency our country’s diplomatic and defence policies.”

Spending will be raised to 24.7 trillion yen over five years from April 2014, up from the present 23.5 trillion yen over the five years to March 2014, but the figure could be trimmed by up to 700 billion yen if the defence ministry can find savings and efficiencies.

New hardware will include three drones, 52 amphibious vehicles, 17 Osprey hybrid choppers and five submarines -- all designed to boost maritime surveillance and bolster defence of islands.

The spending will also encompass two destroyers equipped with the Aegis anti-missile system and 28 new F-35 fighter jets, a stealth plane far superior to the F-15s that Japan currently has in service.

File photo, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) escort ship “Kurama,” left, navigates behind destroyer “Yudachi,” with a flag, during a fleet review in water off Sagami Bay, south of Tokyo AP The jets will be Japan’s first stealth-capable fighters, but the upgrade follows military practice around the world.

Analysts noted that much of this kit will replace obsolete equipment, but the reorientating in military priorities is evident.

“The guidelines underscore a clear

cy Powell to register a complaint.

In Washington, US State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said Monday that standard procedures were followed during Khobragade’s arrest.

Khobragade’s father, Uttam Khobragade, told the TimesNow TV news channel on Tuesday that his daughter’s treatment was “absolutely obnoxious.”

“As a father I feel hurt, our entire family is traumatised,” he said.

Indian External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid said there were “larger issues” involved in the case, but did not elaborate.

“We will deal with them in good time,” he said. Calls to the US Embassy in New Delhi were not immediately returned Tuesday. l

shift of Japan’s major defence focus to the protection of its islands in the East China Sea,” said Hideshi Takesada, an expert on regional security at Takushoku University in Tokyo.

During the Cold War, Japan’s military was largely static, with the majority of resources in the north and east to

guard against any invasion by Russia.

But changing dynamics and in particular the rise of China – where double-digit jumps in defence spending are the annual norm – mean that Japan’s armed forces need to be located further south and to be able to deploy to the country’s many far-flung islands. l

n Agencies

Death anniversary of elder Kim observed in North Korea n Agencies North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has presided over a major remembrance ceremony on the second anniversary of the death of his father and former leader Kim Jong-il.

The gathering on Tuesday came days after the shock execution of Kim Jong-un’s uncle and one-time political mentor, Jang Song-thaek - a purge that raised questions about the stability of the regime in Pyongyang.

A live broadcast on state TV showed Kim entering an auditorium in Pyongyang packed with thousands of top military, party and government officials, and presiding over the gathering.

The meeting began with a speech by North Korea’s ceremonial head of state, Kim Yong-nam.

“It has been two years since the great leader Kim Jong-Il, admired by all our people and soldiers... left us so suddenly,” Kim Yong-nam said, as leader King Jong-un looked on.

“All our people and soldiers have struggled and achieved victory for the past two years by holding our great leader [Kim Jong-il] in high esteem,” he added.

On Monday, thousands of the country’s military gathered before the tomb of Kim Jong-il to pledge loyalty to his succesor and son, Kim Jong-un.

Al Jazeera’s Harry Fawcett, reporting from Seoul, said South Korea was watching the ceremony closely.

“I think the real question is, does the death of Jang Song-thaek, in a very public manner, signify an increasing grip of power by Kim Jong-un,” Fawcett said. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

How dare they?

Relief from early marriage December 15

I

t is beyond us to understand what business the Pakistani interior minister and the Pakistani National Assembly have commenting on the domestic affairs of sovereign Bangladesh.

It’s also much more than just a little offensive that Pakistan’s National Assembly chose Bangladesh’s Victory Day this week to pass a resolution expressing concern over the execution of the convicted war criminal, Abdul QuaderMolla.

The resolution was moved by a Pakistan Jamaat-e-Islami member and adopted by majority vote, stating: “This House expresses deep concern on the hanging of a veteran politician of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh for supporting Pakistan in 1971.”

The National Assembly, in echoing a statement by Pakistan’s interior minister, has overstepped Not only is the minister the bounds of reasonable patently wrong, he is comment in suggesting Molla was completely out of line to hanged for supporting Pakistan. mention Bangladesh’s Not only is the minister patently lack of magnanimity, wrong, he is completely out of line while his country has yet to mention Bangladesh’s lack of to find the courage to magnanimity, while his country issue an apology for the has yet to find the courage to issue atrocities of 1971 an apology for the atrocities of 1971.

It’s also disappointing that Pakistani Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Imran Khan said QuaderMolla was innocent. A trial has taken place in accordance with the law of the land and punishment duly enacted, therefore whether Molla was innocent or not is not for Imran Khan to say.

The ICT process has been the object of much discussion both inside Bangladesh and internationally. Overseas politicians are free to express their concerns and to profess objections to the death penalty, but if would have been better if they had the dignity to refrain from inflammatory comments. They would do well to listen to the PPP leader Abdul Sattar Bachani who said: “The execution of Molla was an internal matter of Bangladesh and Pakistan should not interfere in the internal matters of an independent and sovereign country.”

A report in a daily stated that 2 million girls fall victim to early marriage in the northern region. A report was also published that two villages of Paba upazila in Rajshahi were declared free from child marriage on November 27. Till date, no early marriages have been solemnised in these two villages. Damkura Union Parishad along with a non-government organisation (NGO), Centre for Mass Education in Science (CMES), took the initiative.

There are about 2,200 NGOs working for the wellbeing of people in this country. If each NGO were to look into a very few villages and their development, this crisis in all villages would be diminished in a few years. Though, there is an overlap in the activities of GOs and NGOs, or two NGOs working together, and in many cases, overlaps are found in the same organisation.

NGOs should not work separately, rather jointly, to cover the country in emphasising vulnerable areas and rooting out the problems.

Mawduda Hasnin, Rajshahi

Why we need war crimes trials Why we should take risks and make mistakes December 11

Hasan-Bin-Ali An excellent thought-provoking write up. It will let us rethink about our notion towards making mistakes and success. Moreover, it shows us the relation to making mistakes, which makes us successful.

Nazmul Ahmed Najm Loved it. Nothing comes easy. The bigger the risk, the bigger the achievement.

Bijon Islam Great read.

Expiating our original sin December 12

Wali A wonderful editorial! Now Govt should deploy all resources to ensure that they are no longer able to launch a reprisal.

They are indeed quite strong now because of our own sins and we must display that we can act and protect, both at the same time.

Protecting the public is the key

T

he country’s law enforcers face a very difficult task in maintaining public safety and order against an atmosphere of violence being encouraged by ongoing political demonstrations.

It is outrageous that innocent citizens and brave police officers are being forced into dangerous situations by political disputes.

We support all efforts to make sure that the police force receives all necessary help to enforce the law and to protect all citizen’s rights.

This must include providing better back up and ensuring better training to minimise deaths and Our police force must be injuries occurring during the chatrained to carry out their os political violence. duties with minimum On Friday, an 11-year-old boy, damage to innocent Shanto Islam, was shot by police bystanders. This includes with rubber bullets. His head was ensuring accountability riddled with 79 rubber pellets, for innocent victims which cannot be removed. In another incident in Chandpur earlier, two young boys were shot and killed by police, as they were chasing vandalising mobs.

We find it deplorable that ordinary citizens, many of them children, are being hurt in such deadly incidents. While it is important for police to crack down on vandalism and other forms of street violence, they have a overriding duty to safeguard ordinary people.

Our police force must be trained to carry out their duties with minimum damage to innocent bystanders. This includes ensuring accountability for innocent victims, so the killing of Shanto must be fully investigated.

The government has a responsibility to make sure all efforts are taken to ensure that no more innocent lives perish in crossfire. The police’s actions must be seen to be proportional and within the law.

CROSSWORD

commentator Thousands of war criminals still not prosecuted. There should be no relenting.

DOWN 1 Seemingly mocked by fate (6) 2 Poet’s Ireland (4) 3 Starchy food (4) 4 Short gaiters (5) 5 Everybody (3) 6 Shooting star (6) 9 Tinge (4) 13 Indigenous (6) 15 Of various colours (4) 16 Extreme fear (6) 18 Perfume (5) 21 Golf club (4) 22 Deep mud (4) 24 Corded cloth (3)

December 11

WaliulHaqueKhondker It is very unfortunate for Bangladesh, a country brought about through a glorious war of liberation, which cost millions in lives, to have political parties with substantial public support who oppose the process of trial of the accused of war crimes and crime against humanity!

The ICT debate is a hoax, created to draw sympathy amongst the party supporters in favour of the accused, so that witnesses become difficult to find, and, if found, can be reprimanded and/or eliminated with impunity before, during and after the trial. Golam Mostafa Hawladar, a valiant freedom fighter is an unfortunate victim of the same hoax. May he rest in eternal peace and may his murderers be brought to justice soon.

I have gone through the Nuremberg trial process in details. If no voice was ever raised against those trials, ICT and its trial process deserves accolade globally.

This Victory Day, we are going to break the world record for the largest human flag December 14

Nazmul Khair This victory is meaningless, when still we fight each other over victory issue.

Mia Dodson I remember a beautiful country before the war.

The country has just gone downhill since then.

Jahidul Islam Salute Bangladesh.

Pakistan Jamaat: Expel Bangladeshi envoy December 14

Mohammad Tanvir Khalid Hahahaha. Why does it not surprise me?

Leaquat Ali Only pragmatic leadership will realise the healing effect that would bring upon the nation of Pakistan … never too late.

Mohammad Hotak For some reason, Pakistani clerics never demonstrated against the innocent victims killed by Taliban in Afghanistan, or those killed in Balochistan and never demonstrated against those killed in Bangladesh, but always come out on to the streets to demonstrate in defence of those who killed innocent Muslims.

Abeda Sultana Didn’t surprise me either. This is not a fight between nations anymore.

FS Condolences to the family of the murdered.

Flying the national flag

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December 16 Please refer to your “Juris” page on December 12th. Under the list of persons entitled to fly the national flag on motor vehicles and vessels, it starts with the Speaker of Parliament, but there is no mention of the President of Bangladesh. Is it that he only flies the president’s flag? Please clarify the matter.

SA Mansoor

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

SUDOKU ACROSS 1 Imply (5) 4 Identical (4) 7 Little wave (6) 8 Eye (5) 10 Singing voice (4) 11 Foolish (5) 12 Tavern (3) 14 Blemish (4) 17 Domestic animals (4) 19 Anger (3) 20 Felony (5) 23 Dreadful (4) 25 Added clause (5) 26 Seller (6) 27 Retained (4) 28 At no time (5)

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

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

Code-Cracker

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Children in a pressure cooker? n Muhotasim Ahmed

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Person at the back of the bus

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n Shawkat Hussain

t is the man or woman who sits at the back of the bus who dies.

Two weeks ago, I wrote about Masuma, a former student of mine, who was severely burnt in the bus near Shahbagh. She died a few days back. As the sky over me explodes in a spectacular firework display and the oohs and aahs of thousands who have gathered in TSC fill up the air, I must remember this girl, my student, who died in a different kind of firework less than a week back.

As I write this, the nation is celebrating its 42nd year of birth. The breaking news now is that the 18-party alliance has declared a 72-hour blockade from Tuesday. By the time this comes out in print, we will already be in the second day of the blockade and some more deaths-by-fire are likely to have occurred.

December 16 is being celebrated, sandwiched between a hartal on Sunday (December 15) and three days of blockades after (December 17 to December 19). One day to celebrate, and the siege begins again!

I live in what is probably the centre of Bangladesh, certainly the centre of Dhaka, five minutes from Aparajeyo from where, arguably, the initial impetus of the movement for the liberation of Bangladesh was initiated and then engulfed the entire nation

of Bangalis, seven minutes from Suhrawardy Udyan where General Niazi and his defeated Pakistani army surrendered unconditionally to the freedom fighters and the Indian army 42 years back, ten minutes from the Shaheed Minar and Bangla Academy, Ganajagaran Mancha, and other important places around the DU campus. All roads lead to the campus, for this is where you descend to show your patriotism.

in the game of thrones, and shamefully for us, Jamaat has never been away from it.

I remember how later in the afternoon of December 16, 1971, a friend and I stood by the road outside Hotel Intercontinental (now Ruposhi) and watched long straggling lines of defeated Pakistani soldiers, their heads (and guns) hung low, humiliation writ large on their faces, walking slowly towards Race Course to surrender

When millions of dollars are lost every day in different business sectors, business people suffer, the nation suffers, and the man or woman at the back of the bus suffers even more

While I walked around the campus late at night on the 15th, and several times throughout the day on December 16, I thought of those days 42 years ago when I was a third-year university student. I clearly remember the euphoria of the day when Dhaka was liberated and a freedom-fighter friend of mine walked into our house in Dhanmondi, an LMG dangling from his shoulder.

I have never felt that kind joyousness again. I do remember feeling very elated the day Ershad fell from power twenty years later. Now Ershad is back

their arms and acknowledge defeat.

That was an unforgettable sight and a moment of joy never again to be relived! Now I wonder what we have done with that victory.

Nevertheless, there was joyousness in the campus this December 16.

Thousands of men and women, mostly young, milled around the campus, dressed in various shades of red and green, holding flags of different sizes. Loudspeakers blared patriotic songs and speeches throughout the day. This, perhaps, was the irrepressible optimism of youth,

snatching a day of freedom from the endless claustrophobia of hartals and blockades, hoping something somehow will turn up.

This year, the national parade, a sacrosanct ritual, was cancelled for security reasons, while smaller celebrations, discussions, and seminars were held throughout the day. Important business people, normally in cahoots with this government or that, actually stepped down from their SUVs and came out in thousands the day before, waving their own white flags to protest the intransigence of both the political parties.

When the government (or the opposition) does not even care about appeasing business people, how much does it care about the people? When millions of dollars are lost every day in different business sectors, business people suffer, the nation suffers, and the man or woman at the back of the bus suffers even more.

For me, there was little joyousness as the nation celebrated its 42nd Victory Day. There were celebrations everywhere, but the mood was not celebratory. For me, not all the brilliance of fireworks or the noise and bluster of speeches and songs could drown the dying cries of Masuma. l Shawkat Hussain is former Professor and Chair of English, Dhaka University, and now teaches at State University of Bangladesh.

he Primary School Certificate (PSC) and Junior School Certificate (JSC) examination systems were first introduced in Bangladesh in November 2009 for students of Class V and Class VIII respectively.

From then on, these students were to sit for standardised examinations that were conducted annually all over the country by the Ministry of Education. Ebtedayee level for PSC (EBT) and Junior Dakhil Certificate (JDC) examinations were also introduced later on to be conducted under the Madrasa Board.

When first introduced, many eyebrows were raised from the civil society regarding the necessity of such examinations. Many were wondering about the importance of Class V or Class VIII level certificates for university and higher education.

Nevertheless, the government paid little heed, and went ahead with their plans. This year, approximately 2.95 million students sat for the PSC and around 1.9 million candidates sat for the JSC examinations.

Although many may argue that it is good preparation for students to sit for standardised tests at this level, the truth speaks otherwise. There have been thousands of reported absentees and dropouts almost every year since the inception of the PSC and JSC. Around 160 thousand out of the 2.95 million candidates for PSC were absent in this year’s examination.

A similar story prevails in the JSC examination. Most of these dropout candidates come from underprivileged backgrounds, who did not have the means (like good teachers and private tuition) to prepare well enough for a standardised exam at such a young age, and who will probably discontinue schooling and join the children’s labour force. Their parents do not have enough finances to provide for a repeat year. This seriously sets back the government in its aim to increase the literacy of the population.

Looking at their curriculum, syllabuses, homework and workload often reminded me of the mechanics of a pressure cooker

Education in Bangladesh is by nature extremely competitive, right from the primary level. Students run to private tuitions and coaching classes, besides doing regular classes almost every day of the week, from a very young age.

They get no room in their schedule to pursue sports, music or other

extracurricular activities, which is vital not only for their education, but for their lives.

When I used to teach privately to primary students, looking at their curriculum, syllabuses, homework and workload often reminded me of the mechanics of a pressure cooker.

Just as a pressure cooker aims to cook good food by increasing vapour pressure inside the cooking vessel, our education system is trying to create sound professionals by increasing the pressure of studying everyday.

The PSC and JSC exams add an extra burden to the lives of the children, with a certificate that will have no contribution to their higher education

But we cannot treat children like food, can we? We should ask ourselves whether we are doing the right thing by depriving our children of a childhood.

Primary schooling should be a time for exploration and experimentation.

It is the period in a person’s education when they figure out their potential, and their interests, whether it is studying they are good at, or sports, or even music.

Most people in our country may not approve of such an idea. But the fact is, if a person is not interested in studying physics, he is not going to make a good physicist. Adding pressure at this point in a person’s education can make a subject very mundane. This will in turn stunt the child’s creative growth and also the understanding he or she has of a particular subject.

If we really believe that students should base their careers on activities that interest them, our education system (and our mindset) is not doing a very good job of creating that opportunity. The next time we curse in front of the TV screen when Bangladesh loses another cricket match, we should remember this, because we all actively supported an education system that makes it extremely difficult for a child to aspire to be a cricketer.

The PSC and JSC certificates add an extra burden to the already overburdened lives of the children in our society, with a certificate that, in the end, will have no contribution to their higher education. It simply makes passing school a more daunting and tedious task than it already is.

In an era when most of the world is coming up with plenty of creative methods to make education easier and more interactive, our policy makers are not setting the best example. l Muhotasim Ahmed is a freelance contributor.

Manmohan Singh’s last chance n Prem Shankar Jha

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t the Delhi Economics Conclave earlier this week, RBI governor Raghuram Rajan warned his audience against complacency. “A stable government post-election, while likely, cannot be taken for granted.

This implies that all parties have to work together today to ensure that any government that emerges post-election has the time to come to terms with the challenges of managing the Indian economy ... More generally, it would be overly complacent and possibly dangerous for parties to postpone necessary legislation with the idea that they will pass bills post-election. Similarly, any slowdown in putting large stalled projects back on track before the elections or any fiscal slippage will only amplify the already large challenges the new government will have to face.”

Rajan went on to outline the challenges that the economy faces in the medium term: Better infrastructure, better job training, better business regulation, and a better financial system. But he did not have a word to say about its needs in the short term. Nor did he show any awareness that developments in the next few months can drastically change the choices the next government will face in the medium and long term.

The omission is strange because the “short term” is all the time we have

left to save the Indian economy. The time limit for such action is the date of announcement of the next election.

Rajan considers a stable post-election government “likely”, but after the announcement of the assembly election results last Sunday, he should know that a smooth transfer of power to another stable government in April or May is the least likely of several possible outcomes of the next election.

The sharp rise in voter turnout and the shift of votes away from the Congress in the four larger states shows that a strong anti-incumbency wave has built up against the UPA, and that its curling crest is made up of young and first time voters.

If there is anything certain about the next election, therefore, it is that the UPA will not come back to power.

But the Delhi elections show that the protest vote will not necessarily go to the BJP, for while the Congress lost 15% of the votes, the BJP also lost 3.2%. It is therefore entirely possible that where the people are offered a third alternative, they may forsake the BJP too.

This lesson will not be lost upon the Left Front and the regional parties that want to side with neither the Congress nor a Modi-led BJP. Thus, a third front is almost certain to come into being.

The next elections are therefore likely to see a three-way split of seats with no immediate prospect of a stable majority. The absence of a stable govern-

ment, and the possibility that the next government will contain the left Front, will make foreign investors jittery.

If this coincides with the tapering off of the US fiscal stimulus (which, thanks to robust employment growth in the US during the past three months seems likely to start in March), foreign investors will take flight once more.

The threat that this can precipitate a foreign exchange crisis will force the RBI to maintain high interest rates.

The sharp rise in voter turnout and the shift of votes away from the Congress shows that a strong anti-incumbency wave has built up against the UPA

This will take the choice of policy out of the new government’s and the RBI’s hands. If interest rates remain high, the industrial stagnation and the rapid loss of non-agricultural jobs that the country is experiencing will continue into the indefinite future.

Dr Manmohan Singh therefore has one final duty to perform for the country. He must ensure that the economy is well on the way to recovery before he relinquishes office. This will only

be so if industrial growth has resumed, and share prices have begun a sustained rise. The single key that will turn both locks is a sharp reduction of interest rates. And the last chance for doing so is the RBI’s mid-quarter policy review at the end of this month.

In a recent article, I had made an impassioned plea to lower interest rates sharply now to start an economic recovery. I had shown that if one excluded April and May 2013, when there had been a $15 billion speculative surge in gold imports, the monthly trade deficit from June onwards showed that the current account balance of payments deficit was set to fall to less than 1% of the GDP in a full year. The country, therefore, had a golden opportunity to lower interest rates and to restart an industrial recovery without re-igniting the fear of a foreign exchange crisis.

On Monday, December 3, the RBI confirmed these projections. Unable to hide its relief, it announced, almost a month ahead of schedule, that the CAD had fallen to a mere 1.25% of GDP in the July to September quarter of the fiscal year. With strengthening exports, this could easily come down further in the remaining half of the year. The time is therefore ripe for the longprayed-for lowering of interest rates.

But Rajan is still unconvinced. On November 15, he said: “We can spend a long time debating the sources of

this inflation. But ultimately, inflation comes from demand exceeding supply, and it can be curtailed only by bringing both in balance.” And in a talk this week, he estimated that it would take another eight months to bring inflation under control.

Rajan is a dyed–in-the wool Chicago School economist, so refusing to distinguish between demand–pull and cost-push inflation is a matter of faith with him. But the price of his, and his predecessors’ monetarism, is going to be paid by the Congress party whose very survival, let alone return to power after the next election, is no longer assured. l Prem Shankar Jha is a journalist and author.

AFP

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Leading singers perform patriotic songs n Afrose Jahan Chaity

Tens of thousands of people gathered at the Suhrawardy Udyan in the evening of Victory Day to celebrate with a dazzling concert that also included a fireworks display. Popular bands like Maqsud O Dhaka, Dreek, Pentagon and Cryptic Fate rocked the audience by performing an array of patriotic and inspirational songs SADIA MARIUM

A lively concert was held at the National Parade Ground on December 16 right after the display of the largest human flag. Popular singers presented a number of energetic patriotic songs which multiplied the energy of a huge audience present at the ground.

Ayub Bachchu performed Maa Bhabna Keno, Bappa Mazumder sang Teerhara Ei Dheuer Sagor, Elita Karim presented Joan Baez’s Song Of Bangladesh, Lincoln rendered Amar Bangladesh and Zohad sang Chol Chol Chol.

About the programme, Ayub Bachchu shares: “I am proud to be a part of this initiative as I am proud to be a

Bangladeshi.”

Bappa Mazumder shares with Dhaka Tribune: “It’s a great honour to be a part of this celebration. The audience is awesome as always.”

At the same venue, Robi launched the theme song of the largest human flag. The music video directed by Amitabh Reza Chowdhury, the theme song titled Ek Potaka Tolo features Bangladesh and Bangladeshi people around the country. Celebrated singers of the country, Sabina Yasmin, Ayub Bachchu, Fahmida Nabi, Bappa Mazumder, Elita, Kona, Nirjhar, Emil, Zohad and Lincoln lend their voices in the song.

Eminent musician Habib Wahid was the music director of the project. l

Contemporary dance show by Shadhona today n Afrose Jahan Chaity

Lehmen’s note on the project reads: These pieces have duration of just 5 to 15 minutes each. It is central for the project to establish reciprocal artistic relations in diverse encounters. Attention is given to those persons to include them dramaturgically active in the creation of the piece, which goes beyond a superficial use of the people.

Lehmen spent a long time with the dancers of Shadhona to include them dialogically in the dramaturgy, the art of dramatic composition and the representation of the main elements of drama on the stage.

The overall project concept also includes workshops and projects with other artists, lectures and a short introduction piece that can be performed anywhere. There were also an accompanying internet presence providing films of the pieces and written contributions. l

Goethe-instute and Shadhona collaboratively presents a dance show titled A Piece for You today at 7pm at the auditorium of Goethe-instute Bangladesh. The recital, which consists a number of small dance pieces, is a part of a worldwide choreographic project by acclaimed German dancer Thomas Lehmen.

About the programme, eminent dancer and general secretary of Shadhona, Lubna Marium, shares with Dhaka Tribune: “With Thomas Lehmen, the work emphasizes more on concept rather than technique.

Also, Thomas has the unique experience of having worked with dancers from many parts of the world, as he is on a motor-cycle tour and stops at each point to exchange experiences with dancers of each country. I am very hopeful about today’s performance.”

Bijoy Mela held n Entertainment Desk Channel i held a daylong fair titled Bijoy Mela on the channel’s open premises on the Victory Day. This is the eighth time the channel has arranged such grand celebration upholding the spirit of the Liberation War. The fair was inaugurated by Bir Protiks (Symbol of Bravery of Courage is the fourth highest gallantry award in Bangladesh), Bir Uttoms (second highest gallantry award receipints), cultural activists, media persona, social activists and members of the Channel i family and many more.

The premises was decorated with the seven memorial marks of the seven Bir Sreshtos and flags and festoons coloured with red and green.

The fair featured stalls containing

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

Woman in Gossamer

By Nurun Naher Supti Time: 3pm – 9pm Alliance Francaise de Dhaka Return to Eden

By Nasima Khanam Queenie Time: 10am to 8pm Alliance Francaise, Dhanmondi, Quest for Reality

By Rafiqun Nabi Time: 12pm-8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts House No 42, Road No 16, Dhanmondi

To live is to be slowly born

By Kashef Chowdhury Time: 12 – 8pm Bengal Art Lounge 60 Gulshan Avenue, Circle 1

Telefilm Ekhoni Shomoi will be aired today at 2:30pm on Channel i. The film is written and directed by media personality Rezanur Rahman who will be seen as a special appearance. The story is based on a touching story on the backdrop of the Liberation War. The telefilm features Shahidul Alam Sachchu, Shoshi, Lutfor Rahman George, Mahbuba Rezanur and around hundred theatre actors in different roles. The production has been shot in Kapasia in Gazipur, where many young people including students, farmers, and labourers actively participated during the war of independence in 1971.

ON TV MOVIE 9:30pmHBO

Step Up Revolution

11:30pm Star Movies Lockout

DRAMA 8:30pm Colors Balika Vadhu

9:00pm Sony

Amita Ka Amit books, photographs, important documents of the war, diaries of freedom fighters. Films based on Liberation War were screened at the event. Singers and dance artists presented pieces related to patriotism and the liberation war. l

COMEDY 3:00pm Star World 2 Broke Girls

10:00pm Comedy Central Yes Dear

Alia nervous about her next film n Entertainment Desk Bollywood newbie Alia Bhatt says she is nervous about how the audience reacts after seeing her in an “unconventional” role in her upcoming film Highway. Directed by Imtiaz Ali the romantic drama is Alia’s second film after Student of The Year, which hit theatres in 2012.

“I was a bit confused when Imtiaz came with the offer. At the same time I was overwhelmed that he came up with a challenging film and role,” Alia said in an interview.

The 20-year-old actress said she is nervous about how the audience will receive the film, which releases on February 21.

“I am nervous and will remain so till the film releases. It keeps me on my toes. Working on the film was an amazing experience and I enjoyed

this journey a lot.”

The film has been shot in six states of North India and it captures the landscape of various regions.

The movie also features Randeep Hooda in the lead role. l

DiCaprio slammed by PETA over Wolf of Wall Street n Entertainment Desk Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street may be receiving major hype with its star-studded cast and early whispers of Oscar buzz, but one group that does not stand behind the upcoming film is People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

The animal rights organisation came out against the movie, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, and Matthew McConaughey, among others. PETA took issue with the inclusion of a monkey in the film, starting a petition on its official website reading, “Ask Leonardo DiCaprio never to work with great apes again.”

The Wolf of Wall Street features a brief scene with a chimpanzee named Chance, which PETA reports is owned by the Rosaire family -- a group which the animal

rights advocates say is “notorious for operating a traveling circus with an exploitative show featuring chimpanzees riding horses and doing other unnatural tricks.”

“The US Department of Agriculture has cited Chance’s exhibitor with repeatedly failing to provide chimpanzees with enough space, repeatedly failing to handle chimpanzees in a manner that ensured their safety and that of the public (for example, by putting a noose around chimpanzees’ necks in order to control them during public exhibition and by allowing a chimpanzee to injure a child), and repeatedly failing to provide chimpanzees with environmental enrichment,” PETA writes in the petition. “Furthermore, PETA has been told that while chance was on set during the production of The Wolf of Wall Street, the American Humane As-

sociation intentionally assigned a representative who is not experienced with primates, rather than its primatologist.”

“Despite his reputation as someone who cares about the environment, DiCaprio didn’t take the chimpanzee scene out of the movie and failed to respond to an appeal from PETA as well as thousands of other pleas from people and groups concerned about primate welfare,” the petition continues. “By setting an example for the rest of Hollywood, he can help prevent more great apes from suffering the way Chance has.”

DiCaprio has yet to comment on PETA’s words. The Wolf of Wall Street is far from the first film that PETA has spoken out against. In the past, the organisation has taken a stance against big-name features, including Twilight and The Hobbit. l

Did you know?

The last two clubs to be top of EPL at Christmas and failed to win the title were Arsenal in 07-08 and Liverpool in 08-09

Sport

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

0 8 8 DAYS TO GO

14 ‘Christmas results could spark title bid’

15 Australia reclaim the Ashes with WACA win

VICTORY DAY SPORTS

Army reach hockey semis Bangladesh Army thrashed Ajax 9-1 to cruise through to the semi-finals in the Walton Smartphone Victory Day Hockey at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

The prowess of the army men was too much for the Ajax players as the victors pounded four goals in the firsthalf to kill the game before adding another five in the second. Forward Md Abdul Malek alone netted five field goals in the 11, 25, 39, 60 and 65th minute. Milon Hossain scored a brace in the 29th and 69th minute while Torum Tripura and Ripon Kumar Mohanta also scored one apiece. The consolation goal for Ajax came from the stick of Prashanta in the 32nd minute. Army will face Abahani in the decider of the group championship tomorrow. l

Wrestling starts today The Victory Day Wrestling, organised

by Bangladesh Amateur Wrestling Federation and sponsored by the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs starts at the Handball Stadium today. A total of 35 male and female wrestlers of Bangladesh Ansar, Bangladesh Police and Border Guard Bangladesh will participate in the day long meet. The president of the Wrestling Federation and the minister of Liberation War Affairs Shajahan Khan will be present as the chief guest and distribute the prizes among the winners. l

Charity football held by Deaf Sports Federation Bangladesh Deaf Sports Federation (BDSF) organised a charity football match between its deaf and non deaf members on the occasion of 42nd anniversary of victory day of Bangladesh at the Shahid Sepoy Md Mustafa Kamal Kamal Stadium, Kamalapur on Monday. Social activist and sports organiser Mahbub-Uz-Zaman was the chief guest on the occasion while Feroz Ahmed, the general secretary of the BDSF, and Khairul Bashar, the chairman of the organising committee, were also present. The life-long members of the federation were awarded with a crest after the match. l

Height - 36.5cm (14.4 inches) Base - 13cm (5.1 inches) in diameter containing two layers of malachite. It contains 5kg (11 lb) of 18 carat (75%) gold Produced by Bertoni, Milano, it weighs 6.175 kg (13.6 lb) in total and depicts two human figures holding up the Earth.

The total distance expected to cover during this Tour will be 149,576.78km (92,942.702 miles).In other words, more than three times the circumference of earth!

(L) President Abdul Hamid lifts the Fifa World Cup trophy, the most coveted sports trophy of the world and (R) Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina enjoys the moment while the trophy was taken to Ganabhavan yesterday

World Cup on display at Radisson n Shishir Hoque The Fifa World Cup Trophy finally arrived in Dhaka and was officially unveiled at the city’s Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel yesterday.

The venue where the golden trophy will be displayed was shifted from Bangabandhu National Stadium to Radisson due to logistic problem, confirmed BFF president Kazi Salahuddin. The schedule for Wednesday and Thursday programmes will be the same as before.

The 36.5 centimeter golden trophy landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 12.25pm yesterday.

BFF president Kazi Salahuddin, senior vice president Abdus Salam Murshedy,

other BFF vice presidents and officials were present at the airport to receive the trophy, which came from UAE via a chartered flight.

The trophy was taken to the Banga Bhabhan to President Abdul Hamid.

Abdul Hamid is the only person from Bangladesh who touched the Fifa World Cup trophy and also the first man to hold the trophy in South Asia.

“What is unique is that only the World Cup winning team players and the head of states have the right to hold the trophy. You are lucky that Bangladesh is the first stop in South Asia and your head of state is the first to hold it,” said Venkatesh Kini, deputy president of Coca Cola India & South West Asia at the unveiling program yesterday.

The trophy was then carried to Gana Bhabhan to the prime minister’s residence at 4pm. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family member took pictures with the trophy while it was there for an hour. After that, the trophy was taken to Radisson and it will stay there for two days.

Rumors of where the famous trophy would be kept were spreading throughout the day. It was learnt that the venue was changed due to security concerns, although Kazi Salahuddin claimed the reason was logistical support issues.

“The main reason we changed the program were logistics problems. The instructions came from Atlanta, head of Coca Cola and from Zurich (Fifa head office), who gave the decision. Our

mistake is that we didn’t inform Fifa earlier about BNS as the venue,” said the BFF chief.

“It is a momentous occasion for Bangladesh be able to host the Fifa World Cup and a fantastic feeling that Coca Cola has been able to bring this trophy for the people of Bangladesh to see,” he added.

The organisers earlier planned to accommodate 15,000 spectators during the trophy’s two-day stay at the Bangabandhu National Stadium and Debasish Deb, country manager of Coca Cola, confirmed that the schedule would be the same at Radisson.

BFF senior vice president Abdus Salam Murshedy was delighted about the Trophy tour. “It’s a very special day

for football and for Bangladesh. Actually I’m very emotional today. Today is a historical day for our football and country. It was like a dream that the trophy will stay for three days now it’s not a dream anymore,” he said.

This is the first time the original World Cup trophy will be touring the country. Eleven years ago a replica of the 2002 Fifa World Cup trophy landed in Bangladesh.

This is the third time that the Fifa World Cup trophy is taking a world tour. The 2013/2014 Trophy Tour started from Rio de Janeiro on September 12 and will visit 88 countries in 267 days and cover 149,576.78km (92,942.702 miles) before returning to Brazil ahead of the World Cup next year. l

Four-team T20 tournament around corner

Roller Skating Marathon The Victory Day Roller Skating Marathon organised by Search Skating Club and Rapid PR, promoting the slogan of ‘Enlightened youths will develop the country’, was held on Monday. The 35km marathon, participated by 100 selected male and female skaters, began from the Central Shaheed Minar and finished at the National Mausoleum in Savar. The skaters and the organisers later placed floral respect in the memory of the martyred freedom fighters. A roll-ball match was also organised to mark the occasion. l Raihan Mahmood

COURTESY

n Mazhar Uddin

Bangladesh Deaf Sports Federation organised a charity football match on the occasion of Victory Day at the Kamalapur Stadium COURTESY

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is likely to start a four-team franchise based T20 tournament from December 22 with the final likely to be played on December 31 at the Sylhet Divisional Stadium (SDS). The tournament is part of the board’s effort to prepare the national side for the upcoming T20 World Cup and the BCB is likely to announce details for the four-team event today.

The cricketers recently finished a T20 Challenge Series between national team and the ‘A ‘side and national captain Mushfiqur Rahim pressed for another tournament. Another factor

for arranging the tournament is the board’s concern for the cricketers’ financial condition.

The cricketers will be divided into two categories and the 16 national cricketers will be divided across the four teams. “A” category players will receive Tk35,000 while the other cricketers in category “B” will receive Tk25,000.

The team that wins the event will receive Tk2.5m and the runners-up will getTk10m. The four teams will play in a double league and all the matches will be held at the SDS. The BCB had earlier planned to arrange the tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium

but changed the venue in accordance with ICC instructions.

The new chairman of the BCB marketing committee Kazi Inam Ahmed informed that, “We have talked with four corporate house for the T20 tournament but as you know the current political situation of our country it will be a big challenge for us,” he said.

The new director of the BCB also informed that Gazi TV and Masranga TV have shown an interest in obtaining TV rights for the Sri Lanka series, which will be confirmed today.However, it was learnt that Gazi TV will telecast the home series – a decision which is likely to be announced today. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Totti returns but Roma lose ground n AFP, Milan Francesco Totti ended his two-month injury absence for Roma but had to settle for a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw away to Milan, who had Sulley Muntari to thank for a late leveller at the San Siro on Monday.

Roma travelled to struggling Milan looking to close the gap on leaders Juventus to three points after the Serie A champions had opened up a six-point gap with an eighth consecutive win on Sunday.

But despite bossing Milan in almost every department, Roma had to settle for their fifth draw in six matches to remain second, five points behind.

Despite Milan’s domestic struggles, they remain Italy’s sole representative in the Champions League after exits by Juventus and Napoli last week.

Roma started brightly and opened the scoring before the quarter hour through Mattia Destro, only to be pegged back by a Cristian Zapata leveller on the half hour.

The visitors restored their lead on 51 minutes when Kevin Strootman scored from the penalty spot but Milan were handed a lifeline when Muntari made the best of Mario Balotelli’s pass to beat

Morgan De Sanctis on 77 minutes.

Roma’s Ivorian striker Gervinho looked particularly lively in the opening period and forced Christian Abbiati to save down low at his near post inside 10 minutes. But it was from Strootman’s run down the left that Roma opened their account, Destro sliding in unchallenged to slot the ball home on 13 minutes.

Roma thought they had restored their lead a minute later but Michael Bradley’s effort from a tight angle bounced off the goalline.

Destro threatened again just before half time but Milan’s blushes were saved by a timely tackle from Daniele Bonera.

Abbiati failed to appear for the second half and was replaced by Gabriel, who after seven minutes failed to stop Strootman’s spot kick after the ‘keeper ran out and fouled Gervinho on the edge of the box.

Totti replaced Destro in the 64th minute and the Roma veteran was immediately involved in the build-up which saw Bradley head just wide from six metres out.

Until then, Milan had not looked likely to score an equaliser. But in the 77th minute Muntari made the best of Balotelli’s lay-off to the right on the edge of the area to beat De Sanctis down low to the keeper’s left. l

AS Roma's Gervinho (C) is tackled by AC Milan's goalkeeper Gabriel during their Italian Serie A match at San Siro stadium in Milan on Monday

'Christmas results could spark title bid' n AFP, London

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez believes his side can mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title if they enjoy a successful Christmas campaign.

Suarez was presented with the 2013 Player of the Year award at the Football Supporters’ Federation Awards at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on Monday, but the Uruguayan has more significant silverware in his sights.

Suarez missed the first six matches of the season due to the ban he received in April for biting Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic.

But he has hit 17 league goals since returning to action, with a brace coming in Sunday’s 5-0 thrashing of Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

The second placed Reds, currently two points behind leaders Arsenal, face Cardiff, Manchester City and Chelsea before the turn of the year, and Su-

arez said: “If we continue this level the next two or three weeks we can win the league or we can finish in the top four.

“It’s important we concentrate and

focus on the next game.

“We know that after Cardiff we have two very, very big games. That will be important to what comes next.”

Citing his return to Liverpool action as his 2013 highlight, he said: “Coming back to play at Anfield: because after so many difficult moments for me I was able to win the supporters back, and that was unbelievable when I came back to play.

“They helped me, and that was important for me, for my confidence, and for my family, because they are together with me in this. It’s very special for me (the award) because my hard work on the pitch is recognised.

“Everybody knows about my problems and my difficult year, but after that I forgot everything and have been able to get back on the pitch.

“Liverpool are starting to reach their potential and we can play our best on the pitch. l

EU to probe 7 Spanish football clubs

Gattuso under investigation over match-fixing

The European Commission will today launch a formal investigation into seven Spanish football clubs, including Barcelona and Real Madrid, after complaints they accepted illegal state aid, Spain’s foreign minister said.

The EU’s executive declined to comment when contacted by AFP on Monday. Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia announced in April that the complaints concerned Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Osasuna (Pamplona), Valencia, Hercules (Alicante) and Elche.

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo told a press briefing after talks with EU colleagues on Monday the government in Madrid had been informed of a comprehensive inquiry.

Gennaro Gattuso, a member of Italy’s 2006 World Cup-winning side, was placed under investigation while four people were arrested in connection with a match-fixing scandal yesterday, Italian police reported.

Gattuso, 35, sacked earlier this season as coach of second division Palermo, is suspected of “associating with criminals with intent to commit sporting fraud”.

The long-running “Calcioscommesse” saga took a further twist with the arrest of the four, all said to have provided the link between players and a clandestine betting ring. Police declined to say where the arrests had taken place, but the nationwide operation was led by the Cremona prosecutor’s office, which initially uncovered the scandal in 2010. l

n AFP, Brussels

It would be the first step to a procedure for violation of EU rules and could lead to sanctions if these rules were in fact broken.

Madrid appeared concerned about the consequences of the Brussels decision and Garcia-Margallo said the government would “defend the clubs to the end”.

“As far as I know there was nothing illegal,” said the minister. “But I am concerned about the prejudice that the clubs may suffer.”

The focus of the investigation is on whether the tax rate imposed on Real Madrid, the FC Barcelona, Athletic Bilbao and Osasuna complies with European law.

Brussels is also looking into loans granted by the Valencian Community to Valencia, Hercules and Elche. l

n AFP, Rome

City lose Aguero for a month n AFP, London

Manchester City’s Premier League title challenge was dealt a setback on Monday when manager Manuel Pellegrini announced that Sergio Aguero will be out for “at least one month” through injury.

The 25-year-old Argentina striker has been in stunning form of late, scoring 12 goals in his last 11 games to take the 2012 champions to within three points of league leaders Arsenal.

However, after opening the scoring in Saturday’s 6-3 victory over Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium, he had to come off in the 49th minute with a calf problem.

“I think he will be at least one month out,” Pellegrini told a press conference, ahead of City’s League Cup quarter-final tie at second-tier Leicester City on Tuesday. He has a calf injury. Maybe the doctor can say exactly how many weeks he will be.”l

REUTERS

Sacked Villas-Boas needed more time, says Redknapp n Reuters, London Andre Villas-Boas deserved more time to work with and develop the Tottenham Hotspur squad, Harry Redknapp said on the day his successor was fired as manager.

Three heavy defeats in two months, the most recent a 5-0 mauling by Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday, resulted in the sack for Villas-Boas with his expensively-assembled team lying a disappointing seventh in the Premier League table.

Spurs were also thrashed 6-0 at Manchester City three weeks ago and suffered the embarrassment of a 3-0 home defeat by struggling West Ham United in October but Redknapp felt it was too early to jettison the young Portuguese.

“I think people are over-reacting too quickly,” he told Talksport Radio on

Monday. “You lose a couple of games now and you’re in trouble, it shouldn’t be like that.

“You either think somebody is good at their job or not and when you appoint someone you should give them time and let them do the job,” added Redknapp, who is now in charge of Championship leaders Queens Park Rangers.

“It’s far too early for people to start wanting to pull the plug on him. You’ve got to give him time and see what he can do,” he said just before it was announced that Villas-Boas had been dismissed.

The Portuguese known as ‘AVB’, who was also sacked by London rivals Chelsea in 2012 after moving to Stamford Bridge following a highly successful spell with Porto, never got close to the friendly rapport Redknapp shared with the media. l

Messi agents deny money laundering report n AFP, Madrid

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi’s agents denied Monday a Spanish newspaper allegation that his father was suspected of being involved in laundering Colombian drug money through charity football matches.

Leo Messi Magagement (LMM), whose president is the 26-year-old Argentine international’s father, Jorge Messi, urged Spanish daily El Mundo to correct the story.

“Jorge Messi has never been connected to the case,” LMM said in a statement.

“He has not been investigated or called to testify, much less charged,” it added.

“We hope that the newspaper El

Mundo will correct the published story in line with the information released by the Interior Ministry,” it said.

Spain’s police and the Interior Ministry said a Colombian promoter was suspected of laundering drug money through concerts and sporting events in Spain, South America and the United States.

But they said there was no evidence of wrongdoing by Messi, his family or other players who featured in charity football matches organised by the Colombian promoter at the centre of the affair.

Besides putting on concerts in Spain, the Colombian firm, which has not been identified, staged charity football matches in South America and the United States featuring Messi, who

is a four-time World Footballer of the Year, and other stars, police said.

Investigators had no evidence so far that the “Messi and Friends” charity football games were linked to money laundering, the authorities said.

The Barcelona forward’s father had no link with the Colombian company, a police source said.

“He had nothing to do with this firm,” the source said, playing down the report in El Mundo, which had described Messi senior as being “at the centre” of the affair.

Police said they took witness statements from football players to gather information about the company, but they were “ruling out for the moment their involvement in the crime being investigated”.l

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW REACTION n Reuters, London MAN CITY V BARCELONA Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain told Sky Sports: “It’s very tough, but we are happy because we are here and we will fight for the trophy.

“It’s a wonderful draw and these are two big teams so it’s going to be great, great matches.

“The last game we played in Munich, winning against the champions of Europe [Bayern Munich] and that has given us a lot of confidence. We have shown we can score in all matches.”

Barcelona sporting director Andoni Zubizarreta said to Canal Plus: “It’s a tie of exceptional quality to get the competition going again in February.

“They are two teams that attack very well and have a huge amount of talent right from the goalkeepers through to the forward line.

“It seems like it will be a match with everything and it is going to be a tough fight.”

OLYMPIAKOS V MAN UNITED Olympiakos coach Michel said: “We are excited and enthusiastic about playing Manchester United at Old Trafford.

“It’s a nice destination for our fans and our team to go to. United are a massive club and have a great team so we are expecting two very tough matches.

“We aim to continue our strong performances in this competition in order to stay in it as long as we can.”

Manchester United club secretary John Alexander said to Sky Sports: “Once we knew the five possible opponents we were quite relaxed and whoever came out of the pot would have been a good lot for us.

“Manchester United are a very popular club in Greece so there will be big United support when we go to Athens.”

AC MILAN V ATLETICO MADRID AC Milan director Umberto Gandini told la Gazzetta dello Sport: “It could have been worse for us.

“We’re going back to Spain to take on a

team which we are not used to, as opposed to Real and Barcelona, who we have faced so many times recently.

“We will face Atletico in two months, so we’ll have to see how both teams are then.

Atletico are very good, are having a great season and will be very tricky opponents.”

Atletico Madrid director Clemente Villaverde said to Canal Plus: “We are not talking about just anyone here but a great team with a very significant history that will make them a force in any competition they are part of.

LEVERKUSEN V PSG Bayer Leverkusen managing director Michael Schade told BeIN Sport: “We are the underdogs of course. We are already happy we have reached this round.

Paris are a top team.”

Paris St Germain coach Laurent Blanc told a news conference in Paris: “I don’t have to say whether it’s a good or a bad draw. It could have been more complicated.

“We avoided (Manchester) City, who, like Arsenal, were the team to avoid. But

it’s not because we avoided them that we will not be professional in the way we will prepare for the tie.

adulation he’ll be too tired to actually play the game. We are looking forward to having Didier back.”

GALATASARAY V CHELSEA

SCHALKE 04 V REAL MADRID

Chelsea club secretary David Barnard told Sky Sports: “We last played them in the Champions League group stage in 2000 and we were successful then, we won 5-0.

“Obviously things are going to be different now. But having looked at that pitch against Juventus I think that might give us a little bit of concern.

“To play at home in the second leg, I think, is always an advantage and if we can go there and get a good result it takes a bit of pressure off us for the home leg.”

Regarding the return of Didier Drogba to Stamford Bridge, Barnard added: “Didier will become a Chelsea legend because he gave everybody at the club and the supporters probably their finest moment by stroking that penalty home in Munich, so he will get a fantastic reception.

“We hope that when he soaks up that

Schalke coach Jens Keller said: “This is a fantastic draw, for us as well as for our fans.

“To be able to go up against the most famous club in the world and the likes of Ronaldo, Bale and Casillas is something we are already looking forward to.”

Real Madrid director Emilio Butragueno told Canal Plus: “It’s true that in theory there were stronger rivals in the draw but that’s the lottery.

“We have always suffered a lot against German teams and so we have to approach the tie very respectfully and cautiously, prepare well and attend to all the details.

“The return match is at the Bernabeu which in principle is an advantage but we know what can happen in this competition. One bad night in Europe and you are out.”

ZENIT V BORUSSIA DORTMUND Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said: “If you reach the knockout stage you cannot expect an easy draw but if you see the other matchups ours is one we can live with, but it is not easy.

“It does not matter at this point that we play the return game in Germany. They are top in their league and it will be hard.”

ARSENAL V BAYERN MUNICH Arsenal club secretary David Miles told Sky Sports: “We always seem to get the rough end of the draw but nevertheless we’re optimistic. We’re looking forward to both games.

“We ran them (Bayern Munich) very close last year and don’t forget we only lost on away goals in the end, so we are hopeful we can turn the tide and actually come through this one.”

Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: “They are the leaders in the Premier League and so we have been warned.

“A few months ago we had lost to them in Munich. They are a very tough team. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Make changes or lose 5-0, McGrath warns England

QUICK BYTES

Warner mulls US baseball trial Explosive Australian opener David Warner is mulling a baseball trial in the United States where successful hitters can earn millions of dollars a year, a report said Tuesday. Warner’s manager Tony Connelly told the Sydney Daily Telegraph all options were being considered for a player who has plundered the English bowling in the ongoing Ashes series where he is averaging over 90. “Dave and I have spoken about it – it would be interesting to see how he goes,” Connelly said of a baseball trial. “A pitch over the plate is a full toss right in his range but once they start throwing curves, it’s a bit different. “We talked about setting up a trial in the States and getting him in a batting cage just to have a look. “It was more a fun thing to see how he goes.

Right now he’s in the middle of an Ashes series and that’s his total focus.”

–AFP

n Reuters

Fluminense avoid drop as Portuguesa docked points

Fluminense were saved from the ignominy of relegation on Monday after Brazil’s Superior Court of Sporting Justice ruled rivals Portuguesa be docked four points for fielding an ineligible player. The unanimous decision means Portuguesa will drop into Serie B next year even though they ended the season two points and five places ahead of Fluminense, who had been the first team to be relegated a year after winning the league title. Portuguesa, a small club from Sao Paulo, made the mistake in the final match of the season a week last Sunday. “We’re very sad, but we expected it,” full back Brayan told reporters. “We can appeal and see what we can do. But this was no surprise. We have to accept it, no matter what division we’re in we’ll sweat to do our best.”

–Reuters

Manager Mackay won’t get single penny, says Cardiff owner

The future of Cardiff City manager Malky Mackay was plunged into further uncertainty on Monday when he was told by the owners that he would not receive a “single penny” to strengthen the team.

The soap opera surrounding the English Premier League club has dragged on for months with Mackay seemingly at loggerheads with Malaysian tycoon and owner Vincent Tan who is now unhappy about the manager’s wish for three January signings. “Tan Sri Vincent Tan was extremely upset to read quotes from the manager concerning the possibility of new recruits before he had been informed whether funds would be made available,” chief executive Simon Lim said in a statement carried by British media. “He believes that doing so unfairly raises supporter expectations, placing unnecessary pressure on the club. As such he (Tan) has stated that not a single penny will be made available in January.”

–Reuters

Zola resigns as Watford boss Former Chelsea star Gianfranco Zola resigned as manager of Championship club Watford on Monday. Zola decided to quit Vicarage Road in the aftermath of Saturday’s dismal 1-0 home defeat against struggling Sheffield Wednesday. After losing in the Championship play-off final against Crystal Palace last season, former West Ham manager Zola had been unable to get Watford back on track this term and they are currently languishing in 13th place, eight points adrift of the play-off spots. Watford had gone nine league games without a win and Zola hinted after Saturday’s loss that he was thinking about quitting. The 47-year-old Italian decided he has taken the club as far as possible and writing in a statement on Watford’s website he said: “This decision has not been made quickly.

–AFP

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six NBA 2013-14 7:00AM Memphis v LA Lakers 9:30AM Golden State v New Orleans 5:00PM Pakistan v Sri Lanka 1ST ODI Ten Sports 2:30PM South Africa v India 1st Test, Day 1 01:45AM Capital One Cup 2013/14 QF: Tottenham v West Ham Ten Action 01:45AM Capital One Cup 2013/14 QF: Stoke City v Man United

The Australian team celebrates after defeating England to win the Ashes on the final day of their third Ashes Test in Perth yesterday

Australia reclaim the Ashes n Reuters, Perth Australia faltered for pretty much the first time in the series trying to close the deal but rallied to blow away the last vestiges of English resistance and reclaim the Ashes with a third emphatic test victory yesterday.

Just three months after England wrapped up a third successive Ashes series triumph by a similarly dominant 3-0 margin back home, Australia had wrested back the urn they last held in August 2009 with two matches to spare.

Ben Stokes had made them sweat through the first session on the fifth and final day of the third test at the WACA by completing his maiden test hundred as the tourists chased their improbable victory target of 504.

But once the lefthander was dismissed for 120 in the third over after lunch, Australia’s bowlers ran quickly through the England tail to claim a 150run victory and an unassailable 3-0 series lead.

Fittingly, it was Mitchell Johnson, whose fiery spells of pace bowling had turned the first two tests, who delivered the coup de grace by dismissing James Anderson to end England’s second innings for 353.

“It’s a fantastic feeling,” said captain Michael Clarke, the only member of the Australia team to have previously enjoyed Ashes success.

“What an amazing performance not just throughout this test match but over the course of three test matches.

I think we put a lot of work in over a long period of time and we got the Ashes back.

“I don’t think you’ll find one bloke in that dressing room who won’t say that this is the pinnacle,” he added. “Playing test cricket against England and winning the Ashes. That’s always been the pinnacle for Australian cricketers.”

Steve Smith was named Man of the Match after his innings of 111 in the first innings, the sixth by an Australian in the three tests so far.

That Stokes’s hundred was the first by an Englishman in the series and helped his country to their highest innings total in the three tests said much about why the tourists have been outplayed so comprehensively.

“The simple fact of the matter is we haven’t had enough players in form with either bat or ball,” said England skipper Alastair Cook, who admitted his 100th test was the low point of his career.

“You can’t put it any more honest than that, and people in the dressing room know that. It hurts like hell when you come into a contest and you end up being second best.”

England had resumed on 251 for five requiring another 253 runs for an extraordinary victory or more likely needing to bat through the final day to save the test.

The yawning cracks that had opened up on the sunbaked wicket added an extra danger factor for the batsmen, with one Ryan Harris delivery to Stokes jag-

AFP

ging off into the slips.

Lefthander Stokes, who made his debut in the second test in Adelaide, showed great concentration and no little courage to help England to their biggest innings score of the series.

Johnson, who finished with figures of four for 78, made the breakthrough when Matt Prior took a swipe at a widish delivery and got a nick on it to be caught behind for 26.

Two overs later and Stokes, who had edged his way nervously through the 90s, pulled Johnson to the long-leg for four to reach his hundred, pumping his fist in celebration.

England made it through to lunch at 332-6 but their task always looked too tough and when Stokes was brilliantly caught by wicketkeeper Brad Haddin off spinner Nathan Lyon the end was in sight.

“Every time we got a partnership going or a few wickets with the ball, Australia always responded better than what we could deal with,” said Cook.l

England must make changes for the final two tests or risk a 5-0 Ashes humiliation, former Australia fast bowler Glenn McGrath said as his country regained the urn yesterday.

A 150-run defeat, England’s third heavy loss in succession, would have been even bigger had it not been for a magnificent century by Ben Stokes in only his second test match, and McGrath said it was time England tried something different.

“England have issues both with bat and ball, they are going to have to make some changes because if you keep doing the same thing hoping for a different result that’s the definition of insanity,” McGrath told BBC radio.

From day two in Brisbane I was happy to jump back on the bandwagon and say 5-0 and we’re well on the way aren’t we.”

Former England batsman Geoffrey Boycott, also working for the BBC’s commentary team, said coach Andy Flower must decide his future quickly, for the good of the team.

“The first question the English cricket board should be asking themselves and asking Andy privately is are you staying or going because if you’re going, sooner the better, then we move on,” Boycott said.

“If you are staying - and he’s a good man - then we got to start now. You’ve got to start planning, you’ve got to have the mental strength, tenacity and desire to build another team to get the Ashes back.” l

SCORECARD, DAY 5 Australia 1st innings 385 Steve Smith 111; Stuart Broad 3-100 England 1st innings 251 Alastair Cook 72; Peter Siddle 3-36 Australia 2nd innings 369-6 (dec) David Warner 112, Shane Watson 103; Tim Bresnan 2-53 England 2nd innings Alastair Cook b Harris 0 Michael Carberry lbw Watson 31 Joe Root c Haddin b Johnson 19 Kevin Pietersen c Harris b Lyon 45 Ian Bell c Haddin b Siddle 60 Ben Stokes c Haddin b Lyon 120 Matt Prior c Haddin b Johnson 26 Tim Bresnan c Rogers b Johnson 12 Graeme Swann c Smith b Lyon 4 Stuart Broad not out 2 Jimmy Anderson c Bailey b Johnson 2 Extras (b13, lb13, w6) 32 Total (all out wickets, 103.2 overs) 353 Bowling Harris 19-2-73-1, Johnson 25.2-6-78-4 (5w), Lyon 22-5-70-3 (1w), Siddle 26-1167-1, Watson 11-1-39-1.

Australia won by 150 runs and leads series 3-0

Tough challenge for India n AFP, Johannesburg The odds seem stacked against India as they prepare to take on world champions South Africa in their first Test series since the retirement of batting icon Sachin Tendulkar.

The first of two Test matches starts at the Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg today, a ground which should suit South Africa’s formidable fast bowling attack.

India have had minimal opportunity to adjust to South Africa’s fast, bouncy pitches. On a tour controversially shortened to the minimum three oneday internationals and two Tests, they were bowled out for 217 and 146 in the

first two one-day games and did not bat in the final match because of rain.

A planned two-day match against a South African Invitation XI was abandoned without a ball bowled.

Under the original itinerary announced by South Africa, but rejected

by India, the tourists would have played in two Twenty20 internationals, seven one-day internationals and two two-day games before playing the first Test. India have won their most recent six Test matches but all were played at home.

They have not played a Test outside India since January 2012 when they were beaten 4-0 in Australia to extend to eight their losing streak away from home. Before that they lost by the

same margin in England.

South Africa have gone unbeaten in 13 series in their ascent to the top of the International Cricket Council rankings but their most recent two series against second-ranked India, away in 2009/10 and at home the following season, have ended tied at 1-1.

South Africa boast a stable batting order and a formidable pace attack.

AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla are first and second in the Test batting rankings, with Graeme Smith and veteran Jacques Kallis also in the top 12.

India’s highest-ranked batsman is Cheteshwar Pujara, at six, while Virat Kohli and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni are 20th and 21st. l

Pakistan strive to keep momentum against SL

Shillingford ‘gutted’ over ban

n AFP, Sharjah

West Indies spinner Shane Shillingford is “gutted” at being banned for using an illegal bowling action but hopes to return to international cricket soon, national coach Ottis Gibson said in New Zealand yesterday.

The ICC announced Monday that Shillingford had been banned indefinitely after an independent biomechanical analysis showed his action was illegal.

The tests also found Shillingford’s team-mate, Marlon Samuels, was delivering an illegal quicker ball, although his standard off-break was within the rules.

Gibson said he was surprised at the results of the tests, which were carried out in Australia after the pair were reported during their team’s second Test against India in Mumbai last month. l

In-form Pakistan are seeking to build on their recent thrilling one-day triumph in South Africa when they take on dangerous but rusty Sri Lanka in a five-match series starting in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday.

Pakistan last month sealed their first-ever ODI series win against the Proteas, beating them 2-1 just weeks after a 4-1 drubbing against the same opposition in the UAE. Misbah-ul Haq, whose side lie sixth in the one-day rankings, two places lower than Sri Lanka, hopes they can build on their confidence-building success, saying his players thrive under pressure.

But Misbah warned his side against

complacency.

Pakistan will be without lanky paceman Mohammad Irfan – who stands seven feet one inch (2.15 metres) tall -after the bowler fractured his hip bone during the Twenty20 series against South Africa last month and was ruled out of the series.

Sri Lanka will be missing former captain Mahela Jayawardene and leftarm spinner Rangana Herath, who both opted out of the one-dayers. Sri Lanka have been frustrated by a lack of match practice after their drawn three-match ODI series against New Zealand last month was disrupted by rain.

The remaining ODIs will be played in Dubai (December 20), Sharjah (Dec 22) and Abu Dhabi (Dec 25 and 27). l

n AFP, Wellington

Joe Johnson (R) of the Brooklyn Nets blocks a shot by Brandon Davies of the Philadelphia 76ers during their game at the Barclays Center on Monday. Johnson drained 10 three-pointers in a 37-point effort that lifted Brooklyn to a 130-94 NBA victory over Philadelphia. Johnson made eight of his three-pointers in the third quarter, matching the NBA record for most in a period set by Milwaukee’s Michael Redd in 2002. James Anderson scored 17 points off the bench and Thaddeus Young added 14 for the 76ers, who lost their seventh straight. Johnson’s 10 three-pointers were the most in a game this season, surpassing the previous season-high of nine achieved by Houston’s Jeremy Lin and Golden State’s Stephen Curry AFP

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Manpower export to fall by two lakh this year n Rabiul Islam

A view of the Karwanbazar intersection in the capital yesterday on the first day of the 72-hour blockade programme enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Manpower export from Bangladesh to different countries is likely to fall by around two lakh in comparison to the previous year, statistics say.

According to the statistics of Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), a total of 389,229 people have migrated to different countries for jobs till December 12, 2013.

Whereas, around 607,000 workers migrated to different countries for jobs in 2012, BMET data says.

At a press conference yesterday, Expatriates’ Welfare Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain said the manpower export had fallen because of economic recession across the globe.

The press conference was organised at Probashi Kallyan Bhaban on the occasion of International Migration Day to be observed today.

“It is not our failure for which the manpower export has fallen this year.

It is not a consumable item and we cannot send if the foreign countries do not place demands,” the minister said.

Mosharraf also claimed that manpower sector was not affected by hartals and blockades although other

Health project cars being used unlawfully Ministry officials drawing fuel and maintenance costs from project funds being possible because of the shortage es, ambulances) that were being used secretary to the health minister had n Moniruzzaman Uzzal under different health projects in the also been using SUVs belonging to the of transportations. country.

Although he admitted that a few cars were being used by senior health ministry officials, Dr Sifayetullah denied disclosing details.

Preferring anonymity, DGHS officials said most of the program managers and deputy program managers – who were politically appointed – were using the expensive cars, while many other senior officials were denied transport facilities.

There have also been claims that an unscrupulous quarter had been trying to sell the project cars by declaring them as out of order.

The former health minister had allegedly been using an SUV of the Health Promotion Bureau, while the state minister for health and personal

avian influenza project.

The health advisor to the prime minister had used a car of the tuberculosis program.

The health secretary and his office are currently occupying two SUVs of Expanded Immunization Program; while the additional secretaries are using three SUVs of the Filarial Program and two more cars from the tuberculosis program.

The joint secretaries (hospital and clinic, and administration) have been using two SUVs, while two pick-up trucks of the Communicable Disease Program have allegedly been occupied by the deputy secretary (world health) and senior assistant chief of the ministry.

The project director of Dhaka Medical College Hospital-2 is reportedly

using two SUVs from the Community Clinic Project.

Seeking anonymity, a senior DGHS official said top officials including the DG, ADG and directors were also occupying project cars as there were only 18 pool cars allotted for the DGHS. This reporter repeatedly tried to reach to health secretary, but failed to get any response.

However, Aiyubur Rahaman, additional secretary (medical education) of health ministry, said: “The car bought for any project must be used absolutely for that project’s work. There is no scope to use it otherwise.”

Although refusing to answer how senior ministry officials were using project cars, the additional secretary said officials often had to use pool cars if no vehicle was bought for the ministry with government money. l

Several senior officials of the health ministry have allegedly been using vehicles that belong to different projects of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) – for both their official and personal use.

Expensive vehicles of the projects – worth around Tk6m to Tk8m – have reportedly been allotted to senior ministry officials, including the former health minister, health advisor to the prime minister, state minister for health, and also the incumbent health secretary, additional secretaries, joint secretaries and deputy secretaries Seeking anonymity, several top officials of the DGHS told the Dhaka Tribune that the objectives of the projects were being hampered as monitoring and supervision of the work was not

Sources also said all the expenses of the cars including fuel, gas and maintenance costs were drawn from the project funds.

All these information came to light when six of the vehicles were recently returned by the ex-health minister, health advisor and state minister.

As soon as the cars came back, several joint secretaries of the ministry had reportedly placed demands before different line directors of concerned projects for allotment of the cars. Out of those six cars, three have already been distributed to the joint secretaries.

Prof Dr Khondokar Md Sifayetullah, director general of the DGHS, said the authorities recently collected a list of a total 242 vehicles (Sports Utility Vehicles or SUVs, pick-ups, microbus-

HRW: End street violence n Tribune Report

EC doesn’t follow all requests in allocating symbols

Human Rights Watch said the Bangladesh government should publicly order security forces to avoid using lethal or excessive force when dealing with protesters.

The leaders of all political parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), should keep supporters from engaging in violence, the New York-based rights body said in a statement.

‘Security forces appear to have stepped up operations against the opposition in recent days. Jamaat supporters have attacked police posts, government buildings, ruling party activists, and Hindu communities’ The government should set up an independent commission to carry out prompt, effective, and impartial investigations into the violence and hold all those responsible to account, the statement reads.

“Security forces appear to have stepped up operations against the opposition in recent days. Jamaat supporters have attacked police posts, government buildings, ruling party activists, and Hindu communities,” it added.

Media reports say that security forces have killed at least 20 opposition members during clashes and have arrested many more, said the statement.

“Security forces and opposition militants are engaged in a vicious cycle of attacks that are leading to death, destruction, and fear,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

“Jamaat and others in the opposition may have legitimate reasons to hold protests, but that is no excuse for the appalling levels of violence by their supporters,” he said. l

n Mohammad Zakaria The Election Commission did not entertain all requests while distributing symbols among contenders for the upcoming 10th parliamentary elections.

The commission last week allocated the “plough” to Jatiya Party candidates, ignoring a request from party chairman HM Ershad not to give the symbol to anyone as the party had decided to boycott the polls, scheduled for Januray 5.

However, when the Awami League in a letter on December 13 asked the EC to give the “boat” symbol to candidates from its smaller allies, the commission directed the returning officers to do so.

Meanwhile, EC sources said there

was no scope to keep Ershad’s request for not allocating the “plough” symbols.

A number of EC officials yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that there was no specific mention in the electoral laws about requests by party chiefs on not allocating electoral symbols.

However, in the case of the ruling Awami League, the EC honoured its request and allocated the “boat” to contenders from its allied parties.

The officials explained that a political party could inform the commission for allocating symbols to its alliance contenders.

The Representation of the People Order states that “the commission may allocate one of the prescribed symbols to a candidate of a combination of two

or more registered political parties who have agreed to set up joint candidates for the elections”, provided that an application is made in this regard within three days of publication of the polls notification.

An election commissioner, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that there was no violation of electoral laws in the election process. Returning officers have to complete all election processes as per the law, he added.

When asked about rejecting Ershad’s request, the commissioner said the returning officers allocated the symbols as per the electoral laws.

Meanwhile, the printing of around 4.5 crore ballot papers with election symbols has already started for the 146

constituencies where elections will be held.

About 386 candidates are contesting from the 146 seats. There are no AL candidates in 25 of the seats, while 65 JP contenders will contest the polls with the “plough”.

Moreover, there are independent candidate in 21 seats against AL contenders, while candidates from Workers’ Party, Jasad and JP-Manju would contest from at least 24 seats.

Meanwhile, a total of 154 candidates, including 21 from JP, are set to win the polls unopposed.

As per Ershad’s earlier announcement, 158 JP candidates withdrew their nomination papers before December 13 deadline. l

sectors were badly affected by these strikes.

The expat minister claimed that during the tenure of the Awami League government a total of 24 lakh people had gone abroad for jobs, which is a great achievement. On the other hand, during the BNP-led 18 party alliance’s tenure only 13 lakh workers went abroad, the minister added.

‘It is not our failure for which the manpower export has fallen this year. It is not a consumable item and we cannot send any if the foreign countries do not place demands’ He also mentioned that the country received $18.36bn during the BNP tenure, while Awami League government received $58.39bn.

With the slogan “Contribution of migrants, preservation of dignity of the country,” the International Migration Day will be observed in the country today.

The government has chalked out a number of programmes including rallies to mark the day in a befitting manner. l

‘10% textbooks yet to reach schools’

n Mushfique Wadud About 10% textbooks of the new academic year have not yet reached schools with only 13 days to go for the new academic year, National Curriculum and Textbook Board officials said yesterday.

Students are expecting textbooks of the new academic year on January 1.

NCTB officials fear that students might not get full set of their textbooks on the first day of the new academic year in some parts of the country.

The delay has been attributed to consecutive shutdowns and rail-road-waterways blockades over the last couple of weeks.

They said all textbooks had been distributed to schools by this time of the year in the last few years Printers and NCTB officials told the Dhaka Tribune that almost all textbooks had already been printed but they could not be transported to the areas concerned because of lack of transport facilities.

In the last few years, students used to get textbooks on the first day of new academic year.

Narayan Chandra Pal, member (Textbook) of the NCTB told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that 90% textbooks had already been distributed but 10% books have not yet reached the students.

He said one of the trucks carrying textbooks was vandalised while transporting textbooks.

Mizanur Rahman, a printer, yesterday said he had distributed all the books except for Laxmipur and Chandpur. “Truck owners are refusing to go to these two districts fearing violence,” he said.

Abu Naser Sarker, chief executive officer of Hassan Book Depot, said all his textbooks were printed but could not be distributed for blockade programmes.

This year the NCTB is printing nearly 30 crore copies of textbooks for secondary and primary school students. l

Election without voting not good for democracy: Muhith n Tribune Report Finance Minister AMA Muhith believes that electing more than half of the members of parliament without any voting is not good for democracy.

“It is not good for our democracy,” he told US Ambassador in Dhaka Dan Mozena during a meeting at his Secretariat office yesterday. He told Mozena that more than half of the MPs, including himself, had already been elected.

The one-hour meeting with the US ambassador also featured matters related to the Grameen Bank and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the prolonged political violence and the country’s economy, Muhith told reporters after the meeting.

Muhith said the US was now observing the situation and the polls activities.

Mozena told him that the US would issue a statement based on Bangladesh’s explanation, if any, for the polls.

Muhith said Mozena had asked him

about his opinion about the general elections but he told the US envoy that before giving any opinion he should talk to the party high-up about the matter first.

On banning the Jamaat-e-Islami, Muhith told Mozena: “Jamaat is a terrorist party and it should be banned although it may go underground.”

Muhith claimed that Mozena did not disagree regarding the matter.

Mozena also inquired about the country’s economic situation, and Muhith told him that economic activities had totally stopped during the opposition’s blockades and violence, which he termed “gifts” from BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia and her alliance partner Jamaat.

On Grameen Bank, Muhith told the US envoy that the government’s authority would not rise in the bank’s board.

“Muhammad Yunus is still staying on the Grameen Bank premises and influencing the bank negatively,” he said. l

Only a few passengers can be seen at the Sayedabad bus terminal yesterday. The risks they took went in vain as no bus left the terminal because of the opposition’s blockade programme SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

Continue to the Business section...

Business

B2 Container handling faces setback at Chittagong Port due to blockade

B3 Stocks edge lower on sale pressure

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013

Business www.dhakatribune.com/business

New bank violates rules NRB Bank appoints a senior official aged beyond limit and approves a purchase proposal of a luxury jeep worth Tk1.56 crore

n Jebun Nesa Alo NRB Bank violated age limit in appointing a senior executive vice president and expenditure ceiling in purchasing a motor vehicle, said Bangladesh Bank.

The central bank served a show cause notice to the new bank on the anomalies.

BANGLADESH BANK DIRECTIVES Banks are not allowed to purchase a jeep worth more than Tk50 lakh And a motor car worth more than Tk35 lakh

‘It is true that the recruitment of a senior EVP was not in line with the bank’s age policy. But it is not a problem as the appointment has board approval’

According to a central bank report, the NRB Bank’s board of directors approved appointment of a 52-year-old in the post of senior EVP violating the age limit set in the bank’s recruitment policy.

Senior EVP Mahbubuzzaman, 52, was given the charge of leading credit risk management department.

The board also approved a proposal of purchasing a jeep worth Tk1.56 crore.

But as per Bangladesh Bank directives, the banks are not allowed to purchase a jeep worth more than Tk50 lakh and a motor car

worth more than Tk35 lakh and.

The NRB Bank’s proposed jeep was to be used by the bank’s managing director. The sixth board meeting gave approval to the proposal.

The price of 2700cc jeep is Tk1.15 crore, but the bank will pay the price in instalments

over a 5-year period, which accumulates the cost to Tk1.56 crore, said sources.

After reviewing the bank’s minutes of board meetings, Bangladesh Bank identified the non-compliances.

NRB Bank managing director and chief executive officer Muklesur Rahman also acknowledged that the appointment of Mahbubuzzaman broke the bank’s age limit policy in recruitment.

He however saw no problem in it as the appointment was approved by the bank’s board of directors.

“It is true that the recruitment of a senior EVP was not in line with the bank’s age policy. But it is not a problem as the appointment has board approval,” said Muklesur Rahman.

About the luxury jeep, MD said the bank did not purchase it.

“We sent a reply to the Bangladesh Bank’s show cause notice one month ago.’’

A senior executive of Bangladesh Bank said the new banks seem to a tendency of resorting to violations of regulations and policies in recruitments.

NRB Bank meant for mobilising investments from non-resident Bangladeshis received approval from the regulator Bangladesh Bank in April last year.

The bank began its operation on May 28 this year with a paid-up capital of Tk400 crore. l

High level meeting to fund state banks today n Asif Showkat Kallol A high-level meeting scheduled today would prioritise the state-run banks for providing them with fund from the national budget to help meet their capital shortfall.

The Budget Division of finance ministry convened the meeting at the ministry to devise a bailout plan for the banks – Sonali, Janata, Agrani, Rupali, Bangladesh Commerce Bank, and Bangladesh Krishi Bank.

An amount of Tk4,100 crore would be disbursed among the banks commensurate with their respective needs subject to the banks would comply with the credit risk-related reforms, said a senior official.

He said the fund would not be disbursed this month because most of the fund under the ministry and the division already exhausted in first five months of the current fiscal year due to the current expenses owing to the prolonged political violence and deadlock.

Earlier, the government had decided to provide Tk4,100 crore to three state-owned banks of Sonali, Janata and Agrani.

Meanwhile, the IMF set three new conditions for four state-owned commercial banks under its extended credit facility. They are restoration of capital position, full recovery of default loans from state-run enterprises and automation of system by March 2014.

An IMF staff report released recently said the conditions emerged as the banks’ financial performance deteriorated along with the Hall-Mark and Bismillah scams.

The central bank found significant weaknesses in asset quality, liquidity management, and internal audit control. l

POLITICAL UNREST

Business deals now being signed abroad n Kayes Sohel As political turmoil continues to batter the country, the business people are now travelling abroad to have trade deals done with their foreign partners.

Such foreign tours for agreement signing are inflicting additional costs and time on the businesses, said the business people.

“This (agreement signing in abroad) has become quite common today,” said Ha-Meem Group chairman AK Azad.

“Recently my company signed a business agreement with a European company in the US,” AK Azad said.

Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia are the preferable places to hold deal signing as foreigners feel insecure to come to Bangladesh because of political violence sweeping through the country including the capital Dhaka.

“Travelling foreign countries to sign deals is costly and time-consuming,” said Mir Nasir Hossain, a politician-cum-entrepreneur and ex-president of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI).

He said some countries are discouraging their citizens to travel Bangladesh hit by political turbulence.

“However, it is quite natural in the current situation of Bangladesh that foreigners must be discouraged by their respective countries to visit here.”

In first nine months of this year, the number of foreign visitors by air fell to 304,132 with 50% decline from 616,683 in the same period a year earlier, said a report of Special Branch (SB) of police.

FBCCI president Kazi Akram Uddin Ahmed said political unrest are forcing international buyers, suppliers and tourists to keep themselves from

travelling Bangladesh.

“Tell me, who has guts to visit the country after watching the vandalism and violence in the streets on television?” aggrieved FBCCI chief asked.

Apparel industry people are the most affected by the ongoing political crisis which leads to calls of violent hartals and blockades, disrupting business activities.

More than 70% of buyers are now asking the Bangladeshi partners to travel to Hong Kong or Thailand for making deals, said the representatives of the overseas retailers.

“International buyers are reluctant to travel Bangladesh now. They are cancelling their previously set trips as the EU has already cautioned their citizens on visiting Bangladesh,” said a local representative of EU retailers.

Former president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Anwar-ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez said: “Apart

from financial losses, foreign tours to buyers or partners would also cost us valuable time.”

He recently said no foreign buyers had visited his factory in Sreepur of Gazipur in the past two months.

“Normally they frequently visit the factory at least once a month. But this time none has come.”

Ex-chief of BGMEA continue: “Think about myself, I’ve failed to visit my Chittagong office once in last one month due to hartals and blockades. If this happens to me, how can we expect a foreigner to visit our country in this situation?”

Five-star Ruposhi Bangla Hotel’s marketing and communication manager Shahidus Sadeque told the Dhaka Tribune that the occupancy rate had dropped by 50% in the recent months.

“But this is the peak time for arrival of foreigners in Bangladesh. Many who already booked rooms are now cancelling that reservations,” he said. l

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013

Container handling faces setback at Chittagong Port due to blockade n Tushar Hayat, Chittagong The container handling activities are being hampered at the Chittagong Seaport due to piles of stranded containers at the yards, caused by slow delivery in the backdrop of repeated hartals and blockades enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance in the recent period.

According to sources at the port authority, there were around 27,000 and 785 TEUs (Twenty Equivalent Units) of containers stranded at 19 yards of the port till yesterday afternoon – 9% below the capacity to house a total of 30,886 TEUs. Sources said usually container handling become inconvenient when more than 70% space of the yards remain occupied by containers. Yesterday, 91% space of the yards remained occupied with containers.

“We have the capacity to handle 19,487 TEUs of goods-laden containers. There are currently 21,139 TEUs of goods laden containers at the port,” said a CPA official, adding that they were not getting space to release goods through opening containers for this reason.

Nearly 2,000 containers were being off loaded at the port from the vessels in a day, he said, adding they were apprehending con-

Photo shows an employee overseeing piles of containers at Chittagong port recently DHAKA TRIBUNE gestions of containers as the delivery from the port also remained slow during the hartal and blockade.

Sayad Farhad Uddin Ahmed, secretary to the CPA, however, said they had not yet received any complaint of hindrance in container movement. He said they would be able to house at least 5,000 TEUs of containers beyond the capacity through taking special measure.

“We are not apprehending container congestion immediately as we have been releasing significant number of containers even during the hartals and blockades,” he said.

Shipping agency sources said usually transportation of goods increases during the month of December as they were apprehending immediate deadlock with hartals and blockades intensifying alarmingly during this pick month. l

Oil prices down on speculation over US stimulus n AFP, Singapore Oil prices edged lower in Asian trade yesterday on growing expectations the US Federal Reserve will scale back its stimulus programme after a key policy meeting this week, analysts said.

New York’s main contract, West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for January delivery, was down 11 cents at $97.37 in afternoon trade while Brent North Sea crude for February eased six cents to $109.35.

“Crude prices sustained downward pressure as the upcoming (Fed policy committee) meeting pushes investors to square positions and to stand on the sidelines,” Tan Chee Tat, an investment analyst with Singapore-based Phillip Futures, told AFP. “A series of positive economic releases from the US has once again reignited anticipation for an early taper to take place,” he said.

The Fed’s key policymakers are to meet for two days from Tuesday to weigh whether growth is strong enough to merit cutting back its $85bn a-month bond-buying scheme.

The so-called tapering would likely boost the greenback, making dollar-priced oil more expensive for countries using other currencies, dampening demand. l

Shahjalal Islami Bank opens new branch in Dhaka

Meghna Bank opens new branch

The sixth branch of Meghna Bank Limited (MBL) was inaugurated by Alhajj Benjir Ahmed MP at Jahanara Super Market, Kalampur Bazar, Dhamrai, Dhaka on December 15. MBL Vice Chairman Abdul Alim Khan Selim, Director M A Malek, Managing Director & CEO Kaiser A Chowdhury, Additional Managing Director Md Mohashin Miah, sponsors, directors, senior executives of the bank, local elites and business persons were also present in the inauguration ceremony. l

BCBL launches new branch Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited (BCB) inaugurated its 42nd branch, ‘Kathgora Bazar Branch’ at Hazi Nozumuddin Super Market (1st floor), Kathgora Bazar, Kathgora, Ashulia, Dhaka on December 15. BCB Board of Directors Chairman Md Yousuf Ali Howlader inaugu-

Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited (SJIBL) opened its 90th branch at Elephant Road in Dhaka yesterday. SJIBL Director Alhaj Mohammad Hasan formally inaugurated the branch as chief guest. Managing Director Farman R Chowdhury presided over the inaugural ceremony.

Among others Board of Directors Vice Chairman Syed Nurul Arefeen and Additional Managing Director Masihul Huq Chowdhury spoke on the occasion. l

rated the branch as the chief guest. CEO and Managing Director Abu Sadek Md Sohel present in the occasion as the special guest. Among others, respectable individuals of the locality, honourable customers and high officials of the bank were also present in the occasion. l

SBAC, BB sign agreement Bangladesh Bank and South Bangla Agriculture and Commerce (SBAC) Bank Ltd signed an agreement on “Agro-Processing Refinance & Bangladesh Bank Fund” at the head office of the Central Bank recently. SBAC Managing Director and CEO Md Rafiqul Islam and Bangladesh Bank (BB) General Manager Shukamal Sinha Choudhury signed the agreement. BB Executive Director A H M Kai Khasru, DGM S M Ferdosh, Abul Bashor, Joint Director S M Mohasin and SBAC EVP Md Ghulam Nabi and Harun-Or-Rashid were present. l

Pabna Chamber of Commerce & Industries Senior Vice President Mahbubul Alam Mukul inaugurates 89th branch of Mercantile Bank Limited at Haji Abdul Goni Sarak, Boro Bazar, Pabna on December 14.

Head of Pabna Branch Md Ali Haider Chowdhury, and local eminent were present on the occasion

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013

Stocks edge lower on sale pressure n Tribune Report Stocks edged lower yesterday with continued volatile trade for the third straight session due to nervous selling pressure.

The market opened higher in the morning but pulled down by strong sell pressure by the risk-averse investors at close.

After rising 45 points in the morning, the benchmark DSEX ended at 4,270, shedding 10 points or 0.3%, which is two week-low.

The DS30 comprised of blue chip stocks fell over 7 points or 0.5% to 1,478.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange Selective Category Index, CSCX, was down 2 points to 8,402.

“Stock market reacted dodgy in first few hours of trading session, speeding up almost 30 points amid another fresh spell of blockade and unclear economic outlook,” said Lanka Bangla Securities.

However, late hour sell pressure brought back the gaining streak down, it said.

The country is facing long spell of blockade enforced by the BNP-led 18-party alliance, demanding national election under a caretaker government system.

The trade and commerce, education and everything, including all walks of life, came to a halt due to the blockade and political violence across the country.

Among the major sectors, financial sector saw a consolidation losing the market capitalisation in bank and non-banking financial institution by 0.8% and 0.3% respectively.

Small capitalised and speculative stocks

GENERATION NEXT

DSE turnover leader n Tribune Business Desk Generation Next Fashions Limited was the most traded stock in Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday.

The stocks worth more than Tk26.1 crore changed hands, contributing 5.2% of the total DSE turnover.

The price of each of the share yesterday increased by 5.58% to Tk36.2, close to 52week high of Tk38.

Brokers said the share price increased amid a declaration that the company obtained positive rating by Credit Rating Information and Services Limited (CRISL).

As a result, the price went as high as Tk36.4 each with investors taking position on the stock. Currently, the stock is being traded at its peak price in the last six months.

The company was given the ratings “A-” in the long-term and “ST-3” in the shortterm loan that was mostly reflected by its financials (audited) up to June 30, 2013, and relevant quantitative and qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

Previously, the management disclosed a quarterly profit of Tk11.6 crore against Tk5 crore in the same period last year.

The company listed in the engineering segment of the stock market has an EPS of Tk1.69 and a price to earning ratio of 16.02, according to DSE.l

3

DESHBANDHU

DSE top gainer n Tribune Business Desk Deshbandhu Polymer Limited shares registered highest gain of 9.95% to close at Tk24.3 each on Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday.

There is no positive disclosure of the company in the recent times that might have pushed up the price by 33% in December, said an executive of a broker.

Earlier in a disclosure last month, the management declared its first quarter profit of Tk65.6 lakh in the current fiscal year. The profit fell by 55% from Tk146.2 lakh in the same period last year.

In October, a 5% stock dividend was recommended for approval by the AGM to be held on the December 29.

The company listed in the engineering segment has an EPS of Tk0.14 and a price to earnings ratio of 46.73, according to DSE. l

continued to dominate the market activity.

Activities increased in the major bourse (DSE) where turnover, volume and trade were up 19.32%, 24.06% and 16.93%, respectively.

However, the market breadth remained positive as out of 289 issues traded, 150 gained and 118 declined and 21 remained unchanged.

Despite a robust start, market struggled in the first half, only to surrender to downbeat in the later half, warranting another negative session for the third consecutive time, said IDLC Investment.

All major sectors except textile that edged 0.4% up closed red. The peculiarity suggested investors’ harboring a pessimistic senti-

ment over the entire economy, said IDLC. Strong selling pressure has pushed the turnover as it stood at nearly Tk6bn, which was over 19% higher over the previous session.

Dominance of small cap scrips was observed, reflecting investors took advantage of short-term price fluctuations, rather than forming long-term investment outlook.

Generation Next Fashion was the week’s top turnover leader with shares worth Tk261 crore changing hands during the week, followed by Paramount Textile, CVO Petro Chemical Refinery Ltd, Lanka Bangla Finance, Delta Life Insurance, Golden Son, Envoy Textile and Aamra Technologies. l

BD Thai to set up plant to double production n Tribune Report Bangladesh Thai Aluminium Limited, a pioneer aluminium industry in the country, will set up a new plant to double its production.

The listed company will go for production immediately to meet the increased demand for products.

The company has decided to install a new plant named Extrusion Press (Unit-III) worth Tk4 crore, said the company in a statement.

“With this new production line, the production capacity of the factory will be doubled and as a result the profitability will also increase,” it said. All existing facilities of infrastructure, land and other complimentary production units will also be revamped.

With its more than thirty years of experience in aluminium industry, BTA has positioned itself in the high end aluminium mar-

ket of Bangladesh.

Its products are also being exported to countries like USA, Singapore, UAE and India.

Products are virtually used in all the prestigious and important buildings in Bangladesh like parliament, central bank, municipality and airports, according to the company.

Listed in 1990, the company’s majority shareholders are from general public who held more than 75% stake. Yesterday, share price of the B-category company closed at more than Tk33. Its products include fabricating doors, windows, false ceiling, curtain walls, partitions and furniture. Other items produced by the company may include railway coach windows, ladders, bolts and allied items.

According to its financial statement, the company’s net profit in the 3rd quarter this year stood at Tk92 lakh, a drop of nearly 37% in the same period a year ago. l

ISLAMI INSURANCE

DSE worst loser n Tribune Business Desk The stock price of Islami Insurance Bangladesh Limited has eroded by 7.1% to Tk34.2 each at the Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday.

Shares worth Tk3.5 crore were traded on the day, amid profit taking.

In a recent disclosure, the company announced the third quarter profit of Tk72 lakh – nearly 45% higher than Tk45.7 lakh in the same period last year.

Retail investors say the price was improving slowly since the profit disclosure and yesterday the investors might have taken profit.

The stock price ranged between Tk38 and Tk32.4 in last one month.

The company (non-life insurance) listed in the insurance segment of the stock market has an EPS of Tk1.2 and a price to earning ratio of 21.38, according to DSE. Previously, Islami Insurance gave only stock dividends to its investors. l

Dollar steady in Asia ahead of Fed meeting n AFP, Tokyo The dollar held steady in Asia yesterday ahead of a key US Federal Reserve policy meeting, while the euro won support from upbeat business activity data for the embattled eurozone.

The greenback fetched 103.00 yen in Tokyo afternoon trade, nearly flat from 103.02 yen in New York Monday, while the European single currency bought $1.3768 and 141.76 yen from $1.3761 and 141.77 yen.

“The focus ahead will be firmly on the Fed” meeting, Credit Agricole said, adding that there is an element of caution in the market as the outcome it largely uncertain.

Data Monday showed US industrial output expanded 1.1% in November with manufacturing showing a fourth consecutive monthly gain.

The news added to speculation that the central bank will this week announce a wind-down of its $85bn a month bond-buying programme. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013

ECB says EU bank resolution plans may be too complex, poorly funded n Reuters Europe’s latest plans for winding down failing banks may be too complex and inadequately funded, the head of the European Central Bank said on Monday, as euro zone officials race to reach a deal on the thorny issue this week.

EU finance ministers want to agree on a blueprint for dealing with failing euro zone lenders before a summit in Brussels on December 19-20, to keep banking union plans on track and help restore confidence in banks after a four-year sovereign debt crisis.

But ECB President Mario Draghi questioned the strength of the plans that have emerged.

“I am concerned that decision-making may become overly complex and financing arrangements may not be adequate,” he told the European Parliament.

Ministers and senior officials are set to meet daily this week to try to agree on what is called the Single Resolution Mechanism for winding down failing banks.

Deep divisions remain, especially over the Single Resolution Fund, the related joint fund that is meant to cover the remaining costs of any bank closures after shareholders, bond holders and even large depositors have been hit.

This fund is to be filled by annual bank contributions that will reach about 55 billion euros - but only after 10 years.

And while the point of banking union is to mutualise risk so that weak sovereigns are not left on their own to deal with troubled banking systems, Germany wants to mini-

European Central Bank President Mario Draghi testifies before the European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in Brussels REUTERS mize any liability of its banks or taxpayers for lenders elsewhere.

Berlin’s views are reflected in the latest EU plan, in which the cost of closing down a euro zone bank would initially be borne almost fully by its home country. The obligation of other euro zone countries will gradually rise until they are shared equitably - also only after 10 years.

The ECB made clear it did not like these ideas. “We should not create a Single Resolution Mechanism that is single in name only,” Draghi said.

EU policymakers have also devised a pro-

cedure in which it could days if not weeks to make a final decision on when to shut a bank, which Draghi said would be too slow.

“These things must be done instantly,” he said.

Due to disputes over who decides on bank closures, EU policymakers have drawn up a plan in which a Board of the Single Resolution Mechanism would prepare decisions on bank closures that the Commission would have the right to veto after consulting national authorities and the ECB. The Commission would then tell the Board how the decision should be changed.

ANALYSIS

Complex foreign exchange options not ready for prime time n Reuters Trading forex options on registered US platforms is a long-awaited step in making derivatives markets more transparent, but so far it has failed to take off.

Rules became effective in October that required these trades to move to swap execution facilities, or SEFs. However, there is no established clearing-house for these trades, and with the additional paperwork and legal requirements needed to trade on SEFs, many market players are electing to stick with trading the old-fashioned way, that is, by telephone or on bank platforms.

Commodities Futures Trading Commission rules require FX options and non-deliverable forwards traded between US entities to be executed on a SEF, the designated trading platform for regulated derivatives. However, that requirement will not fully be in effect until these FX products can be cleared. At the moment, there is no entity that can clear FX options.

Currently, the limited number of FX options traded on SEFs are being cleared and settled between counterparties.

Shifting derivatives trading to central clear-

ing-houses was a key part of the Dodd-Frank Act that emerged after bad derivative bets contributed heavily to the 2008 financial crisis. The new regulations were meant to lower the risks of these products through greater transparency.

Eventually, the necessary structures to support SEFs will be built, and market participants say electronic trading on these platforms will increase.

But for now, dealers see no urgency to use the SEFs because they are still untested.

“If you are a buyside (asset manager) and there is no mandate to trade on the SEF, why would you go through all the hassle of trading on that, when you don’t have to?” said Tod Skarecky, senior vice president at technology provider Clarus Financial Technology in Chicago.

Daily US activity in FX options amounts to $52bn, including $23bn through electronic systems. By comparison, FX options turnover on SEFs for the week ended December 6 showed an average of about $9bn in daily trading, according to data from Clarus, which tracks SEF volume.

Dealers have moved trading offshore or stuck with platforms run by major banks. They say there is resistance to using the SEFs because it is unclear whether certain trades are regulated, along with

the ability of SEFs to handle complicated types of transactions.

The CFTC did not respond to multiple emails and telephone messages for comment.

FX options are often used by multinational corporations to hedge cash flows in a specific currency or by portfolio managers to protect exposure in foreign assets.

“Right now, it’s just a trickle because people are choosing the path of least resistance. Trading on the SEF is a little bit more work than off the SEF,” said Harpal Sandhu, chief executive officer at Integral Development Corp. in Palo Alto, California.

But Sandhu, whose firm’s SEF license was approved in September, expects FX options volume to pick up as the move to SEFs approaches late next year or in 2015.

Under the new rules, FX options trades have to be reported to a swap data repository, or SDR, and cleared and settled through a derivatives clearing organisation, or DCO. US regulators said in 2011 that clearing-houses would not only have to clear FX options, but also guarantee final settlement, which requires access to large amounts of cash and liquid assets in case of a counterparty default. l

The Board will have the right to question the Commission’s veto again.

Such a prolonged process could trigger bank runs in the case of a proposed bank closure.

“There is a point on non-viability, where the supervisor states that a certain institution is non-viable,” Draghi said.

“After that statement, any transaction that is being undertaken is potentially falling under the bankruptcy law and under criminal proceedings,” he said.

“One can’t have hundreds of people consulting each other on whether a certain bank is viable or not. So that’s my worry here, that the mechanism that will come out is actually a workable mechanism,” he said.

Equally contentious is the problem of how to backstop the Single Resolution Fund during the 10-year build-up phase and afterward.

Many policymakers want the euro zone bailout fund, the ESM, to be able to lend to the resolution fund in emergencies, arguing that euro zone taxpayers, the ultimate owners of the ESM, would always get paid back thanks to the power of the resolution fund to impose fees on banks.

But Germany has dug in its heels in opposition to this idea, and the problem will be discussed by several euro zone finance ministers, including Germany, France, Italy and Spain in Berlin on Monday.

Irish finance minister Michael Noonan told Reuters in an interview that only if backstopped by the bailout fund would the Single Resolution Fund be big enough to deal with problems. l

Axiata president becomes GSMA deputy chairman n Tribune Business Desk Axiata Group Berhad, the parent company of Robi Axiata Ltd, yesterday announced the appointment of its president and Group chief executive officer Jamaludin Ibrahim as deputy chairman of the GSM Association (GSMA).

GSMA is an organisation that sets the standards and direction for the industry across the globe, from setting public policy to mobile for development, said a press release.

Jamaludin, a board member since 2008, replaces Jon Fredrik Baksaas, president and CEO of Telenor Group.

Baksaas has become GSMA chairman after holding the post of deputy chairman for two years.

“I look forward to working with him and the rest of the board, especially during this very challenging and exciting time in the rapid evolution of the mobile industry as the world gets more and more connected,” said Jamaludin Ibrahim.

“This is especially relevant given that the GSMA sets the direction for the industry as a whole,” he added. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013

5

IBM sees five tech-powered changes in next 5yrs n AFP, San Francisco Technology stalwart IBM yesterday predicted classrooms getting to know students and doctors using DNA to customize care are among five big changes on the horizon.

IBM said that its annual forecast of five ways technology will change lives in the coming five years was “driven by a new era of cognitive systems where machines will learn, reason and engage with us in a more natural and personalized way.”

And while software evolves to “think” in ways similar to the human brain, computing power and troves of data kept handy in the Internet “cloud” will enable machines to power innovations in classrooms, local shops, doctors’ offices, city streets and elsewhere, according to the firm behind the Watson computer that triumphed on US television game show Jeopardy.

“Over time these computers will get smarter and more customized through interactions with data, devices and people, helping us take on what may have been seen as unsolvable problems by using all the information that surrounds us and bringing the right insight or suggestion to our fingertips right when it’s most needed,” IBM contended.

Predictions for the coming five years included “classrooms of the future” equipped with systems that track and analyze each student’s progress to tailor curriculum and help teachers target learning techniques.

“Basically, the classroom learns you,” IBM vice president of innovation Bernie Meyerson told AFP. “It is surprisingly straight-forward to do.”

In another prediction, IBM sees retail shops large or small blending online and real-world storefronts with ‘Watson-like’ technologies and augmented reality.

Also, doctors will tailor treatments using

patient DNA, according to Meyerson. “Knowing your genetic make-up lets you sort through a huge variety of treatment options and determine the best course to follow,” he said.

“They don’t have to carpet bomb your body to treat cancer,” Meyerson continued.

“There is the ability to tailor the attack to improve the efficacy against cancer cells while leaving healthy cells untouched.”

Smart machines tapping into the Internet

cloud will also be able to serve as “digital guardians” protecting people from hackers by recognizing unusual online behavior, such as shopping binges at dubious websites, and spying scam email messages or booby-trapped links.

“The digital guardian will know you are not someone who goes to a poker site and tops off your account,” Meyerson said. “Not only does it shut down the behaviour, but it

tracks it back to who is doing it and passes the information on to authorities.”

The final prediction was that cities will weave social networks, smartphones, sensors, and machine learning to better manage services and build relationships with citizens.

“The city will help you live in it,” Meyerson said. “There is a new generation of leaders coming in who are extremely tech savvy and making good use of it.” l

GSK to spend $1bn to raise stake in Indian unit n Reuters

The GlaxoSmithKline building is pictured in Hounslow, west London

REUTERS

GlaxoSmithKline Plc has decided to spend roughly $1bn to raise its stake in its Indian pharmaceutical unit, betting on rising demand in emerging markets as sales in developed economies slow due to a wave of patent expirations.

With the latest India deal, GSK is set to spend close to $2bn in roughly a year to increase its holdings in two listed Indian companies, its biggest incremental investment in any country in that period. Emerging markets such as India and Brazil are an important plank of GSK Chief Executive Officer Andrew Witty’s growth strategy, as he grapples with slower uptake of the company’s products in the developed world.

GSK said on Monday it plans to raise its stake in its Indian pharmaceutical unit, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceutical, up to as much as 75% from 50.7% through an open offer in a deal worth about 629m pounds.

In February, GSK lifted its stake in its publicly-listed Indian consumer healthcare subsidiary, GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare Ltd, to 72.5% from 43.2% for $901m.

“What they are trying to indicate that this market can reward them nicely in the future,”

said Sarabjit Kour Nangra, a sector analyst at Angel Broking. “India is a growing market and GSK cannot afford to lose its hold.”

Western drugmakers like GSK, Pfizer Inc, and AstraZeneca PLC, covet a bigger share of India’s fast-growing $13bn drugs market, but have been frustrated by a series of decisions on intellectual property and pricing. India in August revoked a patent granted to GSK for its breast cancer drug Tykerb, a decision that followed a landmark court ruling disallowing patents for incremental innovations that was a blow to global pharmaceutical firms.

Despite the challenges, western drugmakers have been looking to raise their exposure in Asia’s third-largest economy betting on an increase in healthcare spending. India currently spends about 5% of its gross domestic product on healthcare. “This really reflects the opportunity we see here in India, particularly the volume opportunity,” said David Redfern, chief strategy officer of GSK, referring to the company decision to raise stake in the Indian unit.

“We have a broad range of medicines and vaccines and we really think over the next few years as India develops we can drive a substantial increase in volume to make more medicines and vaccines available to the Indian population.” l

6

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013

DSEBroadIndex:4270.59⇓0.24%,Turnover:5937.20M.Tk⇑19.32%,PE:13.10 Turnover 6,675.90MTk.⇑20.21% 17December2013 MarketCap.2,055.20BTk.⇓0.42% CSEAllShareIndex:13291⇓0.11%,Turnover:738.70MTk.⇑27.87%,PE:12.93 Combined Turnover Leader Paramount Textile Ltd.-N GN Fashions-A CVO PetroChem RL-A

Delta Life Insu. -A Envoy Textiles Ltd-N

CompanyCode | EPS | BV | Volume Traded (Share) DSE/CSE: ClosePrice ⇓/⇑ Chn % | Avg.Price | Hi / Lo

BANK ABBANK | 2.95 | 32.60 | Vol. 316558 D: 26.20 ⇓ 0.76% | 26.33 | 27.60 / 23.80 C: 26.30 ⇓ 2.23% | 26.38 | 29.50 / 24.30 CITYBANK | 1.15 | 25.97 | Vol. 504037 D: 20.00 ⇓ 1.48% | 20.15 | 21.00 / 18.30 C: 20.10 ⇓ 1.95% | 20.22 | 20.40 / 20.10 IFIC | 1.10 | 18.34 | Vol. 937392 D: 33.00 ⇓ 0.60% | 33.25 | 34.00 / 31.00 C: 33.00 ⇓ 0.60% | 33.17 | 33.60 / 32.90 ISLAMIBANK | 3.78 | 27.16 | Vol. 225125 D: 34.20 ⇓ 1.44% | 34.46 | 35.00 / 33.00 C: 34.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 34.68 | 34.90 / 34.40 NBL | 1.05 | 15.76 | Vol. 1571316 D: 11.90 ⇓ 0.83% | 11.99 | 12.30 / 11.00 C: 12.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 12.00 | 12.20 / 11.30 PUBALIBANK | 1.92 | 21.18 | Vol. 202661 D: 31.60 ⇑ 0.00% | 31.79 | 32.20 / 29.70 C: 31.40 ⇑ 0.32% | 31.56 | 31.90 / 31.30 RUPALIBANK | 6.70 | 64.27 | Vol. 12605 D: 64.00 ⇓ 1.39% | 64.27 | 65.00 / 60.00 C: 64.60 ⇑ 0.62% | 64.60 | 64.60 / 64.60 UCBL | 1.90 | 21.72 | Vol. 1654155 D: 24.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 24.31 | 25.00 / 21.80 C: 24.30 ⇓ 0.41% | 24.27 | 24.50 / 24.10 UTTARABANK | 3.42 | 26.97 | Vol. 283285 D: 31.00 ⇓ 1.59% | 31.08 | 32.00 / 28.50 C: 30.70 ⇓ 1.92% | 30.70 | 31.20 / 30.40 ICBIBANK | -1.60 | -13.03 | Vol. 342800 D: 6.00 ⇓ 3.23% | 6.13 | 6.30 / 6.00 EBL | 3.91 | 28.22 | Vol. 170135 D: 28.00 ⇓ 1.41% | 28.07 | 28.30 / 26.00 C: 27.90 ⇑ 0.72% | 27.95 | 28.40 / 27.30 ALARABANK | 2.03 | 14.91 | Vol. 1380937 D: 19.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 19.28 | 19.90 / 17.70 C: 19.30 ⇑ 0.00% | 19.30 | 19.80 / 19.00 PRIMEBANK | 2.89 | 22.40 | Vol. 60090 D: 22.90 ⇓ 1.29% | 23.05 | 24.00 / 21.10 C: 22.70 ⇑ 0.89% | 22.66 | 22.80 / 22.50 SOUTHEASTB | 1.89 | 22.66 | Vol. 486723 D: 17.90 ⇓ 0.56% | 18.00 | 18.20 / 16.20 C: 17.90 ⇓ 1.10% | 17.89 | 18.10 / 17.20 DHAKABANK | 1.46 | 18.08 | Vol. 93803 D: 18.70 ⇓ 0.53% | 18.73 | 19.40 / 17.00 C: 18.80 ⇓ 1.05% | 18.78 | 19.00 / 17.50 NCCBANK | 1.90 | 15.88 | Vol. 600946 D: 13.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 13.29 | 14.50 / 11.90 C: 13.40 ⇑ 0.75% | 13.28 | 14.00 / 13.10 SIBL | 2.05 | 14.47 | Vol. 536534 D: 13.20 ⇓ 0.75% | 13.33 | 13.50 / 12.00 C: 13.30 ⇓ 0.75% | 13.35 | 13.50 / 13.20 DUTCHBANGL | 11.57 | 54.27 | Vol. 34650 D: 102.0 ⇑ 0.10% | 101.75 | 103.3 / 93.00 C: 101.0 ⇓ 0.98% | 101.00 | 101.0 / 101.0 MTBL | 1.17 | 17.27 | Vol. 17113 D: 15.90 ⇓ 0.63% | 15.91 | 15.90 / 15.00 C: 15.90 ⇓ 1.24% | 16.13 | 16.60 / 15.90 STANDBANKL | 2.33 | 14.41 | Vol. 535947 D: 14.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 14.72 | 15.00 / 13.50 C: 14.80 ⇓ 0.67% | 14.75 | 15.00 / 14.00 ONEBANKLTD | 2.35 | 15.34 | Vol. 1134204 D: 16.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 16.03 | 16.20 / 14.40 C: 16.10 ⇓ 1.23% | 16.10 | 16.30 / 15.00 BANKASIA | 1.35 | 20.80 | Vol. 67412 D: 18.90 ⇓ 1.56% | 18.93 | 19.20 / 17.50 C: 18.80 ⇓ 1.57% | 18.81 | 18.90 / 17.50 MERCANBANK | 2.07 | 16.59 | Vol. 2304276 D: 16.20 ⇑ 0.62% | 16.18 | 16.50 / 14.80 C: 16.30 ⇑ 1.24% | 16.13 | 16.40 / 16.00 EXIMBANK | 1.80 | 14.31 | Vol. 519261 D: 12.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 12.45 | 13.00 / 11.20 C: 12.50 ⇓ 0.79% | 12.50 | 12.70 / 12.40 JAMUNABANK | 2.47 | 18.56 | Vol. 171867 D: 16.10 ⇓ 1.23% | 16.14 | 17.30 / 15.00 C: 16.00 ⇓ 0.62% | 16.04 | 16.20 / 15.90 BRACBANK | 1.51 | 24.87 | Vol. 276475 D: 31.00 ⇓ 0.64% | 31.03 | 33.50 / 28.10 C: 30.70 ⇓ 1.29% | 30.68 | 30.80 / 30.50 SHAHJABANK | 2.61 | 14.47 | Vol. 584153 D: 16.50 ⇓ 1.20% | 16.57 | 17.20 / 15.50 C: 16.70 ⇓ 1.76% | 16.68 | 16.90 / 16.60 PREMIERBAN | 1.18 | 13.95 | Vol. 428800 D: 11.30 ⇓ 0.88% | 11.33 | 11.80 / 11.00 C: 11.30 ⇓ 0.88% | 11.30 | 11.50 / 11.20

Vol. 4537250

TO M. Tk. 299.91

% of TTL 4.49

Avg. P 66.10

DSE Gainer

CP

47.90

54.81

24.30

37.21

35.84

29.50

35.00 33.87

40.50

8018280

285.06

4.27

35.55

209152

197.48

2.96

944.19

Delta Spinners-A

2584280

A%

Samata Leather-Z Beach Hatchery-A

584650

C%

165.25

2.48

282.64

Northern Jute-Z

30.63

31.31

41.80

156.44

2.34

60.53

Fareast Finance-N

28.17

26.16

18.20

TRUSTBANK | 0.50 | 18.00 | Vol. 492515 D: 20.10 ⇓ 1.95% | 20.37 | 21.20 / 18.50 C: 20.70 ⇓ 0.48% | 20.53 | 20.70 / 20.30 FIRSTSBANK | 1.85 | 13.89 | Vol. 684451 D: 15.10 ⇓ 0.66% | 15.14 | 15.50 / 13.90 C: 15.20 ⇓ 0.65% | 15.24 | 15.50 / 14.30 NON BANKING F I IDLC | 4.43 | 29.18 | Vol. 137905 D: 60.70 ⇓ 0.33% | 60.95 | 62.00 / 56.00 C: 60.70 ⇓ 0.49% | 60.87 | 61.50 / 58.00 ULC | 1.80 | 14.90 | Vol. 101606 D: 28.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 28.86 | 30.00 / 26.00 UTTARAFIN | 7.16 | 41.54 | Vol. 79617 D: 78.70 ⇓ 0.76% | 79.07 | 80.00 / 74.00 C: 79.00 ⇑ 0.25% | 79.33 | 80.00 / 78.70 MIDASFIN | 0.16 | 10.21 | Vol. 28664 D: 38.30 ⇑ 9.12% | 38.39 | 38.50 / 34.00 C: 38.50 ⇑ 10.00% | 38.48 | 38.50 / 38.00 FLEASEINT | 2.34 | 13.93 | Vol. 1046314 D: 31.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 31.88 | 32.60 / 29.00 C: 31.30 ⇓ 0.32% | 31.70 | 32.50 / 31.00 PLFSL | 1.37 | 17.48 | Vol. 757725 D: 23.70 ⇓ 0.42% | 23.86 | 24.40 / 22.00 C: 23.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 23.96 | 24.30 / 23.80 PRIMEFIN | 0.87 | 17.88 | Vol. 240171 D: 24.40 ⇓ 0.81% | 24.65 | 25.50 / 22.50 C: 24.50 ⇓ 0.81% | 24.57 | 25.00 / 24.20 PREMIERLEA | 0.10 | 11.37 | Vol. 110887 D: 10.10 ⇓ 0.98% | 10.29 | 10.50 / 10.00 C: 10.20 ⇓ 0.97% | 10.25 | 10.40 / 10.20 ISLAMICFIN | 1.03 | 15.48 | Vol. 403251 D: 16.90 ⇑ 0.60% | 16.92 | 17.20 / 15.20 C: 16.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 17.01 | 17.20 / 16.80 LANKABAFIN | 1.61 | 31.07 | Vol. 2469065 D: 63.10 ⇑ 2.44% | 62.71 | 63.80 / 55.50 C: 62.90 ⇑ 1.78% | 62.78 | 63.50 / 61.90 BIFC | 0.15 | 18.58 | Vol. 164750 D: 17.30 ⇑ 2.37% | 17.20 | 17.70 / 16.00 C: 17.00 ⇓ 0.58% | 17.01 | 17.40 / 16.90 IPDC | 1.23 | 19.43 | Vol. 84000 D: 18.40 ⇓ 1.08% | 18.60 | 18.90 / 18.30 C: 18.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 18.48 | 18.50 / 18.40 UNIONCAP | 0.54 | 17.85 | Vol. 32960 D: 29.00 ⇓ 1.02% | 29.01 | 29.30 / 27.40 C: 28.60 ⇓ 4.67% | 29.44 | 30.00 / 28.50 BDFINANCE | 0.57 | 14.77 | Vol. 130045 D: 18.80 ⇓ 1.05% | 19.02 | 19.50 / 18.00 C: 19.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 19.15 | 19.30 / 18.90 ILFSL | 0.35 | 12.19 | Vol. 411645 D: 14.80 ⇓ 1.33% | 14.95 | 15.20 / 14.00 C: 14.90 ⇓ 0.67% | 14.96 | 15.20 / 14.80 PHOENIXFIN | 2.46 | 19.39 | Vol. 350565 D: 33.00 ⇑ 0.92% | 33.27 | 33.90 / 29.50 C: 33.00 ⇑ 1.54% | 33.04 | 33.50 / 32.90 FASFIN | 0.19 | 13.56 | Vol. 840650 D: 15.00 ⇓ 1.96% | 15.05 | 15.40 / 13.90 C: 15.00 ⇓ 1.96% | 15.10 | 15.80 / 14.90 DBH | 4.47 | 21.27 | Vol. 22025 D: 53.40 ⇓ 0.74% | 53.19 | 54.50 / 50.00 C: 53.20 ⇓ 3.62% | 53.84 | 56.00 / 53.20 NHFIL | 0.57 | 12.70 | Vol. 178200 D: 30.50 ⇑ 1.33% | 30.69 | 31.30 / 28.00 C: 30.20 ⇓ 0.33% | 30.27 | 30.70 / 30.00 BAYLEASING | 0.72 | 25.55 | Vol. 480546 D: 29.90 ⇑ 3.46% | 29.85 | 30.20 / 27.00 C: 29.60 ⇑ 1.72% | 29.52 | 29.90 / 28.50 ICB | 89.23 | 607.74 | Vol. 6153 D: 1497 ⇓ 1.06% | 1502 | 1524 / 1492 C: 1520 ⇑ 0.00% | 1550 | 1520 / 1520 GSPFINANCE | 1.63 | 22.23 | Vol. 321582 D: 27.60 ⇓ 0.72% | 27.93 | 30.00 / 25.50 C: 27.60 ⇓ 1.43% | 27.72 | 28.20 / 27.50 FAREASTFIN | 0.68 | 13.64 | Vol. 3008000 D: 16.90 ⇓ 3.98% | 17.18 | 17.80 / 16.90 C: 17.00 ⇓ 3.95% | 17.15 | 17.90 / 16.90 INVESTMENT 5THICB | 23.45 | 188.92 | Vol. 600 D: 150.5 ⇑ 1.14% | 150.00 | 151.1 / 150.0 6THICB | 10.99 | 60.14 | Vol. 22300 D: 53.30 ⇑ 0.57% | 53.45 | 54.00 / 52.70 8THICB | 12.47 | 70.07 | Vol. 16500 D: 53.70 ⇑ 1.51% | 53.76 | 54.50 / 52.90 AIMS1STMF | 3.02 | 15.70 | Vol. 1515500 D: 44.70 ⇑ 2.76% | 44.83 | 45.50 / 43.90 C: 44.70 ⇑ 2.52% | 44.66 | 45.60 / 43.50

ICBISLAMIC | 2.21 | 26.81 | Vol. 47500 D: 18.80 ⇑ 2.17% | 18.84 | 19.00 / 18.60 GRAMEEN1 | 6.26 | 33.23 | Vol. 1036000 D: 48.30 ⇑ 5.46% | 48.44 | 49.70 / 46.30 C: 49.10 ⇑ 6.74% | 48.82 | 50.00 / 47.00 ICB1STNRB | 4.06 | 35.31 | Vol. 1000 D: 25.50 ⇑ 1.19% | 25.50 | 25.50 / 25.50 ICB2NDNRB | 2.49 | 16.24 | Vol. 227000 D: 10.00 ⇑ 1.01% | 10.18 | 10.30 / 10.00 C: 10.30 ⇑ 4.04% | 10.30 | 10.30 / 10.30 GRAMEENS2 | 2.17 | 16.41 | Vol. 4538850 D: 18.90 ⇑ 8.00% | 18.69 | 19.00 / 16.50 C: 19.00 ⇑ 9.20% | 18.78 | 19.10 / 17.80 1STPRIMFMF | 0.64 | 11.63 | Vol. 1347500 D: 26.40 ⇓ 0.38% | 27.35 | 28.60 / 26.10 C: 26.30 ⇓ 0.38% | 27.49 | 28.50 / 26.20 EBL1STMF | 0.55 | 12.62 | Vol. 827869 D: 7.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 7.34 | 7.50 / 6.90 C: 7.30 ⇑ 4.29% | 7.27 | 7.50 / 7.10 ICBAMCL2ND | 0.60 | 12.12 | Vol. 47500 D: 6.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.04 | 6.10 / 6.00 C: 6.00 ⇑ 1.69% | 6.00 | 6.00 / 6.00 ICBEPMF1S1 | 0.52 | 11.32 | Vol. 185500 D: 6.10 ⇑ 3.39% | 6.17 | 6.20 / 6.00 C: 6.10 ⇑ 1.67% | 6.10 | 6.10 / 6.10 TRUSTB1MF | 0.75 | 11.65 | Vol. 1098434 D: 7.60 ⇑ 4.11% | 7.68 | 7.80 / 7.00 C: 7.70 ⇑ 2.67% | 7.73 | 7.90 / 7.50 PRIME1ICBA | 0.42 | 11.18 | Vol. 800500 D: 5.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.09 | 6.30 / 5.80 C: 5.90 ⇓ 3.28% | 6.07 | 6.50 / 5.90 DBH1STMF | -1.12 | 10.15 | Vol. 190500 D: 5.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.88 | 6.00 / 5.80 C: 5.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.96 | 6.00 / 5.80 IFIC1STMF | 0.83 | 11.88 | Vol. 514500 D: 6.80 ⇑ 3.03% | 6.90 | 7.00 / 6.80 C: 6.80 ⇑ 3.03% | 6.93 | 7.00 / 6.80 PF1STMF | 0.51 | 11.11 | Vol. 246500 D: 5.80 ⇑ 1.75% | 5.88 | 6.00 / 5.80 C: 5.80 ⇑ 1.75% | 5.89 | 5.90 / 5.80 ICB3RDNRB | 0.00 | 10.60 | Vol. 441000 D: 5.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.47 | 5.60 / 5.40 C: 5.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.48 | 5.60 / 5.30 1JANATAMF | 0.78 | 10.68 | Vol. 285500 D: 6.20 ⇑ 1.64% | 6.25 | 6.30 / 6.10 C: 6.30 ⇑ 1.61% | 6.25 | 6.40 / 6.10 GREENDELMF | -0.82 | 9.72 | Vol. 216500 D: 5.50 ⇑ 3.77% | 5.49 | 5.60 / 5.30 C: 5.50 ⇑ 1.85% | 5.52 | 5.60 / 5.50 POPULAR1MF | 0.77 | 11.38 | Vol. 784835 D: 6.20 ⇑ 1.64% | 6.28 | 6.50 / 5.60 C: 6.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 6.31 | 6.50 / 6.20 IFILISLMF1 | 0.00 | 10.45 | Vol. 292000 D: 5.80 ⇑ 1.75% | 5.88 | 6.00 / 5.80 C: 5.90 ⇑ 0.00% | 5.91 | 6.00 / 5.80 PHPMF1 | 0.63 | 10.92 | Vol. 920500 D: 5.70 ⇑ 1.79% | 5.77 | 5.90 / 5.70 C: 5.80 ⇑ 1.75% | 5.84 | 5.90 / 5.70 AIBL1STIMF | -0.07 | 9.25 | Vol. 25000 D: 7.10 ⇑ 2.90% | 7.20 | 7.20 / 7.00 MBL1STMF | -0.16 | 9.08 | Vol. 72000 D: 6.30 ⇑ 1.61% | 6.35 | 6.40 / 6.30 SEBL1STMF | 0.94 | 11.85 | Vol. 2364600 D: 8.50 ⇑ 3.66% | 8.50 | 8.70 / 7.80 C: 8.50 ⇑ 4.94% | 8.54 | 8.70 / 8.30 EBLNRBMF | 1.07 | 10.88 | Vol. 207500 D: 8.40 ⇑ 5.00% | 8.22 | 8.50 / 8.10 RELIANCE1 | 0.95 | 10.33 | Vol. 982200 D: 9.00 ⇑ 4.65% | 9.04 | 9.20 / 8.90 C: 9.10 ⇑ 3.41% | 9.14 | 9.20 / 8.90 LRGLOBMF1 | 0.45 | 10.78 | Vol. 260129 D: 7.00 ⇑ 2.94% | 6.98 | 7.10 / 6.20 C: 7.00 ⇑ 2.94% | 6.91 | 7.10 / 6.90 ABB1STMF | 0.92 | 10.63 | Vol. 835500 D: 7.30 ⇑ 1.39% | 7.37 | 7.50 / 7.20 NLI1STMF | 1.17 | 12.22 | Vol. 3486050 D: 9.90 ⇑ 6.45% | 9.99 | 10.20 / 9.00 C: 10.10 ⇑ 7.45% | 10.05 | 9.90 / 10.00 FBFIF | 1.30 | 10.27 | Vol. 20000 D: 9.00 ⇓ 2.17% | 9.00 | 9.10 / 8.60 NCCBLMF1 | 1.16 | 10.48 | Vol. 48500 D: 8.40 ⇑ 2.44% | 8.43 | 8.50 / 8.40 ICBSONALI1 | 0.00 | 10.39 | Vol. 1454000 D: 8.60 ⇑ 8.86% | 8.54 | 8.60 / 8.20 C: 8.60 ⇑ 7.50% | 8.62 | 8.70 / 8.20

DSE Loser

C%

A%

CP

Islami Ins.BD-A

-6.56

1.10

34.20

Delta Spinners-A

-4.74

-0.64

42.20

Fareast Finance-N

-3.98

-3.81

Modern Dyeing-B -3.73

-3.23

95.50

Prime Life-A

-3.06

98.60

Islami

-3.52

16.90

ENGINEERING AFTABAUTO | 3.60 | 50.81 | Vol. 429707 D: 91.90 ⇑ 1.21% | 91.99 | 93.20 / 86.00 C: 91.70 ⇑ 0.77% | 91.72 | 93.80 / 90.30 AZIZPIPES | 0.39 | -42.04 | Vol. 29200 D: 23.60 ⇑ 7.76% | 23.49 | 23.90 / 22.10 C: 24.20 ⇑ 1.68% | 24.04 | 24.50 / 23.00 OLYMPIC | 5.23 | 14.73 | Vol. 194000 D: 150.0 ⇓ 0.73% | 150.96 | 153.8 / 149.5 C: 150.0 ⇓ 1.12% | 150.63 | 152.8 / 150.0 BDLAMPS | -5.31 | 37.07 | Vol. 15400 D: 130.5 ⇑ 0.00% | 130.97 | 134.0 / 129.5 C: 129.5 ⇓ 1.89% | 130.84 | 132.0 / 129.3 ECABLES | 6.10 | 23.97 | Vol. 16100 D: 93.70 ⇓ 3.00% | 94.17 | 95.40 / 93.20 C: 94.90 ⇑ 0.85% | 93.40 | 94.90 / 91.00 MONNOSTAF | 5.31 | 44.78 | Vol. 2800 D: 302.6 ⇓ 1.30% | 307.14 | 315.0 / 301.3 SINGERBD | 9.99 | 45.74 | Vol. 95725 D: 193.9 ⇓ 0.15% | 194.31 | 200.0 / 183.0 C: 193.0 ⇑ 0.00% | 193.49 | 195.0 / 192.0 ATLASBANG | 9.14 | 222.05 | Vol. 12150 D: 157.6 ⇓ 0.76% | 158.11 | 160.0 / 155.2 BDAUTOCA | -0.43 | 5.68 | Vol. 90950 D: 36.00 ⇑ 3.75% | 36.34 | 37.90 / 35.10 QSMDRYCELL | 1.06 | 52.31 | Vol. 1822468 D: 40.90 ⇓ 1.45% | 42.00 | 43.80 / 37.60 C: 41.50 ⇑ 0.00% | 42.39 | 44.30 / 41.10 RENWICKJA | 5.77 | -31.13 | Vol. 10750 D: 148.1 ⇑ 1.51% | 148.65 | 150.9 / 147.1 NTLTUBES | 0.67 | 311.00 | Vol. 44660 D: 74.10 ⇑ 0.14% | 75.19 | 77.50 / 72.00 BDTHAI | 0.43 | 39.35 | Vol. 2068775 D: 33.60 ⇑ 9.80% | 32.97 | 33.60 / 28.00 C: 33.80 ⇑ 9.74% | 33.13 | 33.80 / 30.00 ANWARGALV | 0.52 | 8.10 | Vol. 826000 D: 35.40 ⇑ 9.60% | 35.36 | 35.50 / 34.10 C: 36.00 ⇑ 9.42% | 35.43 | 36.10 / 29.80 KAY&QUE | -3.89 | 6.03 | Vol. 23500 D: 19.90 ⇑ 4.19% | 19.83 | 20.00 / 18.60 RANFOUNDRY | 2.84 | 18.62 | Vol. 70000 D: 96.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 99.15 | 103.9 / 96.20 C: 103.0 ⇑ 6.19% | 103.00 | 103.0 / 103.0 SALAMCRST | 3.31 | 20.00 | Vol. 628930 D: 46.30 ⇑ 2.89% | 45.78 | 47.00 / 41.00 C: 46.40 ⇑ 2.88% | 45.84 | 47.00 / 45.10 GOLDENSON | 3.70 | 28.70 | Vol. 2580102 D: 57.60 ⇓ 2.21% | 58.56 | 61.50 / 54.00 C: 57.80 ⇓ 2.20% | 58.91 | 60.90 / 57.20 BSRMSTEEL | 3.06 | 19.53 | Vol. 233450 D: 69.10 ⇓ 1.00% | 69.79 | 71.40 / 66.00 C: 69.90 ⇓ 1.27% | 70.04 | 70.40 / 69.40 NAVANACNG | 4.09 | 27.04 | Vol. 124362 D: 65.40 ⇓ 0.15% | 65.81 | 66.60 / 60.00 C: 65.60 ⇓ 0.46% | 65.59 | 66.10 / 65.40 DESHBANDHU | 0.26 | 10.67 | Vol. 2091185 D: 24.30 ⇑ 9.95% | 24.07 | 24.30 / 20.00 C: 24.40 ⇑ 9.91% | 24.16 | 24.40 / 23.00 GPHISPAT | 2.11 | 15.27 | Vol. 518740 D: 56.00 ⇓ 1.75% | 56.66 | 59.00 / 52.00 C: 56.20 ⇓ 1.75% | 56.82 | 58.40 / 56.00 BENGALWTL | 3.85 | 24.30 | Vol. 1185200 D: 64.80 ⇑ 4.68% | 64.88 | 66.10 / 62.60 C: 64.50 ⇑ 3.70% | 64.79 | 65.70 / 63.10 BDBUILDING | 1.33 | 12.70 | Vol. 1235500 D: 73.90 ⇑ 4.08% | 74.28 | 76.70 / 71.50 C: 74.10 ⇑ 4.07% | 74.59 | 76.90 / 72.00 NPOLYMAR | 2.38 | 32.89 | Vol. 78900 D: 58.20 ⇓ 0.68% | 58.77 | 60.00 / 58.00 C: 57.80 ⇓ 0.52% | 57.93 | 58.70 / 57.50

AMCL(PRAN) | 6.85 | 57.14 | Vol. 67120 D: 198.5 ⇑ 1.07% | 200.88 | 205.0 / 185.0 C: 199.7 ⇑ 0.40% | 200.95 | 205.0 / 196.0 SHYAMPSUG | -45.77 | -396.49 | Vol. 3000 D: 8.00 ⇑ 0.00% | 8.00 | 8.20 / 8.00 RAHIMAFOOD | 0.52 | 4.45 | Vol. 237220 D: 92.00 ⇑ 9.92% | 91.93 | 92.00 / 89.50 C: 91.60 ⇑ 9.96% | 91.39 | 91.60 / 90.00 FUWANGFOOD | 0.94 | 12.28 | Vol. 1913742 D: 26.50 ⇑ 3.11% | 26.87 | 27.60 / 24.50 C: 26.60 ⇑ 3.91% | 26.90 | 27.50 / 26.40 MEGHNAPET | -0.50 | -1.52 | Vol. 19000 D: 7.20 ⇑ 1.41% | 7.21 | 7.60 / 7.00 MEGCONMILK | -7.48 | -23.70 | Vol. 146500 D: 8.30 ⇑ 7.79% | 8.34 | 8.40 / 8.00 BEACHHATCH | 1.01 | 12.48 | Vol. 3368078 D: 33.10 ⇑ 2.16% | 34.41 | 35.60 / 29.80 C: 33.60 ⇑ 2.44% | 34.43 | 35.90 / 33.00 FINEFOODS | 0.05 | 10.63 | Vol. 768250 D: 27.30 ⇑ 3.80% | 27.77 | 28.80 / 26.70 C: 27.20 ⇑ 3.03% | 27.77 | 28.60 / 26.90 RDFOOD | 0.91 | 16.84 | Vol. 4404594 D: 29.40 ⇑ 7.69% | 29.40 | 29.80 / 25.00 C: 30.00 ⇑ 9.49% | 29.78 | 30.10 / 27.80 GHAIL | 2.31 | 24.36 | Vol. 2510980 D: 48.60 ⇓ 0.21% | 49.65 | 50.70 / 45.00 C: 48.70 ⇓ 0.41% | 49.71 | 51.00 / 48.30

FOOD & ALLIED APEXFOODS | 2.54 | 90.81 | Vol. 147450 D: 109.7 ⇑ 0.64% | 111.57 | 113.9 / 107.6 C: 113.0 ⇑ 1.71% | 113.03 | 115.0 / 109.0 BANGAS | 7.20 | 50.27 | Vol. 70390 D: 486.3 ⇑ 2.44% | 488.10 | 493.8 / 470.0 C: 484.5 ⇑ 2.60% | 485.50 | 493.0 / 480.1 BATBC | 65.69 | 117.22 | Vol. 1175 D: 1609 ⇓ 2.49% | 1610 | 1650 / 1590 GEMINISEA | -15.39 | -5.70 | Vol. 550 D: 159.3 ⇓ 0.50% | 160.00 | 161.0 / 158.0 NTC | 29.88 | 110.05 | Vol. 500 D: 808.4 ⇑ 1.05% | 808.00 | 810.0 / 802.0 CVOPRL | 0.58 | 13.86 | Vol. 209152 D: 943.6 ⇑ 7.07% | 943.49 | 943.7 / 900.1 C: 944.0 ⇑ 3.75% | 955.13 | 972.4 / 943.5

JUTE JUTESPINN | -48.14 | -39.89 | Vol. 7100 D: 76.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 76.06 | 77.50 / 74.00 NORTHERN | -9.98 | -18.22 | Vol. 3800 D: 50.30 ⇑ 9.59% | 50.53 | 50.40 / 50.30 SONALIANSH | 2.65 | 226.00 | Vol. 20100 D: 141.2 ⇓ 2.22% | 143.58 | 147.0 / 140.7

FUEL & POWER LINDEBD | 31.71 | 144.00 | Vol. 11000 D: 618.6 ⇓ 0.02% | 620.45 | 631.0 / 618.0 PADMAOIL | 27.62 | 79.74 | Vol. 168905 D: 313.5 ⇑ 0.80% | 313.13 | 314.7 / 300.0 C: 312.6 ⇑ 0.26% | 313.02 | 314.5 / 311.1 BDWELDING | 0.33 | 16.82 | Vol. 1778074 D: 26.30 ⇑ 6.48% | 26.34 | 27.10 / 24.50 C: 26.40 ⇑ 7.32% | 26.49 | 26.90 / 25.70 SUMITPOWER | 3.17 | 19.26 | Vol. 1060886 D: 37.40 ⇓ 1.32% | 37.72 | 40.00 / 35.00 C: 37.50 ⇓ 1.06% | 37.71 | 38.50 / 37.40 DESCO | 2.34 | 31.27 | Vol. 91617 D: 59.90 ⇓ 0.99% | 60.04 | 61.00 / 57.00 C: 59.70 ⇓ 0.67% | 60.28 | 62.00 / 59.50 POWERGRID | 2.19 | 63.69 | Vol. 133250 D: 53.30 ⇓ 1.48% | 53.95 | 54.30 / 53.20 C: 53.00 ⇑ 0.19% | 53.25 | 53.50 / 53.00 JAMUNAOIL | 19.83 | 57.32 | Vol. 117333 D: 197.1 ⇓ 1.60% | 198.72 | 203.6 / 195.0 C: 197.6 ⇓ 1.40% | 198.70 | 204.8 / 197.0 MPETROLEUM | 21.34 | 59.26 | Vol. 177720 D: 211.5 ⇓ 1.49% | 213.60 | 216.7 / 211.3 C: 211.8 ⇓ 1.30% | 214.87 | 219.9 / 211.2 TITASGAS | 9.20 | 46.26 | Vol. 240410 D: 73.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 73.86 | 75.00 / 70.00 C: 73.30 ⇑ 0.27% | 73.51 | 74.50 / 73.30 KPCL | 4.73 | 15.86 | Vol. 233684 D: 48.50 ⇓ 0.41% | 48.57 | 50.00 / 45.00 C: 48.50 ⇓ 0.82% | 48.63 | 49.00 / 48.40 BEDL | 1.48 | 19.43 | Vol. 1158530 D: 33.60 ⇑ 2.75% | 33.36 | 34.00 / 29.50 C: 33.60 ⇑ 2.13% | 33.45 | 33.80 / 33.00 MJLBD | 2.73 | 30.24 | Vol. 82581 D: 74.10 ⇓ 1.98% | 74.51 | 76.00 / 69.00 C: 74.20 ⇓ 0.67% | 74.28 | 75.00 / 74.10 GBBPOWER | 1.86 | 22.63 | Vol. 972640 D: 30.00 ⇓ 0.33% | 30.35 | 30.90 / 27.30 C: 30.10 ⇑ 0.67% | 30.39 | 31.00 / 29.10 SPPCL | 3.81 | 23.34 | Vol. 937290 D: 61.00 ⇓ 0.81% | 61.45 | 62.60 / 58.00 C: 61.00 ⇓ 0.33% | 61.39 | 62.10 / 60.80

TEXTILE AL-HAJTEX | 2.22 | 16.53 | Vol. 79915 D: 74.30 ⇓ 0.27% | 74.82 | 76.50 / 70.00 RAHIMTEXT | 4.65 | 56.68 | Vol. 2700 D: 254.7 ⇓ 0.39% | 255.93 | 263.0 / 250.1

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013

December 17, 2013 Sectotal Index: BANK: 36,724.48 ⇓ 0.47% NBFI: 21,333.27 ⇑ 0.18% INVS: 5,010.28 ⇑ 2.10% ENGG: 6,527.93 ⇑ 0.15% FOOD: 11,591.08 ⇑ 3.10% F&P: 10,091.40 ⇓ 0.32% TEXT: 3,836.70 ⇑ 0.48% PHAR: 18,291.10 ⇑ 0.04% PAPR: 1,315.10 ⇑ 6.03% SERV: 3,021.90 ⇓ 0.64% LEAT: 5,274.20 ⇑ 0.22% CERA: 547.12 ⇓ 0.16% CMNT: 4,355.15 ⇓ 0.13% INFO: 8,915.12 ⇑ 5.08% GINS: 9,236.03 ⇓ 0.81% LINS: 126,803.46 ⇓ 0.51% TELC: 1,328.74 ⇓ 0.79% MISC: 6,525.57 ⇑ 0.27% SAIHAMTEX | 2.75 | 29.50 | Vol. 926200 D: 30.00 ⇓ 2.60% | 30.37 | 31.30 / 29.80 C: 30.20 ⇓ 1.95% | 30.37 | 31.80 / 29.90 MODERNDYE | 0.91 | 10.37 | Vol. 1350 D: 95.50 ⇓ 3.73% | 95.56 | 97.50 / 94.20 DSHGARME | 0.88 | 12.12 | Vol. 49900 D: 70.90 ⇑ 1.58% | 71.78 | 74.50 / 70.60 DULAMIACOT | -1.90 | -29.70 | Vol. 14700 D: 8.90 ⇓ 1.11% | 8.98 | 9.10 / 8.90 TALLUSPIN | 1.75 | 16.17 | Vol. 2002740 D: 38.00 ⇑ 2.15% | 38.12 | 38.50 / 35.00 C: 38.20 ⇑ 2.14% | 38.10 | 38.50 / 37.50 APEXSPINN | 2.01 | 49.32 | Vol. 23400 D: 78.20 ⇑ 2.89% | 78.86 | 80.90 / 75.70 C: 79.50 ⇑ 8.90% | 80.03 | 80.30 / 79.50 MITHUNKNIT | 2.87 | 20.53 | Vol. 118476 D: 80.00 ⇑ 1.65% | 80.50 | 81.80 / 77.00 C: 80.90 ⇑ 3.19% | 82.06 | 84.90 / 79.00 DELTASPINN | 3.06 | 26.84 | Vol. 2169000 D: 42.20 ⇓ 4.74% | 43.18 | 46.00 / 40.50 C: 42.40 ⇓ 4.07% | 43.77 | 46.00 / 42.10 SONARGAON | 0.27 | 34.50 | Vol. 529570 D: 21.00 ⇑ 1.94% | 20.85 | 21.20 / 20.40 C: 21.40 ⇑ 4.39% | 21.08 | 21.60 / 20.30 PRIMETEX | 1.21 | 59.34 | Vol. 561000 D: 27.60 ⇑ 4.94% | 27.75 | 28.40 / 26.50 C: 27.70 ⇑ 4.14% | 28.08 | 28.60 / 27.30 ALLTEX | -1.26 | 8.10 | Vol. 133500 D: 7.60 ⇑ 2.70% | 7.56 | 7.70 / 7.40 C: 7.40 ⇓ 1.33% | 7.41 | 7.50 / 7.40 ANLIMAYARN | 1.36 | 11.99 | Vol. 295000 D: 29.30 ⇑ 1.74% | 29.66 | 30.50 / 29.20 C: 29.80 ⇑ 1.71% | 29.61 | 30.50 / 29.00 HRTEX | 2.08 | 14.92 | Vol. 399000 D: 45.30 ⇑ 2.03% | 45.60 | 46.70 / 44.60 C: 45.30 ⇓ 0.44% | 45.74 | 46.50 / 45.00 CMCKAMAL | 1.37 | 19.31 | Vol. 1381513 D: 33.40 ⇑ 1.52% | 33.34 | 35.00 / 30.00 SAFKOSPINN | 0.95 | 21.78 | Vol. 1397214 D: 31.20 ⇑ 4.00% | 31.35 | 32.40 / 27.00 C: 31.70 ⇑ 5.32% | 31.29 | 32.70 / 30.00 SQUARETEXT | 4.32 | 31.82 | Vol. 53838 D: 91.50 ⇓ 0.11% | 92.04 | 93.00 / 88.00 C: 92.00 ⇑ 0.55% | 91.95 | 92.00 / 91.60 METROSPIN | 0.56 | 17.71 | Vol. 948995 D: 22.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 22.26 | 22.60 / 20.50 C: 22.40 ⇑ 0.00% | 22.34 | 23.00 / 22.00 MAKSONSPIN | 0.16 | 20.55 | Vol. 3233677 D: 20.70 ⇓ 0.48% | 20.88 | 22.00 / 18.90 C: 20.80 ⇓ 0.48% | 20.85 | 21.70 / 20.60 DACCADYE | 0.93 | 25.85 | Vol. 790464 D: 26.20 ⇑ 0.38% | 26.28 | 26.90 / 25.00 C: 26.20 ⇑ 0.77% | 26.30 | 26.80 / 26.00 RNSPIN | 2.80 | 16.58 | Vol. 3328469 D: 36.70 ⇑ 0.27% | 36.89 | 37.30 / 34.00 C: 36.80 ⇑ 0.27% | 36.88 | 37.40 / 36.20 BXSYNTH | 0.93 | 25.42 | Vol. 760635 D: 17.80 ⇑ 1.14% | 17.79 | 18.00 / 16.00 C: 17.70 ⇑ 0.57% | 17.73 | 18.00 / 17.00 MALEKSPIN | 2.81 | 43.48 | Vol. 925550 D: 28.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 28.39 | 28.70 / 25.40 C: 28.40 ⇑ 0.35% | 28.41 | 28.80 / 28.30 ZAHINTEX | 1.20 | 31.07 | Vol. 876425 D: 29.80 ⇑ 0.68% | 29.96 | 30.50 / 29.00 C: 30.20 ⇑ 1.68% | 30.10 | 30.80 / 29.80 SAIHAMCOT | 1.92 | 23.62 | Vol. 1497750 D: 26.30 ⇓ 2.23% | 26.69 | 27.10 / 26.20 C: 26.40 ⇓ 3.30% | 26.71 | 27.10 / 26.30 GENNEXT | 1.68 | 15.15 | Vol. 8018280 D: 36.10 ⇑ 5.56% | 35.55 | 36.40 / 31.00 C: 36.10 ⇑ 5.56% | 35.57 | 36.30 / 31.50 ENVOYTEX | 3.10 | 37.86 | Vol. 2584280 D: 59.70 ⇓ 2.13% | 60.52 | 61.90 / 55.00 C: 59.80 ⇓ 2.13% | 60.65 | 62.70 / 59.50 ARGONDENIM | 1.89 | 38.86 | Vol. 1250540 D: 92.20 ⇑ 4.06% | 90.38 | 92.50 / 81.00 C: 92.30 ⇑ 4.77% | 90.62 | 92.50 / 88.60 FAMILYTEX | 3.72 | 14.68 | Vol. 272500 D: 67.80 ⇓ 1.17% | 67.80 | 69.00 / 66.50 C: 68.00 ⇓ 2.72% | 67.45 | 68.00 / 66.00 PTL | 1.89 | 17.91 | Vol. 4537250 D: 66.70 ⇑ 0.91% | 66.07 | 69.20 / 63.80 C: 66.90 ⇑ 0.90% | 66.30 | 69.00 / 63.70 PHARMACEUTICAL & CHEMICAL AMBEEPHA | 3.94 | 26.15 | Vol. 11456 D: 272.3 ⇑ 0.29% | 272.95 | 279.7 / 271.1 C: 271.5 ⇓ 0.55% | 271.32 | 273.0 / 271.0

BXPHARMA | 3.77 | 52.55 | Vol. 331683 D: 47.40 ⇑ 0.42% | 47.82 | 48.50 / 44.00 C: 47.10 ⇑ 0.00% | 47.47 | 48.20 / 46.80 GLAXOSMITH | 20.25 | 123.32 | Vol. 550 D: 955.8 ⇓ 1.06% | 956.36 | 960.0 / 945.0 ACI | -5.82 | 126.42 | Vol. 6376 D: 171.2 ⇓ 0.23% | 171.54 | 173.3 / 163.0 C: 172.0 ⇑ 0.47% | 171.90 | 180.0 / 170.0 RENATA | 33.57 | 138.83 | Vol. 5592 D: 723.4 ⇓ 0.39% | 724.68 | 734.5 / 700.0 RECKITTBEN | 27.16 | 78.89 | Vol. 1100 D: 904.2 ⇑ 0.49% | 904.55 | 950.0 / 899.9 PHARMAID | 1.39 | 26.19 | Vol. 58650 D: 170.6 ⇓ 0.93% | 173.96 | 178.7 / 170.0 KOHINOOR | 11.46 | 15.99 | Vol. 3600 D: 349.4 ⇑ 8.27% | 348.89 | 350.9 / 330.0 IBNSINA | 3.44 | 34.02 | Vol. 117100 D: 105.5 ⇑ 3.43% | 105.11 | 107.9 / 102.6 C: 106.3 ⇑ 5.25% | 105.56 | 107.0 / 101.6 LIBRAINFU | 4.21 | 1567.59 | Vol. 200 D: 420.0 ⇑ 5.00% | 420.00 | 420.0 / 420.0 ORIONINFU | 1.27 | 7.00 | Vol. 248000 D: 42.20 ⇓ 1.63% | 42.73 | 43.90 / 42.10 C: 42.00 ⇓ 2.55% | 42.07 | 42.60 / 42.00 SQURPHARMA | 6.93 | 37.18 | Vol. 271993 D: 192.0 ⇓ 0.36% | 192.39 | 195.0 / 182.0 C: 192.1 ⇓ 0.31% | 191.99 | 193.0 / 191.0 IMAMBUTTON | -1.51 | 4.16 | Vol. 21000 D: 8.30 ⇓ 2.35% | 8.35 | 8.50 / 8.30 C: 8.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 8.75 | 9.00 / 8.50 KEYACOSMET | 1.55 | 21.54 | Vol. 4329213 D: 29.40 ⇑ 4.26% | 29.60 | 30.40 / 26.00 C: 29.60 ⇑ 4.96% | 29.70 | 30.40 / 28.00 BERGERPBL | 32.46 | 100.20 | Vol. 1400 D: 852.7 ⇓ 0.34% | 852.86 | 874.0 / 850.0 ACIFORMULA | 3.33 | 38.08 | Vol. 27200 D: 78.90 ⇑ 0.13% | 79.09 | 81.20 / 78.60 C: 79.00 ⇑ 0.64% | 78.01 | 79.00 / 76.10 MARICO | 27.53 | 62.47 | Vol. 4750 D: 750.0 ⇑ 0.55% | 751.16 | 764.0 / 747.0 BEACONPHAR | 0.04 | 12.01 | Vol. 313800 D: 13.20 ⇓ 0.75% | 13.27 | 13.40 / 12.00 C: 13.30 ⇓ 1.48% | 13.35 | 13.50 / 13.20 ACTIVEFINE | 3.23 | 13.89 | Vol. 369086 D: 84.90 ⇓ 1.16% | 85.31 | 86.20 / 78.00 C: 84.70 ⇓ 1.51% | 85.18 | 86.50 / 84.10 SALVOCHEM | 0.68 | 10.57 | Vol. 2526663 D: 26.80 ⇑ 0.37% | 27.55 | 28.30 / 24.20 C: 27.00 ⇑ 0.37% | 27.76 | 28.50 / 26.50 GHCL | 2.14 | 57.31 | Vol. 556250 D: 59.70 ⇓ 1.81% | 60.48 | 62.00 / 59.10 C: 59.90 ⇓ 1.80% | 60.35 | 61.50 / 59.00 ORIONPHARM | 5.02 | 68.68 | Vol. 870520 D: 61.10 ⇓ 0.16% | 61.44 | 62.50 / 55.10 C: 61.10 ⇓ 0.65% | 61.40 | 61.90 / 61.00 JMISMDL | 1.12 | 12.83 | Vol. 351000 D: 226.6 ⇑ 2.03% | 234.57 | 241.0 / 225.0 C: 225.6 ⇑ 1.53% | 236.52 | 241.5 / 224.1 CENTRALPHL | 1.62 | 12.24 | Vol. 2176820 D: 50.80 ⇑ 4.31% | 50.16 | 52.00 / 45.00 C: 51.00 ⇑ 4.72% | 50.25 | 52.10 / 48.70 PAPER & PACKAGING HAKKANIPUL | 0.51 | 31.01 | Vol. 62000 D: 39.50 ⇓ 0.50% | 41.17 | 43.20 / 38.90 C: 40.80 ⇑ 4.62% | 40.83 | 41.50 / 39.50 SERVICE SAMORITA | 2.49 | 57.42 | Vol. 67000 D: 93.30 ⇓ 0.21% | 93.99 | 96.40 / 92.90 SAPORTL | 1.23 | 38.39 | Vol. 504691 D: 31.20 ⇑ 1.63% | 31.38 | 33.00 / 28.00 C: 31.30 ⇑ 1.95% | 31.47 | 32.00 / 30.80

EHL | 2.81 | 18.44 | Vol. 437636 D: 51.70 ⇓ 0.39% | 52.07 | 52.90 / 46.80 C: 51.70 ⇓ 0.58% | 52.00 | 52.70 / 51.40 LEATHER APEXTANRY | 6.57 | 69.38 | Vol. 71950 D: 127.5 ⇑ 0.71% | 127.46 | 129.3 / 124.0 C: 125.8 ⇓ 0.71% | 125.51 | 125.8 / 125.0 BATASHOE | 49.12 | 135.53 | Vol. 9200 D: 701.8 ⇓ 0.06% | 698.80 | 710.0 / 696.1 APEXADELFT | 23.01 | 203.26 | Vol. 63900 D: 397.0 ⇑ 2.21% | 390.37 | 402.7 / 385.2 C: 386.0 ⇑ 0.00% | 409.95 | 386.0 / 386.0 SAMATALETH | 0.22 | 12.93 | Vol. 2000 D: 26.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 26.20 | 26.20 / 26.20 C: 25.40 ⇑ 9.96% | 25.40 | 25.40 / 25.40 LEGACYFOOT | 0.63 | 17.19 | Vol. 782661 D: 48.40 ⇑ 4.54% | 49.24 | 50.20 / 41.70 C: 48.30 ⇑ 3.87% | 48.90 | 50.00 / 47.20 CERAMIC MONNOCERA | 0.35 | 95.30 | Vol. 88200 D: 36.50 ⇑ 3.69% | 36.43 | 38.50 / 35.60 C: 36.70 ⇑ 3.97% | 36.61 | 37.80 / 36.30 STANCERAM | 1.12 | 15.49 | Vol. 6000 D: 40.40 ⇓ 3.12% | 40.50 | 42.70 / 39.20 FUWANGCER | 0.65 | 12.70 | Vol. 1995562 D: 22.80 ⇑ 3.17% | 22.81 | 23.10 / 20.00 C: 22.70 ⇑ 1.79% | 22.81 | 23.30 / 22.50 SPCERAMICS | 0.62 | 30.92 | Vol. 515067 D: 19.40 ⇓ 1.52% | 19.62 | 20.10 / 18.00 C: 19.50 ⇓ 1.52% | 19.66 | 20.10 / 19.40 RAKCERAMIC | 1.98 | 16.76 | Vol. 171737 D: 51.80 ⇓ 1.15% | 52.16 | 53.70 / 48.00 C: 52.40 ⇓ 0.57% | 52.44 | 53.00 / 52.10 CEMENT HEIDELBCEM | 22.85 | 111.50 | Vol. 29450 D: 377.9 ⇓ 0.37% | 380.56 | 384.8 / 375.3 C: 376.0 ⇓ 1.57% | 377.01 | 380.0 / 376.0 CONFIDCEM | 6.23 | 90.76 | Vol. 806950 D: 132.4 ⇑ 2.32% | 132.90 | 134.7 / 120.0 C: 132.8 ⇑ 2.87% | 133.40 | 135.0 / 130.0 MEGHNACEM | 6.28 | 33.81 | Vol. 501600 D: 153.8 ⇑ 5.05% | 154.15 | 158.5 / 151.1 C: 154.5 ⇑ 4.75% | 156.14 | 160.0 / 149.1 ARAMITCEM | 3.03 | 14.65 | Vol. 218205 D: 87.30 ⇑ 2.22% | 88.31 | 89.90 / 85.00 C: 88.00 ⇑ 4.02% | 88.25 | 90.70 / 85.00 LAFSURCEML | 1.60 | 7.22 | Vol. 518500 D: 31.80 ⇓ 1.24% | 32.03 | 32.60 / 31.80 C: 31.90 ⇓ 0.93% | 32.01 | 32.40 / 31.90 MICEMENT | 4.48 | 37.67 | Vol. 177441 D: 83.30 ⇑ 0.36% | 83.72 | 84.40 / 75.00 C: 83.10 ⇑ 0.36% | 83.19 | 84.00 / 83.00 PREMIERCEM | 5.00 | 32.60 | Vol. 340400 D: 107.0 ⇓ 1.38% | 109.22 | 111.7 / 106.2 C: 105.7 ⇓ 2.31% | 108.20 | 110.4 / 105.4 IT IINDUSTRIES ISNLTD | 0.28 | 17.31 | Vol. 405917 D: 21.70 ⇑ 3.83% | 22.01 | 22.50 / 20.00 C: 21.70 ⇑ 3.33% | 22.02 | 22.30 / 20.60 BDCOM | 1.40 | 14.41 | Vol. 1635134 D: 32.40 ⇑ 7.64% | 32.63 | 33.10 / 28.00 C: 32.50 ⇑ 6.91% | 32.78 | 33.40 / 31.90 INTECH | 0.94 | 10.08 | Vol. 628792 D: 17.90 ⇑ 4.07% | 18.17 | 18.70 / 16.90 C: 18.30 ⇑ 5.17% | 18.33 | 18.90 / 17.60 AGNISYSL | 0.96 | 14.90 | Vol. 2205151 D: 26.00 ⇑ 4.84% | 26.17 | 27.00 / 22.50 C: 26.10 ⇑ 4.40% | 26.18 | 26.90 / 24.50 DAFODILCOM | 0.85 | 10.99 | Vol. 837773 D: 16.00 ⇑ 3.23% | 16.12 | 16.50 / 14.00 C: 16.10 ⇑ 3.21% | 16.13 | 16.40 / 15.90

AAMRATECH | 1.33 | 19.91 | Vol. 3750500 D: 40.20 ⇑ 4.15% | 40.57 | 41.90 / 35.00 C: 40.40 ⇑ 5.48% | 40.63 | 42.10 / 38.60 GENERAL INSURANCE BGIC | 1.65 | 20.33 | Vol. 69063 D: 29.50 ⇓ 1.34% | 29.52 | 30.00 / 27.00 C: 29.30 ⇓ 2.01% | 29.50 | 29.70 / 29.20 GREENDELT | 4.05 | 64.44 | Vol. 22868 D: 87.50 ⇓ 0.23% | 87.51 | 88.20 / 79.00 C: 87.00 ⇑ 1.16% | 86.03 | 87.00 / 83.20 UNITEDINS | 2.47 | 21.04 | Vol. 12600 D: 44.90 ⇓ 0.22% | 44.84 | 45.50 / 44.50 PEOPLESINS | 2.05 | 20.72 | Vol. 34027 D: 34.40 ⇓ 0.58% | 34.66 | 35.20 / 31.60 C: 34.50 ⇓ 6.25% | 34.36 | 34.50 / 34.30 EASTERNINS | 2.22 | 35.88 | Vol. 13005 D: 37.40 ⇓ 1.06% | 37.59 | 38.00 / 34.50 C: 39.10 ⇑ 2.62% | 39.11 | 40.90 / 36.70 JANATAINS | 0.78 | 17.07 | Vol. 66270 D: 27.50 ⇓ 0.72% | 27.62 | 28.50 / 25.00 C: 27.60 ⇓ 1.08% | 27.77 | 28.20 / 27.50 PHENIXINS | 2.70 | 20.96 | Vol. 19470 D: 42.30 ⇓ 0.47% | 42.53 | 43.30 / 39.50 EASTLAND | 4.06 | 23.29 | Vol. 104855 D: 47.80 ⇓ 0.21% | 47.70 | 49.00 / 45.00 CENTRALINS | 1.54 | 19.04 | Vol. 35827 D: 30.10 ⇑ 0.33% | 30.24 | 32.00 / 30.00 C: 30.00 ⇓ 4.76% | 29.44 | 30.00 / 29.00 KARNAPHULI | 1.56 | 19.42 | Vol. 273640 D: 24.80 ⇓ 1.98% | 24.93 | 25.60 / 23.50 RUPALIINS | 2.76 | 23.38 | Vol. 171018 D: 34.30 ⇓ 1.44% | 34.65 | 35.20 / 34.00 C: 34.70 ⇑ 0.00% | 34.79 | 35.00 / 34.40 FEDERALINS | 1.10 | 10.98 | Vol. 344538 D: 25.20 ⇓ 1.56% | 25.27 | 26.00 / 25.00 C: 25.30 ⇓ 2.32% | 25.32 | 25.70 / 25.00 RELIANCINS | 3.93 | 61.52 | Vol. 11500 D: 73.10 ⇓ 1.75% | 73.13 | 74.80 / 73.00 PURABIGEN | 1.05 | 18.71 | Vol. 766650 D: 29.00 ⇓ 1.02% | 29.18 | 30.40 / 26.50 PRAGATIINS | 2.01 | 50.30 | Vol. 37215 D: 56.00 ⇓ 2.10% | 56.67 | 57.40 / 55.00 PRIMEINSUR | 2.14 | 14.14 | Vol. 177457 D: 32.10 ⇓ 0.93% | 32.36 | 33.00 / 30.00 PIONEERINS | 3.11 | 23.84 | Vol. 72585 D: 66.30 ⇓ 0.30% | 66.62 | 67.50 / 61.00 C: 64.00 ⇓ 1.54% | 64.00 | 64.00 / 64.00 MERCINS | 1.53 | 14.50 | Vol. 98392 D: 27.30 ⇓ 1.09% | 27.53 | 28.00 / 25.00 C: 27.20 ⇑ 0.74% | 27.36 | 27.50 / 27.20 AGRANINS | 1.73 | 14.39 | Vol. 53203 D: 27.50 ⇓ 1.79% | 27.65 | 27.90 / 25.50 GLOBALINS | 1.09 | 11.78 | Vol. 13500 D: 29.00 ⇓ 0.68% | 29.04 | 29.50 / 28.90 NITOLINS | 2.59 | 15.41 | Vol. 21578 D: 34.10 ⇓ 2.57% | 34.24 | 35.10 / 34.10 C: 34.20 ⇑ 1.79% | 34.31 | 34.20 / 34.20 ASIAPACINS | 1.84 | 13.76 | Vol. 18200 D: 29.90 ⇓ 0.33% | 29.93 | 30.40 / 29.00 C: 29.40 ⇓ 2.00% | 29.40 | 29.40 / 29.40 SONARBAINS | 1.68 | 13.38 | Vol. 130321 D: 25.30 ⇓ 1.94% | 25.59 | 26.50 / 25.00 C: 26.10 ⇓ 1.51% | 26.11 | 26.50 / 25.70 PARAMOUNT | 1.26 | 13.19 | Vol. 64746 D: 25.30 ⇓ 1.56% | 25.45 | 25.70 / 25.00 CITYGENINS | 1.65 | 14.26 | Vol. 45156 D: 28.10 ⇓ 0.35% | 28.30 | 28.50 / 25.60 C: 28.20 ⇓ 1.05% | 28.05 | 28.40 / 27.80 CONTININS | 1.41 | 15.68 | Vol. 168039 D: 29.70 ⇓ 2.94% | 30.10 | 30.80 / 29.60 C: 30.50 ⇓ 1.93% | 30.22 | 31.50 / 29.80 TAKAFULINS | 2.19 | 15.17 | Vol. 175500 D: 40.10 ⇓ 1.96% | 40.58 | 41.50 / 39.80 C: 40.10 ⇓ 1.96% | 40.45 | 41.40 / 39.80 STANDARINS | 2.58 | 13.99 | Vol. 10415 D: 39.80 ⇓ 1.24% | 39.60 | 40.10 / 38.00 C: 39.30 ⇑ 0.77% | 39.27 | 39.30 / 39.20 NORTHRNINS | 1.77 | 11.15 | Vol. 52225 D: 41.30 ⇓ 1.20% | 41.55 | 42.10 / 40.00 C: 41.60 ⇓ 1.65% | 41.44 | 41.90 / 40.00 REPUBLIC | 2.14 | 12.42 | Vol. 165913 D: 43.70 ⇓ 2.02% | 44.11 | 45.00 / 42.00 C: 43.30 ⇓ 3.78% | 43.92 | 46.00 / 43.20 ASIAINS | 1.56 | 17.34 | Vol. 358654 D: 28.80 ⇑ 2.13% | 28.47 | 29.20 / 26.00 C: 28.30 ⇑ 0.35% | 28.36 | 28.60 / 28.00

ISLAMIINS | 1.29 | 11.96 | Vol. 984628 D: 34.20 ⇓ 6.56% | 35.82 | 39.80 / 33.00 C: 35.50 ⇓ 2.47% | 34.18 | 35.50 / 33.30 PROVATIINS | 1.90 | 14.30 | Vol. 44003 D: 28.60 ⇓ 1.04% | 28.78 | 29.60 / 28.00 C: 28.50 ⇓ 1.38% | 28.45 | 28.70 / 28.40 DHAKAINS | 2.84 | 18.02 | Vol. 80125 D: 41.80 ⇑ 0.00% | 41.93 | 42.50 / 39.50 C: 42.20 ⇓ 0.94% | 42.77 | 43.70 / 41.50 LIFE INSURANCE NATLIFEINS | 12.34 | 80.99 | Vol. 67355 D: 307.6 ⇑ 1.65% | 308.20 | 314.0 / 285.0 C: 305.0 ⇑ 3.08% | 305.00 | 305.0 / 305.0 DELTALIFE | 38.53 | 189.40 | Vol. 584650 D: 279.0 ⇓ 2.24% | 282.58 | 289.4 / 277.0 C: 279.0 ⇓ 1.90% | 283.12 | 291.0 / 277.1 SANDHANINS | 2.39 | 28.22 | Vol. 64264 D: 75.00 ⇓ 0.66% | 76.21 | 77.40 / 73.00 C: 75.30 ⇑ 0.40% | 75.25 | 75.50 / 75.00 POPULARLIF | 3.70 | 715.41 | Vol. 9150 D: 221.6 ⇓ 2.68% | 221.64 | 233.7 / 218.2 FAREASTLIF | 9.21 | 60.79 | Vol. 59601 D: 99.50 ⇓ 0.80% | 100.22 | 101.8 / 98.00 C: 100.5 ⇓ 1.47% | 97.31 | 98.20 / 101.0 MEGHNALIFE | 10.82 | 48.87 | Vol. 79010 D: 119.8 ⇓ 1.88% | 120.97 | 124.0 / 112.0 C: 120.9 ⇑ 0.00% | 119.92 | 123.8 / 115.0 PROGRESLIF | 2.30 | 31.45 | Vol. 11048 D: 116.4 ⇓ 0.51% | 116.13 | 117.0 / 108.0 PRAGATILIF | 0.60 | 30.15 | Vol. 42530 D: 168.8 ⇑ 4.65% | 166.99 | 177.0 / 147.0 PRIMELIFE | 5.51 | 27.10 | Vol. 10750 D: 98.60 ⇓ 3.52% | 99.16 | 101.0 / 98.00 RUPALILIFE | 3.75 | 31.25 | Vol. 74340 D: 125.4 ⇓ 2.41% | 125.97 | 132.0 / 116.0 C: 128.2 ⇓ 9.40% | 128.20 | 129.0 / 127.4 PADMALIFE | 1.63 | 25.76 | Vol. 192540 D: 66.00 ⇓ 1.64% | 66.72 | 68.30 / 62.00 C: 66.20 ⇓ 1.34% | 67.27 | 71.70 / 66.10 SUNLIFEINS | 0.00 | 0.00 | Vol. 244225 D: 59.80 ⇓ 1.48% | 60.17 | 61.60 / 55.00 C: 59.90 ⇓ 2.92% | 60.47 | 61.50 / 59.50 TELECOM GP | 12.96 | 26.26 | Vol. 435074 D: 200.2 ⇓ 0.89% | 201.15 | 203.0 / 195.0 C: 200.6 ⇓ 0.94% | 201.57 | 203.0 / 200.0 BSCCL | 5.82 | 26.38 | Vol. 224271 D: 169.1 ⇓ 0.24% | 169.75 | 175.0 / 153.0 C: 169.1 ⇓ 0.24% | 169.32 | 170.5 / 169.0 TRAVEL & LEISURE UNITEDAIR | 1.10 | 12.87 | Vol. 4464286 D: 16.80 ⇓ 0.59% | 16.93 | 17.80 / 15.60 C: 16.80 ⇓ 1.18% | 16.96 | 17.20 / 16.80 UNIQUEHRL | 4.02 | 86.29 | Vol. 491290 D: 81.00 ⇓ 1.10% | 81.50 | 82.90 / 75.00 C: 81.20 ⇓ 0.49% | 81.31 | 82.10 / 80.90 MISCELLANEOUS ARAMIT | 16.07 | 99.93 | Vol. 1700 D: 325.9 ⇑ 0.71% | 325.88 | 337.0 / 322.0 BSC | 1.77 | 565.82 | Vol. 45230 D: 432.8 ⇓ 0.35% | 434.94 | 440.0 / 432.0 C: 433.0 ⇓ 0.07% | 434.18 | 438.0 / 432.0 GQBALLPEN | 6.55 | 250.45 | Vol. 61115 D: 148.7 ⇑ 0.95% | 150.62 | 154.5 / 133.0 C: 148.1 ⇑ 0.75% | 150.68 | 153.8 / 148.1 USMANIAGL | 3.45 | 27.20 | Vol. 104060 D: 145.7 ⇓ 0.68% | 147.68 | 150.5 / 138.0 C: 146.8 ⇑ 0.48% | 147.35 | 149.6 / 145.1 SAVAREFR | 0.14 | 10.57 | Vol. 1500 D: 64.20 ⇓ 0.31% | 64.00 | 65.00 / 63.30 BEXIMCO | 3.24 | 86.74 | Vol. 1367727 D: 34.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 34.23 | 37.00 / 31.00 C: 34.20 ⇑ 0.00% | 34.21 | 34.50 / 34.00 SINOBANGLA | 1.75 | 21.01 | Vol. 644500 D: 26.20 ⇑ 4.38% | 26.41 | 27.00 / 25.80 C: 26.70 ⇑ 6.80% | 26.80 | 27.40 / 26.30 MIRACLEIND | 0.09 | 14.41 | Vol. 486375 D: 19.00 ⇑ 6.74% | 19.00 | 19.30 / 16.10 C: 19.00 ⇑ 6.15% | 19.02 | 19.20 / 18.80 BOND IBBLPBOND | 0.00 | 1000.00 | Vol. 385 D: 980.8 ⇓ 0.36% | 981.82 | 984.0 / 977.0

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2013

World business expansion uneven, euro zone ends year on a high n Reuters Global manufacturing and business activity expanded in December, as euro zone businesses ended the year on a high thanks to a surge in new orders, though the rate of manufacturing growth slowed in the United States and China.

U.S. manufacturing activity growth dipped a bit in December from a 10-month high, according to Markit, though other US figures released Monday, including data on industrial production, pointed to increased strength in the world’s largest economy.

Markit’s Flash Eurozone Composite Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) readings, which gauges business activity across thousands of companies, rose to 52.1 in December from 51.7 in November but showed a widening chasm between a resurgent Germany and a wilting France. A PMI reading above 50 indicates expansion.

“This recovery, certainly here in the US but to some degree globally, has been a bit spotty. Never quite up to speed to what we want to see and at times halting stop and start,” said Stephen Stanley, chief economist at Pierpont Securities, Stamford, Connecticut.

In the United States, Markit said its pre-

liminary December manufacturing PMI reading dipped to 54.4 from a 10-month high of 54.7 in November. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a reading of 55.0.

The flash Markit/HSBC China manufacturing PMI reading fell to 50.5 from November’s final reading of 50.8, representing the slowest pace of growth in three months but still notching a fifth consecutive month of expansion.

My sense would be the European numbers are looking a little better and that is consistent with the view that the European economy as a whole is doing somewhat better.

But the divergences seem to be widening While the data shows a slowdown, it still “stands above the average reading for Q3, implying that the recovering trend of the manufacturing sector starting from July still holds up.

As a result, we expect China’s GDP growth to stabilize at around 7.8 percent year-onyear in Q4,” Hongbin Qu, HSBC’s chief economist for China said in a comment accompa-

nying the PMI data.

Final PMI survey data for December are due the first week of January.

In Europe, the December PMI reading was the second-highest since mid-2011 and beat the median forecast in a Reuters poll for 51.9.

The index has been above the 50 mark that denotes growth for all the second half.

“My sense would be the European numbers are looking a little better and that is consistent with the view that the European economy as a whole is doing somewhat better. But the divergences seem to be widening,” Stanley said. Markit warned that while the increase in growth was reassuring, the country-by-country breakdown of the data revealed a lopsided recovery, with France floundering and Germany steaming ahead.

“The rebound in the euro zone composite PMI in December makes for encouraging reading and may serve to sooth concerns about the sustainability of the recovery,” said Martin van Vliet, senior economist at ING. “But we should not get too carried away either - the still-low level of the overall index is a firm reminder that this recovery is still very fragile and sluggish.”

The division between the euro zone’s two biggest economies was marked.

The French composite PMI fell to a sev-

en-month low of 47 and signalled a steady contraction in activity, while the same measure in Germany showed a solid expansion to 55.2.

Markit said the data suggested the euro zone economy, which escaped from its longest-ever recession earlier this year, would grow around 0.2% this quarter, in line with a Reuters poll published last week.

New orders rose for the fifth month, suggesting the recovery should continue into 2014. German government bonds pared an early rise on Monday the data. Markit’s Eurozone Manufacturing PMI rose to 52.7 in December from November’s 51.6. That was its best showing in 31 months and smashed median expectations for 51.9. It was higher than all forecasts in a Reuters poll of 35 economists.

A gauge measuring manufacturing output soared to 54.8 from 53.1, a level not seen in more than 2-1/2 years. As new orders for manufactured goods grew, factories were able to build up a backlog of work at the fastest pace since April 2011.

Manufacturing growth aside, the PMI for the services sector, which makes up the bulk of the euro zone’s economy dipped to 51.0 from 51.2, confounding expectations for a rise to 51.5. l

Moody’s global base metals outlook remains stable n BSS

A man is silhouetted as he uses a mini tablet computer while standing in front of a video screen with the Facebook and Twitter logos

REUTERS

Facebook to begin selling video ads: WSJ n Reuters Facebook Inc will begin selling video ads later this week and plans to make an announcement yesterday, the Wall Street Journal re-

ported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The ads will play automatically in users’ news feeds and may help Facebook capture a share of the $66.4bn that advertisers are expected to spend on U.S. television this year,

the Journal said. One of the first ads to be played will be a short tease made specifically for Facebook for Lions Gate Entertainment Corp’s upcoming film “Divergent,” according to the newspaper. l

The outlook for the global base metals industry remains stable, said the Investors Service of Moody’s, an international credit rating agency, in a report released yesterday.

Average prices for aluminum, copper, nickel and zinc will remain near 2013 levels in the next 12 to 18 months, but will continue to show volatility, said the Moody’s report entitled “Slow Global Recovery Will Keep Base Metals Prices Range Bound.”

Global demand for base metals, however, will grow modestly, and “recovery will be uneven,” Moody’s said, adding that Industrial production will remain the main driver of growth.

Geologically, demand will grow at mid-single-digit rates in Asia, improve slowly in United States and Latin America, but remain sluggish in Europe, the agency said.

It said the Chinese economy is likely to grow moderately in line with the 2013 rate.

Carol Cowan, vice president and senior credit officer at Moody’s, said that the continued slow global economic growth, surplus inventory and investors’ subdued interest in the metals commodity sector will prevent any material upward movement in prices in the next year or so.

“We believe 2013’s price decline has bottomed, but prices in 2014 will on average be lower than 2013 levels,” said Cowan. l