January 26, 2014

Magh 13, 1420 Rabiul Awal 24, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 1 No 302

SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

Career | SUCCEEDING AT IT AND TELECOM 7 | THE SHELLY BHAI I KNEW

Rana Plaza survivors still traumatised n Syed Samiul Basher Anik Twenty-seven-year-old Salma Akhter committed suicide last Friday reportedly because of the traumatic disorders she had been suffering from since the collapse of Rana Plaza on April 24 last year.

Salma, a seamstress by profession, suffered head injuries as well as injuries in other body parts on that day and had been enduring chronic headaches since.

“She used to bump her head on the wall when the pain became too unbearable,” Babu, her husband, was quoted as saying in an inquest report by the Turag police station.

The report also mentioned her neighbours who said she had been “mentally unstable” as a consequence of the history’s deadliest apparel industry disaster.

Experts say many of the over 2,500

SALMA’S DEATH

Ashraf decries media reports, asks for more investigation n Tribune Report The ruling Awami League yesterday urged the authorities concerned to immediately unearth the reasons behind the death of Salma, a Rana Plaza survivor who reportedly committed suicide Friday morning.

In a statement, AL Genaral Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam also noted that media reports published over the incident were flawed.

Contrary to media reports, Ashraf, also the local government and rural development minister, said the main reasons behind the suicide were not  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

survivors of the collapse suffer from what is known as Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Many tried to return to normal life with new jobs but they too reported their inability to stand loud noises typical of a factory job.

Poli, a 19-year-old survivor, said she had tried a new job after the incident but left it within days because of the stress and noise associated with a factory job.

“I cannot tolerate any loud noise now. I left the job because there was too much noise which would cause unbearable pain. It seemed as if someone was banging a drum inside my head,” she said.

Another survivor, Rekha Begum, said she had seen the eight-storey building collapse with her own eyes and the memory of it continued to haunt her.

“I still see the building crumble  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

9 | BJP SET TO SWEEP POLLS

TIGERS ON THE BACKFOOT

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the wrath of the BNP-JamaatShibir cronies would not continue further as they would have to answer to the people one day for their acts of violence in their bid to foil the last parliament election.

Reaffirming her government’s strong commitment, she said there would not be any place for terrorism and militancy on the soil of Bangladesh.

“Their [BNP-Jamaat-Shibir] wrath will not continue further as there will be no place for terrorism and militancy on the sacred soil of Bangladesh.

Inshallah! We will ensure peace and security of the people,” the premier told a

13 | LI STORMS TO TITLE

Political violence causes Tk49,000cr loss: CPD n Tribune Report

Agitated and worried cricket fans at Shahbagh protest the proposed ICC revamps to form a two-tier cricket structure. They urged BCC to take a stronger stance against the proposed amendments. Story on page 13 MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

PM: No place for terrorism, militancy in Bangladesh n BSS

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huge public rally at Shah Abdul Hamid Stadium in Gaibandha.

Turning to the January 5 poll, the Awami League president said BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had tried forcefully to stop the poll by unleashing terrorist attacks on police, presiding officers, voters, damaging polling centres.

But she failed to stop voting as the people had cast their votes “with a turnout of 40 to 45% not responding to her call.”

Citing the incidents of violence unleashed by the BNP-Jamaat “hooligans” in Gaibandha district over the last few months, she said the local people did not want to see terrorism, conflict and militancy anymore.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

The losses due to recent hartals and blockades in four sectors would be Tk49,018 crore, which is 4.7% of the GDP of the last fiscal, says an independent estimate released in Dhaka yesterday.

Considering the losses, the Gross Domestic Product is apprehended to moderate at a range between 5.6% and 5.8% this fiscal year.

The damages in terms of money were calculated taking into consideration 55 hartals and blockades enforced between July 2013 and January 2014 – before and after the general election held on January 5.

The land transport (rail and road) sector incurred losses of Tk16,689 crore, highest among the four sectors as estimated by Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

It was followed by agriculture and agro-based industries that faced losses of Tk15,829 crore, clothing and textiles Tk13,750 crore and tourism Tk2,750 crore.

The civil society think tank released the report based on partial and uncorroborated estimates at a press briefing

on Analytical Review of Bangladesh’s Macroeconomic Performance in Fiscal Year 2014 at its office.

“We need to be mindful that the estimated loss does not indicate net loss as some of the losses are recouped through various adjustment measures overtime,” stated the report. “However, they do provide some insights about the magnitude of the incurred losses during the recent spate of political violence.”

The research organisation scanned print media to generate an assessment about the magnitude of the political violence related to economic losses.

“There will be no major supply side disruption and uncertainty arising out of political turmoil over the rest of fiscal year,” said the report, defending CPD’s economic growth projection.

In a sharp contrast, Finance Minister AMA Muhith projected this fiscal’s GDP to be not less than 6.3%, much lower than the target of 7.2% while Bangladesh Bank estimated it to be between 5.7% and 6%, International Monetary Fund 5.5%, the World Bank 5.7% and Asian Development Bank 5.8%.

“The possible slowdown would be  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, January 26, 2014

19-party holds first meeting, readies for upazila polls Kazi Zafar-led faction joins 18-party alliance Al-Masum Molla and n Mohammad Manik Miazee The BNP-led 19-party alliance has decided to back single candidate for the upazila polls on the basis of political consensus among its partners.

The central leaders of the alliance will coordinate the elections in 225 upazilas, to be held in two phases – on February 19 and 27, while the senior leaders of divisional and district units will oversee the voting.

The expanded alliance will participate in the upazila elections jointly to grab the maximum number of seats, its leaders said.

The alliance, which turned a group of 19 parties yesterday, is now thinking of appointing a spokesperson to present its voice before the media. The 18-party alliance had no spokesperson.

Expelled Presidium member of HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party, Kazi Zafar yesterday joined the 18-party alliance by presenting a bouquet to BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at the latter’s Gulshan office in the evening.

Khaleda says: 'Let us see how many days you can stay in power.

You do not have many days in hand' Kazi Zafar said: “We have to be united during the present crisis moment. We will remain beside BNP chief Khaleda Zia.” He also said they had to save the party from Ershad’s oscillation and bluff.

After his joining the alliance, the leaders of 19 parties sat in a meeting.

Khaleda said: “Today is a black day for democracy. Today the Awami League has established Baksal [one-party government]...Today we have made our alliance stronger by turning it into a 19-party one. Nineteen is a lucky number. The 19 parties will bring good news for the country.”

She hoped that the people of the country would reward them if they could work properly. “The Awami League is a fascist party. Not democracy, but the party and money are big issues to them.

“Their [AL] main work is to loot the rights of the people. During 1971-75, the party [AL] did not work for the country.

They looted and killed people. In the last five years, they looted. Countrymen have become poor. People have learnt that every Awami League leaders became owner of crores of takas,” she claimed.

The three-time former premier quoting news reports said 90% people observed that free and fair election

would not be possible under the Awami League government. “The Awami League has become frightened to see these. They have made fun in the name of election. They did not get any party for the poll. One party one leader is what they got. They did not win in any election earlier.

“They are now moving the boat. And the remaining [indicating Ershad] are beneficiary for all the times.” She said Ershad was making confusing statements.

Khaleda said the January 5 election had proved that free and free election could not be possible under AL-led government.

People rejected them. “You have seen that people did not go to the polling centres, only some dogs were there.”

She said since the AL had not been elected by the people’s vote, “it cannot be legal in any aspect. It is staying in power through the power of gun. They are in power by frightening people.”

The BNP chief also labelled the joint force’s drives as “oppression.” She alleged that houses were set on fire, and people are being arrested and abducted – some bodies re found while some go missing. “A people’s government cannot do these.”

Blaming the AL for the recent attacks on Hindu people, Khaleda said an international investigation committee needed to be formed, if required to unearth who were actually behind the attacks.

About the anti-government movement of the 18-party alliance, she said: “Maybe, it did not happen during the Liberation War.”

Now 19-party alliance

With Kazi Zafar, JaPa Presidium member Ahsan Habib Linkan also joined the BNP-led alliance.

Kazi Zafar disclosed his move earlier in the afternoon from a press briefing held at his Gulshan residence. The decision was made at an extended meeting of the central committee of his party, which he claims to be the “real Jatiya Party.”

He said the Ershad-led Jatiya Party was actually an “Awami Jatiya Party.”

Ershad had expelled his Presidium member Kazi Zafar on November 28 for differing with his opinion on the JaPa’s involvement in the January 5 poll. Kazi Zafar too later expelled Ershad from the party and announced a special council that made him chairman and Golam Mosih secretary general.

Kazi Zafar’s United Peoples’ Party (UPP) was a part of the BNP-led seven-party alliance when protests had been mounted against Ershad in the early 1980s. But dissolving his own party, he later joined Ershad’s cabinet under martial law regime. He served as commerce minister, deputy prime minister and finally as the prime minister. l

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam presents a cash of Tk38,500 – equivalent to the gold-made boat and coat pin presented to him on Friday – to the director of Prottasha Protibondhi Unnayan Foundation at Bagha in Rajshahi district yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

'Set special poll centres for minorities' n Tazlina Zamila Khan

Sector Commanders Forum leaders have demanded separate poling centres for religious minorities during the upcoming upazila poll to avoid violence.

President of the forum Air Vice Marshal (retd) AK Khandker said: “Government has failed to hold a successful parliamentary election on January 5.

Army should be deployed around polling centres particularly meant for the minorities during upazila polls so that they can fearlessly cast their ballots.”

He made the remark at a press conference at the Liberation War Museum in the capital yesterday.

“Their votes should be counted immediately after the poll, so that no one gets a chance to manipulate votes,” he added.

Vice Chairman Lt Col (retd) M Abu Osman Chowdhury said: “Local ad-

ministration has failed to resist attacks on minorities because of a lack of manpower. Only one police station is in charge of seven to eight villages.”

He said: “We cannot trust Jamaat-Shibir men as they could not forget their defeat in 1971. During the liberation war, 24% of the population belonged to a minority community whereas now they consist of only 9%.”

The attacks would not have occurred if the Gram Protirokka Bahini (Village Defence Team) had carried out its responsibility in due manner.

A special vigilant team should be formed, led by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), he suggested.

Maj General (retd) KM Safiullah said: “We have freed our country by fighting as a Bangali not as a Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist or Christian. The word ‘minority’ should not be used as we all are

Thieves held at DMCH n Ashif Islam Shaon

Dhaka Medical College Hospital authorities yesterday held a three-member gang from the premises allegedly for selling medical supplies which were meant for free distribution among patients.

Employees told the Dhaka Tribune that during initial interrogation, the arrestees – Mohammad Jasim, Mohammad Rafique and Sagor – admitted that some interns and special-duty staff had helped them in the theft of medicines.

Rafique was a former special-duty employee and previously fired for stealing medicine a few years back. Sagor was formerly an intern at the hospital’s medicine warehouse.

DMCH Director Brig Gen Mostafizur Rahman said Jasim had been caught by Ansar members while roaming suspiciously near an entrance in the morning.

After searching his bag, the Ansar men found a large number of capsules and tablets having DMCH labels on them.

“Jasim said Rafique gave him the bag to sell the drugs to stores adjacent to the hospital gate. After nabbing Rafique, he said he had collected the medicine in the last one week.

“Actually many people here know Rafique, as he worked here earlier."

Rafique was assisted by Sagor who was able to repeatedly pick up medicine by producing the prescriptions collected by Rafique. l

Bangali.”

Jamaat-Shibir men want to fulfil their dreams of a fundamentalist country by wiping out all religious minorities, observed the speakers.

The forum leaders read out seven recommendations that include compensating the victims, formation of a divisional judicial probe committee, exemplary punishment to the perpetrators through a speedy trial tribunal, identifying and trying the culprits by publishing reports of the probe committee formed after the 8th parliamentary election in 2001, stern administrative actions against local administration and law enforcement agencies for failing to resist attacks, resisting the misuse of sermons and banning all Jamaat-e-Islami alliances, identifying them as war criminals and terrorist organisations. l

Hundreds of tress felled, roads were cut and a number educational institutions selected as polling centres were razed, she said.

Hasina also came down harsh on the BNP chief for having several birthdays, particularly on August 15 the day when Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members in had

been assassinated in 1975.

“Can you imagine, how sick she is!” said Hasina, one of the two survivors of that incident.

The three-time premier assured the people of improving their life standard through a number of programmes her government would take.

The initiatives include building at least a tin-shed house for all, in-

troducing ferry service on the Balashi-Bahadurabad river route and a railway bridge, if possible, after feasibility study. She also said her government would set up mills and factories through establishing Special Economic Zone in this region as well as construct houses free of cost for the landless and homeless people in Gaibandha.

Hasina said it would be made a sci-

Rana Plaza survivors still traumatised  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

down in my dreams. It is painful and I cannot sleep the whole night.”

She also said she had developed a fear of great heights and had trouble climbing stairs above third floors of any building.

According to an assessment report

by ActionAid, 92% of the survivors of Rana Plaza are “deeply traumatised” with over half experiencing difficulty in sleeping and almost the same number suffering from depression. Some survivors said they were scared to walk into a building or an enclosed room.

The study also said the victims were still suffering debilitating physical and psychological injuries that had prevented a major portion of them from returning to work.

The report, made available on October 24, came to this conclusion after surveying 2,297 people – nearly two-thirds of survivors and families of those who died in the incident.

According to noted psychologist Dr Mehtab Khanam, individuals who were exposed to the disaster could be affected by hyper-vigilance, suffocation and

One survivor allegedly committed suicide for traumatic disorder and chronic headaches 92% of them are 'deeply traumatised' with over half experiencing difficulty in sleeping and suffering from depression, said survey Many are scared to walk into a building or an enclosed room Government’s pledge to initiate a two-year plan to provide psychological treatment to the survivors yet to materialise sleep disorder.

“They need long-term treatment to recover from their traumatic experiences, but we lack proper resources and infrastructure to do it.

“They will need systematic desensitisation; and to do this, they need to revisit the place and report to their psychiatrists. This is how they can recover.”

She also said some victims had been provided with psychological treatment initially but the government could not carry it forward in an organised way.

“We need to study their condition carefully to help them fully recover,” she said, adding that there was a lack of resources in the field of mental health to deal with such disasters.

Meanwhile, the government’s pledge to initiate a two-year plan to ensure psychological treatment for the Rana Plaza survivors is yet to materialise.

The former health minister AFM Ruhal Haque, on May 15 last year, made the pledge and said the government would support the survivors needing psycho-social treatment to get back to a normal life.

“As soon as they recover from their physical injuries, we will start assessing their psychological condition and giving them proper treatment,” he had said.

When contacted, M.M. Neazuddin, secretary of the ministry of health and family welfare, told the Dhaka Tribune that the government was yet to initiate the plan.

“We are still collecting names of the survivors. Our plan is to prepare a list of all survivors and send it to our psychiatrists. We will then start working on the plan,” he said. l

ence- and technology-based educated nation when power supply would reach every house. She said computer education would be made compulsory at primary level.

Gaibandha district AL organised the rally with its acting president and Administrator of district council Syed Shamsul Alam Hiru in the chair. Health Minister Md Nasim, AL leaders Abdur Razzaque,

n UNB Considering its growing importance, Bangladesh wants to focus more on its close neighbour Myanmar to have improved ties with it in the spirit of mutual understanding and cooperation paving a ground for boosting trade and commerce.

Bangladesh first wants to deal with the “non-conventional” security issues with Myanmar and resolve those for “enhancing Bangladesh’s engagement” with the neighbour. To that end, an inter-ministerial meeting will be held at the foreign ministry today where related ministries,

Faruk Khan and Fazle Rabbi Mia, State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, State Minister for Textiles and Jute Mirza Azam, Mahbub Ara Guinea, and NAP central leader Lutfur Rahman Ranju also spoke at the rally.

Earlier, the prime minister inaugurated and laid foundation stones of a number of development projects from the rally venue. l

Political violence causes Tk49,000cr loss: CPD  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

due to rising concerns in terms of macroeconomic stability,” said Mustafizur Rahman, CPD executive director.

He said a number of indicators like inflation, ADP implementation, remittance inflow, investment and foreign aid utilisation continued to deteriorate in the first half of FY14. “Most of the macroeconomic correlates showed either disquieting or stagnating trends as the economy suffered from political volatility.”

To stimulate the growth, he recommended a package of policy measures – restructuring the fiscal framework, support to Boro harvest and rural economy, compensatory measures for the affected sectors and ensuring policy predictability.

The government has so far taken initiatives like cash subsidy, loan rescheduling and reduction of tax at source to offset the losses suffered by the export-oriented sectors.

“But the most important agro sector

Bangladesh is discussing with the United States to host the debut meeting under the Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (Ticfa) by the first week of March.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the USA Akramul Qader on Friday discussed it with US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Biswal in Washington.

“Yes, we are planning to arrange the meeting [of Ticfa] in the beginning of March. But it depends on mutual understanding between both sides,” Qader told UNB over phone yesterday.

Nothing serious was discussed. “It is part of our regular meeting,” he said. l

BD wants ‘better tie’ with Myanmar

PM: No place for terrorism, militancy in Bangladesh  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Dhaka wants Ticfa debut meeting in early March n UNB

and small and medium businesses that were equally affected due to the political violence is yet to receive any package,” said CPD Distinguished Fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya.

The currently plasticised “seize fire” or “peace clause” approach by the contending political camps is useful and might restore the operational efficiency of the economic capacities, but will not be enough to induce expansion of capacities to attain a higher economic growth and more gainful employment, he said.

“The long-term investment prospect will remain uncertain as long as credible, fair and participatory election is not held.”

Without greater predictability in the political front, he said one may not expect any significant upturn of private investment – both local and foreign – in the country. “Creation of more democratic space for the non-state actors may have positive influence on energising the economic activities.” l

including the home and the shipping, will come up with their respective proposals to prepare a draft on the issue.

An official involved in the process said the meeting, to be presided over by Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque, would discuss the “non-conventional” security issues.

Non-traditional security issues – climate change, resource scarcity, infectious diseases, natural disasters, illegal migration, food shortages, human and drug trafficking and transnational crime – are challenges to the survival and wellbeing of the nations and states. l

Ashraf decries media reports, asks for more investigation  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

lack of treatment and financial needs.

The statement, signed by party office secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap, said: “The government has provided all necessary medical support to the Rana Plaza survivors and the Ninth Infantry Division of the Army has coordinated the works, but media reports claimed Salma received only Tk1.20lakh from government and other organisations, which is ‘incorrect’.”

“Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina provided her (Salma) with the necessary financial needs and several other government and private organisation also provided her financial support to ensure a normal post-treatment life, which will be proved after examining her bank account,” said the statement quoting Syed Ashraf.

“Reports which said Salma’s treatment was hindered due to financial incapability are incorrect and fabricated. She led a normal life till date, which makes it clear that she was not facing any financial hardship,” the statement added.

Salma, a survivor of the Rana Plaza collapse, reportedly committed suicide by hanging herself in the capital’s Bamnartech area on Friday morning.

Quoting the neighbors and her husband Babu, the police said the victim became mentally disturbed after the collapse.

On April 24 last year, the nine storied building Rana Plaza collapsed at Savar claiming at least 1,135 lives while nearly 2,500 people were rescued from its rubble. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Sunday, January 26, 2014

FIRST PHASE OF UPAZILA POLL

Nomination submission concluded n Tribune Report Aspiring candidates of the upcoming upazila parishad poll finished submitting their nomination papers yesterday, setting up the stage for a tough battle at the ballots at the grassroots level.

On the final day of submission deadline for the first phase of polls to 98 upazila parishads, candidates from different political parties including the Awami League and the BNP handed in their nomination forms to contend for seats at functional autonomous local governments.

A festive election mood was persisting at the grassroots level in the polling areas, with the candidates leading peaceful processions yesterday to the upazila election offices for handing in their nominations.

Enthusiasm was also sky-high at the places where lawmakers were elected uncontested in the January 5 national poll. Many districts have also seen election hopefuls holding meetings and attending cultural programmes in their respective localities.

Meanwhile, the self-claimed “non-political” radical Islamist platform Hefazat-e-Islam also submitted nomination papers for chairman and

vice chairman posts in Hathazari upazila of Chittagong.

The Hefazat-backed candidate for the chairman post is Md Hasanullah and for the vice chairman posts the candidates are Nasiruddin and Atikur Rahman.

Although the upazila parishad election is a non-party poll, the participation of both Awami League and BNP is expected to compensate for the excitement that lacked in the recently concluded national poll, which was boycotted by BNP and its allies.

Voters will exercise their franchise to elect one chairman and two vice-chairmen including one woman for each upazila parishad.

According to the Election Commission, the polls of 98 upazila parishads from 40 districts will be held on February 19, while the second phase will be held in 117 upazilas from 52 districts on February 27.

The last election to 479 upazila parishads was held on January 22, 2009.

The tenure of more than 100 parishads is set to expire in February, while most of the other parishads would run out their tenures in May, according to the EC. As per the electoral laws, polls to the upazila parishads are held prior to 180 days before their tenure expires. l

A girl child is being immunised against two deadly contagious viruses – measles and rubella – at a vaccine centre in Paltan of the capital. The biggest nationwide immunisation campaign began yesterday across the country MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

BNP now wants to board the ‘local train’: AL n Emran Hossain Shaikh

Hold dialogue for credible Five murdered in five districts n polls: BBC Sanglap

After having missed the “intercity train,” the BNP was now trying to board the “local train,” Awami League leader Hasan Mahmud has said.

By intercity train, he meant the national election and the local train was used to refer to the upcoming upazila elections.

The BNP has recently hinted that it might take part in the upazila parishad elections, slated for later this year, in a bid to rejuvenate its grassroots.

Addressing a press conference at the Awami League president’s Dhanmondi office, Hasan Mahmud, the publicity and publication secretary of the party, said: “Earlier the BNP raised questions about the credibility of the Election Commission. But now it has decided to take part in the upazila parishad elections under the same commission. I thank BNP for the good sense.”

Mahmud said Jamaat-e-Islami’s absence at the recent Suhrawardy Udyan rally was just a window dressing; the real scenario was exposed when BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said the party was going to maintain its alliance with Jamaat.

“BNP’s ties with Jamaat is like that between fish and water... BNP will not survive without Jamaat.” the former environment and forest minister said. l

Panelists and participants at a BBC Bangladesh Sanglap programme yesterday stressed the necessity of holding dialogue for a credible inclusive election, in a bid to sustain democratic trends in the country.

They made the comments on the TV and radio debate programme, recorded at the mass killing grounds on the bank of Kirtankhola River in Barisal.

Panel speaker Pankaj Kumar Devnath, the Awami League lawmaker from Barisal 4 constituency and secretary of Awami Swechchhasebak League, said the acceptance of mass people would decide whether the current government would fulfill its tenure.

If the people opposed or rejected the government, only then would the issue of holding dialogue be considered, Pankaj said, adding that it did not mean that there was no chance of a dialogue.

Also speaking as a panelist, former lawmaker and BNP’s Barisal city unit President Mojibor Rahman Sarwar said the credibility of the recent national poll was in question, as more than half of the lawmakers had been elected uncontested and votes had not been cast in 141 polling centres.

Blaming the cabinet members and Awami League leaders for making contradictory comments after the election,

Tribune reports

n

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Sarwar said the BNP would continue a disciplined and peaceful movement if there was no dialogue for conducting a free, fair and inclusive poll.

Another panel discussant, Rahima Sultana Kajal, an NGO activist, said the pre and post-election scenarios hinted at no chance of dialogues, while the ruling party’s demand for BNP to break ties with Jamaat would also not produce any sign of immediate dialogue.

Speaking on a separate issue regarding the recent debate on the test status of Bangladeshi cricket, the panelists echoed each other, saying any attempt to exclude Bangladesh from test-playing status should be faced as an issue of national prestige beyond any party-politics.

AL leader Pankaj said excluding Bangladesh from test-playing status would not be acceptable or justified, and it would seriously hamper the sports of Bangladesh.

BNP leader Sarwar, who was also a former Barisal city mayor, said cricket was a national issue that should be dealt like a matter of national prestige beyond any narrow party-politics.

BBC Bangladesh Sanglap is a TV and radio debate programme, produced by BBC Media Action and BBC Bangla Service, to encourage dialogue between people and their politicians and policymakers. l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina listens to the victims of pre- and post-poll violence in Gaibandha. The picture was taken yesterday from the district circuit house PMO

At least five persons were killed in several incidents in Bandarban, Chittagong, Bogra, Lakshmipur and Jessore districts on Friday and Saturday.

Our Bandarban correspondent reports: The body of a Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) activist, who was abducted on January 21 in Rowangchhari upazila, was recovered in Boangchari upazila of Bandarban district Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Redase Marma, 22.

According to sources, Khala Ching and Pulu Mong Marma in the area abducted Redase at 10:00pm.

Later, the body was found in hill area under Betchara.

On information, member of the joint forces recovered the body.

They also arrested three persons in this connection.

Our Chittagong Correspondent adds: Police recovered the body of a youth from inside a shop at Kalurghat area in Chittagong city Saturday.

The deceased, Manzil, 18, hailing from Barisal, was an employee of a shop and he was strangulated to death by unknown miscreants, police said.

On information, police recovered the body from the shop owned by his brother-in-law, said Mohammad Shahidullah, additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of North zone of Chittagong Metropolitan Police.

The miscreants broke into the shop and killed him, the ADC also said; adding that the killing might have been committed by robbers or it could be a sequel to previous enmity.

The body was sent Chittagong Medical College Hospital morgue for autopsy. A case was filed with Chandgaon police station in this regard.

The news agency UNB reports: In Bogra, the proprietor of a photo studio was killed in an attack by unknown miscreants in Colony area of the district town on Friday night.

The deceased was identified as Rafiqul Islam, 36, son of Golam Rahman of Ulipur upazila of Kurigram district.

Quoting locals, officer-in-charge of Sadar police station Foyzur Rahman said a group of unidentified miscreants had swooped on Rafiqul in his studio and chopped him indiscriminately with sharp weapons at about 10:00 pm, leaving him seriously injured.

Hearing Rafiqul’s screams, local people rescued him and took him to Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries later.

Police recovered the body and sent it to the hospital morgue for an autopsy.

In Lakshmipur, police recovered the body of a 12-year-old boy from a ditch in Jagatpur area of Ramganj upazila on Friday.

The victim was identified as Jabedul Islam, son of Abu Taher, a rick-

shaw-puller, of the upazila.

The deceased’s family members said Jabedul had gone out of his house on Thursday evening and since then he had remained traceless.

Later, locals found Jabedul’s body afloat in a ditch of the area in the morning and informed police.

The body was sent to the district hospital morgue for an autopsy.

Ramganj Police Station Sub-inspector Amir Hossain said the cause behind Jabedul’s death could be known after the post-mortem.

In Jessore, police recovered the body of a housewife from a pond at Pachbhulot village in Sharsha upazila on Friday.

The deceased was identified as Mina Khatun, 28, wife of Khorshed Alam of the village.

Motier Rahman Shikdar, sub-inspector of Bagachra police camp, said being informed by local people, police had recovered the body of Mina and sent it to Jessore Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy.

Victim’s father Abdur Rahim claimed Khorshed Alam along with his family members had killed Mina at some time in the night before and dumped the body in the pond.

The body bore several injury marks, said police.

However, police could not arrest anyone as Khorshed and his family members went into hiding.

A case was filed in this connection. l

Jubo Dal demands release of leaders

Obaidul asks MPs not to force children to welcome politicians

n UNB

n Our Correspondent, Feni

Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal, the youth wing of BNP, announced a two-day programme yesterday, demanding release of its leaders and activists and withdrawal of cases against them.

Jubo Dal Senior Vice President Abdus Salam Azad announced the programme at a press conference at BNP’s Nayapaltan central office.

He claimed around 91 Jubo Dal leaders and activists were killed by the law enforcers and ruling party’s cadres across the country during their movement for restoring democracy over last three months.

As part of the programme, the BNP associate body would hold special prayers across the country on January 31 seeking salvation of the deceased leaders and activists.

Jubo Dal will stage demonstrations at all divisional cities and district towns to press home its seven-point demand.

Alongside release of the detained top BNP leaders, the demands include holding a fresh general election under a non-party government, withdrawing ‘false’ cases against BNP senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, and, end of disparaging remarks of the Prime Minister towards BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. l

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader yesterday criticized new lawmakers for continuing to use school children to welcome politicians and urged them to come out of such practices.

“Try to love your people. It’s the duty of the parliamentarians and ministers to please their people,” he told parliamentarians while addressing a reception programme for three newly elected lawmakers of Feni, at the district town’s Trank Road.

Quader’s comment comes a day after hundreds of school children were forced to stand in queues to welcome newly-ap-

pointed State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam, who has been elected from Rajshahi 6 constituency, during a reception programme at Bagha High School in Bagha upazila of Rajshahi.

The Feni reception programme was organised to welcome three new lawmakers, namely Shirin Akhter from Feni-1, Nijamuddin Hazari from Feni-2 and Hazi Rahmatullah from Feni-3 constituencies.

However, the reception itself was arranged by blocking the Trank Road, a prime thoroughfare of the district town, and the preparations of the programme had reportedly kept the road blocked for the last five days. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Seven reasons contribute to winter gas crisis n Aminur Rahman Rasel Officials of Titas gas, the entity responsible for supplying gas in the greater Dhaka area, have identified seven reasons for the acute gas crisis that has become a regular phenomenon during winter in the capital and its outskirts.

The crisis, mainly associated with low pressure of gas in the supply lines at the user end, has hit domestic activities and the CNG refuelling stations the hardest.

In many areas in the Dhaka Metropolitan, kitchens burners cannot be lit before late afternoon and long queues can be seen in front of refuelling stations, who cannot fill up vehicle cylinders because of low pressure of gas.

According to Titas officials, the first reason is that Petrobangla, the stateowned oil company of Bangladesh, has failed to increase gas supply in line with the ever-climbing demand.

Second, slow progress of the Russian state-owned company Gazprom in drilling 10 development wells in different gas fields has also contributed to the crisis.

Third, the commissioning of two new gas compressor stations in Brahmanbaria and Tangail that could have played a role in eradicating low pressure, has been delayed.

The fourth cause is the more usual thing that happens in winter. Because of low temperature, condensate accumulation goes up obstructing the proper flow in the pipelines. Natural-gas condensate is a low-density mixture of hydrocarbon liquids that are present as gaseous components in the raw natural gas produced from gas fields.

Fifth is the ancient 1.5 inch pipelines that are still used for supplying gas in many areas of the capital. Officials said had the pipes been broader, many households in Dhaka would not have faced the low pressure problem.

Sixth is another cause associated with winter. During the season, demand for gas, especially in the households, goes up because people need more fuel for heating activities such as boiling water, warming up rooms and clothes, and so on.

The last reason identified was that the

new connections that the government has started awarding in May last year after a pause, had also contributed in taking the demand further above supply. According to unofficial sources, since May, the authorities have awarded 50,000-60,000 new connections in the urban areas without any significant rise in production.

Taslima Khatun, a domestic user from the city’s Mirpur area, complained that she had been getting gas for her burner only from midnight until early morning. “The rest of the day we do not get any gas.”

Asma Begum, a housewife from the city’s Tejgaon area, said she had been getting any meaningful gas only twice a day – early morning and late evening.

Apart from these two areas, hundreds of households in the capital’s Shewrapara, Kazipara, Khilgaon, Mohammadpur,Taltola, Shyamoli, East Rajabazar, Kafrul, Kollayanpur, Malibagh and Jatrabari have been reeling from the crisis. Things have also been particularly tough for the CNG refuelling stations as well.

“We are forced to keep the stations shut because of the low pressure of gas, resulting in long queues of buses, taxis and three-wheelers and creating traffic congestion on the adjacent roads,” President of Bangladesh CNG Station and Conversion Workshop Owners Association Zakir Hossain Nayan told the Dhaka Tribune.

The CNG filling stations usually suffer from the acutest of crises from 8am5pm, he said.

“The government has recently decided to provide gas to the fertiliser factories. That has contributed immensely to the crisis,” said Nowshad Islam, managing director of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company.

“Usually during winter we cut supply to the fertiliser factories and power plants to help overcome the crisis. But this time did not do that.

“About 100 million cubic feet of gas is supplied to the fertiliser factories every day. Moreover, around 400mmcfd goes to the power stations. That has resulted in greater shortage in supply,” he said. l

Human rights activist Sultana Kamal speaks at a programme organised by Communal Harmony Safeguard Committee yesterday in Satkhira protesting attacks on minorities

BIWTC to procure four vessels after three-year legal fight

27 return from Indian jail n Our Correspondent, Jessore

n Asif Showkat Kallol

After suffering for two years in Indian jail, 27 Bangladeshis returned home yesterday.

BGB-26 Battalion Benapole check post Commander Naik Subeder M Abdullah told reporters that the Indian Border Security Force had handed them through the Benapole land port around 8pm on Friday.

After completing the formalities, they were sent back to their homes yesterday, he said.

The 27 Bangladeshis were arrested from a brick field in Kerala in 2011 on charge of intrusion, said sources in the Border Guard Bangladesh. Search for better jobs took them to India, said the check post commander. l

The state-run Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation (BIWTC) is set to procure four inland multipurpose container vessels from government agencies after a three-year legal fight, official sources said.

The move to procure the container vessels gathered pace as the High Court gave its verdict in favour of the government, said a senior official of the Shipping Ministry. The official added that the procurement processes had been delayed after the private shipyard owners association filed a case against the BIWTC over not procuring inland container vessels three years ago.

In 2010, the BIWTC decided to procure four vessels under the financing of the Japanese Debt Cancellation Fund (JDCF).

The Executive Committee on National Economic Council approved the project. After the legal complications blew over, Secretary to the Shipping Ministry Syed Manjrul Islam put forward a proposal for the construction of 158 TEUs for four inland multipurpose container vessels by the government owned agencies – Khulna Shipyard Limited and Bangladesh Navy and Chittagong Dry Dock Limited.

The cost of construction for two inland multipurpose container vessels by the Khulna Shipyard was Tk75.74 crore and the remaining two by the Chit-

Three officers-in-charge of Chirirbandar and Khansana police station in Dinajpur were transferred for failing to resist violence during the recent parliamentary poll.

The officers are Abdur Rahman and Haresur Rahman of Chirirbandar Thana and Krishna Ray of Khansana Thana.

Sources said upon receiving orders from the Deputy Inspector General in Rangpur zone, the officers were transferred on stand release on Friday.

They were ordered to report to Thakurgaon, Nilphamari and Rangpur police stations respectively. l

n JU Correspondent

WEATHER

Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country until 6pm today.

Moderate to thick fog may occur over the river basins and light to moderate for elsewhere over the country during midnight 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 today at 5:40pm and rises tomorrow at 6:42am.

Country’s highest temperature 30.2 degree Celsius was recorded yesterday in Sitakunda and lowest 11.5 degrees in Chuadanga. Highest and lowest temperature and humidity recorded in some major cities and towns today were: City

High

Low

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

27.0 27.8 26.0 18.7 27.3 27.2 27.7 29.3

16.4 16.7 13.8 12.8 15.0 13.5 13.8 18.0

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

5:23am 6:41am 12:11am 4:05pm 5:40pm 6:59pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

tagong Dry Dock Limited was Tk75.74 crore, according to the proposal.

The Shipping Ministry proposal for the procurement of the four container vessels will be placed on Sunday’s cabinet committee on public purchase for endorsement.

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan told the Dhaka Tribune, “We were unable to procure the four vessels because of legal complications, but it is over now.”

“We will procure the container vessels for BIWTC to boost its earning,” he also said.

BIWTC was established under the Presidential Order in 1972 and started its operations with 608 vessels. l

Teachers demand exemplary punishment of JU BCL leader

3 OCs transferred n Our Correspondent, Dinajpur

Dry weather likely n UNB

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Rajshahi Rakkha Sangram Parishad stages a sit-in in front of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital main gate yesterday in protest against apathetic attitude of doctors to the patients and mismanagement of the hospital DHAKA TRIBUNE

10 families flee fearing post-poll violence

n Our Correspondent, Jhenaidah Ten families of Kalikapur village in Jhenaidah were known to have left their homes fearing a violent backlash after the candidate they had voted for lost to his opponent.

The families were supporters of Awami League candidate Safiqul Islam Apu who had contested unsuccessfully against independent Tahjib Alam Siddiquee Sami from Jhenaidah 2 (Jhenaidah-Harinakundu) constituency.

Tension gripped the region as Sami – fighting with the symbol ‘pineapple’ – started his campaigns for the January 5 poll and escalated with several postpoll clashes between the supporters of the two rivals. Locals said the poll’s result came as a surprise to many Awami League supporters who had been expecting a win riding on the back of popular support and with assistance from local party stalwarts.

A series of clashes erupted immediately after the declaration of the poll result with many supporters of the losing candidate leaving their homes fearing consequences. l

Jahangirnagar University Teachers’ Association yesterday alleged that the authorities were patronising the Bangladesh Chhatra League leader who reportedly assaulted a teacher on Thursday.

From a human chain, government and politics department teacher Prof Shamsul Alam alleged that assaulter Mamun Khan, press and publication secretary of the unit, was staying at the dormitory despite being declared unwanted on the campus.

He gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the authorities to arrange exemplary punishment against Mamun.

The victim, Prof Golam Moinuddin, told the gathering that Mamun had threatened him several times before the incident.

“Although we informed the au-

thorities, they did not take any action against him,” he said.

Over 100 teachers formed the human chain on the Central Shaheed Minar premises around 10am. They also brought out a rally on the campus.

The authorities on Thursday night suspended Mamun from the university and declared him unwanted on the campus. A case was also filed against him with Ashulia police station. His permanent punishment would be arranged at the next Syndicate meeting, Proctor Prof Muzibur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune.

JUTA President Prof Ajit Kumar Mazumder, General Secretary Prof Sharif Uddin, former JUTA president Prof AA Mamun, social science faculty Dean Prof Amir Hossain and Prof ATM Atikur Rahman were also present the protest programme. l

6 killed in road accidents in 5 districts n Tribune Reports At least six persons were killed in road accidents in Cox’s Bazar, Jhenaidah, Jamalpur, Dhaka and Kishoreganj districts on Friday and Saturday.

Our Cox’s Bazar correspondent reports: A child was killed in an accident in Ukhia upazila of the district Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Saima Akter, 6, daughter of Nurul Alam in Bat-tali village under Razapalong union of the upazila.

According to sources, the accident took place as a passenger bus hit Saima on the Cox’s Bazar-Tecknaf road in front of the upazila health complex, leaving her dead on the spot while she was crossing the road.

When contacted, Zahidul Kabir, officer-in-Charge of Ukhia police station confirmed the incident.

Our Jhenaidah correspondent adds: A farmer was killed as a fertilizer laden trolley hit him in Bhaturia village under Harinakundu upazila Saturday.

The deceased was identified as Mofazzel Hossain, 50, son of Bholaj Uddin.

Moheshpur police station Officer-inCharge Mohibul Islam said the accident had taken place as the trolley had hit

Mofazzel, leaving him dead on the spot.

A case was filed with Harinakundu police station in this connection.

Our Jamalpur correspondent reports: Two vegetable traders were killed and another was injured as a train hit a pick-up van carrying the traders on Mukul Bazar level crossing in the district’s Sadar upazila Saturday.

The deceased were identified as Dulal Miah, 38, and Samej Ali, 36, of Charbhatkura village in Dhanbari upazila of Tangail.

Quoting locals, police said the pickup van with the traders on board was going to a tomato wholesale market at Nandina Bazar in Jamalpur Sadar upazila from their village.

The accident occurred when the Chittagong-bound Nasirabad Express coming from Jamalpur railway station struck the vehicle on the level crossing, leaving three people, including its driver, critically injured.

Dulal and Samej succumbed to their injuries on the way to Jamalpur General Hospital while driver Palash, 32, was later referred to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital from the general hospital as his condition deteriorated.

The news agency UNB reports: In

Dhaka, an unidentified young man was killed as a speeding vehicle knocked down him at Kakoli intersection under Banani police station in the city Saturday.

Contacted, Sub-inspector Ashrafuz-zaman of the police station said on information, he recovered the body from the east side of Banani railway station near Kakoli crossing in the morning. Quoting witnesses, the SI added an unspecified vehicle ran over the victim while he was trying to cross the road at 6:15 am. He died on the spot.

The body was sent to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue.

In Kishoreganj, one person was killed and two others were injured in a road accident in Khilpara Biswa Road area in Sadar upazila on Friday night.

The deceased was identified as Sourav, 22, a resident of Alor Mela area of the district town.

Abdul Malek, officer-in-charge of Kishoreganj Model Thana, said a motorcycle carrying the trio collided head-on with a tractor in the area when they were going to Kishoreganj from Hosenpur upazila at 9:00 pm, leaving Sourav dead on the spot and two others injured. The injured were rushed to a local hospital. l

Former secretary dies

n Tribune Desk Saleh Ahmed Chowdhury, former additional secretary of the government, died at a hospital on January 18 at the age of 70.

He was suffering from post-operative complicacy after going through a cardiac surgery.

He left behind his wife, two daughters, a son, relatives and a large number of mourners. Saleh Ahmed Chowdhury was devoted to the betterment of the lives of the poor and distressed. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, January 26, 2014

5

Rajuk’s big projects facing several hurdles Manpower crisis, political interference hold back development in Gazipur, started its project 20 years struction work of the Uttara apartment n Abu Hayat Mahmud project ago.

All the development projects under Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha (Rajuk), such as new satellite towns, constructions of other housing projects, and city development schemes are behind their completion deadlines as progress has been very slow.

The reasons behind the slow progress are negligence and irregularities, repeatedly changing high officials in tenure of different government, wrong selection of bidders, sheer dilly-dallying in land-acquiring move and delay in starting the groundwork.

Sources at the Rajuk said every time after changing the government, they had to accept changes in every project as the government appoints new officials and project directors on political considerations.

Moreover, contractors of different projects, who got the job by bidding lower than the estimated costs, sometimes deliberately delay the work to obtain more money by using political influence.

Currently, Rajuk runs 19 big projects in and around the city where it has to build apartments, roads, bridges, flyover, and has to improve the condition of lakes.

Development of Purbachal New Town Project, which was planned to be developed by possessing land at Rupgonj in Narayanganj and Kaliganj

But the project has failed several deadlines, and it’s yet to be completed.

Rajuk officials said the revised timeline of the 24,697-plot project was July 1995 to June 2012, but the deadline had to be extended to December 2015 as construction works were not completed.

The government planned the satellite city Purbachal New Town Project

contractors of different projects sometimes deliberately delay the work to obtain more money in 1992 and land acquisition started in 1993. Moreover, the 300 feet wide Purbachal Link Road also missed its completion deadline. Besides, there have no initiatives about the 20,000-flat project in Purbachal.

Development of Uttara Residential Model Town’s third-phase started in 1999-2000, and the site development and infrastructural construction began in 2004, but the construction is still undone.

Besides, Rajuk has faced early complications as the Covenanted Construction Company delayed to start the con-

Rajuk’s other project Jhilmil Residential Area, started in 1997, is also yet to be completed.

The project located at Keranigonj and comprises of 381.11 acres of land where the authorities started to handover the pots to owners recently.

But Rajuk did not take any step to start construction of 9,500-flat project in the new satellite city.

Rajuk plans to handover flats to the affected land owners of the adjoining areas of the Hatirjheel-Begunbari Project by 2014. Allocation of flats was supposed to be started by December 2013, but it has not started yet.

Integrated development of Hatirjheel-Begun Bari canal, Gulshan-Banani-Baridhara lake development and the beautification of the projects are also delayed, while Utara lake improvement has not started yet.

However, Rajuk Chairman Nurul Huda denied the allegation of appointing contractors on political considerations.

He added that they need additional time to solve the problems, but admited that they are in manpower crisis.

But he claimed that land developments in all new towns have already completed, construction of all roads, bridges are near to be completed, and they have already started to hand over the plots. l

Garment workers and Shilpa Rakkha Jatiya Committee (a platform for the preservation of industries) form a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday demanding proper compensation and medical assistance to the Rana Plaza victims RAJIB DHAR

Jasim Pally Mela ILLEGAL TRANSPORTATION OF GOODS IN TEKNAF begins in Faridpur Allegations of power abuse rise n Our Correspondent, Faridpur Cultural minister Asaduzzaman Nur MP, inaugurated a fortnight-long Jasim Pally Mela in Gobindapur village on the outskirts of Faridpur town yesterday.

The mela (village fair) has been organised in connection with the 111th birth anniversary of Pally Kabi Jasimuddin adjacent to his ancestral home in the village close to his ‘graveyard’ near Faridpur town.

Inaugurating the mela, Nur said; “We should rebirth in the non-fundamentalist ideology of Jasimuddin Uddin as the killing in the name of politics is going on in the country.”

A total of 200 stalls were set up on the mela premises with the facilities of various amusements including circus and puppet show. Stalls of various handicraft products were also opened to display and sale of rural artisan’s products.

Faridpur District Administration, BSCIC and Jasim Foundation jointly organized the function which was addressed by Overseas Welfare Minister Engineer Khondaker Mosharraf Hossain as chief guest with Deputy Commissioner of Faridpur Abu Hena Morshed Jaman in the chair. l

against BGB officials Correspondent, n Our Cox’s Bazar Allegations of abusing authority to help illegal transportation of goods and people rose against BGB officials serving in the Teknaf transit point near Khaukkhali canal in Cox’s Bazar.

Locals said unscrupulous traders had turned the BGB-controlled point as well as others like it into mini-ports to smuggle contraband goods, illegal immigrants and even legal goods in order to evade regular port fees and taxes.

Every day two boats from Myanmar carrying around 250-300 passengers with goods travelled through the station.

T-shirts, crockeries, cutleries, biscuits, cold drinks, chips, vermicelli and medicines are among goods exported to Myanmar while goods like slippers, pickles, blankets, bed-sheets, dried fish, chocolates, electronic gadgets, PVC pipe fittings and coconuts are imported

through the point.

Goods worth over about Tk30,000 are unloaded illegally everyday breaching the treaty for cross-border trade.

The station is open for boat passengers on the Bangladesh-Myanmar route and each person is allowed to carry goods worth Tk3,000.

In this regard, Md Nur-e-Alam, a revenue officer of Teknaf Land Port, said goods were being transported illegally through the point causing huge revenue loss to the government.

“I sent several complaint letters to Teknaf BGB 42 [which controls the point] but nothing happened.”

Sources at the Teknaf Land Customs Station said port authorities had collected only 75% of their targeted revenue in the 2012-13 fiscal year, largely thanks to illegal transportation of goods through BGB-controlled transit stations.

Corrupt businessmen and syn-

dicates of black-marketeers with the assistance of officials had been using the stations for smuggling goods and avoiding taxes otherwise charged at the land port, they added.

They also said the government could realise double its revenue collection target if incoming goods were unloaded in legal ways.

However, Ibne Amir, an official of the Teknaf Khaukkali Transit Station, refuted the allegations made by custom officials and said goods and passengers were transported in a “systematic way.”

“BGB seizes illegal goods and takes legal action against anyone found in possession of them,” he added.

Refusing the allegation of abuse of authority, Lt Col Abuzar Al Zahid, captain of Teknaf BGB 42, said, “I have not received any verbal or written complaint from the customs. Whenever we seize illegal goods, we hand them over to the customs office.” l

Jhenaidah PBS loss stands at Tk1.32 crore Correspondent, n Our Jhenaidah

Unidentified criminals vandalise idols at a temple in Sreenagar under Munshiganj district yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Jhenaidah Pally Bidyut Samity officials announced their annual losses stood at Tk13,230,000.

This was disclosed yesterday at a meeting where they announced the launch of their annual report.

The report said the reasons behind the loss in 2012-2013 were power distribution expenditure, providing services to more customers than anticipated, excess administrative expenses and other general expenditures.

The report stated that operation cost was Tk52.79 crore, while a total of Taka 54.75 crore was shown as electricity services. The figure against depreciation was shown as Tk740,

70,000, while the net loss stood at Tk13,230,000.

The report confirmed by the general manger of the PBS said, they had provided electricity connections to 126,306 subscribers during the 2013 in 872 villages of six upazilas in Jhenaidah. The total area of coverage was 3,576 kilometres including newly extended 172 kilometres.

When contacted, the general manger of Jhenaidah PBS Jubaraj Sarker had admitted to the loss and said, they were trying to reduce the loss in future.

Mijanur Rahman, member of the PBS managing board, had produced the report before the board members, while the board’s Chairman Syed Nasir Uddin was in the chair. l

57 illegal Malaysia-goers held Jessore while the rest 20 n UNB from elsewhere.

Bangladesh Coast Guard arrested 57 people from the Naf River in Teknaf upazila on Friday night while a gang was trafficking them out to Malaysia by a boat.

Of the arrested, 17 were from Narsingdi, 13 from Narayanganj, seven from

Sources at the Coast Guard headquarters said on a tip-off, a team of the force from its east zone station Teknaf conducted a drive in Kachubania Beribadh area of the river around 7:20pm and arrested the 57. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Feature

Sunday, January 26, 2014

One Billion Rising a global campaign on violence against women. This article is part of a weekly series in spirit of that movement. OBR Bangladesh invites all to join them and RISE at their event of February 14.

Standing in formation outside the BNP office in Nayapaltan during a a blockade in December

RAJIB DHAR

Officers at work at the Women’s Support and Investigation division of the Victim Support Centre, an organisation that supports women and children victims, both legally and psychologically SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Women on the front lines Bangladeshi female police officers on the speedbumps and milestones of their career paths

“E

n Promiti Prova Chowdhury

Deputy Inspector General Mily Biswas, the second female officer to have joined the Bangladesh police force COURTESY

Fatiha

Yesmin,

Additional

Commissioner of the VSC

Deputy

Police

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

very morning, I used to see women crowding in front of my house, marvelling. They would ask: ‘Are you really a cop? My husband said bad words about you!’” recalls Deputy Inspector General of Police Mily Biswas.

Mily was the second lady to join the police force at the officer level in 1988, through the Bangladesh Civil Service examination.

She was posted to Netrokona as the Additional Superintendent of Police in 1992. Though she had a young child, she had to leave him in Dhaka, and stayed in Netrokona for two and a half years.

“One by one they would come, and before stating their problems they would touch me to dispel their disbelief. They wanted to confirm if the police officer standing in front of them really was a lady.”

Despite the social challenges over the years, Mily, also the president of the Bangladesh Police Women’s Network, just celebrated completing 25 year in this profession, thanks to her willpower, wit and the drive to accept challenges.

“Even after the BCS results were published, my father was hesitating a little. Back then people could only imagine girls as darogas (guards and constables) in this profession, not as an ASP. However, my mother gave me her full support.”

Though Mily had her family’s support, many of her female colleagues did not have it so easy.

Mousumi Mondol, assistant commissioner at the Women’s Support and Investigation Division at the Victim Support Centre (VSC) in the capital, shares how she made it through despite strong opposition from her husband and other family members.

“I studied English and then did an MBA. No one in my family wanted me to go for BCS. I did not even tell anyone that I was preparing for it. But results showed that I qualified in the police cadre - which was a shock because I had been heavily discouraged regard-

ing the training in Sardah. My husband told me that I would never be able to complete it,” she said.

Ladies-in-training

The Sardah experience was definitely a surprise for the ladies. Sardah is the Bangladesh Police Academy located at Sardah, under Charghat police station, in Rajshahi.

“Interestingly, before going to Sardah, we were instructed from the police headquarters to take college uniforms with us. But at the training, our principal strongly opposed. He said the women would have to do all the physical exercises: parades, ride horses, practice arms, swim through ditches.

How could they do all these wearing kameez?”

“You cannot even imagine how difficult the trainings are – for both men and women. Everyone had to complete all the levels. And if you had seen the size of the horses in Sardah, oh boy … they were huge!” Biswas said.

Despite the interesting challenges at Sardah and her home, Mousumi completed her training.

“Today, I feel proud. I love my uniform. There was a time when I had to keep my BCS books hidden from my husband. But seeing my results and progress, today he is happy,” adds Mousumi.

Officer on duty

“While recruiting, I am amazed to see the enthusiasm in girls these days.”

Mily said. “They mention police as their first preference in the BCS. Today there are more than 5,500 lady officers in the force. The number was around 500 when I joined.”

Merin Sultana, senior assistant police commissioner of the VSC, said the job entails all sorts of work.

“I supervise ongoing cases, deploy forces during hartals and blockade programmes at different spots, check copies of constable recruitment examinations, operate rescue operations, select candidates for different missions and so on,” said Merin.

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Hassan Mahmood Khandker said: “Previously, female members of the police

HAPPINESS IS A CHOICE

Female police officer does her duty in Nayapaltan during a nationwide strike only dealt with cases filed in connection with repression against women but are now engaged in investigating other sensitive and important cases.”

“They are doing a commendable job,” agreed Mily, “both at the desk and in the field, as officer-in-charges, in the Rapid Action Battalion and on immigration duty at the airports. Recently we saw some of them handling the pickets during hartal duties.”

She added: “Our women officers were recently singled-out and lauded for their performance at UN peacekeeping missions.”

“The UN is now planning to hire more Bangladeshi female police,” IGP Mahmood said.

Roadblocks

Since police work has traditionally been viewed by most people as a male occupation, it was difficult and at times frustrating for women cops to deal with that stereotype.

“In this patriarchal society, such complications will always remain. Even our male batch-mates used to make de-

Police Women’s Network in order to solve these issues, and promote women participation at the constable level.

Home station

Balancing personal and professional lives is “a challenge indeed,” Mily said.

“If there is a lack of understanding with your spouse, or if he is not supportive enough, then it is really difficult to progress,” she said. “You will not be able to concentrate on your work. You remain pre-occupied about issues such as taking care of your child, the home, the domestic help and so on.”

Yesmin and Mousumi agree that if someone enjoys what she does, then she does not feel the pressures.

But Yesmin cautions: “Women need to give 100% to make sure they don’t fall behind.”

IGP Mahmood added: “Women police unit started its journey a few decades ago. Now you look at their achievements and no one can say they are lesser than their male counterparts, and, in many cases they have surpassed the male officers.” l

Blogging, Bangla-style Amin Nova and n Tasnuva Rumana Habib

Carefree children in the slums of Rayer Bazar play skipping rope on the railing-less rooftop of an under-construction building, oblivious to the risks, or the fumes from the nearby tannery MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

rogatory comments,” Mily said. “But we did each and every task with prudence, and proved that women were no less than their male counterparts.”

Fatiha Yesmin, additional deputy police commissioner of VSC, encourages practicing a professional attitude.

“We see a lack of professionalism, especially at the constable level. Many take this as just another 9-5 paid job.

Their mindset has to be changed. They should realise that women have joined this profession after going through the same exams and training as men.”

Furthermore, working in isolated regions tends to be a challenge. Mily said if a woman is posted in a remote area, she may not have anyone to share her problems with – personal or administrative.

“A female officer may be abused by someone at the station. Or sometimes, just because she is a girl, she may be deprived of due promotions. In many places, our female officer face basic problems regarding washrooms and accommodations,” said Mily.

Mily said they formed Bangladesh

RAJIB DHAR

2013 was a tumultuous year for blogging in Bangladesh.

Last February, Bangladesh watched as huge crowds congregated at Shahbag, demanding the execution of war criminals.

And a key factor mobilising them from the far corners of the country was blogging.

“Blogging helped reach the people who could not be reached otherwise through mainstream media,” says Syeda Gulshan Ferdous Jana, editor of the largest community of Bangla bloggers in the world, somewhereinblog.net, in an interview with the Dhaka Tribune.

The way Jana talks is unforgettable.

When we met at her rooftop office located in Gulshan, she drew me in with the clarity with which she pronounces every word.

Though she is fluent in English, she insisted on speaking Bangla for our interview.

“Interactions make a greater impact when they are made in a language that most of the people in that community speaks.”

That is why she and her Norweigan husband Arild Klokkerhaug founded a Bangla language blog in 2005. Their in-house programmer Hasin Hayder developed a Bangla phonetic keyboard, the first tool to write in Bangla using an English keyboard.

“If we were introducing blogging to Bangladeshi community, it only made sense that we let people write in Bangla.”

However, since inception of the website and a mostly successful journey, things have not been easy for this advocate of the freedom of expression. She confessed to have been living on a knife’s edge during 2013, as she was constantly under close observation of political parties and the media.

“It did not take long for those who wanted to resist the punishment of war criminals to try to defame me,” she explained, trying to keep her composure.

“Jamaat-e-Islam, the political wing closely affiliated with most of the war criminals, said: ‘This couple [Jana and her husband] is set to destroy Islam in our country.’”

“In order to blemish the reputation of

blogging in people’s eyes, I was made the target,” Jana said. There were times when she had to take shelter in her friends’ places to hide from many dangerous threats.

Jana was offered security, which she refused to accept because she thought that would be unfair to the thousands of bloggers in her community, whose lives were also under threat.

She sees the successful execution of Quader Molla as “the victory of blogging and bloggers.”

“Freedom of expression is a basic human right, and blogging provides us with that,” she said. “It has created opportunities for citizen journalism through which people have access to rich local content.”

Jana said: “With freedom of expression comes the responsibility of expression.”

Somewhat contradictorily, but with equal passion, she said blogging “gives everyone the equal right to express oneself as it does not discriminate based on quality of language, source of information and grammar. Anyone can say anything.”

A dubious, but important right. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

In Memoriam

7

Sunday, January 26, 2014

The Shelly Bhai I knew

DHAKA TRIBUNE

M n Abdul Matin

uhammad Habibur Rahman was popularly known as Shelly Bhai to most of his friends and admirers. All his books, poems and articles carry his name simply as Muhammad Habibur Rahman without prefixing the title of Justice.

Shelly Bhai was born in Murshidabad (now in West Bengal, India) on December 3, 1928. He studied at the Presidency College, Kolkata, Rajshahi College and Dhaka University. He was a brilliant student, and obtained first class and stood first in both BA (Hons) and MA exams.

Shelly Bhai was involved in politics during his student life. He showed his leadership quality when he was the vice-president of the Salimullah Muslim Hall Union. At that time, only the most meritorious students of the university were elected to such positions. He joined the University of Dhaka as a lecturer of history in 1952.

He could not continue in this position for long because of his involvement in the 1952 language movement.

Shelly Bhai was one of the eleven students who gathered secretly on the bank of the Fazlul Huq Hall pond on the night of February 20, 1952 and decided to defy Section 144. On February 21, he was in the first group of 10 students that proceeded towards the provincial assembly, defying the restrictions. The police soon opened fire on them without any warning. Luckily, he was not hurt, but got arrested immediately, and was taken to jail.

of the Supreme Court in 1976, and was elevated to the Appellate Division in 1985. He served as acting chief justice between 1991 and 1995, and as chief justice in 1995. He was the chief adviser of the first caretaker government of Bangladesh during the 1996 parliamentary election.

This is brief the life sketch of Shelly Bhai, which tells very little of the multifarious and unique qualities he possessed. Many people have written about him as a legal expert, judge, administrator, and author. I shall mainly concentrate on what I know about him from my personal contacts and observations.

I first heard about Shelly Bhai from my brother, Abdul Momin, the minister for food in the cabinet of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – also a classmate of Shelly Bhai at Presidency College, Kolkata, and also at the University of Dhaka. Other prominent persons who studied with him at both the institutions are Professor Zillur Rahman Siddiqui and Dr Anwar Hossain, former chairman of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission.

I was introduced to Shelly Bhai at a party at my brother’s house at Azimpur in 1965. Many prominent political leaders, including Bangabandhu and Tajuddin Ahmed, were present at the party. On the same occasion, Shelly Bhai also met Bangabandhu formally for the first time. I hardly met Shelly Bhai since then as I stayed away from Bangladesh most of the time. I met him briefly at his chamber on a few occasions and once in Jeddah when he went to perform Hajj.

I saw him occasionally at the Ram-

Every time he served coffee prepared in this coffeemaker, he used to mention to his guests that an atomic scientist had showed him how to use it

Having lost his first job for political reasons, Shelly Bhai found a unique method of protesting against his unfair dismissal. He started to sell cigarettes inside the university campus, like typical vendors usually seen at railway stations, causing great embarrassment to the University of Dhaka.

The principal of Jagannath College immediately offered him a job. Having served in a couple of private colleges, he found a government job at the Rajshahi College and went to England for higher studies. He completed honours in modern history from Oxford University in 1958 and obtained a masters degree in 1962. In between the two degrees, he did his bar from Lincolns Inn. He joined the Rajshahi University as reader in history after his return from England.

Shelly Bhai changed his profession in 1964 and joined the bar at the Dhaka High Court in 1964. He was appointed as a judge of the High Court Division

na Park after 1991, during morning walks. Being a judge, he kept himself aloof from many of his acquaintances at that time. We simply exchanged greetings during our meetings. He became friendlier to me after his retirement in 1995. Gradually we began to walk together, pray together on Fridays, and even shop together at kitchen markets. He was kind enough to visit my house quite often and the door of his house was always open to me. We shared hours together over cups of coffee.

Shelly Bhai was a very modest person in spite of the fact that he occupied very high positions in life.

He lived a very simple life. He always dressed modestly. He never hesitated to come in front of guests at his house wearing a traditional lungi.

His advisers were surprised to see him presiding over cabinet meetings in very informal dresses. His house never had any fancy furniture. He

had more books than the racks could contain. I saw stacks of books lying on the floor when he moved from his official residence to a small rented house in Moghbazar. His writing table had piles of reading and writing materials scattered all over it. Shelly Bhai liked to wash his personal clothes, and did so until he had a major surgery involving the replacement of his hip joint a couple years ago.

in a serious bloodbath was resolved amicably without any major incident.

When the results of the election were published, one disgruntled prominent leader rebuked Shelly Bhai in a very harsh language by telephone while he maintained a dignified calmness. Very recently, and to the great satisfaction of Shelly Bhai, the same leader admitted in public that the election of 1996 was fair and impartial.

Shelly Bhai was one of the eleven students who gathered secretly on the bank of the Fazlul Huq Hall pond on the night of February 20, 1954 and decided to defy Section 144 Shelly Bhai liked Bengali food, fish in particular. He also liked preparations of ichar (green jackfruit), dumur (fig), kolar mocha ( banana cones). My wife and I had the pleasure of sharing his favourite meals with him at our house on many occasions. He also liked to drink different kinds of tea and coffee.

This was perhaps his only luxury. His friends often brought varieties of tea and coffee from abroad as gifts for him. He always mentioned the name of the donor whenever he served the drinks to his guests.

It was so easy to make Shelly happy with very little things. Even though professionally I am a nuclear engineer, he used to introduce me to others as an atomic scientist.

Once, he got a traditional coffeemaker, as gift from his son-in-law, and didn’t know how to use it. I helped him to make it work. Every time he served coffee prepared in this coffeemaker, he used to mention to his guests that an atomic scientist had showed him how to use it. Whenever I protested for thanking me for such minor things, he used to say, “No help is minor. How many people are there who help others?”

Shelly Bhai liked to travel. He travelled widely abroad and within Bangladesh. He even visited my ancestral home at Netrokona and travelled with me in my small car without any protocol and security. The road was bumpy.

Often he had to get out of the car when navigation became too tough, but he never complained. He stayed with us for two days, tasted the traditional pithas and fresh fish from the pond.

He visited all the schools, colleges, and libraries in the locality. He travelled with me on foot or in rickshaws around the place without any hesitation.

As the head of the caretaker government, Shelly Bhai helped conduct a fair election contested by all major political parties. There was a commotion in the army soon after the sudden retirement of two senior army officers. Shelly Bhai acted swiftly but calmly and tactfully to normalise the situation. He appealed to the army personnel “not to stain the soil of Bangladesh with the blood of your brethren.” Thanks to his wise and matured handling, the conflict that could otherwise result

Shelly Bhai authored about 75 books or more. I doubt if he himself knew the exact number of his books. There were 4 or 5 books about to be published at the time of his death. He wrote on varied subjects including history, law, Tagore, religion, literature, journalism, human rights, language, education, and Bangladesh. He also composed or translated many poems into English or Bengali. On whatever subject he wrote, he used to go deep into it collecting information from all possible sources. He even talked to very ordinary people like day labourers, rickshaw pullers, street vendors and children to collect materials for his articles His Jathashabda, published in 1974, was the first thesaurus in Bengali language. It was acclaimed by all Bengali speaking people at home and abroad including Satyajiit Roy. Other books by him include Law of Requisition, Rabindra Prabandhey Sanjna O Parthakya Bichar, Matri-bhashar Sapakshey Rabindranath, Koran-sutra, Bachan O Prabachan, Gangariddhi thekey Bangladesh, Rabindra-kabyey Art, Sangeet O Sahitya, On Rights and Remedies, Amara ki Jabo-na Tader Kachhey Jara Shudhu Banglai Katha Baley, Bangladesh Deergajibi Houk, Sarkar, Sangbidhan O Odhikar, Tattabadhayak Sarkarer Daibhar, Koran Sharif: Saral Banganubad, Banglar Tarikh etc.

Shelly Bhai was a minute observer of events and incidents. While walking in the morning, he once noticed a little girl (a tokai: street urchin in Bangla) who found a pair of slippers from a rubbish dump.

The slippers did not match each other, and were of different sizes and different colours. Regardless, she picked them up, and put them on, very pleased with her discovery, started walking happily along the street. Shelly Bhai went home, and wrote a poem on the incident that was published in a newspaper. He narrated the whole incident to me, and recited the poem in front of me.

Shelly Bhai collected poems written on different languages from all over the world. It was a tough job. For collection of the poems, he approached every foreigner he came in contact

with, or every person he knew who had contacts with foreigners. He finally succeeded in collecting and translating a good number of poems on foreign languages. The collection was published a couple of years ago.

Shelly Bhai enrolled in Brac University to learn the Chinese language when he was around eighty. He regularly attended classes and appeared for examinations. Several ideas prompted him to do so. First, he wanted to visit China, and also to translate some Chinese poems.

So, some knowledge of the Chinese language would be an asset to him.

Second, he wanted to use the library of Brac University. This is one example to show how serious he was whenever he wanted to do something.

As a judge of the Supreme Court, Shelly Bhai gave some historic judgments. I am not competent to comment on them. He was, however, criticized by some quarters for his judgment in the case of Ghulam Azam that restored his citizenship of Bangladesh. He told me later that as a judge he had no other option.

He had to go by the law – not by emotions, and found no legal clue to justify the cancellation of his citizenship.

Shelly Bhai was a Bangalee by his heart and soul. It is evident from all his writings and speeches.

Joy Bangla was his most favourite slogan. He told me that no other slogan inspired him more than Joy Bangla. According to him, the slogan has a soul of its own.

Shelly Bhai’s patriotism is beyond question. He demonstrated it in all of his actions, speeches and writings. He never compromised the interests of his country, or his mother tongue.

Lake, we regularly saw a young boy selling tea and cigarettes on the footpath. Shelly Bhai used to talk to him regularly, and told me the story of his life. The boy had to take this profession at his early age to feed his ailing parents. He also told me how much the boy earned every day on average. He became very worried when the boy suddenly disappeared from the spot, and could not be found any more. I have seen many ordinary people talking to him for redress of their problems.

Shelly Bhai was a very handsome person. None could miss an expression of wisdom and learning that used to sparkle from his face. He was also very witty and humorous. Nobody could ever be bored in his company.

He was very religious, but not superstitious. He used to pray five times a day. He fasted regularly during Ramadan even at his old age. He studied the Koran seriously, and tried to understand the meaning of each verse. His translation of the Koran in simple Bengali is widely read. He maintained good relationships with the followers of other religions and was very popular with them. He attended many events organised by different religious and ethnic groups in Bangladesh.

Shelly Bhai was very busy even during his last days. He had many plans for the future, mainly regarding writing of books. Often he asked me: “For how many years should I plan?

Can I plan for ten years?” I used to reply: “You will live many more years, Insha-Allah.”

Shelly Bhai was in a reasonably good health. He walked regularly after Fazr prayers even in the cold winter.

None of us thought he would leave

Having lost his first job for political reasons, he started to sell cigarettes inside the campus like typical street vendors, causing great embarrassment to the University of Dhaka Shelly Bhai had to struggle hard during his early life but he never complained about it. He was always satisfied with what he had. He used to say: “I have got more than I ever wished for. Why should I complain?” He also seemed to be happy with his health and did not grumble even in sickness. “What else could I expect at my age?” – he used to say often if anyone wanted to know about his health.

As a person, Shelly Bhai rarely had any comparison. He had the unique capacity of generously showering his love and affection among his friends and acquaintances. Ask anyone he knew, s/he would say: “Oh! My relationship with him was very special. I cannot explain how much he loved me!” He could mix and be friendly with people of all ages and means without any discrimination. While walking in the morning beside the Gulshan

us so soon. He always wished to die suddenly, without giving any trouble to anyone. Allah fulfilled his wish.

After watching one of his favourite programmes on TV, he went to his bedroom to listen to the BBC news, as usual. Few minutes later, he was found lying on the floor while the radio was on in full volume. He died peacefully without troubling anyone on January 11, 2014.

Shelly Bhai attached me to him with infinite love and affection. He dedicated one of his books, “Desher Valomonda,” to me, my wife, Fariha, and daughter, Asha. I feel greatly honoured when I hear from his wife that Shelly Bhai used to tell her: “Matin is like a brother to me.”

May Allah rest Shelly Bhai’s soul in peace in heaven, Ameen. l Abdul Matin is a former chief engineer of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

EUROPE

International

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Efforts to solve Ukraine crisis peacefully remain ‘futile’: interior minister n AFP, Kiev Efforts to solve Ukraine’s deadly crisis peacefully without using force remain futile, Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko said Saturday, accusing protesters of hoarding firearms at their headquarters.

“The events of the last days in the Ukrainian capital have shown that our attempts to solve the conflict peacefully, without recourse to a confrontation of force, remain futile,” he said in a statement. “Our calls have not been heeded and a truce is being violated.”

Accusing the mainstream opposition of failing to control radicals, Zakharchenko said the authorities now had information that the protesters were “hoarding firearms” at their headquarters in central Kiev.

He said that security forces locked in a standoff with protesters on Grushevsky Street in central Kiev for the last six days had held talks with opposition representatives overnight.

“The talks did not have any result.

They (the opposition representatives) can no longer have any effect on the radical groups that are controlling seized buildings and directing the use of force,” he said.

MIDDLE EAST

Yemen marks end of thorny national dialogue n AFP, Sanaa Yemen’s feuding factions wrapped up months of national dialogue Saturday aimed at drafting a new constitution and establishing a federal state in a country where southerners are clamouring for independence.

Secessionists boycotted the talks launched in March 2013 as part of a UNbacked transition that saw president Ali Abdullah Saleh step down after 33 years in power following massive Arab Spring-inspired protests in the region’s poorest country.

Saleh’s successor President Mansur Hadi Abdrabuh pledged at a ceremony on Saturday to form commissions to draft the new constitution and thrash out the details of the promised new federation.

“All (sides) have made painful concessions,” Hadi said of the dialogue which had been due to last six months but was extended for a further four in the face of bitter disagreements over the key issues.

“This is a historic day,” said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in a recorded video message played during the ceremony.

His envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar, who has been overseeing the implementation of the peace deal, hailed the outcome of the dialogue as a “clear roadmap.”

“The dialogue was not a picnic, and faced tough challenges,” said Benomar, adding that the Yemeni people “should be proud of this achievement.”

Southerners have been strongly opposed to proposals for a federation of six units – four in the north and two in the south – instead of one each for the formerly independent north and south, fearing that their influence would be diluted.

“We will work as soon as possible to form a regions committee and another to draft a constitution,” Hadi said at the ceremony attended by representatives of the United Nations, the Arab League and Gulf states. l

Further ratcheting up the tensions, the interior ministry called on protesters to free two policemen who it said had been held in the Kiev city hall which has been occupied by protesters for the last weeks. The opposition has denied the claim. But in a clear threat to storm the building if thy are not released, the interior ministry said it demanded the officers’ immediate liberation.

“If this is not fulfilled then the police will have to carry out measures to free those captured,” it said in a statement.

In another conspicuously-timed move, President Viktor Yanukovych appointed a new head of the Kiev city administration, sacking previous incumbent Olexander Popov who had been blamed over violence against protesters last year. Yanukovych appointed Volodymyr Makeyenko to the post, which is essentially that of city mayor. His office is in the administration building currently occupied by protesters.

Ukraine president holding new talks with opposition leaders

Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych was Saturday holding new and previously unannounced talks with opposition leaders aimed at solving the crisis

Black smoke and fireballs rise during clashes between protesters and police in central Kiev, Ukraine, early Saturday in the country, the presidency said.

Along with senior aides, Yanukovych was meeting UDAR (Punch)

n Agencies At least four people have died during demonstrations across Egypt on the third anniversary of the nation’s Arab Spring uprising.

The health ministry confirmed two people were killed in Minya, in southern Egypt, a third in Cairo and one in Giza. At least 15 people have been injured in the protests.

It comes as an explosion, reportedly caused by a rocket-propelled grenade, hit a police base in Suez. It was not immediately clear if anyone was hurt in the blast, which targeted a Central Security Forces camp. Interior ministry spokesman Hany Abdel Latif said assailants “fired an RPG and then opened heavy fire on the base.”

Earlier on Saturday, two explosions

hit Cairo, as an on-edge Egypt braced for mass demonstrations on the anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

One person was reported injured following blasts on Saturday in the Hadeek al Qubba area and a police building in eastern Cairo. The attacks come a day after four explosions targeting police in the capital killed six.

Also on Saturday there were reports live rounds had been fired into the air by police to break up about 1,000 anti-government protesters, Reuters news agency reported. Tear gas and bird shot were also being used, the agency said.

Opponents of the current army-backed interim government are held demonstrations on Saturday, with some calling for the return of the Islamist former president Morsi. l

alist Svoboda (Freedom) party leader Oleg Tyagnybok at the presidential administration, it said. l

n Reuters, Geneva After a day’s delay and repeated bitter recriminations, the warring sides in Syria will hold their first joint meeting on Saturday to launch talks aimed at ending almost three years of conflict.

In a measure of the task ahead, diplomatic sources said the first two days of talks in Geneva would involve discussing a deal to allow aid into a single city, Homs, where people are starving.

The peace conference almost collapsed on Friday, the day face-to-face talks were meant to start, and was only put back on track after United Nations mediator Lakhdar Brahimi persuaded the two sides to focus on smaller issues on which there might be agreement.

“We do expect some bumps on the road,” Brahimi told a news conference

after separate meetings with the two delegations.

With international divisions over how to end the conflict putting an overall political solution out of reach for now, the two sides will focus on small, confidence-building steps with no certainty negotiations will even last the week.

“Both parties will be here tomorrow...they will not leave on Saturday or Sunday,” Brahimi said.

Opposition delegate Anas al-Abdah said the process would begin with a brief meeting at 10 a.m. (0400 ET) on Saturday at which only Brahimi would speak, to be followed by another longer session in the afternoon. Even that may not come off.

One diplomatic source, noting the fierce verbal attacks that marked the

opening of the conference in the Swiss city of Montreux on Wednesday, said on Friday he had become cautious.

“Compared to 10 days ago, we’ve had Montreux with both delegations, this start in Geneva with an extra day’s delay, tomorrow 30 minutes with the two delegations and then maybe a subject they can agree on. Small steps, but small steps are better than no steps.”

“It’s clear there will be hysterical episodes each day.”

Humanitarian access for Homs, where rebels are surrounded in central districts by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad, could be agreed fast.

“The practical aspects have been worked on. Things are ready and if the government doesn’t put a block on it then it could happen quickly,” a diplomatic source said. l

Iraq violence kills 15 as January toll tops 800

Iran says no need for UN watchdog office in Tehran

n AFP, Baghdad

n AFP, Tehran

Shelling and bombings across Iraq killed 15 people on Saturday as militants bombed a key bridge linking the capital to north Iraq, the latest in a surge of nationwide violence.

The latest bloodshed, which pushed the death toll for January to more than 800, comes just months ahead of parliamentary elections slated to take place on April 30, and has stoked fears Iraq is slipping back into all-out conflict.

Faced with a weeks-long standoff in Anbar province west of Baghdad and Iraq’s worst protracted unrest since 2008, authorities have been urged by foreign leaders to pursue political reconciliation in a bid to undercut support for militants.

But Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki has taken a hard line, and officials

have trumpeted security operations.

Shelling began late on Friday in the south Fallujah neighbourhood of Nazal and continued into the early hours of Saturday, killing eight people, including a young child, and wounding seven, said Doctor Ahmed Shami at the city’s main hospital.

Residents of the city on Baghdad’s doorstep blame the army for the shelling. Defence officials insist the military is not responsible.

Security officials meanwhile said they killed 20 militants in the Albu Faraj area near Anbar provincial capital Ramadi, according to a report broadcast on state TV. Fallujah and parts of nearby Ramadi have for weeks been in the hands of anti-government fighters, including the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). l

Kerry rejects notion US is disengaging Secretary of State John Kerry dismissed on Friday as “a myth” suggestions that the United States was withdrawing from world affairs. “I’m perplexed by claims I occasionally hear that somehow America is disengaging from the world - this myth that America is pulling back, or giving up, or standing down. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth,” Kerry told the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.

His remarks were seen partly as a response to Saudi Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former intelligence chief, who told a Davos panel earlier on Friday that the world was disappointed with a “sense of no direction” in US foreign policy.

Kerry cited US involvement with issues from Israel to Iran to Syria and in Asia and Africa to counter a similar view expressed by others in the Middle East and by critics in the United States.

He said it was based on a false assumption that the only tool of US influence was its military. “If we don’t have

party leader and world boxing champion Vitali Klitschko, Fatherland party leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk and nation-

AP

The European Union on Saturday urged the Ukrainian government to take concrete steps to halt “a spiral of violence and intimidation” and restore peace in the country.

In a statement issued following meetings in Kiev with Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych as well as opposition leaders, EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said he “conveyed deep concerns of the EU about the latest developments and underlined the need to end the cycle of violence.”

He also stressed the need “to fight against impunity of perpetrators of human rights violations and to continue an inclusive national dialogue to find a way out of the crisis that threatens to further destabilise the country.”

Chief among action that must be taken by the Ukrainian government is “a series of concrete steps to first start to rebuild trust of people by stopping the spiral of violence and intimidation, to be complemented in a second stage by an inclusive political process leading (to) stability in Ukraine,” said Fuele.

“I have discussed a series of steps to this end, that could lead to confidence building and to a political process aimed at ending this crisis,” he added. l

Blasts hit Cairo as Egypt Syria sides to meet but peace talks marks revolution may not take off

AMERICAS

n Reuters, Davos

EU urges ‘concrete steps’ from Kiev to end Ukraine unrest n AFP, Brussels

a huge troop presence or aren’t brandishing an immediate threat of force, we are somehow absent from the arena,” Kerry said.

“You can’t find another country - not one country - as proactively engaged or that is partnering with so many Middle

Eastern countries as constructively as we are, on so many high-stake fronts,” he said.

While in Davos, Kerry has continued his pursuit of an Israeli-Palestinian deal, holding talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. l

US Secretary of State John Kerry delivers his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland REUTERS

A senior Iranian official Saturday dismissed the need for a Tehran office for UN inspectors tasked with monitoring Iran’s partial nuclear freeze, Mehr news agency said.

The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency had said the watchdog may ask Iran for permission “to set up a temporary office to provide logistical support,” for its inspectors.

UN inspectors are in Iran to monitor the implementation of a nuclear deal with Western powers that took effect on Monday, after Iran stopped enriching uranium above five percent fissile purities at its Natanz and Fordo facilities.

“In our opinion, by considering the volume of nuclear activities in the country, there is no need for setting

up a nuclear watchdog office in Iran,” said Reza Najafi, Tehran’s envoy to the IAEA.

‘In our opinion, by considering the volume of nuclear activities in the country, there is no need for setting up a nuclear watchdog office in Iran’ “We have not received such a request from the IAEA for setting up an office in Tehran,” Najafi told Mehr news agency.

IAEA chief Yukiya Amano said on Friday he might seek Iran’s permission for a Tehran office for inspectors.

Amano said the IAEA needs to

Obama demands action on US sexual assaults n AFP, Washington President Barack Obama called on Saturday for a swift end to “the crime, the outrage” of sexual violence in the US armed forces and on college campuses.

An estimated one in five women is sexually assaulted at college in the United States, the White House says, something Obama – a father of two girls – termed “totally unacceptable” and “a priority for me.”

“Sexual assault is an affront to our basic decency and humanity. And it’s about all of us – the safety of those we love most: our moms, our wives, our daughters and our sons,” Obama said in his weekly address.

He added: “We’re going to keep combating sexual assault in our armed forces, because when a member of our military is attacked by the very people

he or she trusts and serves with, that’s an injustice that no one who volunteers to protect our nation should ever endure.”

Obama said that the creation of a White House task force was part of a stepped-up effort to protect young women at college.

But he stressed that “really, it’s up to all of us. We’ve got to teach young people – men and women – to be brave enough to stand up and help put an end to these crimes. We’ve especially got to teach young men to show women the respect they deserve.

“I want every young man in America to know that real men don’t hurt women.”

He added: “Perhaps most important, we need to keep saying to anyone out there who has ever been assaulted: you are not alone. We have your back.

I’ve got your back.” l

“double our staff and efforts” in order to carry out its role in monitoring the November deal which will require intensive checks over the next six months.

He added the IAEA had won backing from member states for its efforts to monitor Iran’s partial nuclear freeze, which will require an extra 5.5 million euros ($7.5 million).

The United States, France, Britain and Germany were among those who had offered to contribute funds, he added.

The IAEA currently has two teams of two inspectors each that take turns to monitor sites in Iran.

Under the deal, Iran is also converting its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium – a particular concern to the international community since it can be further purified to weapons-grade. l

Nuns get partial win in US Supreme Court contraception fight

n Reuters, Washington

The US Supreme Court said on Friday that, while litigation continues, an order of Roman Catholic nuns need not comply with a part of President Barack Obama’s healthcare law requiring employers to provide insurance that covers contraception.

In the latest skirmish over religious objections to providing government-mandated contraception, the four-sentence court order was a partial victory for the Little Sisters of the Poor, a Baltimore-based order of nuns that runs nursing homes, and Illinois-based Christian Brothers Services, which manages healthcare plans for Catholic groups.

The unusually worded order by the court imposed a requirement on the groups before they can claim the exemption. First, they must send written notification to the Department of Health and Human Services saying they object to the contraception mandate. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

SOUTH ASIA

International

9

Sunday, January 26, 2014

BJP set to sweep Indian elections: polls US, India start talks on Predictions suggest the party could win more than 200 seats in India’s lower house biggest party after the elections with 188 81, who is slated to step down. string of corruption scandals. n AFP, New Delhi Rahul, who has been a diffident perBut Modi, a pro-business reformer seats while the BJP-led National DemoIndia’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party looks set to form the next government in looming elections while the ruling Congress is headed for its worst-ever defeat, polls published Saturday suggested.

The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is poised to win between 211 and 231 seats in the 552-seat lower decision-making house of parliament in the elections due by May, according to one opinion poll. On its own, the BJP, led by fiery hardliner Narendra Modi would win 190210 seats, said the poll by TV network CNN-IBN in tandem with the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies.

While the BJP-led coalition’s projected tally is still short of halfway mark required to form the government in the Indian parliament, it is still a major boost from the BJP’s present seat tally of 112.

With other potential allies of the BJP also projected to fare well in the elections, the party would hold the whip hand in parliament, the poll suggested.

“BJP poised for best-ever tally, Modi set to be PM, say polls,” read a front-page headline in The Times of India, the country’s best-selling English-language daily. The graft-tainted Congress, which has ruled India for the last decade, led by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, would win just 92 to 108 seats, down from 204 it holds now, the CNN-IBN poll said.

Pollsters have been predicting a defeat for Congress, with voters troubled by high inflation, sharply slowing economic growth which has hit jobs and a

with a reputation for running a relatively clean administration in his home state of Gujarat, is also known for his strong Hindu nationalist leanings.

Modi, 63, chief minister of western Gujarat state, is accused by critics of turning a blind eye to deadly anti-Muslim riots in his state in 2002.

Another poll by India Today-Cvoter forecast the BJP would emerge as the

cratic Alliance would win 212 seats.

The polls gave no details of their methodology. The Congress had been expected to name Nehru-Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi, 43, as its candidate for prime minister.

But earlier this month Congress president Sonia Gandhi spurned pleas from supporters to project her son Rahul as the candidate to replace Singh,

former on the political stage, will remain the party’s chief strategist for the elections.

Congress has pitched the elections as a battle to save the Hindu-majority nation’s secular identity in the face of the BJP’s Hindu nationalist politics, seen by critics as divisive in the nation where 13 percent of the 1.2-billion population is Muslim. l

diplomatic immunity n AP, Washington India and the US are holding preliminary discussions to resolve their differing interpretations of diplomatic immunity as they look to mend ties damaged by the row over American treatment of an Indian diplomat who was arrested and strip-searched in New York, India’s ambassador said.

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, India’s new envoy in Washington, said Friday his priority is to raise the “morale” of a relationship that remains fundamentally good despite the spat over Devyani Khobragade, who was expelled from the US this month after she was indicted

Japan PM seeks India ties to counter Beijing n AFP, New Delhi

Indian supporters listen to a speech of BJP prime ministerial candidate and Gujarat state Chief Minister, Narendra Modi during the party’s national council meeting at Ramlila grounds in New Delhi AFP

Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in New Delhi Saturday to push for closer commercial and strategic ties with India, as Tokyo seeks to offset Beijing’s growing regional might.

Since coming to power in 2012, Abe has trotted the globe, partly in his self-appointed role as salesman for Japan Inc., but also to seek counterweights to superpower China.

Abe told a business audience late

The United States and Pakistan resume talks next week after a three-year hiatus as they seek stability in often turbulent ties amid mutual concerns over Afghanistan’s future. Pakistan and the United States started a “strategic dialogue” in 2010 to work through their complicated relationship, but the talks were quickly frozen due to repeated crises – including over the secret 2011 US raid that killed Osama bin Laden.

Secretary of State John Kerry, who announced a resumption of the talks during a visit to Islamabad in August, will hold the dialogue Monday in Wash-

ington with Sartaj Aziz, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s national security adviser. A US official said that the talks would look at both security and economic cooperation and seek to build a “blueprint” for future ties. “Having seen the highs and lows of this relationship,” the official said on condition of anonymity, “both countries have put an enormous amount of effort into assiduously putting this relationship on firmer grounding over the last year and a half.” The United States, which formed an uneasy partnership with Pakistan after the September 11, 2001 attacks, is seeking Islamabad’s assistance again as it pulls tens of thousands of troops from Afghanistan. l

Afghan-US deal falters n AFP, Kabul

President Hamid Karzai on Saturday signalled that a deal to allow US troops to stay in Afghanistan was close to collapse as the NATO combat mission withdraws after a decade of fighting the Taliban.

Late last year, Karzai made a surprise decision not to promptly sign the bilateral security agreement (BSA) with the US, despite a “loya jirga” national assembly voting for him to do so.

Washington has become increasingly frustrated by Karzai’s manoeuvring over the deal, stressing that negoti-

ations were completed in November and that it is ready to sign the mutually agreed text. “Afghanistan will absolutely not accept or sign anything under pressure,” Karzai told reporters in Kabul on Saturday. “If they want to leave, then they go and we will continue our lives... Our main condition is the practical start of peace process.”

The US had earlier pushed for the BSA to be signed by the end of October so that the NATO military coalition could schedule the withdrawal of its troops by the end of this year. But the deadline has slipped as Karzai refused to sign. l

n AP, Peshawar Thousands have fled Pakistan’s troubled northwest region bordering Afghanistan after airstrikes this week targeting suspected Taliban militant hideouts killed dozens of people, elders and officials said Saturday.

Pakistan’s air force launched the airstrikes in North Waziristan after the Taliban claimed responsibility for deadly attacks against security forces there and elsewhere.

There were conflicting claims about who was killed in the airstrikes, which began late Monday and continued into

early Tuesday. A military official said the strikes killed 40 insurgents, while residents said civilians were among the dead.

Latifur Rehman, a provincial disaster management spokesman, said Saturday the strikes displaced 6,000 families, but half of them had gone back to their homes. Rehman said authorities were making arrangements to provide shelter and food to those affected.

A tribal prominent elder, Gul Saleh Khan, said more than 70,000 people had left their homes. He said people were still fleeing to nearby towns, villages and cities. “We were sleeping at our home when the army suddenly

started the airstrikes just before midnight on Monday,” Khan said. “We quickly moved to a farm field with women and children, and other people also spent that night under the sky.”

Khan said he arrived in the northwestern city of Peshawar with his family on Tuesday. Local resident Raham Nawaz said many had to leave their homes due to fears of a full-fledged military operation. “The government should have issued a warning before dropping bombs in our villages,” Nawaz said. He said his family and other relatives were living at a school, miles away from their town of Mir Ali. l

Taliban rule north of Kabul despite efforts n AFP, Charikar A scandal over civilian deaths in a recent US airstrike is a stark reminder of how the Afghan war is raging just a short drive from Kabul, with a NATO-Afghan offensive failing to recapture districts under Taliban control. The operation earlier this month to flush out the insurgents in Parwan province – near the capital’s northern outskirts – left 12 civilians dead including women and children, according to the Afghan government.

Two days after the airstrike the Taliban launched a suicide attack on a

NORTH EAST ASIA

restaurant in Kabul killing 21 people, including 13 foreigners, in a massacre that drew worldwide condemnation and underlined the increasing threat to the capital itself. A Taliban spokesman said the attack was to avenge the airstrike.

The political fallout from the anti-Taliban operation in Siagerd district has focused attention on how close the war is to Kabul as NATO’s combat mission winds down this year – forcing Afghanistan to rely on its army and police to thwart the insurgency. The provincial governor told AFP that strongholds of Al-Qaeda-linked Taliban militants

survived the intense 24-hour ground and air attack, and that it was too dangerous to hold April’s presidential election in some areas.

“There have been military operations last year and again this month, but there has not been an operation to decisively rout the Taliban,” governor Basir Salangi said at his fortified headquarters an hour’s drive north of Kabul.

“There are two districts where militants go to seek safety,” he said. “The security has got worse in the last three years due to the Taliban coming from Pakistan.” l

SOUTH EAST ASIA

Japan’s PM defends dolphin hunting Thai protest leader says

rallies are ‘pro-democracy’

n AFP, Tokyo Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has defended Japan’s dolphin hunting and asked the world to understand that the controversial tradition is part of its culture and financially supports fishing communities.

The annual catch, in which residents of Taiji village corral hundreds of dolphins into a secluded bay and kill them, sparked renewed global criticism after US ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy tweeted her concern earlier this month at the “inhumaneness” of the hunt.

But Abe defended the traditional catch.

“The dolphin fishing that takes place in Taiji town is an ancient fishing practice rooted in their culture... and supports their livelihoods,” he told CNN in an interview uploaded onto the broadcaster’s Japanese website late Friday.

“We hope you will understand this,” he added, noting that he was aware of criticism of the hunt.

“In every country and region, there are practices and ways of living and culture that have been handed down from ancestors,” the premier added.

“Naturally, I feel that these should be respected.”

n AFP, Bangkok

Anti-dolphin-hunting group members hold placards and shout slogans in front of Japan’s Fisheries Agency in Tokyo to urge Japanese government to ban dolphin catching AFP Activists from the international militant environmental group Sea Shepherd have streamed live footage of the dolphin capture in Taiji, which caught

the worldwide spotlight in 2010 when it became the subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary “The Cove.” l

The leader of Thailand’s opposition protests, who has vowed to disrupt upcoming elections, has written to US President Barack Obama telling him that the demonstrators’ efforts to topple the government are “pro-democracy.”

Suthep Thaugsuban, who this week threatened to “close every route” to polling stations in an effort to stop the February 2 vote, said his movement was “not conducting an antidemocratic uprising” in a letter to the United States president posted on his official Facebook page on Saturday.

The demonstrators, who have staged a near-two week “shutdown” of Bangkok, want polls to be postponed for a year or more and a “people’s council” installed in power to implement reforms they hope would destroy the enduring electoral might of ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

Suthep said reforms would ensure Thailand was free of “unjust and corrupt leaders in the future” in his letter to the American leader, which comes amid international concern over political unrest that has left nine dead and hundreds injured.

Saturday that relations between India and Japan could be “win-win” and offer the South Asian nation “some of the best technology.”

Earlier Abe told The Times of India daily in an interview published Saturday he wants to “develop vigorously” economic and security cooperation with India. Abe’s speech avoided any mention of Japan’s bitter territorial row with China over islands in the East China Sea that Asia’s two largest economies both claim. l

EAST ASIA

US, Pakistan seek stability Pakistan: Thousands flee border amid Afghan doubts after airstrikes n AFP, Washington

on accusations of exploiting her housekeeper. “As you would say in the markets, the fundamentals are good, it’s the sentiment that needs improving,” Jaishankar told The Associated Press in an interview. The US and India, the world’s largest democracies, have forged closer economic and defense ties in the past decade, but relations took a tumble because of Indian outrage over the treatment of Khobragade, who was the nation’s deputy consul general in New York. She was strip-searched after her Dec. 13 arrest, which US Marshals say is common practice for a suspect taken into custody, but was viewed in India as unnecessarily humiliating. l

There is also mounting uncertainty over whether elections will take place on schedule, after the country’s Constitutional Court on Friday ruled that the polls can be delayed because of the crisis.

Embattled premier Yingluck Shinawatra has previously refused to step down or postpone the vote and her party has questioned whether a delay would stop the protests or persuade the opposition Democrat Party to end its boycott of the elections.

The country is on Sunday due to hold advance voting, seen as a litmus test for the possibility of holding the vote without violence.

Protesters have said they will surround polling stations from early morning, but insist their actions will not obstruct voters.

Thailand has been periodically rocked by sometimes bloody rival mass protests since Thaksin was deposed in a 2006 military coup.

The billionaire tycoon-turned-politician, who lives abroad to avoid a jail term for corruption that he maintains is politically motivated, is adored by communities in the north and northeast and the urbanised working class. l

12 dead as violence hits China’s Xinjiang n AFP, Beijing Six people died in explosions and another six were shot dead by police in China’s Xinjiang, authorities said Saturday, in the latest wave of violence to hit the restive region.

The violence in Xinhe in Aksu prefecture in China’s far west appears to be linked to triple explosions that rocked the same area on Friday evening, which authorities said resulted in three deaths.

It is unclear if the three deaths reported Friday are included in the latest tally of 12 fatalities.

“As police were dealing with violent incidents a mob threw explosives,” with six people killed by police, five arrested and another six killed as they “committed the offence,” the Tianshan news portal, which is run by the local government, said Saturday.

Xinhe is an area located at China’s extreme west, on its border with Kyrgyzstan and populated predominantly by members of the country’s Uighur minority.

Tianshan reported late Friday that triple explosions killed three people and wounded two others in the same area of the largely Muslim region.

One person was killed after two blasts in a hairdressing salon and market, while two others died inside a car which “self exploded” when surrounded by police, Tianshan said. l

Philippines, Muslim rebels clear last peace deal hurdle n AFP, Kuala Lumpur The Philippine government said Saturday they had cleared a last hurdle in long-running peace negotiations with Muslim rebels aimed at ending a deadly decades-old insurgency in the country’s south. President Benigo Aquino hopes to secure a final peace settlement before leaving office in mid-2016 to end the rebellion by Muslim groups, which has left some 150,000 people dead. Negotiators met from Wednesday on the outskirts of Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur to tackle a “normalisation” deal detailing how the rebels will hand over their weapons and the creation of a security force to police what would be a Muslim self-rule area. The deal is the last of four power-sharing accords that must be agreed between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) rebels, before a final peace deal can be signed.

Chief government negotiator Miriam Coronel Ferrer said both sides had completed discussions on the deal. She declined to immediately comment further. “The peace process... is aimed to really bring about a good foundation for sustainable peace and development in Mindanao and in that sense we consider this a very important development,” Ferrer told reporters. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

Show substance on infrastructure promises

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Should Hasina learn from history?

January 23 Once people were in favour of Muslim League, and later on Awami League. People left Awami League and accepted BNP, but then returned to Awami League. Actually people want to live in a peaceful society, without anxiety and free from corruption.

But there has been too much corruption by many of the AL ministers, of whom a few had to resign. We have seen that almost all the former AL ministers did not get the ministries for the second term, due to allegations of corruption, though it was a one-sided election.

So, people once again left the Awami League, as we saw in the last five city polls where all parties took part, and the BNP candidates from the alliance were elected with a huge margin.

Sheuly Haque

W

e applaud the government’s move to fast track certain high priority infrastructure projects.

The move is a boost for much-awaited developments including the Dhaka Metro Rail project , Padma Multipurpose Bridge, and the Sonadia Deep Seaport in Cox’s Bazar among others.

Bangladesh’s economy will benefit greatly from successful implementation of the port and metro projects so the government’s decision to speed up work is welcome.

It is essential though to ensure full accountability and transparency for public expenditure on these projects.

In the light of past controversies, the government must not only make clear that corruption is unacceptable, but it must build in transparency to ensure that funds are effectively spent.

Reports that the Budget Management Act has been violated by the diversion of capital funds for the Padma Bridge project in order to pay promised benefits to public servants, are a good illustration of the need to ensure that all projects are subject to public scrutiny.

Funders, whether public, private or overseas need assurance that funds are spent properly and effectively. The public requires transparency and accountability to ensure that promises of infrastructure development are properly met in a timely and cost effective manner.

The government should show clarity, substance and transparency as it moves forward with its promises for these major infrastructure projects.

The government must ensure full accountability and transparency for public expenditure on these projects

Mobile banking a credit to private sector

Khaleda should clarify her position Ronnie I can agree with the fact that Khaleda Zia and BNP really need to be more coherent, and a little less equivocal on certain issues. The abhorrent violence and carnage committed during the blockade/ hartals throughout November and December by predominantly Jamaat extremists cannot be sidestepped. The post-election sectarian attacks, though, are far more controversial in terms of culpability of perpetrators. Certainly, several media reports suggest, and even confirm, that ruling AL activists were also involved in these wanton attacks on Hindus and other minorities.

BNP has often pretty clearly stated its stance on ICT; perhaps further explicit elaborations today would appease the clamouring crowd constantly invoking this issue. Now, BNP is not only not responsible for the recent spate of violence and sabotage, the party should also have no truck with its perpetrators anymore.

I continue to wish for BNP making a rapid and permanent break with Jamaat. That said, it’s ultimately the prerogative of Begum Zia and BNP to decide their immediate future with Jamaat.

It’s cavalier of rival parties (and assorted media persons) to be demanding, indeed ordering, the BNP chairperson to sever links with Jamaat. You can happily milk maximum political mileage out of all this, just don’t peremptorily assume you can

January 19 Why does politics turn educated people into delusional fools? With nearly 300 people dead, it was a great success indeed! If that’s success then I am Issac Newton!

T

January 19

January 17

Mosharraf: BNP successful

he amount of financial transactions undertaken via mobile banking services tripled last year.

At the beginning of 2013, the total number of transactions and value of sums transacted was around one crore and Tk2000 crore respectively. A Bangladesh Bank report shows that by the end of the year, these figures stood at three crore and Tk6642 crore respectively. Similar growth was also reflected in figures for the total number of mobile banking agents and individual customers.

This is a great illustration of the efficiency with which technology can be applied and delivered by capable and proactive private enterprise.

Improving access to mobile banking services has been a particular boon for people in remote and rural areas. The rapid growth of mass banking using mobile phones in Bangladesh illustrates the high domestic demand for long distance, short timeframe financial transactions. The cellular networks and banks involved deserve credit for their initiative in increasing the penetration and growth of mobile banking across the country.

Countries all around the world are trying to adapt and spread mobile banking as a popular mode for banking. Bangladesh’s pioneers in this area deserve encouragement for their successes to date.

We hope that the companies involved can work with regulators to further encourage competition in the sector whilst ensuring that high standards are maintained for customer security and privacy.

A functional, secure mobile banking system can play an important part in helping to modernise the economy and spread access to financial services.

Road-crosser jumps over iron railings in New Market area

Akhtar Shah

lecture or patronise Khaleda Zia on this issue.

WaliulHaqueKhondker A forceful editorial indeed! Clarifications are essential on more than one issue, preceding a fruitful dialogue on a probable mid-term election. First being its severance of alliance with the now defunct Jamaat.

The party, which legally can no longer have an electoral program of its own, can carry out violence and mayhem to fulfill their own agenda of derailing war crimes trial process at the behest of BNP’s political program. Secondly, BNP ought to clarify its stance on war crimes trial issue. Finally, the violence, mayhem, carried out by its ally Jamaat-Shibir at terrible cost to the state and the people must be unequivocally condemned and a public apology sought.

Akhtar Shah “Peaceful agitation”? Surely they are a contradiction in terms? BNP’s lack of clarity of stance on ICT, Jamaat, hartals, war of independence history, violence and street killings has made them lose their electoral advantage they had before the January 5 election. They now have an unbridgeable disconnect with the nonviolent educated generation born post-1971. A healthy parliament needs a strong opposition, and therefore BNP needs to show more maturity by coming out clean.

Be Heard

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

Zahurul Islam I can offer so many suggestions, but who will take note of these and implement them in such a chaotic society?

Hasina Rahman Very simple solution: just obey the traffic rules.

Nazia Jabeen I have seen this being addressed with reckless drivers as well – just humiliate them publicly.

There are parents who cross roads in spite of a built walkover bridge. What lessons do they leave for their children?

Barak Hossain Life is more precious than time.

Media watchdog soon

January 20 Better late than never. The government should have responded sharply upon the attack on Ramu, following up on a tempered/doctored Facebook posting. These types of issues need a quick response. imohammad55

Charge sheet against 8 to be submitted this week January 19

We almost forgot about blogger Rajib’s murder.

Why do you suppose that is? Don’t you know we are Bangali? We are a proud nation that forgets its past so easily. It’s ridiculous. naz

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Bangladesh’s pioneers in this area deserve encouragement for their success

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU ACROSS 1 Injures (5) 6 Anger (3) 7 Comforts (5) 10 Raised platform (5) 12 Church leader (4) 13 Indian soldier in European service (5) 15 Leave out (4) 16 Cereal (3) 18 Wrongdoing (3) 20 Nominate (4) 22 Glowing (5) 23 Defect (4) 25 Incites (5) 27 Boredom (5) 28 Fish eggs (3) 29 Snake (5)

DOWN 1 Sibilates (6) 2 Craft (3) 3 Sanity (6) 4 Oozing (7) 5 Zodiac sign (3) 8 Secret agent (3) 9 Nimble (4) 11 Precious stone (3) 14 Earache (7) 16 Recompense for service (6) 17 Rubber (6) 19 Not working (4) 21 Cow’s call (3) 22 Beard of barley (3) 24 Also (3) 26 Female deer (3)

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS Crossword

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

Code-Cracker

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Fighting the cold n Farid Hasan Ahmed

A

The families of witnesses need to be protected

Shah Ali Farhad is Barrister-at-Law of Lincoln’s Inn, and Member, International Crimes Strategy Forum.

whirlpool of frigid, dense air known as a polar vortex descended on much of the US on January 6, pummelling parts of the country with a dangerous cold that could break decades-old records with wind chill warnings from Montana to Alabama.

On December 6 last year, a daily record snowfall of 2 mm was set in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, breaking the old record of trace amounts of snow set in 1950.

In an early 2012 European cold wave, at least 590 people died during a cold snap with temperatures falling below −35 degrees Celcius in some regions. Ukraine was the worst hit, with over 100 deaths related to the cold.

Early January of 2009 gave most of Europe, especially the central and southern parts, very cold temperatures. Some countries like Germany, France, Italy, Romania and Spain had one of the record cold temperatures.

Most of the places were covered in snow and ice which caused schools to be closed and flights to be delayed.

Large cities like Paris, Madrid, Berlin saw very cold temperatures, and lots of snow and ice in Northern Italy, most of Germany, in northern Portugal at the seaside, and even in sunny Marseille.

Winter cold waves that aren’t considered cold in some areas, but cause temperatures significantly below average for an area, are also destructive.

Areas with subtropical climates may recognise unusual cold, perhaps barely freezing, temperatures, as a cold wave.

In such places, plant and animal life is less tolerant of such cold as it may appear rarely.

Likewise, unusual cold waves that penetrate into tropical countries in which people do not normally insulate houses or have reliable heating may cause hypothermia.

Occurrences of extreme low temperature in association with incursion of dry cold winds from the north into this subcontinent are known as cold waves. The northern parts of India, especially the hilly regions and the adjoining plains, are influenced by transient disturbances in the mid-latitude westerlies, which often have weak frontal characteristics.

Bangladesh, because of its location, is not a severely cold-prone country.

People of Bangladesh are used to facing normal winter seasons when the average temperature remains 13-20 degrees Celcius.

But when the temperature falls down to single digits, the cold wave turns to a disaster like situation.

Bangladesh has been experiencing severe cold waves in the last few winters.

Northern and southwestern parts of the country experience a fall in temperature in January and December.

Poor people in the northern part of the country are the worst affected.

Biting cold coupled with a dense

The US ambassador’s statements are painted in broad strokes across the media landscape. In this scenario, when the ambassador calls for new elections by May or June before flying back to the homeland, it raises questions on the future of Bangladesh.

Ever since the BNP decided to boycott the election, the US has repeatedly called for dialogue leading to inclusive, credible elections.

a game-changer for those yearning for serious political reformation in Bangladesh.

At her post-election rally, Begum Zia instructed followers on not waging war, but conducting a peaceful movement for an inclusive election.

This comes in stark contrast to when previously Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakrul Islam Alamgir stated that vandalising one or two vehicles is not enough to have the government meet BNP’s demands.

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Enforce to protect

A

n Shah Ali Farhad s an activist campaigning for the cause of seeking justice for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during 1971, I was extremely glad to see the news that the government was mulling an amendment to the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act 1973 to provide permanent security for the witnesses, victims, judges, prosecutors, and investigators of the International Crimes Tribunal Bangladesh.

According to this proposed amendment: “The witnesses, victims, judges, and officials of the tribunals, members of prosecution team, and investigation agency and their family members shall be entitled to physical protection throughout their lives. The government will ensure the same” (Proposed Section 25A).

Apart from providing lifelong security for the aforementioned category of people, the proposed amendment will also ensure that the brave men

and women who have come forward to testify in the most important trials for this country are duly acknowledged for their services to the nation.

intention into practical reality.

As seen before, despite there being adequate temporary protection mechanisms for the witnesses and victims

There had been numerous incidents of violence against witnesses, most notable among which was the killing of Mustafa Hawlader

The Proposed Section 25B reads: “The witnesses, victims and their family members shall be entitled and eligible to the benefits as provided by the government for the Freedom Fighters of Liberation War of 1971.”

While I thank the government for having taken such an initiative (especially with regards to recognition as Freedom Fighters), I would also urge them to translate the legislative

in the ICT Act 1973 as it stands now, there had been numerous incidents of violence against witnesses and victims, most notable among which was the killing of the prosecution witness in the Sayedee trial, Mustafa Hawlader.

In those relatively recent instances (all within a year), the existence of the legal provisions were on their own, insufficient to deter repeated attacks on witnesses and victims (See, for

instance, my own article on this issue: “Protect Witnesses and Victims,” Dhaka Tribune, December 29, 2013).

If the incident of first such attacks had been properly investigated and the perpetrators swiftly brought to book, perhaps the multiple future attacks could have been averted or at least mitigated in frequency.

Thus, as far as the issue of protecting ICT witnesses and victims is concerned, I would advise the government to focus on speedily investigating all the incidents of prior attacks on witnesses and victims and bring the culprits to book at the earliest.

That would send a message across – that the issue of attacks on witnesses and victims are taken very seriously. That will, in my opinion, provide a more practical and sustainable solution to the problem of protecting witnesses and victims rather than enacting further legislations. l

fog paralyse normal life both in the urban and rural areas of Bangladesh in the winter season (December and January). The cold wave intensifies the suffering of the poor, sometimes claiming lives.

Poor people in the vulnerable regions are the worst sufferers. They lack warm clothes. Many, especially children and the elderly, are affected with various cold-related diseases.

Long-term planning is needed to reduce the cold wave vulnerability of the poor

Crops, especially potatoes, wheat, boro seedling, and vegetables, are vulnerable to long lasting cold waves.

Farmers and day labourers cannot work in the field due to the cold. Thick fog together with harsh cold disrupts movement of all modes of transportation across the country, causing immense sufferings to passengers.

The cold wave we just experienced took scores of lives. Most of these deaths were of children who suffered from pneumonia, cold diarrhea, cough, fever, asthma and other cold-related diseases. Many distressed people try to fight the cold with the heat by burning straws, leaves, and old rubber tyres.

Livestock in sheds are covered with old sacks. The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, political parties, humanitarian organisations, NGOs, social organisations, banks and well-off individuals distribute warm clothes and blankets among poor people in different parts of the country to reduce their sufferings.

This winter, government and various organisations distributed 731,891 blankets in seven divisions. However, the level of assistance has been inadequate and short-sighted.

Cold waves might come to us again in the future. Blanket distribution among affected people is an immediate remedy, while steps for long-term solutions are not being observed.

It is necessary for the authorities and duty-bearers to undertake longterm plans considering the chronic vulnerability and the suffering of the people, particularly in the most poverty-stricken areas of the country.

Long-term planning is needed to reduce the cold wave vulnerability of the poor through improved livelihoods, higher incomes for making better houses and buying blanket and warm clothes, providing soft loans for buying winter clothes and medicines. l Farid Hasan Ahmed is Senior Program Officer, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Embassy of Switzerland, Dhaka.

The red fortress n Tamim Chowdhury

T

here is a red fortress in Dhaka. Similar to Lalbagh Fort, this one also follows Mughal architecture. While Lalbagh Fort was a symbol of the Mughal Empire, this one symbolises a modern empire.

While the Mughal Empire directly ruled Bengal, this modern empire influences decision-making in the highest echelons of Bangladesh with an arsenal of state power tools. As the commander of this fortress has called for new elections just after the Awami League has formed its government, it is pertinent to look into this institution.

The US Embassy in Dhaka holds a towering presence over the nation.

Built in 1989, the red-brick, three-story structure is encircled by a moat, which is a secondary security barrier. A covered arcade borders the entry court to shelter visitors. The four-square building amidst palm trees is raised on a podium. Inside is a high-ceiling central atrium for meetings and receptions.

The structure is guarded by armed police battalion members, hundreds of private security personnel, and the inner core is protected by US Marine Corps.

The Marine security guard detachment is ultimately responsible for preventing any threats within or outside the post. The principal role for this elite armed force is to protect personnel and secure classified information. Its training involves natural disaster and intruder containment

drills, plus defensive tactics.

This midsized embassy has over 100 US staff and 400 local personnel. According to the US State Department’s inspection report, the institution is considered a 30% hardship mission due to tropical weather, chaotic traffic, air pollution, frequent illnesses, and highly visible poverty.

Its publicly-listed units include consular, management, political/economic, and public affairs sections, the Library of Congress, departments of justice and agriculture, trade centre, international development agency, defence cooperation, defence attaché, plus regional security offices.

Most visit the embassy for visa services, dealing with some stern guards and hostile support staff before finally seeing the Foreign Service Officer. Although I have not visited the embassy in quite some time, having not heard otherwise, I believe concrete customer service improvement is mandatory here, as this is the only contact with the American government for many Bangladeshis.

Besides handling increasing visa requirements, the embassy is gaining more commercial workload due to more US firms arriving in Bangladesh.

There are approximately 65 American companies operating in Bangladesh, with 500 that have local representatives/distributors.

In addition to the US Trade Centre, the US Ambassador also pushes for commercial interests, as in emphasis-

ing to the prime minister how Biman purchasing Boeing aircrafts will be best for both entities.

The embassy is involved in almost all elements of Bangladeshi society in its mission to develop democracy, the economy, and counterterrorism.

Its cables depict all leaders, from the AL to BNP to the military, seeking its cooperation. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina confides in managing her difficult alliance with former President Ershad’s Jatiya Party, opposition leader Begum Zia complains of being prevented from playing a constructive role in parliament, and directorate general of forces intelligence officers make a PowerPoint presentation on capturing Islamist militants.

Whereas some political commentators assess that US interferes in the nation’s internal affairs, it is Bangladeshi leaders who actively encourage this behavior when it suits their interests.

Can anyone imagine a scenario where the CIA makes a presentation at Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC? Through this embassy, the US has built hundreds of cyclone shelters, taught religious tolerance to madrasa students and teachers, led the way among donors in family planning, trained Special Security Force in antiterrorism measures, and provided the largest ship in the Bangladesh Navy. The US government has had a profound impact in many aspects of the nation.

As the AL stated it would not hold new elections on the American schedule, the US is likely to increase its pressure

Former US Ambassador to Bangladesh William Milam has even remarked that a one-party government leads to a one-party state. Ambassador Milam has recommended that Begum Zia dissolve the Jamaat-e-Islami alliance and remove dynastic politics.

A career diplomat, Ambassador Milam continues to take temporary assignments for the state department.

He is currently a senior scholar at DC think-tank Wilson Centre.

If his recommendations reflect inside-the-Beltway thinking, this can be

The BNP has turned away from strikes, blockades, and violence, as called for

by Ambassador Mozena. Moreover, BNP sources have declared of keeping a strategic distance from Jamaat due to international pressure. People are yet to see if Tarique Rahman will remain the undisputed future leader of the party.

Another analyst at Wilson Centre, Senior Program Associate Michael Kugelman has stated: “Bangladesh is one of the biggest powder kegs in South Asia. The White House

needs to be up to speed so that it’s not caught off-guard if a worst-case scenario – from a ruling party effort to establish a one-party state to a military takeover – should ever come to pass.”

Upon contacting the analyst at his DC office, he illustrated further: “The US has good reason to be uncomfortable with either party in power.

It certainly hasn’t been pleased with the AL, and for good reason, given the ruling party’s questionable policies in recent months.

Yet, it certainly also worries about the opposition, which is close to hardline Islamist forces such as the Jamaat.

These days, the chief US aim in South Asia is stability.

Effective counter-militancy plays a key role here. If you achieve a democratic victory by getting the AL to accede to a free election, then the result would probably be the BNP back in power, which doesn’t have the same track record as the AL on counter-terrorism.”

As the AL stated it would not hold new elections on the American schedule, the US is likely to increase its pressure after making such as public case. Otherwise, the numerous state department declarations, congressional hearings, and subsequent resolution will seem like hollow words from a shell of an empire. l Tamim Choudhury is a greater Washington, DC-based communications analyst.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Ferdous and Moushumi Nag pair up for silver screen

Armeen releases new album n Shadma Malik

n Afrose Jahan Chaity Dhallywood actor Ferdous and popular TV soap actress Moushumi Nag are going to debut as a pair on the big screen for the upcoming film Feel My Love, directed by Biplob Hayder.

The movie will be released in more than 40 cinemas all over the country during March - April. The 150 minute movie’s star studded cast includes eminent actor Ferdous, Moushumi Nag, Pran Ray and many other well known faces.

Right now, the film is done with its post-production phase and will very soon be submitted for censor certificate.

Although Moushumi Nag’s debut film is Tanmoy Tansen’s Run Out, which is currently in its production phase, the talented actor has completed shooting for this project first.

Moushumi is playing the lead role opposite Dhallywood actor Ferdous. The audiences are waiting to watch the chemistry between the on-screen couple of Ferdous and Moushumi.

About the film, Moushumi Nag said: “Like every other serious actor who harbours the dream of working in the silver-screen, it was also my long cherished desire to work for the big screen. Although, Tanmoy’s Runout is my first film, I understood what it means to work in a film after working opposite to Ferdous in this movie.”

She also said: “I am happy for the opportunity to work with someone as talented and humble as Ferdous. I really like the storyline and hope that the audience will accept and enjoy our on-screen chemistry.”

While talking about the film, director Biplob Hayder said: “Feel My Love is a love story, just as its name suggests. But, alongside being a love story, the film also addresses major and minor problems in our society and its crises. The plot revolves around a struggling musician who completed his graduation on music and falls in love with a girl by calling a wrong number. The girl has come to the capital from a village in search of work and situation pressures her to take up the profession of a sex-worker. She wants to tell him the truth, but the struggle both of them faces holds up the confrontation. Through this film, I want to show our social norms, difficulties and the simplicity of love.” l

Ele Bele airs on Banglavision today n Entertainment Desk The drama series Ele Bele will be aired tonight at 9:05pm on Banglavision.

Written and directed by Badrul Anam Syed, the drama features Suborna Mustafa, Raisul Islam Asad, Shamima Naznin, Pran Rai, Swagata, Tahmina Mou, Bonna Mirza, Maznun Mizan, Naziba, Shaju and many others. Ele Bele will air every week on Sunday

Singer-songwriter Armeen Musa’s new album Finding Fall is out in the market. Currently studying in Berklee College of Music in Boston, Armeen’s debut album Aye Ghum Bhangai, comprising of 10 original songs and one cover was released in 2008.

In an interview with Dhaka Tribune, the talented artiste talks about her new album:

Tell us about your new album.

My new album Finding Fall is in collaboration with the Hawaiian guitarist Zak Dylen Wass. The album has six tracks. We recorded Bangla folk songs Sona Moina Pakhi, Taaley Taaley and many more acoustic tracks. Featuring Gilbert Mansour on percussion and Nathan Berla Shu-lock on saxophone.

How was your experience of recording music with Zak? Winner of Ms Ireland Beauty Pageant 2014 Maksuda Akhter wants to work in Bangladeshi media. Maksuda Akhter, who has been residing in Ireland for the last thirteen years is of Bangladeshi origin and was the only Asian participant in the pageant. Mother of two, Maksuda is currently studying Business Management and is also preparing herself to be a pilot. She also won the titles of supermodel and photogenic in the competition

We are both students of Berklee College of Music in Boston. I believe he understands foreign music aptly and can relate with Bangladeshi music as well. During the recording session, we both suggested songs and hence it worked nicely.

What does the title of the album stand for?

Well, the title Finding Fall is about discovering new seasons. Also, it has a different connotation. Zak and I exchanged ideas about music and introduced each other to our own musical backgrounds, so we saw that the title

also befits our experience.

Where is the album available at present?

The album is available at Rokomari. com. The songs will be soon be available in iTunes, Amazon.com, Mushroom Entertainment (ME) and many other online sites.

Tell us about your company Mushroom Entertainment.

I am one of the partners of Mushroom Entertainment and Rusho Manna is the other partner who also lives in America. It is a distribution agency that works for fair royalty of an artist. Noticeably, many good musicians have stopped recording songs for piracy and they are not earning that much money. ME is a platform to encourage musicians and to create a proper source of income for them. We mostly work for promotion, distribution and make sure that the artists get their due royalty properly. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Film

and Monday.

The drama is the humourous horror story of an abandoned house.

Cousins Sohrar and Akbar fight over a house that belongs to their family.

Since it was unclear as to who will inherit the property, the cousins go to court. After receiving no solid decision on their behalf, both the families go to reside in the abandoned house and discover it to be haunted. l

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Thor: The Dark World Pacific Rim in 3D Time: 10am – 10pm Star Cineplex, Bashundhara City

Exhibition

Ways of Seeing Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Art Lounge, 60 Gulshan Avenue Gulshan 1 Gravity-Free World

By Artist A Rahman Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, House 42, Road 16 (New) / 27 (old), Dhanmondi Life and Struggle of Padma

By Sumon Yusuf Time: 3pm – 9pm La Galerie, Alliance Francaise de Dhaka, Dhanmond

Dance

Champabati

By Shabbir Ahmed Khan Biju Time: 7pm Experimental Theatre of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Actor Subarna Mustafa with other members of the cast of Ele Bele

ON TV NEWS

DRAMA

7:00pm Boishakhi Tv

1:30pm Star Plus

Shondhar shongbad

11:30pm Independent Tv Rongomoncho

Rang De Basanti

10:30pm Star World Almost Human

MOVIE

COMEDY

7:30pm Star Movies

11:30am Comedy Central

9:30pmHBO

10:00pm Z Cafe

Prometheus Lincoln

The Exes

The Big Bang Theory

Dance drama Chitrangada was staged at the auditorium of Chhayanut on January 24. A houseful audience enjoyed the show that is an adaptation of Rabindranath’s original creation of Chitrangada, that tells an interesting love story with many twists SADIA MARIUM

Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In movie rights purchased by Sony n Entertainment Desk Lean In, the bestselling nonfiction book by Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg about the dearth of women leaders in the corporate world and what can be done about it, is on its way to the big screen.

Sony Pictures has obtained film rights to Lean In and tapped Nell Scovell, who helped Sandberg pen the book, to write the script, Deadline reports. Scovell is also a veteran TV writer and director whose credits include Murphy Brown, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Monk.

As the chief operating officer of Facebook Inc., Sandberg, 44, is one of the most prominent women in the tech sector. According to Bloomberg, she became one of the world’s youngest female billionaires this week.

Uday Chopra’s debut Hollywood production release pushed back n Entertainment Desk

Nicole Kidman

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Distributors of Uday Chopra’s maiden Hollywood co-production, based on the life of Princess Grace, pulled the film from its release calendar Bollywood actor-turned-producer Uday Chopra has been in the news of late for venturing into Hollywood. The first film he has co-produced is Grace of Monaco, based on the life of ’50s Hollywood actress and Princess of Monaco, Grace Kelly. The film, which stars Nicole Kidman in the titular role, was set to release in the US on March 14. However, according to the American trade paper, The Hollywood Reporter, the release has now been pushed, without a new release date being announced.

The report further suggests that director Olivier Dahan has been at odds with Weinstein Co over the film, and that Dahan publicly complained last earlier that the company

wanted changes made against his wishes. “… when you confront an American distributor like Weinstein, not to name names, there is not much you can do,” Olivier had told French newspaper, Liberation, at the time.

The movie has now been taken off the release calendar by The Weinstein Company, and they have not explained the decision. Earlier, it was also reported that Monaco’s royal family had criticised the script, saying it gives an inaccurate view of the late Princess Grace.

Despite repeated attempts, Uday, who is presently out of the country, could not be reached for a comment. However, Rafiq Gangjee, the official spokesperson of Yash Raj Films (YRF Entertainment is the banner under which Uday is co-producing the film) says, “The Weinstein Company is the US distributor, and they are in the process of deciding on an alternate release date that would best suit the film.” l

In a review of Lean In for the Times, Rebecca Traister described Sandberg’s book as “a muscular manifesto on the gender inequities of the professional world.” The film version of Lean In, however, won’t take the form of a manifesto or a biography of Sandberg. Rather, it will be a narrative film exploring the themes found in the book.

In recent years, nonfiction books such as Moneyball, Eat, Pray, Love and The Accidental Billionaires have made it to the multiplex — the latter as The Social Network — but those films also benefited from built-in dramatic arcs.

Crafting a narrative feature out of Lean In could prove more of a challenge since, as Traister wrote, “it’s a brisk mix of research, analysis and anecdote.” Not that Sandberg and Scovell are strangers to challenge. l

Sheryl Sandberg, chief operating officer of Facebook and author of Lean In

Did you know?

The epic final of the men’s singles event between Novak DJokovic and Rafael Nadal lasted for 5 hours and 53 minutes in 2012 Australian Open

Sport

Sunday, January 26, 2014

0 4 9 DAYS TO GO

Sampras, Swiss Stan in the way

n Bipin Dani

15 Li storms

to Australian Open title

Skipper Mushfiq expresses frustration voted against the proposal of Banglan Minhaz Uddin Khan desh not playing the Test but discus-

Bangladesh national team captain Mushfiqur Rahim (2L) shares a light moment with his teammates during a practice session at SBNS yesterday MUMIT M

The Bangladesh Cricket Board will strongly oppose the proposed dwindling of Bangladesh’s Test playing frequency in the ICC Finance & Commercial Affairs working group’s controversial draft proposal.

BCB’s official declaration regarding the controversial issue was revealed by its director Jalal Yunus yesterday.

The decision came in right after two days as different media reports said the BCB will nod positively to the proposed amendments of BCCI (Board of Control of Cricket in India), the ECB (England Cricket Board) and CA (Cricket Australia). It was reported that 20 off the 23 BCB directors had agreed support the proposal. “The media reports were not true and I am saying this officially,” said Jalal. The BCB director further informed that the voting was held on a strategic issue which the BCB didn’t want to share with the media.

“The proposal from the three boards was discussed in the meeting. The draft proposals has two components – one is financial, commercial and the governance issues and another was about the ninth and the tenth ranked Test team to get dropped to the second tier,” informed Jalal.

Jalal informed that 23 members

Matthews not taking hosts lightly

Fans slam ICC revamp proposal

n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Hundreds of cricket fans formed a human chain at the capital’s Shahbagh intersection yesterday protesting India, Australia and England’s draft proposal, which, if implemented, would strip Bangladesh of chances to play test cricket until 2019.

The human chain, comprising mostly young men and women, called upon the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the government to take a strong stance against the proposal.

They chanted slogans against the three countries terming them “jamindars” or landlords of the cricket world.

They also protested against the BCB’s apparent stand of deciding to endorse the ICC revamp proposal that would be raised on Thursday’s executive meeting of the international cricket regulator.

The crowd put up banners, festoons and placards with inscriptions such as “this is cricket, not business;” “cricket is business to you but oxygen for us;” “BCB respect our emotion and say no to the three big idiots;” “play for glory, not for money;” and “ek dafa, ek desh, test khelbe Bangladesh (one demand, one country, Bangladesh will play test).”

The protesters placed a five-point demand including BCB’s firm stand against the draft proposal; responsible role of the BCB officials; no politicisation of cricket; effective role by Prime

Security has been on top of the major talks for Sri Lanka during their month long tour in this country. The political unrest a month ago had the visitors worried and put the tour into jeopardy, however, once they are here – they said they are more than satisfied with the arrangements.

“As far as the security is concerned, one of the vice-presidents of Sri Lanka Cricket and a retired air commodore from the air force, who was a CEO of SLC for many years, visited here about a week ago and spent time with the BCB (Bangladesh Cricket Board) chief of security, with arms services, with our ambassador. They even met the country’s PM (Sheikh Hasina). The security arrangements are excellent.

They are doing everything possible to make sure the team is well guarded.

We are satisfied with all the arrangements,” said Michael De Zoysa, the manger of Sri Lanka.

The visitors reached Dhaka on Friday on back of the 5 wickets ‘record’ defeat against Pakistan in a Test at Sharjah. However, the Lankan skipper Angelo Mathews doesn’t believe the defeat did any damage to their positive momentum.

“I thought we did brilliantly in the last three Tests that we played. It was only in the last (Test), few sessions that lost us the game. But I thought over all, I

13

BCB vows to fight against Big 3 draft

Mani urges independent review Former ICC president Ehsan Mani strongly believes that the drafts prepared by the “Big Three” (BCCI, CA and ECB) should be sent to the independent panel before being put to vote in the ICC meeting.

Speaking exclusively, Ehsan Mani, who served the ICC as its president (2003-2006), says, “The position paper of the working group should be withdrawn and referred to an external independent panel to review and comment on” said the former ICC president “The BCCI, CA and ECB should have no part in this process or subsequent discussion on this matter as they are clearly conflicted. The manner in which this Paper has come about indicates serious weaknesses in ICC’s governance. The Woolf Report was submitted to the ICC in 2012; there has been no serious discussion on the Report or its recommendations” said Ehsan Mani.

The Woolf Report recommendedTwo additional Independent directors with voting rights should be appointed to the ICC Board, On becoming an ICC director the person should relinquish any executive or leadership role within their member board, The primacy of the ICC directors’ fiduciary duties to the ICC should be re-established, any side agreements between members that may adversely affect the interests of the ICC should be disclosed etc. l

14 Nadal bids to tie

DHAKA TRIBUNE

am happy with the way we played cricket and our confidence is really high,” said Mathews to the media at Sher-eBangla National Stadium yesterday.

The right-arm all-rounder stated there is no reason to take Bangladesh lightly at home and his side, that consists few new comers, will put up a competition.

“They (Bangladesh) have improved vastly in the last few years. And we are not going to take them lightly at all, we are not going to be complacent with them we are going to play hard cricket and we are going to play positive cricket and try and win.

“We have got a few newcomers, we have got Kaushal Silva, he played a few test before and he has been one of the leading run getters in the Pakistan series and also Dimuth Karunaratne. We have got Chandimal as well, I am sure he will deliver the goods for us. We have also got the veteran batters, Sangakara, Mahela, it has been brilliant. As a team we have been doing pretty well and we hope to continue the good work in the future,” said the 26-year old from Colombo.

The last time the two sides met was in Sri Lanka last year where the twomatch Test series ended 1-0.

“We had won the series then but its different conditions now. We got to start off fresh. Its very hard to beat them at home. As I said they improved quite a lot. They have got a few good players and we need to go hard at them,” he said. l

n Arif Ahmed

Fitness and Discipline top priority in hockey camp n Raihan Mahmood

Bangladesh cricket fans hold their placards protesting India, Australia and England’s draft proposal at the capital’s Shahbagh intersection yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to pursue India to scrap the proposal; and no police interference with peaceful programmes.

In a “position paper” placed by a working group of the Finance and Commercial Affairs Committee of the International Cricket Council (ICC), one of the proposals is to make the teams ranked no 9 and 10 in ICC Test Rankings play the International Cup

from next year.

The International Cup is the ICC’s first class tournament for non-test playing nations.

If the proposal is implemented, Bangladesh will get virtually no chance to play test cricket until 2019.

Bangladesh is currently ranked 10th in the ICC Test Rankings, placed behind West Indies at 7, New Zealand at 8 and Zimbabwe at 9. l

Fitness and discipline will be the key factors in the residential camp of the Bangladesh national hockey team starting from February 3 at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium.

The players who are not part of the clubs playing in Super Four phase of the ongoing premier league will join the camp first. The players playing the last stage of the league will join once the league ends.

All the 40 players of the preliminary camp reported to the head coach Naveed Alam who handed them a specific fitness plan to maintain.

“Fitness will be the top priority and I have categorically mentioned that if any player fails the fitness test before the camp, he will not be eligible to join the camp. I and the members of the national selection committee will closely follow the players in the league,” said Naveed before adding that discipline will also be an important factor in the camp.

Bangladesh is pitted in Group ‘B’ along with Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and Afghanistan in the Asian Games hockey qualifiers which will start in Dhaka from March 13. l

Shakib relies on bowlers n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews (L) attempts for a catch during a practice session at SBNS yesterday

sion continued about the financial and commercial issues.

“We want to discuss the financial and commercial proposals with other country members and then make our decision on the issue,” said Jalal.

The BCB decision arrived as a big relief for the national cricketers who are getting ready to lock horns against Sri Lanka in the first Test starting on from tomorrow at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

The Tigers captain Mushfiqur Rahim informed the media that the players are saddened of the issue with playing Test.

“All of our hard works will go into vein if this happens. The issue is big for us to be honest and we are not happy,” said Mushfiq, the first Test playing captain to oppose the proposal.

The wicket-keeper batsman also informed that the issue is often discussed in the dressing room and that everyone hopes the proposed amendments would not see the light.

“There is no use of our hard work if this takes place eventually. We have been working hard to play well in the format and we achieved some good results in the recent past. It will be really depressing if this happens,” said Mushfiq further giving hints that they will fight if any decision goes against them. l

MUMIT M

Bangladesh will have the target to pick up 20 wickets when they face visiting Sri Lanka in the first of the two-match Test series starting at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium (SBNS) tomorrow.

With a reliable spin attack and some extra effort from the fast bowlers, Tiger’s ace all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan believes it is possible to make so happen and also start the month-long tour on a winning note.

“We have a good bowling attack but still much depends on the wickets. The job becomes tough when the wicket is flat. But I believe we have the ability to take the 20-wicket down if the wicket is sporting,” said Shakib to the media yesterday at SBNS. “All need to contribute for that.

There might be one who will take five wickets but others will have to take

down at least one. Fast bowlers will have to give some extra effort while the spinners will have to step up according to their ability,” he added.

We performed well in the Test matches we played against them (Sri Lanka) at Sri Lanka last year. There will be some advantages for playing at home and also that we have performed well over the last few years The former Bangladesh captain believes the home advantage and the momentum of playing some good cricket at home over the past few series will make the difference between the two teams.

“We performed well in the Test matches we played against them (Sri Lanka) at Sri Lanka last year. There will be some advantages for playing at home and also that we have performed well over the last few years,” said Shakib.

The wickets at home have often troubled the Tigers. Bangladesh, who rely on the spin attack, have to go through trouble caused by the flat wicket in its last home series against New Zealand in October 2013. Though few batsmen had reached milestones due to the non-sporting wicket, Shakib prefers sporting track in the series against the Lankans.

“Both the teams are from Asia so both have good spinners and batsmen who play well against spin. For which I think a sporting wicket which will have help for everyone will do good,” said the left-arm all-rounder. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Nadal

v

Wawrinka

1

Ranking

8

Spain

Country

Switzerland

12

Record

0

27

Age

28

6’1”

Height

6’

85kg

Weight

81kg

Left-hand

Plays

Right-hand

2001

Turned Pro

2002

5/0

YTD W/L

4/0

1

YTD Titles

1

663/129

Career W/L

302/198

61

Career Titles

5

$64,826,283

Career PM

$8,836,661

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Nadal bids to tie Sampras, Swiss Stan in the way n AFP, Melbourne Rafael Nadal will look to give Stanislas Wawrinka a rough welcome to his first Grand Slam final as he bids to tie Pete Sampras with 14 major titles at the Australian Open on Sunday.

American great Sampras will present the winner’s trophy, with the Spanish marvel an overwhelming favourite to vanquish the popular and constantly improving Swiss for the year’s opening Slam title.

World number one Nadal has yet to drop a set in 12 encounters with Wawrinka, who knocked over three-time defending champion Novak Djokovic and world number seven Tomas Berdych to reach the final.

Nadal again mastered his long-time rival Roger Federer in the semi-finals

– a result which installed Wawrinka as Swiss number one – to reach his third Australian final as he seeks to add his 2009 triumph.

Victory would also make Nadal only the third man, after Australians Roy Emerson and Rod Laver, to have won each of the four Grand Slam titles twice.

It is hard to see past Nadal winning, even though Wawrinka is playing the best tennis of his life, good enough to take him past close friend Federer in the new world rankings out next week.

Nadal, at 27 years, would become the youngest man in history to win 14 Grand Slams, eclipsing Federer’s corresponding feat at Roland Garros in 2009 by 66 days.

Sampras, who was 31 when he reached his 14 Slams, admires Nadal’s extraordinary athleticism and strength to stand out in an era dominated by the

United agree club record £37m deal for Mata n

Statistically, Rafael Nadal is not yet the greatest player of all time but the Spaniard is edging his way towards that honour with each Grand Slam title.

many highs, among them eight French Open crowns and two Wimbledon titles, along with last year’s return to world number one despite missing seven months with a knee injury.

Tennis legend Rod Laver believes Federer is the greatest player of all time, despite his slide down the rankings -- but he admits Nadal is making a strong case for himself.

Pete Sampras, who could be joined by Nadal on 14 Grand Slam titles this weekend, says the Spaniard could reach 17 or 18 majors if he plays for the next four or five years. Even Federer, who has now not won in six Slam matches since his last major win over Nadal at Wimbledon in 2007, says it is a different challenge playing the relentless Majorcan.

Just as two-time champion Sampras said the Australian Slam was a tough major for him to win, so too has Nadal struggled to replicate his success at the other Slams in Melbourne.

Nadal has won only once in Melbourne, in 2009, after losing to Novak Djokovic in the 2012’s record, six-hour final, 7-5 in the fifth set. l

dent of his ability under Swedish coach Magnus Norman.

Also in Wawrinka’s favour is that Norman was the coach of Robin Soderling when the Swede upset Nadal at the 2009 French Open, the eight-time winner’s last defeat at his favourite Grand Slam.

“The record is not what I’m looking at. That’s what it is against Rafa. I don’t care about having lost 14 times,” he said.

“But it’s more about playing Rafa.

He’s the number one, the best player.

His game is quite tough for me, especially with the one-hand backhand.

But I had some good matches against him last year, close ones. I will have a few things that I will try tomorrow.

“I’m playing my best tennis here, I’m physically ready. I’m going to try everything. Before I beat Djokovic it was the same. I had lost 14 times to him before that. l

Bayern go 10 clear n AFP, Berlin

New Zealand, India tie ODI thriller

Bayern Munich went 10 points clear in the Bundesliga on Friday with a convincing 2-0 win at third-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach to extend their record unbeaten run to 42 matches.

Germany midfielder Thomas Mueller created Bayern’s first for Mario Goetze after just seven minutes then netted a second-half penalty as the Bundesliga resumed after the winter break.

With their main rivals all playing on Saturday, the European champions took the chance to tighten their stranglehold on the title as they played the first of three league games in 10 days.

“We’re happy to get the win and the three points,” said Bayern coach Pep Guardiola. l

Manchester United on Friday confirmed they have agreed a club record deal to sign Spanish midfielder Juan Mata from Chelsea.

United’s reported £37 million (44.5 million euros) move for Mata will be completed subject to the 25-year-old passing a medical and negotiating personal terms with the Premier League champions.

The transfer would shatter United’s previous record fee of £30.75 million paid to sign Bulgarian forward Dimitar Berbatov from Tottenham in 2008.

“Manchester United is pleased to announce it has reached agreement with Chelsea Football Club for the

Chelsea’s Essien signs for AC Milan n AFP, Rome

Barca hoping to defy off field distractions

Chelsea’s Ghana international midfielder Michael Essien has joined AC Milan, the Italian Serie A side announced on Friday.

“Michael Essien will arrive in Milan this evening,” AC Milan said in a statement, praising the “high level curriculum” of the player. Essien, 31, arrives on a free transfer having signed an 18-month deal with the northern outfit placed 11th in Serie A, the Italian press reported.

Essien is the first recruit of new Milan coach Clarence Seedorf, and he could play in their Champions League last 16 tie against Atletico Madrid next month with two Milan midfielders suspended for the match - Riccardo Montolivo and Ghana international Sulley Muntari.

Essien started his career with Corsican side Bastia (2000-2003), making his name at French club Lyon (2003-2005) before joining Chelsea (2005-2012).

Before confirmation of the move, Mourinho had said Essien would be allowed to leave. l

n AFP, Madrid Barcelona will try to put institutional uncertainty off the field behind them to remain on top of La Liga for a record 59th consecutive round of fixtures when they host Malaga on Sunday.

The Spanish champions have had an unsettling week as president Sandro Rosell resigned on Thursday after a judge agreed to hear a case made against him for alleged misappropriation of funds in the signing of Brazilian star Neymar last year.

However, coach Gerardo Martino shrugged off suggestions that movement in the boardroom could prove a distraction for his players.

There was some good news for the Catalans in midweek as they all but sealed their place in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey with a 4-1 win over Levante in the first leg of their quarter-final

n AFP, Melbourne

‘Big Four’ – Nadal, Djokovic, Federer and Andy Murray.

“He’s a great athlete. Rafa’s game is not suited to grass, but he’s done well there. He’s an incredible mover. He’s a great player,” Sampras said in Melbourne this week.

Nadal won’t sell Wawrinka short in Sunday’s final, saying that past matches mean little in the context of a highpressure major final.

“For me, if you play in a Grand Slam final that’s a different kind of match than I played against him in the past,” he said.

But Nadal added ominously: “I am moving quick. I am able to come back from difficult situations with great shots and am able to keep producing power on the shot from very difficult positions.”

While Wawrinka faces a tough task to grab his first ever win over Nadal in a Grand Slam final, the Swiss is confi-

transfer of Juan Mata for a club-record fee,” United said in a statement.

“The deal is subject to a medical and the agreement of personal terms.

A further announcement will be made in due course.”

Mata is expected to have his medical on Saturday and, unless there are any hitches, he should make his United debut in Tuesday’s Premier League clash against Cardiff at Old Trafford.

“It’s what he wants,” Mourinho earlier on Friday before United confirmed the deal. It’s what he asked us to accept.

Chelsea Football Club is proud to act this way, in an open way, in a human way.

“The offer, compared with what the club paid two years ago (when Mata signed from Valencia), was fantastic. l

AFP, London

Nadal closes in on all-time greatness

thanks to a hat-trick from Cristian Tello.

The real star of the show, though, was Lionel Messi as he showed a return to his best form with three defence splitting assists for Tello to fire home in the second-half.

By the time Barca take to the field at the Camp Nou on Sunday night they

n AFP, Auckland

Ravindra Jadeja kept India’s one-day series against New Zealand alive as the tourists took 17 off the final over to tie an epic third match in the series at Eden Park Saturday.

New Zealand were on the verge of sealing an historic series win over the world champions, after making 314 and then removing the cream of India’s batting talent to have the tourists at 184-6 with less than 15 overs remaining.

But Jadeja, who finished unbeaten on 66, and Ravi Ashwin who posted a career-best 65, ensured India stayed in the game. Between them they put on 85 runs in 55 balls for the seventh wicket before Ashwin fell to a spectacular catch by New Zealand century-maker Martin Guptill, leaving Jadeja to get India to the end as the tail-end batsmen fell around him.

Despite Jadeja’s heroics, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni felt his side wasted an opportunity to seal a victory.

New Zealand, who won the first two matches, need to win one more to claim the series victory, while India need to win the remaining two

MOST GRAND SLAM FINAL APPEARANCES

Position 1 2 4 5 6

Player Roger Federer Ivan Lendl Rafael Nadal Pete Sampras Rod Laver Bjorn Borg Ken Rosewall

Finals 24 19 19 18 17 16 16

The wonder left-hander with his extraordinary levels of energy and brute strength is poised for his 14th Grand Slam trophy in Sunday’s Australian Open final against Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka.

Should he win Nadal, at age 27 and seemingly with years on his side, would be just three major titles behind Roger Federer’s record of 17, and closing in fast.

Nadal’s majestic career has featured

matches to draw.

All-rounder Corey Anderson, who finished with five for 63, had the role of bowling the final over to India and could not contain Jadeja who belted two fours, a six and a single to go with two wides.

Three overs from the end, New Zealand believed they had Jadeja caught behind but umpire Rod Tucker turned down the appeal even though replays indicated the ball touched the bat.

New Zealand, who lost the toss for the third time, were sent into bat on a fast-paced wicket and were all out for 314 on the last ball of an innings built around Guptill’s 111.

Guptill and Kane Williamson featured in a 153-run stand for the second wicket and when it was broken in the 33rd over with the removal of Williamson (65) New Zealand felt confident enough to promote big-hitting Anderson up the order.

At 288-9 it was left to some lusty hitting by Tim Southee to get New Zealand over the 300 mark before he was run out on the last ball.

India had a scare at the start of their reply when Rohit Sharma was dropped

v v v v

M. Guptill c Rahane b Jadeja 111 J. Ryder b Kumar 20 K. Williamson b Shami 65 C. Anderson b Ashwin 8 R. Taylor run out (Rahane) 17 B. McCullum c Ashwin b Aaron 0 L. Ronchi c Rahane b Jadeja 38 N. McCullum run out (Dhawan/Jadeja) 1 T. Southee run out (Kholi/Dhoni) 27 M. McClenaghan c Jadeja b Shami 3 H. Bennett not out 3 Extras: (lb10, w11) 21 Total: (10 wickets; 50 overs) 314 Bowling Kumar 9-0-48-1 (1w), Shami 10-0-84-2 (2w), Aaron 7-0-52-1 (3w), Jadeja 100-47-2 (1w), Ashwin 10-0-47-1, Raina 4-0-26-0 S. Dhawan c Guptill b Anderson 28 R. Sharma c Bennett b Anderson 39 V. Kohli c Ronchi b Bennett 6 A. Rahane c Ronchi b Anderson 3 S. Raina c Ronchi b Southee 31 M. Dhonic Southee b Anderson 50 R. Ashwin c Guptill b N. McCullum 65 R. Jadeja not out 66 B. Kumar c N. McCullum b Bennett 4 M. Shami c Williamson b Anderson 2 V. Aaron not out 2 Extras (b1, lb 3, w14) 18 Total: (for nine wickets; 50 overs) 314

Getafe Bilbao Atletico Malaga

could be down in third place.

Two consecutive draws for co-leaders Barcelona and Atletico Madrid has allowed Real Madrid to cut the gap at the top to just one point.

Atletico also have the chance to move to the top of the table for a few hours at least as they travel to face Rayo Vallecano in a Madrid derby on Sunday. l

SCORECARD New Zealand

India

FIXTURES Almeria Osasuna Vallecano Barcelona

by Jesse Ryder at second slip before they comfortably progressed to 64 without loss after nine overs.

Suresh Raina (31) and Dhoni (50) carried India through to 184 at the start of the batting power play.

With the removal of Dhoni there was reason for New Zealand to sense they were in command, but Jadeja with his 66 of 45 deliveries, including four sixes and five fours, kept India in the game. l

India's Ravindra Jajeda (C) and Varun Aaron (R) talk with New Zealand's Michell McClenaghan after drawing the third ODI at Eden Park, Auckland yesterday AFP

Bowling Southee 10-0-74-1 (4w), McClenaghan 10-0-76-0 (2w), Bennett 10-2-41-2 (2w), Anderson 10-1-63-5 (6w), Williamson 2-0-17-0, N. McCullum 8-0-39-1 Result: Game tied

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

I’ll win a Slam one day, says Cibulkova n AFP, Melbourne

QUICK BYTES

Abahani crush Ajax in premier hockey Abahani Limited continued their winning streak in the Green Delta Insurance Premier Division Hockey League crushing Ajax Sporting Club 5-0 at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday. Hasan Jubayer Niloy scored two goals in the 13th and 42nd minutes while Romman Sarkar, Md Deen Islam and Md Ashraful Islam netted one apiece in the 16th, 24th and 69th minutes respectively. With the victory, the Sky Blues remained at the top jointly with Usha Krira Chakra. Sonali Bank will face Azad SC at 1pm today while Usha play against Sadharon Bima at 3pm in the day’s second match.

–SH

'Neymar deal cost almost $118 million' The deal to sign Neymar cost Barcelona 86.2 million euros ($117.97 million), including payments to the forward and his family, the club said on Friday after the player’s father revoked a confidentiality agreement. The Brazil international’s close-season move from Santos, which the Spanish club initially said was worth 57.1 million euros, is being investigated by a court for possible misappropriation of funds following a complaint from a Barca member. Sandro Rosell, who was named in the lawsuit but denies wrongdoing, stepped down as president on Thursday. He said he wanted to protect the club’s image and alleged he and his family had been threatened.

–Reuters

Skipper Clarke back for final England ODI Australian skipper Michael Clarke will return for the final one-day match against England Sunday, with coach Darren Lehmann warning the tourists will have gained confidence from their first win against the home team. After dominating England this summer, winning the Ashes 5-0 and taking the first three one-day internationals, Australia were outplayed in the fourth 50-over game in Perth on Friday -losing by 57 runs. “We didn’t bat very well last night, we certainly didn’t bowl well early... outplayed. So we need to bounce back to win,” Lehmann said Saturday. Batting first, England posted a score of 316 with Jos Buttler (71) and Ben Stokes (70) top scoring, while Ian Bell got 55 and captain Alastair Cook contributed 44.

–AFP

DAY’S WATCH Sony Six NBA 2013-14 6:30AM Philadelphia v Oklahoma City 9:00AM Portland v Minnesota 12:00AM Miami v San Antonio Star Sports 1 9:30AM Australia v England 5th ODI 6:30PM & 8:30PM Hockey India League Star Sports 4 Australian Open 2014 11:00AM Mixed Doubles Final 2:00PM Men’s single final 5:30PM Italian Serie A 2013/14 Hellas Verona v Roma 9:30PM FA Cup 2013/14 Chelsea v Stoke City Liga Bbva 2013/14 12:00AM Rayo Vallecano v Atletico Madrid 2:00AM FC Barcelona v Malaga CF

China's Li Na (R) poses alongside former champion Chris Evert (C) of the US and Slovakia's Dominika Cibulkova during the women's singles final on day 13 of the 2014 Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne yesterday AFP

Li storms to Australian Open title n AFP, Melbourne China’s Li Na stormed to her second Grand Slam title on Saturday, battling past underdog Dominika Cibulkova to win the Australian Open and give another huge boost to Asian tennis.

The 31-year-old fourth seed’s 7-6 (7/3), 6-0 win crowned her the champion on her third attempt after losing the 2011 and 2013 finals, adding to the French Open title she won three years ago.

In doing so, she became the oldest winner of the women’s title, surpassing Margaret Court who was 30 when she became champion in 1973.

The Chinese star also joins an exclusive list of just seven other players to win a Grand Slam at 30-plus, with her name now in the history books along-

side greats such as Martina Navratilova, Billie Jean King, Chris Evert and Serena Williams.

“I finally got here,” she said after Evert awarded her the trophy, as she praised her husband Jiang Shan and coach Carlos Rodriguez.

“Thanks Carlos. He always believed that I could do well.”

The win pushes her one place higher in the world rankings to three, just 11 points adrift of Victoria Azarenka in second behind Serena Williams.

It was a gutsy effort by the Chinese star, who overcame the pressure of having lost twice before while bearing the weight of expectation from her homeland of 1.3 billion people.

Li’s 2011 French Open victory, the first Grand Slam win by an Asian player, dramatically raised the profile of tennis in China and she has become the figurehead for a push into Asia by women’s tennis.

While the diminutive Cibulkova, nicknamed the “pocket rocket” has been in the best form of her life, Li was the favourite and used her experience to

Li Na

MATCH STATS 7-6 (7/3), 6-0

Cibulkova

2

Aces

0

3

Double Faults

7

34

Winners

11

30

Unforced Errors

28

5/10

BP Conversions

2/3

75

Total Points Won

58

Time: 1hr 37min

take out the Slovak after a tight first set lasting 70 minutes.

“This has been a fantastic two weeks of my life and I think I’m going to cry,” said a tearful Cibulkova, 24, the first person from her country to make a Grand Slam final.

Aguero saves City blushes n AFP, London Sergio Aguero scored a hat-trick as Manchester City escaped a huge FA Cup upset by coming from behind to win 4-2 at home to second-tier Watford on Saturday.

Beaten Championship play-off finalists last season, Watford went 2-0 up inside 30 minutes through Fernando Forestieri and Troy Deeney to leave freescoring City at risk of a shock defeat.

However, Aguero struck three times in the last half an hour, with Aleksandar Kolarov also on target, to send last season’s beaten finalists into the fifth round. Liverpool also avoided a potential banana skin by winning 2-0 at second-tier Bournemouth.

Daniel Sturridge made it 2-0 with half an hour remaining, running onto Suarez’s dinked pass and tucking the ball past goalkeeper Lee Camp in front of watching England manager Roy Hodgson.

Premier League Crystal Palace were

the day’s biggest casualties, losing 2-1 at holders Wigan, who were relegated to the Championship after stunning City 1-0 in last season’s final.

Ben Watson, who scored the winning goal at Wembley, set Wigan on their way in the 36th minute, with James McClean netting a 78th-minute winner after Aaron Wilbraham drew Palace level.

Sunderland followed up their midweek success against Manchester United in the League Cup semi-finals by toiling to overcome non-league Kidderminster Harriers 1-0, with Charis Mavrias scoring the only goal in the fifth minute.

Swansea City, Cardiff City, Southampton and Hull City also overcame lower-league opposition, while Everton were due to visit third-tier Stevenage in the late game.

Meanwhile, Lukas Podolski struck twice as Arsenal eased into the FA Cup fifth round with a comfortable 4-0 victory over League One side Coventry at the Emirates Stadium on Friday. l

RESULTS Birmingham Novak 15

1-2

Bolton

0-1

Bournemouth

0-2

Swansea Bony 67, 69

n AFP, Madrid

Cardiff Campbell 50

Liverpool Moses 26, Sturridge 60

Man City 4-2 Aguero 60, 79, 90, Kolarov 87

Southampton 2-0 Guly 23-pen, Gallagher 70

Watford Forestieri 21, Deeney 30 Yeovil

Southend

0-2

Sunderland Mavrias 5

1-0

Kidderminster

2-1

Crystal Palace Wilbraham 69

Arsenal 4-0 Podolski 15, 27, Giroud 84, Cazorla 89

Coventry

Wigan Watson 36, McClean 78

Li got off to the best possible start, going 1-0 up on the Cibulkova serve when the Slovak gifted her the game with a double-fault on a second break point.

The Chinese star comfortably, with the 24-year-old Slovak struggling to produce any decisive returns as her shots repeatedly failed to find their mark.

But she crucially came through the third game, fighting off two break points, one with a lovely passing shot, to stay in touch at 1-2. Li held in the next as she dictated the rallies, but her first serve was becoming a serious problem.

After three service games she had only got 13 percent of first serves in and was seen looking at her husband in the crowd while pointing to her racquet.

This opened door for Cibulkova, with two Li double-faults allowing her to break back for 3-3. A decisive service game then put the Slovak in front for the first time as the momentum began swinging in her favour. l

Dominika Cibulkova said Saturday the experience of playing a Grand Slam final would stand her in good stead and had given her confidence she can become Slovakia’s first major champion.

The diminutive Cibulkova, seeded 20, battled hard in the first set against China’s world number four Li Na in the Australian Open final, but she fell to pieces in the second, crashing 7-6 (7/3), 6-0.

It was the 24-year-old’s first major final, with her previous best performance being the 2009 French Open semi-finals. And she said she had learned some valuable lessons.

“I learned a lot. Of course it will be great to win my first final of a Grand Slam, but I think it takes time, you know. It’s not that easy,” she said.

“Now I know that it’s just another match in your life. That’s how you have to take it.

“When I played my first semi-finals of a Grand Slam I just went on the court. I was 19 years old. I was just like happy I’m already there and I was not fighting for the final.

“Now I know how it is to play the final.” l

Wise-cracking Li raises laughs with victory speech n AFP, Melbourne Li Na had fans roaring with laughter during her Australian Open victory speech Saturday as she thanked her agent for making her rich and gave damningly faint praise to her long-suffering husband.

The Chinese star, who secured her second Grand Slam title in her third Australian Open final, fired out the jokes after overcoming a tense first set to beat Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulkova 7-6 (7/3), 6-0.

“To Max my agent, you made me very rich. Thanks a lot,” was her first line, directed at agent Max Eisenbud in her players’ box.

She also thanked her coach Carlos Rodriguez and her physio before finally turning to her husband Jiang Shan, her former coach and often the butt of her jokes. l

Ronaldo, Benzema fire Madrid into top spot

Hull Fryatt 63, 90

On Friday

Star Sports HD1 1:45AM Italian Serie A Fiorentina v Genoa

Ronaldo holds the Ballon d'or trophy before their La Liga match against Granada at the Santiago Bernabeu yesterday AFP Real Madrid moved clear at the top of La Liga for the first time since May 2012 thanks to a 2-0 win over Granada at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring on 57 minutes, as set up by Luka Modric, he rifled home his 31st goal of the season.

Karim Benzema sealed Los Blancos’ ninth consecutive win 12 minutes from time when he slotted home Marcelo’s low cross.

However, it was not a great afternoon for Gareth Bale as he was on the end of a rough challenge from Jeison

Murillo early on and was eventually substituted at half-time.

Madrid lead Barcelona and Atletico Madrid by two points, but both can move back to the top with wins over Malaga and Rayo Vallecano respectively on Sunday.

The afternoon started in celebratory mood for the hosts as Ronaldo paraded the Ballon d’Or in front of the home fans.

Ronaldo nearly got off to a blistering start as he cut inside onto his right foot and blasted a shot wide of the target on six minutes.

Manuel Iturra nearly gifted Madrid the opener moments later as he deflected Dani Carvajal’s cross onto his own crossbar.

From the resulting corner, Sergio Ramos also should have given Carlo Ancelotti’s men the lead as he headed over after Roberto had flapped at Angel di Maria’s cross.

After a bright start, though, Madrid’s intensity dropped and it wasn’t until first-half stoppage time that they threatened again as Roberto made a brilliant save to parry Ronaldo’s sweetly struck overhead kick. Bale’s unfortunate day continued as he was replaced

by Jese Rodriguez at half-time.

Madrid’s tempo was immediately lifted by the Spanish under-21 international and Roberto had to be alert to deny early efforts from Di Maria and Modric. l

ULAB face UIU today

Ten HD Ram Slam T20 Challenge 4:00PM Dolphins v Warriors 7:30PM Titans v Lions

n Raihan Mahmood

Ten Action French Ligue 1 2013/14 7:00PM Olympique Lyon v Evian Thonon 10:00PM Girondins de Bordeaux v AS Saint Etienne 2:00AM AS Monaco v Olympique Marseille

15

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Manchester City's Argentinian striker Sergio Aguero celebrates scoring a goal during the English FA Cup fourth round match against Watford at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester yesterday AFP

University of Liberal Arts (ULAB) Bangladesh face United International University (UIU)in a crucial tie of the 7th ULAB Fair Play Cup Cricket at 9:30 am at the ULAB playground, Ramchandrapur, Mohammadpur today. ULAB needs a win to confirm their passage to the next round while UIU will aim to open their campaign on a winning note.

Eastern University (EU) will face BRAC University (BRACU) at 1:30 p.m in the second match of the day.

Meanwhile In the first match on Friday East West University beat Univer-

sity of Asia Pacific by 58 runs. Opting to bat first, EWU scored 160 /6 in the stipulated 20 overs. Anik of EWU hit unbeaten 38 off 23 balls. In reply UAP were restricted on 102/8. Anik of EWU was adjudged the man of the match.

In the second match of day Northern University of Bangladesh beat South East University by 25 runs., NUB scored 146/7 after choosing to take the willow first riding on the cracking 87 of Turjo who played only 57 balls. Shimul of SEU grabbed 3 wickets. SEU, in reply scored 121 runs losing all the wickets with three ball left. Turjo of NUB adjudged Man of the Match. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Sunday, January 26, 2014

First phase of Bishwa Ijtema ends today Akheri Munajat today, second day marks hundreds of dowry-free mass weddings; three deaths reported Jamil Khan, n Mohammad from Tongi The first phase of Bishwa Ijtema ends today with the Akheri Munajat (final prayer) and seeking divine blessings of the Almighty Allah.

The prayer would be held sometime between 12:30pm and 1pm today.

Noted Islamic Scholar Maulana Jubayerul Hassan from Delhi will conduct the prayers.

The president, prime minister, leader of the opposition, ministers, lawmakers, political leaders and foreign diplomats of Muslim countries are expected to join the final prayer.

On the second day, yesterday, of the congregation, a large number of devotees from home and abroad attended the prayer on the 160-acre land on the banks of the river Turag braving biting cold.

The yesterday’s religious function started after Fazr prayer with the sermon by Pakistani cleric Maulana Abdul Wahub and Maulana Jamshed.

After Asr prayer, Maulana Jubayerul Hassan from Delhi delivered sermon followed by his compatriot Ahmad Luv after Magrib prayer.

Like every year, the organisers arranged dowry-free mass weddings on the venue during the first phase of Ijtema.

It was learnt that there were restrictions on women’s participation in the Ijtema.

Hundreds of women from across the country rented houses adjacent to the Ijtema ground to listen to sermons.

The scenario of Ijtema was quite different on the second day, with people cultivating a sharing attitude with each other, from the use of washroom to taking food in the makeshift hotels.

The devotees only had a single sentence to utter – no problem here at all. They said they had come here only for prayers.

Thousands of Muslim devotees converge on the bank of river Turag, the venue of Bishwa Ijtema, yesterday However, on the second day of Ijtema, three more devotees including a Yemeni national Ahmed Abdullah, 70, died at the venue because of cold and old-age complications.

The other two were Shamsuddin, 60, of Mymensingh, and Zihad Ali, 55, of Kustia.

Gazipur Civil Surgeon Shah Alam Sharif confirmed the deaths.

The number of patients suffering from cold-related diseases increased at

the medical camps and hospital on the second day of Ijtema.

At least 284 devotees received treatment from the 36 medical camps and Tongi Hospital.

“Law enforcers have so far rounded up more than 20 people on charges of pickpocketing, mobile phone thefts and other criminal activities on the venue,” Ismail Hossain, officer-in-charge of Tongi police station told the Dhaka Tribune.

Beds a rare amenity at BSMMU n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

The unavailability of beds at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) has been forcing patients to wait for their turns at treatment, while also allowing unscrupulous hospital officials to make extra cash on the side.

Nargis Begum, 48, has been suffering from liver-related complications for the past five years and had sought medical attention from different public hospitals during the time. However, after her complications intensified recently, Nargis visited doctors at the outdoor of the BSMMU. After a primary check-up, the doctors advised her to immediately get admitted to the hospital; but Nargis was unable to do so because the departments concerned did not have any vacant beds.

Over the last 10 days she had visited the hospital three times only to get a seal reading “bed is not available” stamped on her hospital ticket every time.

On Thursday, Nargis Begum told the Dhaka Tribune: “Allah knows when I can get a vacant bed. I cannot tolerate the pain in my liver.”

Nargis’s agonising experience is common to the thousands of outdoor

patients at the BSMMU who have to endure long waits in receiving treatment.

More than 2,500 patients come to the outdoor of the country’s lone medical university hospital every day.

Among them, only 100 patients get the chance to be admitted each day at the indoor of the 1,500-bed hospital.

Only 100 of the 2,500 daily outdoor patients are admitted In 2013, the BSMMU sold 713,300 tickets for the outdoor, while only 29,499 patients were admitted at the indoor of the hospital.

Hospital sources said 32,893 major and minor operations had been carried out at the BSMMU last year, among which 19,100 were major and 20,893 were minor operations.

Several senior officials of the hospital said the BSMMU has achieved the trust of the patients by offering quality healthcare advice from specialised doctors for a fee of only Tk30.

The affordable service has made the BSMMU a prime choice for patients, with the growing numbers of patients

making vacant beds in the hospital similar to “golden deer,” the officials added.

The unavailability of beds is meanwhile being exploited by a number of unscrupulous hospital employees who allegedly charge patients extra fees to have beds “managed.”

Once the extra fee is collected from those willing to resort to illicit methods, the dishonest staffs reportedly introduce the patients to the doctors as their relatives, and request that they be admitted to the indoor of the BSMMU. Prof Dr Sayedur Rahaman, registrar of the BSMMU, told the Dhaka Tribune that the BSMMU was not like other public hospitals.

“This is a research oriented hospital.

Naturally, it will not admit a large number of patients. It will deal with a limited number of patients to ensure research-based high quality treatment,” he said.

Dr Sayedur also said the BSMMU authority carries out an evening specialised consultation service at the hospital to provide better care to additional patients.

Since the service, which has a consultation fee of Tk200, was introduced in October 2011, thousands of patients have sought medical advice from the specialised doctors. l

The mobile court also fined 12 restaurants Tk28,500 for selling sub-standard food, said Mosaddek Hossain Mehedi, executive magistrate of mobile court.

A special bus service between Shahjalal International Airport and Tongi has been introduced to carry foreign devotees to the venue. Gazipur traffic authorities have taken special measures today to control traffic.

Shakawat Hossain, assistant police

DHAKA TRIBUNE

super, told the Dhaka Tribune traffic movement would remain suspended in the surrounding area of the congregation till the end of final prayer while the devotees would be able to converge on the venue by a special bus service on the day.

The rush of devotees towards the Ijtema ground yesterday caused a long tailback on most of the roads in and around Tongi.

Bishwa Ijtema, the second largest

Prosecution takes initiative to bring back war criminal Ashraf n Udisa Islam The war crimes tribunal prosecution claimed to have taken some initiatives to bring back convicted war criminal Ashrafuzzaman Khan from the United States. Earlier, the officials were unclear whether it would be possible.

Prosecutor AKM Saiful Islam told the Dhaka Tribune: “We, along with our embassy in Washington, have been working with high officials of the US State Department and the Department of Justice on this matter. We have held a number of meetings and came to know about the Office of Special Investigation that worked to deport Nazi war criminals in the USA. “We have no extradition treaty with the USA. But since 1979, they have been following the practice and finally, in 1999 passed legislation on this. So we are trying to move with this reference.”

He said it would take time, “but Ashrafuzzaman has to be brought back.”

The legislation concerns Nazi war criminals and does not include Bangladesh. However, the Bangladesh government should go through the legislation, in order to use it as reference to bring Ashraf back, the prosecutor said.

Earlier, when asked about the extradition of the two war criminals, a senior official at the foreign ministry said they had certainly taken some steps.

Ashraf has been absent in the public eye. The tribunal prosecution claimed that Ashraf was cleverer than another convicted al-Badr leader Chowd-

hury Mueen Uddin – both sentenced to death in the same case for masterminding the systematic abduction and killing of hundreds of intellectuals on the eve of independence on December 16, 1971. Ashraf has been leading an uncontroversial life in the USA, and so he refrained from speaking in public.

Mueen Uddin, however, has been making audacious comments on the media from London over the war crimes trial process.

Even though it is believed that Ashraf has been living in the US, the law enforcers have not been able to confirm his whereabouts. The convict has never made any media statements.

Mueen on the other hand, has more than one websites and gave many media interviews defending himself “innocent.”

To get better results, Saiful said the Bangladesh government needed to engage with the US and the UK governments at the diplomatic level, and that the proceedings had already begun.

Prosecutor Tureen Afroz told the Dhaka Tribune: “If we can employ an active lobbyist group and carry out the activities with strong diplomacy, we will be able to bring them back.”

Earlier, the tribunal convicted absconding war criminal Abul Kalam Azad, an expelled Jamaat-e-Islami member known as Bachchu Razakar.

No one knows his whereabouts. On October 9, war crimes suspect Zahid Hossain alias Khokon Razakar was indicted.

He is now believed to be in Sweden. l

Idols vandalised in dists n Tribune Report

An unidentified body is recovered from a pond at Kazipara beside the Dhaka-Narayanganj link road yesterday. A bag was also picked up from there which contained a National Identity Card bearing the name of Md Tarikul Islam. However, it could not be ascertained whether the NID belongs to the body SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Some miscreants damaged five idols at three temples at Shologhar Palpara and Senpara under Srinagar upazila in Munshiganj early yesterday.

Bijoy Chakrabarty, president of Srinagar Puja Celebration Committee, and Lakshman Sen, secretary of the organisation, said no one was arrested until the night even though the police had been informed of the matter instantly.

The idols are suspected to be vandalised in the middle of the night. Local MP Suranjit Sen Ghosh condemned the at-

tack and asked the officials concerned to take legal action against the miscreants.

Officer-in-Charge of Srinagar police station Sheikh Mahabubur Rahman said they were trying to arrest the miscreants, reports our correspondent.

In another incident in Madaripur, miscreants looted money and other materials from Pronobmoth temple early yesterday.

Contacted, Madaripur sadar OC Mofazzal Hossain said the police had started investigation into the matter which they found to be mysterious, reports our correspondent. l

congregation of the Muslims after Hajj, started Friday with the participation of lakhs of devotees from home and abroad.

Around 8,000 devotees from 116 countries including Pakistan, India, Saudi Arabia, Brunei, Bahrain and the USA have attended the congregation.

Abdule Baten, Gazipur police super, said they took all necessary steps to hold peacefully the final prayer of the first phase of Ijtema. l

RANA PLAZA DISASTER

Gap world’s worst company n Tribune Report In wake of Rana Plaza disaster that occurred earlier in 2013, a jury of experts have awarded RMG retailer Gap the “Public Eye” award – for the worst company of the year – as it failed to sign a binding agreement to make factories safe.

In making their decision, the panel ranked Gap’s behaviour worse than HSBC’s involvement in land-grabbing; Syngenta, Bayer & BASF’s production of bee killing pesticides; and mining giant Glencore’s impact on communities around the world.

The jury justified the award to Gap saying that the company “steadfastly refuses to contribute to effective reforms in the textile industry.”

The Public Eye award is run by Greenpeace and the Berne Declaration and is awarded every January to the worst behaved companies of the year.

The jury is made up of internationally-renowned business ethicists and environmental and human rights experts.

Cecile Buhlmann is the former member of the National Council (Parliament) of Switzerland and is also the president of the foundation board of Greenpeace Switzerland since 2006.

Previous winners of the jury’s prize include Goldman Sachs and Barclays.

Bangladeshi labour activist and Executive Director of the Bangladesh Centre for Workers’ Solidarity Kalpana Akter collected Gap’s award, saying that the Gap still refused to make a contractual commitment to work with their suppliers and local and international trade unions to ensure that repairs are made and workers have the right to refuse dangerous work.

After the Rana Plaza disaster on April 24 last year that killed over 1,133 people, mainly female garment workers, over 10 lakh people around the world demanded brands change to make sure such a preventable catastrophe could never happen again.

As a result, over 100 companies joined the Bangladesh Safety Accord – a landmark project, bringing together brands, supplier factories, trade unions and NGOs to end the appallingly unsafe factory conditions and ensure decent working conditions.

However, the Gap did not join this agreement; instead they launched their own rival plan, which they call the “Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety.” l

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Continue to the Business section...

Business

B4 Career: Succeeding

B3 RBI policy rate seen

reducing market swings

at the IT and Telecom Sector

AID-DEPENDENT PROJECTS IMPLEMENTATION

Officials asked to be cautious in governance issues n Asif Showkat Kallol With the changed political scenario, the government is apprehending the donor agencies might put technical assistance under strict scrutiny, resulting in discontinuation in fund disbursement in the pretext of governance issues.

All the directors of projects with foreign technical assistance have been asked to be over cautious in monitoring, reviewing and identifying the implementation problems, officials said.

They said the government is now over cautious about ensuring the governance issues of the projects as it apprehends a possibility of sudden halt in fund disbursement due to the one-sided national election held on January 5. ‘’There have always been such a possibility of facing setback in getting the foreign assistance as per commitments as the development partners will be very watchful on the issue of good governance in project implementation, following the election,” said a senior official.

Former secretary of Economic Relations Division Abul Kalam Azad, now attached with Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), at a review meeting held recently warned five project directors of the consequences in case of any governance failure.

He pointed out “really poor” performance of two projects – World Bank-assisted “Central Coordination Unit of Private Sector Development Support Project (CCU-PSDSP)” and Japan-funded “Development of Four Economic Zones Project.”

Meanwhile, the World Bank expressed its rigidness in disbursing any more fund for training and foreign tour of the CCU-PSDSP officials because of the poor performance in project implementation.

Four other development projects are Capacity Building of Economic Relations Division, Strengthening Capacity of Aid Effectiveness in Bangladesh, Enhancement of Capacity of the Management of External Aid in Bangladesh, and Japan Human Resources Development Scholarship Project.

The rate of fund disbursement of

the five technical assistance projects stood at 32.51% or Tk11.53 crore till November last year. Total cost of the five projects is Tk33.18 crore.

As per meeting records, only 13.11% or Tk19.67 lakh was released till November from the last year’s allocation worth Tk150 lakh for the implementation of the World Bank’s CCU-PSDSP. The secretary reportedly advised the project directors to further strengthening negotiation with the World Bank officials for disbursement of funds for training and foreign tour purposes.

On the other hand, the finance ministry expressed inability to disburse TK46 crore for purchasing 232 acres of land for Mongla Port Authority under the Development of Four Economic Zones Projects with the fund from Japan.

However, Japan Development Institute (JDI) has already completed the feasibility study on three potential sites of economic zones – Sherpur, and Anwara and Mirershori in Chittagong.

JDI wants immediate development of the Sherpur Economic Zone area.

Under the Japan Human Resources Development Scholarship Project, a total of 39.52% fund was disbursed till November against the allocated amount of Tk22.65 crore.

The fund disbursement rate stood 45% of Capacity Building of Economic Relations Division Project while Strengthening Capacity of Aid Effectiveness in Bangladesh stood 38.65% and no disbursement in the project titled ‘’Enhancement of Capacity of the Management of External Aid in Bangladesh’’ till November last year.

The overall foreign aid disbursement went up by only 2% year-on-year in the first five months of the current fiscal year due to the slow project implementation as a consequence of political turmoil ahead of the national election, officials said.

Between July and November period of last year, some $987m of foreign aid was disbursed, which is 29% of the target for the fiscal 2013-14, according to Economic Relations Division (ERD).

The foreign aid target set for the current fiscal year is $3.37bn. l

SUNDAY, JANUARY 26, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Small companies dominate IPO market Fund withdrawal through IPO hits 5-year low n Kayes Sohel Small cap companies dominated initial public offering market in 2013 with fund withdrawal hitting five years low.

In the year, a total of 10 companies raised funds worth Tk859.5 crore by floating IPOs, which was down more than 27% from Tk1186.7 crore in the previous year, according to the Dhaka Stock Exchange.

Fund withdrawal through IPOs marked five years low since 2009.

Analysts said the trend might continue this year too, as most of the IPOs waiting for regulator’s approval are small-cap companies.

Primary market in 2013 was not very buoyant due to flat capital market situation. Money withdrawal from the primary market in the year was the lowest in last five years, says Lanka Bangla Securities in its analysis.

The fall of fund withdrawal through IPOs was accelerated by low cap companies that ruled the IPO market during the year.

At a worldwide level, there is no harmonised definition for large-cap, mid-cap, small-cap and micro-cap companies, and the generally accepted definitions vary from one geographical region to another.

In Bangladesh context, the threshold used for defining large-caps is above Tk500 crore while that of mid-caps between Tk500 crore and Tk300 crore and of small-caps is below Tk300 crore.

“Definition of market cap varies from stock exchange to stock exchange across the world,” said Yawer Sayeed, a market analyst.

Dominance of small cap companies in the stock market is quiet natural if sizes of Bangladesh economy and stock market are taken into account, he said.

“IPO trend is likely to continue this year too,” said Akter H Sannamat, vice-president of Bangladesh Merchant Bankers Association.

“The stock regulator is slow to allow IPOs while a large number of IPO proposals are waiting for approval.”

On the rising repayment of fund withdrawal from IPOs, Akter H Sannamat said there is no regulatory bar in this regard.

“Actually, this loan was taken for business expansion from banks. To reduce dependency on banks and cost fund, companies go public to repay loans.”

Around 45 companies, most of them are low-caps from textile and power sectors, filed their IPO proposals to the Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), according to the issue management companies.

Of more than 300 companies listed with the DSE, only 95 companies are large-cap and the rest are small cap stocks.

According to the analysts, there are both advantages and disadvantages of trading small cap stocks over trading large and mid cap stocks.

“Small cap stocks are much less priced than large and mid cap stocks.

So trader can trade more number of stocks with less money,” said Asaduzzaman Riyadh, an analyst at Lanka Bangla.

He added that the small cap companies are keener in their business areas and future developments with minimum wastage of resources.

He said disadvantage of small cap stock trading is that it is riskier than mid and large cap stocks, which have fairly stable prices.

“Small cap stock trading yields lesser dividends, as most companies invest their earnings to grow more.” l

Current market cap of the companies listed last year (in crore Taka) 1530.3 925

494.6

810.7 259.3

320.1

236.1

534.5

at

l r d d & als ng so d ica d ite ite ce d di d tic d ed s Lt ind ite uil mite an mite ceu mite Lim Lim M n B W ) m e i a i i i i a L F L al L m sh L s & vic BD st t rm Ap ar ng ics de ms ge De x( ea en Pha Ph Be last te rin gla yste ar stm l y n y F l n p a i r io o IS m ve Ba S nt m Or In Fa JM er Ce Th Source : DSE sp

oI

ll po

IPOs in last five years (in crore Taka) 1991.42

1186.08

1186.67

891.73

2009

859.50

2010

2011

2012

2013

Source: DSE, LBSL Research According to Sayeed, the debate over premium issue, market jittery and recent amendment of rules are among key reasons behind the decline of fund withdrawal from stock market.

From the total amount of public offer, companies have withdrawn Tk709.5 crore and two mutual funds Tk150 crore from the primary capital market in 2013.

Of Tk709.5 crore offered by the companies in 2013, Tk322.5 crore was

used for repayment of debt and Tk387 crore was used for expansion and other activities.

The ratio of fund-withdrawal for repayment of debt to total fundwithdrawal is 45% in 2013 which was 34% in 2012, according to Lanka Bangla.

Amount withdrawal for expansion and other activities have come down sharply to Tk387 crore from Tk746.9 crore in 2012.

FDI declines 92% in last three months n Asif Showkat Kallol

Bangladesh’s foreign direct investment (FDI) dropped 92% in the final three months of last year from one year ago, apparently due to political unrest.

Board of Investment (BoI) data showed a total of $100m came in the country as FDI during the October-to-December period.

Last year, the figure was $1.25bn.

A Russian telecom company won Wimax licence in Bangladesh and was set to invest $2bn. But the political unrest held them back, according to official sources.

A German company was also going to invest $660m taking out a lease of an aircraft of Biman Bangladesh Airlines during the period.

“Foreign investors are now closely observing political situation of Ban-

gladesh, and if situation improves they will regain confidence on the country,” said Rupali Chowdhury, president of Foreign Investors’ Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) along with DCCI and MCCI calculated a total of 40,000 lost their jobs owing to the turmoil.

“FDI may increase if the political

situation returns to normalcy,” said Nabhash Chandra Mandal, additional secretary of BoI. He also said the foreign direct investors keep cautious eyes on Bangladesh’s political and economic situations now.

The foreign director investors usually make profits from their investments in Bangladesh, the official noted. l

Number portability caught in mobile operators’ dillydally 25 missions miss export targets n Muhammad Zahidul Islam The mobile phone operators have failed to introduce number portability system by the January 13 deadline, as they say clear guidelines are necessary on three matters before going with the service.

They told the Dhaka Tribune that the concerns about commercial, technical and governance issues have to be addressed first.

Commercial issue is mainly related with SIM tax payment while technical matter is about establishing network and governance is about a common administration to run the service.

Operators say they pay Tk300 as SIM tax for each card now.

“But after the launch of the service, who will pay the tax if a user switches to another operator after 45 days?” questioned an official. “Until settling the issues we cannot invest hundreds of crore taka,” said another senior executive of a mobile operator.

In June last year, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) asked all the six operators to ensure the service by January 13, 2014.

The network establishment works of MNP might take 9-18 months in a country like Bangladesh where nothing is ready The regulator recently directed the operators – five private and one state-run – to let it know about the progress in this regard.

Under the mobile number portability (MNP) system, one user can frequently adopt another operator’s service without changing a single digit of the original number.

4702.66

1.34%

▲

DSES

976.34

1.59%

▲

DS30

1664.11

1.47%

▲

n Tribune Report

EXCHANGE RATES Average selling rates to public in BDT Banks Rupali Bank Currencies SELL BUY USD 78.4 77.4

are complex,” said Mahmud Hossain, chief corporate affair officer of Grameenphone.

“GP was very much interested in introducing MNP, but the system should be launched properly to reduce any hassle the subscribers could face,” he added.

Grameenphone said there are many vague issues respecting commercial and technical sides, which should be removed first.

Industry sources said as many as 70 countries have introduced MNP. The neighbouring India brought the service in 2011.

In India, a user has to pay Rs19 to avail of the service in a seven-day period while in Thailand the MNP costs 99 baht.

Malaysia charges no fee at all. BRTC believes the MNP would play a significant role to break “monopoly” of some operators in the Bangladesh market.

MNP will also help the users get improved service quality in general and reasonable tariff rates, the regulator said. l

n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi Bangladesh’s 25 missions in abroad failed to achieve their export targets during first half of the current fiscal year.

However, the exports registered over 16% growth in the July-December period. Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) data showed the exports exceeded $14.5bn in the six months, up 16.5% from $14.25bn one year earlier.

Of 51 diplomatic missions abroad, 26 achieved their export targets.

“Targets may or may not be reached, but exports continue to grow, this is important,” said Shubhashish Bose, vice president of EPB. “We usually set big targets in an effort to increase export volume,” he added.

Washington, London, Beijing, Canberra, Moscow, Kuala Lumpur and Ottawa are among the missions failing to hit targets. But they posted growth during the period.

Missions in New Delhi, Bangkok, Katmandu, Dubai, Riyadh, Singapore,

Geneva, Pretoria, Islamabad, Manila, Nairobi, Brasilia, Yangon and Rabat witnessed drops in export from last year.

Berlin, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Stockholm, Brussels, Tokyo, Ankara, Seoul and Cairo are among the missions hitting their targets.

“Skills of business councillors at the missions need to be increased to meet export targets,” noted Shubhashish Bose. Manufacturers and exporters said the missions fail to achieve export targets due to lack of proper knowledge on products and trend of customers in those markets.

The exporters called on the government to take steps to train the mission officials. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed also announced that the government would take initiatives to enhance skills of the mission councillors.

He made the announcement at a meeting with a delegation of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry at his office on Thursday last. l

ICT can contribute 1% to GDP, claims BASIS

STOCKS DSEX

According to the operators’ sources, they are going to submit status reports on MNP implementation today as asked by the regulator. But the companies said they would need more time to complete the project.

“The network establishment works of MNP might take 9-18 months in a country like Bangladesh where nothing is ready,” said an official of a company.

Earlier, the mobile operators sought time for establishing MNP equipment, but BTRC didn’t give any reply in this regard. According to the BTRC’s MNP directives, the subscribers can frequently change their networks at a charge of Tk50 in a 72-hour time.

But the users will have to stay with the new operator at least 45 days before switching to another one.

The operators also want suggestion from BTRC on the SIM tax payment if a user switches to another operator after 45 days of SIM sale.

“We will ask for proper advice again in this regard from BTRC as the issues

Sonali Bank SELL BUY 80

79

EURO

107.55

104.36

106.15

102.15

INR

1.336

1.179

1.28

1.18

SAR

21.005

20.537

21

20

Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) has announced its fourth edition of ‘BASIS Outsourcing Award’ for the year 2014.

Addressing a press conference in the city yesterday, BASIS president Shameem Ahsan formally announced the award, which will be distributed among 100 participants in four categories on 8 March.

It will be an award to recognize the outstanding performance of the organisations and individuals in the field of outsourcing in software and IT-related services, said BASIS president.

The registration form is now available now at http://outsourcingaward. basis.org.bd/ till February 14. The award has been categorised in four sections-outsourcing organisations, individual freelancers, district wise freelancers and female freelancers.

“Our outsourcing firms earn at least US$200 to $250m annually but most of the earnings come in no-formal ways, which is not reflected in the statistics,” he said.

“If we can bring all the income from this sector in a formal way, it will help improve our image in ICT sector globally,” he also added.

Under such a circumstance, BASIS

has started the process for honouring the individuals and the firms for their outstanding performance in the field of outsourcing of software and IT services, which will encourage them to further explore the field, claimed BASIS leaders.

Leaders of the BASIS also expressed their optimism that ICT sector could contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by at least 1% only if the government can introduce one more crore internet users annually.

BASIS board director and Chairman of the jury board AKM Fahim Mashroor said, “Officially we have earned $102m last fiscal year, but I am sure that this

figure must be double and we can earn $1bn within the next five years if we can honor our outsourcing unsung heroes.”

BASIS has decided to award one person from each 64 districts of the country with this award. This move is taken to encourage everyone in the country in the field of outsourcing.

In the individual freelancer category, there are 18 awards in six different sub-categories: web application development and programming, mobile application development, SEO and online marketing, web design, graphic design, and online blogging and content development. l

B2

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

WEEKLY REVIEW

Bull-run continues on fresh fund

DSE key features January 19-23, 2014

DSE GAINERS

Turnover (Million Taka)

ICB AMCL IslamicMF-A I P D C -A IFIL Islamic M.F.1-A Prime Islami Life -A Progressive Life-A Meghna Life Ins. -A Dutch Ban. Bnk- A Northern G Insur-A ICB Emp. PMF-A Prime Bank 1st MF-A

Company

36,983.37

Turnover (Volume)

827,778,757

DSEX climbs to a new high

Number of Contract Traded Issues

299

n Tribune Report

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

223

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

74

candles are indicating that fresh money is flowing in the market. As money market is very liquid and real investment in the economy has not yet picked up, excess liquidity in the banking system is rushing to the market.”

Cement sector posted highest return for the second consecutive week. The sector is expected to do very well in 2014 as pent-up demand of 2013 will be added to 2014’s demand and there is room for volume growth of cement manufacturers in this year, said the stock broker.

Among all the major sectors, top gaining sectors of the week were cement up with 7.8%. Mutual Fund also came to spotlight after a long period of remaining under pressure as the sector rallied 7.4%.

“As political activities cooled down and economic activities heated up, investors went into a buying mode, throughout the week,” said IDLC Investments.

Upcoming monetary policy statement also helped investors take investment decisions, side by side, IDLC added.

The gainers took a strong lead over the losers as out of 299 issues traded during the week, 217 advanced, 74 declined and eight remained unchanged on the DSE. Meanwhile, Mozaffar Spinning Mills made debut in the third session of the past week. All the major sectors saw hefty gains during the week. Fuel and power sector posted the highest gain with more than 6%, followed by pharmaceuticals’ 6% and non-banking financial institutions’ 4.8%. Banks and telecommunications also ended in the green, gaining over 4% and 2% respectively.

Conversely, the jute sector was the worst loser shedding 19%. l

Bull run continued on the stock market for the fourth straight week, as indices and turnover climbed a new height, spurred by a buying binge mainly of power and financial sector shares.

In the past week that ended on Thursday, the benchmark DSEX soared 183 points or 4% to close at a new height of 4,702. With the week’s rally, the total gaining points since the January 5 election reached over 400 points.

The DS30 index, the blue chip stocks, went up sharply with gaining more than 71 or 4% to 1,664. Shariah based index DSES that was launched on Monday gained 34 or 3.6% to end at 976.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) also ended higher, with its Selective Categories Index CSCX rose 346 or 4% to 9,234.

Buoyant trading also continued as the daily turnover averaged Tk739 crore, registering more than 13% increase over the previous week’s average of Tk651 crore.

Analysts said long upswing of the market and relatively calm in the political arena has encouraged many, particularly those who remained on the sidelines so far, to inject fresh fund into the market.

Participation increased, as the market is seemingly heading for stability and there is no tough political programme in near future, said an analyst.

“Investors are hustling to buy shares and pushing the market up continuously,” said LankaBangla Securities in its weekly market analysis. They are probably expecting a good year for listed companies in terms of profitability, it noted.

“Increasing turnover with long green

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS Company Rupali Life Insur.-A Meghna Con. Milk -B Meghna PET Ind. -Z Imam Button -Z Dulamia CottonZ Shampur Sugar -Z Zeal Bangla Sugar -Z Stylecraft -A BD Building Systems -A Appollo Ispat CL -N

Closing (% change) -26.86 -19.38 -19.00 -16.96 -11.76 -10.42 -10.10 -9.78 -9.37 -7.77

CSE LOSERS Company Rupali Life Insur.-A 8th ICB M F-A Imam Button -Z Alltex Industries -Z BD Building Systems -A Appollo Ispat CL -N Rahima Food -Z Sinobangla Indu.-A Argon Denims Limited-A Beach Hatchery -A

Closing (% change) -28.62 -21.52 -15.04 -10.42 -9.35 -7.52 -6.97 -6.33 -6.02 -5.66

ANALYST

4702.66260

(+) 4.06%

1664.10488

(+) 4.48%

14588.3934

(+) 4.04%

12189.3721

(+) 5.14%

9234.1462

(+) 3.90%

Average (% change) -25.84 -19.02 -18.46 -14.61 -11.58 -11.68 -7.81 -9.69 -9.17 -8.03 Average (% change) -26.87 -21.52 -11.93 -8.82 -9.24 -7.64 -8.76 -6.02 -5.19 -5.62

Closing average 99.00 13.11 8.17 9.53 9.01 8.62 9.09 912.00 66.39 36.90

Closing average 97.14 62.00 9.74 8.68 66.34 37.00 69.39 31.20 72.19 30.08

Weekly closing

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

Weekly high

98.30 12.90 8.10 9.30 9.00 8.60 8.90 911.10 65.80 36.80

Weekly closing

105.00 17.00 9.90 11.60 11.20 10.10 10.70 947.00 73.00 40.30

Weekly high

96.50 62.00 9.60 8.60 65.90 36.90 70.70 31.10 71.80 30.00

99.80 62.00 10.80 9.90 73.20 40.30 77.90 33.10 75.00 32.40

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

2

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,262.63

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.43

CSE key features January 19-23, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

3,289.03

Turnover (Volume)

90,493,464

Number of Contract

123,905

Traded Issues

250

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

186

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

62

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

1

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,158.85

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.17

Weekly low

Turnover in million

84.00 12.10 8.10 9.00 8.90 8.50 8.90 822.60 61.00 36.60

Weekly low

167.123 7.495 1.815 2.343 0.850 0.158 0.131 1.393 348.650 793.656

Turnover in million

90.80 58.00 9.40 8.60 65.40 36.70 68.00 31.00 68.60 29.50

Latest EPS

Latest PE

5.33 -4.60 -0.52 -2.20 -1.90 -45.28 -5.64 20.50 3.28 1.60

Latest EPS

9.497 0.089 0.226 2.410 44.223 179.994 2.832 7.450 4.805 33.548

18.6 -ve -ve -ve -ve -ve -ve 44.5 20.2 23.1

Latest PE

5.33 3.48 -2.20 -1.56 3.28 1.60 -0.64 0.64 3.33 0.79

18.2 17.8 -ve -ve 20.2 23.1 -ve 48.8 21.7 38.1

Closing (% change) 23.66 21.50 21.31 19.01 18.44 18.03 17.69 17.41 16.95 16.07

CSE GAINERS Company IFIL Islamic M.F.1-A Meghna Life Ins. -A Dutch Ban. Bnk- A I P D C -A 1st Janata Bank MF-A Prime Islami Life -A Northern G Insur-A ICB Emp. PMF-A Padma Oil Co. -A Islamic Finance-A

Closing (% change) 21.31 20.05 19.79 19.40 18.33 17.64 17.25 16.67 15.69 15.08

Average (% change) 19.88 17.34 18.83 16.81 19.37 17.30 18.78 19.02 15.36 11.21 Average (% change) 19.18 17.42 19.88 17.06 13.86 15.99 17.19 14.38 14.73 12.58

Closing average 22.25 23.69 7.32 126.88 145.48 142.58 125.15 50.44 6.91 6.25

Closing average 7.27 141.95 125.33 23.61 6.90 125.84 50.32 6.84 353.46 20.23

Weekly closing 23.00 24.30 7.40 129.60 144.50 142.70 124.40 49.90 6.90 6.50

Weekly closing 7.40 144.30 125.30 24.00 7.10 129.40 50.30 7.00 355.50 20.60

Weekly high 23.20 24.60 7.60 133.50 160.60 151.70 128.00 51.80 7.00 6.60

Weekly high 7.50 152.00 127.00 24.50 7.10 133.00 51.00 7.00 357.40 20.80

Weekly low 18.90 20.00 6.20 98.90 126.00 119.00 98.00 40.00 5.80 5.70

Weekly low 6.10 122.00 100.00 20.50 6.00 110.00 39.00 5.80 315.00 17.90

Turnover in million

Latest EPS

19.417 76.767 52.509 75.288 36.871 237.405 93.284 124.573 14.769 17.710

Turnover in million

4.16 0.91 1.32 4.95 2.30 6.45 9.21 3.04 0.64 0.76

Latest EPS

6.215 5.073 3.253 5.638 2.280 0.803 4.798 1.120 63.417 21.526

1.32 6.45 9.21 0.91 0.80 4.95 3.04 0.64 27.28 0.87

Latest PE 5.3 26.0 5.5 25.6 63.3 22.1 13.6 16.6 10.8 8.2

Latest PE 5.5 22.0 13.6 25.9 8.6 25.4 16.6 10.7 13.0 23.3

Weekly news from trade server Audited/unaudited Financial Reports:

BSCCL: (H/Y): As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31.12.2013 (July'13 to Dec'13), the Company has reported net profit after tax of Tk. 246.23 million with EPS of Tk. 1.64 as against Tk. 492.39 million and Tk. 3.28 respectively for the same period of the previous year. Whereas net profit after tax was Tk. 104.92 million with EPS of Tk. 0.70 for the period of 3 months (Oct'13 to Dec'13) ended on 31.12.2013 as against Tk. 229.99 million and Tk. 1.53 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

BSC: (Q1): As per un-audited quarterly accounts for the 1st quarter ended on 30th September 2013 (July'13 to Sep'13), the Company has reported profit/(loss) after tax of Tk. 17.54 million with EPS of Tk. 1.29 as against Tk. (133.87) million and Tk. (16.18) respectively for the same period of the previous year. Accumulated profit/ (loss) of the Company was Tk. (2,127.92) million as on 30.09.2013.

BDCOM: (H/Y): As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31.12.2013 (July'13 to Dec'13), the Company has reported net profit after tax of Tk. 28.38 million with EPS of Tk. 0.85 as against Tk. 22.56 million and Tk. 0.68 respectively for the same period of the previous year. Whereas net profit after tax was Tk. 14.38 million with EPS of Tk. 0.43 for the period of 3 months (Oct'13 to Dec'13) ended on 31.12.2013 as against Tk. 11.78 million and Tk. 0.35 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

Mozaffar Hossain Spinning Mills Limited: (Q1): The Company has reported its net profit after tax Tk. 24.23 million and basic EPS Tk. 0.69 for the 3 (three) months ended on 30 September 2013 (July 2013- September 2013) as against profit after tax of Tk. 18.83 million and basic EPS of Tk. 0.54 for the same period of the previous year. It is to be noted that basic EPS has been calculated based on weighted average Pre-IPO paid-up number of shares i.e. 34,975,000 shares both for 2013 and 2012. However, considering Post-IPO 62,475,000 number of shares the Company's basic EPS for the 3 (three) months ended on 30 September 2013 would be Tk. 0.39. Moreover, considering Post-IPO 62,475,000 number of shares, the company's NAV would be Tk. 16.48 as on 30 September 2013. The last AGM of the company for the year ended on 30 June 2013 was held on 28 August 2013 and the Company has not declared any dividend for the year ended on 30 June 2013.

MARICO: (Q3): As per quarterly accounts for the 3rd quarter ended on 31st December 2013 (Oct'13 to Dec'13), the Company has reported profit after tax of Tk. 346.76 million with EPS of Tk. 11.01 as against Tk. 283.90 million and Tk. 9.01 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

Whereas profit after tax was Tk. 1,099.25 million with EPS of Tk. 34.90 for the period of nine months (Apr'13 to Dec'13) ended on 31.12.2013 as against Tk. 657.79 million and Tk. 20.88 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

ECABLES: (H/Y): As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31.12.2013 (July'13 to Dec'13), the Company has reported net profit after tax of Tk. 16.71 million with EPS of Tk. 0.70 as against Tk. 15.89 million and Tk. 0.66 respectively for the same period of the previous year. Whereas net profit after tax was Tk. 12.58 million with EPS of Tk. 0.52 for the period of 3 months (Oct'13 to Dec'13) ended on 31.12.2013 as against Tk. 8.83 million and Tk. 0.37 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

MONNOCERA: (H/Y): As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31.12.2013 (July'13 to Dec'13), the Company has reported net profit after tax of Tk. 4.61 million with EPS of Tk. 0.19 as against Tk. 4.93 million and Tk. 0.21 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

Whereas net profit after tax was Tk. 0.74 million with EPS of Tk. 0.03 for the period of 3 months (Oct'13 to Dec'13) ended on 31.12.2013 as against Tk. 0.36 million and Tk. 0.02 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

NTLTUBES: (H/Y): As per un-audited half yearly accounts as on 31.12.2013 (July'13 to Dec'13), the Company has reported net profit/(loss) after tax of Tk. 20.31 million with EPS of Tk. 1.13 as against Tk. (39.90) million and Tk. (2.21) respectively for the same period of the previous year. Whereas net profit/(loss) after tax was Tk. 11.94 million with EPS of Tk. 0.66 for the period of 3 months (Oct'13 to Dec'13) ended on 31.12.2013 as against Tk. (22.70) million and Tk. (1.26) respectively for the same period of the previous year.

Increasing turnover with long green candles are indicating that fresh money is flowing in the market

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

783,184

Sunday, January 26, 2014

DSE Million Taka 3419.17 3227.85 1335.23 4879.16 1032.67 5172.50 11.00 4292.24 3487.21 5.22 159.80 1029.93 192.98 2242.40 353.09 1358.29 2083.58 980.41 953.45 764.82 2.37

% change 9.25 8.73 3.61 13.19 2.79 13.99 0.03 11.61 9.43 0.01 0.43 2.78 0.52 6.06 0.95 3.67 5.63 2.65 2.58 2.07 0.01

Million Taka 358.55 295.09 96.55 515.72 113.05 315.63 0.00 468.87 255.24 1.64 15.98 36.83 26.72 148.42 59.32 56.50 108.95 98.74 165.92 154.07 0.27

CSE

% change 10.89 8.96 2.93 15.67 3.43 9.59 0.00 14.24 7.75 0.05 0.49 1.12 0.81 4.51 1.80 1.72 3.31 3.00 5.04 4.68 0.01

Million Taka 3777.72 3522.94 1431.77 5394.88 1145.71 5488.13 11.00 4761.11 3742.46 6.86 175.77 1066.76 219.70 2390.83 412.41 1414.79 2192.53 1079.15 1119.37 918.89 2.64

Total

% change 9.38 8.75 3.55 13.39 2.84 13.63 0.03 11.82 9.29 0.02 0.44 2.65 0.55 5.94 1.02 3.51 5.44 2.68 2.78 2.28 0.01

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Padma Oil Co. -A Meghna Petroleum -A LankaBangla Fin. -A UCBL - A Olympic Ind. -A S Purbanchol Power-N Square Pharma -A Appollo Ispat CL -N ConfidenceCement A UNITED AIR-A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Appollo Ispat CL -N Mozaffar H.Spinning-N UNITED AIR-A UCBL - A BSC-A S Purbanchol Power-N Padma Oil Co. -A LankaBangla Fin. -A Golden Son -A Generation Next-A

Volume shares 3,366,662 4,389,098 11,153,501 28,438,422 4,704,909 10,943,300 3,535,878 21,125,000 5,345,540 41,762,709

Volume shares 4,778,800 3,325,000 8,165,505 3,650,834 172,270 913,250 188,668 775,947 894,261 1,594,960

Value in million 1135.87 1117.22 868.78 828.45 821.42 816.06 799.77 793.66 763.06 737.14

Value in million 179.99 147.98 144.53 106.75 81.61 68.09 63.42 60.39 57.50 57.09

% of total turnover 3.07 3.02 2.35 2.24 2.22 2.21 2.16 2.15 2.06 1.99

% of total turnover 5.47 4.50 4.39 3.25 2.48 2.07 1.93 1.84 1.75 1.74

Weekly closing 355.10 260.60 80.90 30.20 173.00 75.90 235.90 36.80 147.40 17.40

Weekly closing 36.90 41.30 17.50 30.30 469.30 75.90 355.50 81.30 63.40 35.90

Price change 15.74 8.27 4.66 6.71 -0.63 5.27 7.77 -7.77 9.67 2.96

Weekly opening 306.80 240.70 77.30 28.30 174.10 72.10 218.90 39.90 134.40 16.90

Weekly high 358.00 264.80 82.90 31.00 191.00 76.40 240.00 40.30 149.00 19.00

Weekly low 300.00 230.00 69.00 25.50 163.00 67.00 202.00 36.60 130.00 15.30

Weekly average 353.63 260.72 79.58 29.90 172.89 75.28 235.67 36.90 146.29 17.46

Price change -7.52 0.00 3.55 6.69 9.27 5.42 15.69 4.90 -2.61 -1.10

Weekly opening 39.90 0.00 16.90 28.40 429.50 72.00 307.30 77.50 65.10 36.30

Weekly high 40.30 47.80 18.50 30.50 499.00 76.30 357.40 81.60 67.90 36.70

Weekly low 36.70 40.20 15.40 25.60 429.80 72.00 315.00 74.00 62.50 34.70

Weekly average 37.00 41.11 17.50 29.91 470.54 75.35 353.46 79.87 63.93 36.15

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

B3

Sunday, January 26, 2014

RBI policy rate seen reducing market swings n Reuters Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) proposal to change its main policy tool to a 14-day rate from an overnight one is a move bankers expect to help them better align their lending rates with central bank decisions.

It will also reduce swings in the country’s volatile money markets, they said.

The proposals are included in a report released on Tuesday by a RBI panel. The main recommendation is that India moves to inflation as the main monetary policy objective ahead of economic growth and financial stability, with specific focus on consumer price inflation.

The panel suggested monetary policy should be decided by a committee, as opposed to the central bank governor as it is now, and a two-phased change eventually resulting in the 14day rate for repurchase agreements, or repos, becoming the main operating rate. Repos are bonds-for-loans money market transactions.

Bankers and analysts welcomed the proposals, some of which can be adopted if RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan approves them.

Others, such as the need for a monetary policy committee and an inflation-targeting framework, need legislative approval.

“Currently there is not much of reference to money market rates when banks price their deposit products,” said M Narendra, chairman and managing director of state-run Indian Overseas Bank.

“Since our deposits start from 7 days and 14 days, the RBI’s 14-day reference rate will be a strong reference point to build the pricing curve,” Narendra said.

The RBI currently sets monetary policy through rates for its overnight repo and reverse repo operations. Yet, the interbank market for repos, or repurchase agreements, suffers from relatively low volume trade.

In an economy where banks rely on overnight borrowings and swaps to fund longer-term lending, the constant uncertainty about the availability and cost of funds is a constraint. Volatility

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Raghuram Rajan (centre) arrives to attend an event in a school in New Delhi in overnight funding markets prevents banks from swiftly changing their lending and deposit rates with each shift in monetary policy.

Rajan has already begun encouraging banks to switch to longer-term borrowings. He introduced 14-day repos in October, soon after taking office in September as part of an ambitious slate of reforms that includes accelerating the development of India’s financial markets.

Since July, banks have also been barred from borrowing more than 0.5% of their deposits from the central bank’s overnight window.

“Rajan wants monetary policy transmission to happen faster,” said IDBI Bank Executive Director RK Bansal.

“Once 14-day term repo becomes the policy rate, that will be a better indicator for banks, and banks will price

their deposits and loans accordingly,” Bansal said. However, it is vital that the central bank stops managing the government’s cash balances before it transitions to a new system, bankers said. The balances can by huge and can cause market swings when they are shifted around the economy.

If that cash was managed more directly through the banking system, it would cause less strain to money markets, they said.

A leaf out of China’s book?

The absence of a benchmark other than the overnight rate has been a policy hurdle, requiring banks to offer rates on deposits based on fickle projections of liquidity and short-term rates.

The panel’s proposal calls for the 14day repo rate to replace the overnight repo rate as the policy benchmark.

The proposed changes would take

India a step closer to China, where the central bank has since mid-2012 used a combination of forward repos and reverse repos to inject funds in periods ranging from seven to 28 days, and also to withdraw them when it wants to tighten cash conditions.

Yet the shift in policy proved insufficient to offset money market volatility in China, which experienced two massive funding crunches in June and December last year.

Commercial banks in India have to report their balance-sheet positions and maintain mandatory cash reserves every two weeks. A 14-day rate would therefore help banks plan and fund their books to match that reporting cycle.

“Instead of overnight rate, which is an ultra short-term benchmark and can be volatile depending on sudden needs of banks, a 14-day rate will mean a bank can lock in the funds at a par-

REUTERS

ticular rate for longer time and will be more stable,” Narendra said.

That stability in funding could enable banks to reflect policy changes faster in their deposit rates. Bankers say the current one-day signalling rate tends to delay the transmission of policy shifts by as much as six to 12 months.

The overnight call money rate, which should ideally be close to the RBI’s repo rate of 7.75%, has been on average about 80 basis points higher than the policy rate since October.

Bankers still expect to have some teething troubles if the proposals are adopted.

“If we move to a 14-day term repo borrowing, it will make the term repo rate more stable than the overnight rate,” said Ashish Parthasarathy, treasurer at HDFC Bank. “But a bank’s planning and forecasting of liquidity will get that much more important.”

Gmail stumbles as Google services disrupted n AFP, San Francisco Google’s widely used free email stumbled Friday as some of the Internet giant’s services were disrupted by apparent software woes.

An online Google Apps dashboard indicated that trouble rippled through Gmail, Google+ and an array of the company’s other services.

Google did not disclose the extent of the Gmail glitch but the brief outage was believed to have affected millions of people, including those using the service at work.

Complaints were posted online from Europe, Canada, the United States and elsewhere.

Google referred an AFP inquiry to its online Apps tracking dashboard, which indicated that a dozen services including Gmail and its social network Google+ - had experienced problems.

The dashboard indicated that all Google services were working again as of early afternoon in California.

Yahoo, whose own Web-based email service experienced a massive outage in December, was quick to join a chorus on Twitter spreading word of the Gmail issue.

Yahoo even tweeted a screen capture of a Google message apologizing for the problem. l

Apple mulling move into mobile payments: report n AFP, New York Apple is considering launching a mobile-payments service for its iPhone and iPad, which would compete with major players such as PayPal, The Wall Street Journal said Friday.

The newspaper, citing sources familiar with the matter, said Eddy Cue, Apple’s iTunes and App Store chief, “has met with industry executives to discuss Apple’s interest in handling payments for physical goods and services on its devices.”

Apple manages purchases of digital content in its online store iTunes. l

Rout in emerging markets may only be in Phase One n Reuters

A general view of the central business district during autumn in Beijing

REUTERS

The flight of investors from the once-booming emerging markets they previously favoured with $7tn worth of inflows may have only just begun.

It is mainly retail investors who have packed their bags and moved on to date. If and when big institutional firms join in, there is a risk of wholesale capital flight.

Signs of China slowing down and the global impact of a wind-down in US monetary stimulus - effectively draining money from the system - have been particularly punishing in emerging economies dependent on external financing.

Currencies in Turkey, Argentina and Russia have hit record lows, for example, lifting safe-haven yen, Swiss francs and US Treasuries in a sign of global contagion.

Such moves are crucial factors for foreign investors because exchange rate losses can easily wipe out any gains in stocks bonds in the high-yielding emerging world.

However, data on capital flows shows many long-term investors have either stuck with, or even added to, their emerging holdings. The outflows of over $50bn seen since 2013 have largely been driven by retail investors.

But fears are that at some point the big investors will be forced to cut losses and run as the effect of falling currencies becomes too painful to bear.

“Every emerging market crisis is first-and-foremost a currency crisis,” said Mike Howell, managing director of London-based CrossBorder Capital.

“Emerging economies have very weak private sector cash flow growth.

This is both a cyclical but also a struc-

The traditional annual week-long festival celebrating the life and works of one of the greatest national poets, Michael Mudhusudan Dutt started yesterday.

Michael Madhusudan Dutt (25 January 1824 – 29 June 1873) was a popular 19th century Bengali poet and dramatist.

The event Modhusudan Mela is widely considered as a tribute to this

legendary poet and dramatist.

The seven day long programme includes musical concerts, poetry recitations, dramas and speeches.

This is the 6th consecutive year that Banglalink has sponsored the event organised by DC Office in Jessore.

Present at the week-long festival as chief guest was Ismat Ara Sadeq MP, State Minister, Ministry of Public Administration and Babul Haque, Regional Commercial Head, Banglalink were also present as special guests. l

n Reuters

BRAC Bank Limited and Mondol Group’s two concerns, Alim Knit (BD) Ltd and Mondol Knit Tex Ltd have signed a payroll agreement recently. BRAC Bank will provide payroll related services including salary disbursement, loan facility, credit card facility to the employees of the two companies, according to the deal. Head of Retail Banking Division of BRAC Bank, Firoz Ahmed Khan and Abdul Momin Mondol, managing director, Alim Knit (BD) Ltd and Mondol Knit Tex Ltd, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organisations

Modhumoti Bank Limited has inaugurated its 3rd branch at Ashulia in Savar on Thursday.

Administrator of Zilla Porishod in Dhaka, Hasina Dowla opened the branch as chief guest.

The bank’s board chairperson, Humayun Kobir presided over the opening ceremony in presence of MP, Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and Md Ismail Hossain, managing director of Sharmin Group

And emerging stocks are the worst performer in global markets this year, having lost 4%. But investor positioning so far seems far from extreme.

“What we haven’t seen in emerging markets is major currency devaluation, a run on government debt or ratings downgrades. Any combination of those would suggest humiliation trade (a complete giving up of the asset class) is taking place,” said John Bilton, European investment strategist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Now investors may need to be braced for further outflows.

The Institute of International Finance expects capital inflows into emerging markets, which include buoyant direct investments, to fall more than 3% to $1.029tn in 2014 - the lowest since at least 2009. Portfolio equity flows are forecast to be down $17bn. l

No bank too big to indict, US attorney general says

Modhumela festival kicks off n Tribune Business Desk

tural problem. There is a lot more pain to take out in the emerging markets.”

Emerging debt performance of the past year illustrates how currency moves matter. For example, South African government debt was slightly positive in rand terms in 2013. But in dollars terms, it lost more than 18%, according to Citi’s bond index.

And in the past three months or so, the dollar has risen 2% against key developing currencies.

Fund tracker EPFR estimates emerging equity and bond funds have seen outflows of almost $5bn so far this year, on top of $58bn of losses seen in 2013. EM equity funds have had 13 consecutive weeks of outflows, the longest run in 11 years. JP Morgan estimates emerging equity exchange-traded funds have already seen a net redemption of $4.2bn this year.

First Security Islami Bank Limited has launched its zonal office in Sylhet yesterday. The bank’s managing director AAM Zakaria inaugurated the zonal office. Among others, the bank’s deputy managing directors, Syed Waseque Md Ali and Syed Habib Hasnat were present on the occasion.

No American financial institution is too large to indict and no bank executive immune from criminal prosecution, Attorney General Eric Holder said in a television interview.

'There are no individuals who are in such high level positions that they cannot be indicted, criminally investigated' In an interview with MSNBC scheduled to be broadcast on Friday, Holder cited the case against JPMorgan Chase & Co, which in November agreed to a civil settlement under which it would pay $13bn to end a series of government investigations

into its marketing and sale of mortgage-backed securities.

The settlement with JPMorgan, the largest US bank, allowed prosecutors to pursue criminal charges if warranted, and that investigation is ongoing.

“There are no institutions that are too big to indict,” Holder said, according to an MSNBC transcript released before the interview.

“There are no individuals who are in such high level positions that they cannot be indicted, criminally investigated,” he said.

The Justice Department is investigating “significant financial institutions,” Holder said without elaborating.

“And the focus of those investigations is not only on the institutions but on individuals as well,” he told MSNBC. Holder told Reuters in December the Justice Department plans to bring civil mortgage fraud cases against several financial inst tutions early in 2014, using the JPMorgan case as a template. l

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Career

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Succeeding at the IT and Telecom Sector Secrets of how to thrive in the fierce and fast-paced field n Nakibul Hoq It may come as a surprise to many of you, but at our office, GradConnect, we receive hundreds of queries about careers. Most of our correspondents tend to be young professionals who inquire about things like how to become a successful banker, or how to become the ideal engineer after a physics major at the undergraduate level.

Fortunately we at GradConnect have sought out the answers to the multitude of career-related questions. And no matter what happens, we are committed to helping young people out in any way we can.

As part of that promise, we are carrying out an in depth analysis of the different careers young graduates of Bangladesh are increasingly entering and flourishing through their hard work and dedication. Today we are going to analyse and dissect the qualities required to succeed as a professional in the IT or telecom sector.

The most important aspect that hiring experts in this industry continuously stress upon is the ability to make qualitative deductions from quantitative and technical reasoning. You have to be able to spot errors quickly and correct them efficiently. Everything you do, you will always have to work as part of a team; meaning that your abilities to work cooperatively with peers, juniors and superiors is an integral part of the nature of the job. Working with programming languages and codes will be a daily part of your job. Broadcasting, monitoring networks, and working on different systems will be what drives you.

However, you must enjoy the technical and engineering parts of the job.

There will be tedious algorithms that

As an employer, we receive hundreds and sometimes even thousands of applicants against a single job posting.

So what is the real secret behind getting shortlisted? Fancy Resumes? Pretty pictures? Amazing grades? Is it mostly luck and all the stars aligning together to give you what you desire?

How do you stand out within the crowd?

I’m afraid it’s less mystical and far simpler than that!

Here are some easy tips to help increase your probability of being shortlisted for an interview.

Spelling mistakes, typos and weak grammar

Nothing screams out “poor attention to detail” more than an application that is

n Ahsan Sajid We have all participated in brainstorming sessions, whether it is for an essay in school or in a business meeting with a group of people for a new product.

Brainstorming is ideal for coming up with creative solutions to an existing problem. However, in a group brainstorming session, for various reasons only a few key players express their ideas and the rest of the room simply follows suit and expounds and rehashes the same ideas until it is spread very thin. The final consensus is reached

problem by giving everyone an equal opportunity in a non-threatening scenario.

Why use it? l

l

l

Brainwriting is extremely simple and doesn’t require any preparation – just participation It allows equal participation from all without inhibition – vocal and shy personalities alike It reduces the likelihood of conflict as people focus on the problem at hand and the solutions rather than on individual people.

Problem / Question: How can we get more young adults to seek library membership?

will take you several sleepless nights to crack, and at other times you will have untamable, unworkable computers and laptops which you will have to domesticate. Hence to pass through all this you will have to persevere extremely hard. You will do extremely well if you enjoy problem-solving and are highly analytical, and truly feel passionate about what you are working with.

While there is no doubt that you will have to be diligent to strive through the initial phase to rise up, it is also imperative that you know exactly what you are working with. In the technical lines of the business, technical knowledge has to be specific and adequate. With-

out skill, you will be playing to catch up, and in this industry that means you are going backwards.

Also, as we all know, technology undergoes extremely rapid change. A year and a half back, I ditched my personal desktop to use a laptop. At that time the laptop seemed extremely portable and user-friendly. And then at the end of 2013, I began using an iPad. Ever since then my laptop has been rendered more or less useless. The pace of change in the technology industry is rapid and exponential, and this means you need to be able to adapt and change with your surroundings to devour knowledge as it hits you at such a rate.

Perhaps the best part about a career in this field is the room for growth.

There is a lot of space available for young professionals to grow and mature in this career. Not only is the return on your hard work extremely concrete in monetary terms, but the job itself is also very compelling as you will be facing exciting and ever changing challenges on an almost daily basis. l The writer is a Research Analyst at GradConnect, an international career information and advisory firm. You can email him at nakib@grad-connect.com, and find out more about GradConnect on www.gradconnect.com

Five essential tips to increase your potential of being shortlisted n Faria Samreen Nizam

Brainwriting for a windfall of ideas

embedded with spelling mistakes and typos. An online resume is your “first impression” to a potential employer, so be ready to magnetise them.

Take the time and make the effort to read your profile over and over again and be on the look -out for the slightest of errors. It really makes a whole lot of difference and showcases you to be a fine communicator who cares about his work.

Believe me: the employers take heed when you put in the effort! Take the time and polish up all parts of your application. If you’re ever confused and require some advice it’s always a

good idea to have a fresh pair of eyes glance over your online application before you click apply.

Read before you apply

Before you apply to a job posting, ensure that you have read the job description properly and that the responsibility and requirements of the job is actually in line with your skills and expertise.

You may use this information to actually enrich your profile as well as highlight your relevant skills and accomplishments to set yourself apart from others.

Take the time and make the effort to read your profile over and over again and be on the look -out for the slightest of errors. It really makes a whole lot of difference and showcases you to be a fine communicator

However, be aware that nothing sets an employer off more than when a job seeker who does not meet the qualifications starts applying to the job posting.

Not to mention, it sets you up for heartbreak too when you wait for weeks and there is no invitation for an interview.

Do not share too much information!

As hard as it may be for some to believe, this means no birth date, religion, hobbies, weight, marital status, parents’ names, links to Facebook or personal blogs, children, sexual orientation or life mission statements.

All of this information is your personal property and there should be no platform to even remotely promote biasness. In fact did you know that in some countries, employers can even get sued for asking for such information in applications?

Do not leave too many fields blank

The online job applications include a series of spaces with titles that require you to fill in the space; some of which are required and some of which are optional. It is important that you fill more than just the required spaces, as you do not want to appear lazy or disinterested.

In fact the more relevant information you put in, the better the employer gets to know you on a professional level. But keep in mind that does not mean you reveal everything! Your resume should ideally not be too long or contain irrelevant information.

Make your resume scannable

Ensure that you make your resume scannable. The neater the resume and the more usage of bullets and blocks of solid texts make it that much easier for busy recruiters and HR managers to take a glance at your application and get the gist.

Remember, recruiters have hundreds of resumes to look into, so the easier you make your resume to scan the more likely they are to appreciate it and be drawn to it.

And on that note, Good Hunting! l The writer is the Head of Marketing & Sales for Loosemonkies.com

1

We buy more couches and make comfortable sitting arrangements instead of only sticking to wooden chairs and tables.

4

We need faster internet.

2

5

The comfortable sitting idea is fine, but we have to find a way to make sure that people are not lounging on them all day. One way to do this would be to give library visitors time blocks, and once their time is up, they must let others have the spot.

We must introduce time blocks for internet use as well. Currently, a big problem is that some members occupy the computers for so long that many are not table to use them at all.

without considering ideas that never materialised because the majority of the team never had the opportunity to speak up.

Some team members may simply be shy, or afraid of rejection or ridicule.

Some may fear that their ideas are too bold to propose while conservatives may only stick to safe alternatives.

Stronger personality types may push their own ideas and get defensive.

What is it?

Brainstorming is very effective, but it has its drawbacks and particularly so in large groups. These drawbacks are addressed by the brainwriting technique, an idea generation process that ensures participation from every team member. This approach generates far more ideas than brainstorming and sometimes from the unlikeliest of sources.

History

Brainwriting is described by former Chief, PCIS, UNICEF Bangladesh Neill McKee with Dr Hermann Tillman and Dr Maria Salas in their Visualization in Participatory Programs Manual which was used during planning processes for social mobilisation and communication in UNICEF-supported programmes in Bangladesh.

How does it address the issue?

Traditional brainstorming allows one person to speak at a time. Hypothetically speaking, by the time your chance to speak comes at the end of the table, you have already edited, rejected or forgotten your original idea. This reduces spontaneity, creativity, and productivity of brainstorming sessions.

Brainwriting effectively eliminates this

1.

3

We have to revise our fine policy. A big deterrent for young adults who are our potential library members is that we charge too high a fine for late returns.

6

Not only do we need faster internet, but also we need to make the switch to Wi-Fi as most young adults these are aren’t reliant on our computer lab and would rather use their own device to access the internet.

How does it work?

There is no need for facilitation during the process, but a facilitator should prepare papers or cards with brainwriting the template for each participant. Refer to the figure for how this template should look.

2. 6 to 8 participants should sit in a circle facing inward.

3. Each participant at this point needs to think of an actual problem to be addressed, and write it down on the top of the page. (In case the problem to be addressed has already been agreed upon, the facilitator should write the problem on the top of the sheet before handing it to everyone.)

4. Each participant hands their sheet of paper to the person sitting on their left for them to write a suggestion or answer to the problem proposed.

5. Once all the participants are done writing an answer or suggestion on the paper, they hand it to the person sitting on their left again.

6. This person may choose to do one of the following or both – write an entirely new suggestion below the original suggestion, or improve on the first one. Once done, participants must pass the paper to their left again.

7. The session continues like so till each participant has seen each paper and answered problems posed on every one of them.

8. In a debriefing period at the end of the process, participants may choose to discuss and select the best solutions for each of the original problems posed. l

Negotiate like a pro Feasible - Possible, something that can be done.

n Career Desk Agent - Person or company that acts for another and provides a specified service.

BIZ VOCAB

Agreement - Arrangement between two or more people or companies.

Bargain price - Reduced price Bedrock price - Lowest possible price.

Commitment - Engagement or undertaking; to commit oneself.

Compromise - Each party gives up certain demands in order to reach an agreement.

Condition - A stipulation or requirement that must be fulfilled.

Contract - Written agreement between two or more parties.

Figure out - Find a solution; estimate the cost.

Know-how - Practical knowledge or skill.

Joint venture - A way of entering a foreign market by joining with a foreign company to manufacture or market a product or service.

Negotiate - Discuss a business deal in order to reach an agreement.

Point out - Draw attention to something (e.g. the advantages of your proposal).

Proposal - Course of action, or plan, put forward for consideration.

Quote - Give an estimated price (a quotation).

Range - A selection of products sold by a company.

Rebate - Reduction or discount.

Counter-offer - Offer made in response to an offer by the other party.

Supply - Provide customers with goods or services.

Counter-productive - Having the opposite effect to that intended.

Supplier - Person or company that supplies goods or services.

Deal - A business transaction.

Discount - Reduction in price.

Estimate - Approximate calculation of the cost.

Facilities - Equipment (e.g. parking facilities).

Tender - A written offer to execute work or supply goods at a fixed price Turnkey - Equipment ready for use or operation (e.g. a plant or factory).

Underestimate - Make too low an estimate of something (cost, danger, difficulty).