06 april 2014 copy

Chaitra 23, 1420 Jamadius Sani 5, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 8

SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

Arts & Letters | GHOST IN THE MACHINE

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11 | WHY DIDN’T WE TAKE A STAND?

13 | WILL THEY CONTINUE TO DOMINATE?

Massive cut in subsidies likely

Lankans out to spoil India party

A large chunk of subsidies spent on fertiliser and power so far n Asif Showkat Kallol The government, upon pressure from the International Monetary Fund, may slash subsidy allocation drastically during the ongoing fiscal.

A finance ministry official said the government had various reform plans that might impact the allocation for power, the official said.

A large chunk – around Tk13,989 crore – of total subsidies was spent on fertiliser and power at the end of March while the target was Tk32,354 crore in the budget for the current fiscal year, finance ministry data show.

Sources said the government was going to be conservative in spending the remaining subsidy target for the ongoing fiscal and also slash the target significantly for the upcoming fiscal.

The total subsidy outlay for FY201314 will be Tk26,000 crore, down 20% from the figure for the ongoing fiscal.

More than half of the subsidy every year goes to the energy sector and steps were being taken to check that, the official said. Subsidy allocation for agriculture and other sectors might remain more or less unchanged, he added.

The subsidy for fertiliser stood at Tk6,221 crore at the end of the last month. Chances are high that the amount will remain that way.

The second highest subsidy of Tk4,113 crore was for power, but the amount may not increase as the government has planned to further hike energy prices before the upcoming budget.

However, export subsidy was Tk1,944 crore in the current fiscal and subsidy for petroleum was Tk1,253 crore, jute Tk400 crore and other subsidies Tk58 crore.

Spending on subsidy for petroleum and power grew substantially as the government in the last seven years approved a number of rental power plants in a bid to solve power crisis.

Against such a backdrop, the IMF has been putting pressure on the government for the last two years to bring down subsidy.

The government in the last two years adjusted electricity and petroleum prices several times after being pressured by the IMF, the finance ministry official said.

Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission on March 13 increased retail power tariff by 6.96% per unit (kilowatt-hour) on an average with the price rising from Tk5.75 to Tk6.15, a hike of Tk0.40.

The government has also made a commitment to the IMF that if the difference between the international and  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

n Mazhar Uddin

Indian skipper MS Dhoni (L) and Sri Lankan captain Lasith Malinga hold the ICC World T20 trophy at the SBNS yesterday

A lot is at stakes for both India and Sri Lanka when the two sub-continental giants face off in the final of the ICC World Twenty20 at the Shere-Bangla National Stadium today.

The world No 1 Twenty20 side, India is yet to taste defeat in the tournament and their captain MS Dhoni will be keen to maintain the streak and earn their third major medallion in as many years. India won the ODI World Cup MUMIT M

Poor witness protection slows trials Jamil Khan n Mohammad and Ashif Islam Shaon The trials of around 50 top listed criminals in several Dhaka courts have been progressing at a snail’s pace for the last 20 years mainly because the witnesses do not dare testify amid “inadequate police protection.”

Officials concerned blame the police for their “irresponsible performance” as they fail to provide proper security to witnesses. However, State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal blamed the lawyers of these criminals for delaying the trial process.

The top notorious criminals include Sweden Aslam, Bikash Kumar Bishwas, Subrata Bain, Joseph, Titon, Emon, Habibur Rahman Taj, Kamal Pasha, Freedom Rashu, Freedom Sohel, Killer Abbas, Liakat Hossain, Arman, Moshiur Rahman Kochi, Pichchi Helal, Ibrahim, Akter and Rakib. They are facing charges of murder, possession of arms and bombs, and snatching.

When contacted, a number of witnesses said they could not rely on the security arrangement provided by the law enforcers.

Abdullah Abu, public prosecutor of the Dhaka’s Metropolitan Sessions

Judge’s Court, told the Dhaka Tribune that the cases had not been progressing as the police were not performing their duties properly, though “they are mainly responsible” to ensure the presence of witnesses after a court issues warrant in any case.

The police do not even file any progress report with the court about the witnesses, he said.

Anisur Rahman, additional deputy commissioner of the CID, refuted the allegations. “Police are performing their duties properly.

“We have been trying constantly to  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Afghan voters defy Taliban threats n AFP, Kabul Afghans voted in large numbers yesterday to choose a successor to President Hamid Karzai in the country’s first democratic transfer of power as US-led forces end their 13-year war.

Despite Taliban threats, voting was largely peaceful with long queues in cities across the country as voters cast their ballots at around 6,000 centres under tight security.

The Taliban had rejected the election as a foreign plot and urged their  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Suhrawardy Udyan: A haven for the homeless Floating families get involved in crimes; in return they are allowed to live and do business for free

n Udisa Islam Kabir, 17, has been selling cannabis and phensidyl at the Suhrawardy Uddyan and Bangabazar areas in the capital since he was 11. He now employs five other boys in their late teens who help run his business.

Nayan, another teenager, used to work at a tea stall near Curzon Hall of Dhaka University few years ago.

Now he has his own tea stall at the Suhrawardy Uddyan. Apart from selling tea, Nayan lends his stall to the “big brothers” of the Dhaka University area for hiding arms.

These so called big brothers are generally the armed criminals affiliated with the student fronts of the two major political parties. Whenever one party is in power, the criminals and the top leaders of its student front become the big brothers of the entire campus area, including the Suhrawardy Uddyan.

The Uddyan has in recent years become a nuclear township for many such teenagers. Not only are their livelihoods based at the Uddyan, it also serves as their dwelling.

But nothing comes for free for these “floating” kids. Many said they did not like what they were doing, but could not help. “We are bound to follow what they [big brothers] tell us. If we obey them, life becomes easier and we can live safely,” said Nayan.

Wahida Banu, executive director of Oporajeyo Bangladesh, said: “Almost every major urban centre in Bangladesh houses thousands of people, who live in these public spaces without any basic facility. Moreover, they get in-

Homeless families are allowed to live in makeshift shades in the capital's Suhrawardy Udyan, for which they have to take part in various criminal activities NASHIRUL ISLAM volved in different kinds of criminal activities because the state does not care about them.”

According to an estimate of the Marie Stopes Clinic Society (MSCS), 1,0004,000 homeless people live places like Suhrawardy Uddyan. The society had identified six other similar locations in the capital.

An MSCS survey found out that many homeless people live and make a living at the urban centres. Of them, 26% are unmarried women and 15% unmarried men. Some 36% live as married couples with a 3.6 average family size.

At least a hundred such families live in the Suhrawardy Uddyan alone. Most

of them either beg or ferry small stuffs or peddle drugs for a living.

Some are only allowed to live in the park for free because they let the big brothers use their tea stalls as arms stashes.

Ratan, a drug peddler, told this correspondent that he had been living in the Uddyan because living in a slum in

the city would cost him at least Tk3,000 per month.

“As we [he and his family] stay here, all the members of my family get to do something or the other for a living. So, staying in the park with family is easier than staying in a slum,” Ratan said.

He also said he earned Tk3,500 per month on an average by selling drugs.

His 10-year-old son works as a peddler for him.

Official data shows that the government has rehabilitated some 14,000 homeless people through its Ashrayan project until 2014. There are plans to rehabilitate 36,000 more by 2017.

The homeless people, who live in the roadsides and parks, comprise only a minor chunk of the rehabilitation because mostly those living in slums have been selected.

Rights activist Sahina Akhtar told the Dhaka Tribune that: “Living in the parks makes sure that they can carry their business at the parks without any hassle. They only have to manage police and local political leaders by bribing them with a part of their incomes.”

Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said: “Police is a big organisation that also conducts many social program. If someone brings any specific allegation against any of our members, we will definitely take necessary actions.”

About arms stashing in the tea stalls in the parks, he said: “We continuously conduct drives [to unearth arms stashes]. A special team of police in plainclothes is currently taking necessary actions in this regard.” l

Lack of coordination hurting climate change policy implementation n Abu Bakar Siddique Absence of coordinated planning in tackling the fallouts of climate change may badly hurt Bangladesh’s food production despite having adequate knowledge and good practices, professionals have said.

The final draft copy of the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change’s 5th Assessment Report published on Monday expressed fears that extreme events such as drought, flood and cyclones would change ecosystems and disrupt food production and water supply across the world.

The IPCC report recommended that the governments mainstreamed climate adaptation actions in to the national development plan, warning systems and water resources management.

According to previous IPCC reports, flood, drought and salinity were the major headaches for Bangladesh.

The IPCC is a scientific body under the United Nations which produces reports that support the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the main international treaty on the issue. It does not carry out its own original research; rather it bases its assessment on the available pub-

lished literatures.

Echoing the IPCC report, Bangladeshi professionals said the government needed to incorporate climate adaptation measures into the plans for disaster management and agriculture and the overall development activities.

Referring to the 2009 Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan, Dr Atiq Rahman, executive director of Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies, said lack of proper planning had meant that climate initiatives had mostly been off track.

Under the policy, the government has created two funds – Bangladesh Cli-

Poor witness protection slows trials  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

bring the witnesses to the court and have sent forces to provide them with security. But in most cases, they refuse to testify out of fear as the cases are against top criminals,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. “If the witnesses do not want to come, then what can we do?”

State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal recently told parliament that the high-profile criminals had been extending their stay in jails by delaying the cases and carrying out misdeeds.

“A number of dangerous criminals and militants are in jails as cases have been filed against them. The number of such [pending] cases is also increasing.

Lawyers of the criminals are delaying trial intentionally by seeking time for hearings.”

He said it was a major problem for the government, and that they were

trying to conclude the cases swiftly.

“If they are found guilty, they will be punished. Otherwise, they will be released,” he told parliament.

The trial of a murder case filed against Bikash with Mohammadpur police station in 1995 is going on at the Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court.

The charge sheet was submitted at the court in 1997 but the case did not see progress only because of the absence of witnesses.

Likewise, the trials of three cases filed against Sweden Aslam, Subrata Bain, Joseph, and Titon have been underway at the second and third special sessions judge’s courts since 1995, 1996 and 1997. Charge sheets in the cases were submitted before 2000. But no witnesses testified so far.

The case against Bikash about the sensational double murders in Agargaon of April 2, 1997 has also been

stagnant. The Third Special Sessions Judge’s Court case is dealing with the case filed with Tejgaon police station.

The police submitted the charge sheet on July 7, 1998. However, they have so far been able to produce only two witnesses out of 29.

As the trial of the cases remain pending for years, top criminal Bikash was released from Kashimpur Jail on December 14 last year on bail and fled to India. He is facing at least eight cases.

Of those, trial of five murder and two arms cases are currently underway.

The trial of Jubo League leader Galib Murder case is underway at the Second Special Sessions Judge’s Court against Sweden Aslam and 20 others. The case was filed with Tejgaon police station on March 23, 1997. Police pressed charges in the case on April 8, 1998 but were only able to bring 10 witnesses out of 24 until 2003. At least 13 cases including those filed for murder and arms

mate Change Trust Fund and Bangladesh Climate Change Resilience Fund.

The source of finance of the first is domestic while the second is contributed by development partners.

Dr Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, executive director of the Centre for Global Changes, criticised the government for taking up projects such as sea beach conservation, which have little relevance with developing climate change resilience.

Citing Brri Dhan 53 and Brri Dhan 54 as examples, Dr Ahsan said Bangladesh not only needed to develop more of these saline tolerant varieties of paddy, but also make sure that the coastal

possession were filed against him.

The same court is dealing with the businessman Fazar Ali murder case filed against Subrata Bain on March 6, 1996 with Ramna police station. Police submitted the charge sheet on July 11, 1997, but until November 12, 2001 they produced six witnesses out of 13.

After 2001, no witnesses appeared at the Third Special Sessions Judge’s Court in the trial of Mukta murder case against Joseph, Titon and six other criminals.

It was filed on January 1, 1995 with Dhanmondi police station. The police submitted the charge sheet on August 28, 1996 and the court indicted the eight accused on October 7, 1997.

However, they produced five witnesses among 14 until 2001.

The courts issued warrants against the witnesses in the cases for repeated times but the police failed to make any progress. l

Afghan voters defy Taliban threats  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

fighters to target polling staff, voters and security forces, but there were no major attacks reported during the day.

The head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) Ahmad Yusuf Nuristani told AFP turnout was better than expected, without giving figures, but lower in rural districts than cities.

“We have had reports of ballot papers running low in some areas and have ordered regional and provincial centres to supply extra material,” he said.

Polling stations started to close at 5:00 pm (1230 GMT), though officials said that people already in line would still be allowed to vote.

In Kabul, hit by a series of deadly attacks during the election campaign, hundreds of people lined up in the open air to vote despite heavy rain and the insurgents’ promise of violence.

“I’m not afraid of Taliban threats, we will die one day anyway. I want my vote to be a slap in the face of the Taliban,” housewife Laila Neyazi, 48, told AFP. Poll security was a major concern

following the attacks in Kabul, most recently a suicide bombing on Wednesday that killed six police officers.

- One dead, two wounded But a fatal blast was reported in Logar province, south of Kabul, where one person was killed and two wounded according to Mohammad Agha district chief Abdul Hameed Hamid.

IEC chief Nuristani said attacks or fear of violence had forced 211 of a total 6,423 voting centres to remain closed.

The day before the poll Associated Press photographer Anja Niedringhaus was shot dead by a police commander in eastern Khost province.

She was the third journalist working for international media to be killed during the election campaign, after Swedish journalist Nils Horner and Sardar Ahmad of Agence France-Presse.

Interior Minister Omar Daudzai said all 400,000 of Afghanistan’s police, army and intelligence services were being deployed to ensure security around the country.

Afghans have taken over responsibility for security from US-led forces and this year the last of the NATO co-

alition’s 51,000 combat troops will pull out, leaving local forces to battle the resilient Taliban insurgency without their help.

In the western city of Herat, a queue of several hundred people waited to vote at one polling station, while in Jalalabad in the east, voters stood patiently outside a mosque.

Voters also lined up in Kandahar city, the southern heartland of the Taliban, with some women among the crowd in contrast to the 2009 election when turnout was very low due to poor security.

The country’s third presidential election brings an end to 13 years of rule by Karzai, who has held power since the Taliban were ousted in 2001.

- No clear favourite Around 13.5 million people were eligible to vote from an estimated total population of 28 million.

As well as the first round of the presidential election, voters also cast ballots for provincial councils.

The front-runners to succeed Karzai are former foreign minister Zalmai Rassoul, Abdullah Abdullah -- runner up in

farmers extensively grew these crops.

For this, he said, the Department of Agricultural Extension must get a move on.

Mohammad Abdul Wazed, director general of the government’s Department of Disaster Management, said Bangladesh had adequate knowledge to not worry about rescue and rehabilitation after cyclones and flood.

The government had been working to build a linkage between disaster and agriculture to curb the risk of crop damages, he said, adding that the issue had already been incorporated in the sixth Five Year Plan. l

A faction of the Gonojagoron Moncho yesterday “expelled” Imran H Sarker, the spokesperson for Moncho, declaring him “unwanted” in the platform.

The move came within days after a series of events concerning the Gonojagoron Moncho, which has been blamed on the ruling party supporters.

On Thursday, two Moncho activists were injured, what Imran blamed on Chhatra League while the other faction said it was internal feud.

On Friday, the two factions were forced away by law enforcers from holding simultaneous rallies in the capital that left seven people detained.

The other faction who had blamed Imran for mismanagement and misallocation of funds declared the spokesman unwanted yesterday.

The “expulsion” came from a press conference addressed by Jagroto Jonota Joint Convener Habibullah Mesbah.

The faction blamed Imran for detention of Muktijoddha Sangsad Santan Command President Mehedi Hasan, saying: “Police held them on Imran’s provocation.” The press conference demanded immediate release of Mehedi Hassan and protested the case against Abir Ghosh. l

Two get bail in Shahbagh chaos n DU Correspondent A Dhaka court has granted bail to two persons who were arrested from Shahbagh in two separate cases filed by Gonojagoron Moncho and Muktijoddha Sangsad Santan Command.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Imdadul Hoque bailed Shams Rashid Joy, a Moncho activist, and Mehedi Hasan, president of Muktijoddha Sangsad Santan Command, yesterday afternoon.

Five other detainees were released from the police station upon taking bonds from them, Shahbagh police station Officer-in-Charge Sirajul Islam told the Dhaka tribune.

Both Gonojagoron Moncho and Muktijoddha Sangsad Santan Command filed separate cases with Shahbagh police station early Friday, against each other for the attack on Thursday night.

The cases were filed following their failures to reach any understanding at a meeting held at Shahbagh police station in the presence of some policemen. l

Massive cut in subsidies likely  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

domestic prices of petroleum goes beyond Tk10 a litre, they will go for price adjustments to cut subsidy, the official said.

A special audit will be carried out into the state enterprises that deal with fuel, electricity and fertiliser to contain misuse and increase efficiency so that subsidy comes down, he added.

Also, the loans taken by these enterprises for giving subsidy will be repaid from the budgetary allocation in the next fiscal year by releasing special bonds.

IMF ECF MoU revealed the efficiency of audits of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation, Power Development Board and Chemical Industries Corporation, completed in June 2013, which are now operating with financial inefficiencies.

The government also promised to focus on efforts first on strengthening the

BPC and hire professional staff for its financial management by March 2014 and adopt automated financial reporting software for it by December 2014.

The energy division will also appoint a global firm in association with a local firm to conduct a financial audit for BPC for FY13, to be completed by September 2014, according to an agreement between the finance division and IMF under ECF programme.

Dr Khondarker Golam Moazzem, additional research director of CPD, said the government would have to ensure proper utilisation of subsidy and thus affected sectors benefit from it.

“The government has no alternative, but to raise energy prices for fear of a huge shortfall in revenue. The government will take decision to raise energy prices on the pretext of setting conditions by the IMF,” he said. l

Lankans out to spoil India party  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

the 2009 election -- and former World Bank academic Ashraf Ghani.

There is no clear favourite and if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of the vote in the first round -preliminary results for which will be announced on April 24 -- a run-off is scheduled for late May. Massive fraud and widespread violence marred Karzai’s re-election in 2009 and a disputed result this time would add to the challenges facing the new president.

Whoever emerges victorious must lead the fight against the Taliban without the help of more NATO troops, and also strengthen an economy reliant on declining aid money.

The election may offer a chance for Afghanistan to improve relations with the United States, its principal donor, after the mercurial Karzai years.

Relations fell to a new low late last year when Karzai refused to sign a security agreement that would allow the US to keep around 10,000 troops in Afghanistan to train local forces and hunt Al-Qaeda. l

Imran ‘expelled’ from Gonojagoron Moncho n DU Correspondent

in 2011 before they travelled to England and bagged the Champions Trophy last year.

Meanwhile for the Lankan side a win will not only end their inexplicable losing streak in the title matches, but bring something more along. It will be a perfect farewell for their two legends Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who will retire with the final and at the same time bring them financial benefit. The SLC has promised its players, who have been under constant troubles with the board regarding payment issues, a million dollar bonus on bringing the title home.

The islanders have spent nearly three months in Bangladesh now and have so far conquered whatever came their way – the bilateral full series against Bangladesh and the Asia Cup. They looked determined and went allin in every match, even so that their T20 captain Dinesh Chandimal opted to sit out in the semifinal for his poor form as Lasith Malinga led the team.

Sometime they defended 119 in a do-or-die match while sometime they bowled out their opponents for the lowest T20 total – Sri Lanka has been a complete package in the event.

Sri Lanka hasn’t been the best batting unit as it was always someone different who rose on the occasion. It will be critical for India if Kusal Perera gets off at the top while Tillakaratne Dilshan has also showed glimpse of getting back the form in the semifinal against West Indies. The rest remains on the experienced shoulders of Jayawardene and Sangakkara before Angelo Mathews comes in with the late blows.

However it will be testing times once again for the bowling department led by Malinga and Rangana Herath and their biggest challenge will be the strong Indian batting lineup.

Virat Kohli has been leading the Indian charge with ample ease and remains the main man behind all success. He has flourished in the best possible way and stood up whenever India needed a savior.

Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina and Yuvraj Singh have all chipped in around Kohli who remained calm in every situation. However, his calmess will definitely be test at yet another big stage as India, who clinched the inaugural title of the tournament in 2007, look to add another trophy to their cabinet.

The spinners have been crucial for India as the fast bowling department has been inconsistent. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Drug administration to test quality of community clinic medicines Allegations raised against substandard drug from subcontractor

n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The country’s drug administration has been directed to test samples of the free medicines that are used to treat patients at community clinics, after allegations were raised against substandard drugs being supplied by a public drug manufacturer.

On March 25, the Directorate General of Drug Administration (DGDA) received a letter of request from Makhduma Nargis, an additional secretary and the director of community clinic project, to assess the quality of the drugs supplied to the community clinics by Essential Drug Company Limited (EDCL).

The letter also read that members of the steering committee on community clinic, headed by the health secretary, had unanimously decided on testing the sample of medicines.

Selim Barami, a director of the DGDA, confirmed about receiving the letter and told the Dhaka Tribune that the drugs administration would carry

out quality tests after collecting random medicine samples from the stock that was ready to be supplied to community clinics.

The health ministry reportedly spends more than Tk100 crore each year to distribute free medicine among the poor patients of community clinics across the country.

At present, community clinics offer 30 drugs including few antibiotics freeof-cost.

During the last four fiscal years, medicine worth Tk406 crore had been used for treating around 15 crore community clinic patients.

The Dhaka Tribune has learnt that although millions of taka has been spent for buying the medicines, the DGDA – which is the legal authority for checking medicine quality – had never carried out any laboratory test to assess the quality of the procured drugs for community clinics.

Seeking anonymity, a health ministry official said there was no doubt about the excellent quality of med-

icines manufactured by the EDCL, which had been supplying over 70% drugs to all public health hospitals and institutes.

However, as the EDCL was suffering from excess workload, it recently issued a subcontract to a private company with poor reputation for manufacturing some of the medicines for community clinics, the official claimed.

Several community clinic officials, preferring to stay unnamed, told the Dhaka Tribune that different clinics across the country had raised complaints over the past few months against the substandard quality of EDCL’s medicine.

Mukduma Nargis, director of the community clinic project, however said no compromise was ever made with the quality of medicine supplied at community clinics.

Saying her letter to the DGDA was “nothing serious,” she added that the steering committee had decided on a random check to ensure the quality of drugs.

3

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Replying to a query on EDCL’s subcontract, Nargis said the deal was made as the public drugs manufacturer had been facing excessive workload. Quality control officers, however, were always checking the drug quality before the medicines were supplied to community clinics.

Despite repeated attempts by the Dhaka Tribune, the CEO of the EDCL, M Kadrul Huda, was not available for comments.

Currently, 12,527 independent community clinics have been running at the root-level under the project “Revitalization of Community-based Healthcare in Bangladesh.”

Community clinics help provide the basic healthcare packages to the people, including maternal and child healthcare, reproductive health and family planning services, immunisation, nutrition education, micronutrient supplementation, health education and counselling, communicable disease control, treatment for minor ailments and first aid. l

Hasina: No vote rigging by AL-backed candidates n Emran Hossain Shaikh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday brushed aside allegations of vote rigging against her party-backed candidates in the upazila polls, and countered such claims by pointing out that Jamaat-backed candidates would not have been able to win polls if there were incidents of rigging.

“Many people are saying Awami League had rigged the poll. If the Awami League would rig votes, we could not allow a single post of Jamaat for wining,” Sheikh Hasina, also the president of ruling Awami League, said at the start of her party’s Working Committee meeting at her official residence yesterday evening.

Mentioning the results of the upazila polls, the premier said the son of Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, a Jamaat senior leader who is also accused of committing war crimes, had won the election. She also asked how so many Jamaat-backed candidates were able to win chairman and vice-chairman seats, if there were incidents of vote rigging by the Awami League.

In the meeting, Hasina urged his party activists and all citizens to be alert against international terrorism and militants.

“We have to take preparation against these powers [terrorists] so they are not able to create situations of terror,” the leader said.

Earlier, Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam expressed his concern against the emergence of militants in Bangladesh along with the world.

Ashraf said a large number of fundamentalists and Islami Chharta Shibir activists were active online as bloggers.

“Not only Bangladesh, but also the worldwide they [fundamentalists] have occupied blogs and were confusing people, especially our young generation,” Ashraf, also the LGRD minister, said. People must be alert against such activities and ensure that the young minds knew the real history of the country, he added.

Without mentioning any name, Ashraf criticised some media outlets saying there were some newspapers who considered themselves as aristocrats and claimed that it was only them who spoke about the truth and the reality.

The leader slammed the UK-based NGO Muslim Aid for allegedly providing money in favour of militant.

“There are many madrasas of our country backed by Mulsim Aid, where militants are being trained,” he said. l

Chhatra League no more with Gonojagoron n DU Correspondent The Bangladesh Chhatra League yesterday said the organisation was ready to make an apology if the allegation brought against them by members of Gonojagoron Moncho is proved true.

“Otherwise, they (Gonojagoron Moncho) will have to apologise for filing false cases against Chhatra League,” BCL President Badiuzzaman Sohag said while speaking at a press conference yesterday.

Gonojagoron Moncho filed a case with Shahabag Police Station on Thursday night accusing Chhatra League activists Sheikh Asman and Nasim Al Momin Rupok of assaulting activists of the platform.

“Once the Gonojagoron movement represented the demands of the people, but now it is totally separated from the masses” Siddique Nazmul Alam, secretary general of BCL central committee, said at the press conference.

“It was Chhatra League who had saved Gonojagoron Moncho from fundamentalists in the past. We always stood by the Moncho when Hefazat and Jamat-e-Islami attempted to attack its activists on May 5 2013,” BCL President Badiuzzaman Sohag told reporters.

“We have no differences with the spirit of Gonojagoron Moncho, but the

Moncho has become isolated from the people.”

Alam alleged that the Moncho was spending huge sums, received from some anti-government bodies and NGOs for its programmes, but was unsuccessful in achieving anything.

Meanwhile, Muktijoddha Shongshod Shontan Command (MSSC), considered a fraction of the Gonojagoron Moncho, said Moncho spokesperson Imran H Sarker has been “expelled” and was “unwanted” by the platform.

Jagroto Jonota Joint Convener Habibullah Mesbah announced the “expulsion” through a press conference held at the Dhaka University’s Madhur Canteen yesterday.

On Friday, the two factions (Gonojagoron and MSSC) were prevented by law enforcers from holding simultaneous rallies in the capital’s Shahabag intersection, where seven people, including MSSC President Mehadi Hasan, were detained by the police.

On Saturday, MSSC blamed Imran for mismanagement and misallocation of funds and declared the spokesman unwanted. The faction also blamed Imran for the detention of Mehedi Hasan.

The platform demanded an immediate release of Mehedi Hassan and protested the case lodged against Abir Ghosh, who was claimed as a member of this faction. l

Victims of Tazreen factory fire form a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday, demanding compensations

‘Election Commission should be impeached’ n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP Standing Committee Member Rafiqul Islam Miah yesterday said the Election Commission “should be impeached” through a supreme judicial council for “violating” constitution.

“The constitution said the commission could comprise one or more and one of them could be the chief election commissioner; but it said nothing about an ‘acting’ chief election commissioner... There is no legal base of appointing Abdul Mobarak as the acting chief election commissioner.

“We think that the commission has

become illegal. To investigate their illegal activities, a judicial probe committee should be formed. So, I think the incumbent Election Commission should be impeached through a supreme judicial council,” he said.

Addressing a discussion at the National Press Club in the capital, the BNP leader said election officials, ruling party leaders and the EC had jointly destroyed the electoral and democratic processes.

Criticising the government for awarding power transmission corridor to India, Miah alleged that it was meant to serve only the ruling party’s interest.

“The power secretary said costs and

benefits were not analysed. Why then was the corridor given?” he inquired.

At the same programme, Jafarullah Chowdhury, founder of Ganashasthya Kendra, slammed BNP for not practicing democracy within its ranks.

“Why can the BNP not practice democracy in choosing leaders? Why do they have to look upon former bureaucrats?”- was his question.

Chowdhury also said if Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman read history before making statements, then there would have been no problems.

“We fought the Liberation War under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s leadership,” he said. l

Bagpipers march in front of a rally organised to observe the Savings Day in the capital yesterday

NASHIRUL ISLAM

WIFE MURDER

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Garment factory owner

‘Husband rented killed in Ashulia new flat for killing wife’ n Kailash Sarkar n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Police investigation says Abul Hasan Liton, who allegedly killed his wife, rented the new flat after planning to kill her.

Earlier on Friday night, the Pahartoli police recovered the decomposed body of Nasima Akhter in a plastic drum kept in the kitchen of their newly rented flat in the port city’s Greenview Residential Area.

Sub-Inspector Abu Salek of Pahartoli police station said Liton had feud with the victim over family issues that instigated him to kill his wife.

There was no mentionable bruise found in the body, and the SI added that Liton fled after killing her.

Police assumed that the victim was forcibly put into the drum and as a result she was strangulated to death at least three days back.

Mohammad Ismail, owner of the building, said Liton rented the flat on March 25 and got into the flat along with his son and wife on March 26.

“Liton went out taking his son on April 1. The neighbours got bad smell on Friday night and informed the police,” he added.

SI Fazlur Rahman, second officer of the Pahartoli police station, said police nabbed gatekeeper Shamsul of the building for interrogation in this regard.

A case was lodged in this connection. l

One of the owners of a garment factory in the industrial zone of Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital was hacked to death inside the factory by some unidentified assailants last night.

The deceased was Md Azam, a 30-year-old businessman killed in the office room of his factory – Jubayer Cap Company Ltd – located on the 2nd floor of Bhai Bhai Super Market in Ashulia Palli Bidyut area.

Police said they detained Azam’s business partner Golam Mostofa in connection with the killing.

The detainee, however, denied the allegation against him and his involvement in the murder.

Mostofa, rather, told police that while Azam and he had been talking together in the factory office, some masked men entered there and hit Azam in the head and later hacked him to death.

He also claimed that he escaped the scene by jumping from the building.

But the victim’s family ruled out the version given by the business partner.

They alleged that Mostofa along with his cohorts were locked into an altercation with Azam over a business-related matter, and they left the office after killing Azam and locking the door from outside.

Some of the workers first saw Azam killed and later informed police, who recovered the body and took it to Ashulia police station.

Sheikh Rasel, assistant superintendent of police, Savar Circle of Dhaka district police, said on information, they recovered the body by breaking open the door of office room in which Azam was killed.

“One of the workers was detained for questioning about the murder,” he said.

Md Azam hailed from Shahjadpur in Sirajganj district. He resided in Ashulia. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, April 6, 2014

DMP: Dhaka’s drug trade under control Around 641 persons convicted in 631 drug cases in last two months ed two-year imprisonments, 412 six n Mohammad Jamil Khan months imprisonments and 76 less Dhaka Metropolitan Police in coordination with two executive magistrates convicted 641 persons in 631 drug cases filed with different police stations in the capital in the last two months.

The team during its special anti-narcotics drives that started from February, recovered 50,000 pieces of Yaba, 5,000 bottles of Phensedyl, 1kg heroin and 175kg cannabis.

The revelation came at a press briefing held yesterday at the DMP Media and Community Centre.

Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of Detective Branch of police, claimed that the drug dealing in the capital came under control because of massive raid by the law enforcers.

“We have taken such special operation as drug is the mother of all crimes.”

A drug abuser resorts to theft, robbery and even killing in order to get money, said Monirul.

“At the beginning of the drive, we convicted 197 people in 194 cases in February, 406 in 399 in March and 38 in 38 cases in the first two days of April,” added the police official.

Of the convicts, 153 were award-

than six months, he said.

Monirul Islam added that police were operating drives in full swing to arrest the drug dealers rather than drug addicts. It was the only means to checking drug abuse, he said, claiming that no drug was manufactured in the capital, rather it was shipped to the metropolitan city from the border areas.

The drugs were mostly imported from Cox’ Bazar, Satkhira, Jessore, Jhenaidah, Meherpur, Rajshahi, Naogaon, Kurigram, B’Baria, Comilla and Feni districts, Monirul said.

In reply to a question, the joint commissioner said if other law enforcement agencies including officials of the Department of Narcotics Control stepped up their vigilance in line with police force, drug suppliers would not be able to push drugs into the country as well as the capital.

Shahabuddin Khan, joint commissioner (crime and operation), Krishna Pada Roy, deputy commissioner of DB police, and Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner (media and publication) of DMP were, among others, present at the press briefing. l

BCL withdraws suspensions of 4 JU unit leaders n JU Correspondent

CPB and SPB to hold Dhaka-Teesta Sir Alasdair MacDonald road march for proper water sharing arrives in Dhaka

The central committee for Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) on Friday night lifted the suspension upon its four leaders of its Jahangirnagar University unit, including its general secretary, after a month into their suspensions.

The sources said the BCL’s Central Committee President Bodiuzzaman Shohagh and General Secretary Siddiqui Nazmul Alam made the decision by signing a resolution paper in this regard.

JU unit President Mahmudur Rahman Jony told the Dhaka Tribune: “Our central leaders have withdrawn the suspensions at JU unit Chhatra League, including its General Secretary Rajib Ahmed Rasel and Organising Secretary Faisal Hossain Dipu.”

“All suspended leaders have been re-appointed to their own posts”, he said.

The other two leaders were JU unit Sports Secretary M M Niamul Hasan Taaj and Deputy Social Welfare Secretary Bashirul Haque.

The central BCL committee suspended their posts on March 4 following a fractional clash between the followers of Rasel and Dipu on March 2 over taking toll from a food shop.

Following the clash, BCL central committee declared these four JU leaders suspended for violating the code of the organisation on March 5. l

n Tribune Report Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Socialist Party of Bangladesh (SPB) is set to hold a three-day Dhaka-Teesta road march from April 17, demanding a proper share of water along the Teesta River from Indian government and protesting against subservient foreign policy of the Awami League-led government.

CPB General Secretary Syed Abu Zafar Ahmed made the announcement while speaking at a press conference at

Artists prepare decorative items on the premises of Dhaka University’s Institute of Fine Arts yesterday ahead of Pahela Baishakh celebrations

the party’s central office in the capital yesterday.

He also said the road march consisting of buses and vehicles will begin from in front of the National Press Club at 3:00pm after holding a rally at the venue.

The marchers will hold roadside rallies at Tongi, Gazipur and would spend the night in Sirajganj on the first day.

On the second day, the marchers will hold a rally at the district town and then march towards Bogra.

After staying the night in Bogra, the

Three Rohingya Yaba peddlers held n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Police yesterday nabbed three Rohingyas from Chittagong city’s Chamrar Gudam area while they were carrying 1,500 pieces of Yaba pills hidden in snacks for smuggling.

AKM Mohiuddin Selim, officer-in-charge of Kotwali police station, said they nabbed Ismail, 25, Dilara Begum, 23, and Laila Begum, 30, who were all Myanmar residents, living in a refugee

camp at Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar since 2012.

Acting on a tip-off, the arrests were made around 8am, the OC added.

He also said the trio, along with two kids and some sacks of Pitha and Achar, was going to the port city’s Colonelhat area from the city’s Shah Amanat Bridge by a CNG-run auto-rickshaw.

Their movement and approach seemed suspicious, OC Mohiuddin said.

A case was lodged with Kotwali police station in this connection. l

road march will head towards Teesta Barrage on April 19 and finally hold its concluding rally at Doani Bazar of Hatirbandha.

At the press conference, SPB General Secretary Khalequzzaman said the Indian government had controlled the flow of water of Teesta, making barrage in the upper basin of the river unilaterally.

Democratic Left Alliance, a coalition of seven left-leaning political parties, will also hold a three-day Dhaka-Teesta road march from April 8. l

Sir Alasdair MacDonald, ex head teacher of Morpeth secondary school in Tower Hamlets, London and governor (honorary) of Regent College, Dhaka, arrived in the capital yesterday to help improve the quality of education in Bangladesh.

He will conduct a series of training sessions with staff and students of Regent College during his weeklong visit.

The main focus of Sir Alasdair’s talks with educational leaders will be “Leadership for Learning.” His presentations

will centre on innovations and method currently being used to create and develop effective learning institutions.

Besides this, he will also speak at a British Council event and address all the head teachers and senior staff of Dhaka’s International Schools Association.

Sir Alasdair Macdonald, former headmaster of Morpeth School in London, is renowned for turning a struggling comprehensive school in the east end of London into one of the UK’s highest performing schools within 19 years. l

Woman sets herself on fire n Kailash Sarkar

A young woman sustained severe burnt injuries yesterday as she set herself on fire at her boyfriend’s office in Mohakhali at the capital.

She attempted suicide after the young man denied their relationship and refused to marry her.

Injured Smriti Nath, 28, from Lebutola, Jessore, was undergoing treatment at the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

Prashanta Hawlader, who refused to marry Smriti, sent the woman to the DMCH in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, but

did not go himself, the unidentified driver of the auto-rickshaw told reporters at the hospital gate around noon.

The injured, who is a junior officer of Southern Automobiles, said she had been in a relationship with Prashanta for seven years. Prashanta was a chartered accountant and was serving an automobiles company, she added.

“Since he joined the company, he seemed to be changed and started avoiding me. He neither visited me nor answered my phone calls, though we were supposed to get married soon,” she said.

“Under these circumstances, I went

to his office in the morning but he denied our relationship and refused to marry me. Then I decided to kill myself,” she added.

Debabrata Nath, Smriti’s younger brother, said he came to the DMCH after Prashanta informed him of the incident over the phone.

He, however, declined to make any comment in this regard.

Dr Enayet Kabir of the burnt unit said the woman survived as she only received burn injuries on the lower part of her body, adding that the woman was out of danger. l

Construction of 8 silos to start by next January

Obaidul: Drive against unfit vehicles next month n Mohosinul Karim Communication Minister Obaidul Quader has said the government will start a special drive next month to evict unfit vehicles from the capital’s streets to ensure congestion-free traffic flow.

The minister made the announcement while visiting the operations of a mobile court of Bangladesh Road Transport Authority in front of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport yesterday.

During the visit, he also penalised 13 vehicles for not having proper documents and fitness certificates while another 4 vehicles have been sent to the dump as their validity had expired.

A driver, who did not have any documents, including a driving license, was sent to jail by the mobile court.

Urging the people and media to play positive role to reduce accident and traffic congestion, the minister said: “The government is trying to eliminate these issues shortly to ease traffic so that people can move easily and freely.”

He also ordered authorised traffic officials to set Digital Traffic Signaling System and to use rumble strips at the airport area by widening the dividers further.

Roads and Highway Division Chief Engineer Md Shahabuddin and Deputy Commissioner of Traffic North Zone Shah Abdin Hossain, among other officials, were present during the minister’s visit. l

n Tribune Report

NASHIRUL ISLAM

n Mohosinul Karim

Winners of an art competition, organised by Meena Bazar, pose with their awards with artist Hashem Khan and author Muhammad Zafar Iqbal at the capital’s Bengal Gallery yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

CTG SHIP-BREAKING YARD FATALITIES

Victims’ families receive compensation n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Relatives of the four people who were killed during a toxic gas contamination at a ship-breaking yard at Sitakunda, received compensation yesterday from authorities of ship-breaking yard Arefin Enterprise, which provided Tk1 lakh for each of the victim’s families.

The Bangladesh Ship Breakers Association (BDBA) also pledged to extend more support for the families in future.

The yard will also bear all medical expenses for the two others who were injured in the accident.

BSBA President Hefzatur Rahman, Vice President MA Taher, Arefin Enterprise Chairman Kamal Uddin, were

present when compensation was handed over.

On Thursday, four people, Faruk, 28, Jashim, 26, Arif, 28, and Gias Uddin, 30, were killed and two others, Ramjan and Akbar, were poisoned after being exposed to toxic gas on a ship, MV Capital Lysenko, which recently arrived at the yard. l

The construction work of eight new food silos, which would increase the country’s food storage capacity, is likely to start by next January.

The Directorate General of Food has started the process to appoint a project director and consultants for the project after recently getting approval from Ecnec (Executive Committee of the National Economic Council), a senior official told the Dhaka Tribune.

The World Bank will loan Tk15.84 billion for the silo project, while the government will contribute Tk33.5 million.

“The WB board has already approved the proposal for financing the project,” Director General of Food Ahammad Hossain Khan said, adding, “We will appoint a project director and consultants immediately after signing the loan agreement.”

The signing ceremony is expected to be held today or tomorrow.

The DG also said preparations of structural designs and tender documents would be finalised in the next six months.

“We will then float tenders to appoint contractors for the project. It may take until next January to start the main construction work,” Ahammad said.

The silos will be located in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Madhupur, Ashuganj, Mymensingh, Chittagong, Barisal and

Bhairab. Six of the silos will be used for rice storage and two for wheat.

“We will build the new silos using modern technology and steel will be used as an alternative to concrete. That will increase the preservation period and quality,” the DG said.

“The way we preserve food grains now can maintain quality for two years, whereas the modern steel silos will ensure quality for four to five years,” he added.

The silos are scheduled to be built

by June 2020. The main construction work of the structures will likely be done within the first half of the next fiscal year, the DG said.

If the project is implemented within the stipulated time, the preservation of around 560,000mt of rice and 40,000mt rice seeds in flood-prone areas would be ensured.

“Now, we have a total storage capacity of 1.8 million metric tons, against an annual production capacity of 38 million metric tons of food grains,” Ahammad said.

The eight new silos would increase the storage capacity by an additional 600,000mt. As a result, the country’s food grain reserves would rise to 2.4 million metric tons, he added.

The country’s grain storage capacity must reach 3.05million metric tons by 2020 to ensure food security for all, according to experts. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Stinky water worries city dwellers Residents, Wasa at loggerheads over cause n Abu Hayat Mahmud The quality of water supplied by Water and Sewerage Authority is unlikely to improve before monsoon due to lack of steps taken by authorities concerned.

According to experts, though the Wasa has taken various steps to solve water crisis in the capital, the city people are deprived of pure drinking water due to lack of collecting surface water and its treatment process.

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Professor Md Mujibur Rahman said, “Quality of treatment plant water depends on various facts like sources of surface water, distribution and reservation of water by the Wasa.”

“The water of the Buriganga,Shitalakkhya and Balu rivers is highly pollut-

ed and a huge amount of chemical has to be used to treat the water, causing a bad smell. So it is not possible to get pure water for the people,” he said.

People living in different areas in Taltola, Shamim Sharani, Shewrapara, Agargaon, Kazipara, Ibrahimpur, Farmgate, Rajabazar, Tejkunipara, Tejturi Bazar, Shyamoli, Mohammadpur, and Kalyanpur complained that they were getting malodorous water, unsuitable for human consumption.

They alleged that Wasa has been supplying very poor quality of water, which is unusable even for shower, let alone drinking. Water crisis in Dhaka city during summer is very common as its demand goes up during the period.

Nasima Khatun, a resident of Taltala area, said: “The Wasa has been supply-

ing contaminated, stinking water and we sometimes find black substances in it.”

“We cannot drink, take a bath or cook using the filthy water,” she said.

Sajib Kibria, a resident of Hazipara adjoining Rampura, said: “People in and around the area cannot get fresh and odour-free water from the Wasa, as pipes get contaminated.”

“Many residents in the area are purchasing bottled water because of the bad smell and dirt in Wasa’s water,” he added.

Water expert and eminent environmentalist Dr Ainun Nishat told the Dhaka Tribune: “The Dhaka Wasa is not completely careful about its water supplying system, and as a result the city dwellers continue to face trouble using Wasa water.”

Dr Ainun Nishat, also vice chancellor of BRAC University, claimed that rich countries like England and United States of America are supplying water into pipe line with a high pressure every day. Even if there is a leakage in the pipeline, it cannot hamper water quality due to the high pressure.

Dhaka Wasa Managing Director Taqsem A Khan, however, denied the allegation on the poor quality of Wasa water.

“We have received objections from few areas. But there is no problem in Wasa’s treatment plant water; its quality is hundred percent pure and equivalent to World Health Organisation (WHO) standards,” he said.

Taqsem said they were investigating specific areas in Wasa MODS Zone 4 and 10, and they found that the problem

was in the customers’ reserve tanks.

SDM Kamrul Alam Chowdhury, deputy managing director (additional charge) of operation and maintenance of the Wasa claimed they have started to supply treatment plant water to different areas in Mirpur zone.

“The resident of those areas are not used to drinking the treatment plant water because we had supplied them pump water earlier,” he added.

However, Kamrul said water from the Sayedabad Treatment Plant might have a slight smell because of the presence of chlorine.

He also said the problem might also be caused by leaks in pipelines, with filthy water from open road drains becoming mixed with the water in the pipe through the leaks. l

Dhaka University 48th convocation on April 7 n DU Correspondent Dhaka University is all set to hold its 48th convocation, and will be held at the university’s central playground on April 7.

To stage the dress rehearsals of the occasion, the university authorities have already started distributing the convocation costumes among the students from April 4.

Students are requested to collect their respective costumes from Social Sciences Building, Science Cafeteria, Cafeteria, Business Faculty, Curzon Hall and TSC from 10:00am to 4:00pm on April 4 and 5 and from 10:00am to 1:00pm on April 6.

The president, also the Chancellor of the university, Abdul Hamid is expected to attend the convocation as the chief guest.

The press briefing also stated that this year a total of 8,312 students will take part in the convocation, of them 4297 are male and 4015 female graduates. l

Schoolboy crushed under train n Tribune Report A 14-year-old schoolboy was killed after falling under the wheels of a train in Daulatganj Bazar area in Laksam upazila here yesterday.

The accident killed Tanimul Ahmed Tuhin, a class-VIII student of local high school, and son of Abdul Matin, of Nasaratpur village in the upazila.

Laksam Government Railway police station OC Ahsan Habib said a Noakhali-bound train knocked down Tuhin in the area around 9:30am while he was on way to his school, leaving him dead on the spot.

The body was recovered and handed over to his family members, the OC added. l

WEATHER

RAIN LIKELY

Students of Bangladesh Agricultural University hold a candle-lit vigil on the campus protesting the killing of fellow student Saad Ibne Momtaz

n UNB

The government is going to initiate mobile courts to curb various forms of drug abuse, according to sources at the Home Ministry.

The ministry was expecting to finalise the draft Narcotics Control (Amendment) Act 2013 very soon to introduce stricter control over the growing menace, they added.

Once the amended law was passed, the trials of small-scale crimes relating to drug abuse could be handled through mobile courts on the spot, with the additional benefit of reducing the backlog of drugs-related cases in the court system.

Sources at the Department of Narcotic Control (DNC) said the proposed law contained provisions for 35 categories of punishment.

Earlier, courts used to sentence

a person 2-10-year jail term if found guilty of possessing 25kg heroin. Once the proposed law came into effect, the person would have to face either a life term or even capital punishment for the same crime.

The mobile courts would be able to hand down punishment for drug-related crimes in three categories. They would be empowered to hold trial for any amount of drugs.

Asked about the present status of the proposed law, Akhtarruzzaman M Mostafa Kamal, director (administration) of the DNC, said Narcotics Control Act (Amended) was awaiting cabinet’s approval.

“It will be placed in parliament upon the cabinet’s approval to it.”

If the proposed law was passed, he said, the trials of drugs-related crimes could be held instantly and the backlog of such cases pending with different

courts would ease gradually.

After the amendments, people involved in narcotic cultivation, production, and complicity in drug trade would face punishment, he added.

According to the DNC sources, some new narcotics, including morphine, have been enlisted in the proposed law.

The proposed law speaks about forming separate narcotic courts in every district to deal with drug-related crimes.

Officials concerned said every year 40,000-50,000 cases were filed in connection with drugs or related matters, and stressed the importance of setting up mobile courts authorised to deal with narcotics, to dispose of the cases fast.

Abu Tayeb, additional director of the DNC Dhaka Branch, said anti-drug activities, including capacity and power of mobile courts would be “ampli-

FORECAST FOR TODAY 34

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32

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Rajshahi

37

24

Rangpur

35

22

Khulna

37

23

Barisal

34

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Sylhet

34

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32

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Cox’s Bazar

n BSS

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

36.2ºC Jessore

17.2ºC Srimangal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:30am 5:47am 12:01am 4:30pm 6:16pm 7:33pm Source: IslamicFinder.org

fied” with the enactment of the law.

He said teenagers – both male and female – were taking various drugs like Shisha and Yaba in various ways, including injections, hampering social relations and harming themselves in the process. The proposed law was likely to play a crucial role in controlling the trend.

Sources said narcotic officials filed 10,111 cases against 10,990 people in 2013 and added that 40,000-50,000 such cases were still pending with different courts.

On an average, 1000-1500 cases are disposed of in a year and the accused getting out of jail through obtaining bails.

The DNC officials also noted that the new law would empower the authorities to confiscate the wealth amassed through drug trade. They said information about wealth of illegal drug trad-

ers, including their photos, were being collected.

Referring to drug smuggling into the country, they said the stimulant Yaba was smuggled into the country from Myanmar through Teknaf border. A database of the people who had amassed massive wealth within a short time in the area through which smuggling takes place was being prepared, officials said.

Legal action would be taken against them through the Anti-Corruption Commission, the DNC officials further said.

State Minister for Home Asaduzzman Khan Kamal said apart from narcotic officials’ efforts, other law enforcement agencies were conducting drives to put an end to the illegal drug trade. The law enforcers would take even more stringent steps to curb the drug menace, if needed, he added. l

13.17 lakh children given Vitamin A Plus capsule

DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:16PM SUN RISES 5:45AM

Chittagong

Bangladesh Agricultural University unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League permanently expelled its two activists namely Sujoy Kumar Kundu, organising secretary of Ashraful Haque Hall BCL BAU unit and Md Rukonuzzaman Rukon, an activist of the student body in face of strong protest by the students who are accused as Saad’s killers on Friday evening.

Saiful Islam, general secretary of BCL BAU unit confirmed the authenticity of the expulsion. Police arrested Sujoy Kumar Kundu and Rukonuzzaman Rukon on Wednesday night who are the prime suspects in Saad’s murder case from Mymensingh town. The two arrestees were produced before a court that sent them to jail on Thursday.

BAU authority served show cause notices to the arrestees asking them to reply by April 7. Board of Residence and Students Discipline would take final decision at its meeting scheduled to be held on April 8 evening with vice-chancellor of BAU Professor Rafiqul Haque as the chair, said Professor Shahidur Rahman Khan, proctor of BAU. Hundreds of agitating students of BAU observed their scheduled programmes protesting the killing of Saad Ibne Momtaz yesterday.

The students lighted candles at the pedestal of Bijoy’71 and held a rally on the campus yesterday in the afternoon.

At the rally, the students demanded permanent expulsion of Saad’s killers from the university to create congenial academic atmosphere in the university.

Later, they brought out a procession. The students also organized a “mass signature collection campaign” at the pedestal of Bijoy’71 to drum out supports in favour of their demands including arrest of all the involved in Saad’s killing and to make their names public.

BCL BAU unit also formed a human chain on the campus demanding the immediate arrest of Saad’s killers yesterday. BAU unit BCL President Morsheduzzaman Khan Babu and General Secretary Md Saiful Islam led the human chain programme, campus sources said.

Saad, 21, a final year student of Fisheries Faculty of BAU and organizing secretary of BCL Ashraful Haque Hall unit, was killed by the attack of fellow friends who are also BCL men. l

Tougher law in the offing to curb drug menace

SUNDAY, APRIL 6

Dhaka

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Protests continue at BAU to punish Saad’s Killers n Our Correspondent,Mymensingh

A child being administered with a Vitamin A Plus capsule by health attendant at Azimpur Maternity in the capital yesterday on the occasion of National Vitamin “A” plus campaign NASHIRUL ISLAM

Over 13 lakh children were administered Vitamin “A” plus capsules in the port city and district yesterday on the occasion of National Vitamin “A” plus campaign 2014.

One vitamin “A” plus capsule and de worm tablets were administered to a number of children aged up to five years in the city and district.

Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) administered vitamin “A” capsules to over six lakh children and fed one worming tablet to the children age zero to 5 years by engaging 4848 health workers and volunteers through 1212 vaccination centres at its all 41 wards.

CCC mayor M Manzur Alam inaugurated the day’s programme by administering oral Vitamin “A” plus capsule to the children at a function at Saleh Jahour Kinder Garden School auditorium this morning.

Besides, a total of 4815 temporary vaccination centres were set up by Chittagong Civil Surgeon office and in all 14 upazilas in the district.

A total of 25000 volunteers and health workers were engaged by civil surgeon office for giving vitamin “A” Plus capsule to over seven lakh children aged from zero to 5 years while an additional de worming tablet to each of the children aged from 2 to 5 years.

CCC sources said several mobile teams consisting of 278 members in port city and 580 members in the district were engaged to feed oral vaccines to the children at rail, bus and steamer stations as well as other places makeshift living.

Over 700 supervisors including Commissioners of 41 wards in Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) and 2009 supervisors in the 14 upazilas of the district has supervised the ‘A’ Plus campaign at their respective jurisdictions in the port city and district.

Besides, 1200 volunteers and health workers in CCC area and 4850 in the 14 upazilas in the district will carry out the drive in next four days from April 6 as a follow up programme through visiting doorsteps of the households to cover up dropped out children, CCC and civil surgeon office sources said. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Abuse of pesticides a looming hazard n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat Most of the tobacco farmers in Lalmonirhat are unaware of the ratio of the pesticides to be used in the field and hardly recycle empty pesticide bottles.

They have been using significant amount of pesticides in their fields and many farmers even use pesticide in their homes, which may lead to a serious health hazard.

Although the farmers are advised to use pesticides carefully and to destroy those bottles in a safe hole constructed by tobacco companies, many of the farmers are not acting accordingly because of lack of adequate campaigning in this regard.

Israfil Islam, another tobacco grower of Durgapur village, said farmers regularly use pesticides in their homes, which is very injurious for health, especially children’s health.

“Many growers use the empty pesticide bottles at home. As a result, their family members fall sick,” he added.

Meherban Ali, a tobacco grower of Tiktikir village, said: “Sometimes I take the blank bottles of pesticides home after using it in the field. I use the bottles to bring fuel for the family.”

There are some farmers who are aware of the directives of the tobacco companies on using pesticides and recycling of the empty bottles.

Azgor Ali, a tobacco grower of the Tiktikir village, said: “I follow the tobacco company’s direction while using pesticides, and I destroy the blank bottles in the hole constructed by the tobacco companies.”

Afzal Hossain at Sarpukur village said: “The tobacco companies constructed safe holes for destroying the bottles of pesticides after using them in the field.

Their representatives also provide us advices on how to use pesticides.”

Khabir Uddin, sub-assistant agriculture officer at Aditmari upazila, said a large amount of pesticides are used on tobacco fields, more so than in any other crop. “Many farmers are still unaware about the negative effects of pesticides. They and their family member face health hazard because of this unawareness,” he added.

Aditmari upazila Health Officer Dr Adam Ali said pesticide causes different diseases, including lung problems, skin diseases and even brain defects.

Pesticide should be used properly and carefully, and must be kept away from children, the doctor suggested. l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks to the participants of the Scout jamboree at Mouchak in Gazipur yesterday

PID

Gas crisis to improve in three divisions

‘Bangladesh scouts to take international shape’

n Our Correspondent, Brahmanbaria

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday said the National Scout Training Centre in Gazipur’s Mouchak area would be upgraded to international standard.

“I have issued directives for the adoption of separate projects to promote the standard of Bangladesh Scouts,” said the prime minister.

The premier was addressing the 9th Bangladesh and 1st SANSO (SAARC National Scout Organisations) Scout Jamboree 2014 held at the National Scout Training Centre yesterday.

Ashuganj gas compressor station came into operation experimentally yesterday in order to ensure smooth gas pressure in the Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi territories.

Gas Transmission Company Ltd (GTCL) installed the station in Ashuganj upazila headquarters with the cost of Tk150 cr, which was due to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the current month.

Sources at the GTCL said 1,000 PSI

n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

(pound per square inch) pressure is needed to keep the gas flow hassle free to the consumers, but there was 300 PSI less in the existing pipelines in the regions for long.

“The station will raise the gas pressure to standard level from 700 PSI, which is a relief for consumers,” said Bishwajit Nondi, project director of the station.

He added that the problem of low gas pressure would lessen in the coming days in the districts under Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi divisions after the station commences operation. l

Sheikh Hasina said: “Scouting is very important to help children, teenagers and the youth grow as honest, confident, ideal citizens. Bangladesh Scouts got appraised for its valiant role in national and international arenas.”

Addressing the scouts, the PM said, “The world is moving forward based on technology. You have to prepare from now on to compete with the challenges of information technology.”

She added that the government provided computers and created multimedia classrooms in order to create skilled users of information technology in the country.

The PM said: “We have opened Union Information and Service Centres in every union. We want to make Bangladesh a middle-income country by reducing hunger and poverty by 2021.”

The prime minister urged the scouts to employ intelligence, honesty and education in order to create a better country.

Sheikh Hasina said her government would take steps to develop the Bangladesh Scouts and expand its activities in every educational institute in the districts.

The number of Bangladesh Scouts was currently 1,300,000 which was not

enough in proportion to the country’s total population, she observed.

Bangladesh Girl Scouts also observed its 20th anniversary. The number of female scouts stands at 152,667.

Thanking the scouts, the PM said, “The number of female scouts has to increase. We will take steps in this regard.”

President of Bangladesh Scouts Abdul Karim led the programme while Chief National Commissioner of Bangladesh Scouts Md Abul Kalam Azad and President of Jamboree Organising Committee Md Hedaetullah Al Mamun spoke, among others. l

Sugar mills association to go tough n Our Correspondent, Jhenaidah

Roadblock seeking release of transport leaders

Leaders of Mobarakganj Sugar Mills Farmers’ Welfare Association in Jhenaidah, threatened to go on tougher action if their due is not paid soon.

Jahurul Islam, president of the association at a press conference in Jhenaidah Press Club auditorium said yesterday, at least 40,000 sugarcane farmers had been deprived of their prices of sugarcane, supplied to the mills authorities in the last fiscal.

He asked the authorities to pay the due TK 20 crore immediately.

The leaders said a number of sugarcane farmers went into hiding places as they failed to pay the bills for fertilizer, labour payment and others following the sugarcane cultivation. The farmers said they would go on tougher action if the payment is not given. l

Several hundred members of four local transport workers’ organisations blockaded the Rangpur-Dhaka highway in Polashbari upazila town area yesterday demanding the release of its four leaders arrested in a case.

Mugging ringleader held in Chittagong n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Police yesterday nabbed the ring leader of a notorious mugging racket, Mohammad Aymon, 25, from Chittagong’s Bakalia area.

Bakalia police station Officer-In-Charge Mohammad Mohsin said police nabbed Aymon from the area at around 1:30am following a tip-off. Aymon and his cohorts had been robbing people at the port city’s Bakalia, Chandgaon, Kotwali and Shah Amanat Bridge areas at dawn. l

n Our correspondent, Gaibandha

The workers moved away from the spot after half an hour without any interference of law enforcers

Residents of two villages in Rayepura upazila clash over establishing supremacy in the area at Narsindi yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Due to the blockade programme, hundreds of vehicles got stuck on both sides of the highway, creating immense suffering to the commuters in the muggy weather.

Sources at the district said about 800 members Polashbari Motor Workers’ Union, Gaibandha District Motor

Over 1.25 lakh hectares brought under Boro farming in Gaibandha n BSS A total of 1,25,325 hectares of land were brought under Boro cultivation in the district during the current season with the production target of 5.04,425 tonnes of rice, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said.

Of the total, some 19,630 hec-

tares of land were brought under the cultivation programme in Sadar Upazila, 14,925 in Sadullapur, 12,775 in Palashbari, 30,550 in Gobindaganj, 24,100 in Sundarganj, 15,050 in Shaghata and 8,295 in Fhulchhari Upazila.

Now, the farmers of the district have become so much busy to nurture the crop land to get de-

sired output, the BSS correspondent found it while visiting different places of the district.

Deputy Director of DAE Mir Abdur Razzak said to make the cultivation a grand success, necessary measures had been taken to supply fertilizers, insecticides, electricity and other agri inputs to the farmers at fair prices side

Bomb blast kills one n Our Correspondent, Jhenaidah

A man was killed in a bomb explosion on Friday in Jhenaidah district The deceased was identified as Jahangir Hossain, 40, son of Toazuddin Mandal of Nijtoola village in Harinakundu upazila.

Harinakundu police station Officer-inCharge Mahibul Islam said Jahangir had sustained bomb injuries near Nijtoola Government Primary School around

9pm. He was rushed to the Jhenaidah General Hospital in a critical state.

Later, on duty doctors sent him to Faridpur Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries in the morning.

He might have been killed by rivals or he might sustain injuries from the crude bomb blasting while he was carrying it himself during the time.

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

by side ensuring with irrigation facility.

Besides, the commercial banks including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank have taken initiatives to disburse loan to the farmers on easy terms to help them cultivate the crop without economical troubles, said a bank official. l

Doctor dies mysteriously n Our Correspondent, Comilla Police recovered the decomposed body of a doctor of Comilla Medical College and Hospital on the campus dormitory on Friday around 10am.

The deceased, Hasibul Haque Hasan, 37, hailed from the capital. Hospital sources said he last signed in the duty register on Wednesday, adding that he used to live with two colleagues in the dormitory of the hospital campus.

Director of the hospital Dr Habib Abdullah Sohel said: His colleagues informed the matter to the police after finding the body. Later, police recovered the body and sent it to the morgue for autopsy. l

Workers’ Union, District Truck-TrunkLorry Workers’ Union and Gobindoganj Motor Workers Union brought out a procession from the upazila around 10:30am demanding the immediate release of the leaders and paraded major thoroughfares.

Later, the workers put a blockade on the highway around 11:15am and held a rally there, from which they also demanded re-investigation of the case and threatened to go for robust movement unless their demands are met within seven days.

However, the workers moved away from the spot after half an hour without any interference of law enforcers.

On March 30, police arrested the leaders - Suruj Haque Milton, Ibrahim Khalil Mithu, Faridul Haque Rubel and Moshrefur Rahman Ripon – in a case filed on charge of killing schoolboy Plabon, 17, of the upazila in 2005.

In the case, 14 people, including the leaders, were made accused. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Career

7

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Be an instant hit at office parties How to make work related social events work for you n Ahsan Sajid Some people are naturally gifted with the art of conversation. They can turn on the charm as effortlessly as flipping a switch and comCAREER mand the attention of ASCENT individuals and groups.

However, for a number of people, communicating with others does not come so easily. It is certainly not natural and when effort is made it comes off as trying too hard.

Both school and university curriculum are set up in a way that even introverted individuals will have to come out of their shell – be it through presentations, team assignments, debates, research presentations, etc. Since these are all a part of the curriculum one has no choice but to give them a hundred percent effort if one wants to pass.

But when we are older and starting our first jobs, our need to socialise, to break the proverbial shell is no longer motivated by passing a class or earning a grade – everything hangs on the balance. You can be the best at what you do but if no one at work knows you, chances are you will keep getting overlooked for promotions, uninvited to lunches and other office gatherings and not regarded as a team player. The motivation to become more forthcoming becomes fueled by the desire to succeed and move ahead at work.

Not everyone is a social butterfly; if you are more of a wallflower, it can be extremely frustrating and demanding to successfully get along with people at work events. You are in the midst of colleagues, some of whom you know but a lot of whom you don’t, and all seeking similarly self-interested outcomes; your only value is whatever value you hold for the person that you are talking to.

All these ideas together are overwhelming for an introvert. Following is a compilation of tips that may help you navigate the waters successfully through an office event, such as a dinner or a picnic.

Start the conversation earlier: It’s easier to use impersonal networking prior to an event; for example, email or message someone from the organising team with a relevant question such as

Do not be late: There is no fashionably late for work events. No one cares how swamped you have been all day. Arriving early means being there before people have created conversation groups.

Once a conversation group has been created and it is heated up, it is not an easy task to break into it. Being early also allows you to welcome people as they arrive, which is the easiest conversation starter.

Juggle between conversation types: At any work event you will have two kinds of conversations – long and short conversations. Long conversations take place at low traffic regions such as corners, the terrace or balcony, smoking area etc. Short conversations take place at high traffic areas such as the washroom queue or around the buffet table.

Both types of conversations have their importance and it is important to have a bit of both.

Take the initiative: Work events are not your average social gathering; everyone is there to get to know their colleagues better and you don’t get points for being mysterious. Instead of waiting for people to greet you, take the initiative and introduce yourself. Keep your first contact with people simple. Make eye contact, smile, say hello, extend hand for a handshake and introduce yourself it’s the simplest ordering of events for a first introduction.

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expected dress code, if you can bring a plus one or directions to the venue.

This gives you an excuse to start a conversation with the person who helped you, and also gives you someone who might introduce you to people.

Get online: The chances are that the event will have a Facebook event page or a message thread at the very least.

For the morbidly shy, this is the ticket – use this opportunity to have relevant discussions online about the event.

These discussions will be easier to pick up at the event than starting fresh ones. Furthermore, you’ll have somewhere to go back and talk to the people

Touch base with idioms n

Career Desk

BIZ VOCAB

Ace up your sleeve If you have an ace up your sleeve, you have something in reserve with which you can gain an advantage

Hold all the aces - A person who holds all the aces is in a very strong position because they have more advantages than anyone else Ambulance chaser - A lawyer who finds work by persuading people injured in accidents to claim money from the person who caused the accident Back to the salt mines - A humorous way of talking about returning to work, usually with some reluctance Bait and switch - Advertising a low-priced item to attract customers, then telling them that the product is out of stock and persuading them to buy a more expensive article In the black - To say that a person or organization is in the black means that they are financially sound, have a positive balance on their account and that they owe no money Blamestorming - A discussion among a group of people who try to determine who or what is to blame for a particular mistake, failure or wrongdoing Blue chip company - This term refers to a company with a solid reputation for the quality of its products and the stability of its growth and earnings Get down to brass tacks - When people get down to brass tacks, they start to discuss the essential aspects of a problem or situation Bricks and mortar / bricks and clicks An established trading company (office/ shop) is referred to as a “brick-and-mortar” business Carve out a niche - A person or company who carves out a niche concentrates on a

particular segment of the market, to which they supply a product or service, and develop their expertise in that area Cash in your chips - If you cash in your chips, you sell something, especially shares, either because you need the money or because you think the value is going to fall Too many chiefs, not enough Indians This expression refers to a situation where there are too many people giving instructions and not enough people doing the work Cog in the machine - If you say that someone is a cog in the machine, you mean that, while they are necessary, they only play a small part in an organisation or plan Make cold calls - If you make cold calls, you telephone potential customers from a list of people you do not know Copper-bottomed - To describe something such as a plan, a contract or a financial arrangement as copper-bottomed means that it is completely safe or reliable Creative accounting - This term refers to the presentation of a company’s results in a way that, although generally legal, glosses over the problems and makes the results appear better than they are Cut and dried - If you refer to a situation, problem or solution as cut and dried, you mean that it is clear and straightforward with no likely complications.

Dead wood - The term dead wood refers to people or things which are no longer considered useful or necessary Do the spadework - Someone who does the spadework does the preparatory work or the preliminary research In the doldrums - To say that a person, a business or the economy in general is in the doldrums means that the situation is gloomy and that nothing new is happening Donkey work - This expression is used to describe the unpleasant, repetitive or boring parts of a job

again right after the event.

Research: While this sounds immensely creepy, it is something we all do to an extent. Research the people that you expect or hope to meet at the event on their Facebook and Twitter; Google their names in case they have blogs or accounts on other social networking sites.

When you speak with them, they will not only be impressed with how well informed you are, but the conversations will flow easier than if you made a cold call and started talking with someone you don’t know at all.

Also, people love to talk about themselves, and they will love you for tak-

ing an interest. Make sure you don’t get carried away with your “research” work; it’s a thin line between that and flat out stalking.

Prepare talking points: This is something that politicians, celebrities and anybody else in the limelight does.

Prepare some topics of discussion in advance that are pertinent to the people you are going to be talking to. Discuss current affairs without getting too opinionated so as not to step on any toes; you can search relevant current events online and read up. Read different opinion pieces on the same subject.

Most people love to talk about what

they think, or what they believe is right; ask them open-ended questions about their thoughts and opinions on an issue.

Find a counterpart: You are probably not the only introvert at work. Find someone you think is in the same place as you, and you can become each other’s personal PR agents. Simply having a friendly face beside you can boost your confidence while conversing with others. Additionally, during a conversation you can slip each other praises and talk one another up in front of others. You can also meet people individually and introduce each other to the new acquaintances. Having a partner is a big plus.

Don’t hijack conversations: If there are more than four people talking in a group, the chances are that the group is already too full. If there are two people talking, they most probably do not want a third person shimmying in. Be mindful when joining a group for conversation.

Stand about an arm’s length away, listen to the conversation of the group and make eye contact with a friendly face.

Join the conversation if you are invited, and if not, move on within a minute.

Make nice: Think optimistically and be sociable with everyone; everyone is at the event for the same reason as you, to get to know their colleagues better and hopefully further their career in the process. Everyone is a stranger before they become an acquaintance; the easiest way to look at it is to see everyone as a potential friend. l

Ride the tide instead of falling under it n Career Desk

The amount of tasks at work sometimes seems insurmountable. This often happens through no fault of your own – you did everything on time to make sure tasks didn’t pile up, you skipped a lunch break or two to stay ahead of the game, and yet you still cannot go home in time. Moments like these would try anyone’s patience.

Patience is one of the most difficult virtues to practice at work. This is truer in instances of frustration, for example when a single weak link in the chain is slowing everyone down, or the nonchalant attitude of a supervisor despite it being a good few hours beyond your workday.

It is common human nature in such situations to become volatile and impatient. People who cannot control their impatience in these situations tense up, start sweating, get agitated, and may become unduly rude with colleagues, doing irreparable damage to their reputation.

Losing your patience at work is doing yourself the biggest disservice.

Impatience is a weakness.

Your colleagues may view your impatience as arrogance, insensitivity, and impulsiveness.

Your seniors will most probably view it as a sign that you are likely to make poor decisions, quick judgments or interrupt others. If people know you to be impatient, they will be reluctant to come to you for assistance, and bosses will hardly regard you for new projects or promotions.

If you want to manage your impatience, and take it in stride instead of letting it ride you till you lose your temper and do lasting damage at work, try some of the suggested tricks.

Breathe easy: Take deep, slow breaths, and count to 10 in your head or out loud if it helps. This one is the most obvious trick but the most likely to work.

This works because doing it helps slow your heart rate,

relaxes your body, and emotionally distances you from the offending situation. Do it several times, till you feel calmer. Doing this out in the open has added advantages.

Take charge of your body: When you become impatient, your body manifests this impatience in ways that you are not consciously aware of. Impatience causes you to tense your muscles against your will.

Consciously focus on relaxing your body. Like the previous tip, take slow, deep breaths w h i l e c o n -

sciously trying to relax your muscles, starting from your toes and all the way up to the top of your head.

Slow down: If you start by acting patient, you will soon feel patient. When things are not going your way, simply slow down – speak and move slowly. Submit to the fact that it is beyond your power to change things around and relax.

Listen: Impatience causes one to stop listening. Be sure that you are practicing active and empathic listening. Give other people your full, undivided attention and plan your response.

Don’t get in the way: Much of what impatience may make us do, such as yelling at someone or being pushy, is not helping the situation but adversely affecting it. Remind yourself that your impatience does not get others to work faster or better. Instead, it interferes with their ability to perform well and may slow you down more. l

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8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Russia cannot afford ‘collapsing state’ in its backyard n AFP, Athens Europe issued fresh calls yesterday for dialogue with Russia over Ukraine, warning Moscow it faces having a failed state in its backyard just as it tightens the economic noose on Kiev.

Russia needs to understand it is not in its interest “to have a collapsing state in its neighbourhood,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said at the close of two-day talks with his 27 European Union counterparts.

As the Ukraine-Russia dispute over gas prices intensified, Germany’s Steinmeier stressed that Europe needed Russia to help rescue the new authorities in economically distressed Kiev.

“The issue of economic stabilisation also depends on how Russia for example, sets his energy prices for Ukraine.

That’s why we, even if there is conflict between us, have to talk with Russia.”

Ministers emerged with a double-edged message from the informal

talks, a regular six-monthly affair.

They laid heavy stress on defusing tension, on “trying to persuade Russia of the importance to de-escalate to ensure future dialogue,” said EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

‘We have not seen real de-escalation

by Russia. Therefore Europe must not relax’ Europe must “keep open the channels of political and diplomatic dialogue with Russia,” said Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos.

But ministers also reiterated that they would be prepared to sharpen sanctions against Russia failing concrete signs of de-escalation by Moscow.

It is important to ensure “we are prepared to take measures,” Ashton

Kerry in danger of losing big bet on Middle East peace n AFP, Washington John Kerry’s high-stakes gamble that he could finally achieve the dream of generations and bring peace to the Middle East seems to be collapsing as easily as a house of cards.

Despite a dozen visits to Israel and the West Bank since he became US secretary of state 14 months ago and many more late-night meetings with his recalcitrant partners in capitals around the world, it appears after all that he may have been trumped.

While there was always a certain hubris to his mission impossible, the political dangers facing wily Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu conspired this week with decades of pent-up anger among Palestinians to throw up the most serious crisis to the fragile peace negotiations since they resumed in July.

Yet at the start of Kerry’s latest overseas trip there was little to suggest he would return to the US 13 days later with his peace effort in trouble and a blunt admission that he and the White House needed to “evaluate” the next steps.

Indeed, Kerry had not visited Israel in three months in a tacit recognition that each trip raised expectations and usually triggered some kind of provocative move from one of the parties.

His monthly commute between Washington and Jerusalem had also begun to raise eyebrows with little tan-

Hitler’s wife had a Jewish ancestry? n AFP, London Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s wife Eva Braun may have been of Jewish descent according to DNA analysis carried out for a British television documentary, the makers said yesterday.

The anti-Semitic German leader responsible for the Holocaust married his long-term lover Braun shortly before they committed suicide in a Berlin bunker in 1945.

But the programme to be screened

by Britain’s independent Channel 4 on Wednesday said hair samples show Braun may have had Jewish ancestry herself.

Scientists commissioned by the Dead Famous DNA programme tested hair said to have come from a brush used by Braun and found at Hitler’s mountain retreat.

In DNA from the hair, they found a sequence passed down through the maternal line – haplogroup N1b1 – which was “strongly associated” with Ashkenazi Jews.

Ashkenazi Jews dispersed into central and eastern Europe in the early Middle Ages, and some converted to Catholicism in Germany in the 19th century.

“This is a thought-provoking outcome – I never dreamt that I would find such a potentially extraordinary and profound result,” presenter Mark Evans said.

The hairs came from a monogrammed hairbrush found at Hitler’s Bavarian residence by American army intelligence officer Paul Baer, a US 7th Army captain, who had privileged access to the property and took a number of items from Braun’s private apartment.

Photographs taken at Berghof in 1945 show him with the hairbrush. l

gible progress to show and an April 29 deadline looming.

Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon had called Kerry “obsessional” and “messianic” and at home some critics said he was “delusional.”

Reality-check time

All roads to Jerusalem are littered with past failed peace negotiations which have wound through places such as Madrid, Oslo and Camp David.

But this time 70-year-old Kerry felt there was something within his grasp, a deal under which both sides would agree to keep talking into next year, as some of the nitty-gritty contours of a pact began to emerge.

He invested huge amounts of energy, setting a punishing schedule which would defeat many half his age and remaining eternally optimistic and unflappable even after hours locked in tense negotiations.

It was sobering therefore on Friday as he prepared to head home – after the Israelis canceled the last prisoner releases and the Palestinians said they would seek statehood at 15 agencies at the UN – that in a rare moment of frankness and frustration he admitted “it’s reality-check time.” “There are limits to the amount of time and effort that the US can spend if the parties themselves are unwilling to take constructive steps in order to be able to move forward,” he added. l

said, adding that “work is ongoing” and that “we are united to deal with threats against Ukraine.”

On opening the talks, the ministers had said “Europe must not relax” and needed to stand firm until Russia “shows it is serious” by clearly pulling back its troops from the border.

They described the unprecedented crisis unfolding on the bloc’s eastern flank as “very dangerous” but had appeared to be hoping to see Moscow take steps to defuse the tension.

“It is really important that Russia shows that it is serious about the de-escalation by moving troops back,” Ashton said.”We’ll be watching with great care what’s happening there.” British Foreign Secretary William Hague deplored that Russian troops had made “only a token withdrawal” from the border.

But the ministers said it was not the time yet to step up pressure by agreeing to fresh reprisals that would entail economic sanctions against Moscow. l

Turkey keeps YouTube ban after court backtrack n AFP, Istanbul YouTube will remain blocked in Turkey, despite the end to a similar controversial ban on Twitter, after a court backtracked on an earlier ruling to grant access to the video-sharing site.

The court in the capital Ankara on Friday lifted a March 27 government decision blocking access to YouTube, saying the blanket ban violated human rights, and instead restricting 15 videos.

But the court later reversed the decision, saying the block would remain in place until the audio recordings allegedly showing top-level security talks on Syria are removed, Turkey’s Hurriyet newspaper reported. The change of heart comes after Turkey’s government complied with a Constitutional Court ruling on Thursday and scrapped a similar ban on San-Francisco-based Twitter.

The microblogging site was blocked by the Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on March 20 after it was used to spread a spate of anonymous leaks implicating his inner circle in corruption. YouTube was banned in Turkey after the site was used to spread audio recordings in which the voices of senior government, military and spy officials can be heard weighing possible military action inside war-torn Syria.

Both restrictions, the latest steps in Ankara’s crackdown on the Internet, have sparked protests from Turkey’s Western allies and human rights groups. l

Young boys pass time on a hill adjacent to Kigali on March 17, 2014 in Kigali. Twenty years after the genocide of Rwanda’s Tutsi minority, the massacres of Hutu civilians who fled across the border into the DR Congo remain a taboo subject in Kigali. An estimated 800,000 people were killed in 100 days during the 1994 attack AFP

Children born of rape: Forgotten victims of Rwanda’s genocide n AFP, Kigali When David, a 19-year-old Rwandan, is asked about his parents, he prefers to conceal being one of thousands of children born from a rape during the 1994 genocide. “I say I don’t have a father,” he explained.

It is impossible to say exactly how many women were raped during the genocide – the majority of them were subsequently killed and many survivors prefer not to talk about it.

It is equally difficult to estimate the number of children born of rape since 20 years after the genocide – in which an estimated 800,000 people, essentially Tutsis, died – the subject is still very much taboo.

“Rape was the rule and its absence the exception,” said a UN Human Rights Commission report in 1996.

“Unfortunately, there are no statistics... rape was systematic and was used as a weapon by the perpetrators of the massacres.”

After his initial “surprise” and “anger,” David said he “had no choice but to accept” that he was born from a rape and would like to know more.

“My mother is very light-skinned and I am darker. I’d like to know what he looks like,” he said of his father.

“He doesn’t know all the details and he has stopped asking questions,” explained Ester, his mother. “My son

doesn’t talk a lot. It’s difficult to know what he is really thinking.”

Ester, a Tutsi, fled Kigali when the genocide carried out by majority Hutus began on April 7, 1994. She was raped by a militia fighter in the border town of Cyangugu as she tried to cross into Democratic Republic of Congo with a group of other women.

No further questions

When she realised she was pregnant the only person she dared confide in was her younger sister.

“After my son was born I told myself I had no choice but to love him,” she explained. It was only after learning that her rapist infected her with HIV that she told her son the truth.

“Rape is still a taboo subject... but people are starting to talk about it.

Things are changing even if there is still a long way to go,” said Samuel Munderere of the NGO Survivor Fund (SURF), which helps rape victims and their families.

Nineteen-year-old Nyiramwiza “decided not to ask any more questions” about her father when she saw how distressed her mother became.

“The first time I asked about him eight years ago, my mother said nothing and started crying,” she recalled, sitting in a small mud-brick house on the outskirts of Kigali, an impenetrable look in her eyes.

n AFP, Yaoundé

A Cambodian technician carries a back-pack mounted with a device housing 15 cameras as he demonstrates the technique used to digitally map the Angkor Wat temple, part of the Angkor architectural complex in north-western Cambodia. Cambodia’s Angkor Wat has been digitally mapped for the first time, allowing people to visit the famed temples using Google Street View AFP

Ebola-hit Guinea calls for calm Guinea appealed for calm in the Ebola-hit south of the country yesterday after international aid workers battling to contain an outbreak of the deadly virus were attacked by a mob.

Doctors without Borders, which goes by its French initials MSF, was forced to suspend treatment in Macenta in southeastern Guinea on Friday after crowds attacked one of its centres.

Conakry said the crowd had gathered as rumours circulated in the town that the virus was “imported into Guinea or that Ebola fever does not exist in our country.” Health authorities have

reported 137 suspected or confirmed Ebola cases since the beginning of the year, of which 86 have been fatal.

Several west African countries have geared up to tackle killer haemorrhagic fevers including Ebola as new suspect cases emerged in Mali, along with Liberia and Sierra Leone. A rare but extremely dangerous virus, Ebola is historically rooted in central Africa and has never before spread amongst humans in the west of the continent.

MSF has described the outbreak as an “unprecedented epidemic” and warned the unusual geographical spread of cases complicates the task of containing it “enormously.”

No state support

Children born of rape during the genocide are reminded of their past every day, be it through seeing the mother’s trauma or through rejection by the community in a country due to mark 20 years since the massacres this month.

It is difficult to know exactly how many children are affected and there is no state support for them. l

Priests, nun seized in latest Cameroon kidnapping

VISITING TEMPLES THROUGH GOOGLE

n AFP, Conakry

The following year when she repeated the question, her mother said that he had been killed during the genocide.

“I haven’t told her the whole story because I don’t want to upset her,” said her mother, 42-year-old Augustine, with almond-shaped eyes in an emaciated face.

Nyiramwiza was born shortly before the genocide started. Her father is a Hutu shopkeeper and former militiaman who kept her mother, a Tutsi, as a sex slave for a year in 1993.

Augustine was raped a second time during the genocide “by many men over a period of many days.” She gave birth to a second child, a boy.

“After the genocide I hated everyone and I hated myself,” said Augustine, who lost her whole family in the killings.

She later discovered she had HIV. She knows her daughter is not HIV-positive but her son has refused to get tested. He had difficulties in school, and “used to run away from time to time and be very aggressive,” Augustine said.

Guinea’s government in the statement yesterday vowed that lawbreakers would be brought to justice and said it was “calling for calm and serenity to enable our partners to support us to eradicate this epidemic.”

Ebola leads to haemorrhagic fever, which causes muscle pain, weakness, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding.

The tropical virus can be transmitted to humans from wild animals, and between humans through direct contact with another’s blood, faeces or sweat.

Sexual contact, or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses, can also lead to infection. l

Suspected Boko Haram gunmen seized two Italian priests and a Canadian nun in northern Cameroon yesterday, in the latest kidnapping of Westerners in the remote, insurgency-wracked corner of west Africa.

The attack occurred overnight in the small parish of Tchere, which lies about 40 miles (60 kilometres) from the corner of northern Nigeria that serves as a base for the Islamist Boko Haram group.

A group of armed men pulled up at the parish shortly before midnight, according to Henri Djonyang, the region’s head vicar, information that was confirmed by police.

The gunmen ransacked the parish before seizing the priests and nun, according to news reports. The priests were identified as Giampaolo Marta and Gianantonio Allegri and

the nun as Gilberte Bussier.

One of the two priests taken on Friday night had been in Cameroon for more than six years while the second had arrived around a year ago, the Ansa media agency reported.

According to sources, kidnappings of Westerners have become common in the remote and sparsely populated region, where borders between countries are porous.

In November 2013, French Catholic priest Georges Vandenbeusch was seized by heavily armed men who burst into his parish at night and reportedly took him to neighbouring Nigeria in an attack claimed by Boko Haram.

He was released seven weeks later, touching down in Paris on January 1.

In February 2013, a Frenchman employed by gas group Suez was kidnapped in the same area together with his wife, their four children and his brother, while visiting a national park. l

Morsi due back in court over Egypt protest deaths n AFP, Cairo Egypt’s deposed president Mohamed Morsi was due back in court yesterday over his alleged involvement in the killing of protesters in clashes during his rule. The case is part of a relentless crackdown against Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood since the military ousted him on July 3, ending a turbulent year in office.

Morsi and 14 co-defendants are charged with involvement in the killing of opposition protesters during clashes out-

side his Cairo palace in December 2012.

The resumption of the trial comes as Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former army chief who toppled Morsi, moved closer to replacing him in next month’s presidential election. But the Brotherhood and other Islamist groups accuse Sisi of leading a coup against Egypt’s first democratically elected president.

Morsi faces two other trials for espionage and militancy related charges, part of the worst crackdown on Islamists in decades. He may be sentenced to death if convicted. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Chinese ship searching for MH370 detects ‘pulse signal’ n AFP, Beijing A Chinese ship searching for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 detected a “pulse signal” in the southern Indian Ocean Saturday, but there was no evidence yet that it was linked to the missing plane, state media said.

The signal picked up by the vessel’s black box detector had a frequency of 37.5kHz per second, the official Xinhua news agency said – identical to the beacon signal emitted by flight recorders.

The announcement came nearly a month after the Malaysian jetliner disappeared off radar screens en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board, triggering an unprecedented international search.

Australian and British vessels are currently involved in a round-the-clock underwater search in the southern Indian Ocean, hoping to pick up a signal from the plane’s black box recorder, but the battery powering those emissions is nearing the end of its roughly 30-day life span.

The Chinese search ship Haixun 01 picked up the pulse signal at about 25 degrees south latitude and 101 degrees east longitude, Xinhua said in a brief dispatch.

“Suspected pulse signal picked up

by Haixun 01 has not been identified yet,” the China Maritime Search and Rescue Center said on a verified microblog.

Australian Defence Minister David Johnston said he had not received a report on the signal and warned that it may not be from the plane.

“This is not the first time we have had something that has turned out to be very disappointing,” he told ABC television.

Slow progress

Up to 10 military planes, three civilian jets and 11 ships are currently involved in the protracted search for the Boeing 777, but have so far failed to find any sign of the plane.

Authorities still have no idea how or why the plane vanished, and warn that unless the black box is found, the mystery may never be solved.

Earlier in Kuala Lumpur, Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said

Malaysia would, in line with international agreements, appoint an independent “investigator in charge” to lead an international team to probe what happened to MH370.

The team will include Australia, China, the United States, Britain and France.

Hishammuddin again declined to provide any detail from Malaysia’s ongoing investigation, however, saying he remained focused on finding the plane and its black box.

“In spite of (the long odds), our determination remains undiminished,” he told a press briefing.

Australia is leading the hunt for the plane, which concentrated Saturday on about 217,000 square kilometres of the Indian Ocean some 1,700 kilometres (1,054 miles) northwest of Perth.

Malaysian authorities believe satellite readings indicates MH370 crashed in the Indian Ocean, far off Australia’s western coastline, after veering dramatically off course during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

But no proof has been found that would indicate a crash site, and Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott has described the oceanic search as “the most difficult in human history.”

The JACC said Australia’s Transport Safety Bureau was continuing “to refine the area where the aircraft entered the water” using further analysis of satellite data and aircraft performance.

Several nations that normally do not work together – notably the United States and China – have rallied to help look for clues in one of the world’s greatest-ever aviation mysteries.

Authorities still have no idea how or why the plane vanished, and warn that unless the black box is found, the mystery may never be solved.

The Ocean Shield, which is carrying a US Navy “black box” detector, and HMS Echo, which has a similar capability, are searching a 240-kilometre track of ocean in hopes of detecting sonic pings from the recorder.

However, progress is painstaking as vessels must move slowly to improve readings, and officials have acknowledge there is no solid evidence the plane went down in that stretch of sea. l

9

Sunday, April 6, 2014

The CNN-IBN’s opinion polls on the upcoming Lok Sabha election of India, done between March 18 and 25, show that BJP may get 206-218 seats while Congress may get 94-106 seats. Poll respondents were asked to give their opinions on various topics including the prime ministerial candidates and their attitude and level of acceptability, and performance of the outgoing government

Will Muslim votes make a difference in LS polls?

Here’s a look at top seven states n Agencies With the Lok Sabha elections around the corner, the communalism versus secularism debate has taken centre stage and the Muslim vote has emerged as a key issue, an article published by Hindustan Times said yesterday.

While decoding the political equations in the run-up to the elections beginning Monday, HT brings you a list of key states where Muslim votes will play a role in deciding the outcome.

Uttar Pradesh

With nearly a fifth of its population being Muslim, UP is a state where the community’s vote may play a decisive role. For non-BJP parties – SP, BSP and Congress – winning over the Muslim population will be a key factor.

Given the BJP’s edge, Muslims may opt for tactical voting, and the turnout is expected to be high to stop the ‘Modi wave’.

Rajasthan

In Rajasthan, Muslims will influence the outcome in at least nine of the 25 Lok Sabha seats. But since the community appeared ‘disillusioned’ by the Congress – when all 16 of its Muslim candidates lost the assembly election last year, Muslims are likely to opt for non-Congress, non-BJP alternatives.

West Bengal

Bengal, the second-largest Muslim population in the state barring Jammu and Kashmir and Lakshwadeep, has always had the Muslim vote playing the decisive role. The ruling Trinamool Congress enjoys the community’s allegiance, which is only bolstered by Jama Masjid Imam’s Friday endorsement of Mamata Banerjee and the chief minister’s stinging attacks on the BJP. The Left Front, however, may give the Trinamool a run for its money after it fielded the most number of Muslim candidates.

Bihar

In Bihar, Muslim votes can influence outcome in at least nine seats. There is a big talk that Muslims are likely to vote in favour of the UPA, while the JD(U) could get the support of minorities where UPA candidates are considered ‘weak’.

Md Wahid Ahmad, convenor of the Bihar unit of National Momin Congress, said “secular parties” should have fielded more Muslim candidates and popular faces.

Kerala

As the Narendra Modi factor grows stronger, there is likely to be a consolidation of the minority Christian and Muslim votes behind the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kerala.

Minority votes could help the ruling UDF tide over the anti-incumbency factor. In most of the opinion polls in Kerala, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi has been rated as the most suitable prime minister.

Assam

In Assam, Muslim voters constitute about 35% of the electorate and play a deciding role in six of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies.

Muslim-dominated areas in Assam were regarded as Congress bastions. But since 2009, state’s All India United Democratic Front has fought the Congress for the Muslim vote pie, giving an advantage to the BJP that won four seats during the last Lok Sabha polls.

How the community can keep its votes undivided between the AIUDF and Congress is to be seen.

Maharashtra

Muslim voters in Maharashtra are expected to vote in a strategic manner, like in most other states, to prevent the split of anti-BJP votes.

The Congress has given ticket to only one Muslim candidate, Hidayat Patel from Akola in western Vidarbha.

Other parties – the NCP, Shiv Sena and the BJP – have no Muslim candidate. l

Two separate polls now put magic number 272 within NDA’s grasp n Agencies, New delhi

Chinese relatives of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 pray at the Metro Park Hotel in Beijing. The hunt for physical evidence that the Malaysia Airlines jet crashed in the Indian Ocean more than three weeks ago has turned up nothing AFP

Pakistan couple gets death over ‘blasphemy’ n AFP, Lahore A court in eastern Pakistan has sentenced a Christian couple to death for sending a blasphemous text message insulting to the Prophet Mohammed, their lawyer said Saturday.

Judge Mian Amir Habib handed the death sentence to Shafqat Emmanuel and Shagufta Kausar in a jail in the town of Toba Tek Singh on Friday, defence lawyer Nadeem Hassan told AFP. Prosecution department officials confirmed the sentence.

The impoverished couple, who are in their forties, have three children and live in the town of Gojra, which has a history of violence against Christians, Hassan said.

Both denied the charges, Hassan said, adding that they would appeal the sentence. l

Japan whaling fleet returns from Antarctic n AFP, Tokyo A whaling fleet anchored at a Japanese port yesterday after Tokyo said it would cancel its annual hunt for the first time in more than 25 years to abide by a UN court ruling.

“The Nisshin Maru and two other whaling ships arrived here today after ending their mission,” a port official said, following the fleet’s planned arrival at Shimonoseki port in western Japan.

Television footage showed workers unloading a number of boxes labelled as whale meat parts at the port, marking the end of the traditional whaling season.

On Thursday, Japan said it was cancelling its next annual Antarctic whaling hunt, due to begin late 2014, for the first time in a quarter-century.

A “deeply disappointed” Tokyo said

it would honour the judgement by the United Nations’ Hague-based International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling that the programme was a commercial activity disguised as science.

During the four-month voyage, the harpoon fleet faced its annual confrontation with environmental activist group Sea Shepherd in the Antarctic Sea. Australia, backed by New Zealand, hauled Japan before the ICJ in 2010 in a bid to end the annual Southern Ocean hunt.

Tokyo has used a legal loophole in the 1986 whaling ban that allowed it to continue slaughtering the mammals, ostensibly so it could gather scientific data.

However, it has never made a secret of the fact that the whale meat from these hunts often ends up on dining tables. l

The NDA could come within touching distance of the majority mark in the Lok Sabha, two separate polls done for TV channels predicted on Friday, The Times of India said yesterday.

While one gave the BJP and its allies 259 seats, just 13 short of the 272 needed for a majority, the other gave the saffron alliance between 234 and 246 seats.

A key difference between the two polls is that while the first one, done by Hansa Research for NDTV, includes the TDP among the BJP’s allies, the second one, conducted by CSDS-Lokniti for CNN-IBN does not. Considering that the CNN-IBN poll predicted 13-19 seats for TDP, including this would mean both polls are making almost exactly the same predictions, at least at the pan-India level.

The BJP on its own will win 214

While one gave the BJP and its allies 259 seats, just 13 short of the 272 needed for a majority, the other gave them between 234 and 246 seats seats predicted the poll done by Hansa Research for NDTV, and the one done

by CSDS-Lokniti for CNN-IBN forecast a similar tally of 206-218. If these predictions come true, Narendra Modi will certainly be India’s next prime minister riding on the strongest ever showing by his party in a general election.

The UPA will win 123 seats according to the NDTV poll and 111-123 according to the CNN-IBN poll. Of this, the Congress will win 104 or 94-106 seats, de-

Japan orders military to strike any new North Korea missile launches n Reuters, Tokyo Japan has ordered a destroyer in the Sea of Japan to strike any ballistic missiles that may be launched by North Korea in the coming weeks after Pyongyang fired a Rodong medium-range missile over the sea, a government source said yesterday.

Japanese defense minister Itsunori Onodera issued the order on Thursday, but did not make it public in order to avoid putting a chill on renewed talks between Tokyo and Pyongyang, the first in more than a year, local media reported earlier.

“The defense minister made the order from April 3rd through to the 25th to prepare for any additional missile

launches,” the source said.

Onodera, the source said, did not deploy Patriot missile batteries that would be the last line of defense against incoming warheads.

Media reports said the North Korean-Japanese talks in Beijing this week broke no new ground, but ended with an agreement for further meetings.

The firing of the Rodong coincided with a meeting in The Hague between US President Barack Obama and the leaders of South Korea and Japan and followed a series of short-range rocket launches.

The launch appeared to be a show of defiance by North Korea.

The missile fell into the sea after flying 650 km (400 miles), short of a maximum range thought to be some 1,300 km. l

pending on which poll one looks at. Either way, it would be the party’s lowest tally in a Lok Sabha election eclipsing the previous low of 114 in 1999.

Among the “others,” the two polls more or less agree on the predictions for some of the parties while differing in some cases. Both see the Trinamool, AIADMK and Left — in that order — emerging as the biggest parties or blocks outside the two major alliances, though the exact numbers for each of them vary a little.

However, while the NDTV poll suggest that the BSP will win just seven seats in Uttar Pradesh, the CNN-IBN poll gives Mayawati’s party between 10 and 16 seats. Similarly, while the CNN-IBN poll gives the BJD anywhere between 10 and 16 seats, the NDTV poll predicts 18 for Naveen Pattnaik’s party. In the latter case, the BJD would emerge as the fourth biggest party outside of the NDA and UPA. l

Modi aide: Vote for BJP if you want ‘revenge’ n Agencies, Lucknow Raising the communal temperature in riot-affected western Uttar Pradesh of India going to polls on Monday, Narendra Modi’s close aide Amit Shah spoke of the upcoming election being an opportunity to take “revenge for the insult” during the violence in Muzaffarnagar last year.

“In UP…it is an election for honour.

It is an election to take revenge for the insult. It is an election to teach a lesson to those who have committed injustice,” he told a meeting of community leaders.

The statement came under attack from political parties which accused Shah of vitiating the atmosphere in the region, which witnessed one of the worst communal riots between Jats and Muslims in September last year. The Congress approached the Election Commission seeking action against Shah. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Letters to

www.dhakatribune.com

Reform ICT Act to stop jail for facebook messages

I

t is deeply worrisome that two internet users, both HSC students at Chittagong College have been sent to jail after their bail petitions were rejected following their arrest for having insulting comments “found in their message inbox of their facebook accounts.’’

A further accused, is still being pursued via indictments under the ICT Act, for the comments concerned which were not even published, but were merely found in their Facebook inboxes.

These arrests are a flagrant violation of individual rights to privacy and undermine freedom of speech. The defence counsel of the arrestees has said that none of them had publicly written or distributed any prohibited material.

We have previously condemned those draconian provisions of the ICT Act, enacted first by BNP in 2006 and amended by AL in 2013, for the unreasonable powers they provide over citizens.

Individuals should not be punished for merely holding or expressing sentiments which offend certain sensibilities. The arrests of these young bloggers for messages found in their inboxes merely confirms the oppressive nature of the law. It also further raises fears the act can be indiscriminately used against dissenting voices.

Freedoms to express unpopular opinions are a cornerstone of democracy. Throwing people in jail for practicing that freedom undermines the things our government claims to value.

The government must take heed of justice and reform the draconian provisions of this legislation.

Jail for messages found in Facebook unreasonable

Training key to boosting remittance

W

e welcome the government’s plan to double the number of people being trained in skills centres for manpower export, from the present total of 74,000 persons a year.

Improving skills among the workforce is helpful not just to locally based industries but also to sustain and grow remittance earnings.

As part of a policy to create and encourage more skilled manpower, the government plans to ensure at least one skills centre in each upazila providing training in over 48 different trades. It has set a target to increase the number of people going abroad by 50% compared to its previous tenure, by establishing 27 new training institutes and five institutes of marine technology.

This increase in training provision is of vital importance for the economy as remittances, which stood at $13.84 billion in 2013, provide a valuable net inflow of foreign exchange.

While official remittances from the country’s 8 million expatriates, have tended to grow throughout changing economic cycles, economic turbulence in other countries and competition from other nations which export labour, make it imperative to boost the skills of our workforce in order to maxmise employment and income opportunities.

It remains important for the government to cultivate agreements with countries seeking labour, both among traditional destinations in the Middle East and Malaysia and further afield in places such as Eastern Europe and South Africa. However, it is the development of more skilled workers in different sectors, which will provide the best long term opportunities to sustain and grow remittances.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

the Editor

LETTER OF THE DAY

Communicate with patience

A unique school for Dalit children

An excellent presentation of the grim realities about the characters of our so-called professional experts and law enforcement authorities. I think everyone (who has no muscle power or political power) in this society have similar bitter experiences in their personal life. The reason behind the uncivilised and brutish arrogance that dominates the public character of our so-called professionals and experts is their unmitigated lack of knowledge and skill on anything they are supposed to deal with. To hide their ignorance they resort to arrogance and misbehaviour. Knowing all this, the people go to them not because they like them but because they find no other alternative. We really do live in a hell, it seems! nds

March 30

March 31

A fractured link

March 29 Mariyam do get treated badly. But that every week a You should also know that most of these stories worker dies? This is so untrue. In the last five years have been exaggerated. For instance, in the story there were one or two deaths. And they happen of the boy who died from fumes while cleaning mostly among themselves, where the workers the well, six Maldivians died along with him, and fight among themselves. And the well incident these six were all cousins. One of the six boys’ was an unfortunate incident where six Maldivians father was the owner and the boy died also. So it of the same family died too. Also, as mentioned was not a case of a Bangladeshi being put to death above, the brokers are Bangladeshi who recruit in a harsh environment, but a tragic accident that workers through agencies in their country, and took all the able-bodied men of one family to the take so much money from them. grave in an instant.

However, I do agree that the Maldivian authorAnd the so called brokers you mentioned are ities need to take drastic actions to protect these Bangladeshi men who bring their own kith and kin workers. It needs to be regulated, and they need to and hide their passports, take enormous amounts make sure the workers are paid properly and given of money as fees to bring them here and then proper accommodation. I do agree that some emthrow them onto the streets. There are always ployers take the workers’ passports and do not pay two sides to a story and, in this case, this is the their workers. There are also cases where the workreality, not the fiction that has been written to ers run away from employers to work on their own. create a rift.

But human trafficking is an absolute lie. If it is done, it is done before they cross the Maldivian border.

Nevertheless, the decision to close the Mohamed mission is right. Because Maldives is having I want to raise two issues here: There have been many cases of Bangladeshis a financial crisis now and it is not possible to being violent towards their own people. There maintain all these missions. I personally think are cases where they have even kept their fellow the missions in New York, Geneva, Belgium, Japan, China, Singapore, and Delhi should be Bangladeshis as hostages, and without food.

Maldives does not have embassies or high com- closed as well. However, we need the mission in missions in many countries. This is not because it Pakistan because there are extreme Maldivians does not have diplomatic relations with those abandoning their families and fleeing to Pakistan countries, but because Maldives cannot afford to and getting into a lot of trouble. keep them due to difficulties in financial and human resources. It does not mean diplomatic rela- Ayshath Khaled tions are cut. This goes to foreign embassies that Janzara: Oh gosh what an exaggerated article. I deal with Maldives also. The US embassy in Sri Lan- know it’s unfair for the labourers, but it is them ka deals with Maldives. who illegally bring their own families here, and I also agree that there is more the government ruin our country’s image by saying we treat them of Maldives can do to protect foreign workers badly. But of course, there are some agents who including Bangladeshis. have not treated them well. But I do not agree that each week a Bangladeshi here dies due to lack of protection. You cannot wholly accuse our Janzara country.

This article is so exaggerated. Of course workers

Vikram Khan Why can the Dalit children not enroll in the mainstream education system?! Why do they need “separate” schools? Will they “contaminate” other non-Dalit children? Does our constitution promote discrimination? Or are all free and equal?!

VKA Vikram Khan: Because madrasas do not accept them as to these madrasas, the Dalit children are considered as Kafirs. A school for Dalit children here is no different than having Jewish schools and Islamic schools in Western countries.

‘Khaleda does not believe in Bangladesh’ March 31 Funny how Begum Zia’s speech referring to her husband, Ziaur Rahman, being the first president of Bangladesh, seems to have sent the entire AL regime into a tailspin.

Every minister feels obliged to pitch in with his two cents on the controversy. The BNP chairperson’s belief in, and commitment to, Bangladesh is immune to the crass caricatures by any given government minister.

Ronnie

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

CALVIN AND HOBBES

Improving skills among the workforce is of vital importance to grow earnings

PEANUTS

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU ACROSS 1 Bellow (4) 3 Male deer (4) 7 Anger (3) 8 Causes to flow (5) 11 Quantity of paper (4) 12 Letting contract (5) 13 Correct (5) 15 Farewell! (4) 18 Old stringed instrument (4) 19 Donated (5) 20 Work into a fabric (5) 21 Lyric poems (4) 23 Durable fabric (5) 24 Limb (3) 25 Let fall (4) 26 At hand (4)

DOWN 1 Annul (6) 2 Talisman (6) 4 Neckwear (3) 5 Fit for ploughing (6) 6 Precious stone (3) 9 Replenishes (6) 10 Unhappy (3) 11 Bring back to life (6) 14 Homicide (6) 16 Reluctant (6) 17 Make beloved (6) 19 Fuel (3) 21 Of advanced age (3) 22 Self (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.

Sudoku

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Reviving BNP n Jyoti Rahman

I

Bangladesh has already been a close friend of Russia

AFP

Why didn’t we take a stand?

I

n Khawaza Main Uddin

t doesn’t go with the principle of positions taken by the Sheikh Hasina regime. Dhaka should have voted in favour of Moscow by opposing the UN General Assembly resolution adopted on March 27, 2014 that called Russia’s annexation of Crimea illegal.

Instead, Bangladesh preferred to abstain from a “yes” vote by the majority of UN member states (100 out of 193). The majoritarian democratic spirit is of no value to a government which doesn’t respect such principles at home.

Dhaka could have joined 11 exclusive countries that opposed the UN resolution on Crimea. On their part, it was deemed fair enough to stand by their friend Vladimir Putin, without bothering about the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Our foreign ministry has failed to learn from the Bangladesh Cricket Board how to appease a friendly country to buy its friendship.

I don’t understand why the present government missed the opportunity to become a closer ally of Putin’s Russia.

During Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s reign, Bangladesh has already been a close friend of Russia, signing nuclear and arms procurement deals. If her advisers feel Moscow has done the right thing by taking over Crimea from Ukraine, why don’t they wholeheartedly support their friend?

Putin has made the gambit of posing a challenge to the West after certain calculations of possible implications of his aggressive actions and of the future world order. Former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

thought that Putin wanted to redraw the boundaries of Europe. The West, led by the US, has been trying to make Russia quarantined economically.

A product of the spy agency of the Soviet empire KGB, Putin has his frustration seeing the American hegemony after the end of the Cold War and dismantling of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991. He is looking at the East in a quest for allies, bearing in mind that the world’s centre of economic gravity is shifting to Asia.

to maximise national interests. We are still confused about how we should define and build friendships in the international arena.

The government of Bangladesh, in the post-independent era, had proved miscalculations when it exported jute to Cuba inimical to the US interest. I still wonder if there was any diplomat or foreign policy analyst to point out that Bangladesh could no longer be entitled to American food aid under PL-480 (public law) program, as we

We are still confused about how we should define and build friendships in the international arena

What was Dhaka’s calculation while preferring abstention in the UN move?

US Ambassador Dan W Mozena has regretted Bangladesh’s inability to join the “majority,” ventilating Washington’s disturbing feeling.

This has apparently made Russians somewhat happy. Dhaka is indifferent to any reactions from the West which imposed sanctions against Putin and his friends.

So, we have given more importance to a political ally than major trading partners – the European Union and the US – where many non-resident Bangladeshis are also living. This is not a testament of the economic diplomacy Dhaka has long been talking about

had been closer to the Fidel Castro regime. We had a famine in 1974.

Now, Dhaka’s abstention from UN voting on the Ukraine issue proves to be contradictory. As a matter of foreign policy principle, Bangladesh is supposed to uphold the territorial integrity of any nation. Dhaka sent troops to Saudi Arabia in 1990 to join the US-led coalition to free Kuwait from Iraqi occupation, although Iraq’s president at that time, Saddam Hussain, claimed the oil-rich kingdom to be an integral part of Iraq.

One may argue that Putin annexed Crimea after a referendum which the UN resolution declared illegal. We don’t need the answer to whether Dha-

ka would support a referendum on the Kashmir dispute should the UN move to take such a resolution.

We can also understand that Bangladesh cannot afford to become the Switzerland of the East – we are and have to remain engaged in conflicting situations around the world. Gone are the days of quiet diplomacy and we are curious to know the line of thinking of the regime for determining the choice in such a crisis.

China and India are in the list of deliberate absentees and their decisions were taken from independent perspective of each economic powerhouse. Are our interests 100% compatible with those of our two great neighbours? We are living in a world where independent thinking is not a gift of the Magi.

We did not see the US, being the closest ally of Israel, cursing Bangladesh for its support to the Palestinians.

The countries that objected to the UN resolution are considered to be long-term Russian allies and countries under its spheres of influence and mostly governed by authoritarian rulers or elected dictators. It was crystal clear why they supported Russia.

Domestically, the government in Dhaka today has even overstepped Vladimir Putin’s policy. Whereas he had to manoeuvre carefully to keep others out of power, Sheikh Hasina’s administration has left no room for the opposition in parliament. The Russian leader has at least wanted to come to some terms with the West. But the Bangladesh premier has shown much more courage in ignoring the West. l

f there is one constant refrain in Bangladeshi political punditry, it is that BNP as a political party has no future, it is broken beyond repair, it really stands for nothing – why, BNP means Basically No Party. But defying these pundits, BNP keeps bouncing back. And yet, some pundits keep ignoring the facts of BNP’s resilience, and continue to harp on about BNP’s imminent demise.

The thing is, cacophony of these pundits actually drown out some very legitimate critical analysis of BNP, analysis that BNP leaders and supporters would do well to dwell on at length. This piece provides a framework to think about these critical analyses.

Suppose BNP was analysed by a top management consultant firm like McKinsey or BCG. How would they go about the task? What would they advise?

After doing an assessment of the global, regional and national political environment, and motivations/ aspirations of the key stakeholders, they would focus on three possible problems BNP might have.

Firstly, they could conclude that BNP has great political potential, but is held back by problems of perception that it is corrupt and supports extremism. That is, its problem is not product, but brand. It’s a marketing problem.

What will BNP do if someone else can sell a shinier version of antiAL-ism?

If this view is correct, then the solution is a media offensive. Now, this is not easy, but it’s much easier than the next possibility.

The second possibility is that the problem is not primarily image/brand/ marketing/perception, but that there were/are elements in BNP who really are corrupt or extremist. If this view is correct, the solution is major rehaul of party machinery.

Cacophony of pundits actually drown out some very legitimate critical analysis of BNP

Of course, the higher up in the leadership chain such rehaul touches, the harder it is to implement (or even conceive). Particularly, what if the problem is not the rank-and-file of the party, but some very senior leaders?

Does BNP have the stomach to confront that?

And yet, even this possibility is not the hardest one for BNP. What if the problem is neither marketing nor management, but the product?

What does BNP stand for? Why would anyone support BNP? Is it just a collection of people who are upset by the Awami League? What will BNP do if someone else can sell a shinier version of anti-AL-ism?

If BNP has no product people want, neither a media offensive nor a leadership change (hard as they might be to pull off ) would suffice.

But is it self-evident that BNP has no product? Or is it that its product is not marketed properly by an incompetent management?

Instead of just pronouncing BNP’s demise or coming up with a laundry list of things to do, BNP’s well-wishers would do well to think about whether it is the product, brand, or management that needs fixing. l Jyoti Rahman is a political blogger. This article was previously published in jrahman. wordpress.com.

Khawaza Main Uddin is Executive Editor at ICE Business Times.

AFP

A strategy cannot be too simple, too focused, or too actionable n Sigve Brekke

S

trategy is about making choices.

It is deciding what to do and what not to do. Strategies that are not easily communicated are seldom effective. That’s why I maintain that a strategy cannot be too simple, too focused, or too actionable.

When I meet business leaders I sometimes ask them about their company’s strategy. Many are put off by such a direct question, and start looking frantically through their desk drawers or flipping through their emails hunting for this year’s strategy document. If you do not recall your own strategy, how can you execute it on a daily basis?

At Telenor, we used to have quite comprehensive strategies, planning for every possible outcome or situation that might arise in a rapidly evolving industry. As a result, we were all carrying a comprehensive strategy document that did not really shed light on where we were headed as a group. And at the company level, strategy became even more complex. If you asked any Telenor representative about our strategy five years ago, you would have gotten many different answers. Today, our strategies are simple, and seldom longer than three points.

I first experienced the power of

simple and focused strategies as coCEO at our Thai operations, DTAC. At the time, more than ten years ago, DTAC was struggling in the market and needed to muster new energy and growth. We devised one of the fastest, most successful growth strategies in our history at Telenor. It was simple, it was actionable, but most importantly, it was human.

We decided to build a new pre-paid, mass-market brand appealing to young and new mobile users. We called it “Happy,” named after one of our most basic needs we share as people – to be happy. Happy was fully conceptualised in only three weeks. It was possible because we kept it simple: The concept, the targets, and the brand. The smile on red background plus the laughter in every advertisement made the brand itself simple, but valuable. DTAC Happy blossomed into a Thailand-wide sales and marketing campaign that continues to this day, appealing to the young, engaged, and happy spirit of the country.

In a short time, Happy resulted in a 12% brand awareness lift for DTAC, and a 9% increase in purchasing intent among our initial targets – teenagers and early twenty-somethings. Today, DTAC is Telenor Group’s largest mobile operation and Thailand continues to be one of our most important markets.

Happy helped get it there.

A more recent example comes from India, where we set up Uninor in 2009.

After completing one of the world’s largest and fastest telecom roll-outs, we started building a brand to serve young, dynamic Indians hungry for mobile connectivity. We were building our business around a lean operation model, and took advantage of the fact that we had the most modern equipment in the industry to launch innovative yet cost-efficient services.

Our ambitions were high, we wanted to serve the rapidly growing middle classes across the world’s second largest mobile market. But there were many others in the fray, all targeting the same aspiring youngsters.

After a few months in operation, we realised we were not clear enough – not in the market and not to our own staff. We were expanding our reach, building an organisation, fine-tuning our product portfolio, acquiring new customers, and developing advanced services all at the same time. Six months after launch, we were lagging behind; and I was getting worried.

What we needed was focus and speed. Our strategy was too wide, trying to cover too many things. We were acting like an incumbent operator despite being a newcomer. We could not afford to just follow the others; we

had to grow faster than the industry.

To do so, we had to make some hard choices.

Shifting our strategy, we focused on three things: Being the best on servicing the basics and on mass-market distribution and to have the lowest costs in the industry. Three things, nothing more. Uninor is in India to bring an affordable mobile connectivity to mass-market consumers.

And you know what? It works.

Uninor started adding subscriptions in a big way, growing by 1.5-2 million customers every month. We did better than all other new entrants in the market, and in some instances better than the incumbents. Uninor transformed into a performance machine.

Employees were engaged with ambitious targets, a goal-getting culture, and by being part of challenging the entire industry. On the customer side, we introduced taglines like “Pay Less, Talk More” and “Sabse Sasta” – which is Hindi for “the cheapest.”

A few months after we shifted and refined our strategy, we had the board of directors of Telenor Group visiting India. During a market visit, one of the senior board members approached one of our retail sales executives, a young member of our field sales force, pulling the same trick that I sometimes do on top managers, asking: “What’s

this company’s strategy?” I thought: this is unfair. He is a junior sales guy, focused on delivering his daily targets.

How can you expect him to know our strategy?

But this guy, maybe in his early 20s, straightened up and said in a loud clear voice: “Sir, the strategy of this company is to be best on basic services, best on mass market distribution and best on costs, sir!”

break-even in four years. In the investment-heavy telecoms industry, bringing revenues and costs to the same level in just four years is nothing short of remarkable. But our Indian operation did it, the people of Uninor did it, with passion and determination.

Successful strategies are simple, focused and actionable. They help people prioritise what’s important and leave out everything else. A good

We could not afford to just follow the others; we had to grow faster than the industry. To do so, we had to make some hard choices

Seldom have I been this proud. Because knowing the strategy by heart, like this, is not something you can fake. It means that these words meant something to him in his daily life, in his everyday actions. And the proof of any strategy is in the execution.

Uninor’s clear strategy and priorities enabled the organisation to live through a license cancellation, almost a year of uncertainty, and a transfer into a new entity. It even brought the company to become cash-flow

strategy is one that is meaningful at every level of the organisation. That’s when people remember it and use it – every day.

Today, Telenor Group’s global strategy has three points. So does our Asia strategy, and the strategies of all our local operations in the region. Next time you meet one my colleagues, ask him or her: “What’s your company’s strategy?” l Sigve Brekke is Head of Telenor Asia.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Celebrating Mahanayika’s birthday Shatkahon n

Rongeela Mela begins April 10

Entertainment Desk

Today is the 83rd birth anniversary of Mahanayika Suchitra Sen. Paying tribute to the legendary actor who is one of the most loved screen personalities of all ages to the Bangla film lovers, art gallery Shilpangan is opening a special exhibition titled Serenading Suchitra today.

The exhibition will feature artworks of 30 promising and seasoned painters including Hamiduzzaman Khan, Sheikh Afzal, Goutam Chakrabarty, Shamsuddoha, Ranjit Das, Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Jamal Ahmed, Syed Iqbal, Bikash, Aloptogin Tushar, Rashid Amin, Javed Jalil, Krishna Chattapadhyay and Gulshan Hossain.

Rumi Noman, member-secretary of Shilpangan Trust, said: We can undoubtedly say that she lived in our imagination more than she did in movies.

She existed and still remains as an enigmatic personality, profusely endowed with our affection, love and imagination. She remains in our hearts as the powerful persona of the black and white era of films - an icon of the modern woman, an embodiment of the beautiful actress that she was. Our endeavour is to remember and cherish her as we knew her to be. This exhibition is a tribute by the painters of Bangladesh as part of this endeavour.”

The exhibition will be inaugurated by educationist Burhanuddin Khan Jahangir at the Shilpangan Gallery where writer Selina Hossain is scheduled to speak. The exhibition will continue till April 19. l

n Entertainment Desk

Artwork by Kanak Chanpa Chakma

Kumar Bishwajit’s new album out in the market n Entertainment Desk Popular singer Kumar Bishwajit’s 28th solo album Priyo Onubhob has been released yesterday under the banner of CD choice.

The ace singer said: “The theme of the album explores romance, separation, conflicts, and happiness, along with many other emotional aspects. The album title refers to my personal feelings which have been narrated though the songs.”

The album also comprises two songs based on colloquial languages of Chittagong and Sylhet regions. Also, the singer has dedicated a song in the memory of Suchitra Sen. A special feature of the album is the live sound of instruments like esraj, sarod, mandolin and guitar. The lyrics and music arrangements have been done by both veteran and newcomer composers.

The singer has signed up with digital label ME Label. Priyo Onubhob will be available on all international outlets including iTunes, Amazonmp3, GooglePlay, Rhapsody, Emusic and other popular platforms. Furthermore, the songs will be monetised on free streaming sites including Spotify, YouTube where the users can listen to the songs for free. l

Celebrated folk bands and soloists will perform in a five day long festival titled Shatkahon Rongeela Mela, an initiative by Jatra - A Journey into Craft, which will begin on April 10.

The programme aims to highlight the beauty of the seven regions of Bangladesh by focusing on the stories, flowers and crafts of each. This is Jatra’s first chapter of a 7 part story which will be demonstrated through the festival. The show will continue from April 10 to 14, 10am to 8pm at Jatra’s Dhanmandi Outletin road 27.

The festival is featuring performances by Shayan, Bahok (Anusheh Anadil, Palki, Pandu, Nazrul, Shafi Mondol), Joler Gaan, Kangalini Sufia and Rob Fakir.

The programme will also highlight traditional food, local crafts, products of our cottage industry and performances by Shadhona's Dance Company.

The proprietor of Jatra and also a famous folk singer Anusheh Anadil said: “We have big plans related to this.

We have been going all over the country, documenting and learning more about all our traditional crafts. We are also having a lot of workshops this last year on plants, birds and the culture of Bangladesh. This is 1st chapter of the Mela.

When we launch chapter 7, we plan to release the travel documentary and a book on all our experiences. The experience so far has been very humbling and revealing positively and negatively. Just as we discovered amazing master craft women and men and experienced some amazing cultural and artistic forms, we also learnt about how our excessive consumerism is affecting the countries’ indigenous arts, animals and natural resources.” l

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

Serenading Suchitra Time: 12pm – 8pm Shilpangan Gallery, House-7, Road-13, Dhanmondi Crossing Through Time: 3pm – 8pm

Dhaka Art Center (DAC) House-60, Road-7A Dhanmondi R/A Neel Megher Kabbo

By Mahbubul Haque Time: 8am – 11pm Bronia Cafe & Gallery Gulshan Avenue

Entertainment Desk

n Entertainment Desk Mobile radio service Musica has been launched initially for Robi customers across the country on March 5 at the Radisson Blu Water Garden. Multisourcing Limited, a leading mobile value added service provider, formally launched the service while unveiling its logo.

The service will allow Robi users by dialing 3333 to hear unreleased and exclusive songs from leading artistes such as Bappa Majumder, Fuad Al Muqtadir, Kona, Iraj, Elita, Hyder Husyn and Arnob. More than 40 top artistes have already signed for the endeavour. In addition, the WAP service will be launched by the end of this week.

Zakir Khan, director of Multisourcing Ltd said: “We are constantly working to offer innovative solutions that allow users to enrich their mobile experience. Other operators will also be included in the programme in a month, he added.”

Celebrity musicians who have signed with Musica were present at the launching event. l

Jibondhuli Shongram Boishomyo Avatar in 3D Frozen in 3D Time: 10am - 10pm Star Cineplex, Bashundhara City

Lifestyle magazine show Trend’s today’s episode will feature fashion and food for Pohela Boishakh.

The show will be aired on ATN Bangla at 3:45pm

Musica Subhashree and Ankush in Dhaka for shooting features unreleased n songs

Indian Bangla film’s superstars Subhashree and Ankush are now in Dhaka for the shooting of Ami Shudhu Cheyechhi Tomay.

The film, directed by Ashok Pati and Ananna Mamun, is a joint production of the two Bengal.

The film is produced by Action Cut Entertainment and Eskay Movies. Ananna Mamun informed that if everything goes well, the movie will hit the cinemas this May in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. If their venture succeeds, it will be the first ever Bangla film to be released in both the Bengal on the same day.

He added: “I am very hopeful about the film. I want mass audience to enjoy this film. The film features a unique story.”

The duo, who will be sharing screen space for the first time in this film, has started shooting in Pubail yesterday. About working in this film, Tollywood diva Subhashree shared: “I am giving my cent percent concentration to the film as I always do for each film I wok in.” She also expressed her desire to work in Dhallywood. She shared: “I will definitely work in Bangladeshi film industry if I get a good offer.” Subhashree’s upcoming film titled Game, opposite West Bengal’s heartthrob Jeet, will hit the cinemas this May. Ankush is very excited to come to Dhaka for the first time. He said: “Dhaka is the birth place of my mother. I am going to bring the spirit of Dhaka to my family when I will return Kolkata.” l

Film

IML screens Amores Perros today n Entertainment Desk Institute of Modern Languages of Dhaka University will screen world famous Mexican film Amores Perros today at 5pm.

The film is directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu.

Amores Perros is the first movie in Iñárritu's trilogy of death, and was followed by 21 Grams and Babel. It is a triptych; an anthology film, sometimes referred to as the "Mexican Pulp Fiction."

The film is about a horrific car accident connects three stories, each involving characters dealing with loss, regret, and life's harsh realities, all in the name of love.

Amores Perros was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2000 and won the Ariel Award for Best Picture from the Mexican Academy of Film. The film was released under its Spanish title in the English-speaking world, although its title was sometimes translated as Love's a Bitch in marketing. The soundtrack included songs by wellknown Latin American rock bands, such as Café Tacuba, Control Machete, and Bersuit Vergarabat. l

Scarlett Johansson's superpowers in Lucy n Entertainment Desk People have seen her kick aliens in the rear as the Black Widow in the movie Avengers. Now, Scarlett Johansson gets to become her own hero in Lucy and if the film's new trailer is to be believed, she gets her own super powers as well, the Los Angeles Times reported.

With Lucy, Scarlett Johansson moves on from being mortal special agent Natasha Romanoff and turns into the titular lead with superpowers based on her unlocked mental capabilities.

The trailer of the movie also features Johansson working with "God" himself, although this time, Morgan Freeman is the mere mortal who is helping the super-powered lady in uncovering more of her capabilities with his study into the human mind.

The trailer reveals the basic premise of the film, which seems

to be the usual superhero trope: An unforeseen incident happens to a "normal" person and average citizen, which unlocks or gives her superpowers. She decides to get rid of them at first, but she eventually embraces them and goes on a rampage.

Interestingly, the event that gave Lucy her powers is revealed by the trailer as not so standard after all, what with the involvement of drugs and gansgters.

After spending a night having fun and partying, she wakes up with cut open abdomen, gets abducted, and finds out that she has been implanted with drugs to function as a drug smuggling mule. When she is captured and beaten, the packs of drugs inside Lucy's stomach ruptures, causing their contents to be absorbed into her body.

This starts unlocking parts of her mind for use, which goes in hand with the urban myth of humans only using 10% of their brains, something the film is heavily based on. l

Did you know?

England’s Alex Hales, South Africa’s Richard Levi and New Zealand’s Martin Guptill are the only players to hit hundreds in chases in T20Is. All three of them have come in wins. Overall, there have been 11 centuries in T20Is

Sport

Sri Lanka’s stand in Twenty20 skipper Lasith Malinga informed his side will like to end their three months stay in Bangladesh on a winning note when they face India in the ICC World Twenty20 final today.

The islanders kicked off their Bangladesh campaign with a bilateral series against the hosts followed by a successful Asia Cup and now the World Twenty20.

“We’ve been playing a lot of cricket in Bangladesh. Everyone is looking forward to doing their job and giving 100% to the national team. We won the Asia Cup, and tomorrow (today) is a good opportunity for us to prove ourselves once more. Everyone trusts us to give our best. If we do that, given that we’re used to the pitches and the conditions here, we should have a good chance,” said Malinga during the prematch conference at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

The Lanka spearhead informed to approach the game like any other T20 game as it will allow them to play without the pressure of a final.

“We all know it is a final but we have to treat it as a normal T20 game.

That’s the way we are approaching it, and then you don’t take any extra pressure,” said Malinga.

Malinga led the side in the semifinal after regular T20 captain Dinesh Chandimal opted himself out for poor form and made way for Lahiru Thiramanne. However, Malinga informed that even if Chandimal plays today, he will not be leading the side.

“Chandimal led us well in the first few matches. He is a promising up and

is a good player, but, if he gets a good ball, he too can get out,” he said.

The Sri Lankan team will be handed a million dollar bonus if they can shake off their reputation as chokers in the final of the World Twenty20, the country’s cricket board announced on Friday. But this is not a concern for the side informed Malinga.

“We don’t think about how much money we will get. We play because we love to represent Sri Lanka. There is a Sri Lankan brand of cricket and we try to play that every day and tomorrow (today) is no different. We won’t be thinking about what money we may get,” said Malinga. l

SRI LANKA

14 City sink Saints

to maintain title charge

14 Bayern suffer

shock league defeat

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Familiar foes

renew title rivalry in WT20 final

Dhoni urges to control emotion

Malinga wants to leave with win coming player. Lahiru got his chance and proved how good he is. We haven’t decided our team for tomorrow (today). We have to look at the pitch and decide what kind of combination we want. Everyone has a good chance of being selected. Chandimal also has a good chance of playing tomorrow (today),” said the 30-year-old.

Virat Kohli has been in tremendous form with the bat for India, but Malinga suggested they will plan for the full game as the Indian team contains other threatening batsmen too. “We have to plan for all 20 overs. They have six or seven good batsmen. We don’t think only about getting one particular batsman out. We have to focus on bowling 20 good overs. Virat

Sunday, April 6, 2014

India have already bagged the milestone of becoming the only team to win the entire major limited over titles in eyesight – the World Cup and the World Twenty20, while they have also lived up to their expectation in the major tournaments by reaching the finals quite often. India captain MS Dhoni thinks they must control the emotion in order to bring home another title today.

“Emotions are something, I personally feel you have to keep at bay. As human beings we are all emotional but when you are playing at a professional level, it is very important that

ROAD TO FINAL Semifinal

Beat West Indies by 27 runs (D/L)

you have control over your emotions.

For us what is important is doing well in the final. The other factors we don’t really focus on because it is more important to win a World cup for your country than focus on stats,” Dhoni said at the pre-match conference at the Shere-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

He respected their opponent Sri Lanka and said they have a good blend of youth and experience at their disposal which makes them suitable for these conditions.

However, the 32-year-old captain cool also added that his side has played clinical cricket throughout the tournament and though they were tested against South Africa, with a slightly

INDIA

Beat South Africa by 6 wickets Super 10s

Beat New Zealand by 59 runs Lost to England by 6 wickets Beat Netherlands by 9 wickets Beat South Africa by 5 runs India v Sri Lanka in tournament finals: India 9, Sri Lanka 8, no-result 2.

Yuvraj Singh is 43 short of becoming the 17th player to 1000 T20I runs.

Kumar Sangakkara needs five dismissals in his final match to reach 50 dismissals.

Beat Australia by 73 runs Beat Bangladesh by 8 wickets Beat West Indies by 7 wickets Beat Pakistan by 7 Wickets If Tillakaratne Dilshan doesn’t score 36 runs more than him, Mahela Jayawardene will sign off as the second-highest run-getter in T20Is. If India win, not only will they have equaled the longest winning streak in T20Is, they will also hold all three ICC limited-overs trophies.

bigger target than usual, they did end up on the winning side successfully.

“As far as the last game is concerned I thought we were really tested to some extent, the reason being in most of the games we were chasing near 140, and this was the only game where we were chasing more than 170 which were 30 more,” said Dhoni. “There was a bit of calmness in the dressing room, but we had the belief that we could chase it down because the wicket also was playing slightly better. Overall it was a good test, the reason being we scored in excess of 170 and at the same time we restricted opponents to 70, 80 and even 120,” he added.

India holds the physiological advantage over their familiar foes as Sri Lanka have ended on the losing side on most previous occasions, but Dhoni informed the statistics hardly matters in T20 it depends on who plays well on the given day.

“Well in this format, I don’t think psychological advantage really matters because the difference between the good sides is very narrow the reason being it’s such a short format. I feel it all boils down to how well you have played on that particular day and how the individuals respond to a particular situation. I think that will be crucial, it’s not about what we have done in the past,” said Dhoni.

India’s most successful captain ever Dhoni labeled his team members as T20 specialists and said they are multi dimensional and have been performing in the other formats of the game as well. He also praised the run machine Virat Kohli’s approach towards the game and said the versatile batsman always grabs a chance which comes his way. l

History beckons India Will the send-off be perfect?

Prior to the ICC World T20 2014, India’s away record has been highly criticized, especially when the Men in Blues were handed a series of ODI whitewashes in South Africa and New Zealand followed by a first round exit from the Asia Cup after some tight home wins against West Indies and Australia.

These were definitely some uncomfortably ominous records to worry about before the World T20 2014 in Bangladesh got under way. But the champions of the opening edition showed no sign of nerves once the first bowl of the tournament was bowled. The current World Cup winners started their show with a dominating seven wicket win over arch-rival Pakistan, one of the most successful teams in World T20. India’s sheer professionalism backed up by their authority over nerves was worthy of appreciation and serious attention.

Since then it has been India’s dominance all the way in the Super-10s as they shrugged off defending champion West Indies, host Bangladesh and their all-time favorite Australia on their way to the semifinal as the only unbeaten team of this year’s event.

India met South Africa in the second semifinal on Friday last and sort of expectedly, the Proteas lost another chance to make it to the final after conceding a six-wicket defeat to the Indian squad led by Dhoni, who has never lost in any international semifinals. This was the seventh time the ‘Chokers’ have failed to go past a semifinal.

So the mighty India will face a balanced Sri Lankan side in the WT20 fi-

nal today which is the seventh final for the Men in Blues in an ICC event since 2000. They have succeeded so far in winning on four occasions including the 2011 World Cup and 2013 Champions Trophy.

Amassing 242 runs with an amazing average of 121 in the tournament, the ever consistent Virat Kohli is leading the ever sizzling Indian batting lineup which also features the elegant Rohit Sharma, the dashing Suresh Raina and the cool MS Dhoni. All-rounder Yuvraj Singh, who was the key to their world-cup successes in the past, is yet to flourish entirely except a 43-ball 60

INDIA’S RECORD IN ICC EVENTS

Tournament Champions Runner-ups World Cup 2011 2003 World T20 2007 Champions Trophy 2013, 2002 2000 Since 2000

against Australia in India’s last game in the group stage. Although Yuvraj has not been the same player post-cancer, there’s no doubting his big tournament credentials as he was the player of the tournament in India’s World T20 2007 and World Cup 2011 triumphs.

In the spin department, Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra have been outstanding and complemented each other brilliantly in homey condition by taking 19 wickets together in five games and conceding reasonable runs per over. Therefore, with all departments firing and aided by India’s luck in finals under Dhoni, it is pretty safe to dub India favorite for today’s final. But Sri Lankans also will play their heart out to gift their greatest cricketing heroes - Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene a perfect farewell. l

Indian cricketers try to lift the spirit with a team huddle at the SBNS yesterday MUMIT M

Sri Lankan legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara had featured in many major finals but never came out with the silverware and the stage is perfectly set for the infamous pair to end their career in the shortest format with the glory in hand in their last T20I today.

The two veteran Sri Lankans share 26,811 limited-overs international runs, 35 hundreds and 172 half-centuries, but, frustratingly, zero ICC-event trophies.

The episode of their inexplicable losing series started in the 2002 ICC Champions Trophy. Sri Lanka playing at home breezed into the final against India, but rain intervened and the trophy was shared by the finalists. Sangakkara chipped in 26 and Mahela added 77 as Sri Lanka posted 222 in 50 overs but the match was abandoned with India on 38 for one after nine overs.

Since then the vastly experienced pair helped Sri Lanka reach the finals of the 2007 and 2011 ICC World Cup followed by the finals in the 2009 and 2012 ICC World Twenty20. On all occasions they came second, and if that remains the case even today then it will be a matter of great regret after they bid adieu from the game.

Both the players led their country to

the finals of the World T20 in the past with Sangakkara in 2009 in England when Sri Lanka lost to Pakistan and Jayawardene in 2012 in Sri Lanka when his team was beaten by West Indies.

Sangakkara scored 1330 runs in 55 T20Is till date and averages 30.22 while Jayawardene is Sri Lanka’s leading run scorer in the format having made 1469 runs in 54 games. Jayawardene featured in four World Cup finals - two T20 and as many ODI – and every time he could just watch his opponents cel-

ebrate in Bridgetown 2007, in Lord’s 2009, in Mumbai 2011, and most painfully in Colombo 2012.

The trauma of the two Sri Lankan stalwarts are well known in the cricket arena and it was categorically exposed in the words of West Indian captain Darren Sammy after his team was thrown out of the meet by the D/L method against Sri Lanka. “There were two gentlemen [Sangakkara and Jayawardene] who gave a lot not only to Sri Lankan cricket but to cricket as

Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara

a whole. May be the Almighty wants them to win a World Cup and leave on a high. Probably, God wants them to win a World Cup and that`s why He put his hand in this so that they get another match,” said Sammy in the post match conference after rain helped Sri Lanka win the semifinal.

They have also contributed to the team in all the finals they appeared, may that be with bat or fielding. In the final of 2009 WT20 Sangakkara scored 64 and Mahela made just one, in the 2012 WT20 final Sangakkara added 22 while Mahela contributed 33, in the final of the 2007 World Cup Mahela scored 19 while Sangakkara chipped in 54 and in the 2011 World Cup final at Mumbai Sangakkara added 48 while Mahela remained 103 not out, with 13 boundaries in 88 balls with a strike rate of 117.04.

It was the highest score in the 2011 World Cup but still unfortunately, Mahela could not join the club of Clive Lloyd, Vivian Richards, Aravinda de Silva and Ricky Ponting as he remained the only centurion in a World Cup final in the losing side.

Both Mahela and Sangakkara looked very determined in every match in the edition. The youngsters of the team know the value of the duo and get to learn a lot from the two. A successful bilateral series, the Asia Cup are the two trophies they took in the last couple months, but the big question is will fortune favour the braves today? l

Nazmul opts for strict discipline Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib al Hasan’s thought-provoking interview in a vernacular daily had irked the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) as the cricket body found few comments from Shakib to be offensive and discussed the issue in an urgent BCB meeting held yesterday.

The BCB president Nazmul Hasan informed that the board has asked for an explanation from Shakib over some particular comments made in the personal interview. Whether the leading Bangladesh all-rounder had taken permission from the team management was another query the BCB made.

“According to the bylaws, a player is not supposed to give a personal interview without the permission of the manager during an ongoing tournament. We have asked him to explain some parts of the comments that he

made. Today (yesterday) is the last day for Shakib to reply back. We can only reach a position over the issue once we get his explanation,” informed Nazmul to the media at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

Nazmul further informed that it won’t be right to discuss on the issue or what punishment Shakib might have to face until the board gets the explanation and at the same time also learn what the team management thinks of the comments. “I want to know whether the team management found his comments right or wrong and what is to be done if they finds the comments offensive,” said Nazmul.

Nazmul was confident that Shakib violated the BCB code of conduct – not one but many.

“The disciplinary committee will get busy once we get his explanation.

The committee will take four to five days to ready their recommendation

and will sit with the board directors once I return,” he said.

Shakib in his interview questioned patriotism of the common people. He further stated ‘people’s expectations, the journalists’ reporting and board’s pressure’ as the reasons behind Bangladesh’s poor showings in the ICC

The disciplinary committee will get busy once we get Shakib’s explanation World Twenty20. He further indicated that the BCB’s practice facilities were not good enough.

Nazmul was not ready to accept what Shakib had said and replied, “It was the cricket crazy fans from Bangladesh that made the event so successful which I think is enough to show patriotism. Even the ICC admitted that there is no other country except Bangladesh

that loves the game more.”

Bangladesh’s poor performance in the World T20 was also an issue in the urgent board meeting. The BCB president informed, “We have asked the head coach (Shane Jurgensen) and the team manager to submit a detailed report within a week so that we can discuss on it once we are back.”

Nazmul informed that the national dressing room might see several changes in the coming month. “We are more concerned of the team staff than the players. The decisions will depend a lot on the report and the board will also see if the explanations in the report are good enough to accept,” said Namul.

He further added that the board is aiming for a long-term plan, but not delay much as the ICC World Cup 2015 is not far away. The BCB boss informed that the board will also look for new players to fit in the important spots in the team. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Dead sheep greets Hanover players

Sport

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Durant equals Jordan but Rockets win

Hanover 96 players were met by a macabre sight when they turned up at training Friday to find a dead sheep at their ground ahead of Sunday’s Lower Saxony derby against Eintracht Braunschweig. The sheep carcass was attached to the gate at Hanover’s training ground alongside a message that rammed home the rivalry between the two clubs’ supporters: “Sunday we’re going to wipe the floor with you pieces of sewage.” Historically there has been a fierce rivalry between the two teams and even violence at their matches.

–AFP

Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant notched his 40th straight NBA game with 25 points or more on Friday, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the Houston Rockets.

Houston’s James Harden scored 39 points, grabbed nine rebounds and handed out seven assists to lead the Rockets to a 111-107 victory that secured their postseason berth. Durant scored 28 points for the playoff-bound Thunder, matching Michael Jordan’s streak of 40 straight games of 25 points or more in the 1986-87 season.

–AFP

Bugs set for Masters menu Defending Masters Champion Adam Scott has surprised all but a few including the injured Tiger Woods with his main menu choice at next Tuesday’s Augusta Former Champions Dinner - ‘Moreton Bay Bugs’. A Moreton Bay Bug is a flat-headed lobster and named after Moreton Bay - a body of water on the east coast of Australia bordering the city of Brisbane and close to where Scott grew up. The now annual Former Champions dinner was first held in 1952 at the suggestion of Ben Hogan.

–AFP

Atletico maintain title push with narrow win

High-flying Roma eye return to Europe’s big stage

Atletico Madrid strengthened their position at the top of La Liga with a tense 1-0 win over Villarreal at the Vicente Calderon on Saturday.

Raul Garcia headed home the only goal of the game after just 14 minutes from Koke’s corner. However, without top scorer Diego Costa through injury, Atletico were forced to hold for long periods and were lucky to see Toby Alderweireld’s sliced clearance fly just wide of his own goal a minute from time.

Diego Simeone’s men now lead Barcelona by four points with third-placed Real Madrid two points further back.

Barca and Real, however, can cut the gap when they face Real Betis and Real Sociedad respectively later on Saturday.

As well as missing Costa due to a hamstring problem, Simeone was without Arda Turan and Gabi and made five changes in all from the side that started Tuesday’s 1-1 draw away to Barcelona.

Diego Ribas scored a memorable goal to open the scoring in midweek and he could have had another just four minutes in as he pulled off to the edge of the box to meet Koke’s corner on the volley, but the ball flew over the bar.l

Roma travel to Cagliari on Sunday looking for a first win in Sardinia for over 18 years and knowing that a point would be enough to guarantee them at least a place in the Champions League preliminary rounds.

Rudi Garcia’s side lie second in Serie A on 73 points, eight behind champions Juventus and still with an outside chance of their first league title since 2001. Never before have they had so many points after 31 games.

However, is a place in the Champions League after what will be three seasons without European football.

Their last appearance was an embarrassing 2-1 aggregate defeat by Slovan Bratislava in the Europa League preliminary rounds at the start of the 201112 campaign. l

FIXTURES

Manchester City's Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure scores the opening goal from a penalty during their English Premier League match against Southampton at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northwest England yesterday AFP

City sink Saints to maintain title charge

Manchester City kept up the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool with a 4-1 win at home to Southampton in Saturday’s early kick-off match.

Victory saw City close to within a point of Liverpool with a game in hand and leapfrog Chelsea into second place.

But Chelsea, who’ve also played one game more than City, will go a point clear at the top if they beat Stoke at Stamford Bridge in Saturday’s late kick-off.

Everton and Arsenal, fifth and fourth respectively before the weekend, clash at Goodison Park on Sunday.

The opening four goals at Eastlands all came in the first half with City’s Yaya Toure and Saints’ Rickie Lambert both scoring from the penalty spot before Samir Nasri and Edin Dzeko scored in stoppage-time to make it 3-1 to Manuel Pellegrini’s men.

Meanwhile Juan Mata scored twice as Manchester United moved above Tottenham, who face relegationthreatened Sunderland on Monday, and into sixth place with a 4-0 win away to Newcastle.

Fresh from their morale-boosting 1-1 Champions League draw against titleholders Bayern Munich at Old Trafford on Tuesday, David Moyes’s side took the lead at St James’ Park courtesy of

Rodgers wary of Carroll threat to title bid Brendan Rodgers admits he fears a firedup Andy Carroll could wreck Liverpool’s title challenge when the West Ham striker faces his former club on Sunday.

Rodgers quickly decided Carroll wasn’t part of his plans when he took over at Anfield in 2012 and shipped the towering forward out on loan to the Hammers just two months later.

The Reds boss felt Carroll’s physical style wouldn’t be a good fit with his pass and move philosophy and his eventual sale for £15 million ($25m, 18m euros) has proved a wise decision.

Arsene Wenger admits Arsenal will have only themselves to blame if they

fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League.

Wenger’s side face Everton on Sunday in a crucial clash in the race to book a place in Europe’s elite club competition.

The Gunners currently hold the fourth and final Champions League spot and sit four points ahead of fifth placed Everton.

But a defeat against Roberto Martinez’s men at Goodison Park would leave the north Londoners in severe danger of squandering their advantage as Everton also have a game in hand.

Arsenal have already crumbled under the pressure of competing for the title after they surrendered top spot despite leading the way for a long spell. l

Mata’s superb 39th minute free-kick

RESULTS

1 2

Fulham

Holt 70

Richardson 61, Rodallega 86

Cardiff

0 3

Crystal Palace

1 0

Swansea

4 1

Southampton

0 4

Man United

Aston Villa

Puncheon 31, 88, Ledley 71

Hull Boyd 39

Man City

Toure 3-pen, Nasri 45+1, Dzeko 45+4, Jovetic 81

Newcastle

Lambert 37-P

Mata 39, 50, Hernandez 65, Januzaj 90+3

Norwich

0 1

West Brom Amalfitano 16

that curled into the top corner.

And the Spain midfielder doubled United’s lead five minutes after half-time when, after good work by Japan’s Shinji Kagawa and Mexico’s Javier Hernandez, he slotted home from close range.

Fulham moved off the bottom of the table with a 2-1 win away to Aston Villa.

The Cottagers remained in the relegation zone but were now just five points shy of safety with five games left.

However, the west London side had the final say four minutes from time through Hugo Rodallega’s glancing header from Lewis Holtby’s cross.

Jason Puncheon scored two goals as Crystal Palace moved seven points clear of the relegation zone with a 3-0

win Cardiff that left the Welsh club in the bottom three.

The winger opened the scoring in the 31st minute before Joe Ledley doubled the lead against his old club in the 71st minute.

Puncheon put the result beyond doubt with a brilliant curling shot from 25 yards two minutes from time.

West Bromwich Albion went five points clear of the drop with a 1-0 victory away to Norwich thanks to Morgan Amalfitano’s stunning 40-yard strike in the 16th minute at Carrow Road.

And Hull beat mid-table rivals Swansea by the same scoreline thanks to George Boyd’s 39th minute-goal at the KC Stadium. l

Lazio Atalanta Cagliari Catania Fiorentina Parma

v v v v v v

Sampdoria Sassuolo Roma Torino Udinese Napoli

Rooney a doubt for Bayern showdown Wayne Rooney is a major doubt for Manchester United’s Champions League showdown against Bayern Munich after being ruled out of Saturday’s clash at Newcastle with a toe injury.

Rooney sustained the bruised toe during the second half of United’s 1-1 draw against holders Bayern in the Champions League quarter-final first leg at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

It was hoped Rooney would recover in time to lead the United attack at St James’ Park, but boss David Moyes has revealed the injury is yet to respond to treatment and the England striker is now set to go for a scan to see if there is further damage. l

Leverkusen sack coach Hyypia Bayer Leverkusen dismissed coach Sami Hyypia on Saturday, a day after the club slumped to a 2-1 defeat against Hamburg SV that took their recent record to just one win from the last nine league games.

“After a lot of thought and because of the ongoing crisis we reached the conclusion that a change at this point could help us turn things around urgently,” Leverkusen CEO Michael Schade said in a statement.

The 40-year-old former Finland international, who took over at Leverkusen in 2012 is to be replaced until the end of the season by interim coach Sascha Lewandowski, with whom he had shared coaching duties in his first season in charge. l

Bayern Munich's midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger wipes his face after their Bundesliga match against FC Augsburg in Augsburg, southern Germany yesterday AFP

Murray sweeps Seppi to Bayern suffer shock league defeat revive Davis Cup bid Andy Murray relaunched Britain’s bid for a long-awaited place in the semifinals of the Davis Cup after sweeping aside Italy’s Andreas Seppi 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 in their postponed rubber to level the tie in Naples on Saturday.

World number eight Murray had won the first set on Friday but had to save four set points on his way to levelling the second set at 5-5 before poor light stopped play.

The Briton, who on Thursday had suffered a stomach bug, resumed in positive fashion at the Tennis Club Napoli breaking Seppi at 5-5 when the Italian netted a weak return and holding serve to win the second set 7-5.

Seppi gave Britain’s sizeable travelling support a brief scare when he

broke Murray in the fourth game of the third set after the Scot double faulted at 15-30 then sent a return into the tramlines to give the Italian a 3-1 lead.

It seemed only to stiffen Murray’s resolve, although the Scot met plenty of resistance on his way to breaking back in the next game after Seppi double faulted at serve.

On Friday Italy had taken a 1-0 lead in the World Group tie when national number one Fognini beat James Ward, ranked 161 in the world, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-1.

Italy last advanced to the World Group semi-finals in 1998 when they went on to finish runners-up to Sweden, while the last final-four appearance for Britain -- nine-time winners but who last triumphed in 1936 -- came in 1981. l

Bayern Munich suffered their first Bundesliga defeat since October 2012 on Saturday as their record 53-match unbeaten league run was ended in a 1-0 defeat at Augsburg.

Coach Pep Guardiola named a weakened team for the Bavarian derby and paid the price as Bayern were beaten for the first time in the German league since going down 2-1 at home to Bayer Leverkusen on October 28, 2012.

With one eye on Wednesday’s Champions League clash at home to Manchester United, Guardiola started with three teenagers, giving Bundesliga debuts to wing-backs Ylli Sallahi and Mitchell Weiser while Pierre-Emile Hoejbjerg was named on the left wing.

The gamble backfired when Weiser

lost possession to Augsburg’s Daniel Baier who fed Sascha Moelders and the Augsburg striker blasted his shot past Bayern’s goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with 31 minutes gone to claim the winning goal.

It was the third game in succession Bayern have fallen behind and Guardiola responded by bringing stars Mario Goetze, David Alaba and Thomas

RESULTS VfB Stuttgart Maxim 69, Harnik 89

Werder Bremen di Santo 15

Nuremberg

2 0

SC Freiburg

1 1

Schalke 04

0 2

M'gladbach

1 0

Bayern Munich

2 0

Mainz 05

Goretzka 33

Arango 18, Kruse 79-pen

Augsburg Moelders 31

Frankfurt Joselu 51, Meier 85

Mueller off the bench.

At the other end of the table, VfB Stuttgart improved their chances of avoiding relegation with a 1-0 win at home to Freiburg to escape the bottom three with goals by Romania’s Alexandru Maxim and Austria’s Martin Harnik.

Nuremberg drop into the bottom three after their 2-0 defeat at home to Borussia Moenchengladbach, who moved up to fourth and into the Champions League places at the expense of Bayer Leverkusen.

A first-half free-kick by Venezuela’s Juan Arango and a late penalty from ‘Gladbach’s Max Kruse sealed the three points to put their side in the top four.

Earlier on Saturday, Leverkusen sacked coach Sami Hyypia in the wake of Friday’s 2-1 defeat at strugglers Hamburg which left them with just one win in their last 11 games and facing a battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Familiar foes renew title rivalry

QUICK BYTES

Walton Cricketers emerge champions Walton Cricketers emerged as the unbeaten champions of the Chiang Mai Six-a-Side International Cricket beating Chiang Mai Warriors of Pakistan by five wickets at Thailand yesterday. With the win Walton Cricketers carved a piece of history as it was the third consecutive time team representing Bangladesh finished as the champions. Opting to bat first Chiang Mai Warriors posted a total of 40 for three in the stipulated five overs. Shawon grabbed two while Minhajul Shafil scalped one wicket.

Mehrab Hossain Jossi later hit 35 and Iliyas Sunny scored five as Walton Cricketers cruised to victory scoring 41 with all the five wickets and four balls to spare. Jossi was adjudged man of the match.

–RM

Hamilton, Rosberg keep Mercedes in league of their own

Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg hammered home Mercedes’ early season dominance on Friday when they set the fastest times in both opening practice sessions for Sunday’s floodlit Bahrain Grand Prix. Hamilton, the winner in Malaysia last weekend, clocked 1min 34.325sec in the second spell having also roared away to the leading time in the afternoon of 1min 37.502sec. World championship leader Rosberg, who won in Australia, was in second spot thanks to a time of 1min 37.733 in the first session and, just like his teammate, was then untroubled under the lights with a time of 1:34.690.

–AFP

Leicester promoted to Premier League Leicester City clinched promotion to the Premier League without kicking a ball on Saturday as their two main rivals both lost. Nigel Pearson’s side had already beaten Sheffield Wednesday 2-1 on Friday to move within touching distance of a return to the English top-flight for the first time since 2004.

And the Championship leaders were able to celebrate confirmation of their promotion less than 24 hours later as third placed QPR lost 2-1 at Bournemouth, while fourth placed Derby crashed 1-0 at Middlesbrough. Those results ensured a top-two finish for the big-spending Foxes, who are owned by a Thai consortium backed by chairman Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha.

–AFP

Pearson beats Breen for 100m title in Games trials

Olympic champion Sally Pearson battled strong headwinds to win a 12th Australian athletics title at the national Commonwealth Games trials in Melbourne on Saturday. Pearson continued to reassert her supremacy over national 100m record holder Melissa Breen, but the 4.1m per second headwind ruled out the prospect of any fast times. Pearson won in 11.70secs, more than half a second outside her personal best, with Breen second in 11.90. “The last time I ran into a fourmetre headwind was in 2004,” Pearson said. “That’s a long time in between races to have those conditions.

–AFP

Meg Lanning, left, and Charlotte Edwards hold the Women’s T20 trophy at the SBNS yesterday

The National Cricket League 2013-14 season will resume from April 12, informed that Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan.

The BCB held an urgent meeting yesterday to discuss few pending issues among which the resuming of the NCL that was suspended for hosting the ICC World Twenty20 2014 was discussed.

“This was the first time that Bangladesh arranged the so many matches of a world event. The venues were occupied thus we had to suspend the National Cricket League in the middle of the season. But we have locked the date now and the tournament will resume from April 12,” informed Nazmul to the media.

The BCB boss further informed that the domestic calendar was also dis-

cussed in the meeting. “We also looked into the opportunities of holding the other tournaments like Dhaka Premier League and other. The CCDM (Cricket Committee of Dhaka Metropolis) will soon have a meeting with the clubs and avail the board with a tentative plan of when the tournament can be held keeping in mind that the monsoon is also approaching. We have any facilities now so arranging the tournament should not be a problem,” said Nazmul.

The BCB holding an urgent meeting in between the ICC World Twenty20 had raised many eyebrows, but Nazmul informed that the meeting was held as he will be away for a week attending the ICC and IDI meeting and there were pending issues which needed to be solved before he left of April 7.

Nazmul informed that those involved with hosting the Chittagong and Sylhet phase of the ICC World

Dutch coaches go for another vacation The Dutch head coach of Bangladesh national football team Lodewijk de Kruif and his assistant Rene Koster will fly to Holland for a vacation today. However, their sudden departure is shrouded by mystery as speculation is rife that they will not return to their duties.

Kruif, nevertheless, said he is going to his motherland for personal reasons.

“To provide time to the family, sorting out some tax complicacies and visa extensions are the reasons,” said the Dutch coach. The date of their return, however, is not fixed as sources confirmed that BFF provided them a oneway ticket. “Yes, we will discuss the matter with the BFF president and also the vice president. We will finalize the date after discussion. We want to return soon as Bangladesh have an important tournament ahead and the team needs

to be prepared ideally,” said de Kruif.

However, the omens are not good as both parties have not been in good terms recently due to BBF’s financial crisis. Both the coaches have two months’ salary due and BFF is not happy about the disclosure of this issue to the media. “Things are not that critical.

We have discussed the issues with the BFF president. He has assured us of resolving the issues. We are hopeful of a positive feedback,” said de Kruif.

The coaches had to live in normal standard hotel after leaving their apartments. “We demanded our dues, not any extras. One can’t expect to continue without salary after taking a job far away from the home country,” bemoaned Kruif. Kruif and Koster enjoyed a 45 days vacation during the last Christmas. They then returned to guide Bangladesh to a 2-2 draw against India in a Fifa friendly match in Goa. l

Star Sports 4 4:30PM Italian Serie A Lazio v Sampdoria 8:45PM Bahrain GP Main Race

Young taekwondo players in cheerful mood in the prize distribution ceremony of the National Taekwondo at the NSC gymnasium yesterday COURTESY

2:30PM Yonex Sunrise India Open 2014 Finals

Municipal Preparatory reach final Municipal Preparatory School, Jessore secured a place in the final of the First Security Islami Bank National School Hockey, beating Khanjanpur School, Joypurhat by 2-0 goals at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday.

The winners led 1-0 after the first half. Sweet Hossain and Ekramul Hossain scored the goals in either half of the match. Sabedur Rahman of Municipal Preparatory School was adjudged the man of the match.

The second semifinal will take place today between Zinjira PM Pilot High School and Al Hikmah High School of Rajshahi. l

Bir Uttam Lt. Shahid Anwar Girls School and College won the title of the National School and College Taekwondo at the gymnasium of the National Sports Council yesterday.

Shahid Anwar was adjudged as the overall champions for their performances in both the school and college sections. Adamjee Cantonment College was the best in the college section while Muslim Modern Academy, Shahid Ramizuddin and Adarsha Bidya Niketon shared the top spot of the school section.

Deputy minister for sports, Arif Khan Joy distributed the prizes among the winners as the chief guest.

Shivnath Roy, the secretary of NSC and Kazi Morshed Kamal, the president of taekwondo federation were also present on the occasion. l

BPL second phase from April 15

Star Sports 1

Sony Six

Twenty20 was thanked for doing a successful job. “World Cup has finished in Sylhet and Chittagong. We thanked those responsible of the Sylhet and the Chittagong phase for putting up a successful show.

“I went to Cox’s Bazar and Sylhet with the ICC president (Alan Issac) few days ago. He was full of appreciation of the arrangements. He actually never thought that the arrangements will be so fine here. He was more surprised to see the turn-up in the stadium during the women’s play-off games,” informed Nazmul.

The ICC World Twenty20 will come to an end with the final game between India and Sri Lanka at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today. Nazmul informed that the preparation for the final show was also discussed in the meeting to make sure nothing unpleasant happens. l

Shahid Anwar lift Taekwondo title

DAY’S WATCH

12:45AM Italian Serie A Parma v Napoli

MUMIT M

NCL to resume on April 12

BTV, Gazi TV, Maasranga TV Star Sports 1, HD1 ICC World T20 2014 7:00PM Men’s Final India v Sri Lanka 2:00PM Women’s Final Australia v England

Star Sports 2 English Premier League 6:30PM Everton v Arsenal 9:00PM West Ham v Liverpool 1:00AM La Liga Real Valladolid v Valencia

15

The second phase of the Nitol-Tata Bangladesh Premier League will kick off from April 15 in four different venues. The fixtures will be reshuffled according to the champions Sheikh Russell KC’s participation in the AFC President Cup in Sri Lanka in May. The professional football league

committee of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), presided by its chairman Abdus Salam Murshedy, took the decision in a meeting yesterday. The meeting also confirmed that the second phase of the Premier Bank Bangladesh Championship League will also begin on the same day at the Kamalapur stadium.

The first phase of the Bangladesh

Premier League, which ended with the match between Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russell on March 17, was held only at the Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS). However, the second phase will see the Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani Stadium in Gopalganj, MA Aziz Stadium in Chittagong and Bhasha Shaheed Salam Stadium in Feni used alongside BNS. l

The two powerhouses of women’s cricketreigning champion Australia and former champion England will lock horns with each other in the final of the Women’s World Twenty20 which is scheduled to start at the Shere-Bangla National Stadium at 2:30pm today. Australia are looking forward to clinching their hat-trick World T20 title while England are eyeing their first since 2009.

The two sides have played each other 14 times in all three formats of cricket in the last eight months as England pacer Anya Shrubsole mentioned after their semifinal that there was nothing they didn’t know about each other. So the final promises to be a cracker considering their recent meetings.

The 14 matches include England’s tour of Australia where Charlotte Edwards’ side came out as victorious in the Ashes but the home side managed to win both the ODI and T20 series 2-1.

It is worth mentioning in this regard that Australia have won three World titles in the last four years including the last two World T20 titles. Coincidentally, it was against England that they earned a four-run victory in the 2012 final in Colombo to make it two in a row.

Despite having world class batters like captain Charlotte Edwards and Sarah Taylor, England’s main strength lies in their bowling where they rely mostly on their pace-duo Shrubsole and Natalie Sciver, especially on the former one who is currently tournament’s top wicket-taker with 12 wickets. Their brilliant fielding in the last match against South Africa should also give them confidence to save a few runs.

However, these bowlers will have to be on their toes as they face the biggest

scorers of the meet. With a record-breaking individual score of 126 along with an aggregate of 213 runs from five matches so far in the tournament, Australia’s skipper Meg Lanning undoubtedly poses the greatest threat which could make the ultimate difference in the match. Sadly for the English bowlers, Lanning would not be the only one they should watch out as the Aussies had different match winners including Alyssa Healy and Elyse Villani in different games.

“We know each other inside out.

So we’re able to do our planning and so will England. It’s a really big stage, probably the biggest we’ve played on.

So it’s about being able to perform on the day and execution. Hopefully we can do that better than them,” said the 22-year-old Lanning.

The five run-outs England made against South Africa equalled the record for a T20 There has yet to be a half-century in a women's T20 final. The highest individual score is Jess Cameron's 45 in Colombo Anya Shrubsole's tournament economy rate of 3.45 is the third best in a women's World T20 England captain Charlotte Edwards is also ready for the biggest rivalry and wants her teammates to be calm ahead of the big final.

“What we’re focused on is winning this trophy and for that, you need to be calm. Those who can deal with the bigger occasion, will come out winners tomorrow,” said Charlotte yesterday. “I think we get on really well off the field.

It is the biggest rivalry in cricket but we have a huge amount of respect for each other but we will try and do all our talking with the bat and ball.”

Fans would hope the biggest rivalry produces an thrilling contest for all. l

Hodgson vows England will attack in Brazil England manager Roy Hodgson has promised his team will go on the offensive at the World Cup after being criticised for a cautious approach at Euro 2012.

Hodgson’s side kick off their World Cup campaign against Italy in Manaus on June 14 in a rematch of England’s last game at a major tournament.

England were beaten by Italy on penalties after a dull 0-0 draw in the Euro 2012 quarter-finals and that ultraconservative display earned Hodgson widespread criticism.

The former Liverpool manager already had a reputation as a cautious coach, prompting fears that England will bow out in timid fashion in Brazil as well.

But Hodgson, speaking to TalkSport on Friday, said: “We will be brave, we

will believe in ourselves and we will risk defeat.

“We won’t try and sneak our way through the games because I think with the type of players we have that wouldn’t suit us.

“We have to allow our players to express themselves in the same way they do in the top Premier League teams, and I don’t think you will see England sit back against Italy.

“I hope that we will have a team on the field that is good enough to ask enough questions of the Italians.

“We don’t feel we need to concentrate all our efforts on containing them -- we want to ask a lot of questions of them.”

England came through their qualifying campaign unbeaten, but uninspiring draws against Poland, Montenegro and Ukraine failed to impress fans and pundits alike. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Pakistani arrested with Tk10.8cr in foreign currencies Bangladesh allegedly used as a route for smuggling counterfeit Indian rupees; currency worth over Tk100cr recovered in few years Another suspected ringleader, Sarthe fake currency trade is used to fund kistan,customs sources said yesterday. clined to disclose the destination of the both Pakistan and Bangladesh. n Kailash Sarkar faraz, was arrested in the Indian city of In the last few years, Bangladesh po- the banned militant outfits.

“By searching his body, the customs currencies or Asimullah’s connections Customs officials at Dhaka’s international airport arrested a Pakistani national with a huge cache of foreign currencies, worth over Tk10 crore, on Friday night.

The customs department, however, could not immediately confirm whether the seized notes were counterfeits.

The Pakistani man, identified as Asimullah Khan, 40, was detained with different currencies as he attempted to cross the “green channel” at the Shahjalal International Airport after arriving on an Emirates flight from Pa-

officials found currencies of different countries, worth about Tk10.8 crore.

The currencies included Indian and Pakistani rupees and US dollars,” said Qamrul Hasan, assistant commissioner of the customs department.

The Indian currencies alone were estimated to be about Rs8.8 million (over Tk1.1 crore), he added.

Customs officials handed over Asimullah to the Airport police station yesterday evening and filed a smuggling case against him, Qamrul said.

The customs officer, however, de-

in Bangladesh.

He also said until the notes were tested, it could not be verified if the currencies were fake or real.

“Indian currencies worth about Tk10crore have been seized in the past one year from about 20 Pakistanis.

Almost 90 percent of the seized notes were found to be fake,” Qamrul added.

According to police and customs sources, Indian currencies are mainly forged in Pakistan and smuggled into India through Bangladesh, with the help of gangs that have members in

lice, customs and Rab have seized fake Indian currencies worth over Tk100 crore from different parts of the country, and arrested 60 Pakistanis and over 150 Bangladeshis.

Those arrested included a large number of leaders and activists of different militant organisations, such as Jama’atul Mujahedeen Bangladesh (JMB), Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami (Huji) and Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Based on statements given by the arrestees, law enforcement agencies believe a big portion of the profits from

In March last year, detectives in Dhaka arrested 12 suspected militants, including four Pakistanis, with counterfeit Indian currencies worth nearly Tk1.29 crore.

In December 2009, police in Comilla arrested a Pakistani woman and two Bangladeshis, including the suspected head of the local chapter of a counterfeiting ring, along with Tk10 lakh in fake India notes. The Bangladeshi ringleader, Solaiman, allegedly had links to ISI, the Pakistani intelligence service, and LeT.

Kolkata in December 2008. Sarfaraz, a Pakistani national, used to live in a flat in Dhaka with his Bangladeshi wife.

Similarly, Md Danish, a Pakistani, and his Bangladeshi wife, Fatema, were arrested in January 2010 with Tk10 lakh fake Indian rupees from the capital’s Rampura area.

During interrogation, Fatema disclosed that a few dozen Bangladeshi and Pakistani women, many of them married to Pakistani racketeers, were also involved in smuggling and selling fake currencies. l

Two pirates killed in ‘gunfight’ with RAB in Sandwip n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Members of Rajshahi University unit Chhatra League gather for a black badge rally on the campus yesterday protesting the murder of its leader Rustom Ali

DHAKA TRIBUNE

RU BCL calls indefinite strike over Rustom murder n RU Correspondent

Law enforcers are yet to arrest any of the culprits who were involved in the killing of Rustom Ali Akond, a leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League Rajshahi University unit.

BCL RU unit, however, enforced a daylong strike at the university yesterday protesting the killing of Rustom Ali, also a fourth year student of political science department, and demanding immediate arrest of the killers.

No classes and examinations were held at the university due to the strike.

Under the banner of BCL RU unit, a mourning procession was brought out on the campus in the morning. BCL leaders and activists as well as general students took part in the procession.

Meanwhile, RU BCL president Mizanur Rahman Rana and general secretary Touhid-al-Hossain Tuhin at a press conference yesterday announced strike at the university for an indefinite period.

They also announced that they will

10-TRUCK ARMS HAUL CASE VERDICT

Conviction warrants yet to reach CMP in 2 months n Tushar Hayat, Chittagong Although two months have passed since a Chittagong special court delivered verdict in two cases related to the 10-truck arms haul cases, the copies of conviction warrants against two fugitives, including Ulfa leader Paresh Barua, were yet to reach the Chittagong Metropolitan Police.

Shafiqul Islam, commissioner of the CMP, said they were unable to seek cooperation from the Interpol for capturing Indian national Paresh – a leader of United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) who was sentenced to death – as they had not yet received the copy of the conviction warrant.

“We have so far not received the copy of conviction warrant against the fugitives, Paresh and Nurul Amin, although the court has delivered verdict in the cases more than two months back,” he added.

The CMP commissioner added that cooperation would also be sought from the Interpol to capture Nurul Amin, a fugitive former additional secretary of the industries ministry who was also sentenced to death, as he might be hiding abroad.

The copies of the conviction war-

rants, which were sent to the permanent addresses of the fugitives, were supposed to have been delivered by this time, Public Prosecutor Kamal Uddin Ahmed said, adding that he was unaware as to why the copies had not reached so far.

He, however, said there was no obstacle on seeking Interpol’s help in capturing Indian national Parsesh even if the CMP did not get the copy of the conviction warrant, as it was supposed to be sent through the ministries of home and foreign affairs.

On April 2, 2004, the police seized a massive cache of firearms, explosives and ammunition while they were being loaded on to 10 trucks from two fishing trawlers at the jetty of the Chittagong Urea Fertilizer Limited.

A Chittagong court on January 30 this year, sentenced 14 people to death, including former industries minister Matiur Rahman Nizami and former state minister for home Lutfuzzaman Babar, in two cases related to the seizure.

Twelve of the convicts, including Nizami, Babar, former directors general of National Security Intelligence retired major general Rezzakul Haider Chowdhury and retired brigadier general Abdur Rahim, remain behind bars. l

form a human chain and launch a signature campaign at Shaheed Miner of the university today in support of their demand. ABM Rejaul Haque, officer-incharge of Motihar police station, said they were investigating the incident and trying to arrest the killers of Rustom.

A BCL source told the Dhaka Tribune that some BCL activists were involved in the killing of Rustom and they went into hiding soon after the incident.

Rustom Ali, acting general secretary of BCL Shaheed Suhrawardy Hall unit,

was shot dead in his room at the hall on Friday. No case was filed in this connection till filing of this report.

Rustom was buried in his family graveyard at Chak Narayan village under Sadullahpur upazila of Gaibandha district yesterday. His first namaz-ejanaza was held at Rajshahi University at 8:00pm on Friday. After janaza, his friends and relatives burst into tears.

Rustom’s father Shahjahan Ali Akanda also demanded capital punishment for the killers. l

Two pirates were shot dead yesterday during an alleged “gunfight” with Rapid Action Battalion personnel at Urir Char under Chittagong’s Sandwip upazila.

The deceased are Javed, 28, second-in-command of the notorious gang “Jasu Bahini,” and Suman, 26, former bodyguard of deceased gang leader Shahdat Hossain Jasu, RAB-11 sources confirmed.

Members of RAB-11 also seized two AK-47 rifles and a large amount of ammunition from the spot, the sources added.

The ring leader, Jasu, faced a similar fate in a separate “gunfight” earlier with the elite force on April 3, sources said.

Major Md Shahed Hasan Rajib, camp commander of RAB-11 Comilla camp, told the Dhaka Tribune that the gang of sea robbers, led by Javed and Suman, engaged in a gunfight with RAB personnel at around 4:30am, adding that both the men were killed during the exchange of bullets.

Acting on a tip-off, a drive against the gang began at Urir Char a day ahead of the local upazila polls on March 31, forcing Jasu Bahini members to hide in a nearby jungle where Jasu was later killed during a “gunfight” on April 3, Major Rajib said.

The latest confrontation occurred at

Charkhali area when Javed and Suman, along with eight others, attempted to leave the island at dawn yesterday, he added.

Local sources, however, said Jasu and three of his cohorts were picked up

by RAB members on March 31 after the gang illegally stamped ballots for the Awami League rebel candidate, Mizanur Rahman, at all the polling centres of Urir Char. The arrest of Jasu and his men was influenced by the ruling party-backed candidate Mohammed Shahjahan, the locals claimed.

Meanwhile, police sources say ruling party activists, with the help of Jasu Bahini, swooped on the residence of the then BNP lawmaker Mostafa Kamal Pasha in Sandwip last year, shooting and injuring Pasha’s son and nine others.

Several cases were lodged with different police stations in Chittagong, Noakhali and Lakshmipur districts against Jasu and his cohorts, RAB sources said.

Following the drive at Urir Char, known popularly as a den of pirates, RAB-11 Commanding Officer Lt Colonel Tareq Sayeed told the Dhaka Tribune that pirates use modern arms and ammunition similar to the ones the country’s defence forces use.

“The domination of pirate gangs on the coastal island will be reduced by this drive,” he said, adding that similar drives would continue in the future. l

Thai PM supporters stage counter protests n Reuters Tens of thousands of supporters of Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra demonstrated on the outskirts of Bangkok yesterday, part of a three-day rally aimed at countering months of sometimes violent anti-government protests.

In their largest show of force in months, the pro-government “red shirts”, or United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship as the group is formally known, said they were prepared to thwart any move to dismiss Yingluck who faces mounting legal cases that could see her removed from office in coming weeks.

Leaders of the movement said they were not seeking a fight with the thousands of anti-government protesters holding their own rally at their headquarters in Bangkok’s Lumpini Park, near the city’s financial district.

The red shirts were gathering on a scenic country road at the edge of the city, more than 30 km (18 miles) from Lumpini. Around 3,000 police were on guard.

“We’re not looking for a confrontation with the anti-government crowd,” red shirt leader Jatuporn Promphan told Reuters. “This is about showing our strength and to warn the elite that we will not accept it if Yingluck is removed by the courts.”

Government supporters accuse Yingluck’s enemies of plotting a judicial coup. The courts have been unusually active in recent weeks and Yingluck looks increasingly hemmed in.

Red shirt leaders expect more than 500,000 to show up but oth-

ers gave a more conservative estimate.

“More than 100,000 protesters are at the site now. It’s highly unlikely 500,000 will show up but red shirts are still trickling in,” Paradorn Pattanathabutr, a security adviser to the prime minister, told Reuters.

“There’s a massive traffic jam and cars trying to get in are bumper to bumper.”

Ready for a long stay

Many had packed for a long stay, bringing portable gas stoves and food supplies to last a week. Most were expected to stay overnight.

The struggle pits the mostly poorer, rural supporters of Yingluck and her brother, ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, against anti-government protesters from Bangkok and the south backed by the conservative elite.

At the height of the demonstrations, anti-government protesters shut down key road junctions in Bangkok and blockaded state offices. They disrupted a February 2 election which was nullified by a court in March, prolonging weeks of uncertainty.

The anti-government protesters, mainly urban and middle class Thais, want to replace Yingluck with a so-called neutral prime minister to help usher in broad political and electoral reforms.

Red shirt protesters say they will not accept a prime minister appointed by the conservative establishment.

“There is no way, absolutely no way, that we will accept a prime minister of their choosing. The only prime minister we want is an elected one,” said a volunteer cook. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

B3 US regulators warn banks about rise in cyber-attacks

B4 Holcim, Lafarge in talks to create world’s top cement firm

SUNDAY, APRIL 6, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Most listed banks see annual profits soar Once refused BTRC Seven banks miss deadline to make earnings public n Tahmidur Rahman Most of the listed banks annual profits surged in 2013 on the back of the central bank’s relaxing rules on loan rescheduling to recover losses during political unrest in the second half of the year.

So far 23 out of 30 listed banks have announced their profit earnings but the remaining seven banks are yet to publish despite expiry of deadline for making earnings public.

Annual profits of only six banks dropped and 17 banks soared.

Seven banks missed deadline to make their financial statements public in line with the listing regulation of stock exchanges.

The companies will have to make available financial statements before the expiry of three months from the end of each financial year even if the figure is provisional and subject to audit, according to the Dhaka Stock Exchange.

Though last year was a difficult year for banks as business activities were battered by the political turmoil, Bangladesh Bank’s move to relax loan rules helped them recoup losses, said analysts.

BB in a notice issued in December last year advised banks to reconsider loan rescheduling and down payments until June this year on a case-by-case basis for borrowers in all sectors affect-

ed by political turbulence.

IFIC Bank was the top profit earner as its profit growth jumped 230% to Tk137 crore compared to the previous year.

Profits of Dhaka Bank grew 151%, BRAC Bank 111% and Southeast Bank 105% during the period, according to the earnings per share disclosed on DSE website.

“The bank profits soar on the central bank’s move. Due to the move, there was a shift in the fourth quarter than the previous ones,” said a banker.

But the story behind BRAC Bank’s impressive growth is perhaps due to higher non-fund based income, said an analyst at BRAC EPL Brokerage Ltd. The market, however, reacted cautiously to the positive profit-disclosures in the banking sector.

“Equity investors along with others concerned would have to wait for some time in order to get a true picture of the bank earnings because the rescheduled loans might default later,” said Md Moniruzzaman, managing director of IDLC Investments Ltd. Last year, most banks experienced unsatisfactory credit flow due to political unrest and an increase in default loans, he said.

Mohammad Akib, an executive at Zenith Investments Ltd, said, “Banks yearly earnings were not so significant to generate buying interest among the investors.”

EARNINGS GROWTH, YEARLY IFIC Bank

230%

Dhaka Bank

151%

BRAC Bank

111%

Southeast Bank

105%

UCBL

93%

MTBL

75%

Trust Bank

70%

Bank Asia

56%

Pubali Bank

51%

Mercantile Bank

45%

ICBI Bank

36%

Al-Arafah

21%

City Bank

14%

One Bank

14%

Eastern Bank

6%

FSIBL

1%

Islami Bank

-9%

DBBL

-14%

Jamuna Bank

-15%

Prime Bank

-25%

AB Bank

-25%

SIBL

-13%

Uttara Bank

6%

n Tribune Report Alliance for Bangladesh Workers Safety, a platform of US retailers, has appointed 12 Bangladeshi and international experts to its Board of Advisors.

The newly appointed advisors, five from Bangladesh, will work to improve safety standards in the Bangladesh apparel sector, said an Alliance statement released on Friday.

“We are honoured to welcome these esteemed global leaders to our Board of Advisors,” said Ellen Tauscher, a US Congresswoman and Independent Chair of the Alliance.

“The combination of their individual perspectives and breadth of expertise across government, women’s issues, labour and global development will help us implement our comprehensive commitment to a safer ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh,” she added.

The Board include Avedis Seferian, president and CEO of WRAP, Dan Glickman, senior fellow of Bipartisan Policy Center, Heather Cruden, Canadian High

n Tribune Report

A worker collects dry leather in front of a tannery at the Hazaribagh area in Dhaka REUTERS

“You are exporting the rawhides abroad and again importing the products from different countries with some value additions. You could have rather worked for establishing the industry here,” he said.

In response, the association leaders said they have already taken up initiatives to set-up leather footwear industry in the country which will export the products abroad.

Meanwhile, Leather Goods and

Footwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association of Bangladesh Executive Director Kazi Rawshan Ara demanded reducing import duty from existing 25% to 15% for expansion of the sector and has demanded renewal of bonded warehouse facility for the next three years.

NBR chairman Ghulam Hussain presided over the meeting while NBR members Syed Aminul Karim and Jahangir Hossain were present. l

Paint manufacturers demand duty cut on raw materials n Tribune Report Domestic paint manufacturers have urged the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to reduce the duties imposed on the imported raw materials for manufacturing paints.

Bangladesh Paint Manufacturers Association (BPMA) president B. B. Saha Roy yesterday came with the plea at a meeting with the NBR officials held at the NBR headquarters in the city.

B. B. Saha Roy has requested the NBR official to withdraw 5% supplementary duty and reduce the duty on the imported raw materials from the

existing 10% to 5%.

Some environmental groups have long been pressing us for using leadfree products to save the environment.

Although we welcome the move, we are still using lead-made dryers as the alternative Zirconium dryers are very expensive to us,” said Shaha.

He demanded the government for fixing 0% duty on the import of zirconium dryer, so the import of harmful lead-made materials would be stopped.

He also requested the NBR to introduce multi-level value added tax (VAT) system with 5% VAT for com-

n Muhammad Zahidul Islam The telecom regulator has again recommended 50% tariff cut of international phone call termination although the government turned down such a proposal previously fearing an estimated revenue loss of nearly Tk1,100 crore annually.

The industry sources said the regulator resent the tariff cut proposal as influential people affiliated with the ruling party are involved with IGW operations.

Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) made the same proposal to the telecom ministry weeks before and later the finance ministry refused it.

After getting the same plea, the telecom ministry already left the matter for finance ministry’s consideration.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith will decide about the proposal to reduce the international call termination rate from $.03 to $.015 per minute.

“Only those persons will be benefited if the government finally goes for reducing the termination rate bowing down to the political pressure,” said a source related to the telecom industry wishing not be named.

Meanwhile, the government also cut

by half the annual licence fee for International Gateway (IGW) operators.

Finance Ministry had already expressed its utter dismay at the proposal and suggested the telecom regulator to go tough against illegal call terminations to protect the state from loss.

Telecommunication Infrastructure Operators of Bangladesh (TOIB), a platform IGW operators, however wants to see strong monitoring over illegal call terminations.

“We know that the overall situation will not improve even after the rate cut. Rather, the BTRC should become more worried about the illegal call termination and initiate more policing on it,” Mir Nasir Hossain, president of TOIB told the Dhaka Tribune.

BTRC in its proposal has recommended for reducing the call termination rate and changing the revenue sharing structure – reducing the government’s share from existing 51.75% to 40%.

But the legal experts said the government can’t arbitrarily change it as the rate was fixed by an open auction.

“The revenue sharing structure has been fixed through a public auction and BTRC cannot change it,” said Barrister Aneek R Haque, a lawyer at the Supreme Court.  B3 COLUMN 5

Alliance appoints 12 to advisory board including 5 Bangladeshis

Leather business wants an end to tax disparity Leather chemical importers have urged the revenue authorities to end disparity in duty structure as many of the importers are misusing the bond facilities.

Bangladesh Chemical Importers and Merchants Association President M Mizanur Rahman said importers under the bonded warehouse facility are enjoying zero duty while others out of the bonded facility have to pay 25% duties and the commercial importers pay 29%.

“By using the system, a group of 20-25 bonded tanners are importing chemicals and selling them at the local market with certain amount of commission,” he alleged.

To remove the disparity, he suggested the National Board of Revenue (NBR) to reduce the duties and introduce a 15% package VAT by removing the 29% existing duty. The importers put forward the demand at a pre-budget meeting between the revenue body NBR and stakeholders at the NBR headquarters in Dhaka on Thursday.

Leaders of Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leather goods and Footwear Exporters Association has demanded abolition of supervised bond system and introduction of general bond like the readymade garments sector to reduce the costs paid by the exporters.

In response, NBR Chairman Ghulam Hussain said tannery as the oldest industry could have been second largest export-oriented industry of the country if utilised its potentials.

Seven banks that missed deadline to make financial statements public are Exim Bank, Rupali Bank, Standard Bank, National Bank Ltd, NCC Bank, Premier Bank and Shahjalal Bank.

All these banks apart from Standard Bank also failed to post their financial figures of 2012 within deadline and delayed more than three months.

The supposedly small-scale investors at a city brokerage on Thursday expressed their frustration over the delay to disclose financial information and the structural problem of not posting complete financial online before the annual general meetings.

According to them, the delayed disclosures raise possibilities of insider trading due to information asymmetry in the equity markets, leveraging the market in jitters.

“Three months is an enough time to announce yearly earnings for the banks, given all the data entries are usually done using advanced technologies,” said Shahidul Islam, chief executive officer of VIPB Asset Management Company Limited.

Overall, banks that saw better income than the previous year are giving higher dividends for 2013, according to the DSE. Despite the fact, banking shares fell by 3.16% last week on the premier bourse, disappointing investors the most. l

resends tariff cut proposal

panies having business below Tk10 crore, 7.5% for companies having business in between Tk10 crore and Tk100 crore business, 10% VAT for companies having business in between Tk100 crore and Tk250 crore, and 15% VAT for the companies having business over Tk2500 crore to help survive the small factories.

Meanwhile, the leaders of Bangladesh Cosmetics and Toiletries Manufacturers Association (BCTMA) have also demanded for reducing both the Advance Trade VAT and VAT from the existing 8% to 2% at the same meeting. l

Commissioner to Bangladesh, Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA, Melanne Verveer, executive director of Institute for Women, Peace and Security of Georgetown University, Mohammad Hatem, vice president of Bangladesh

'We recognise the significance of Bangladesh’s garment industry to the country’s economic growth, and the jobs it provides to its people' Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Mujibur Rahman, professor of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), Nancy Nord, former commissioner of US Consumer Product Safety Commission, Rick Darling, executive director of Government and Public Affairs of Li & Fung

(Trading) Ltd, Sirajul Islam Rony, president of Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League, Sukkur Mahmud, president of Executive Committee of Jatiya Smramik League and Wajedul Islam Khan, general secretary of Bangladesh Trade Union Kendra.

The Board of Advisors will help guide the Alliance as it tracks implementation and progress against its aggressive goals, which include inspecting all garment factories used by Alliance signatories by July 2014, implementing a comprehensive workers training programme and helpline, and providing remedial support for factories to address safety issues.

“We recognise the significance of Bangladesh’s garment industry to the country’s economic growth, and the jobs it provides to its people,” said advisory board member Dan Glickman.

“While the challenges in Bangladesh are many, the Alliance is making significant progress towards strengthening the working conditions in the ready-made garment industry and the well-being of its workers,” Glickman said. l

Indian AMW Motors comes to Bangladesh n Kayes Sohel AMW Motors (AMW), India’s third largest heavy commercial vehicle manufacturer, will make foray into Bangladesh.

It has announced appointment of Uttara Motors as its dealer for Bangladesh to provide customers a full range of services including vehicle sales, maintenance and repair, and spare parts support.

“This appointment is a positive beginning of our interest in expanding our footprint in Bangladesh,” AMW Managing Director Anirudh Bhuwalka told the Dhaka Tribune through e-mail.

“We are entering into an association with one of Bangladesh’s most progressive companies and are confident of a bright future ahead for both companies.”

Uttara Group of Companies was established in March 1972 and is one of the leading industrial, trading and agency houses in Bangladesh.

The Group is also the largest dealer of automobiles in the country, representing leading Indian and Japanese automobile companies. Its portfolio of representations includes Suzuki, Bajaj Motor cycles

and Autorickshaws, Maruti, Bridgestone Tyres and a number of other companies in the pharmaceuticals, readymade garments and fashion wear sectors.

Bangladesh is fast growing market for medium and heavy commercial vehicles, with a number of large projects in infrastructure sectors like power, shipbuilding and ports, roads and highways.

AMW Motors has a product portfolio that covers haulage vehicles, of which there is a growing need in port and general applications and also tippers for a wide range of standard and special applications.

Uttara Motors Chairman and Managing Director Matiur Rahman said: “Our

success here has been due to our focus on customer satisfaction by delivering value for money products and services and completing projects in time.”

AMW has achieved a unique position in India’s transportation sector through innovative engineering and customer orientation. The company also received six consecutive awards for its vehicles from various industry forums.

AMW has 123 dealerships and over 1,500 touch points across India. This network includes sales and service centres, authorised service outlets, mobile vans and workshops.

AMW offers trucks ranging from 16 to 49 tonnes and has pioneered several segments in the Indian CV market. l

B2 Shining MNCs stocks break fiveweek losses n

Stocks gained their ground in the past week, breaking five consecutive weeks of losses. The rally was mainly led by heavyweight multinational national companies (MNCs) in the week.

During the week that ended Thursday, the benchmark DSEX soared 113 points or 2.6% to close at 4,621. The blue chip comprising index DS30 gained 62 points or 4% to 1,670. The DSE Shariah Index, DSES, rose 27 points or 2.8% to 1,008.

Multinational companies were very vibrant throughout the past week with BATBC coming to the spotlight Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE)’s Selective Categories Index (CSCX) was up by 186 points or 2% to 8,959.

Market remained upbeat in the past week with the average daily turnover standing at Tk379 crore, registering 33% increase over the previous week.

“With the support of ‘Bargain Hunters’ and their preferable positioning in large caps assisted the market to rebound, the week,” said IDLC Investments in its weekly market analysis.

It said sequential price drop until the last week amid the lacklustre trading offered investors some space of reassessment, bringing reversal of the market sentiment, it said.

DSE LOSERS

Pioneer Insur -A Desh Garments -B Al-Haj Textile -A Samata LeatheR -Z Atlas BD-A Dhaka Bank -A I P D C -A Rahima Food -Z Republic Insu.-A National Polymer -A

Closing (% change) -17.94 -15.79 -14.57 -13.08 -12.96 -12.61 -12.12 -11.55 -11.30 -11.05

CSE LOSERS Company Dhaka Bank -A Republic Insu.-A Apex SpinningA I P D C -A Central Insur -A Monno Ceramic -B National Polymer -A Northern G Insur-A Samorita Hospital -A Rahima Food -Z

Closing (% change) -14.35 -11.27 -10.92 -10.66 -10.00 -9.85 -9.73 -9.72 -8.54 -8.50

ANALYST

4621.22769

(+) 2.51%

1670.15057

(+) 3.84%

14241.5474

(+) 2.17%

11963.5382

(+) 1.52%

8959.0522

(+) 2.12%

Average (% change) -17.34 -12.82 -10.92 -13.00 -10.79 -13.27 -11.43 -10.55 -11.25 -10.03 Average (% change) -14.70 -12.49 -9.95 -11.87 -10.00 -7.66 -10.01 -12.04 -4.03 -8.50

Closing average 58.39 114.35 121.96 32.00 193.27 19.35 17.59 49.45 37.06 67.15

Closing average 18.98 36.65 92.20 17.38 27.00 36.18 67.52 38.00 105.00 50.60

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 71.90 136.00 140.00 37.80 231.40 21.00 18.00 58.50 42.00 76.80

Weekly high

19.10 37.00 92.20 17.60 27.00 35.70 67.70 39.00 105.00 50.60

Turnover (Million Taka)

Northern Jute -Z BATBCL -A Eastern Lubricants -A 6th ICB M F-A Mercantile Bank -A HeidelbergCement -A Prime Textile -A Marico BD Ltd-A Usmania Glass -A Eastern Housing -A

22.30 40.70 105.00 18.30 27.00 42.40 75.50 39.00 117.90 53.10

Company

18,987.77 331,683,665 408,592

Traded Issues

301

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

170

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

127 4

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,318.44

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

28.10

CSE key features March 30-April 3, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

1,526.58

Turnover (Volume)

35,794,586

Number of Contract

55,993

Traded Issues

245

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

148

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

94

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

2

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,207.50

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.76

Turnover in million

57.30 111.00 115.00 31.30 179.00 17.20 16.00 48.70 32.00 65.00

Weekly low

13.282 49.976 111.375 1.100 215.479 59.986 6.124 5.841 6.849 78.086

Turnover in million

17.00 36.40 92.20 16.50 27.00 35.70 66.50 39.00 105.00 50.60

Closing (% change) 32.56 19.71 14.42 13.42 12.14 11.54 10.30 10.04 9.79 9.79

CSE GAINERS

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

Weekly low

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Latest EPS 2.52 1.18 2.06 -0.04 3.72 3.49 1.24 -1.00 2.45 1.70

Latest EPS

2.170 0.571 2.823 0.414 0.027 2.396 4.132 0.023 1.735 0.179

3.49 2.45 1.85 1.24 2.49 0.38 1.70 3.04 2.74 -1.00

Latest PE 23.2 96.9 59.2 -ve 52.0 5.5 14.2 -ve 15.1 39.5

Latest PE 5.4 15.0 49.8 14.0 10.8 95.2 39.7 12.5 38.3 -ve

Company BATBCL -A Marico BD Ltd-A 6th ICB M F-A HeidelbergCement -A Usmania Glass -A Mercantile Bank -A Eastern Housing -A Prime Textile -A LafargeS Cement-Z Delta Brac HFCL-A

Closing (% change) 15.10 14.83 13.02 12.19 10.92 10.40 9.85 9.70 8.94 8.47

Average (% change) 31.98 18.00 16.44 12.98 9.92 10.62 11.22 9.82 10.85 13.70 Average (% change) 15.10 13.88 13.02 11.18 12.03 9.08 12.56 10.49 7.71 8.47

Closing average 120.10 2,501.74 569.89 70.84 18.95 483.74 26.07 1,197.00 210.35 58.60

Closing average 2469.00 1190.00 71.20 483.69 210.53 18.86 57.79 26.13 50.57 64.00

Weekly closing 120.10 2,545.50 560.10 71.00 19.40 487.00 25.70 1,198.50 209.70 57.20

Weekly closing 2469.00 1200.00 71.20 486.90 210.30 19.10 56.90 26.00 51.20 64.00

Weekly high

Weekly low

Turnover in million

120.10 2,550.00 627.90 72.40 19.70 498.00 27.50 1,241.00 220.00 63.00

99.60 2,105.00 520.00 62.30 15.60 400.00 23.20 1,050.00 174.00 48.00

0.401 1593.865 54.666 9.431 341.194 485.878 69.488 48.250 170.215 450.999

Weekly high

Weekly low

Turnover in million

2469.00 1229.00 71.80 500.00 219.00 19.20 60.60 27.50 54.40 64.00

2170.00 1110.00 60.10 420.00 185.00 15.60 49.90 23.10 46.80 58.20

Latest EPS -10.24 81.14 6.02 6.54 3.00 26.09 1.12 46.53 5.10 1.56

Latest EPS

1.315 1.839 0.493 25.715 8.090 16.435 41.666 6.660 126.575 0.061

81.14 46.53 6.54 26.09 5.10 3.00 1.56 1.12 2.19 3.46

Latest PE -ve 30.8 94.7 10.8 6.3 18.5 23.3 25.7 41.2 37.6

Latest PE 30.4 25.6 10.9 18.5 41.3 6.3 37.0 23.3 23.1 18.5

Weekly news from trade server APEXFOOT: The Board of Directors has recommended 55% cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 14.05.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Dhaka Ladies Club, 36 Eskaton Garden Road, Dhaka. Record date: 16.04.2014. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 23.61, NAV per share of Tk. 221.88 and NOCFPS of Tk. 31.79 for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

JAMUNABANK: The Board of Directors has recommended 15% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 08.05.2014, Time: 10:00 AM, Venue: to be notified later on. Record date: 16.04.2014. The Company has also reported consolidated net profit of Tk. 1,144.48 million, consolidated EPS of Tk. 2.55, consolidated NAV per share of Tk. 19.82 and consolidated NOCFPS of Tk. 6.66 for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

BEACHHATCH: The Board of Directors has recommended 15% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. The Board has also recommended the following subject to approval of shareholders in the EGM & Regulatory authorities: (1) to increase the Authorized Capital of the Company from Tk. 100.00 crore to Tk. 200.00 crore.

(2) to raise paid up capital by issuing rights shares @ 2R:1 (2 rights shares for every 1 one share) at Tk. 10.00 each for acquisition of 2 deep Sea going steel bodied Trawlers with modern equipment and facilities for optimization of fish catching and also to be involved in exporting of shrimps and fish.

Date of EGM and AGM: 14.05.2014, Time of EGM and AGM: 11:00 AM and 12:00 noon respectively, Venue: Project Premises

at Moheshkhalipara, Teknaf, Cox's Bazar.

Record Date for EGM and AGM: 17.04.2014.

The Company has also reported net profit after tax of Tk. 39.01 million, EPS of Tk. 1.14, NAV per share of Tk. 13.62 and NOCFPS of Tk. 0.43 for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Another record date for entitlement of the proposed rights shares to be notified later after obtaining approval from BSEC. MERCANBANK: The Board of Directors has recommended 8% cash dividend and 12% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 12.06.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: to be notified later on. Record date: 09.04.2014.

The Company has also reported consolidated EPS of Tk. 3.00, consolidated NAV per share of Tk. 19.14 and consolidated NOCFPS of Tk. (0.58) for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

FAMILYTEX: The Board of Directors has recommended 100% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 15.05.2014, Time: 11:30 AM, Venue: CBC-Confident Cement Convention Center, Chittagong Boat Club, Gate # 14, Near Old Airport, Potenga, Chittagong. Record Date: 22.04.2014. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 7.26, NAV per share of Tk. 21.72 and NOCFPS of Tk. 3.45 for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

SIBL: The Board of Directors has recommended 12% cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 31.05.2014, Time and Venue: to be notified later on. Record Date: 24.04.2014. The Company has also reported consolidated EPS of Tk. 1.78, consolidated NAV per share

of Tk. 15.78 and consolidated NOCFPS of Tk. (2.56) for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

RUPALIINS: The Board of Directors has recommended 10% cash dividend and 10% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 28.04.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Officers' Club, 26 Baily Road, Ramna, Dhaka. Record Date: 10.04.2014. The Company has also reported EPS of Tk. 1.98, NAV per share of Tk. 24.63 and NOCFPS of Tk. 1.26 for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

ARGONDENIM: The Board of Directors has recommended 6% cash dividend and 15% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 24.04.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Greentech Resort & Convention Center, Bhabanipur, Gazipur.

Record date: 10.04.2014. The Company has also reported net profit after tax of Tk. 226.84 million, EPS of Tk. 3.15, NAV per Share of Tk. 27.66 and NOCFPS of Tk. 1.28 for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

HEIDELBCEM: The Board of Directors has recommended 380% cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 22.05.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Factory Office, Tatki, Jatramora, Tarabow, Rupgonj, Narayangonj. Record Date: 17.04.2014. The Company has also reported Net profit after tax of Tk. 1,474.08 million, EPS of Tk. 26.09, NAV per share of Tk. 132.58 and NOCFPS of Tk. 39.62 for the year ended on December 31, 2013 as against Tk. 1,291.09 million, Tk. 22.85, Tk. 111.50 and Tk. 26.53 respectively for the year ended on December 31, 2012.

With the support of ‘Bargain Hunters’ and their preferable positioning in large caps assisted the market to rebound, the week

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

58.10 112.00 120.20 31.90 190.70 19.40 17.40 49.00 36.90 66.80

Weekly closing

DSE GAINERS

Number of Contract

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index :

DSE key features March 30-April 3, 2014

Turnover (Volume)

It said the investor attention to heavy weighted scrips, especially multinational companies kept market sentiment vibrant throughout the week, it said.

“Market started the week in a bearish mood in continuation of previous few weeks. But from the second day of the past week, market bounced back strongly,” said Lanka Bangla Securities.

It said market was mostly dominated by large cap stocks. Multinational companies were very vibrant throughout the past week with BATBC coming to the spotlight. The company rallied almost 20% in the past week, making food and allied sector the highest gaining sector with over 13% rise.

Cement sector came in second, backed by rally of two multinationals companies –Lafarge Surma Cement and Heidelberg Cement.

Gainers took a modest lead over the losers as out of 301 issues traded during the past week, 152 advanced, 133 declined and 16 issues remained unchanged on the DSE. Most other sectors, including telecommunications, fuel and power, pharmaceuticals, non-banking financial institutions and banks closed in the positive territory.

Food and allied and fuel and power sectors dominated the trading in the past week, making up more than 15% and 12% respectively of the week’s total turnover.

Lafarge Surma Cement was the most traded stocks with shares worth Tk 127 crore changing hands, followed

by Padma Oil, GP, Square Pharmaceuticals and Bangladesh Shipping Corporation. l

Tribune Report

Company

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

DSE Million Taka 1583.74 624.20 250.02 1795.16 2874.44 2243.79 58.60 1861.02 1565.84 18.86 554.01 364.10 90.26 1991.87 120.31 273.78 461.85 1115.75 196.24 937.58 6.36

% change 8.34 3.29 1.32 9.45 15.14 11.82 0.31 9.80 8.25 0.10 2.92 1.92 0.48 10.49 0.63 1.44 2.43 5.88 1.03 4.94 0.03

Million Taka 163.27 44.25 18.78 117.77 149.23 244.26 0.00 256.11 107.68 174.61 45.67 185.85 11.84 169.95 17.25 12.53 24.18 147.81 38.30 109.30 0.27

CSE

% change 8.01 2.17 0.92 5.78 7.32 11.98 0.00 12.56 5.28 8.56 2.24 9.12 0.58 8.34 0.85 0.61 1.19 7.25 1.88 5.36 0.01

Million Taka 1747.01 668.44 268.80 1912.93 3023.67 2488.05 58.60 2117.13 1673.52 193.47 599.68 549.96 102.10 2161.81 137.56 286.31 486.03 1263.56 234.53 1046.88 6.63

Total

% change 8.31 3.18 1.28 9.10 14.38 11.83 0.28 10.07 7.96 0.92 2.85 2.62 0.49 10.28 0.65 1.36 2.31 6.01 1.12 4.98 0.03

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 BATBCL -A LafargeS Cement-Z Padma Oil Co. -A Grameenphone-A Square Pharma -A Olympic Ind. -A BSC-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N HeidelbergCement -A Eastern Housing -A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LafargeS Cement-Z Padma Oil Co. -A Grameenphone-A BSC-A BD Submarine Cable-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Eastern Housing -A Square Pharma -A UNITED AIR-A Appollo Ispat CL -N

Volume shares 640,523 25,748,000 2,857,834 3,408,732 2,296,525 2,421,622 769,505 8,063,500 1,033,615 7,987,990

Volume shares 2,511,000 240,230 361,400 107,855 327,603 870,500 740,302 144,758 2,401,800 1,115,600

Value in million 1593.86 1309.12 999.05 749.71 625.20 519.85 503.93 495.67 485.88 451.00

Value in million 126.57 83.89 79.60 70.49 68.21 54.45 41.67 39.33 34.29 30.53

% of total turnover 8.39 6.89 5.26 3.95 3.29 2.74 2.65 2.61 2.56 2.38

% of total turnover 8.78 5.82 5.52 4.89 4.73 3.78 2.89 2.73 2.38 2.12

Weekly closing 2545.50 51.20 360.70 226.30 278.50 220.80 664.00 56.90 487.00 57.20

Weekly closing 51.20 360.80 225.90 663.00 212.90 57.40 56.90 278.20 14.30 28.20

Price change 19.71 8.94 7.74 5.50 2.58 4.64 -1.56 -4.69 11.54 9.79

Weekly opening 2126.40 47.00 334.80 214.50 271.50 211.00 674.50 59.70 436.60 52.10

Weekly high 2550.00 54.50 361.70 227.00 279.50 222.00 679.75 74.80 498.00 63.00

Weekly low 2105.00 47.00 309.00 202.00 244.00 193.00 637.75 56.90 400.00 48.00

Weekly average 2501.74 50.58 356.60 224.12 276.88 216.84 658.89 57.62 483.74 58.60

Price change 8.94 7.44 5.36 -1.46 0.14 -4.81 9.85 2.62 0.00 3.68

Weekly opening 47.00 335.80 214.40 672.80 212.60 60.30 51.80 271.10 14.30 27.20

Weekly high 54.40 362.00 226.50 679.00 214.80 71.50 60.60 279.80 14.80 28.90

Weekly low 46.80 320.00 210.60 638.00 200.00 56.90 49.90 260.00 12.80 26.40

Weekly average 50.57 356.42 224.19 658.95 211.32 58.02 57.79 277.19 14.40 28.20

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

More three factories asked to suspend production

US regulators warn banks about rise in cyber-attacks

n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

n Reuters, Washington

A review panel of factory inspections yesterday asked Mens Apparel, Day Apparel and Day Design to suspend production as it found structural flaws in the buildings.

All the units are housed in a building located in the port city of Chittagong.

“We asked them to suspend production as Accord recommended,” a panel member told the Dhaka Tribune wishing anonymity.

Final decision on the flawed building that whether it should be retrofit or units need to be relocated will be taken after further scrutiny, he said.

Last week Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh recommended evacuation of six garment manufacturing units detected as structurally flawed during recent inspections.

The review panel, comprised of representatives from the government, the Accord, the Alliance, BUET, BGMEA and BKMEA, is now scrutinising the flaws of the six factories.

Earlier, Softex Cotton, Fame Sweater and Jeans Care, were asked to suspend production on the basis of Accord inspections. Of them, Softex and Fame Sweater were in a building at Mirpur in Dhaka while Jeans Care was located in the city’s Tejgoan.

On February 20, the Accord, the platform of 151 European retailers, launched the first phase of inspection and inspected 225 factories. l

A group of top US regulators on Wednesday warned about the threat of rising cyber-attacks on bank websites and cash machines, urging the industry to put proper measures in place to guard against fraud.

The Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council (FFIEC) said it had seen a rise of so-called denialof-service attacks on bank websites, which were sometimes a cover for criminals committing fraud.

The group described one recent case in which criminals stole $40m from just 12 accounts - far exceeding the actual balance held by clients - in a sophisticated scheme known as an “Unlimited Operations” fraud. Massive client data breaches at retailers Target Corp and Neiman Marcus Group LLC put the focus on cybersecurity last month, leading banks and retail groups to join forces to try and fix the issues.

The problems described by the FFIEC, which comprises top officials from the Federal Reserve and other bank regulators, are of a different nature, if no less harmful.

In the “Unlimited Operations” fraud, criminals might begin an attack by installing malicious software on a bank’s computers through phishing emails, and then hack into control panels to raise limits on how much a cash machine can dispense.

In the final phase, the criminals with-

Oil prices mixed in Asian trade n AFP, Singapore Oil prices were mixed in subdued Asian trade Friday as dealers stood on the sidelines bracing for the release of a key US jobs report, analysts said.

New York’s West Texas Intermediate for May delivery rose six cents to $100.35 a barrel in afternoon trade, while Brent North Sea crude for May was down one cent at $106.14.

The US non-farm payrolls data to be released later Friday is expected to show the US economy added 195,000 jobs in March, up from 175,000 in February, and the unemployment rate ticked down to 6.6 percent from 6.7 percent.

“Investors seem to sidestep the market as the non-farm payrolls report draws near,” Kenny Kan, market analyst at CMC Markets in Singapore, said in a note.

Kan said the figures “may bounce back towards its cyclical average after

weather-related volatility”.

Singapore-based Phillip Futures said a positive jobs report would be seen “as a validation to the Federal Reserve’s recent tapering efforts as well as justification for further tapering in the upcoming meeting at the end of this month”.

The Fed’s decision to start winding down its massive stimulus programme was initially met with scepticism and triggered sell-offs in emerging markets earlier this year.

Dealers are continuing to monitor the situation in Libya, where rebels are apparently close to a deal on lifting a blockade on key ports that would boost the country’s oil production.

A rebel spokesman said a first port might reopen as early as next week, raising hopes of an end to the eightmonth-old blockade that has slashed oil exports from 1.5 million barrels a day to just 250,000, dealing a massive blow to the economy. l

B3

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Amazon launches Amazon Dash for delivery of groceries, household items n Reuters

A sign on an ATM machine is seen at a Wells Fargo Bank on Broadway St. as demonstrators rally in a citywide general strike against Wall Street and police brutality in Oakland REUTERS

draw large amounts of money from a number of cash machines within four hours to two days with stolen bank cards, often on weekends because that is when there is more money in the machines.

Such operations can be accompanied by a denial-of-service attack, in which a bank’s website is flooded with information requests so that it slows down or completely stops working for clients with legitimate requests.

There was an increase in such at-

tacks in the latter half of 2012, the FFIEC said, although these were often also launched by politically motivated groups.

In 2012, Ally financial Inc, Bank of America Corp, Wells Fargo & Co and other banks suffered denial of service attacks. Sources at the time told Reuters the attacks could be part of a yearlong cyber campaign waged by Iranian hackers to protest against an anti-Islam video on the Internet. l

Amazon.com Inc launched a new product named Amazon Dash on Friday that allows the user to add groceries and household goods to their shopping lists using the company’s AmazonFresh service.

A black-and-white hand-held wandshaped remote-control features a microphone, speaker as well as a bar-code reader and links directly to the user’s AmazonFresh account.

However, the device is available only for users of the AmazonFresh which currently operates exclusively in Southern California, San Francisco and Seattle. The device is free during the trial period, according to the product’s website.

However, signing up for Amazon Dash is by invitation only while the AmazonFresh service is currently available only Southern California, San Francisco and Seattle.

The online retailer has been steadily expanding towards electronics manufacturing businesses, starting with the Kindle e-reader which was first launched in 2007, and the Fire TV streaming set-top box announced earlier this week, even as it seeks new ways to energize a gradually slowing core retail business.

Amazon has been steadily expanding its “Fresh” online grocery business, targeting one of the largest retail

sectors yet to be upended by online commerce. The company has plans to launch AmazonFresh, which has operated in Seattle for years, in roughly 20 urban areas in 2014, including some outside the United States.

A successful foray into groceries could also help underwrite the development of a broad-based delivery service employing Amazon trucks to deliver directly to homes, which could have implications for UPS, FedEx and other package delivery companies that currently ship Amazon goods.

Still, groceries have proven to be one of the most difficult sectors for online retailers to manage successfully.

One of the most richly-funded startups of the dot-com era, Webvan, was a spectacular failure as the cost of developing the warehouse and delivery infrastructure proved overwhelming.

Amazon was unavailable for comment regarding the public availability of the device. l

Reuters poll: Rupee to weaken slightly over next year n Reuters The rupee’s recent rally is set to reverse course later this year as upbeat sentiment ahead of a general election wears off and economic growth remains slow, a Reuters poll found.

Still, the rupee will not lose much and is expected to trade at around 60.61 to the US dollar in a month before weakening further to 62 in a year, Thursday’s poll of 30 currency strategists showed.

Expectations that the pro-business opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will win the election and, in turn, attract more investment is in part responsible for the benchmark BSE Sensex hitting a new lifetime high of 22,620.65 on Thursday.

The rupee reversed last year’s losses of more than 11% against the US dollar and has gained over 3% so far this year.

It hit an eight-month high of 59.57 to the US dollar on Wednesday.

That is well above the near-18-year low of 68.80 that it hit last August when a sell-off by investors battered the rupee along with other emerging

market currencies.

That sell-off was mostly in reaction to the US Federal Reserve’s plan to taper its massive stimulus programme, which made investors dump riskier assets, including the rupee, combined with a slowdown in India’s economic growth to a four-year low.

Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at CARE Ratings.

“Right up until the time when the election results come out, things will remain positive. Then, I think we will probably get back to reality and see what kind of a government comes in and how differently are they able to do things.”

'The kind of (rupee) appreciation we are seeing today is more because of foreign institutional investment flows which are fairly gung-ho because of elections and what they perceive would be a strong, favourable government inclined towards economic growth' While investor sentiment has since improved, strategists do not expect the rupee’s strength to continue.

“The kind of (rupee) appreciation we are seeing today is more because of foreign institutional investment flows which are fairly gung-ho because of elections and what they perceive would be a strong, favourable government inclined towards economic growth,” said

Indeed, the new government will be faced with the same challenges as the current one - high inflation and borrowing rates, weak industrial production and muted demand.

The ruling Congress-led coalition government has been under severe criticism for its inaction over pursuing key reforms, which has hurt economic growth and investor sentiment.

Traders have also speculated that the Reserve Bank of India has been buying dollars recently to shore up its foreign exchange reserves and possibly capping the currency’s strength.

RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan told a TV channel on Wednesday that a “substantial” strengthening in the rupee to 45 or 50 per dollar could hit exports, but added that the central bank was fine with a “certain amount of leeway” in the currency.

On Tuesday, the RBI left its key repo rate unchanged at 8% and said it would keep rates on hold in the near term if inflation eases further.

The Fed will likely raise its key interest rate in the second half of 2015, according to top Wall Street economists polled by Reuters. That will also help the dollar gain and, in turn, push the rupee lower.

“Over time, the Fed’s policy shift is supportive of the dollar and that’s the most important reason why we see some weakness in the rupee,” said Nick Bennenbroeck, head of currency strategy at Wells Fargo Securities. l

Euro weakens in Asia after Draghi comments n AFP, Tokyo

Mohd. Safwan Choudhury Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh recently organised Hajj Fair 2014 for the seventh time at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in Dhaka. Standard Bank Limited actively participated in the fair with their stall. Md Nazmus Salehin, the bank’s MD visited the bank’s stall

Modhumoti Bank Limited held on Thursday held its 8th meeting of the executive committee. The meeting was presided by committee’s chairperson, Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh

Social Islami Bank Limited held its 249th meeting of the executive committee at the bank’s corporate office March 31.The committee’s chair Alhaj Sk. Mohammad Rabban Ali presided over the meeting

Nurul Islam Anu

Bank Asia re-elects vice chairs Mohd Safwan Choudhury and AM Nurul Islam Anu have been re-elected vice chairs of Bank Asia at the bank’s board meeting held on March31.

Mohd Safwan Choudhury is an eminent industrialist of the country and former president of Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industries. He is also the managing director of M Ahmed Tea & Lands Co Ltd, Phulbaria Tea Estates Ltd, M Ahmed Cold Storage Ltd, Pre-

mier Dyeing & Calendering Ltd and M Ahmed Food & Spices Ltd. Nurul Islam Anu, a former teacher of the University of Dhaka and former CSP is a well-known in the administrative and political circle of Bangladesh. He was the director of National Bank Ltd since 2003 and acted as chairperson of its audit committee. Subsequently he joined Bank Asia and acted as a chairperson of the bank’s audit committee. l

Shameem Iqbal reelected as vice chair Al-Arafah Islami Bank S M Shameem Iqbal has been re-elected as the vice chairperson of Al-Arafah Islami Bank Ltd. The decision was made unanimously at the bank’s 255th board meeting on March 30.

The new vice char will continue his responsibilities for the period until the next annual general meeting is held.

Professionally, Iqbal is a prominent businessman and has graduated from Southeastern University, London, UK. l

The euro extended its losses in Asia on Friday after the head of the European Central Bank (ECB) signalled he was ready to aggressively loosen monetary policy as the eurozone faces the threat of deflation.

The single currency dipped to 142.46 yen in Tokyo from 142.61 yen in New York Thursday, while it weakened to $1.3711 from $1.3717. It is also well down from the 143.02 yen and $1.3763 seen earlier Thursday in Asia.

The dollar was nearly flat at 103.90 yen from 103.94 yen in US trade.

In a news conference after the ECB

held rates at a record low and stood pat on other easing measures, its president Mario Draghi vowed to “act swiftly” if needed to keep falling prices at bay.

“We do not exclude further monetary easing,” he said. “We will monitor developments very closely and will consider all instruments available to us.

“We are resolute in our determination to maintain a high degree of monetary accommodation and to act swiftly if required.”

The prospect of any easing measures - such as asset purchases similar to the US Federal Reserve, or a rate cut - sent investors fleeing the single currency. l

Once refused BTRC resends tariff cut proposal  B1 COLUMN 6

BTRC said at present international calls of 3.5 crore minutes are generated daily through legal way and the loss from the proposed tariff cut will be Tk1,073 crore.

But as the legally-terminated calls increased to 6 crore minutes on an average per day now, the actual loss will be Tk1,500 crore, according to the analysts.

The telecom watchdog reduced the termination rate to 6 US cents per minute in 2008 and to 3 cents in 2009.

BTRC proposal noted Bangladesh’s termination rate is higher compared to other countries in the subcontinent.

But the VoIP Service Providers As-

sociation (VSPA) said the call termination rate in the neighboring countries is three to eight times more than Bangladesh.

“The per minute international call termination rate in Sri Lanka is 9 US cents, 9.5 cents in Nepal, 8.8 cents in Pakistan and 25 cents in Maldives, the highest,” said VSPA convener Rabiul Karim.

“International call is considered as export earnings in all countries. But our decision makers are trying to reduce it,” he said.

If BTRC proposal is accepted, the government’s earning from the IGW and ICX sector will reduce to Tk777 crore from Tk1,851 last year. l

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Holcim, Lafarge in talks to create world’s top cement firm n AFP, Geneva Switzerland’s Holcim and French rival Lafarge confirmed Friday that there are holding talks to merge and create the world’s largest cement company.

“Holcim and Lafarge believe that ... there is rationale in considering a potential merger that could deliver significant benefits to customers, employees and shareholders,” the two companies said in separate but near-identical statements.

The Swiss company said that talks were at an “advanced” stage.

“The discussions are based on principles consistent with a merger of equals which build on the strengths and identities of the two companies,” it said.

It underlined that no agreement had yet been reached, nor was it possible to say if the talks would lead to a definitive merger deal.

On its website, Lafarge describes itself as the global number one for cement, number two for aggregates and number four for concrete.

Industry observers note that the berths in the rankings vary according to methodology.

According to a 2013 ranking by specialised trade magazine Global Cement, which assesses overall output capacity based on a broad range of factors, China’s Anhui Conch had an annual output capacity of 217 million tonnes, followed by Lafarge with 205 million tonnes and Holcim with 174 million tonnes.

The combined clout of Lafarge and Holcim would therefore create an industry behemoth.

UN’s FAO: World food prices jump again in March n Reuters, Rome Global food prices rose to the highest level in almost a year in March, led by unfavourable weather conditions affecting crops and geopolitical tensions in the Black Sea region, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) price index, which measures monthly price changes for a basket of cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar, averaged 212.8 points in March, up 4.8 points or 2.3% from February. The reading was the highest since May 2013.

FAO’s cereal price index saw the second month of significant increases, rising 5.2% to its highest value since August 2013 over unfavourable weather conditions in the southcentral United States and Brazil, and uncertainty over grain shipments from Ukraine. l

Founded in Switzerland in 1912, Holcim employs 71,000 people, with production sites in around 70 countries and a market presence on every continent.

In notched up net sales of 19.7bn Swiss francs (16.1bn euros, $22.2bn) in 2013.

Lafarge began as a French limestone-quarrying company in 1833, and now employs 65,000 people in 64 countries, with sales of 15.8bn euros ($21.7bn).

After having surged Friday as rumours swirled concerning the merger talks, both companies’ shares re-

mained buoyant at the close of trading in Zurich and Paris.

Shares in Holcim soared 6.9% to 80.20 francs, while Switzerland’s SMI index fell 0.21%.

Lafarge’s shares jumped 8.9% to 64.09 euros, as Paris’ main CAC 40 index gained 0.79%. l

Sunday, April 6, 2014

‘Vigilant’ ASEAN discusses economic risks n AFP Southeast Asian finance ministers are “vigilant” in the face of economic risks such as reduced US monetary stimulus, Myanmar said Saturday at a meeting that underscored its return to the international diplomatic stage.

Officials said the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was well-placed to withstand the impact of the US Federal Reserve’s “tapering” of its liquidity-boosting quantitative easing programme.

“We are vigilant to global economic challenges and pledge our commitment to maintain financial stability in our region and beyond,” Myanmar Finance Minister Win Shein said in his opening remarks in the capital Naypyidaw.

“We have taken concrete and bold steps in maintaining financial markets and implementing the road map for monetary and financial integration in the region,” he said.

Some emerging economies, such as Indonesia, suffered sharp capital outflows and losses to their currencies after the Fed began to reduce its massive stimulus programme, as the world’s largest economy emerges from a crippling financial crisis.

Under quantitative easing, the Fed “creates” money to buy government debt from financial institutions, which helps lower long-term interest rates, in theory stimulating the economy by encouraging companies and individuals to borrow.

Low interest rates in the West following the 2008-2009 financial crisis prompted investors to seek out higher returns elsewhere, such as in buoyant emerging economies such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand.

With markets now turning their at-

tention to the prospect of rising interest rates in the United States, the fear is that a rapid repatriation of investment funds could send stock markets and currencies sliding in emerging Asia.

But experts note that so far the impact has been limited, thanks partly to the region’s efforts to strength its defences since the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis.

“The macro-economic fundamentals of ASEAN countries are strong - much stronger than in 1997,” Asian Development Bank president Takehiko Nakao said at the meeting.

“Governments have pursued sound macro-economic policies. Banks are well capitalised. Financial regulations and supervisions have been strengthened. Countries now enjoy larger foreign reserves.”

The ADB expects the ASEAN region to show economic growth of 5.0 percent in 2014 and 5.4 percent in 2015, Nakao said.

“Domestic demand of ASEAN countries is solid. The US recovery continues to strengthen. The eurozone will return to positive growth this year and Japan’s economy today is stronger than before,” he said.

ASEAN, a region of 600 million people, wants to establish a common market and manufacturing base to better compete with China and India.

Win Shein brushed aside doubts about whether it will meet a 2015 target to create an ASEAN Economic Community, saying the region was committed to achieving its goal.

Myanmar, for years a source of embarrassment for ASEAN’s more democratic states, took over the rotating chairmanship of the regional bloc this year after reforms that included freeing hundreds of political prisoners. l

Microsoft to offer Windows for free on phones, tablets n Reuters, San Francisco Microsoft Corp is to give away its Windows operating system to makers of smartphones and small tablets for consumers as it seeks to make more of an impact on those fast-growing markets and counter the massive success of Google Inc’s free Android platform.

Microsoft’s move, announced at its annual developers conference in San Francisco, is an attempt to broaden the small user base of mobile versions of Windows, in the hope that more customers will end up using Microsoft’s money-making, cloud-based services such as Skype and Office.

Up to now, Microsoft has charged phone and tablet makers between $5 and $15 per device to use its Windows system, as it has done successfully at higher prices for many years with Windows on personal computers. Hardware makers factor the cost of that into the sale price of each device.

That model has been obliterated in

the past few years by the fast adoption of Google’s Android system for phones and tablets, which hardware makers quickly embraced and now accounts for more than 75 percent of all smartphones sold last year. Apple Inc’s iPhone and iPad account for most of the rest of the mobile computing market.

By contrast, Windows-powered phones held only 3% of the global smartphone market last year. Windows tablets have only about 2% of the tablet market, according to tech research firm Gartner.

Free money

Microsoft’s move to make Windows free for some consumer devices bucks a central tenet of Bill Gates’ original philosophy, that software should be paid for, which led to Microsoft’s massive financial success over the last four decades. But analysts said it is a realistic reaction to the runaway success of free Android.

“Microsoft is facing challenges on the mobile and tablet fronts and need to change their strategy to move the growth needle, this is a good and logical first step,” said Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets.

Windows will be free for companies making phones and tablets with screen sizes under nine inches for the consumer market. A license fee will still apply for business devices.

It comes a week after new Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella unveiled new versions of Word, PowerPoint and Excel applications for Apple Inc’s iPad. A year’s free subscription to Microsoft’s cloud-based Office 365 service will be offered on the new devices running the free Windows, Microsoft said.

Both moves show that Microsoft is now more interested in gaining market share for its cloud-based services such as Office on any platform or device, rather than its traditional approach of putting Windows at the center of everything it does and extending its in-

fluence from there. In the new era of mobile computing, Nadella acknowledged Microsoft’s underdog status.

“We are going to innovate with a challenger mindset,” said Nadella in a question and answer session at the developer conference. “We are not coming at this as some incumbent trying to do the next version of Windows, we are going to come at this by innovating in every dimension.”

Nadella did not have a snappy answer to the question of what Microsoft’s overarching mission now was, after it had achieved its original goal of putting a computer on every desk and in every home. Instead he elaborated on remarks he made last week about the importance of mobile devices as everything we do becomes digitized and connected to the internet.

“Our vision, simply put, is to thrive in this world of mobile first, cloud first,” said Nadella. “Our goal is to really build platforms, create the best enduser experiences, the best developer

opportunities and IT infrastructure for this ubiquitous computing world.”

Siri rival

Also at the gathering, Microsoft formally announced it has developed a voice activated phone assistant feature called Cortana, a direct rival to Apple’s Siri.

The feature has been rumored for some months and a test version was demonstrated at the event by Joe Belfiore, a Windows Phone executive.

The Cortana service, which can take verbal instructions to search the Web, set alarms, make calls and a host of other actions, is still in beta testing but will soon be a standard feature on Windows phones, said Belfiore.

He announced that the latest version of Microsoft’s smartphone software, called Windows Phone 8.1, will be rolled out to consumers as a downloadable upgrade in the next few months, and new phones running the software will be in stores by late April or early May. l

Apocalypse Now? China ‘bears’ hope for their ‘told you so’ moment n Reuters, Singapore “It’s like a horror movie. People like to watch, but don’t want to be in it,” quips economist Andy Xie about his popular lectures where he predicts a collapse in China’s property and stock markets.

The former Morgan Stanley economist is among the more moderate of the bearish voices that have called the ‘China crash’ since the late 1990s.

The more extreme doom-mongers have been forecasting everything from a property meltdown and debt crisis to full-blown economic recession and even political revolution.

Yet China has consistently defied the odds, projecting itself as a single-party-led export powerhouse with absolute hold over its financial system and a government with deep pockets.

Investors have been rewarded with a decade of double-digit economic growth and a property market that has multiplied several times over the years.

But this year seems different. Rising funding costs, a more volatile yuan currency, money market liquidity crises and companies defaulting on bond payments, which is rare for China, all have raised concerns that this could be China’s Year of the Bear.

Will the bears finally be able to say “told you so”?

“It’s going to be big, it’s going to be historic, and probably going to be this year,” says Gordon Chang, a ChineseAmerican lawyer and columnist who’s

been predicting a crash in China for the past 15 years or so.

Xie, who has a decent track record in predicting major twists and turns in China’s markets, is, however, mindful of how those who queue to hear his talks are agnostic when it comes to forecasting the definitive China crash.

“They pay to listen to me, get scared, and then go out and feel good again.

It’s entertainment,” he says.

Bubbles and perma-bears

There are varying scales of China bearishness.

Moderate doubters, such as Xie, fret more about short-term asset bubbles than about the country’s long-term ability to reform and evolve. Hedge fund manager Jim Chanos, who founded Kynikos Associates LP, has made money from short selling Chinese commodity stocks, while Aberdeen Asset Management fund managers have long been ‘underweight’ China due to concerns over the transparency and maturity of businesses there.

To be fair, some short-sellers have enjoyed brief successes, such as when the Shanghai property market fell 40 percent in 2005-06 and the stock market .SSEC slumped in 2007-08.

Despite being challenged and marginalized, the die-hard pessimists remain steadfast.

These ‘perma-bears’ say China’s export-driven, investment-fuelled economy is inherently unstable, not to mention the moral hazard wrought by a system where no one was allowed to fail.

What keeps them believing?

Chang, the New York-based lawyer, published his book ‘The Coming Collapse of China’ more than a dozen years ago. He says he just has a deep-rooted belief that China can’t rig the game forever. His was a lonely bear voice in the late 1990s, but he remains convinced the Chinese bubble will pop.

Tipping point

The China bear drum beat has sounded stronger this year, with slowing growth and evidence that private debt has climbed to twice economic output - levels that triggered debt crises in Spain and Ireland recently. Malaysia, Taiwan and Thailand are other uncomfortable precedents.

China is at a tipping point, the bears argue, because President Xi Jinping’s administration is determined to rebalance the economy towards consumption and away from investment - and that will bring a sharp slowdown and debt defaults.

Chang argues the modernization of China’s economy in the three decades since Mao Zedong’s death disguises deep insolvency, deflation and corruption problems that will ultimately bring about its implosion. The crash, he says, would have come by now, but for the massive stimulus China unleashed in 2008, when the world was in the grip of a financial crisis.

Other China bears, such as hedge fund manager George Soros, who successfully bet against the British pound in the early 1990s and also made money from the US subprime crisis,

A sculpture is seen in front of an apartment block in Beijing in this January are ringing the alarm bells, too. Soros recently wrote about China’s “exponential debt growth”, warning that such borrowing cannot be sustained for much longer than a couple of years.

Morgan Stanley analysts have been routinely bearish on China, and warned last month it was at its ‘Minsky moment’ - the point, named after economist Hyman Minsky in 1993,

REUTERS

when a credit boom fuelled by speculative funding messily unravels. Morgan Stanley warns this unwind in China could trigger a global corporate earnings crisis.

Debt trigger

Xie, who was labeled an ‘American parrot’ by Chinese local media in 2008 for repeatedly predicting a stock mar-

ket collapse, expects a big crash in the property market. “In a year’s time people will be really upset, but they don’t want to talk about it now,” he said.

Michael Pettis, a professor at Peking University’s Guanghua School of Management and a noted blogger, predicts China’s growth will slow sharply to an average 3-4% in the decade to 2022.

“We’re no longer including in our growth those losses which we failed to recognize. So that reduces GDP to the correct rate and, as we begin amortizing losses, growth reduces even further,” he says.

Pettis acknowledges the risk that China’s economy could hit a sudden stop the moment it reaches its debt capacity - the total debt a country can borrow without leading to financial difficulty. At the same time, he expects Beijing will manage to slow the economy and avoid bumping into that debt limit.

For now, it seems that a debt mountain estimated at more than $20 trillion, and the difficulty in predicting how China will claw its way out, separate the bulls and the bears.

From Japan’s debt-driven ‘lost decade’ in the 1990s to the more recent euro zone crisis, the bears may have precedent on their side.

“Debt is always misunderstood, it’s emotive and when there’s a lot of it, people assume it could all go horribly wrong. China certainly meets that condition,” said Tim Condon, Asia economist at ING. “What makes it complicated is what is exactly the burning fuse here? The deck view is that it’s just a fuse, and could be very long.” l