13 June 2014

Joishthya 30, 1421 Shaaban 14, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 74

FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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9 | KARACHI ATTACK HINTS TACTICAL SHIFT

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10:00PM Mexico v Cameroon 1:00AM Spain Netherlands 4:00AM Chille v Australia

10:00PM Colombia v Greece

230 more brought back after 18 days The passengers, who had wanted to go to Malaysia illegally, had been without any food for at least two days before they were rescued and had protested against the human traffickers which resulted in the killing of six of them.

“Although I was told that I would be sent to Malaysia by air, I was forced to board the trawler and we had been stranded in the sea for 18 days. Our food had exhausted, and the trawler’s engine had also stopped working,” said Mithun Sheikh, one of the rescued passengers, at Teknaf police station.

Two hundred and thirty more men were brought back yesterday to Teknaf from the trawler stuck near the St Martin’s Island in the Bay of Bengal.

Teknaf police received the illegal passengers brought in two trawlers around 6:15pm. They have been kept at the Teknaf police station.

Meanwhile, a human trafficker named Kamal Sarker was arrested from Shibpur upazila of Narsingdi yesterday for illegally trying to send one of the rescued passengers to Malaysia.

The passenger, Naim, and his father Asad Mia had filed a complaint about Kamal with Shibpur police station.

Officer-in-Charge Khandakar Mizanur Rahman said they were interrogating Kamal to glean information about others, if any, involved with the human trafficking incident.

Mithun Sheikh from Jhenaidah told this correspondent: “I started our journey along with four of my friends from Jhenaidah on May 23. The next day we reached Teknaf and met with a broker whom we did not know. He insisted that we board the small trawler although a broker in our area, named Alim Laskar, had told us that we were going to Malaysia legally by plane.

“The broker at Teknaf held a gun at us and forced us to board a small fishing boat. We boarded at Katabunia Ghat of Teknaf and were headed towards the main ship anchored about 10km away from St Martin’s Island.”

After boarding the ship at 2am on May 25, Mithun saw there were many other passengers on the ship. He said the ship had started its journey for  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

from Sao Paulo, Brazil It was a different start to the morning of a weekday in Sao Paulo yesterday. To mark the inaugural day of the Fifa World Cup the government had earlier declared a public holiday across the state which made the millions of residents stay back at home instead of rushing to their work – leaving the busy roads and metro stations quite empty.

WORLD CUP MATCHES

cured a low cross to Nikica Jelavic. But the latter’s mis-hit fell into the feet of the Real Madrid fullback and rolled into the near post net.

Credit goes to Oscar, whose tenacity in midfield helped him win the ball back at the edge of the Croatia half.

He tapped the ball forward and it was

The deal signed with China for constructing the country’s first ever tunnel under a river was apparently the result of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s clever “banquet diplomacy.”

“Beijing was not ready to sign the deal during the official talks as the Chinese construction company concerned was reluctant,” said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam at a press briefing yesterday.

Bangladesh and China signed a memorandum of understanding on constructing a multilane tunnel under the Karnaphuli River.

Sheikh Hasina raised the issue during a banquet dinner hosted in her honour, where Chinese finance and commerce ministers were present, on June 9. Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang instantly asked his officials to sort out the deal and it was eventually signed late at night, Shahriar said.

A senior official of the Foreign Ministry said at the dinner table Hasina had instructed Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haq and other Bangladeshi officials to negotiate the deal with the Chinese side.

“The Bridges Division secretary [Khandkar Anwar ul Islam] had the [draft of the] MoU on a memory stick and the Chinese side opened their office at night to negotiate with us,” he said.

After discussion, it was decided that it would be a government-to-government deal instead of government-to-private sector and Beijing would later select another company

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

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Brazil forward Neymar scores from the spot during their 2014 World Cup opening match against Croatia at the Corinthians arena in Sao Paulo yesterday REUTERS

Brazil ride on Neymar brace in World Cup opener Mahmood from Sao n Raihan Paulo, Brazil Brazil kicked off their World Cup campaign with a hard fought 3-1 win over Croatia who arrived harder than the anticipation of Luis Phelipe Scolari’s boys at the Arena de Sao Paulo, Brazil yesterday.

A Bangladeshi in a different Sao Paulo There was however no short of business on the day as the garment sector, the retail shopping complex at the center of Bras, the hub of garments trading in Sao Paulo, cashed in by selling team jerseys. As I was strolling, I wasn’t much surprised to find the Brazilians buying their national team jersey, but I was quite surprised to find a Bangladeshi immigrant selling them.

Khairul Islam, the Bangladeshi trader was enjoying a very busy time. He said: “I sold about 2000 jerseys in three hours, for the last two days the trade was getting warm but it reached the

7:00AM 1:00AM Uruguay v Costa Rica Ivory Coast v Japan

Banquet diplomacy made Karnaphuli deal possible n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

One trafficker of Malaysia-bound passengers arrested in Narsingdi n Adil Sakhawat from Teknaf

4:00AM England v Italy

peak today, Bras is the center of garments trading and I have sold my products in both retail and wholesale forms, the jerseys were sold on 10 Reis each.”

Khairul said they have produced the jerseys from their own machines and own infrastructures. Brazilians prefer T-shirts with the jeans and do not prefer shirts as day to day costumes.

Khairul said they only concentrate on making T-shirts.

The shopping malls were also doing brisk business with people buying Vuvuzela’s, Brazilian flags, jerseys and  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE B1 | Business

The private sector job market of Bangladesh is diminishing alarmingly, which underlines low investment and slow economic growth.

4 | News

For four years, the government is talking about generating 800MW power from renewable energy by 2015; butwith only a year and half left, less than a fourth of that target has been achieved.

15

HOLIDAY NOTICE Friday, June 13, is a newspaper holiday on the occasion of Shab-e-Barat. Therefore, the Dhaka Tribune will not be published tomorrow. However, our online version will keep updating.

Local star Neymar scored a brace and Oscar fired the other against Croatia who mixed power with their counter-attacking strategy making life hard for the three-time champions.

Brazil had to absorb a shock in the 11th minute when midfielder Marcelo put the ball into the back of his own net after great work from Ivica Olic who

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, June 13, 2014

Motive of plainclothes RAB in Manikganj village unclear n Abid Azad It is still a mystery,reason behind the Rapid Action Battalion members had gone to the village of Dakkhin Saljana in Manikganj after midnight as RAB and police officials have been making statements contrary to the local people’s description.

The disposition of the five confined RAB men in plain clothes in the village around 3am on Wednesday further entangled the matter. The locals first took them as robbers.

Maj Ariful Islam, a member from RAB 4, yesterday said: “This is merely a misunderstanding. We cannot say anything more about the matter.”

Quoting the RAB members, OC of Shibaloy police station Rakibuzzaman said they had been patrolling in the area. The locals said it was the first time they had seen RAB members in the village while the confined elite force members claimed that they had been heading for Faridpur but used that road mistakenly.

According to the Shibaloy police, there were 14 RAB members in two teams. The first team fell into the trap of a muddy road with their microbus and the second went there after the police had reached the scene.

They were all taken to the police station and later handed over to RAB 4 around 6am on Wednesday.

When contacted, RAB’s Media Wing Director Wing Commander ATM Habibur

Rahman on Wednesday told the Dhaka Tribune: “Neither the RAB men were confined by the villagers nor detained by the Shibaloy police. The RAB men took shelter at the Shibaloy police station as their microbus faced difficulty on the way to Faridpur to conduct an operation.”

However, intelligence sources said the RAB members had been sent there in two teams for an operation.

According to the sources, when the local people came together, the RAB teams had cancelled their “sudden mission” and then the backup team, which took position at a nearby place, reached there as soon as possible.

The police also went there to protect the RAB men since an unavoidable occurrence could take place between the local people and the law enforcers for any kind of misunderstandings.

A police official, requesting to be anonymous as he was not authorised to speak to media, said the RAB members might be tracking records of someone they had been looking for.

An intelligence source also said the RAB members might have gone there to arrest someone hiding in Dakkhin Saljana village.

However, a senior RAB official concerned said they had no such operation in the village.

State Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at a programme on Wednesday said: “Sometimes we have to send law enforcers in plain clothes to complete a mission.” l

BGB gives BGP list of yaba producing factories n Kailash Sarkar

People give food and water to the rescued Malaysia-bound passengers while they are being taken to Teknaf police station by a truck at Teknaf port yesterday RAJIB DHAR

India allowed passage for shipping of food grains through Akhaura n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Bangladesh has allowed passage of Indian food grains from Kolkata to Tripura through using Akhaura land port.

“We have taken the decision at an inter-ministerial meeting today [Thursday],” Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister Mashiur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The Shipping Ministry organised the meeting on food grain transshipment

Three arrested for making child porn n Mohammad Jamil Khan

A popular author of children’s literature, Tipu Kibria, and two others have been arrested in Dhaka for their alleged involvement in producing and supplying child pornography.

In separate drives, the Criminal Investigation Department arrested Tipu, Nurul Amin Nuru and Saharul Islam from Mugda and Khilgaon areas on Wednesday and early yesterday.

Tipu – whose real name is TIM Fakruzzaman – had been making porno films by paying street children as low as Tk300-Tk400, said Ashraful Islam, superintendent of police at the CID (organised crime). Addressing a media briefing at the CID headquarters yesterday, he said Tipu mostly hired underage boys for his productions and sold the pornographic materials to foreign dealers and websites.

“Tipu directed porno films and sup-

plied pornographic pictures to his foreign clients in Germany, Australia, Saudi Arabia and United Kingdom,” he added.

Based on information, a CID team raided the residence of Tipu – who mainly earns a living as a freelance cameraman – at Tarabagh of Khilgaon

Popular author of children’s literature among arrestees and arrested him, said Ashraful.

Following leads provided by Tipu during primary interrogation, the CID later raided a studio in Mugda where the porno movies were allegedly filmed. A child victim was rescued and Nurul was arrested while shooting a film. Saharul was also detained there.

Law enforcers also seized a large number of pornographic pictures, computer hard disks, video cameras and 70

‘No decision yet in giving new crests to foreign friends’ n Nazmus Sakib The Liberation War Affairs Ministry has said it is yet to take any decision on giving new crests to foreign friends, who supported the birth of Bangladesh.

The ministry in its reply to a legal notice of a Supreme Court lawyer said it did not have any authority to make such decisions.

The new reply signed by Assistant Secretary Md Rafiqul Islam was issued on June 11, but was received by the SC lawyer, Manzill Murshid yesterday.

On May 14, Manzill served a legal

notice on the ministry, demanding that the 338 foreign friends be awarded with new crests. Not getting the reply in due time, the lawyer filed a writ petition.

The previous reply said the alleged scam centring the crests was being probed by a parliamentary sub-committee. After getting its report, necessary steps would be taken, added the reply.

On Monday, the HC bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar said they would not interfere in it as the government had taken the matter seriously and has already launched probe. l

Khairul sells another lot to a Brazilian at Sao Paulo yesterday

RAIHAN MAHMOOD

A Bangladeshi in a different Sao Paulo  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

the yellow and green wigs and slowly Brazil seemed Brazil – a crazy football loving nation - as the atmosphere slowly built up with the occasional sound of fire crackers (which was actually pretty damaging for my eardrum).

Claudia, a Bras resident who was out in Brazilian colour with her friends, was gearing up for the opener and said in her broken English that she hoped

Brazil win big against Croatia.

The roadside restaurants and cafes in the area had already arranged live music shows till mid-night for the poeple who stopped over either for a bear or light snack.

There were arrangements in line in Sao Paulo, that has a population of over 30 million, to celebrate a Brazil win, but any result apart from a win might see an all together different reaction. l

tubes of lubricating gel from the studio, the SP added.

Additional Deputy Inspector General of the CID (organised crime) Shah Alam said Tipu has written over 50 books, while Saharul looked after Tipu’s finances and used to collect the money sent by foreign clients.

Asked about the arrest, Mokhlesur Rahman, additional inspector general of the CID, said the operation was launched based on information provided by Interpol. The international organisation had been keeping an eye on the child pornography situation in the country since 2005, and was finally able to trace the identity of Tipu this year, he added.

The CID started investigating Tipu after receiving information from Interpol only a week ago, Mokhlesur said.

The CID is currently also investigating a separate case on child pornography, which was filed with Mugda police station in 2012. l

to Tripura, with Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan in the chair.

“The shipment will be carried under the protocol [PIWTT],” Mashiur said.

Road capacity in Bangladesh and port handling facility at the Ashuganj Port would be considered before the movement of Indian cargoes, he said.

A Bangladeshi company, Gulf Orient, will act as the carrier to transship the 10,000 metric tonnes of food grains from Kolkata to Tripura.

“All the carriers including vessels

and trucks will be Bangladeshi and they will be paid in foreign currency,” Managing Director of Gulf Orient Sheikh Mahfuz told the Dhaka Tribune.

It is expected that the shipment will begin in July and it might take another 40 to 50 days to complete it, he said.

Bangladesh and India signed the protocol on inland water trade and transit [PIWTT] in 1972 under which Dhaka allowed transshipment of overdimensional cargoes for Palatana power plant in 2011. l

Amtob elects new chairman and vice-chairman n Muhammad Zahidul Islam The telecom operators’ association yesterday elected the chief executive officers of the country’s two leading mobile phone companies as its chairman and vice-chairman.

Ziad Shatara, CEO of Banglalink Digital Communications Ltd, was made the new chairman of the Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (Amtob) and Vivek Sood, CEO of Grameenphone, its vice-chairman.

The new leaders of the Amtob executive council were elected in a meeting.

Requesting anonymity, a source said since incumbent Chairman Chris Tobit, who is also the CEO of Airtel, was leaving Bangladesh within a short time, it became mandatory to elect a new chairman and vice-chairman.

Ziad Shatara

Vivek Sood

The Amtob chairman and vice-chairman have been elected for a two-year tenure by members of the council consisting all the CEOs and managing directors of the countries mobile phone operators.

In the last body, Michael Kuehner was the chairman and Chris Tobit was vice-chairman, but after Kuehner’s retirement last December Tobit was made the chairman for an interim period.

The Border Guard Bangladesh yesterday handed over Myanmar’s Border Guard Police (BGP) a list of locations of yaba manufacturing factories in the neighbouring country.

At a meeting between the two forces, the BGP also provided information and data on the existence of the members of the Rohingya Solidarity Forces and other organisations allegedly active in Bangladesh, said BGB Information Officer Muhasin Reza.

This is the BGB’s first ever high-level meeting with the BGP on border security and law enforcement cooperation.

The meeting is being held at Nay Pyi Taw in Myanmar from June 10 at the invitation of Police Major General Zaw Win, chief of Myanmar police force, in the backdrop of the death of a BGB member in BGP firing on May 28.

BGB Director General Major General Aziz Ahmed is leading an eight-member delegation while Myanmar’s police chief is leading his 13-member delegation.

A few BGB officials said the meeting focused on six agendas, including the death of the BGB member in BGP firing and preventing the smuggling of illegal drugs, especially yaba.

The BGB information officer said both sides had agreed to enhance cooperation between them, besides setting up direct communications, in curbing activities of illegal armed groups and criminals along the border areas.

The two sides also agreed to implement decisions made earlier at flag meetings and exchange information to control illicit drugs trafficking. l

Sushma Swaraj’s visit to Dhaka still under discussion n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Bangladesh and India are still in discussion over a possible visit of Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj to Dhaka.

“We will inform you when the date is fixed,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said at a press conference yesterday.

A Foreign Ministry official said both sides agreed on the visit, possibly this month.

Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran said they were waiting for an official announcement from New Delhi.

When the Indian envoy was asked about the visit of the Indian home secretary to Dhaka, he said the date were yet to be fixed about the regular secretary-level talks. l

230 more brought

Banquet diplomacy made Karnaphuli deal possible

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 PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Malaysia with more than 250 passengers.

“When food on the ship exhausted after 16 days the brokers asked us to call our guardians to send Tk1 lakh more, otherwise we would be killed,” said another passenger named Selim from Araihazar upazila of Narayanganj.

A number of the rescued passengers said they had already paid Tk2 lakh to Tk2.5 lakh before boarding the ship.

They were given flattened rice (chira), water and rice a day.

“If we wanted more, the four crew of the ship would torture us mercilessly,” said Shah Alam from Narsingdi.

On June 11, a clash erupted between the traffickers and the passengers when the latter demanded to be returned to the St Martin’s Island. Many of the passengers had fallen ill by that time. The trawler engine had also stopped working, said Mithun.

“From then on, they started shooting us indiscriminately and five of us died,” Mithun added.

According to Teknaf police station, the ship had 313 passengers – six of them died, 77 were seriously wounded and 230 ill. The ship had four crew – two Thai nationals and two from Myanmar.

Teknaf police have already arrested Prakash Pal and Jahangir Alam – two traffickers in Teknaf area – and filed three cases against them for killing and trafficking people.

Tofayel Ahmed, additional superintendent of police in Cox’s Bazar, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have already shifted 77 seriously wounded passengers to the Sadar Hospital and five dead bodies [the other having lost in the sea] for post mortem examinations.

“We will hand over the 230 passengers to their families after interrogation today.”

He said: “We will conduct the interrogation to find out the main criminals involved with this illegal human trafficking business and then conduct drives to catch them.” l

to construct the tunnel, he added.

It was signed about 12 midnight in Hasina’s presence at the guest house where she was staying, he said.

China will provide $700 million to construct the 3.4km tunnel, which will connect northern Chittagong with the unexplored eastern side of Karnaphuli.

The tunnel is 2km from the Chittagong airport and will have an option to connect with deep-sea port at Sonadia.

Strategic partnership

Chinese President Xi Jinping had proposed alleviating the Bangladesh-China relationship to a strategic level, the state minister said at the press conference.

Dhaka and Beijing have closer comprehensive partnership of cooperation relationship right now. China has strategic partnership relations with Pakistan only.

“The Chinese president in his meeting with the prime minister said Bangladesh is an important country for China and it considers Dhaka as a strategic partner,” Shahriar said. Both the countries are considering to alleviate the relationship to a strategic level, he said.

When two countries have strategic relationship, they enjoy an extreme form of engagement between them.

“The two sides viewed each other’s development as opportunities to further expand and raise the closer com-

prehensive partnership of cooperation between the two countries to a newer height,” a joint statement by Bangladesh and China said.

The two sides agreed to sustain the momentum of high-level interactions and engagements between the two countries, as well as intensify dialogue between governmental authorities, parliaments, political parties, armed forces, non-governmental platforms and local governments, the statement added.

The existing framework of holding regular consultations at the level of foreign secretary was satisfactory and it was agreed that the next round of consultation would be held in Bangladesh during the second half of this year.

Deep-sea port

Dhaka and Beijing agreed to continue negotiation on deep-sea port as Bangladesh needed more time to decide the matter, the state minister said.

“Several offers from different countries are pending with the government and Bangladesh will accept the best offer among them. We need more time,” he said.

Asked about reported opposition from India against the construction of a deep-sea port by China, he said no third country was related to this project.

Bangladesh asked all interested to submit proposals to build the deep-sea port and China, the United Arab Emirates and

the Netherlands submitted proposals.

Other projects

Both sides agreed that the Chinese financial institutions will cooperate in six projects, including the Eastern Refinery Unit II and the Single Point Mooring project.

“The approximate assistance for the six projects is $5 billion and the interest rate is 2% with long repayment period,” Shahriar said.

In addition to this $5 billion, China would provide $1.4 billion for building a 1320MW coal-based power plant and $700 million for the tunnel under the Karnaphuli, he said.

The state minister informed the press that Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen was coming to Dhaka on a three-day state visit starting June 16.

This would be his first visit and four deals – establishment of a joint commission, promotion and protection of investment, cultural cooperation and a memorandum of understanding on scientific and technical cooperation in agriculture field – were expected to be signed during the visit, Shahriar said.

About the recent comments made

by BNP’s Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, he said it was a waste of time talking about him.

“He claimed things which even his father had not claimed. His statements are just utter nonsense,” said Shahriar. l

Brazil ride on Neymar brace in WC opener  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

Neymar magic. The golden boy of Brazil made his way through and from 20 yards unleashed a low left-footed shot that hit the base of the post beating Croat goalie Stipe Pletioska and crossed the goal line.

Brazil came close to a strike on a few occasions but Fred and Hulk failed to live up to the expectation in the first

half, letting the tempo down of the Selecaos.

Neymar flooded the stadium with an ocean of joy with a penalty goal in the 71 minute. Oscar cut the ball back to Fred in the middle of the box with Dejan Lovren on his back.

As the two fought for the ball, Lovren touched Fred but it was not too hard although Fred tumbled under

minimal contact and Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura awarded the spot kick. Neymar’s shot was duly judged

by Pletioska but it went between his gloves.

Oscar hammered in the last nail in the stoppage time as he advanced lonely and neatly prodded a low shot into the bottom corner to send Brazil wild. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Seven sailors come home after 42 months in captivity n Rabiul Islam The seven Bangladeshi sailors released on June 7 from the Somali pirates’ captivity returned home yesterday after years of excruciating tortures.

“The pirates threatened to kill us, saying the Pakistani abductees were ransomed by their family for1million dollar. Why cannot you do that?” said Aminul Islam, one of the seven Bangladeshi sailors held captive by the Somali sea robbers.

Aminul was talking to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday in front of hotel Marino in the capital’s Uttara.

“We had 11 containers of rice on the ship and we cooked rice and ate that, sometimes with boiled potatoes, but we were given polluted water,” the captive sailor said, while narrating his terrifying ordeal.

The seafarer said two years and a half after their captivity the pirates took them to a Somali village called “Amara” and from there to a nearby jungle with their hands and legs tied.

They used to beat us only for ransom, added Aminul.

Asked how heobtained his release and who negotiated the deal, the sailor failed to provide any outline.

“I cannot tell you anything about that,” Aminul said while his voice trailed off.

All seven sailors echoed the same sentiment while narrating their harrowing ordeal in the pirates’ captivity.

Another hostage Limon Sarker said: “We were in great hardship. The pirates always pressed us for ransom.”

The seven freed sailors greeted by relatives after they were brought to local hotel from the Dhaka airport yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN A resident of Chandpur district, Limon was talking to the Dhaka Tribune at the Dhaka airport.

The other Bangladeshis released were Golam Mostafa, Habibur Rahman, Zakir Hossain, Abul Quasem Sardarand Nurul Haque, all flown to Dhaka yesterday by a flight on Emirates Airlines.

Shipping Minister Shahjahan Khan and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam received the crew members at the airport.

After the reception, the shipping minister hailed the rescue of seven sailors as a matter of pride.

Foreign Ministry Secretary (maritime unit) Khurshid Alam said: “We tried our best and in cooperation with different organisations we have been

able to rescue our crewmen.”

Chirag Bari – regional director of Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme – said: “We had been in contact with the families of crew members and helped them always. We will continue to help till the crew is rehabilitated.”

He maintained that the mental health of the sailors and their family members was not sound at the moment, and so there would be a press conference later on Friday at 5pm at hotel Marino in the capital’s Uttara.

On November 26, 2010, Somali pirates abducted seven Bangladeshi sailorsfrom a Malaysian flag-carrying merchant ship MV Albedo on the high seas of the Indian Ocean. l

War crimes suspect Latif sent to jail

Witness: Qaisar was present during Pak Army atrocities n Udisa Islam n Udisa Islam

to defend him. The accused said he had informed his family about the arrest with the help of police.

Father of five sons and two daughters, Latif said one of his sons came to Dhaka but he could not enter the tribunal premises since he had been barred at the entrance.

Hearing him, the tribunal said: “We cannot give you bail like this. There are some procedures. You need a lawyer to defend you.”

The tribunal then asked the prosecution to make sure that the accused could meet his son and inform them about the tribunal procedure to hire a counsel.

“We cannot take any initiative as your counsel is not here yet,” the tribunal said and ordered the authorities concerned to send him to jail custody. He was later taken to the Dhaka Central Jail.

The tribunal’s investigators are now probing their alleged involvement in several incidents of crimes against humanity committed in Shakharikatthi of Bagerhat during the 1971 Liberation War. They have already found some evidence including the conversion of at least 200 people. They may be charged for genocide, murder and torture.

According to the investigators, Siraj Master had been a key associate of razakar founder AKM Yusuf during the war in Shakharikatthi. l

A new witness in the trial of Syed Mohammad Qaisar yesterday said the accused was present during the killing of Abdur Gafur in Habiganj by the Pakistani occupation forces.

Lokman Hossain, 63, son of Zohur Ali from Lohaid under Madhabpur police station of Habiganj, testified at the International Crimes Tribunal 2 as the 22nd prosecution witness. He said: “Locals started to flee the village on May 14 of 1971, hearing that the Pakistani Army men entered the village. Hearing gunshots, I hid in a bush on the southwest part of our house and watched Qaisar with his cohorts entering neighbour Gafur’s house. Qaisar was there when the army men shot him dead.” The witness said he had seen bodies of at least 12 bodies in the village on that day.

After his deposition defence counsel Abdus Sobhan Tarafder cross-examined him and the tribunal adjourned the hearing until Sunday.

Qaisar was indicted on 16 charges of crimes against he had allegedly committed in Habiganj during the war.

Earlier in the day, the same tribunal recorded the remaining cross-examination of 12th prosecution witness in the case against Maulana Abdus Subhan. The tribunal later adjourned the trial until Monday. l

A day after his arrest, alleged war criminal from Bagerhat Abdul Latif Talukder was sent to jail yesterday as he was not represented by a lawyer at the International Crimes Tribunal 1.

Chaired by Justice M Enayetur Rahim, the tribunal also enquired the prosecution about the first two suspects – all accused in a single war crimes case. They are Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master and Khan Akram Hossain.

The tribunal issued an arrest warrant against the three on June 10 accepting a plea of prosecutor Syed Sayedul Haque.

Latif, 69,was arrested on Wednesday from Bagerhat and immediately brought to Dhaka. He is from Sholarkola under Kochua police station in Bagerhat.

The tribunal yesterday said: “We issued the warrant against three suspects. Where are the two others?” In reply, prosecutor Mokhlesur Rahman said they were trying to catch them, and that the process was underway.

The tribunal then said: “In your [prosecution] warrant plea, you even gave the mobile number of one suspect, and now you failed to arrest him.”

Latif at the tribunal begged repeatedly for granting him bail considering his old age, and that he was not prepared for the trial and had no counsel

Per capita foreign debt stands at Tk12,700 n Tribune Report

Zafrullah, Mahfuz relieved

Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday told parliament that per capita foreign debt stood at Tk12,700 ($162.20) on June 30 last year while total foreign debt amounted to Tk195,146 crore ($24,907m).

He said this in reply to a question from ruling party lawmaker Ayen Uddin during the question-answer session.

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu told the House that the government would shortly formulate a policy for the operation of online news media.

“A committee was formed on October 16, 2012 for drawing up guidelines for online news media. The committee, headed by the principal information officer, was reconstituted on January 20 last year. A sub-committee was also formed to help the main committee,” he said while replying to a question from Amina Ahmed. He there were 83 online news media in the country.

Replying to another question from Awami League lawmaker Didarul Alam, the minister told parliament that the government had taken an initiative to enact a law on job criteria for journalists. l

n Udisa Islam The International Crimes Tribunal has disposed of the contempt proceedings brought against Zafrullah Chowdhury and Mahfuz Ullahfor their remarks on the trial of war crimes convict BNP leader Salauddin Quader Chowdhury in a Channel 24 talk show when the case on trial.

In its order yesterday, the tribunal 1 mentioned that as the accused had apologised unconditionally it could be assumed that they made the comments “unintentionally.”

The tribunal also said everyone should be more cautious while making comments on the judiciary and subjudice matters. It also directed the Channel 24 authorities not to broadcast the particular episode of the talk show “Muktobaak” in future.

On September 18 last year, the private channel aired the talk show in which Zafrullah suggested that Salauddin Quader had not been given the opportunity to place his witnesses and that his rights had been curtailed.

According to the prosecution petition, Mahfuz echoed his view. The case was awaiting verdict at that time.

The tribunal issued the contempt notice on September 26 the same year saying: “The accused knows it well that

the trial proceeding against war crimes accused Salauddin Quader Chowdhury is underway, but they have made comments on the case and criticised the tribunal proceedings. Such criticism will cast doubts on the tribunal proceedings.”

The prosecution said the comments had been “biased, baseless, utterly false, fabricated and ill-motivated.”

The petition was filed on September 24 against Channel 24, represented by its managing director; its chief executive officer; executive director; head of programme;episode producer; Mahmudur Rahman Manna, anchor of the programme; Zafrullah, trustee of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, and Mahfuz, secretary general of Centre for Sustainable Development.

The duo appeared before the court, and from the first day, Mahfuz sought unconditional apology as his words were only continuity of remarks by Zafrullah.

The tribunal yesterday observed that before making such a comment, Mahfuz had not checked the reality and that it was “unexpected from him.”

Appearing before the tribunal, Zafrullah earlier submitted a written reply to the notice. He claimed that he had not committed any offence by expressing his views in the light of “freedom of speech.” The tribunal, however, strongly criticised his reply. l

3

Friday, June 13, 2014

After their release, the crew members were taken to Nairobi where the Bangladesh High Commission arranged their accommodation, medical checkup and travel to Bangladesh.

After a long persuasion by the government and relevant international organisations, the Bangladeshi crew members were released from their captors.

The Government of Bangladesh deeply appreciates the role of United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the London-based Maritime Piracy and Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) for their continuous support and assistance in the release of the seven abducted Bangladeshi crew members.

In a report, The Telegraph of Britain, however, said six Bangladeshis, three Sri Lankans and an Iranian and an Indian were among the 11 crew released.

The UNODC authority and Bangladesh High Commission received the crew in Kenya’s capital Nairobi where they underwent medical checkup at the Aga Khan Hospital, Nairobi.

During the hijack, one crewman was shot dead by the pirates in an apparent fit of anger after negotiations with the shipowners failed.

Last summer, the vessel capsized in a storm, resulting in the deaths of five crewmen and five pirates as they left the ship and were trying to swim ashore.

The capsize of MV Albedo on July 7, 2013 was attributed to the lack of usual maintanance.

Following the capsize, the abducted crewmen were shifted to another hijacked fishing vessel. l

Hasan Mahmud blames Khaleda for Zia murder n Kamran Reza Chowdhury A former minister yesterday alleged in parliament that BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia was involved in the assassination of her husband General Ziaur Rahman whose ultimately death, he said, made her prime minister.

Hasan Mahmud, former environment minister and chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on the environment ministry, also urged self-exiled Tarique Rahman, who very often came under fire from the Awami League for his role in distorting history, to resolve the question in public mind over the birth of his brother Arafat Rahman.

He called on media not to publish ‘novice’ Tarique Rahman’s statements on the distortion of history for the sake of national interests.

“Tarique Zia is distorting history. I have no desire to talk about this novice, but newspapers are publishing news about him. I urge journalists: it will benefit the nation if you do not publish the comments of the novice or distorted history,” he said taking floor in an unscheduled discussion as soon as the House went into session at 4:05 pm with Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.

He said: “I urge you [Tarique] to make clear the people’s curiosity about the suspicion over the birth of your brother Arafat Rahman; settle the question about your family.”

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was present at the House when he took floor on “point of order” which the MPs enjoyed to point out in assembly the deviation of the constitution, rules of procedure and parliamentary precedence.

The speaker, however, did not point out the use of unparliamentary and indecent words Hasan Mahmud used in the legislature.

The former minister said flocks of crows throng if you throw rice. “The BNP is a party of crows which gathered to enjoy the remnant of power Gen Ziaur Rahman strewed and Khaleda Zia is its chairperson.”

He claimed that Khaleda Zia was involved in the assassination of her husband. “If not, why none knocked at the door of Badruddoza Chowdhury who was at the next door [of Chittagong circuit house]; Khaleda Zia made Badruddoza the president as reward.”

The BNP while in power did not initiate the trial of Zia’s murder, he said, adding that women usually go to the graves, covering heads with scarves. “Khaleda Zia goes to offer prayers at her husband’s grave, but she goes with a black goggles and colourful outfit. This is because she knows that her husband’s body was not there.”

The former minister said Khaleda Zia became delighted on the day of her husband’s ultimately death that made her prime minister. l

BPC gets Tk646 crore as subsidy n Tribune Report

The Finance Division disbursed Tk643.20 crore as subsidy to the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation on Tuesday as it incurred losses in sales of petroleum fuels.

The BPC had earlier sought Tk1,450.07 crore for a six-month subsidy from October last year to March this year.

An official of the Finance Division the government would provide Tk2,400 crore budgetary support in FY2014-15 to stabilise petroleum fuel prices.

The government, however, has proposed increasing import duty on crude and refine petroleum products in FY2014-15 which might lead to a hike in petroleum prices and power tariff, economists think.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith in his budget speech on June 5 said: “The tariff value at $32 per barrel on crude pe-

AL allies concerned over slide in law and order n Emran Hossain Shaikh The 14-party alliance has voiced concern over slide in law and order, saying the law and order situation is deteriorating gradually due to internal feuds among the ruling party activists.

If the Awami League fails to control the situation, they have to pay the price in future, leaders of the alliance said at a meeting held at AL President Sheikh Hasina’s political office at Dhanmondi yesterday.

“The law and order situation is not satisfactory. People are unhappy with the violence created by the ruling party activists,” Nazmul Haque Prodhan of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal told the Dhaka Tribune.

AL presidium member Mohammad Nasim said they were much aware of the existing situation. “We are taking necessary steps,” Nasim, the health minister, told reporters after the meeting.

In reply to a question about BNP’s claims that the country is in deep crisis, he said there is no crisis in the county.

“The BNP is now in serious crisis,” the minister said, adding that the BNP several times threatened to go for movement, but in vain.

Workers Party Secretary Fazle Hossain Badsha expressed concern over the question paper leakage in the public and recruitment examinations.

Anisur Rahman Mallik, a central leader of Workers Party, raised a question about the trial of several war criminals that was in final stages.

However, the meeting had made a decision to discuss the proposed budget for FY2014-15 with the finance minister on June 18 and hold a rally in Naogaon on June 21.

Senior leaders of alliance attended the meeting with Dilip Barua of Samyabadi Dal in the chair. l

troleum oil is proposed to be increased to $40 per barrel…Likewise, tariff values on other refined petroleum products are being proposed to be increased from 31 per litre to 40 per litre.”

He said the international prices of petroleum products were much higher than the proposed values and the present tariff values applicable for petroleum products needed to be reviewed as these had been in vogue for more than 10 years.

That same day, the BPC sought exemption of tax and VAT on import, production and distribution level.

Economists allege that the government’s main agenda is to increase power and petroleum prices hike as per the prescription of the donors.

A number of them think it is self contradictory on part of the government to allow private companies to import fuel without import duty and propose additional import duty for the state-owned

BPC, which they said, was to disqualify the BPC in the market.

An official concerned said the government would hike prices of petroleum fuels anytime if the international market destabilised. The government proposed poor budgetary support this time as per the prescription of the International Monitory Fund.

Besides, the BPC has sought Tk2,200 crore fund from the government to import petroleum fuels and repay loans in the next six months between July and December this year.

“The corporation will face fund crisis in importing petroleum fuels if the government does not provide the said amount,” BPC Chairman Md Eunusur Rahman told the Energy and Mineral Resources Division secretary recently.

The BPC will require $2364.50 million to import 27.20 lakh tonnes of petroleum fuels required for the next six months, Eunus said. l

Orion’s new power plant kicks off operation n Aminur Rahman Rasel A new 102 megawatt furnace oilbased independent power producer namely Digital Power and Associates Ltd – a sister concern of Orion Group – has kicked off its commercial operation recently.

Located on the bank of the Buriganga river at Gognagar in Narayanganj, the power plant successfully launched its operation on June 8.

Orion Group Manager (supply and chain) Chowdhury Khaled Masud broke the news to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

He said Orion’s own team was tasked with engineering, procurement and construction works of the plant.

The plant – Digital Power and Associates Ltd – is the first to achieve a commercial operation date among the six other private power projects that received contracts in July 2012.

It consists of 12 brand new engines of 20V32 manufactured by the globally renowned Wartsila of Finland.

Each engine generates 8.92mw of electricity totaling the generation of 102mw for the national grid.

The plant auxiliaries include exhaust gas boilers, oil separators, and oil transfer skids, all imported from international renowned manufacturers Alborg, West Felia, IMO etc.

Those were all environment-friendly with minimum emissions, said the Orion Group official.

The plant’s effluent will be treated with an Oily Water Separator that separates and collects sludge in a dedicated tank in an effort to minimise pollution.

This is the Orion’s third power plant, with its first two being rentals.

The two are 104mw IEL Consortium and 108mw Dutch Bangla Power plant.

Orion Group is also implementing two 660MW coal-based independent power producers (IPP), one in Dhaka and another in Khulna.

Another three similar IPPs with 1,300MW capacity have recently been awarded to Orion. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, June 13, 2014

800MW renewable power target looks blurry Lack of planning and absence of enabling guideline have made the target hard to achieve by 2015 n Aminur Rahman Rasel For four years, the government is talking about generating 800MW power from renewable energy by 2015; butwith only a year and half left, less than a fourth of that target has been achieved.

Lack of planning and absence of an enabling guideline are deemed to have made only 5% of the total generation capacity so hard to achieve.

That has also made the 2000MW-target of generating renewable energy-fuelled electricity by 2020 look more distant, with only 140MW coming from renewable sources at present, that too mostly from solar.

In order to curb dependence on fossil fuel and explore renewable energy sources, the government has formulated the “Renewable Energy Policy

2010,”which is now at the revision stage.

While announcing the FY2010-11 budget, Finance Minister AMA Muhith first tossed the idea of generating 5% of the total capacity with renewable sources.

This year too, the booklet on the energy sector, titled “Development in power and energy sector: A Journey of Success” that accompanied the minister’s speech text, expressed the same hopes.

This year, as an improvement, the minister has announced forming a special Tk400 crore fund for setting up renewable energy-based power plants; but once again, the budget lacks any definitive directive about how to reach 800MW from the current 140MW. According to the booklet, the highest 116MW power comes from solar

home systems; 11MW from solar PVs installed in new buildings; energy efficiency efforts at government offices and agencies, commercial building and shopping centres fetch around 4MW. The share of power from other sources such as wind, biomass, biogas and solar irrigation are 2MW, 1MW, 5MW and 1MW respectively.

Initially, it was thought that the country has enormous solar power potential. However, because of high installation cost of generation units and lack of government effort to make them cheaper, this source came out to be no good, at least in the urban areas.

Some professionals deemed wind power as another potential source of energy, especially in the coastal districts and the offshore islands; but some studies on wind mapping could

not see the due success.

Around two years ago, the government formed the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA), in a bid to guide the country towards a future of sustainable power.

However, SREDA saw very little progress in two years, except for the appointment of its chairman, resulting in difficulties for interested public entities and private entrepreneurs.

“The government perhaps will not be able to achieve the target [of generating 800MW by 2015]. A new deadline should be fixed,” said Prof Saiful Haque of the Institute of Renewable Energy of Dhaka University.

“If the government takes more time in making SREDA effective, the renewable energy programme will not get a decent shape,” he suggested. l

IRREGULARITY IN RANA PLAZA CONSTRUCTION

ACC to sue Savar mayor, Rana’s parents n Tribune Report The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday approved the filing of a case against 17 people including parents of Sohel Rana, owner of collapsed Rana Plaza at Savar and Savar municipality mayor Refayet Ullah over their alleged involvement with irregularities of construction of the nine storeyed building Rana Plaza that collapsed on April 24 last year.

The commission will file the case against the municipality mayor, Rana’s father Abdul Khalek and his mother Morjina Begum and 14 others next week with Savar police station under the corruption prevention act, an ACC official told the Dhaka Tribune.

With its inquiry, the ACC has found that the local Savar municipality initially approved the building for six-storey and then gave approval for 10-storey building though the municipality has no authority to approve buildings over six storeys.

The building that housed at least five garment factories collapsed and killed at least 1138 people. While over a thousand people survived with inju-

ries and many others are still missing.

The ACC team also found that the building, which was given an approval for the construction of a shopping mall was mainly used for RMG factory purposes.

The other people to be sued are architect of the building and associate professor of architecture discipline department of Khulna University ATM Masud Reza, Savar municipality ward-7 councilor Mohammad Ali Khan, former chief executive officer Uttam Kumar Ray, engineer Sajjad Hossain, assistant engineer Mahabubur Rahman, former town planner Farzana Islam, license inspector Abdul Muttalib and its former secretaries Morjina Khan and Abul Bashar.

The commission also will sue three garment units’ owners who had been operating their businesses from the building. They are Phantom Apparels Ltd Chairman Mohammad Aminul Islam, New Wave Bottom Limited Managing Director Bazlus Samad and Ether Tex Limited Chairman Azizur Rahman.

Meanwhile, an inquiry is in progress against Sohel Rana and his parents for allegedly accumulating illegally wealth. l

MPS ELECTED UNOPPOSED

‘Judiciary lacks authority to deal with it’ n Nazmus Sakib Ajmalul Hossain QC, an impartial adviser to the High Court, yesterday said the judiciary did not have the authority to deal with the issue of lawmakers having been elected unopposed in the tenth parliamentary elections, observing that the issue was a political one.

The court, however, had the jurisdiction to declare a provision illegal, he said.

Ajmalul said the provision of declaring a candidate elected as uncontested in the Representation of the People Order (RPO) was legal as no parliament, formed in the past by different parties, has changed it since its incorporation back in 1972.

Many countries, like the United Kingdom and New Zealand where democracy is practiced, had such a provision but that had not ever been challenged, he added.

The amicus curiae said: “Dealing with cases like this will inevitably drag the court into political controversy and there will be an impression that judges are supporting one party or the other. It will affect the entire judiciary.”

“To perform the mandate of the people in order to dispense justice without fear or favour, the judiciary must always be above controversy, political controversy in particular,” he advised.

Following a writ petition lodged on December 17 by Jatiya Party Vice-Chairman Khandker Abdus Salam, the bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar sought explanation for whether the RPO provision was constitutional or not.

Commenting on the no-vote provision, Ajmalul said the court had no jurisdiction to direct the parliament to bring it back. If the legislature thinks it is necessary, they could bring the provision back, he said.

Senior lawyer Moudud Ahmed, also a BNP standing committee member, last week told the bench that he could not put forward his opinion on the constitutionality of the provision for “personal reasons”. The court then deleted his name from the list of amici curiae.

“I cannot disclose my personal reasons,” Moudud told the Dhaka Tribune.

Earlier, Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain and Sushasoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan) Secretary Badiul Alam Majumder set forth their opinions on the RPO provision. Other three amici curiae M Amir-Ul Islam, Mahmudul Islam and Rokanuddin Mahmud are yet to place their views.

A total of 154 lawmakers were elected uncontested in the January 5 polls this year. l

New 5 regular HC judges take oath n Nazmus Sakib

Ex-secretary to be sued for Rajuk plot forgery

UGC chair: Education standard in Bangladesh satisfactory

The new five High Court judges, who were elevated to regular judges from additional judges on Monday, took their oath yesterday. They are Ashish Ranjan Das, Mahmudul Hoque, Md Badruzzaman, Zafar Ahmed and Kazi Md Ejarul Haque Akondo.

However, ABM Altaf Hossain, who was appointed along with the five as additional judge on June 14, 2012, has not yet been regularised.

Chief Justice Md Muzammel Hossain administered the oath while Supreme Court Registrar AKM Shamsul Islam conducted the ceremony. Judges of both the Appellate Division and the High Court were present at the ceremony. l

n Tribune Report

n Mushfique Wadud

The Anti-Corruption Commission will file a case against former assistant secretary M Ali Hossain of the Liberation War Affairs Ministry on charges of allegedly acquiring two government plots illegally.

A commission meeting yesterday approved the filing of the case as investigation found that Ali Hossain had illegally acquired a plot from the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha and another from the National Housing Authority, an ACC official told reporters.

He said the former government official had acquired both the plots

Flouting law, a motorcyclist rides his bike on footpath while others wait in a traffic jam in front of Ruposhi Bangla Hotel yesterday

through forgery and abusing power during his service tenure.

An individual cannot acquire two government plots according to the law, the official added.

As the inquiry found the former assistant secretary guilty of the irregularities, the commission’s Deputy Director Mohammad Ibrahim would file the case against Ali Hossain, the ACC official said.

Earlier on April 22, the commission had filed three separate cases against Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Secretary Khandakar Shawkat Hossain on charges of illegally acquiring plots from Rajuk. l

Dhaka to host Commonwealth telecom council in September n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Dhaka is set to host the 54th council meeting and annual forum of Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation (CTO) this September, in what will be the largest telecom ceremony the country has seen so far.

Around 250-300 delegates from the Commonwealth countries including ministers, policymakers, regulators, stakeholders and private entrepreneurs of telecom and ICT sector will take part in the event during 8 to 12 September.

The news was announced at a joint press conference yesterday arranged by the CTO, Posts and Telecommunication Division and Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission at

the BTRC office.

The inaugural programme and all others technical sessions will be held at Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel.

Lasantha De Alwis, director of Operations & Corporate Secretary of the CTO, BTRC Director General (systems & services) Brig Gen Golam Mowla Bhuiyan and BTRC Director (media & IT) Md Sarwar Alam took part in yesterday’s question and answer session.

A two-member advanced delegation of the CTO is currently visiting Dhaka to inspect the preparations for the event. The delegation has also met with different bodies of the Bangladeshi telecom sector during their visit.

Replying to a query, Lasantha De Alwis said: “We are more than happy with

the overall arrangements so far and hope it will be one of the greatest arrangements in the history of the CTO.” Crediting Bangladesh with achieving tremendous improvements in the ICT sector, he also said many developing countries are learning from the country.

The CTO conference would be a learning session and a chance for member countries to share knowledge, he added.

The CTO promotes, facilitates and guides its members in using ICTs to deliver effective development intervention. The vision of the CTO is to be the preferred partner for governments, the private sector and civil society in delivering effective ICTs for development (ICT4D) in the Commonwealth and beyond. l

Though the education standard in Bangladesh is lagging behind from the developed and technologically advanced countries, it is satisfactory compared to the other developing and a few neighbouring countries, claimed AK Azad Chowdhury, chairperson of the University Grants Commission.

He made the claim during a press briefing at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the capital yesterday,arranged to share the experience of the Bangladeshi delegates at the Going Global 2014 conference that took place in the US from April 29 to May 1.

The delegation from Bangladesh

was led by Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid, while Azad Chowdhury was the deputy leader.

The UGC head said other education policy makers at the conference had praised Bangladesh’s education sector in terms of enrolment and access.

The education minister said he had learned a lot at the conference from the other education policy makers.

He said the experience would help him in his efforts to improve the country’s education standard.

The eight member Bangladeshi delegation also included BRAC Founder and Chairperson Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, former adviser to the caretaker govern-

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

ment Rokia Afzal Rahman, UGC member Atful Hye Shibly, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, Buet Vice-Chancellor SM Nazrul Islam and Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry Director Haider Ahmed Khan.

Azad Chowdhury and Arefin Siddique said they had discussed with the vice-chancellors of the world’s top universities the possible opportunities for Bangladeshi students and teachers in exchange programmes.

Hosted by the British Council, the conference was attended by more than 1,500 delegates and took place at the Miami Beach International Convention Center. l

Bogra Jamaat leader arrested in Sayedee violence case

Kashimpur Jail inmate dies

n Hasibur Rahman Bilu

An inmate of Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur died yesterday. Abdul Baten, 35, son of Darog Ali in Savar Banktown area, died around 10am.

Baten, also an accused in a murder case filed with Savar police station, was taken to jail hospital as he was feeling pain in his chest, said Jahangir Kabir, senior super of Kashimpur Central Jail 2.

He was later sent to Gazipur Sadar Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead around 11am, the jail super added.

The hospital’s resident doctor Tapan Kanti Sarkar said Baten was not alive when he was taken there.

Baten was sent to Dhaka Central Jail following his arrest in connection with a murder case last year. On May 31, he was sent to Kashimpur Central Jail 2. l

Detectives yesterday arrested a local Jamaat-e-Islami leader for his alleged involvement in instigating mob to carry out violence in the district after verdict in a war crimes case against its central leader Delawar Hossain Sayedee last year.

Md Yasin Ali is the nayeb-e-ameer of Shahjahanpur upazila unit Jamaat and also a former chairman of the upazila.

Yasin was arrested from the town’s Jaleshwaritala area in the morning when he had gone to court to appear before it in a case hearing, ASP of Bogra police’s media cell Gaziur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune.

The Jamaat leader is accused in three

cases filed with Shahjahanpur police station. Of those, two were lodged over vandalism and arson in the offices of local Awami League and the Muktijoddha Sangsad on March 3 last year. The other case was filed for vandalism of a truck and arson during hartal hours.

He was facing arrest warrant in the case over vandalism of the Awami League office.

At least four people including three women were killed on that day as law enforcers resisted an angry mob carried out massive violence in Shahjahanpur’s different government and private establishments. They were incited by the Jamaat men saying that death row convict Sayedee was seen on the moon. l

n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Friday, June 13, 2014

Formalin abundant in seasonal fruits Police in an anti-formalin drive seize 3,000 maunds mangoes, 200 maunds blackberries and 15 lakh litchies

n Ashif Islam Shaon Recent drives by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police against formalin-treated fruits have shown that most seasonal fruits like mangos, berries and litchis entering the capital were already highly tainted with formalin and other toxic chemicals.

In a nine-hour long anti-formalin drive on eight city entry points, law enforcers have found most of these fruits being brought into the capital as highly adulterated.

Formalin, a 37% water solution of formaldehyde, is toxic disinfectant which can cause cancer-related illness and other chronic diseases such as liver cirrhosis or kidney failure from prolonged consumption. Traders mainly use this chemical as a preservative and to make fruits and vegetables look fresh for longer periods of time.

Traders have changed their techniques in bringing in adulterated fruits, he also added many traders were bringing in these chemically-treated fruits in the day time to dodge the eyes of the law enforcers During the drive, which began 9pm Wednesday, formalin levels in mangoes were found at 2.48 to 125 parts per million (ppm), 1.49ppm to 31ppm in litchis, 33ppm to 35ppm in blackberries, all above accepted formalin levels fit for human consumption.

At the end of the drive, police seized and dumped 3,000 mounds of mangoes, 200 mounds of blackberry and 15 lakh of litchis.

Magistrates present during the DMP drive also sentenced two fruit traders to six-month jail term each and a 15-days jail term to another trader. A total of 12 traders were fined Tk85,000 for bringing in formalin-treated fruits from different parts of the country to the capital.

Addressing a press conference at the DMP Media Wing office in the capital, Detective Branch (DB) Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said a total of 208

fruits-laden trucks entered the capital carrying and police mainly found formalin in seasonal fruits.

He said police will also track traders who had been importing excessive amount of formalin into the country.

At Abdullahpur bridge check post, police examined six trucks carrying jackfruits and a mango-laden truck. The law enforcers did not find formalin in jackfruits but mangoes were found highly tainted with the hazardous chemical.

Following the recovery, Executive Magistrate Badiul Alam sentenced two traders Md Abdul Jalil, 40, and Md Hossain Ali, 35, to six months imprisonment.

At Ashulia’s Dhour Bridge area, police found formalin in litchis and mangoes in several trucks. An owner of a litchi consignment was fined Tk5,000 there. The mobile court also found formalin in mangoes from the roof of a passenger bus.

At Parbata Cinema Hall area of Gabtoli, a truck was seized and Executive Magistrate Khandoker M Mushfiqur Rahman fined Tk30,000 to one Abdul Wadud in this regard.

Separate DMP teams examined fruits on trucks at Postagola, Signboard, Demra intersection where no formalin was found in dates, pineapples, apples and jackfruits.

The eight anti-formalin check posts have been set up at Postagola Bridge, Signboard of Jatrabari, Demra intersection, Babu Bazar Bridge, Sadarghat, Gabtoli, Abdullahpur and Dhour Bridge.

Each check post is led by an additional deputy commissioner, where a magistrate, an assistant commissioner and representatives from the Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute were also present.

Police to make list of formalin sellersAccording to the Ministry of Commerce, no formalin was imported legally between November 2012 and August 2013.

Fruits destroyed in Chittagong

Our Chittagong correspondent adds: Chemically treated 80 kilogrammes of mangoes and 1,00,000 pieces of litchi were destroyed at Railway Myans Super Market and BRTC’s fruits wholesale markets, locally known as Falmundi, in Chittagong city yesterday.

Three wholesalers, from whom the chemically treated seasonal fruits had been seized, were fined Tk 66,000 in total, Assistant Director KM Hanif of Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute (BSTI). l

Wholesale fruit traders collect fruit cartons from a truck without testing the formalin level in the fruits. The photo was taken yesterday in Badamtoli

Adulteration of fruits continue at Badamtoli n Abu Hayat Mahmud

Although last year the government declared the capital’s largest wholesale fruit market in Badamtoli as formalin-free, most traders and retailers in the market continue to store and sell fruits administered with formalin and other toxic chemicals.

“As there is no monitoring by the association on the influx of adulterated fruits into the market, many traders are now freely selling chemical-administered fruits to the retailers,” a retailer of the Badamtoli market told the Dhaka Tribune, requesting anonymity.

After the government’s declaration, the FBCCI and the Badamtoli Wholesale Fruit Market Association agreed to check all fruits entering the market for high formalin levels and other toxic contaminations.

However, sources said the market association allegedly stopped checking the fruits entering the market and thus cleared the way for unscrupulous traders and farmers to store and sell formalin-administered fruits in the capital.

“Due to the recent police drives against adulterated fruits, many traders

are now applying chemicals after the fruits reach their warehouses,” he added.

Apart from that, this correspondent also found that many traders in the market were not concerned with the use of formalin in fruits or public health, and were furious over this issue which reportedly caused them huge losses in the last one year.

“We have lost crores of taka in last one year after the government and FBCCI declared the market as formalin-free. Different mobile courts raided the market at different times and destroyed huge caches of fruits saying that they were adulterated,” a trader of the Badamtoli market told the Dhaka Tribune, seeking anonymity.

“Go tell the FBCCI to stop such activities against us in the name of formalin,” he added.

This correspondent also saw a staff of warehouse spraying a colourless liquid on imported fruits yesterday. When asked, the staff claimed that the liquid was clear water and was being used to keep the fruits “fresh.”

When asked, leaders of Badamtoli Wholesale Fruit Market Association denied the allegation and claimed that they

A lighter vessel loaded with 950 tonnes of cement clinkers sank near the Potenga beach when it was returning from the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port yesterday morning. Deputy Conservator of Chittagong Port Authority Nazmul Alam said the hull of the vessel cracked after it hit a sunken ship around 9am. l

THUNDERSHOWER OR RAIN

FRIDAY, JUNE 13

Dhaka

39

30

Chittagong

35

29

Rajshahi

41

30

Rangpur

35

26

Khulna

40

29

Barisal

37

29

Sylhet

38

26

Cox’s Bazar

35

29

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

39.3ºC Syedpur

21.8ºC Madaripur

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

3:43am 5:09am 11:58am 4:38pm 6:45pm 8:13pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Farmers in the faraway districts apply formalin, carbide and other toxic chemicals to seasonal fruits and then bring them to us However, traders were seen receiving consignments of local and imported fruits yesterday without any kind of examination.

Meanwhile, a section of traders also complained that farmers themselves spray formalin on their harvests before sending them to others parts of the country, including the capital.

They also claimed that it was not possible for wholesalers to check each and every consignment of fruits for chemicals.

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

WEATHER

FORECAST FOR TODAY

had been regularly testing both local and imported fruits for contaminations.

Saying that the association had a formalin-testing machine, the leaders also claimed that fruits are always checked for contaminations before being unloaded from trucks.

The Badamtoli fruit market, which originated on the bank of the River Buriganga back in 1935, has been a primary source for most kitchen markets and roadside sellers in the capital.

On March 9 last year, the Badamtoli market association and Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) took several steps to make the market formalin-free. On April 27, former Commerce Minister GM Quader paid a visit to the market and declared it “formalin-free” in the presence of FBCCI leaders.

The market association Secretary Siraj Mallik told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are trying really hard to establish a formalin-free market and we have made some progress.”

Siraj argued though Dhaka Metropolitan Police has set check posts at different entering points in the capital, no toxic chemical-mixed fruits are not also to be entered in the Badamtoli market.

In the face of widespread use of toxic disinfectant formalin on fruits, DMP launched a drive on Wednesday night and seized huge amount of formalin-mixed seasonal fruits at the check posts. l

‘Early marriage a curse for society’

Lighter vessel sinks n Tribune Report

DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:47PM SUN RISES 5:11AM

ABU HAYAT MAHMUD

Toll collector Tofazzal Hossain chaperon a group of schoolgirls while crossing the busy Talaimari intersection in Rajshahi city. Appointed by the Rajshahi Bus-Truck Owners Association to collect tolls from vehicles, Tafazzal has been helping school goers cross the trafficheavy street since 2002. The photo was taken yesterday afternoon AZHAR UDDIN

Participants of a rally stressed the need for awareness in preventing child-marriage in society.

Terming child marriage as a curse, they said it caused poverty as well as discrimination between genders.

The programme was jointly organised by Jatiya Mahila Sangstha and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad in front of Ahswini Kumar Hall in Barisal city.

The slogan of the event was “No more early marriage.”

Speakers at the rally said Bangladesh had one of the world’s highest rates of child marriage. Every year, millions of girls are forced into early marriage.

At least 158 countries, including Bangladesh, have set the legal age of marriage at 18 years and made birth and marriage registration compulsory for every citizen, but these laws are

rarely enforced, they said.

Child, early, and forced marriage violate millions of childrens’ rights, disrupts their education, blocks their opportunity to gain vocational and life skill developments and increases their risk of sexual and domestic violence.

Early marriage limits the ability of girls to participate in economic and social spheres as well as increase maternal and neonatal death rate.

They also called for raising awareness among parents, socio-cultural-religious leaders on the risks of early marriage.

Md Shohidul Alam, deputy commissioner, Barisal, presided over the programme participated by representatives from different government and non-government, professional, socio-cultural-religiousright organisations. l

RMG workers block highway, Road, train accidents kill four, injure vandalise vehicles three in Chittagong n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

Readymade garment (RMG) workers yesterday took to the streets, demanding arrears, and vandalised a number of vehicles on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway at Bhogra in Gazipur.

Sub-Inspector Ekramul Haque of Joydebpur police station said the workers of an RMG factory named Milestone alleged that the authorities had not been paying their salaries regularly.

The workers have been agitating for their salaries of May for the last few days and the authorities then decided to pay 30% of the total salary, he said.

However, disagreeing with the decision, the workers yesterday stopped work around 4:15pm and staged a demonstration. They hurled bricks at

the factory units and broke glasses of a few vehicles on the adjacent Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.

When police arrived on the scene they chased the workers to disperse them, but the workers started to hurl bricks on the police, which forced the law enforcers to fire several rounds of rubber bullets and teargas shells, witnesses said. The sporadic clashes caused a long tailback on the highway for around an hour.

Meanwhile, several hundred workers of Sinki Garments in Tongi refrained from work and demonstrated to press home similar demands, said Tongi police station Officer-in-Charge Kazi Ismail Hossain.

The workers were staging the protest as of 7pm. l

n Tribune Report At least four people, including an adolescent girl, were killed and three others injured in separate train and road accidents in different areas of Chittagong yesterday.

The deceased were identified as Farzana Akter, 18, Golam Sarif, 43, Siraj Uddowla, 35, and Abu Islam, 45.

Police said Fajana, a second year student of Business Studies group at Kulgao City Corporation College, and Saju, a student of Samoli Polytechnic College in the city, were critically injured when a train hit them, said Khaled Kaisar, sub-inspector of Government Railway police outpost at Chittagong Rail Station.

SI Khaled said Farzana and Saju might be a couple and the girl was crushed under the wheel of a Chittagong University-bound shuttle train in Baizid’s Kulgao area around 11 am, leaving the girl dead on the spot.

Police sent the body to the Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) morgue for autopsy while the youth was admitted to CMCH, said the SI. Golam Sarif, a tea vendor was also crushed to the death under the wheel of the train in City Gate area, said SI Kamal of GRP police outpost.

Meanwhile, Siraj was killed when a CNG-run auto rickshaw was hit by a covered van on the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway in Jorarganj area in Mirsari upazila in Chittagong, said Sergeant

Mehedi Hasan of Jorarganj Highway police outpost.

Police seized the killer covered van while its driver managed to flee after accident, said Sergeant Mehedi.

In another accident on Dhaka-Chittagong Highway, two cops sustained injuries when a truck hit a police van during petrol duty in Sitakunda upazila, said Highway police outpost sources.

Nayek Abul Basher of the CMCH police outpost said Abu Islam was critically injured after being hit by a private car in City’s Khulshi area around 10am.

He was taken to CMCH where the on duty doctors declared him dead, said Nayek Bashar.

Two unnatural death cases were lodged over the train accidents. l

6

Nation

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Friday, June 13, 2014

Conservation of Chalan Beel demanded n Tribune Desk

zilas of Natore, Pabna, Sirajgonj and Naogaon.

Rivers and their tributaries have formed a water network over the entire Chalan Beel area. Besides, the beel is one of the largest productive regions of the country. There are 12 rivers and several tributaries here. But, unfortunately, many of those have lost their heritages due to various unplanned infrastructures, Dr Bidhan added.

Municipality Mayor Al Razi called for removing the illegal embankments to help regain the normal flow of the rivers in the beel area and save the water bodies as well as its ecological balance.

Many of the wetlands of the Beel have become cultivation land and using of injudicious chemical fertilizers and pesticides on the farming fields is posing a serious threat to the ecosystem and biodiversity especially fisheries resources.

Prof Ashraful Islam said there are huge pollution pressure, climate change impact and unsustainable development interactions. l

Scientists and researchers viewed there was no way but to conserve natural resources in the region, particularly the Chalan Beel area to face the adverse impact of climate change in the greater interests of the future generation.

They demanded formulation of a law restricting further encroachment and degradation of wetland, biodiversity and ecosystem of Chalan Beel area seeking political will and commitment for resisting unethical intervention in the matter with restoration of the Chalan beel that is the largest and important wetland in the country’s northwest region, reports BSS. The demand was made at a wildlife conservation related seminar held at the Shingra Pourasava Auditorium yesterday. Wildlife Management and Natural Resource Conservation Department and Chalan Beel Biodiversity Protection Committee jointly organised the programme.

Professor Bidhan Chandra Das of Department of Zoology of Rajshahi University addressed the discussion as chief guest while Mollah Rezaul Karim, divisional forest officer (Wildlife Management and Nature Conservation division), spoke at the programme with Ishahaque Ahmed, Shingra upazila press club president, in the chair.

Shingra Municipality Mayor Shamim Al Razi, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Shalma Khatun and former principal of Rajshahi College Dr Ashraful Islam, among others, addressed the event.

Prof Bidhan Chandra referred to evidence-based method to support natural resource conservation in the dried area and its prospects and challenges.

“Obviously, we have to devise ways and means on how to cope with the adverse impact of climate change. Integrated approach has become an urgent need to mitigate the adverse impact,” he said.

He also urged the government to adopt a long-term plan for restoration of the beel area that covers 12 upa-

Abducted schoolboy rescued n Our Correspondent, Pirojpur

Social awareness is a must in eradication of child marriage

A school boy, who was abducted Tuesday by miscreants, was rescued on Wednesday by police.

The victim was identified as Nasim, 13, son of Abdul Khalek of Barguna.

On a tip-off, a team of police went to Tushkhali area at around 3pm and rescued Nasim.

Abductors also demanded Tk 5 lakh as ransom.

Police also arrested Sohel, 20, in this connection.

SI Shaheed of Mathbaria police station, said the victim was sent to Barguna.

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

Jamalpur district office employees observe work abstention n Our Correspondent, Jamalpur The 3rd class employees of Jamalpur district administration observed a daylong work abstention yesterday demanding modification in between designation and salaries.

The employees staged a sit-in in front of the office of deputy commissioner to drive home their several point demand.

The also held a rally in front of the DC office where they announced that they would also go on a strike on Sunday to realise their demands.

Workers of Dewanganj, Islampur, Madarganj, Bakshiganja, Melandaha, Sarishabari and Sadar upazila parishad also observed work abstention simultaneously.

The 3rd class employees of all divisional, district and upazila under collectors’ office have been observing agitation for renaming their designations and adjusting their salaries with it.

The demanded rename of office assistant to deputy assistant administrative officer, upper division assistant to assistant administrative officer and to chief assistant to administrative officer. l

n Our Correspondent, Rajbari Speakers at a meeting stressed the need for creating mass awareness in order to launch a vigorous social movement for eradicating child marriage from society.

They made the opinion while addressing a rally held in front of the Rajbari press club yesterday afternoon.

The Jatiya Mohila Songstha, Rajbari district unit, supported by Department of District Women Affairs and Department of Social Service of Rajbari organised the programme.

The program was addressed by Member of Parliament, reserved seat, Kamrun Nahar Chawdhury Lovely, as

the chief guest.

Deputy Director of Department of Social Service Depok Kumer Shaha and Officer of Women Affairs Department Azmir Hossain, among others, addressed the event.

Terming child marriage as a violation of human rights, Lawmaker Kamrun Nahar Chawdhury Lovely said, early marriage has an adversely affect on education, health and wellbeing of girls and perpetuates the cycle of poverty.

Early marriage causes girls to drop out of schools and limits their opportunities for social interaction, said Depok Kumer Shaha, adding that most of girls could not enrolled

Women stand in a queue to collect water from an arsenic-free tube well in Taranagar village of Meherpur. A total of 160 out of 165 tube wells in the district have been detected as arsenic contaminated FOCUS BANGLA

in secondary school because of early marriage as the in-laws are not interested in continuation of education for the girl after marriage.

Expressing frustration, the speakers said despite various government and non-governmental initiatives to check child marriage in the country, parents are continuing to marry off their underage daughters as they are not aware of the adverse impact of early marriage.

“We should initiate a movement at every sphere of life to stop child marriage in the society,” said Azmir Hosain.

Apart from the speakers, journalists both from print and electronic media, social elite and NGO activists took part in the rally. l

Two UPDF men shot dead Correspondent, n Our Rangamati

Assailants gunned down two activists of United People’s Democratic Front at Betchari 18 miles area under Naniarchar upazila in the district yesterday.

The dead were identified as Sot-

tobrota Chakma and Brisho Kumar Chakma.

Local sources said a group of 10-12 armed men set up an ambush in the area and shot the duo while they were going to party programme. They died on the spot.

UPDF spokesperson Mikel Chakma blamed Santu Larma-led-

Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity for the incident.

However PCJSS spokesperson Sajeeb Chakma, assistant press and publication secretary, central unit, denied the allegation.

SI Abdul Aowal of Naniarchar police station said police forces had been sent to the spot. l

Jubo League activist assaults government official in Magura n Our Correspondent, Magura A local Jubo League activist yesterday allegedly assaulted a government official of Mohammadpur upazilla in Magura.

The victim, Anwar Hossen, assistant primary education officer of the upazila told the Dhaka Tribune that he came under attack by a local Jubo league activist named Ashraful Islam.

Witnesses said Ashraful Islam, the Jubo League activist and president of the managing committee of Raipasha Government Primary School in Mohammadpur upazila, came to Anwar’s office around 12pm.

Ashraf persuaded him to transfer Latifa Begum, the existing headmistress of the school, from the school and post one Shahidul Islam at her position.

But the officer disagreed with Ashraful’s proposition suspecting his ill motive behind the request.

Being angry, Ashraful allegedly assaulted the official.

When contacted, Ashraful denied the allegation and said: “I did not go to his office.”

Mohammadpur police station Officer-in-Charge Nikunza Kumar Kundu said they were looking into the matter. l

Supporters of two MPs block road Correspondent, n Our Brahmanbaria Supporters of the Jatiya Party lawmaker from Brahmanbaria 2 yesterday protested against the “violation” of the territorial jurisdiction of the Awami League lawmaker from Brahmanbaria 3.

They blocked Sarail-Nasirnagar-Lakhai regional road that connects Dhaka-Sylhet highway and held a brief-sit in. On police’s request, they called it off after around an hour and then held a human chain by the road.

Jatiya Party lawmaker Ziaul Haque Mridha, talking to newsmen, said Awami League lawmaker RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury had recently interfered in his constituency.

“Obaidul recently laid the foundation stone of Ashuganj Upazila Health

Complex and inaugurated the new building of Public Health and Engineering Department, though these activities do not fall under his jurisdiction,” he said.

He said he would complain to the AL president and prime minister about this. If that does not yield any good result, he would take up a tougher programme along with his supporters.

Meanwhile, supporters of Awami League lawmaker Obaidul blocked the highway at its Sarail Biswaroad crossing and held a rally protesting against Mridha’s alleged slanderous remarks on the Awami League.

Sarail Upazila Awami League General Secretary Rafiquddin Chowdhury said Mridha was a Jatiya Party lawmaker but he had been slandering the Awami League at various times. l

Eight killed in road accidents n Tribune Report At least eight people were killed in separate road accidents in Meherpur and Sirajganj districts yesterday.

Our Meherpur correspondent said four people were killed and 50 others injured as a bus plunged into a ditch beside the Meherpur-Chuadanga road at Meherpur Government College intersection in the district town yesterday.

Witnesses said the Meherpurbound bus from Kushtia skid off the road and fell into the roadside ditch after its driver lost control of the steering wheel as he was trying to take a turn at about 10:15am. This accident has left Shanto Hossain, 35, son of Shafiqul Islam of Garadova village, bus helper Mehedi Hassan, 25, son of Kazem Ali of Meherpur town and Sirajul Islam, 57, son of Niamat Ali Biswas of Mo-

hajanpur village under Kushtia and an unidentified person dead on the spot.

There are 50 people who were also injured during the accident. The injured were taken to Sadar hospital.

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

Sirajganj correspondent said four auto-rickshaw passengers were killed as a truck ran over the vehicle on the Nagarbari-Pabna highway.

Locals said the truck was coming from the opposite direction when it ran over the auto-rickshaw leaving Selim Ahmed,30, of Shahzadpur upazila ,Shamsul Islam,35, of Ullapara and two unidentified people dead on the spot.

Agitated locals blocked the highway for an hour over the accident. On information, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

7

Friday, June 13, 2014

The often defied, seldom confronted reality Challenging the perceptions about the ‘empowered,‘ ‘privileged’ women of our urbanity

BIGSTOCK

B

n Mushira Habib

angladesh would like to call itself a progressive nation, trying to embrace the “global” spirit of today’s capitalist world. Especially Dhaka is thought to be one of the fastest growing metropolitans of the world, often representing the entire Bangladesh to the world.

As the reality of Dhaka is distantly different from the rest of the country, one can always question if observations made in and about Dhaka can really be considered the voice of Bangladesh.

A lot of the claims made about the country’s success and possibilities thus become elitist as they speak of or for the privileged class, along with the class that is aspiring to become privileged or consider themselves more privileged than the less privileged.

How much does education or the media really teach one about women’s rights? In fact, all that it does is reinforce patriarchal values to objectify or subjugate women further

In common terms, they are the elites, upper-middle class, and middle class people of Dhaka, who get exposed to, or expose Bangladesh to, the world.

However, contrary to this generalisation are the proclamations made my NGOs or other research organisations, which acknowledge the disparity between the reality of Dhaka and other parts of the country. Thus, they tend to base their studies or projects both in and away from Dhaka, to make those more authentic and inclusive.

If we consider the feminist or women’s rights organisations, then they mainly address the women that do not belong to the privileged or middle class; rather, they work with the rural or underprivileged female population, who lack education or sufficient access to the media. But I would like to claim here that because of the support and campaigns of these organisations, these groups of women are more aware and stronger today than the women of the middle, upper middle, or elite class.

If you think about it, how much does education or the media really teach one about women’s rights? In fact, all that it does is reinforce patriarchal values to objectify or subjugate women further.

The women belonging to the middle class or higher, share less or hide more about their actual conditions in the family or society at large to put up

an ideal image of the content, respected woman. They are more delusional and conservative about their vanity, which leads them to a higher degree of repression.

Let’s discuss the celebration of Women’s Day in Bangladesh; more specifically, in Dhaka, in this regard.

Whether such an occasion is of any worth or not is a different debate that I don’t want to get into as we are not discussing the significance of such a day here, but trying to see how the practice of the existing celebration assumes and pretends to empower women. Now, One cannot but notice how most people celebrate their mothers for being the best mothers on women’s day, failing to distinguish between “Mother’s Day” and “Women’s Day.” It leaves one with the age-old question – is a woman only to be celebrated for being a mother? Is that what makes her worthy enough to be? What about the women that aren’t mothers yet, or can’t be mothers or choose not to be mothers at all?

Do they not deserve to be applauded on women’s day?

Interestingly, it’s mostly the daughters that are showering their love over their mothers alone on women’s day, as if that’s the only woman deserving appreciation. The men, at least, have their wives/girlfriends/sisters along with their mothers to pay tributes to on this occasion.

Then again, one is bound to notice that these days are targeted towards only the women belonging to the privileged or semi-privileged classes, who themselves would refuse to find any significance for such days; unless they are consumerist enough to enjoy the special offers dedicated to such days or the gifts they receive in the name of celebration and love.

I sometimes wonder if any man or children ever apologised or surrendered to a woman for lifetime on Women’s or Mother’s Day. Moving on to the issues of violence against women and domestic violence, one may get bored. But no matter how much the posters and campaigns claim it to be the commonest of occurrence, people, in general, have the tendency of looking at it as a distant phenomenon. Furthermore, the women that are victims of different forms of abuse themselves, will deny this reality.

Growing up and living in Dhaka, the delusional ones also feel that the women living in villages or small towns or in the slums of Dhaka get abused. The assumptions and comments generally come from ladies of all age groups, obviously belonging to the same privileged or semi-privileged classes, as the underprivileged ones do not feel the need to deny or perhaps defy abuse.

Let’s bring some real women into perspective now.

“She Number One” was born in a solvent family in Dhaka, grew up enjoying affluence, graduating from the top schools and is now working for one of the richest banks in

Bangladesh. Her husband, her official boyfriend since high-school, works for a multinational company and earns some additional handsome amounts from other legal or illegal ventures here and there.

After a series of cheating, mistrusting, fighting and “hitting each other in public” phases of their relationship, they decided to get married.

“She Number One” caught him cheating on her last year, for the “n”th time in their relationship; but for the first time after marriage.

When she was expressing her rage, she pointed out how when he caught her “almost” cheating on him the year before, he informed and taunted her family about it and broke the clothes hanger beating her up. But she is not doing anything of that sort, because she wants to prove to him that she is not an animal like him.

“She Number Two” has grown up under her doctor father’s wings. Her father was her hero for as long as the hormones didn’t take over and she got “some” exposure to other men.

She herself will not deny the fact that she was always attracted to bad guys. She was a very sharp girl during her school days; but wasted her medical years after a druggie, and ended up with a poorly earned degree.

Last year, while working as a practicing doctor, she decided to marry a flirty, unemployed chap.

She fell in love with him because he “accepted” her knowing all about her dysfunctional relationship with the druggie. Bragging about his goodness, she shares how he has calmed down and stopped hitting her or being too aggressive with her since he saw her suffer after an abortion.

“She Number Three” also felt special when her now husband and then boyfriend “accepted” her knowing about her previous affair with a married man. It was also adorable to see how he glowed in joy, when she bled after their first intercourse. By passing this “agni-pareeksha,” she confirmed her marriageability.

But soon after getting married, this charm started to fade away for both of them. Fights started to get so violent that she started getting scared of being hit. He didn’t hit her until they settled abroad for studies last year and he took her along on spouse visa.

He afterwards convinced her and her friends that “She Number Three” got hysterical during a fight and he read it up that only a tight slap can bring a hysterical person back to his/ her senses. The choking on the other hand was just to grab her attention, because she was not listening.

“She Number Three” has reported though that he has stopped hurting her physically and has begun to cut or hurt himself on such occasions now.

All these three girls are in their late twenties and have been educated and brought up better than most girls in Dhaka, let alone Bangladesh. The fact that they are sharing the stories of getting abused by their husbands, shows the extent of their empowerment.

They are being able to admit and share it with others only because of the privilege their social status and education have provided them with.

Whether their tones are complaining or not is again debatable. This is the story of emancipation for these girls in Dhaka.

Girls in their early twenties in Dhaka are expected to be studying in Universities, unless they are underprivileged. Privileged or semi-privileged girls from across the country also come to Dhaka for higher studies in different public or private Universities these days. Some may claim that this generation is in a better condition than the married ones. But do they?

“She Number Four” is the daughter of an army personnel, which is enough of a statement about her social status and environment. In the university, she is known for being loud, tom-boyish, and over-enthusiastic. However, for people at home, she is a liar; a spoilt girl gone astray. Even though both these images may look connected, no one can guess why she is putting on this persona and what she is suppressing.

earning even more than most well-off men in the country; if I can say so. She wanted a divorce a few months back and started to look for a house to move out to, with her daughter and father.

One can guess that she could not do so, but one cannot really imagine how badly she was insulted by landlords, whose houses she tried to rent.

They weren’t even ready to acknowledge her old father as her father, because this forty-something-year-old lady went to fix the deal herself, and not the father.

Some may call it a good thing that she failed in her attempts and is trying to adjust in her marriage, but you can never really tell, can you?

“She Number Six” is also in her early forties and finally got divorced recently. Her boyfriend knew that she could not bear children when they were dating and still went for marriage.

But his family was never welcoming of her and was constantly trying to get her husband married off again to a “fertile” woman. He protested in the early years of marriage, but his distance with his wife grew and he fell for another “fertile” woman.

People, in general, have the tendency of looking at violence against women as a distant phenomenon.

Furthermore, the women that are victims of different forms of abuse themselves, will deny this reality

She is being molested by her uncle since childhood and her parents are blaming her for it since the day she started voicing it. They have been hushing her off and calling her names.

Now, that “She Number Four” is old enough, and has dared to tell the molester’s wife about it and he has been confronted, he claims this interaction to be of mutual consent. “She Number Four” needs help, but does not know where to find it as even counselors of the country find her condition to be more interesting than concerning.

The million other stories about female students being harassed by their teachers all over the country do not even require another paragraph to be told.

As the cliché has it, it’s not only physical abuse that keeps the girls’ life and movement in check. One may claim that these “young girls” are financially dependent on others, for which they are keeping up with their situations and not protesting.

So, are the older, financially independent women in a better condition?

“She Number Five”, is the mother of a teenage girl, working in one of the best organisations in the country,

“She Number Six” was also working for a very respectable organisation, holding a reputable position and earning as much as (if not more than) her husband.

The husband kept sharing the house with her because he could not afford such an apartment on his own, and she stayed in it because it would be suicidal to go back to her mother’s place. She finally got the courage to initiate her divorce as she’s abroad now and if she comes back, her junior friend will share her apartment with “She Number Six.” This is the extent of emancipation of women in Bangladesh.

However, it can be claimed that many of the female garment workers, who are also financially independent, hold more power than these so-called privileged women.

Is it because of the lack of social expectation and surveillance on them?

Or is it only showing how the “progressive” classes are more “conservative” and the “oppressed” class more “liberated?” l Mushira Habib is a lecturer of English at Brac University, and a freelance contributor.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Friday, June 13, 2014

Kurds take Kirkuk, Sunni militants surge toward Baghdad n Reuters, Baghdad Iraqi Kurds took control of the northern oil city of Kirkuk yesterday after government forces abandoned their posts in the face of a sweeping Sunni Islamist rebel push towards Baghdad that threatens Iraq’s future as a unified state.

Peshmerga fighters, the security forces of Iraq’s autonomous Kurdish north, swept into bases in Kirkuk vacated by the army, a peshmerga spokesman said.

“The whole of Kirkuk has fallen into the hands of peshmerga,” said Jabbar Yawar. “No Iraqi army remains in Kirkuk now.”

Kurds have long dreamed of taking Kirkuk and its huge oil reserves. They regard the city, just outside their autonomous region, as their historical capital, and peshmerga units were already present in an uneasy balance with government forces.

The swift move by their highly organised security forces to seize full control demonstrates how this week’s sudden advance by fighters of the Al Qaeda offshoot Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has redrawn Iraq’s map.

Since Tuesday, black clad ISIL fighters have seized Iraq’s second biggest city Mosul and Tikrit, home town of former dictator Saddam Hussein, as well as other towns and cities north of Baghdad. They continued their lightning advance on Thursday, moving into towns just an hour’s drive from the capital.

The army of the Shi’ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s government in

Jihadist offensive in Iraq Militants continue their advance on Baghdad Under full control of ISIL* Certain areas controlled by ISIL Controlled by Kurdish forces

Baiji Tikrit LA Samarra HE DD Dhuluiyah I N

ANBAR

Fallujah BAGHDAD

I R AQ An Iraqi family fleeing violence in the northern Nineveh province arrives at a Kurdish checkpoint in Aski kalak, 40 kms West of Arbil, in the autonomous Kurdistan region AFP Baghdad has essentially fled in the face of the onslaught, abandoning buildings and weapons to the fighters who aim to create a strict Sunni Caliphate on both sides of the Iraq-Syria frontier.

The stunning advance of ISIL, effectively seizing northern Iraq’s main population centres in a matter of days, is the biggest threat to Iraq since US troops withdrew in 2011. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes in fear.

The administration of President Barack Obama has come under fire for failing to do enough to shore up the

government in Baghdad before pulling out its troops. Security and police sources said Sunni militants now controlled parts of the small town of Udhaim, 90 km (60 miles) north of Baghdad, after most of the army troops left their positions and withdrew towards the nearby town of Khalis.

“We are waiting for supporting troops and we are determined not to let them take control. We are afraid that terrorists are seeking to cut the main highway that links Baghdad to the north,” said a police officer in Udhaim.

Oil price surge

The global oil benchmark jumped more than $2 on Thursday, as concerns mounted that the violence could disrupt supplies from the OPEC exporter.

Iraq’s main oil export facilities are in the largely Shi’ite areas in the south and were “very, very safe,” oil minister Abdul Kareem Luaibi said.

ISIL fighters have overrun the town of Baiji, site of the main oil refinery which meets Iraq’s domestic demand for fuel. Luaibi said the refinery itself was still in government hands.

In Tikrit, video footage showed

*Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant dozens of members of a police special forces battalion held prisoner, paraded before a crowd by fighters who overran their base.

Militants have set up military councils to run the towns they captured, residents said.

“They came in hundreds to my town and said they are not here for blood or revenge but they seek reforms and to impose justice. They picked a retired general to run the town,” said a tribal figure from the town of Alam, north of Tikrit. “‘Our final destination will be Bagh-

n Agencies

n Agencies

It said suicides had been declining in Europe until 2007. By 2009 there was a 6.5% increase, a level that was sustained until 2011. It was the equivalent of 7,950 more suicides than would have been expected if previous trends continued, the research group said.

Deaths by suicide were also falling in Canada, but there was a marked increase when the recession took hold in 2008, leading to 240 more suicides.

The number of people taking their own life was already increasing in the US, but the rate “accelerated” with the economic crisis, leading to 4,750 additional deaths.

The report said losing a job, having a home repossessed and being in debt were the main risk factors.

However, some countries bucked the trend. Sweden, Finland and Austria all

avoided increases in the suicide rate during the recession. One of the researchers, Dr Aaron Reeves, of the University of Oxford, said: “A critical question for policy and psychiatric practice is whether suicide rises are inevitable.”

‘Policy potentially matters’ He told the BBC: “There’s a lot of good evidence showing recessions lead to rising suicides, but what is surprising is this hasn’t happened everywhere - Austria, Sweden and Finland.

“It shows policy potentially matters.

One of the features of these countries is they invest in schemes that help people return to work, such as training, advice and even subsidised wages.

“There are always hard choices to make in a recession, but for me one of the things government does is provide support and protection for vulnerable groups - these services help people who are bearing the brunt of an economic crisis.”

Andy Bell, of the Centre for Mental Health, said: “The study says what we feared for some time: that unemployment, job insecurity and many other factors associated with the recession are associated with poor mental health and suicide.

“It reminds us how important it is to respond to that need and take preventative action where we can, and that primary care is properly resourced and able to identify people who are at risk.”

Beth Murphy, of the charity Mind, said: “Since 2008, we’ve seen an increasing number of people contact the Mind Infoline concerned about the impact of money and unemployment on their mental health. l

Shops in Arab-dominated East Jerusalem have downed their shutters in solidarity with hunger-striking Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, many of whom have been hospitalised.

Business owners pulled down their shutters yesterday in the normally bustling Old City in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem, an AFP news agency correspondent said, to observe a strike called by an umbrella group of various political parties and factions.

The Palestinian National and Islamic Forces said there would be a demonstration in the evening outside the offices of the Red Cross, also in East Jerusalem.

On Wednesday, the Palestinian leadership called for international intervention over the hunger strike, asking that Israel be held responsible for the health of the prisoners.

A letter addressed to the UN Security Council and the European Union, signed by senior Palestinian figure Saeb Erakat, said more than 400 prisoners had joined the strike, of whom approximately 130 had been refusing food for more than six weeks.

“We call on you to call on Israel to annul the policy of administrative detention and to condition deepening your bilateral ties with Israel pending Israel’s fulfilment of all its obligations,” he wrote in English.

Force-feeding inmates

Most of the strikers are administrative detainees who are being held without charge for indefinitely renewable sixmonth periods in a procedure dating back to the British Mandate (1920-1948).

Israel Prisons Service spokeswoman Sivan Weizman yesterday told AFP the current hunger strike was the longest-ever staged by Palestinians detainees.

In contrast to Erakat’s claim, she said 250 inmates were refusing food, of whom 80 were being treated in hospital.

Earlier this week, the Israeli parliament approved the first reading of a bill to enable doctors to force feed hunger strikers. It must pass two more readings before becoming law. l

Israel denies using live ammunition n Agencies

A postmortem examination of the exhumed body of one of two Palestinian teenagers killed by Israeli forces at a demonstration last month has reportedly identified wounds consistent with live ammunition, despite the Israeli military’s denial that it used live rounds that day.

The killings of 17-year-old Nadeem Nawara and 16-year-old Mohammad Salameh caused international outrage and calls from the US for a full investigation after their deaths were caught on video camera footage that made clear the boys posed no threat to Israeli forces at the time of their deaths.

This week Human Rights Watch issued a report suggesting that the killing of the two boys was a war crime. “The wilful killing of civilians by Israeli security forces as part of the occupation is a war crime,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, the group’s Middle East and North Africa director.

“Israel has a responsibility to prosecute the forces who targeted these teens, and also those responsible for assigning the use of live ammunition to police a demonstration.”

Israeli security forces have consistently denied that border police present at the Nakba Day demonstration used live ammunition, insisting only plastic-coated steel rounds were used. It

said it was continuing its investigation.

According to leaks from the autopsy team, forensic scientists identified entry and exit wounds as well as bullet fragments in Nadeem’s body consistent with live ammunition.

Nadeem’s family had sought permission from religious authorities to have the boy’s body exhumed and examined on Wednesday by a joint forensic team, including the head of the Palestinian forensic institute and two senior Israeli forensic scientists.

Although Nadeem’s father, Siam, told the Guardian on Wednesday that he had not received an official autopsy report, details began leaking out later in the evening. l

Nigerian media chase politics in Boko Haram coverage n Reuters, Lagos/Abuja A year ago, the daily editorial conference at Nigeria’s Guardian newspaper might have paused to consider where on the inside pages to place a story about the latest Boko Haram attack.

These days there is no need to think. Major raids by the Islamist insurgents go front and centre in the paper - and then further, generating comment pieces looking at every angle through the prism of Nigerian politics.

As with the global press, coverage has increased as attacks have increased in recent months. “It is breaking news all the time,” said Martins Oloja, the tabloid’s editor. “We know that before we go to bed there will almost definitely be a strike.”

But Nigerian newspapers differ from the almost exclusively human interest reporting of their global counterparts in the lengths they will go to make links between attacks in the remote northeast and national politics - all against the background of looming elections.

“We thought it (the Boko Haram insurgency) was a flash in the pan ... But it has become a very bad ulcer,” said Oloja.

Kirkuk

SA

Recession ‘led to 10,000 suicides’

Unemployment, repossessions and debt

NINEVEH

SYRIA

Strike in Jerusalem over jailed Palestinians

The economic crisis in Europe and North America led to more than 10,000 extra suicides, according to figures from UK researchers. A study, published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, showed “suicides have risen markedly.” The research group said some deaths may have been avoidable as some countries showed no increase in suicide rate.

Campaign groups said the findings showed how important good mental health services were. The study by the University of Oxford and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine analysed data from 24 EU countries, the US and Canada.

Mosul

“This insurgency is political. It is tied to the 2015 presidential election. People are imputing motives. This wasn’t like that a year ago,” he added.

Once the revolt was largely a matter for the authorities of the northeast. But the fighters have stepped up the violence in recent months, launching attacks in the central city of Jos and in Abuja, the capital.

The government’s decision to declare states of emergency and launch a military offensive in May last year has meant national agencies face harsh scrutiny - particularly after their failure to rescue more than 200 schoolgirls abducted in April.

The police’s decision to ban public protests over the girls in the capital last week, and then apparently reverse that decision, generated a three-column editorial asking if the police chief should “be allowed to function in a democracy.”

Pride damaged Ahead of the election, the revolt has become tangled in Nigeria’s geographic and political fault line, between the mainly Muslim north and the mainly Christian south - and between the ruling People’s Demo-

cratic Party and the opposition coalition the All Progressive Congress.

The PDP, which runs the country, and the APC, which runs the regional bodies in the northeast, have traded blame in print and on TV over the mishandling of the revolt.

President Goodluck Jonathan has delayed announcing his candidacy for the next election until after the girls are found, unnamed sources say in one report. Northern army officers have been court-martialed on charges of secretly backing the rebels, say others, despite military denials.

Wednesday’s Guardian - a paper seen as largely non-partisan - ran a front page editorial demanding the president visit the site of the kidnapping and make bolder statements. “Why is it that whenever history furnishes our President with an opportunity to roar, he whimpers,” it asked.

The relentless insurgency, covered with CNN-like intensity on stations such as Channels TV, has had an inevitable impact on viewers, even on the coastal commercial capital of Lagos, where many had felt insulated from the northeast.

Gallop polls repeatedly put Nigerians at or near the top of the world’s countries

ordered according to optimism. But even in Lagos’ glitzy Intercontinental Hotel, the impact of Boko Haram can be found.

“It’s really damaged our pride to find ourselves in this situation,” oil company official

OB Nyong said.

“We believed our military could do a lot but it seems not. Ten years ago nobody would believe you could have suicide bombers in Nigeria,” he added. “Now look at us.” l

A newspaper with its frontpage headline on an abduction of women from a village in northeast Nigeria, is displayed at a vendor’s stand in Nigeria REUTERS

80 km dad, the decisive battle will be there,’ that’s what their leader of the militants group kept repeating,” the tribal figure said.

Security was stepped up in Baghdad to prevent the Sunni militants from reaching the capital, which is itself divided into Sunni and Shi’ite neighbourhoods and saw ferocious sectarian street fighting in 2006-2007 under US occupation.

By midday on Thursday insurgents had not entered Samarra, the next big city in their path on the Tigris north of Baghdad. l

Assad: West shifting position on Syria n Agencies President Bashar al-Assad yesterday said that Western countries are starting to shift their position on the conflict in Syria because of the danger posed to them by the rebel groups they had previously backed.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Group of Seven industrialised nations have said they will tighten their defences against the risk of attacks by fighters returning from Syria.

“The United States and the West have started to send signs of change.

Terrorism is now on their soil,” said Assad, according to remarks published in Al-Akhbar, a Lebanese newspaper sympathetic to the regime in Damascus.

Assad said “current and former US officials are trying to get in touch with us, but they do not dare to because of the powerful lobbies that are pressuring them.”

Syria’s war began as a peaceful movement demanding political change more than three years ago, but later morphed into an armed rebellion attracting foreign fighters after the Assad regime unleashed a massive crackdown against dissent.

The war has killed more than 162,000 people, according to activists, and forced nearly half the population to flee their homes.

Al-Akhbar also quoted Assad as saying he rejects negotiations with the exiled, main opposition National Coalition.

The regime and the coalition held talks in Switzerland earlier this year, but they yielded no concrete results. l

Russia to submit draft UN resolution on Ukraine n Reuters, Moscow Russia plans to submit a draft resolution to the UN Security Council to put pressure on Ukraine to implement a “road map” to peace, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was quoted as saying yesterday.

The road map was drawn up by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe in May to give impetus to a deal reached in Geneva by the European Union, Russia, Ukraine and the United States to try to end the crisis in Ukraine.

Lavrov accused Kiev of not abiding by the Geneva agreement or the road map and blamed it for the failure to end violence in east Ukraine, where the Ukrainian army is battling pro-Russian separatists who control several towns and cities.

Russia has already submitted several draft resolutions on Ukraine to the Security Council which have been rejected. “We have assigned our (UN) envoy in New York, Vitaly Churkin, to submit a draft resolution to the Security Council on the situation in Ukraine,” Lavrov said. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

India hangings: Fourth woman dies in Uttar Pradesh n Agencies

A teenager was found hanging from a tree in a village in northern India yesterday, the fourth woman to die in such a way in recent weeks in Uttar Pradesh state.

The family of the 19-year-old say she was raped. It came just one day after a woman’s body was found hanging from a tree in a remote village elsewhere in the state.

The gang-rape and murder of two girls found in similar circumstances last month sparked outrage in India.

Correspondents say more cases are now being reported.

Such attacks have long taken place in Uttar Pradesh, reports the BBC’s Geeta Pandey in Delhi, but recent outrage over sexual violence has meant that every case is being reported to police and getting media coverage.

Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state with more than 200 million people, is also home to a staggering number of poor and it is the poor and the disadvantaged low-caste women who are most at risk of such crimes, our correspondent adds.

The body of the latest victim was found in a village in the state’s Moradabad area, just three hours’ drive from India’s capital, Delhi.

On Wednesday, a 44-year-old woman was found hanging from a tree in the Bahraich area.

Police said she had been threatened by locals for selling liquor in the area and her family allege she was gang raped. Her post mortem proved inconclusive.

But it was the case on 29 May of two teenage girls gang raped and hanged in Badaun district that renewed a countrywide outcry over sexual violence.\ Three suspected attackers have been held in that case, along with two policemen accused of dereliction of duty and criminal conspiracy. Scrutiny of sexual violence in India has grown

This photo dated June 5 shows Indian activists holding posters and chanting slogans against the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh after the gang-rape and murder of two girls in the district of Badaun, Allahabad AFP since the 2012 gang-rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus.

India’s new Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said protecting women

should be a priority. The government tightened laws on sexual violence last year after widespread protests following the attack. l

9

Friday, June 13, 2014

Six arrested for putting Modi in ‘negative faces’ list n Agencies Six persons, including four students of a government polytechnic in the Indian state of Kerala, have been arrested on the charge of “defaming” Prime Minister Narendra Modi by featuring his photograph in their college magazine under a list of “negative faces” along with Adolf Hitler, George W Bush, Osama bin Laden and a few others.

Those arrested last night included lecturer and staff Editor Gopi and magazine designer Rajeev, the Press Trust of India reported.

The college principal M N Krishnan Kutty, who was among the seven persons booked on June 10, was not arrested as he was ill, police said. All of them were later released on bail.

They were arrested on a complaint

by Yuva Morcha State Vice President K K Aneeshkumar.

Police on Wednesday raided the polytechnic college at Kuzhoo and confiscated 392 copies of the magazine, a computer and hard discs of the designers of the magazine.

Meanwhile, five students, closely associated with printing and publishing of the magazine and all of whom are activists of the student union controlled by a pro-Left campus outfit, have been suspended pending an inquiry, college officials said.

On June 10, they were booked by police and cases registered against them for offences under Indian Penal Code (IPC), including concealing design to commit offence, wantonly giving provocation, punishment for defamation and printing matter known to be defamatory.

The campus magazine for 2013-14 was released recently and one of its pages titled ‘negative faces’ featured a photograph of Modi. Others in the collage included sandalwood smuggler Veerappan, LTTE supremo V Prabhakaran, Adolf Hitler, Al-Qaeda chief Laden and George W Bush. l

Thai anti-coup activist Sombat Boonngamanong (C) gestures as he arrives escorted by police and soldiers at a military court in Bangkok on June 12 AFP

Thai activist faces jail over anti-coup protests n Reuters, Bangkok A prominent Thai activist who organised protests against last month’s coup could face up to 14 years in jail after being charged yesterday with inciting unrest, violating cyber laws and defying the junta’s orders.

Sombat Boonngamanong spearheaded an online campaign promoting flash mob rallies against the military takeover, via a Facebook page bearing the message “Catch Me if You Can.” He has denied all charges.

He was among more than 300 activists, politicians and journalists detained since the military seized power on May 22. Many have been held at undisclosed locations.

“He is charged with instigating unrest through Facebook, which is a violation of the Computer Crimes Act,” said Prasopchoke Prommul, deputy commander of the police’s crime suppression division.

“Another charge is not reporting himself to the military.”

Under martial law, gatherings of more than five people are banned and violators have been swiftly arrested by uniformed and plain-clothes police.

The junta has cracked down hard on dissent and said on Wednesday it had shut down 112 “inappropriate websites,” 250 radio stations and 20 television channels since the coup.

A member of the “red shirt” movement which broadly supports fugitive former premier Thaksin Shinawatra, Sombat was caught last week in Chonburi, east of Bangkok, by police who traced him via the Internet network he was using.

A court granted police permission to hold and interrogate him for 12 more days on Thursday. Sombat could be tried by a military court.

Chaturon Chaisang, a former education minister in the ousted government, was arrested by soldiers last month during a news conference at Bangkok’s foreign correspondents’ club. He faces trial in a military court for refusing to answer a summons by the army regime. l

Musharraf travel ban lifted Karachi attack signals tactical shift by Taliban n AFP, Karachi

A court in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi yesterday ordered the government to lift a travel ban on former military ruler Pervez Musharraf in 15 days’ time, his lawyer said.

“The court has allowed our appeal and ordered to strike down Musharraf’s name from the Exit Control List. The order will be executed after 15 days,” said Farogh Naseem.

The delayed execution of the order “will give time to the government to appeal in a superior court if they

so desire,” he added.

Musharraf, 70, flew to Karachi in April to undergo medical tests.

He has said he wants the travel ban lifted so he can visit his sick mother in Dubai, but many in Pakistan see it as a ruse to flee the country and avoid the litany of criminal cases against him dating back to his 1999-2008.

Musharraf was indicted for treason in March over his imposition of emergency rule in 2007 — a case seen as a test of civilian authority in a country long dominated by the military. l

Drone kills 10 in Pakistan n Agencies Pakistani intelligence officials have said that a suspected US missile strike killed at least 10 people in a north-western tribal district near the Afghan border.

Two officials say a pair of American drones dropped three missiles on a militant compound and a vehicle early on Thursday in the town of Ghulam Khan in North Waziristan. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they

were not authorised to talk to the media.

There was no immediate information on the identities of those killed.

The strike came hours after a strike, also in North Waziristan, killed three militants on Wednesday night, marking the resumption of the CIA-led programme in Pakistan after a hiatus of nearly six months.

North Waziristan is home to a mix of local and al-Qaida-linked foreign militant groups. l

n Reuters, Karachi

It was the shoes that betrayed Corporal Faiz Mohammad’s would-be killers.

When 10 Taliban militants attacked Pakistan’s busiest airport on Sunday night, sparking a five-hour gun battle that killed at least 34 people, Mohammad and his fellow officers from the Airports Security Force (ASF) were the first line of defence.

“There was a moment of confusion because the militants had the same ASF uniforms as us,” said Mohammad, 30.

“But then we saw their shoes.” ASF officers wear black leather shoes, but the men who stormed Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, Pakistan’s chaotic commercial capital, wore white-soled sneakers.

All 10 militants were dead by dawn, shot down by the security forces or blown up by their own suicide vests.

That the Taliban failed in its main objective - to hijack an aircraft and hold its passengers hostage - should bring no comfort to embattled Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, since the attack signals an alarming shift in tactics by an increasingly formidable foe.

The strike at the airport in Karachi, home to 18 million people, deals a blow

sources at Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), as the Pakistani Taliban is formally known. A top Taliban commander confirmed to Reuters that attacks involving aircraft were part of a new strategy to counter the government’s preparations for a full-scale operation against them in North Waziristan. “We decided to change our strategy and hit their main economic centres,” he said.

Pattern of mumbai, westgate mall

Children pose during a memorial vigil for the airport attack victims in Karachi. Uzbek fighters were involved in the all-night siege of Karachi airport that killed 37, insurgent sources said, highlighting how the Pakistani Taliban can draw on international militant networks to carry out major attacks AFP to Sharif’s bid to attract foreign investors to revive the economy. It has also destroyed prospects for peace talks with the Taliban and made an all-out military offensive against militant

strongholds along the Afghan border a near-certainty.

Government air strikes on the strongholds in the North Waziristan region triggered the tactical shift, said

The Taliban is most likely to rely on small militant teams, emulating the protracted, high-impact operations like those in Mumbai in 2008 and Nairobi’s Westgate mall last year.

“In Mumbai, and in Kenya, you will find a lot of similarities,” said Muhammad Amir Rana, director of the Islamabad-based think tank Pak Institute for Peace Studies. “They (the Taliban) are adopting this as their prime strategy.”

The similarities between the Karachi and Mumbai incidents are startling and instructive.

The attack on Mumbai, India’s largest city, was carried out by a Pakistan-based anti-India group called Lashkar-e-Taiba, or Army of the Pure.

It lasted three days, killed 166 people and transfixed the world. l

Death in the long grass: Myanmar’s snake bite menace

n AFP Swaying with the hypnotic rhythm of the king cobra rearing up in front of him, Myanmar snake charmer Sein Tin feels protected from the venomous kiss of his dancing partner by an intricate array of “magical” tattoos.

But in a land slithering with deadly serpents, many of his countrymen are not so lucky.

Myanmar may be best known for the giant constrictor, the Burmese python, but the Southeast Asian nation has a host of other snakes whose names would strike even more fear into the hearts of ophidiophobics.

Russell’s viper, banded krait and spitting cobra are among the 150 species of snakes in the former junta-ruled nation, 40 of them venomous.

Their abundance, combined with a substantial proportion of people working in the countryside and a chronically underfunded health system, means Myanmar has a snake

bite mortality rate around twice as high as the world average.

Long a hunter of reptilian predators, Sein Tin has spent decades capturing and taming snakes in Myanmar, and now works at the city zoo in Yangon, the country’s commercial heart.

He no longer remembers how many times he has been bitten, but he does recall the four wounds inflicted by king cobras – one of the deadliest snakes in Asia.

Wiry and weather-beaten, he puts his survival down to the writhing tattoos that coil around his arms and body, several depicting Myanmar’s mythical “naga” sea serpent.

The ink was mixed with snake venom and medicinal herbs and injected into his body. Most people would last only about an hour if bitten by a snake, Sein Tin said.

“But for me, I have longer to go and get treatment because of the tattoos,” he added before plucking a metre-long cobra from the snake pit and planting a kiss on its silken brow.

Rural risk While snakes do venture into towns and cities occasionally, it is in the countryside that bites are really a risk.

Slinking through tall grasses, or vanishing camouflaged into the parched earth, snakes

are a particular threat to farmers.

And it is not tattoos, but anti-venom they need.

Over 7,800 people were bitten by venomous snakes in 2011 in Myanmar, according to the ministry of health, which said on average more than eight percent do not survive.

That compares with a global average of four percent, based on World Health Organisation figures.

The poison travels quickly through the bloodstream and can lead to blindness, amputations or even death.

Rice farmer Phoe Nge was tending his crops when he suddenly felt a sharp burning sensation in his foot.

“I didn’t feel pain right away. I thought I had been stung by a bee. But when I looked around, it was a viper,” said the 38-year-old, who lives on the distant outskirts of Yangon.

“I am a village man, so I tore my longyi apart and tied it around my foot,” he said, referring to the sarong-like wrapped cloth worn by men and women.

The bandage and his ability to swiftly identify his scaled assailant as the Russell’s viper – the country’s deadliest snake species – meant he was able to receive the correct anti-venom from a nearby clinic.

Do not run So what should people do if they are bitten?

“You must not run, because if you run you are going to activate the blood circulation in your legs and the venom will go very fast to the heart and the main system,” said Chantal Bonfils, chief medical officer at the SOS International clinic in Yangon.

Do not try to cauterise the wound, suck out the venom or apply ice either. “Just put on a pad and light compressive bandage,” Bonfils said. And if you cannot recognise the snake, the symptoms should help doctors identify the culprit – blood stops clotting properly in the case of a Russell’s viper bite, whereas cobra venom is neurotoxic causing blurred vision.

Antidotes to snake bites are obtained by injecting a small amount of venom into an animal, generally a horse, and then collecting the antibodies produced. Impoverished Myanmar, unable to buy horses, has started using sheep.

The country is planning to double its production of antivenom – to 100,000 doses, compared with 53,000 currently, according to the WHO – as it tries to wrestle down mortality rates. While preventative measures to stop getting bitten – such as wearing shoes while walking through fields – go a long way to reduce bites, once the snake has struck there is only one option. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Friday, June 13, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Rethink state banks

T

he finance minister has acknowledged that large scale corruption occurs in the banking sector because of weak supervision and “lack of vigilance.”

While the government is promising to improve the system, and has announced that it will review the standard used to appoint directors to the state-owned commercial banks, its response does not go far enough.

The government owes a duty to taxpayers to be far more vigilant in ensuring scarce funds are used efficiently, and that directors involved in fraud and other wrongdoing are held to account.

So long as state banks are protected from the consequences of poor management by government bailouts, there is little reason to expect that the proposed change to the standard for politically-appointed directors will make much difference to their losses.

The fact is that the government spent Tk4,100 crore ($512 million) to bail out state-owned banks in the current year, and is budgeting to spend another Tk5,000 crore ($625 million) in the coming year.

We cannot afford to keep throwing good money after bad, on such a scale. Privatisation is the better solution to the challenge of improving the management of the state banks, and making them more efficient and free from political influence and corruption.

In the short term, state-owned banks should be restricted from disbursing new loans to private industrial and trading companies; they should only be allowed to lend their depositors’ money to better-managed private banks. In the long term, they should be privatised or wound down.

The government cannot afford to keep throwing good money after stateowned banks

Protect our heritage

D

espite our country’s considerable archaeological wealth, hardly any measures are taken to ensure security in these sites. At least 150 of these locations, out of a total 164, are lacking the basic safety requirements.

Several positions that are intended for security guards at these sites, including the Unesco World Heritage Site “Paharpur Bihar” in Naogaon, have remained vacant for a long time.

The government needs to commit more resources to safeguarding the country’s heritage. Posts meant for providing security at these sites must be duly filled and proper conservation measures must be taken to preserve them.

Bangladesh should be no exception to the many countries in the world that rely on tourism as a major source of foreign exchange revenue. Even in comparison to our neighbouring countries, we are far behind in terms of attracting tourists.

Our country has a rich tradition, which could surely incite a lot of tourist interest, but poor transport and infrastructure limit the scope of expanding the sector.

Visitor experience has to be made more appealing and protection and celebration of our heritage must be improved to boost tourism.

Preserving the country’s heritage is important for our sense of history and cultural identity. It can also contribute immensely to the national economy, but effective promotional measures have to be taken. The government must ensure that all archaeological sites in the country are accessible and protected.

Commit more resources to provide security at historical sites

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

Is Tarique forgetting himself?

June 6

Shafiqur RAHMAN “Bangabandhu, the greatest Bengali of all time, never failed ….”

“When you disrespect Bangabandhu, you disrespect my father and his like, my mother the Shaheed Janani and most freedom fighters, as well as the majority of the people of Bangladesh.”

“The red and green national flag that flies in times of joy, the flag that gives us a proud national identity, is a gift from Bangabandhu to us.”

“I am sure no history or man can belittle Bangabandhu with any word or action.”

Such are the proclamations of the devotees of Sheikh Mujib. In any advanced democracy, these kinds of statements will be laughed at with derision, but our AL fundamentalists utter them without the slightest self-awareness. For this kind of utter blindness, we have traded democracy for “chetona.” And he complains of partisan journalism!

Sammy Shafiqur RAHMAN: Your point is well taken. But, in fairness to the author, please keep in mind the times he lives in: One of the few ways to get ahead in the public or private sector is to outdo your peers in cult worship. Cut the gentleman some slack; he is probably just trying to make sure that his career has a future.

Monir Khondokar Mushtak will also live as long as Bangladesh lives. Tajuddin will also, Siraj Sikhdar too. Zia will not die as long as Bangladesh lives. So what, man??

Innovocator “He is above all, and he will live as long as Bangladesh lives.”

Did I just read a line from a religious scripture!?

Imzy Mujib is not a religious figure; however, he is someone to respect. As you can all respect other people for their achievements, why not Mujib?

When I see the way Turks respect Atatürk and Pakistanis respect Jinnah, it makes me disgusted to see the way Bengalis behave, when Mujib was a greater man than both.

Kmak Imzy: Actually, publicly insulting Atatürk can get one incarcerated in Turkey.

Rajeeb While reading the article, it may come across that the author is name dropping, but anyone who knows Mr Qadir would know well that he does not need to do that to get attention from any political

Angels and demons

June 7 ZA It’s not isolated to politicians (although they do seem to have perfected the art). Blaming others, absolutely anyone who would be within one’s field of vision, is a time-honoured tradition for us.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 7 represents K so fill K every time the figure 7 appears.

You have one letter in the control grid to start you off. Enter it in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

As you get the letters, fill in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check off the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

party. It is sad how some people fail to see beyond the name dropping and actually acknowledge that what Tarique Rahman said about Sheikh Mujib was not true. And how it was all a political stunt to make the news headlines. It’s ironic how BNP, even to make a comeback, would still rely on Sheikh Mujib.

Indeed, Mujib would live on as long as Bangladesh lives. Nevertheless, there should be no debate that Tarique Rahman should stop mindless falsifying and actually do something constructive.

Tangled Abstract Fallacy Mr Tarique Rahman is an individual responsible for the bloodbath on the streets of Dhaka (still remember August 21?), the kingpin of corruption in Bangladesh, and the struggling secondary certificate attainer!

This individual, without the political and financial muscle, would otherwise be a pathetic laughingstock for the people. But, for those of us who haven’t forgotten the Jamaat-BNP tenure of 2001-2006, Tarique will forever be synonymous with the systematic extermination of political opposition, corruption of gargantuan magnitude, stripping the nation of all its potential through exercising fascist techniques, and amassing billions of dollars from all perceivable sectors through plain looting and/or extortion.

Sammy Tangled Abstract Fallacy: You have a point there; there are some who are instinctively so ideological that anything coming from their side’s icon’s mouth is considered gospel. If you take a closer look at most commentators here, however, you’ll see that quite a few of them are less enamoured with Tariq or anyone on his side, but rather disturbed by the personality cult fetish that is triggering the author’s markedly sycophantic essay. Is it true that for many of us the ruling party’s antics are the targets of more criticism than the opposition? You bet, because they are the ruling party; when the other party becomes the ruling party, the same criticism will be aimed at that ruling party too (though with the January 5-type elections, I doubt it’ll happen in a generation or so).

Ronnie Tangled Abstract Fallacy: I’m just as bemused by where you see any “infatuation” with Tarique Rahman on this page. I, for one, remain mostly a non-fan of the man. But he’s also always copped a lot of churlish flak and outright lies about him, from certain people in this country. Now, I remember August 21, 2004 all too well. I hate to break it to you that nobody, to date, has proved a thing – absolutely zilch – to remotely confirm Tarique Rahman’s involvement in that atrocity, in any form.

SUDOKU How to solve: 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.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Groove (3) 3 Wise counselor (6) 8 Summit (4) 9 Period of time (3) 10 Drank slowly (6) 11 Annul (6) 14 Tree (5) 17 Hourly (5) 20 Takes as one’s own (6) 24 Be eager (6) 26 Regret (3) 27 Profit (4) 28 Sinew (6) 29 Sweet potato (US) (3)

DOWN 1 Bring up (4) 2 Stop up (4) 3 Table-shaped hill (4) 4 Banishment (5) 5 Lukewarm (5) 6 Metal-bearing rock (3) 7 Tracking system (5) 12 Self (3) 13 Greek letter (3) 15 Zodiac sign (3) 16 Newt (3) 17 Vital organ (5) 18 Mature (5) 19 Slow (mus) (5) 21 Faculty head (4) 22 Weakly (4) 23 Pretended (4) 25 Prosecute (3)

No agency for child brides

June 7 Zero-Agenda Disgraceful. We should all bury our collective heads in the sand for letting this go by without so much as a peep.

Declare June 14 as ‘Safe Food Day’ June 10

PEANUTS

The government enacted the “Safe Food Law (2013).” To prevent widespread food adulteration and to ensure availability of safe food in the country, the government has also formed a single agency, the “Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA).”

The challenge to provide safe food to people is daunting. To work effectively, only a law and an agency will not be sufficient. There has to be an all-encompassing movement. The general public, various ministries (like agriculture and commerce), NGOs, organisations engaged in social activities, trade bodies etc have to be brought on board as partners of this movement. To build up public awareness and also to rejuvenate the movement, the Ministry of Food should earmark a day in a year as “Safe Food Day.” In the year 2012, during the month of June, 14 children died in Dinajpur and Thakurgaon by eating insecticide-sprayed litchi. It may be befitting to declare June 14 as Safe Food Day. Honourable Food Minister, please consider this request.

Lt Col Quazi Salimuddin (retd) Convener, Bish Mukto Bangladesh

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

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Friday, June 13, 2014

Food, prayer, and festivity n Faisal Mahmud

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Brazil and Argentina speak the loudest

RAJIB DHAR

Two out of 32

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n Uday Sankar Das he most popular sporting event in the world has kicked off with a spectacular inauguration and with the opening match between Croatia and host Brazil.

As in previous World Cups, the euphoria surrounding this mega event has spread throughout the world, including those countries which do not stand a chance of being represented in the final phase of this tournament.

In Bangladesh, flags of the two popular and most supported countries, Brazil and Argentina, can be seen fluttering alongside the national flag of the country, in almost all rooftops and terraces, and the topic of discussion is invariably: Will it be Brazil or Argentina? Competitions have even started on the size of these flags.

For me personally, this World Cup brings a totally new experience. This is the first time I am back in the country, since 1974, during a World Cup. We did not have the luxury of watching World Cup matches live on television back then. Newspaper reports, news on television and radio, and occasional TV clips were all that we could depend on. TV exposure was non-existent, and football stories were filtered through word of mouth, and legends like Pele, Puskas and Eusebio filled our imagination.

Thirty-two countries participate in the main draw of FIFA World Cup. Understandably, there are some weaker countries in Asia and Africa, which have not been able to advance to the later stages of this tournament. But, one cannot deny that these countries also add to the spark and entertainment that this event provides.

I, for one, will never forget how Cameroon caught the imagination of football lovers throughout the world,

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and Roger Milla’s hip-swinging dance clutching the corner flag after scoring a goal. Incidentally, Roger Milla still holds the record of being the oldest player to score a goal in a FIFA World Cup tournament.

The majority of participating countries come from Europe (almost half), of the eight countries to have lifted the coveted trophy in the 19 editions so far, only three are from South America and five from Europe.

So, the question that I have started asking many is: What’s with this euphoria and craze for Brazil and Argentina before and during every FIFA World Cup? The answers I received from football enthusiasts are varied and also interesting.

goal in the English net. But then, it was the same match that saw the famous “Hand of God” goal.

In a recent interview with Gulf News, during a visit to Dubai, Peter Shilton, the England goalkeeper in that match, said Diego should at least apologise now. But Maradona has again refused. On the contrary, after the French forward Thierry Henry scored an important goal against Ireland, in a crucial WC qualifying match, which he thought was improper, he did not wait to apologise. That’s where sportsmanship comes to the fore.

Another important factor in this overwhelming support for Brazil and Argentina was that there was a herd mentality – people tend to conform.

ative and individual-skill based games of South Americans attract a huge number of football enthusiasts. People are fascinated with names like Pele, Maradona, Kafu, Romario, Bebeto, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi, and Neymar. But skilled players of Europe, for unknown reasons, go unnoticed. Just to take one example. German striker, Miroslav Klose needs just two more goals to surpass Brazil’s Ronaldo’s record (15 goals) of highest number of goals scored in the World Cup. Coming to the style of football, the samba football has won its admirers, no doubt, but European football has given some very innovative formations, including the famous diamond formation, and the 4-3-1-2 formation.

It is now believed that Italy may be bringing in a 1-3-5-2 formation. It could very well be that the long ball football of Europe does not attract people in this part of the world.

Another totally football-unrelated point that came out was the NorthSouth divide, pointing out that it is a case of identifying with the have-nots.

The overstated idea of Afro-Asian-Latin American unity is still in the minds of some people. Many say that’s why Diego Maradona is still revered – he was a have-not and he challenged the establishment.

Whatever the arguments for and against, football enthusiasts all over the world will be glued to their television screens, cheering their teams to go all the way to the final on July 13 in Rio. As for the ultimate winners, I would like to see a European country lift the coveted trophy for the first time in South America. In the meantime, let’s enjoy this great event. l

People are fascinated with names like Pele, Maradona, Messi, and Neymar. But skilled players of Europe, for unknown reasons, go unnoticed

Many have grown up watching World Cup in the live TV era, and their icons were Diego Maradona, whose genius was simply enthralling. With that came their unyielding support for that country, and now with Lionel Messi taking centre stage in world football, that support has naturally become stronger.

There can be no doubt that Maradona was a very gifted player, who is still revered. I have never seen a better individual goal than the one he scored against England, taking the ball from his own half and beating a number of England players, including the goalkeeper, and calmly placing the

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The dominant idea is that winners are to be backed, which can be seen in the national scenario too. We tend to hear the advice “do not waste your vote” during polls.

But with this argument comes a distinct lack of knowledge. As I pointed out earlier, European countries won the World cup more than the South Americans. Brazil won the title five times, but with four wins, Italy is close on their heels. Germany is one of the most successful teams in the World cup, having won the title three times, once more than Argentina, and reaching the last four many times.

It is a well-known fact that the cre-

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Uday Sankar Das is a senior journalist who worked for BBC World Service radio, and is presently based in Chittagong.

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n the subcontinent, the picture of Shab-e-Barat is quite different from the Arab world. A good number of Muslims is found clad in clean and crisp punjabis, and happily heading to mosques in numbers on the night of Shab-e-Barat.

It is not just salvation that they seek as one supposes. The mood of festivity among many of them centring the night can’t be concealed. In fact, these days the celebratory mood of the people has evidently overshadowed their religious fervour – “an act,” which kind of abrogated the very ground of the occasion.

It is because a large number of Muslims believe that, despite the lack of any Qur’anic or Hadith evidence to support this belief, Shab-e-Barat is the night of records and Allah records all the deeds that the humans have to perform for the next year. So, concentrating on festivity rather than offering prayer surely wouldn’t help the cause.

However, when it comes to giving opinions about the religious rituals, especially “any” of the religions, Islam is something that needs a scholarly mind of the right kind. So, there is no point in trying that out. Let’s just talk about the festive mood of the occasion.

Firstly, there’s the food. Muslim people want to celebrate with sweet food items as sweet symbolises Sunnah (the prophet’s recommended food) for them. They want to prepare holy food for the holy night. That is why the Muslim households make sweet items. This food brings extra enjoyment for the children. The sweet which most households prepare is halwa. Somehow, the dish itself has become synonymous with the occasion.

On this night, people not only eat halwas with their families, but also send them to friends and relatives

The households in Bangladesh prepare many kinds of halwa – carrot halwa, sujir halwa, lentil halwa, neshestar halwa, egg halwa, papaya halwa, and many more. Each of these items look so colourful and appealing that one must be tempted to eat. On this night, people not only eat halwas with their own families, but also send them to their friends and relatives to spread the festive mood.

It is not only in the households where the halwas are prepared. Sweet shops also sell different halwas on this occasion. People who can’t prepare

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this food at home buy halwas from the shops and send those to their near and dear ones. Even offices and corporate houses buy sweets from the shops and send them to employees officially.

With firecrackers, sweets, and good food, Shab-e-Barat has become a cultural ritual for Muslims

To get the real festive mood of Shab-eBarat, one has to visit the Old Dhaka.

The streets of Chawk Bazar and Lalbagh become crowded with bread vendors. There are different types of breads, which are only made during the occasion of Shab-e-Barat. These delicious breads are made of raisins and nuts with a honey-coating and sesame seeds on top. It is customary for the people of Old Dhaka to buy bread and send them to their near and dear ones. Beside sweets, hotels and caterers prepare special biryani and tehari. Many households also prepare several Mughlai dishes.

It is however not just the food that evidently represents the festive mode of the occasion. The sound of firecrackers at almost every corner of the capital is something that has become a part of the Shab-e-Barat night. The firecracker sellers at Nayabazar, Bongshal, and Chowk Bazar have a field day ahead of the occasion. Though in the last few years, law enforcement personnel have imposed some restrictions on using firecrackers in residential areas. In the older parts of Dhaka, people still consider it a major part of celebrating Shab-e-Barat.

Another festive aspect of the night gets apparent with the lighting decorations. Many buildings are decorated with lights, especially the shops and the offices. This somehow resembles the festive mood of Diwali, a major festive occasion for Hindus.

In fact, scholars concerned say Shab-e-Barat celebration in the subcontinent has something to do with the Hindu festival. Most Muslims in the subcontinent are converted from Hinduism, but years of living together have made Muslims to adopt some traits from Hindus, especially in celebrating festivals.

With lighting decorations, sounds of firecrackers, sweets and good food, Shab-e-Barat has become a cultural ritual for Muslims the way Diwali is for Hindus. Religious bases for celebrating the occasion are of course matters to ruminate, but enjoying its festive atmosphere is something that doesn’t need too much pondering. l Faisal Mahmud is a journalist at the Dhaka Tribune.

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Seven crores for Bangladesh? n Nadeem Qadir

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he total estimated amount of money looted is above Tk7cr. In an inexcusable debacle, a few notorious elements have committed what is nothing less than treason. I am red-faced and ashamed at how the nation’s image has been tarnished just for this paltry sum.

Liberation War Affairs Ministry said that it would replace the crests with the proper weight of gold and silver.

Thanks to lawyer Manzil Murshed for sending the legal notice that has at least forced the ministry to take a quick decision on how to overcome the debacle.

But how will our envoys go to the recipients with the new crests? What

At a time when we are fighting to clear our image and bring in foreign investors, this debacle is an absolute shame and is unacceptable

This inexcusable scam involved the looted gold and silver from the crest of some of our foreign friends who stood by us during the bloody war of independence in 1971. This would have gone unnoticed had some of my friends in the media not reported the scam.

In a reply to a legal notice, the

will they tell them? Will they say graft is the reason for the replacement ?

It will be a matter of great shame for them as well to respond to our humble apology.

According to media reports, every crest was supposed to have 22.5g of gold and 339g of silver. But the Bangladesh Standard and Testing

Institute found in 2012 that each crest had only 2.363g of gold and 466.237g of brass instead of silver. This is indeed a robbery.

We know that a committee has been formed to probe the matter. Well, we can hope that the probe report will be published without wasting any time. Many probe reports never see the light of day in Bangladesh. This case cannot be the same as this is a serious offence. It has put Bangladesh’s image at stake.

Fingers were pointed at a former state minister, a freedom fighter.

When asked, he told me, with some evidence, that documents were tampered with and he was misguided while signing some papers while an important paper did not go through his desk. It stopped with someone at a lower level.

I believe him, or I would like to believe him, but the fact remains that he has to prove his innocence to the nation. He has done good things during his tenure and cannot allow his image to be tarnished for a paltry Tk7cr.

A probe is a probe, but how do we (specifically Prime Minister Sheikh

Hasina) overcome this debacle which has, along with the country’s image, tarnished her image too? She has taken this seriously, she said recently, and would do everything possible to punish those involved.

Bangladesh is known for its corrupt practices and now such a great effort by the prime minister has come under question.

What has this debacle done to us?

It has painted a grim picture of our lack of patriotism, ungratefulness, and total lust for a penny, compared to millions looted in other sectors. People of Bangladesh do not represent any of those – it is only a handful of people who constantly sacrifice their country for greed.

At a time when we are fighting to clear our image and bring in foreign investors, this debacle is an absolute shame and is unacceptable. This is high treason, and mercy or lenient punishment is unacceptable.

The government must publish the probe report to the satisfaction of all.

It has to go down deep into the matter and give exemplary punishment to those responsible. Just asking for the reimbursement of the looted money

is unjustifiable. Justice for this nation demands more severe punishment, including publishing the names of the culprits for posterity. Simple transfers or postings as OSDs is negligible for such crimes.

We must prove we are not ready

to sacrifice our beloved country for any reason, especially when it comes to graft and greed. We must emerge as a proud nation again, just as in 1971. l Nadeem Qadir is a senior journalist.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Soha Ali Khan in Dhaka n

TODAY IN DHAKA Exhibition

Of Man and Earth II Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Art Lounge, Gulshan Avenue Rd-131, Circle -1

Unconsciously Conscious Time: 9am to 9pm Alliance Francaise de Dhaka Road-3, Dhanmondi

Film

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (3D) Pompeii (3D) & (2D) 300 Rise of an Empire 3 Days Kill

World Cup in Bangladesh photography contest 2014 n Entertainment Desk Dhaka Tribune brings an exciting photography contest during the World Cup. Interested participants are requested to capture the celebration of the biggest show on Earth around them – showing the colours of the World Cup with friends, a random action on the street, one's university campus, or office.

The photographs can be submitted at the website WorldCupBD@ dhakatribune.com by 11:59pm everyday from June 13 to July 13. Participants are requested to email their name, profession, organisation, mobile number, and where the photo was taken.

The photographs will be uploaded each day to Dhaka Tribune's Facebook page for public voting until 7pm. The top three photos of the day will have a chance to be published on the Dhaka Tribune Sports page the following day. Terms and conditions of the contest include the photos to be original, one photo can be entered only once with no watermark and one participant can submit one photograph at max each day. l

Human history brought to life

n Entertainment Desk Travelling through time and across the globe to the crucial turning points in human history, Discovery Channel brings to you a definitive account of human civilisation through the documentary “History of the World” which will be aired at 9:30pm today. From the early settlers in Mesopotamia to the wonders of Babylon and Egypt, and from the French Revolution to the Industrial Revolution, watch as 70,000 years of human history are brought to life in this awe inspiring series. This is the story of people, their civilisations, cultures, successes and crashing failures, a story that charts progress and development and change through the centuries. l

Delhi musicians to perform at IGCC n Entertainment Desk

Entertainment Desk

Bollywood starlet Soha Ali Khan is coming in Dhaka to take part in a fashion show titled “Pond’s Presents The Lustrous Runway” on June 19. The sizzling 35 year old actor and model will be seen on the catwalk of the Ballroom of Radisson Hotel. Ali Faiyaz Shoumo, one of the owners of Infinity Event Management, the organisation arranging the show, confirmed the news to Dhaka Tribune.

Arranged to promote the work of local designers, the event will also introduce ten other models from India and five from Bangladesh to walk the ramp. Tickets for the show is priced at Tk2000.

Youngest child of her parents and sibling to Saif Ali Khan, Soha attended The British School, New Delhi and studied modern history at Balliol College, Oxford and earned a Masters degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science. The actor is best known for her role of Sonia in “Rang De Basanti” (2006) for which she won IIFA Awards for Best Supporting Actress and GIFA Awards for Best Supporting Actress. l

Tarkata Time: 10am – 10pm Star Cineplex, Level 8 Bashundhara City 13/3 Ka, Panthopath

Friday, June 13, 2014

The point of connection n Entertainment Desk Pathshala South Asian Media Institute will be hosting “Interface,” an exhibition featuring 12 young photographers, today from 5pm at their premises.

Interface deals with the nature of portraiture, which in its multiplicity of meanings has always been confrontational.

These diverse photographs seem to embody the individual and collective experience, through exploring spaces and encountering strangers.

Others have sought expression in projecting their own selves that spill over into reality.

The participating photographers include Dieab Mahmud, Farhad Rahman, Amman Hussain, Rajon Roy, Al Mashud Nepun, Zubaid Kadir Iznan, Alexander Miller, Raj Kisku, Rezowana Chowdhury Xenia, Shamsul Arifin, Homayra Adiba and Tanvir Taolad. The exhibition is curated by Sarker Protick. l

The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) in Dhaka has organised an event with Delhi based musicians The Shubh Saran Presentation.

The progamme is a collaboration of IGCC with IRCON and Marico Bangladesh and will take place at 6:30pm on June 14 at the IGCC, Gulshan.

The Shubh Saran Presentation is a contemporary jazz, funk, neo soul, and fusion project led by guitarist and composer, Shubh Saran. The other members of the group are Rohit Gupta, pianist; Pra- Guitarist and composer Shubh Saran noy Praveen drummer and Jayant Manchanda, bass guitarist. The group performs original pieces as well as unique arrangements of well-known tunes.

Shubh Saran is a guitarist, composer and music educator who has performed in over five countries around the world including USA, Canada, India, Bangladesh, and Vietnam. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music and a recipient of the Berklee Achievement Scholarship, Saran has honed his skills as a versatile guitarist blending jazz, neo-soul, blues, and Indian music.

In India, he has performed alongside some of the most famous names in the music industry including Clinton Cerejo, Adil and Vasundhara, Vasuda Sharma, as well as members of Advaita and Parikrama.

Rohit Gupta started playing the piano at the age of 14. He honed his skills by listening to Indian classical music, playing with a Fusion Ensemble in high school and by performing at various festivals, musicals and other events in Delhi.

Pranoy Praveen started playing and touring at the age of 10 and by the age of 12, he had already performed in almost 150 shows around India. His great passion for drums led him to play with Oscar and Grammy winning musician, A R Rahman at the age of 17.

Jayant Manchanda is a bass player, composer and music educator.

He has been a part of a number of Delhi-based acts including Adil and Vasundhara, Soul Samvad, Suhail Yusuf Khan, Ditty and Mark. He shared the stage with Igor Bezget from Slovenia as a part of his trio and has also been a part of New York based drummer/composer, Karina Colis’s quartet.

The event is free and open for all. l

Dokkhina Sundari to be staged in Scotland n Entertainment Desk Theatrex Bangladesh’s play “Dokkhina Sundari” has been selected for staging at the Tin Forest Theatre Festival, part of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games Cultural Programme in Glasgow, Scotland. To celebrate the success of the production, Theatrex Bangladesh has arranged for three stagings of the play at the Natmondal, University of Dhaka on June 14, 15 and 16.

In a conversation with the Dhaka Tribune, theatre activist Sudip said: “It’s an awareness-based production with the emphasis on protecting the Sundarbans. The team of TheatrEX conducted extensive research by visiting the heritage site.

We also explored many documents to enrich our knowledge about the forest.”

According to Sudip, the performance includes

the lifestyle of people whose livelihood depends on the Sundarbans. It is enriched with the regional poetry, dance and music in a unique form. “It explores the theatrical aesthetics by fusing local myths, legends, fairy tales and parables with contemporary style of theatre performance.”

On the other hand, the story unfolds how the locality is endangered by the current con-

text of globalisation.

From the 71 Commonwealth nations, only six countries including India, New Zealand, England, Malta and Jamaica will stage plays at the prestigious event. l

Life with Michael Jackson n Entertainment Desk He may have been the world’s most famous pop star, but Michael Jackson was a sad, lonely figure who lived for his children and longed for a more normal life.

So say his two bodyguards, Bill Whitfield and Javon Beard, who were with him virtually 24/7 during the last two-and-a-half years of his life.

Now, almost five years after his death, they have written a book, “Remember The Time: Protecting Michael Jackson In His Final Days,” about Jackson’s final years in seclusion with his children, his financial crises and the weeks leading up to his death on June 25, 2009.

It aims, they say, to set the record straight and paints a picture of a superstar who, despite his eccentricities, was a good father to Prince, now 17, Paris, 16 and Blanket, 12, but had become trapped by his own success and was tormented by paranoia, loneliness and isolation.

“We worked for Mr Jackson, we didn’t work for the King of Pop,” says Whitfield.

“We got to see him as a man and a father.

It was so good to see the side of him which was so in tune as a parent, from helping them with their homework and making sure they were eating right, to putting them to bed.”

Jackson, whom the two refer to as Mr Jackson, left his self-made sanctuary in Neverland a broken man after the 2005 trial in which he was acquitted of child sex abuse charges. After moving from city to city in virtual seclusion, he finally settled in a Las Vegas mansion, which he hated.

“He was certainly eccentric,” Whitfield, a former policeman and veteran of the security profession, recalls. “He would go into a store and buy everything. When we were staying in hotels, he would buy thousands of books.

At one point, he bought a whole book store.”

He travelled from state to state with a silver briefcase containing two Oscars from “Gone With The Wind,” which he’d bought at auction for $US1.5m, and another containing thousands of dollars.

“Being able to have accessibility to anything he wanted wasn’t unusual. Lots of celebrities carry cash,” says Whitfield.

At home, he hoarded hundreds of bottles of Tabasco sauce, danced on his own until 4am, allowed his family to see him only if they booked an appointment and worked on elaborate disguises, from being dressed in the searing heat of Las Vegas as a biker, complete with crash helmet and leathers, to wearing bandages on his face. His children, too, always wore masks when they were out.

His children didn’t know he was branded “Wacko Jacko” in the media, Beard continues.

“He was hurt by the headlines. He didn’t have any internet in the house, he didn’t allow the kids to use the Internet. They couldn’t watch regular TV, so they never saw how he was portrayed in the media.”

Jackson held lavish birthday parties for his children with clowns, magicians, huge cakes and balloons, but nobody came, apart from their teacher, the nanny and the security guards. They were home-schooled and they didn’t have any friends.

Toy shops would be closed so they could shop undisturbed, entire cinemas rented out to them, all employees were strictly vetted, while visiting workers had their mobile phones removed and were made to sign elaborate non-disclosure contracts before entering his property.

Thousands of dollars in surveillance gear covered every inch of the property, panic buttons were installed in different rooms and armed security guards patrolled the grounds. But Jackson still went doorto-door checking the locks, and he often checked that Whitfield and Beard were in their security trailer outside the house.

At the peak of his success, Jackson was worth a reported $US700m, but at one point his finances were in crises due to severe mismanagement, say the authors. It led to credit cards being declined, while Beard and Whitfield weren’t paid for four months.

“He was very hurt about all the (sexual abuse) allegations,” Beard continues. “I’m a father myself and I wouldn’t have worked for him if I’d had any doubt about him. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

“I don’t think he could ever see himself settling down, because his life was so chaotic,” says Beard. “His happiest time was when he was with his kids.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

13

Friday, June 13, 2014

Liverpool v Juventus, the duel within When England face off against Italy in their opening World Cup match in Manaus on Saturday, supporters of Liverpool and Juventus will be forgiven for paying particularly close attention.

Five players from each club could be standing on the pitch for kick-off at the Amazonia Arena.

While Manchester City finished last season as Premier League champions, Liverpool provided the sensation of the

THE BIG MATCH

V England

Italy

Arena Amazonia, Manaus Saturday, June 14, 6:00PM Local (4:00AM BST) campaign by coming within a whisker of claiming a first top-flight title since 1990.

While captain Steven Gerrard and right-back Glen Johnson have long been England regulars, Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturridge and teenager Raheem Sterling have only emerged as potential starters in the past year.

Alongside Henderson, 34-year-old Gerrard has excelled in a new, deep-lying midfield role, which enables him to showcase the full extent of his passing range.

The jet-heeled Sterling, 19, gives Hodgson options either on the flanks or

as a central attacking midfielder, while 24-year-old Sturridge, who scored 21 goals last season, is in the form of his career.

Rickie Lambert’s recent move to Anfield from Southampton means that England manager Roy Hodgson could conceivably field a team containing six Liverpool players, but it is unlikely that he will start against Italy.

Given Juventus’s run of three successive Serie A crowns under Antonio Conte, it is unsurprising that their players feature so prominently in the fourtime world champions’ line-up.

The defence has a Juventus spine, with captain Gianluigi Buffon keeping goal behind a centre-back pairing formed by club colleagues Andrea Barzagli and Giorgio Chiellini.

In Turin, Conte plays with three centre-backs: Barzagli on the right, Chiellini on the left, and Leonardo Bonucci in the middle.

However, Bonucci has endured a draining season and Azzurri coach Cesare Prandelli is expected to deploy Chiellini instead, with promising Torino defender Matteo Darmian coming in at left-back.

In midfield, Juve’s Andrea Pirlo pulls the strings in a slightly withdrawn position, although he increasingly shares playmaking responsibilities with Paris Saint-Germain’s Marco Verratti.

The fifth ‘Juventino’ is expected to be Claudio Marchisio, on the left-hand side of the central midfield trio. l

FACT BOX (England v Italy) Where: Arena da Amazonia, Manaus Capacity: 46,000 When: Saturday, June 14, 4:00AM BST

Probable Starting XI England Hart, Johnson, Cahill, Jagielka, Baines, Gerrard, Wilshere, Sterling, Rooney, Welbeck, Sturridge.

Italy Buffon, Abate, Bonucci, Chiellini, Sciglio, Motta, Pirlo, Marchisio, Verratti, Immobile, Balotelli.

Previous meetings The two sides played against each other 24 times before. England won 8, Italy 9 and 7 matches ended in a draw. The Three Lions suffered their familiar quarterfinal penalty shootout defeat after a 0-0 draw in normal time two years ago in Kiev. England took on Italy in a friendly just two months later, securing a 2-1 victory with goals from Frank Lampard and Jermain Defoe.

Italy’s midfielder Andrea Pirlo attends a training session at the Portobello Resort in Mangaratiba on Wednesday AFP

England’s Steven Gerrard (2R) stretches as Wayne Rooney (R) and Frank Lampard (2L) look on during a training session at the Urca military base in Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday AFP

‘This is best team I’ve played with’ Pirlo to end Italy career Striker Wayne Rooney says the current England team is the best he has played in during his 11 years with the national team and that Italy should be worried about Saturday’s game in Manaus.

“It’s probably the best squad I’ve been involved in so it’s great to be a part of. I am looking forward to this tournament and the future with England because it certainly looks bright,” Rooney told reporters on Wednesday.

“It is exciting. I think the younger players in the team bring a lot of energy and excitement and it is great to be a part of,” he added.

England lost to Italy on penalties in the quarter-finals of the Europe-

Di Caprio jets into Rio for World Cup In “The Wolf of Wall Street,” Leonardo DiCaprio let loose in his portrayal of a hard-partying Wall Street trader. Now, he’s in Brazil for the World Cup and ready to party in real life.

DiCaprio and 21 of his friends jetted into Rio de Janeiro on Wednesday, where they will stay on a mega-yacht and watch the World Cup, Brazilian media reported.

The Oscar-nominated star and his friends will luxuriate on the Topaz, a 482-foot (147-meter) yacht that belongs to Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, the owner of Manchester City football club, the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo reported.

The Topaz is the fifth-largest yacht in the world and is bigger than all but one ship in the Brazilian navy, the aircraft carrier Sao Paulo, Folha said.l

an Championship two years ago and the Italians are strongly favoured to emerge from a tough Group D that also includes Uruguay and Costa Rica.

But Rooney believes that with the emergence of young players like Raheem Sterling, Ross Barkley, Chamberlain and Adam Lallana, the Italians will face a very different and improved England team.

“I think they should really be more worried about our team,” he said.

“In terms of Italy, it is more or less the same squad so it will be an interesting game for us to see how we’ve moved on and how we’ve progressed in those two years. I think, really, the Italian players should be looking at us and how they can control our team,” he said, shrugging off concerns about

Italy playmaker Andrea Pirlo, who controlled the game two years ago.

Rooney has been a surprising focus of criticism in England based on his fitness and more broadly whether he deserves a place in the starting line-up.

“I don’t care what anyone says. I am ready physically, I am focused and of course there is competition for your places, there always is,” he said.

“You are playing for your country and I am ready for that. I am not worried. The manager has got a job to do.

He picks the team and whatever side he picks I’ll respect that and do my best to try and help the team,” he said.

Rooney has scored 39 goals in 91 games for England but has yet to find the target in eight World Cup finals games. l

Uruguay sweat on Suarez, but in ‘better’ shape than 2010 Uruguay are still sweating on talismanic striker Luis Suarez’s fitness for the World Cup, but are otherwise in better shape than in South Africa four years ago when they reached the semi-finals, players said on Wednesday.

“Honestly, I think we are better. We have been together practically eight years, we have been through a lot,” midfielder Diego Godin told reporters at the Uruguay camp in a resort in rolling hills at Sete Lagoas near Belo Horizonte.

“We are ready for the good and the bad,” added the 28-year-old Atletico Madrid midfielder, one of about a dozen players with coach Oscar Tabarez

since his second tenure began in 2006.

Uruguay famously upset hosts Brazil to win the 1950 World Cup, and again sprung a surprise in South Africa to reach the last four.

V Uruguay

Costa Rica

Estadio Castelao, Fortaleza Saturday, June 14, 4:00PM Local (1:00AM BST) But their preparations for Brazil have been disrupted by Suarez’s injury to his left knee at the end of a scintillating Premier League season with Liverpool.

Messi and company fooled

by Ronaldinho lookalike Lionel Messi was taken by surprise during Argentina’s training session on Wednesday by a pitch invader he briefly mistook for his former Barcelona team-

Italy’s Andrea Pirlo confirmed Wednesday he will end his international career after the World Cup. Pirlo helped steer Italy to the World Cup title in 2006 but has come to Brazil as part of a squad looking to erase the memory of a first-round exit from South Africa in 2010.

While announcing he had also extended his current deal with Serie A champions Juventus by two years, the 35-year-old said it was time to wind down his international career.

“I think I will stop after the World Cup,” Pirlo told reporters on Wednesday, three days before Italy’s opening Group D game against England in the Amazo-

nian city of Manaus. Pirlo, considered one of the world’s best in his deep-lying playmaking role, said he would “always be available” if called on by Italy, whose current coach is Cesare Prandelli.

But he added: “It could be problematic because I’d be annoyed if I wasn’t selected, so it’s best to stay home!”

The decision means Pirlo, who has made 109 appearances for Italy, will be able to see out his career with Juve, with whom he won a third consecutive scudetto last month having joined the Turin giants from AC Milan three years ago.

He extended his contract with the club by two years, adding: “I only signed it today because we had a few details to iron out, but we agreed in principle a long time ago.” l

mate and friend Ronaldinho.

Argentina trained in front of thousands of fans and press at Belo Horizonte’s Estadio Independencia, where Ronaldinho regularly turns out for Atletico Mineiro.

Lionel Messi (L) is greeted by a supporter who looks like Brazilian football player Ronaldinho (C) after he invaded the pitch during a training session of the Argentinian football team at the Independencia Arena, in Belo Horizonte on Wednesday

After some light running, the Albiceleste squad were divided into small groups for games of footballtennis in a low-key session which finished amid chaos as over a dozen supporters climbed over the fences to invade the pitch and ran in search of a handshake or a hug from their heroes.

Most headed in Messi’s direction and security guards were overwhelmed in their attempts to halt the fans as the practice was quickly brought to an abrupt end. But the Argentine was initially fooled by the Ronaldinho double.

Robinson Oliveira, who works as a professional lookalike of the Brazilian forward, told Goal: “When he saw me he was shocked because he thought I was the real Ronaldinho and he told me that I didn’t need to run on the pitch to see him.

“He said: ‘What are you doing running on here to see me?’ When he held my hand, I went down on my knees [and bowed]. It was so emotional.”

He added: “I didn’t plan this. I just thought to myself that I have to hold his hand because this is the only opportunity I will have to see him.”l

Suarez trained lightly this week at Sete Lagoas, smiling and joking with team mates, and said in a video via Twitter his knee was going “very well”.

But he is a doubt for at least the Group D opener against Costa Rica, a game Uruguay bank on winning before facing tougher rivals England and Italy.

“Luis is fine, he is on a good track (to recovery),” added Godin, himself recovering from the disappointment of Atletico Madrid’s Champions League final defeat by Real Madrid.

“I hope he can be there for the first game. This (injury) happened and he is doing the best he can to come back. I do not know if he will be on the pitch or on the bench or whatever.” l

Blatter ready for new term Sepp Blatter is ready to seek a new term as FIFA’s president, he announced Wednesday, ignoring calls from top European officials to stand down as controversy engulfs football’s governing body.

“I’m ready to accompany you in the future,” the 78-year-old Blatter told the FIFA congress in Sao Paulo on the eve of the start of the World Cup. The Fifa leader was helped by a congress vote not to consider age-limits on top officials.

Isolated boos could be heard among the applause as Blatter said that conditions were good for him to seek a fifth term next year. But he has a strong chance of victory in the election to be held at the FIFA congress in Zurich in May next year.

“My mandate will finish next year... but my mission is not finished,” he said in his closing address. “Together we will build the new FIFA, together we have the foundations to do things.”

Blatter added: “Congress, you will decide who will take this proud institution forward. It’s your decision to do so. But I will tell you, I’m ready to accompany you in the future, for the game for the world.l

‘Balotelli to curse England’ Sporting a bone through his nose, a jaguar’s tooth pendant, multicoloured feathers in his ears and tribal body tattoos, not many England fans would give credence to the footballing ‘expertise’ of Amazonian sorcerer Jaraquii.

But the striking indian ‘Paje’ believes England’s World Cup opener in nearby Manaus on Saturday will be cursed by Italy striker Mario Balotelli.

“Balotelli’s magic will help you beat the English,” Jaraquii, speaking to Italian domestic agency ANSA, said with a serious grin revealing a row of sparkling gold teeth.

“He (Balotelli) is like us coloured people. He’s not white, he’s not like (Argentina’s Lionel) Messi. That’s why we love him.”

He may not admit it, but Jaraquii’s preference may in part be inspired by his dislike for all things Anglo-Saxon.

“I’ve been like that since an obnoxious Englishman, or he might have been American -- they’re the same to me -- said that he was afraid of me and asked if there were cannibals.”

Grinning widely, he added: “I told him to keep quiet, because we ate them all.”

His love for Italy is just as potent but has been driven by his admiration for Roberto Baggio, the legendary Italy striker infamous for missing the deciding penalty in the 1994 World Cup final which handed the trophy to Brazil.

“In Manaus I’ll be supporting Italy.

I’ve loved them since I was little,” said Batista.

“I am a native of this region, which has forest and wild beasts everywhere. But I’d give it all up if I could be Baggio.” l

Pre Cameroon clash key for mercurial Mexico Mercurial Mexico host a troubled Cameroon in the sides’ World Cup Group A opener in Natal on Friday looking to take the first step towards an eventual first appearance in the quarter-finals in nearly 30 years.

Now coached by colourful Miguel Herrera, who missed out on playing for

V Mexico

Cameroon

Estadio das Dunas, Natal Friday, June 13, 1:00PM Local (10:00PM BST) Mexico at USA ‘94 after being dropped for punching a photographer, Mexico have in recent editions failed to live up to expectations.

In the past five tournaments the Aztecs have failed to get to the ‘fifth game’ and make the quarter-finals they last reached as hosts in 1986.

Critics would argue Mexico should feel lucky to be in Brazil at all.

After a tortuous qualifying campaign, Herrera was parachuted in for a two-legged play-off against New Zealand, which the central Americans won 9-3 on aggregate.

Like Mexico, Cameroon endured a tough qualifying campaign that again underlined the central African country’s reputation for internal strife.

Much of that in recent years has revolved around superstar Samuel Eto’o, whom the Cameroon federation once issued with a lengthy ban.

Although Cameroon possess class midfielders in the shape of Alex Song and Enoh Eyong, all eyes will likely be glued on Chelsea striker Eto’o -- a four-time African Player of the Year who will be appearing in his fourth finals. “He is an experienced player and a handful to deal with,” said Brazil skipper Thiago Silva.

Midfielder Stephane M’Bia, fresh from Europa League triumph with Spanish side Sevilla, insisted, “Four years ago we were catastrophic. The mood in the camp wasn’t good, there were a lot of problems.

“But this time that’s not the case. We’ll be making our mark on this tournament.”l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

EU fights sexual violence

Friday, June 13, 2014

Lukaku delivers Belgium timely boost

The EU launched a campaign on Thursday against the sexual exploitation of children during the Brazilian World Cup, with the backing of local football stars Kaka and Juninho Pernambucano. The campaign, dubbed “Don’t Look Away”, was announced just hours before the opening match kick-off. Brazilian authorities are worried the influx of football-mad fans, also looking for a taste of the country’s storied nightlife, will bring an increase in sex tourism and child prostitution.

– AFP

Key Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku trained for the first time in Brazil on Wednesday after suffering an injury scare and came through unscathed in a timely boost for their World Cup hopes. Lukaku, who spent a productive campaign on loan at Everton from Chelsea last season, picked up an ankle injury in a physical friendly against Tunisia on Saturday. “I have my 23 players available and we are delighted to be in Brazil after three weeks of preparation,” said Belgium coach Marc Wilmots.

– AFP

Rio airport staff call partial strike Ground staff at Rio de Janeiro’s airports have called a 24-hour partial strike Thursday. The workers vowed to respect a court ruling ordering them to maintain 70 to 80 percent service, but the strike will nevertheless raise fears of delays as thousands of football fans descend on the tourist-magnet city around the opening match in Sao Paulo and first game in Rio on Sunday.

“We’re Brazilian and we continue to root for Brazil, but it’s our duty to fight for workers’ rights,” union president Rui Pessoa told AFP. – AFP

Dutch hunt World Cup revenge against Spain n

AFP, Salvador

Holders Spain open their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on Friday in a repeat of the 2010 final with the Dutch out for revenge.

Andres Iniesta’s strike four minutes from the end of extra-time in the Johannesburg final crowned Spain as world champions for the first time and now, four years later, the European giants clash again at Salvador’s Arena Fonte Nova in the mouth-watering opening match of Group B. With South American dark horses Chile and Australia still to come, a win for either side would set the group’s agenda.

Captain Robin van Persie, Arjen Robben, Wesley Sneijder, Nigel De Jong and Dirk Kuyt are the five survivors from the 2010 final in the current squad and the Dutch have made no secret of their desire for revenge.

“It was a big chance for us to win the World Cup and we were really close,” said Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar.

“It should always burn inside to make something

Birthday boy Sneijder braced for 100th cap n

AFP, Rio De Janeiro

Wesley Sneijder turned 30 Monday and will earn his 100th cap when the Netherlands face champions Spain in their World Cup opener, but there may not be too many Brazilians joining in the celebrations.

Sneijder is probably the best-known Dutch player in Brazil having scored both goals as his country knocked out the five-time champions in the quarter-finals in South Africa in 2010.

“The people recognise me but I don’t get the impression that there’s any animosity, quite the contrary,” said Sneijder.

The veteran attacking midfielder, who now plays his club football for Galatasaray after successful spells with Ajax, Real Madrid and Inter Milan, even received applause from onlookers as the squad took a stroll along Rio’s famed Ipanema beach.

“Come and look, it’s that little one,” shouted fans to passers-by in reference to the combative star who stands at a modest 1.70m (5ft 7in). There was no security but these people only had good intentions,” said Sneijder saying it was “typical of the World Cup”.

Fifa a ‘mafia family’ says ex FA chief n AFP, London Football’s world governing body acts like a “mafia family” with head Sepp Blatter its “Don Corleone” according to a former chairman of England’s Football Association.

Lord David Triesman was speaking Wednesday after renewed criticism of Fifa, football’s global authority, following reports in Britain’s Sunday Times alleging millions of dollars in bribes were paid to help Qatar secure hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup. Fifa’s chief investigator Michael Garcia is due to submit a report into the conduct of the bidding process.

Blatter, a 78-year-old Swiss, has also come under fire for suggesting he might renege on his promise not to stand for a fifth term as Fifa president.

“Fifa, I’m afraid, behaves like a mafia family. It has a decades-long tradition of bribes, bungs and corruption,” Triesman said on the eve of this year’s World Cup finals in Brazil.” l

The player is looking ahead to his third World Cup despite a rollercoaster club season in Turkey which at one stage looked as if it could cost him his place in the Dutch squad. A late burst of form, however, as well as injuries to Rafael van der Vaart and Kevin Strootman, opened the way for Brazil.

“A few years back, I always considered players in their thirties to be old.

Now it’s my turn, but I have no desire to retire straightaway.”

He is also keen to take revenge on Spain. “It’s like a scar that hasn’t yet healed. It always gets me down when I think about it.” l

right. To play against them now in the first game is a great challenge.”

Veteran midfielder Wesley Sneijder, who will win his 100th cap in the match, said the wounds of that defeat were still raw. “It’s like a scar that hasn’t yet healed. It always gets me down when I think about it,” said the Galatasaray star.

THE BIG MATCH

V Spain

Netherlands

Arena Fonte Nova, Salvador Friday, June 13, 4:00PM Local (1:00AM BST) As the double European and reigning world champions, Vicente del Bosque’s Spain are bidding to join Brazil and Italy as the only teams to have enjoyed back-to-back World Cup wins.

The ever-loyal Del Bosque is expected to make just one change from the side which started and won the Euro 2012 final with Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta coming in for Alvaro Arbeloa at right-back.

Cesc Fabregas should start up front for Spain with Brazil-born Atletico Madrid striker Diego Costa expected to make a second-half appearance from the bench.

“We don’t have any fear. But we do have respect,” said del Bosque. Holland are a well-organised team, wellcoached, and I am sure they will make

FACT BOX Where: The Fonte Nova arena, Salvador Capacity: 52,048 When: Friday, June 13, 1:00AM BST Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy) Probable Starting Eleven: Spain

1-Iker Casillas; 22-Cesar Azpilicueta, 15-Sergio Ramos, 3-Gerard Pique, 18-Jordi Alba; 14-Xabi Alonso, 16-Sergio Busquets; 21-David Silva, 8-Xavi, 6-Andres Iniesta; 19-Diego Costa.

things difficult for us.”

Spain can expect a hostile reception in Salvador, judging by last year’s Confederations Cup when they were widely booed on their run to the final where they lost 3-0 to hosts Brazil.

Persie is expected to be fit, despite arriving in Brazil as an injury concern after sustaining a groin problem in last week’s 2-0 friendly win over Wales in Amsterdam.

Coach Louis van Gaal has experimented with a 5-3-2 formation designed to close down Spain’s attack and counter-attack hard. But the future Manchester United manager used a 4-4-2 formation against the Welsh to keep the Spanish guessing which system he will use in Salvador. Much relies for the Dutch on their attacking triumvirate of Van Persie, Arjen Robben and Sneijder, while their defence has been criticised as the team’s weak link.

Spain are wary of their opponents’ ability to hit them on the break, warned midfielder Sergio Busquets.

The 25-year-old Barcelona star, who played in the 2010 final, said while most of the team that won the World Cup remained, Holland now have a lot of new young talent. l

Netherlands

1-Jasper Cillessen; 7-Daryl Janmaat, 3-Stefan de Vrij, 2-Ron Vlaar, 4-Bruno Martins Indi, 5-Daley Blind; 6-Nigel de Jong, 8-Jonathan de Guzman; 10-Wesley Sneijder; 9-Robin van Persie, 11-Arjen Robben.

Key stats:

For the first time in the competition’s history, the finalists from the previous edition meet in the first round of the following tournament.

Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas is three World Cup clean sheets short of matching the 10 game record shared

by England’s Peter Shilton and France’s Fabien Barthez.

In addition, Casillas has gone 433 consecutive minutes unbeaten. A clean sheet against the Dutch would see him surpass the record of 517 minutes set by Italy’s Walter Zenga in 1990.

Previous meetings

The two have played 10 times with Spain having won five times to the Netherlands’s four. The only draw was a friendly match in Barcelona in 1987 that finished 1-1.

Last meeting

July 11, 2010, Johannesburg, World Cup final - Netherlands 0 Spain 1 (After extra time)

Australia undaunted by classy Chile n AFP, Cuiaba World Cup outsiders Australia are aiming to punch above their weight and give a Chile side choc-a-bloc with talent a bloody nose in Cuiaba on Friday.

The two Group B protagonists are worlds apart in FIFA’s rankings - Chile are 14 with Australia down at 62 - so the South Americans are heavy favourites to sweep aside the Socceroos and get their campaign off to the perfect start.

The odds may be stacked against them, but Australia, unshackled by any smidgen of pressure, are not short of self-belief ahead of this clash against a team they held to a goalless draw on their World Cup debut in 1974.

“We don’t care who we’re up against,” said Swiss-based attacking midfielder Dario Vidosic.

“There can be 11 Ronaldos or Messis out there. We want to make everybody proud back home. We’ve worked very hard to get to this stage.

“We’ve got three guaranteed games and we’re just going to give it everything that we can to get out of the group stage.”

Coach Ange Postecoglou’s largely transitional side is skippered by Crystal Palace’s Mile Jedinak and features experienced duo Tim Cahill and Mark

Bresciano.

The Aussies laid down a marker of their intent in a battling single goal defeat to fellow finalists Croatia in their last warm-up.

Alex Wilkinson, who played a part against Croatia, hopes he’s done enough to make it on to Postecoglou’s starting XI.

V Chile

Australia

Arena Pantanal, Cuiaba Friday, June 13, 6:00PM Local (4:00AM BST) Wilkinson hinted that Chile could be in for a surprise. “They’re expecting us to be physical and we will be physical - but we also want to show them we can play football as well,” said the player with South Korean outfit Jeonbuk Motors.

Despite the infectious enthusiasm emanating from the Aussie camp the serious money on Friday is on Chile.

Coached by Argentine Jorge Sampaoli, the South Americans take to the Arena Pantanal pitch buoyed by the apparent recovery from injury of midfield star Arturo Vidal.

The Juventus man, who underwent knee surgery last month, was a doubt after battling an inflammation.

But he appeared to have shrugged off that problem when turning out on Wednesday for his first training session since making an unforecast 15-minute comeback a week ago in the 2-0 friendly victory over Northern Ireland.

Like Vidal, another vital component of this Chile team is Barcelona forward Alexis Sanchez, reportedly a target of Manchester United’s new boss Louis van Gaal who is in Brazil as Holland manager before moving to Old Trafford.

And Sanchez stoked up expectations back in Santiago on Wednesday when he told a local newspaper: “I believe Chile are going to win the World Cup, if I didn’t believe that I’d be at home watching television.”

Of Chile’s chances of solving the complex first round puzzle set by a Group B including Holland and world champions Spain he said: “I’d be happy if we finished as runners-up behind them (Spain).”

Chile’s record against Australia stands at 3-1. They reached the semi-finals when hosting the 1962 World Cup, and made it to the last 16 in 1998 and again four years ago in South Africa. l

Snubbed Tevez switches off World Cup n AFP, Buenos Aires

Carlos Tevez has admitted he is still suffering after being overlooked by Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella for the World Cup and intends to ignore the four-week long tournament.

The 30-year-old was discarded from the Argentine set-up after missing a penalty in his country’s quarter-final Copa America exit at the hands of eventual winners Uruguay three years ago.

And he said he won’t even be watching when the World Cup kicks-off with hosts Brazil playing Croatia on Thursday.

“I’m not watching anything, I don’t know how the (Argentina) squad is doing, I’ve not heard from the group, I don’t know anything about anything,” said Tevez at a press conference at the Boca Juniors stadium, where he began his football career.

“I’m with my family, I’m playing golf, getting some sun. I’m isolated because I’m a footballer and it hurts.

“I’m not watching what’s happening, nor what’s going on around (the team), nor anything to do with the World Cup.” l

Five memorable World Cup opening ceremonies

2010 – South Africa Africa’s first ever World Cup -- which Sepp Blatter had promised he would deliver when he was first elected in 1998 -- enjoyed a sumptuous musical display in Johannesburg with several top national stars performing.

However, the biggest star of all was unable to be there as former president Nelson Mandela had to pull out when his great-granddaughter was killed in a car crash earlier that day.

He did make it to the final but only briefly as a frail figure he was driven round the stadium prior to the Spain and the Netherlands clash.

2002 – South Korea/Japan 2006 – Germany It all started with German supermodel Claudia Schiffer strolling onto the pitch with Brazilian legend, three-time World Cup winner Pele. However, they looked on bemused as two figures dressed as fairytale characters Hansel and Gretel were assailed on the Munich pitch by polka dancers and their hornblower partners who had been part of the first half of the ceremony but clearly did not wish to leave the scene.

South Korea and bitter historical rivals Japan co-hosted the finals with the Koreans laying on the opening ceremony and the Japanese given the final. However, not even being made joint-hosts meant all was peace and harmony between the two countries and Japanese Emperor Akihito was not present at the opening ceremony while FIFA chief Sepp Blatter was roundly booed as he tried to make his first speech as president at a World Cup finals having been elected to succeed Brazilian strongman Joao Havelange.

1978 – Argentina 1994 – United States Diana Ross may be a soul singing legend but her skills with a football proved to be a talking point at the opening ceremony in Soldier Field Stadium, home to the NFL’s Chicago Bears. Asked simply to kick the football into an open goal she fluffed her lines completely as she sent it wide of the posts.

The ceremony was capped with chat show host Oprah Winfrey falling off the stage.

Opening ceremony was overshadowed by all-round surprise that all 24 teams turned up as there was some reluctance on the part of several players to travel to a country which had been a military dictatorship since 1976. Even more sinister was that the venue the River Plate Stadium was just a mile from the Naval Mechanics School (ESMA), a notorious prison camp where opponents of the junta were allegedly tortured.

– AFP, SAO PAULO

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Friday, June 13, 2014

Tamim in buoyant mood

National opener Tamim Iqbal believes the hard work in the training sessions will yield good results when Bangladesh meets India in the three-match ODI series.

While talking to the media at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium before the team’s evening practice session yesterday, the hard-hitting opener said, “I think we have worked really hard in the practice sessions in last few weeks. The weather was really hot and humid over the last few days, but we gave our best to prepare I believe.”

The national cricketers usually remain busy with domestic cricket ahead of an international series. However, no domestic cricket this time allowed the national cricketers regroup early and prepare as a team.

“The time we got was really substantial,” Tamim said. “I think everyone is in very good shape. We played two practice matches which were

Who’s saying what at the World Cup Who’s saying what at the World Cup on Thursday: l “It’s not exactly as if I have to choose between going to hospital or to prison.”

UEFA president Platini on whether or not to challenge FIFA boss Sepp Blatter. l “We didn’t have bread every day and for shoes we had to rummage through rubbish bins, pick them out and wear them.”

Ecuador midfielder Edison Mendez on his impoverished upbringing. l “Happiness for the whole country is more important than money.”

Lieutenant General Chatudom Titthasiri, head of army-run Channel 5 in Thailand after the junta decided to broadcast World Cup matches free of charge. l “This is the first strike. There will be more.”

Union boss Marcelo Schimdt on disruptions by groundstaff at Rio airport. l “The predictions have been halted by the authorities.”

Spokesman for the China Centre for Research and Conservation of Giant Pandas after plans to use baby pandas to predict World Cup scores were halted. l “I wish everyone a wonderful World Cup, played in a spirit of true fraternity.”

Pope Francis tweets his support for the World Cup. l

pretty competitive. So we had a good preparation overall. Hopefully we will be able to get out of the bad patch if we can get a good start on 15th,” said the southpaw from Chittagong.

Irritation was expressed at the quality of the Indian squad being sent for the short tour. The squad resembles an ‘A’ team very much with only a few of the regulars. Influential skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Ravindra Ashwin, Mohammed Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have been rested ahead of their England tour. Only Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ambati Rayudu, Stuart Binny and Amit Mishra were retained from the ODI squad that participated in the Asia Cup 2014.

“It is a plus point for any opponent facing a Dhoni-Kohli less India side.

However, this doesn’t mean that their side is a weak one. They have the best performers from the recent IPL (Indian Premier League),” said the 25-year-old.

“Mentally you get an advantage when your opponents do not have their key players and at the same time they also remain under pressure as they have to prove themselves,” Tamim added.

Tamim believes Bangladesh, playing up to their potential, will be able to fetch good results to finally come out of the clutches of poor showings during the first four months of the year. l

Fabregas joins Chelsea

India arrives today for ODI series The India national cricket team is scheduled to land in Dhaka today for the three-match one-day international series against the hosts Bangladesh.

According to the Bangladesh Cricket

SQUAD Suresh Raina (Captain), Robin Uthappa, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ambati Rayudu, Manoj Tiwary, Kedar Jadhav, Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Stuart Binny, Parvez Rasool, Akshar Patel, Amit Mishra, Vinay Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Mohit Sharma

Hockey players want ban lifted Four suspended hockey players including star forward Russell Mahmud Jimmy pleaded to reconsider their punishment and lift the ban they received in November last year.

The four players - Russell Mahmud Jimmy, Zahid Hossain, Qumruzzaman Rana, Imran Hasan Pintu submitted their request to the president of Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) Air Marshall Enamul Bari on Wednesday, confirmed wing commander Rafiul Haque who is also the spokesperson of the BHF chief.

Earlier the federation suspended the players in the first week of November last year from all hockey activities, including national team duties for varying periods over the disruptive roles they played during Bangladesh’s Asia Cup Hockey campaign.

Jimmy, Zahid and Pintu were suspended for three years and banned from hockey activities for two seasons while Rana was suspended for two years from the national team and one season from the local arena. l

DAY’S WATCH Today BTV, Gazi TV, Maasranga, Sony Six 10:00PM Mexico v Cameroon 1:00AM Spain Netherlands 4:00AM Chille v Australia Tomorrow BTV, Gazi TV, Maasranga, Sony Six 10:00PM Colombia v Greece 1:00AM Uruguay v Costa Rica 4:00AM England v Italy 7:00AM Ivory Coast v Japan

Board (BCB), the neighbouring team will arrive in two batches as majority of the members will fly from Mumbai and are scheduled to reach Dhaka at 9am.

The rest are expected to arrive in the afternoon starting from Kolkata.

However, the Indian security team led by Ralton Arnold Portjitter reached Dhaka yesterday to make sure of the necessary measures. The Indian contingent will have 15 players and 12 support staffs.

All the three ODIs will be played at Sher-e-Bangladesh National Stadium with the first match on June 15 followed by the games on June 17 and 19 respectively. l

Brazilian and Argentinian fans take out processions in Lalbagh as football fever hits fever pitch in Bangladesh

Ton-up Root turns Sri Lanka tide n AFP, London

Joe Root’s second hundred in as many Lord’s Tests was the cornerstone of England’s recovery on the first day of their series opener with Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Root’s 102 not out helped take England to 344 for five at stumps on the first day of the first Test after they’d been struggling at 74 for three when the 23-year-old Yorkshireman walked out to bat.

Root, who made a Test-best 180 against Australia at Lord’s last year, was well supported by Matt Prior (76 not out) in a so-far unbroken sixth-wicket

stand of 135.

However, recalled wicketkeeper Prior was fortunate not be out for a second-ball duck before completing just his second 50 in 21 Test innings.

Moeen Ali (48), one of three debutants in a new-look England side following their 5-0 Ashes drubbing in Australia, had previously helped Root steady the ship during a fifth-wicket stand of 89.

Things initially went well for Sri Lanka after captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and elected to field.

Although sunny blue skies above suggested ideal batting conditions, the pitch was a greener-looking one than

Craig inspires Kiwis historic win over WI Mark Craig’s dream debut culminated in a 186-run victory for New Zealand in the first Test against the West Indies at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Thursday.

The off-spinner claimed four second innings wickets to finish with eight in the match as the home side crumbled to 216 all out after being set the daunting target of 403.

There was an unexpected late flourish by the West Indies last-wicket pair as last man Shane Shillingford belted the fastest-ever half-century by a Caribbean cricketer in Tests and dominated a record tenth-wicket partnership against New Zealand of 82.

Yet it only delayed the inevitable with New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum summoning Kane Williamson for the last over of the day.

He duly obliged by having Benn caught at the wicket to trigger celebrations among the Black Caps at only their second victory in 16 Test matches in the West Indies going back to their first tour here in 1972.

Craig’s haul of four for 97 complimented the very important early double-strike by Tim Southee after McCullum declared his team’s second innings at 156 for eight, an effort highlighted by opening batsman Tom Latham’s battling 73, his second half-century of the match.

Fresh from an excellent effort in the first innings when he claimed four for 19, Southee removed openers Kieran Powell and Chris Gayle in quick succession. l

SCORECARD, WI v NZ NZ 1st Innings 508 for 7 declared West Indies 1st Innings 262 all out NZ 2nd Innings 156 for 8 declared T Latham 73, Taylor 12-4-28-3 West Indies 2nd Innings 216 all out C Gayle c wkpr Watling b Southee 10 K Powell c Latham b Southee 0 K Edwards c Neesham b Craig 14 D Bravo c wkpr Watling b Craig 12 S Chanderpaul lbw Sodhi 24 M Samuels c Latham b Craig 0 D Ramdin b Sodhi 34 K Roach c wkpr Watling b Craig 19 J Taylor c wkpr Watling b Sodhi 18 S Benn c wkpr Watling b Williamson 25 S Shillingford not out 53 Extras (b-4, lb-2, w-1) 7 Total (47.4 overs, all out ) 216 Fall of wickets 1-8, 2-11, 3-30, 4-54, 5-54, 6-76, 7-115, 8-121, 9-134, 10-216 Bowling Boult 10-3-29-0, Southee 9-2-32-2, Craig 15-2-97-4, Neesham 2-0-9-0 (1w), Sodhi 11-1-42-3, Williamson 0.4-0-1-1.

New Zealand won by 186 runs

usually associated with Lord’s at this time of year.

Mathews’s decision yielded a quick reward as England lost both their openers inside the first half hour.

Australia-born Sam Robson, one of England’s newcomers along with Ali and all-rounder Chris Jordan, fell for one on his Middlesex home ground when drawn forward into edging a fulllength Nuwan Pradeep delivery that was well caught by diving wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene.

And 14 for one became 22 for two when England captain Alastair Cook (17) edged a cut off Nuwan Kulasekara

Nadal’s grasscourt return ends prematurely n Reuters The switch from clay to grass did not go according to plan for Rafa Nadal on Thursday and the Spaniard was jettisoned from the Gerry Webber Open with a 6-4 6-1 second-round defeat by maverick German Dustin Brown.

A player who is almost unbeatable on clay, having won the French Open in nine of the past 10 years, proved to be more vulnerable on grass. He has now lost his last three matches on the slicker surface dating back to 2012.

Instead of chalking up his 700th tour win with victory over Brown, Nadal suffered a setback in his hopes of getting some much needed grasscourt practice before he heads to Wimbledon.

Roger Federer was not immune to grasscourt jitters either. The Swiss began his first match on the lush green surface this year with a 6-7(8) 6-4 6-2 win over Portugal’s Joao Sousa.

The seven-times Wimbledon champion owns more grasscourt titles (13) than any other player since tennis turned professional in 1968 but that expertise could not prevent him from dropping the first set against an opponent who has no proven track record on the surface.

Federer will face Lu Yen-hsun of Taiwan for a place in the semi-finals. l

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

BRIEF SCORE, DAY 1 England 344/5 in 89 overs JE Root 102*, MJ Prior 76* N Pradeep 2-67 into his stumps.

But from then on things got tougher for the tourists as the pitch flattened out. England had struggled to 98 for three at lunch, also losing Gary Ballance.

But Bell was unbeaten on 41 and looked in excellent touch in his 99th Test.

After lunch, Bell drove left-arm spinner Rangana Herath for six to go to a 69ball 50. But he was out soon afterwards when lbw to Eranga although Sri Lanka first had to review Australian umpire Paul Reiffel’s original not out decision. l

Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas said Thursday he has signed for English Premier League club Chelsea from Barcelona.

“I considered all the other offers very carefully and I firmly believe that Chelsea is the best choice,” the 27-yearold former Arsenal player said in a statement.

Fabregas is believed to have signed a five-year contract for a fee in the region of £30 million ($50.5 million).

With Barcelona having failed to win any silverware last season and the appointment of Luis Enrique as the new head coach, Fabregas was allowed to leave Spain and he said Chelsea was his preferred option.

“They match my footballing ambitions with their hunger and desire to win trophies,” he said.

“They have an amazing squad of players and an incredible manager. I am fully committed to this team and I can’t wait to start playing.”

Fabregas joined Arsenal from Barcelona’s youth set-up in 2003 and developed into a star in England after securing a first-team place and he eventually became captain.

But the only trophy he won in England was the 2005 FA Cup. Now he returns with London rivals Chelsea under Jose Mourinho after confirming Arsenal had not taken up their option to re-sign him.

“Yes, everyone knows that Arsenal had the first option to sign me. They decided not to take this option and therefore it wasn’t meant to be. I wish them well in the future.” l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE Friday, June 13, 2014

13 Liverpool v Juventus, the duel within

14 Dutch seek World Cup revenge against Spain

15 Tamim Iqbal in buoyant mood for India series

Sport Why not Idris?

n Iresh Zaker

Performers led by US rapper Pitbull (C), Brazilian pop singer Claudia Leitte (R) and US singer Jennifer Lopez (L) take part in the opening ceremony of the 2014 Fifa World Cup at the Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo yesterday AFP

&RO; LQFK

Pele - Grace and grandeur personified

from Sao Paulo, Brazil

It was like a bolt from the blue, an electric shock when I learnt that the king of football - Pele will be arriving in Sao Paulo FC to launch his video blog ‘Real Pele’ and the thought of a potential possibility of meeting the living legend gave me instant goosebumps. I was in hot pursuit immediately to catch a first-hand view of the three time World Cup winner and therefore Sao Paulo FC’s stadium became my destination to experience the history of the club as well as to meet Pele. The manager of the event cordially welcomed me to the programme and I would be lying if I

say I expected such a cordial welcome.

Perhaps the event management firm did not make the event open for all as only around 20 print and electronic media personnels were present on the occasion and needless to say, even a thousand presence was not something impossible if it were an open event.

The programme was scheduled to begin at 11:00 pm and he arrived at the venue about 15 minutes early and apart from the organizers, there was nobody at the entrance of the stadium. Pele took time and the programme started at 11:25. The sudden burst of movement around the podium signaled the icon’s immediate ascend to the podium to take his seat.

Nicely clad in a black leather shirt and ash colored trousers with strapped leather shoes, Pele steadily walked towards the podium. The gold-made chain and the cross in the black background was looking royal. At the age of 74, he looked quite fit but his slow steps could hardly hide his senility. He is five feet eight inches tall but appeared a little short due to age as he moved carefully with that trademark smile all over his face.

His daughter Kelly helped him to sit on the chair. Pele greeted the audience by raising his hands and the presenter welcomed him in a different way. He

read out an excerpt from the book written on Pele back in 1970 and the king was smiling with the gesture.

He was enjoying the procedure, his fingers and the feet were tapping with the rhythm of the music as he carefully watched a video clip featuring him during the 1970 World Cup. He looked a little shy when the big screens displayed the pre-shooting lapses and

Pele acknowledges the moment after receiving a gold crown at Sao Paulo FC on Wednesday RAIHAN MAHMOOD

China Panda pundits red carded

Platini withdraws support for Blatter n AFP, Sao Paulo

n AFP, Beijing

Uefa president Michel Platini withdrew his support from FIFA counterpart Sepp Blatter on Thursday, plunging world football into open warfare.

“I am supporting him no longer, it’s finished,” Platini said in an interview with two journalists, including one from AFP. “He knows it, I told him. I think FIFA needs a new breath of fresh air.”

The 78-year-old Blatter has faced calls to stand down when his term ends next year as FIFA confronts allegations that a Qatari football official paid millions of dollars of bribes to secure the 2022 World Cup. Platini said he agreed with some other Uefa members that it was time for 78-year-old Blatter, who has been in power since 1998, to stand down next year.

“I share the European position,” said 58-year-old Platini. “A new mandate for him would not be good for football. But he is a person one has to respect and he has all my respect.” l

A team of Chinese baby pandas lined up to predict World Cup scores have been given the red card by authorities hours before kick off, the animals’ keepers told AFP Thursday.

The pandas were billed by Chinese media as China’s answer to deceased soccer soothsayer Paul the Octopus,

after they were originally set to predict match results by picking food from a choice of baskets and by climbing trees.

But representatives at the pandas’ breeding base in southwestern Sichuan province said the bears would not be given the chance to predict results at this year’s tournament, which begins in São Paulo Thursday.

State news agency Xinhua had previously said the pandas, who are aged between one and two years old, were to select food from three bamboo baskets representing either a win, loss or draw during the group stages.

For the knock-out rounds, the animals would select winners by climbing trees marked with the national flags of competing nations, it added.

China had hoped the pandas could match the worldwide fame achieved by Paul, the German octopus that correctly predicted the results of eight games at the 2010 World Cup. l

whispered something to Kelly. Grace was there, dignity was there and of course the atmosphere was taken over by an air of respect as the audience remained glued to their seats and those who were standing remained firm.

His accent was royal and his tone was pleasing. He conversed fluently in both Portuguese and English. I could not resist myself to take the microphone and

ask him a question. So I introduced myself and Pele looked at me sharply when he heard the name Bangladesh. Finally I asked the great man to compare the football of his time and the current time.

I also sought Kelly’s assistance to make him understand my question as I was not elaborating it in Portuguese.

However, to my utter surprise, Pele started his reply in English and it was clear, slow and every word appeared perfect. “Football has not changed, the appeal and the language remain the same,” he opined. He also answered a few other questions in Portuguese.

I learnt later that he warned Brazil against any complacency during the World Cup and asked the players to give their best by never underestimating any opponent.

He rose from his chair when he was presented a tiny gold crown and thanked the organizers. Holding Kelly’s hand, Pele slowly left the stage and around a thousand Brazilians had gathered at the entrance of the stadium by that time. Remember dear readers, it was empty when he arrived. Gracefully waving his hands, the King of football got inside the car and left.

Caption- Pele acknowledges the moment after receiving a gold crown at Sao Paulo FC on Wednesday. l

World Cup opens in true spirit despite protests Mahmood n Raihan from Sao Paulo The Fifa World Cup 2014 kicked off in Arena de Sao Paulo - with the lead-up to the football extravaganza highlighted by public outrage across the city - yesterday.

Sporadic incidents across the city marred the atmosphere as police used tear gases to scramble the demonstrators.

However, the demonstration could not stop the spirit of the beautiful game as the 65000 capacity stadium gradually grew into a yellow sea. There were only 5% of Croatian supporters present in the stadium as the other 95% belonged to the hosts.

The most notable point in the build-up was that Vuvuzelas were not allowed inside the arena which made thousands of fans blow them acorss the city.

The 32-nation tournament was officially opened by the symbolic gesture of three children sending doves into the air in the

center circle of the pitch. The 12 state heads of Brazil were also present during the ceremony as VIP guests, including Brazilian President Dilma Roussef. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was also expected in the crowd, along with under-fire Fifa supremo Sepp Blatter.

The pre-match fanfare included a performance by US pop stars Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull along with local superstar Claudia Leitte who were flanked by hundreds of dancers, drummers, gymnasts and a paraplegic who kicked a football in a robotic silver suit.

The event featured a giant LED ball made up of more than 90,000 light clusters.

Brazil’s nature, history and people were the theme of the opening ceremony.

The sound of the cheerful crowd was unbelievable when Brazil players entered the field to for their pre-match warm-up. It can easily be said that football will engulf all the region of the world for the next four weeks. l

Why Paul the Octopus and Madame Shiva, and not Idris the Indur? Let me provide the background for my cryptic query. Back in 2010 Paul the Octopus, God rest his octopine soul, was given two boxes of mussels with the names of contending teams. Whichever box Paul chose to gobble from was considered his choice of the winner.

Paul’s success rate was impressive. All in all he correctly predicted 13 games out of 15, eating many mussels while doing so. Aaah mussels, how long it has been since Iresh the octopus last ate mussels. But I digress.

While Paul has gone to greener waters, his spirit remains salubriuosly alive. One of his reincarnates is Madame Shiva. Madame Shiva is actually not RSS but Swiss. Her owners being Swiss, after all, have opted for a healthier and cleaner approach. There are no mussels involved, which I would have protested had I been given the choice. All they do is drop her on a miniature football field. Whichever goal she runs towards is her prediction of the winner. Quite brilliant and disgustingly healthy Here is my question. We have millions of unused unemployed animals. Why not use at least one of them to predict world cup, t20, kabaddi, hockey league, or nauka baich winners. What is wrong with some employment generation. Imagine the pride and joy that Idris Indur and his family will feel when he correctly predicts who will win the Ghana US match. Imagine the pride WE will feel when he does so. The patriotic possibilities are endless.

And now my to favorite topic of the world cup, Horse Placenta. Spain plays the Netherlands today and everyone knows the stars. But no one knows the horse that could prove so crucial to the proceedings. Diego Costa, Spain’s wrecker in chief, will be counting heavily on fluid injected into his knees from a horse’s placenta to keep him fit for national glory and the Golden Boot.

This I suspect will be the first time a horse will have entered the competitive phase of a world cup game.

Historical stuff indeed!

On a side note, if fluid was drawn from a horse’s placenta then the horse and the unborn foal must have suffered. I demand that they both be present at the game. That and Idris the Indur are my two wishes for Friday. l

Forlan back in training after stomach bug n AFP, Sete Lagoas Veteran Uruguay striker Diego Forlan was back in training Thursday following a stomach bug that kept him off the practice pitch the day before.

The 35-year-old had stayed in the gym and missed both Uruguay training sessions on Wednesday after waking up with a “digestive problem”, the team’s press office had said.

The former Manchester United and Inter Milan forward, who was one of the stars of the last World Cup in South Africa when he scored some stunning goals and picked up the Golden Ball award for best player of the tournament, took part in stretching exercises and work with a ball alongside his team-mates during the 15 minutes training at the Sete Lagoas stadium was open to the media.

Star striker Luis Suarez also trained with his team-mates but is not expected to be fit for Saturday’s Group D opener against Costa Rica. l

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Japan economy

Industrial output

Month-on month, % change 4

3

1.5

2

1 0.6 0

Excluding fresh food prices Year-on-year, % change

3.9

2.7

2

0.7

B3 New venture capital

feed 'gold-rush' among India’s IT start-ups

1 0 -1

-3

-2.3 -2.5

-2.8

3.2

3

-1

-2

-4

Inflation

A M J J A S O N D J F M A 2014 2013

1.3

0.7

0.4

1.3

-0.4

-2 -3

AM J J A S ON D J F MA 2013 2014

B4 Japan’s ‘Abenomics’

Source: Finance Ministry, AFP

faces critical test

FRIDAY, JUNE 13, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Private employments on the wane ‘We cannot be optimistic about next fiscal too given prevailing situations’ n Asif Showkat Kallol The number of jobs created by Bangladesh’s private sector has been shrinking for last several years, underlining low investment and slow economic growth.

Data of last three years showed the job creation in private sector has slowed.

Although this is the situation, Finance Minister AMA Muhith has given no clear outline in the next fiscal’s proposed budget to revitalise employment creation in the country.

According to Board of Investment data, the private sector employed 5.03 lakh new comers in FY2010-11, 4.51 lakh in FY2011-12 and 3.09 lakh in FY2012-13.

The first seven months data of the current fiscal is also gloomy as during the period only 1.27 lakh new jobs were provided by the sector.

Analysts expect the creation of employment coping with the demand will remain a challenge in the upcoming fiscal too as chances are gloomy over the removal of infrastructural bottlenecks and improving political situation.

“We cannot be optimistic about job creation given political situation and low investment,” said Zaid Bakht, research director of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).

These factors (politics and investment) also caused a decline in imports that resulted in the fall of service sector jobs including financial institutions, wholesale and retailing, Zaid Bakht said.

In his budget speech, finance min-

Atiur affirms containing inflation within FY15 target n Tribune Report Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman yesterday affirmed containing inflation within the budgetary target for the next fiscal year that remained over 7% in the recent months.

“I won’t be able to afford the skyrocketing inflation as the government plans to keep it below 7%, but it would be a tougher job to control inflation under present situation,” he told a seminar in the capital.

United International University organised the seminar titled “National Budget 2014-15: Challenge for Implementation.” Regarding the proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year, Atiur said: “It may be ambitious one, but strategically it’s a sensible budget.”

Commenting on the capital market, he said: “The market is now more stable than ever before. The market could be the source for huge investments and mega projects, as it is now being run professionally.”

He said the central bank would never allow the stock market to become another bubble to be busted again, as the banks’ exposure to the stock market was set to a limit. The governor put importance on co-ordination between money market and capital market for bringing discipline in both the markets.

Economic governance is a must for proper implementation of the budget as cost escalation of projects has been seen a sharp rise in recent budget trends, said Hossain Zillur Rahman, former advisor to the caretaker government of Bangladesh.

“For the last few years, the GDP growth has got stuck and moving around 6%, but we have to come out of it to get the status of a middle income country,” said Zillur.

“As the government has sought cooperation from us, we are ready to co-operate the government, but it has to ensure the accountability to the mass people.” l

ister, however, set some targets to generate skilled manpower for the job markets – both local and overseas.

The government will expect to produce a total of 2.6 lakh skilled people for the local market in the next three years with assistance from development partners. It will also generate 10 lakh skilled people for overseas market in the next 15 years, Muhith said.

For local market, the government has identified five growing sectors – garment industry, construction, information technology, light engineering and ship building for employment opportunities.

According to the data, a total of 75% of employments are supplied by the country’s private sector.

Analysts say the employment situ-

ation will not improve unless private sector investment is increased.

BoI data showed the total private sector investment was Tk1,72,051 crore in FY2009-10, which increased to Tk2,88,911 crore in the current fiscal year, not a significant growth at all.

The total investment in FY2012-13 was about Tk2,60,749 crore.

As per Bangladesh Bank records, the private investment went down 21.3% this year compared to the previous year.

Private sector credit growth slumped to 11.46% in April this year which was the lowest in the last 10 years. It’s also significantly lower than the target of 16.5% set in the present monetary policy.

Domestic savings also stagnated,

plunging to the lowest level in 10 years.

Around 18 lakh job seekers enter the job market every year. Of them, nearly six lakh find jobs overseas. A part of the rest is absorbed by the local market, while others remain unemployed.

The number of those absorbed in the local job market depends on economic activities driven by credit growth to the private sector, and investment. The outlook of the overseas job market is also not encouraging.

On an average, six lakh Bangladeshis migrate abroad for jobs annually, but in the first four months this year, a total of 139,907 workers migrated to different countries. Trends show that the number would be slightly more than four lakh next year. l

NUMBER OF JOBS CREATED IN PRIVATE SECTOR (LAKH) 5.03

4.51 3.09 1.27

FY 11

FY 12

FY 13

FY 14 (till Jan)

Source: Board of Investment

Bangladesh has called upon the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations to include Bangladesh in its Blue Economy Initiative.

Minister for Fisheries and Livestock Muhammed Sayedul Hoque made the request as he called on the director general of FAO Jose Graziano Da Silva at his office in Rome on

n Tribune Report Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday again harshly criticised investors who are engaged in “destabilising” the stock market.

“Lots of investors are in the market.

But all are not genuine investors. They are just fatkabaz (speculator),” said Muhith, after a meeting with securities regulator and stock exchanges at at the finance minister’s office.

He held them responsible for creating “instability” in the stock market that is now going through volatility.

The minister hoped that demutulised stock exchanges will break the tradition that investor himself is a trader and broker. “But after demutulisation, the tradition will end but take time and every body will play their due role to bring discipline in the market.”

Chairman of Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission M Khairul

Hossain said the regulator is never responsible for creating instability in the stock market, as it is not involved with daily trading.

“We are regulator that just monitor the market and accordingly take action against manipulators, if anybody found guilty.”

The investors should always purchase shares judging by the fundamentals of shares, he advised the investors.

Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) and Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) put some recommendations, including capital gain tax, to reconsider in the proposed budget.

They also urged the minister to take steps for encouraging big and profitable company in the market.

Banking division secretary M Aslam Alam, DSE Chairman Siddiqur Rahman Miah, CSE Chairman Muhammad Abdul Mazid and other high officials were present at the meeting. l

US assures support to Jewellers: Duty hike to be bane Bangladesh RMG for gold business n Tribune Business Desk

The United States has assured continued support for further development of Bangladesh’s RMG sector and acknowledged the progress already made in the areas of labour rights and factory safety.

The assurance came during Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed’s meetings with the US officials in Washington on Wednesday, according to Bangladesh Embassy in Washington, reports UNB. Tofail held separate meetings with US Trade Representative Michael Froman, Congressman Sandy Levin, high officials from the Department of State as well as Department of Labor which included Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment Catherine A Novelli, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Nisha Desai Biswal, and various retailers’ associations.

During his discussions with the USTR, Congressman Levin and other officials of the US government, the Commerce Minister briefed them of the progress made in accordance with the US “Action Plan for GSP.” He also urged them to consider duty-free and quota-free (DFQF) market access of Bangladesh apparels into the US market which can further boost the ongoing progress of the RMG industry that has employed more than three million women in the sector bringing about positive changes in women empowerment, child and maternal health, education, and other socio-economic sectors.

Tofail highlighted the support and assistance of private sector like BGMEA and BKMEA, ILO, Alliance, Accord and a number of western countries including the US was critical for the government of Bangladesh in making substantial progress in a short period of time.

He highlighted the ongoing efforts of diversifying the export items and destinations for Bangladesh products.

The USTR, Ambassador Froman, thanked the Bangladesh Commerce Minister for successful conclusion of TICFA. Congressman Levin termed the Tazreen fire and Rana Plaza collapse as a wakeup call for both Bangladesh and USA which drew massive publicity in the US media.

Congressman Levin termed the Tazreen fire and Rana Plaza collapse as a wakeup call for both Bangladesh and USA which drew massive publicity in the US media He called the initiatives of Accord and Alliance as important for the progress of the RMG sector as, what he said, he never sponsored any idea of deserting Bangladesh by the brands and retailers on the question of workers’ safety.

Undersecretary Novelli mentioned that the umbrella program for GSP is yet to be renewed and once renewed there may be opportunities for Bangladesh but in the meantime, she emphasized that, the remaining issues under the GSP Action Plan need to be addressed by Bangladesh.

Nisha Biswal appreciated the partnership between Bangladesh and the US to promote the issues of mutual interest.

She expressed interest in seeing a boost in intra-regional trade among the south Asian countries which is minimal vis-à-vis their external trade with the outside world. l

n Tahmidur Rahman Local jewellers urged the government to cancel the proposed duty hike on gold import, which they said could affect their business badly.

They think the government should adopt stricter measures to prevent smuggling rather than increasing duties.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith proposed raising duty on all gold imports to Tk3,000 per tola (11.66g) from the present Tk150.

Muhith also proposed 3% value added tax on jewellery services, which is 2% at present.

At present, gold traders pay Tk150 per tola as import duty plus a 4% advance income tax.

Over 10,000 jewellers partially depend on recycling gold brought home

by Bangladeshi migrants, but the proposed duty hike may discourage them, said Aminul Islam, general secretary of Bangladesh Jewellers Samity (BJS).

“The surge in duty by 20 times will increase revenue for the government, but many expatriates will not be able to afford it,” he argued.

“Besides, lowering the limit of gold ornaments that a passenger may carry in total up to 300 grams may disappoint them.”

Another BJS official alleged the budget did not reflect any of the association’s demands which were placed at a pre-budget meeting with the National Board of Revenue (NBR).

“Not even the long-standing demand of a gold policy, which the neighbouring countries already have, was met,” the official said.

Rationality behind 20-fold hike

The twenty-fold hike in duty is planned apparently to discourage smuggling to neighbouring India, where the duty for

Bangladesh keen to join FAO’s Blue Economy initiative n Tribune Report

Muhith raps stock investors again

9 June, said a statement released in Dhaka yesterday.

The minister was attending the 31st session of the Committee on Fisheries (COFI) in Rome.

Blue Economy Initiative is recently gaining popularity across the world. It is an integrated development strategy for fisheries, aquaculture, marine tourism and ecosystem, preserving the local production and consumption system.

The minister also called for expanding cooperation in fish feed and seed development programs with special focus on climate change.

In this regard, he argued Bangladesh is a riverine country, which has a vast coastal line with an ample scope for marine fisheries development.

DG of FAO Graziano had expressed his satisfaction over the ongoing FAO projects in Bangladesh.

He also agreed to further deepen collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock with a special focus on climate change and blue growth initiative.

FAO is now implementing 25 projects in Bangladesh with a cost of US$85m. The projects include agriculture production, livestock and fisheries sector development and animal disease control, says the statement. l

Workers making gold jewelleries at a factory in Dhaka the precious metal is more than 2000% higher.

“The rationality on the proposed hike on gold duty is mostly due to the recent increase in gold smuggling,” Muhith said in his budget speech for FY2014-15.

The minister also proposed decreasing the amount of duty-free gold ornaments each passenger is allowed to bring into the country to 100 grams from the existing 200 grams.

Individuals who are residents in Bangladesh may still carry an additional 200 grams of gold jewellery or bars per head after paying the proposed duty.

The proposed measures are aimed at stopping the rising trend in importing gold at low cost, and then smuggling it to India for profit.

Recent data by the NBR suggests a

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

sharp rise in legal inflow of gold within baggage rules in the past few months.

“A very low gold import duty, compared to that in India, encourages smugglers to import gold to Bangladesh and then smuggle it out to the neighbouring country,” an NBR official said, asking not to be named.

“To lower the gap of over 2000% in gold duties between Bangladesh and India, such measures and unusual hikes were inevitable,” the official added.

However, India’s Trade Secretary Rajeev Kher recently suggested India would need to “rationalise” duty on gold imports, which plunged 72% in May, said Reuters report.

Following a steep rise in the country’s current account deficit, India raised gold import tax last year to 10% from 4%. l

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Stocks end flat amid choppy trading n

Stocks closed flat in choppy trading yesterday, reversing the marginal gains on the day before.

The market has been wavy during the entire session as profit taking weighed on some selected stocks.

The benchmark index DSEX slipped 2 points to settle at 4,409, hitting highest at 4,426 in the morning and lowest at 4,403 in the first session.

The comprising blue chips DS30 edged over 1 points or 0.2% to 1,018.

The Shariah Index DSES closed at 1,638, shedding 1 points.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, witnessed fractional losses of nearly 1 points to 8,410.

The DSE turnover dropped below Tk400-mark to hit the lowest level from the start of this month.

Turnover at DSE stood at Tk368 crore, down by over 15% over the previous session.

Mutual Funds that remained under pressure for long shined ahead of their corporate declarations and moved up over 3%. Almost all the Funds gained with seven emerging

Company

Turnover (Million Taka)

3,687.63

Turnover (Volume)

76,940,374

Number of Contract

85,210

Traded Issues

296

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

117

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

172

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

7

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,295.02

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.82

CSE key features June 12, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

293.52

Turnover (Volume)

Daily capital market highlights

7,731,982

Number of Contract

11,222

DSE Broad Index :

4408.80246

(-) 0.05%

▼

Traded Issues

225

DSE Shariah Index :

1018.23709

(+) 0.15%

▲

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

91

DSE - 30 Index :

1638.08083

(-) 0.08%

▼

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

131

CSE All Share Index:

13623.15170

(+) 0.21%

▲

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

2

CSE - 30 Index :

11126.22000

(+) 0.23%

▲

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,205.01

8410.43440

(-) 0.01%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.73

CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS

Wata Chemicals -A Bangladesh Welding -Z Stylecraft -A Samata LeatheR -Z Pragati Gen. I -A Apex Footwear-A Kohinoor Chem -A Khulna Power-A

-16.37 -5.51 -5.36 -5.21 -4.67 -4.16 -4.15 -3.89

Average (% change) -17.22 -6.23 -5.36 -5.76 -2.93 -4.19 -3.71 -2.20

Libra Infusions-A G Heavy Chemicals-N

-3.71 -3.65

-3.86 -2.21

Company

Closing (% change)

CSE LOSERS

Bangladesh Welding -Z Ambee Pharma -A Rahima Food -Z G Next Fashions-A Quasem Drycells -A Metro Spinning -A Beacon Pharma Ltd.-Z Safko Spinning-A

-5.47 -4.57 -3.84 -3.66 -3.52 -3.47 -2.86 -2.82

Average (% change) -3.79 -2.71 -4.43 -1.23 -1.47 -6.77 -4.48 -2.13

SonarBangla Insu. -A Berger Paints-A

-2.69 -2.65

-2.69 -2.65

Company

Closing (% change)

ANALYST

Closing average

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

DSE Million Taka 187.72 74.17 95.58 655.28 120.32 345.87 1.54 408.28 415.51 0.51 106.17 60.00 9.84 380.32 38.14 34.32 132.08 444.22 54.90 122.26 0.61

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

301.11 12.04 1131.00 27.33 41.72 335.55 383.67 47.54

301.40 12.00 1131.00 27.30 40.80 334.00 383.60 47.00

301.40 12.30 1131.00 27.90 43.00 345.00 400.00 49.00

290.00 11.50 1131.00 27.00 40.00 332.10 375.10 45.00

2.981 0.650 0.113 0.082 2.976 38.051 2.302 4.746

6.24 0.48 47.83 0.09 2.52 -11.44 9.37 7.64

48.3 25.1 23.6 303.7 16.6 -ve 40.9 6.2

406.67 42.52

407.30 42.20

416.90 43.40

400.00 42.20

0.244 3.997

4.20 2.48

96.8 17.1

Closing average

Closing

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Grameen M F One-A Midas Financing-Z Meghna Con. Milk -B BEXIMCO Ltd. -A AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A AIMS First -A Grameen1:Scheme2 -A Mithun Knitting -A MBL 1st M. F.-A Beximco Syn.-Z

12.10 309.00 50.10 18.40 38.40 16.70 13.60 20.70

12.40 321.00 50.10 18.90 39.40 18.00 14.00 20.70

12.00 308.00 50.00 18.30 38.20 16.00 13.40 20.70

0.025 0.166 0.050 7.224 0.374 0.356 0.603 0.010

0.48 3.20 -1.01 2.28 1.79 0.92 0.04 1.08

25.4 98.5 -ve 8.1 21.7 18.4 341.5 19.2

18.10 1,100.00

18.10 1,100.00

18.10 1,100.00

18.10 1,100.00

0.018 0.055

1.52 57.68

11.9 19.1

Simultaneously, shaky market momentum influenced investors’ yield hunting in frequent intervals

% change 5.09 2.01 2.59 17.77 3.26 9.38 0.04 11.07 11.27 0.01 2.88 1.63 0.27 10.31 1.03 0.93 3.58 12.05 1.49 3.32 0.02

Million Taka 15.85 7.65 5.86 67.97 9.56 19.93 36.94 22.50 13.67 5.05 14.57 0.60 35.71 5.27 2.11 2.95 37.43 9.53 21.19 0.02

% change 4.74 2.29 1.75 20.33 2.86 5.96 0.00 11.05 6.73 4.09 1.51 4.36 0.18 10.68 1.58 0.63 0.88 11.19 2.85 6.34 0.00

Million Taka 203.57 81.82 101.44 723.25 129.88 365.80 1.54 445.23 438.01 14.18 111.22 74.57 10.44 416.03 43.41 36.44 135.03 481.65 64.42 143.45 0.62

Total

9.76 8.64 7.69 7.42 7.27 6.63 6.54 6.27 5.77 5.26

CSE GAINERS Company Grameen M F One-A ISN Ltd. -Z AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A PrimeFin. 1st MF-A Mithun Knitting -A Grameen1:Scheme2 -A AIMS First -A National Life I -A MBL 1st M. F.-A

Closing (% change) 9.00 7.14 7.14 6.99 6.74 6.67 6.49 6.37 5.89 5.66

Average (% change) 8.07 8.06 6.96 4.15 4.87 5.44 5.27 5.26 4.99 4.09 Average (% change) 6.38 7.47 8.24 3.95 5.45 4.50 5.21 5.13 5.99 5.32

Closing average 40.57 17.56 8.45 24.11 5.81 39.90 16.19 105.75 5.47 9.92

Closing average 41.33 10.50 6.04 23.95 18.77 105.85 16.16 39.56 350.44 5.54

Closing 41.60 17.60 8.40 24.60 5.90 40.20 16.30 106.80 5.50 10.00

Closing 42.40 10.50 6.00 24.50 19.00 107.20 16.40 40.10 350.40 5.60

Daily high 41.60 17.80 8.50 25.00 6.00 40.50 16.50 107.70 5.60 10.30

Daily high 42.70 10.50 6.10 24.70 19.00 107.30 16.50 40.20 358.00 5.60

Daily low 37.80 17.00 8.10 20.70 5.50 37.50 14.50 95.00 5.20 9.30

Daily low 39.00 10.50 5.60 22.70 18.40 103.40 15.40 37.30 335.00 5.10

Turnover in million 10.750 0.079 0.621 85.020 4.399 11.785 16.376 77.880 6.955 2.880

Turnover in million 1.261 0.011 0.429 18.265 0.113 3.133 1.463 1.147 0.158 0.169

Latest EPS 3.40 -6.91 -4.85 0.59 1.49 5.00 1.70 2.69 1.44 0.76

Latest EPS 3.40 0.20 1.49 0.59 1.64 2.69 1.70 5.00 12.46 1.44

Latest PE 11.9 -ve -ve 40.9 3.9 8.0 9.5 39.3 3.8 13.1

Latest PE 12.2 52.5 4.1 40.6 11.4 39.3 9.5 7.9 28.1 3.8

News from trade server AGRANINS: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on December 31, 2013 to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts on June 10, 2014.

RUPALIBANK: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on December 31, 2013 to the respective shareholders' BO Accounts on June 11, 2014.

SIBL: The Company has informed that it has disbursed cash dividend for the year 2013 to the respective shareholders Bank Account(s) through Bangladesh Electronic Fund Transfer Network (BEFTN).

The Peninsula Chittagong Limited: Trading of the shares of The Peninsula Chittagong Limited will commence at DSE from June 15, 2014 under 'N' category. DSE Trading Code for The Peninsula Chittagong Limited is "PENINSULA" and DSE Company Code is 29003.

IPO Subscription: Far East Knitting & Dyeing Industries Limited subscription date 15-19 June 2014, NRB upto 28 June 2014. @ taka 27, face value taka 10 and market lot 200. Shurwid Industries Limited sub-

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Grameenphone-A LafargeS Cement-Z BSRM Steels-A Appollo Ispat CL -N Square Pharma -A BD Submarine Cable-A Eastern Housing -A

CSE

Closing (% change)

scription date 08-12 June 2014, NRB upto 21 June 2014. @ taka 10, face value taka 10 and market lot 500. Saif Powertec Limited subscription date 06-10 July 2014, NRB upto 19 July 2014. @ taka 30, face value taka 10 and market lot 200. Ratanpur Steel Re-Rolling Mills Limited subscription date 13-17 July 2014, NRB upto 26 July 2014. @ taka 40, face value taka 10 and market lot 200.

Dividend/AGM LAFSURCEML: 5% interim cash, Record date for entitlement of interim dividend: 30.06.2014.

ASIAINS: 15% cash and 5% stock, AGM: 16.07.2014, Record Date: 19.06.2014.

WATACHEM: 30% stock, AGM: 27.06.2014, Record Date: 11.06.2014.

AMBEEPHA: 15% cash and 20% stock, AGM: 16.06.2014, Record Date: 28.05.2014.

MBL1STMF: 3% cash, Record date: 02.06.2014.

AIBL1STIMF: 5.5% cash, Record date: 02.06.2014.

ORIONPHARM: 15% cash, AGM: 22.06.2014, Record Date: 21.05.2014.

PURABIGEN: 15% stock, AGM: 29.06.2014, Record date: 21.05.2014.

SALVOCHEM: 10% stock, AGM: 27.08.2014, Record date: 25.06.2014.

ISNLTD: No dividend, AGM: 17.06.2014, RD May 20, 2014.

GOLDENSON: 25% stock, EGM and AGM: 21.06.2014, Record Date: 15.05.2014.

MERCINS: 10% cash, dividend for the Public Shareholders (B-Group) only, AGM: 16.06.2014, Record Date: 15.05.2014.

CMCKAMAL: 12.50% stock, AGM: 30.06.2014. Record Date: 29.05.2014.

RUPALIBANK: 15% stock, AGM: 31.05.2014, Record date: 14.05.2014.

LEGACYFOOT: 5% stock, AGM: 21.06.2014, Record Date: 12.05.2014.

BDTHAI: 5% stock, AGM: 21.06.2014, Record Date: 25.05.2014.

MEGHNACEM: 15% cash, AGM: 29.05.2014, Record Date: 14.05.2014.

MONNOSTAF: 10% cash, AGM: 26.06.2014, Record Date: 19.05.2014.

INTECH: 10% stock, AGM: 23.06.2014, Record Date: 15.05.2014.

ISLAMIINS: 15% stock, AGM: 09.07.2014, RD: 12.05.2014.

Latest PE

12.17 315.15 50.05 18.51 38.84 16.94 13.66 20.70

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Daily high

Friday, June 13, 2014

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features June 12, 2014

at top ten gainers list.

Spike in cement, IT and telecommunications offset some losses, gaining 2%, 1.5% and 1.4% respectively. Profit booking pulled down sectors, including food, power, non-banking financial institutions and banks.

A lower global growth forecast from the World Bank of 5.9% than the budgetary target of 7.3% for the next financial year and a 3.4% fall in remittance flow in first 11 months of FY 2013-14 compared to the same period of last fiscal year might have sapped investors’ appetite, said Lanka Bangla Securities.

IDLC Investments said changing preferences forced market dynamics to remain volatile. “Simultaneously, shaky market momentum influenced investors’ yield hunting in frequent intervals.”

Grameenphone that continued to rally ahead of its interim dividend decelerations was the most traded stock with turnover of almost Tk34 crore changing hands.

It was followed by Lafarge Surma Cement, Apolo Ispat, Square Pharmaceuticals, Bangladesh Submarine Cable Company and Eastern Housing Ltd. l

Tribune Report

Stock

% change 5.06 2.03 2.52 17.98 3.23 9.09 0.04 11.07 10.89 0.35 2.77 1.85 0.26 10.34 1.08 0.91 3.36 11.98 1.60 3.57 0.02

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

MJL BD Ltd.-A ACI Limited- A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A

Mithun Knitting -A National Life I -A Meghna Petroleum -A GPH Ispat Ltd-A G Next Fashions-A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LafargeS Cement-Z

Appollo Ispat CL -N Grameenphone-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A BD Submarine Cable-A Navana CNG-A BSRM Steels-A Square Pharma -A G Next Fashions-A UNITED AIR-A Aftab Auto.-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A Eastern Housing -A aamra technologies-A MJL BD Ltd.-A

Volume shares 1,131,276 3,724,000 1,804,157 5,042,600 391,042 562,684 1,552,927 1,046,268 346,366 3,526,250

736,438 207,161 252,158 1,097,890 3,270,037

Volume shares

373,000 796,000 72,000 762,793 84,915 229,985 158,445 31,471 390,270 589,511 70,431 215,000 70,008 156,680 38,660

Value in million 338.58 295.55 162.36 145.57 110.97 105.64 102.61 95.80 86.01 85.02

77.88 70.47 68.70 61.56 60.77

Value in million

29.30 22.97 21.51 18.27 15.92 15.12 14.17 8.92 7.22 6.80 6.13 5.31 4.63 4.56 3.51

% of total turnover 9.18 8.01 4.40 3.95 3.01 2.86 2.78 2.60 2.33 2.31

2.11 1.91 1.86 1.67 1.65

% of total turnover

10.22 8.01 7.50 6.37 5.55 5.27 4.94 3.11 2.52 2.37 2.14 1.85 1.61 1.59 1.23

Daily closing 299.30 82.50 90.60 28.80 283.50 187.10 65.80 90.80 250.20 24.60

106.80 341.50 270.40 55.90 18.50

Daily closing

83.40 28.80 299.00 24.50 187.00 64.70 90.70 282.90 18.40 11.60 86.50 24.60 65.80 29.30 90.50

Price change 1.42 3.38 2.37 2.86 0.00 1.46 1.08 -0.44 1.67 7.42

Daily opening 295.10 79.80 88.50 28.00 283.50 184.40 65.10 91.20 246.10 22.90

Price change

Daily opening

6.27 0.26 -1.02 0.90 -2.12

5.44 3.23 1.80 6.99 1.74 1.09 2.14 -0.11 -3.66 0.87 0.93 -1.20 1.54 3.17 -1.31

100.50 340.60 273.20 55.40 18.90

79.10 27.90 293.70 22.90 183.80 64.00 88.80 283.20 19.10 11.50 85.70 24.90 64.80 28.40 91.70

Daily high 303.00 83.70 93.20 29.20 286.50 191.00 66.90 93.20 255.70 25.00

107.70 350.00 276.90 57.50 19.10

Daily low 290.00 75.00 85.00 27.90 260.00 167.00 59.00 82.10 225.00 20.70

95.00 315.00 250.00 50.00 17.30

Daily average 299.29 79.36 89.99 28.87 283.77 187.74 66.08 91.56 248.32 24.11

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

84.00 29.10 302.00 24.70 189.90 65.90 93.00 286.00 18.90 12.00 88.00 24.90 66.90 29.60 93.00

75.00 28.00 292.00 22.70 185.00 63.50 86.80 276.50 18.30 10.40 85.50 24.50 65.30 26.00 88.60

105.75 340.15 272.46 56.07 18.58

78.56 28.85 298.73 23.95 187.52 65.74 89.42 283.51 18.51 11.54 87.01 24.68 66.07 29.09 90.89

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

B3

Friday, June 13, 2014

New venture capital feed 'gold-rush' among India’s IT start-ups n Reuters, Mumbai In India’s IT services outsourcing sector, local start-ups, often backed by US venture capital funds, are nipping at the heels of industry heavyweights such as Tata Consultancy Services Ltd and Infosys Ltd. These nimble start-ups, most of them based in Bangalore, offer niche cutting-edge technology products, solutions and services that traditional outsourcing companies don’t offer, or can’t offer at competitive rates.

To be sure, Tata Consultancy (TCS), Infosys and Wipro Ltd still account for the bulk of the $100bn-plus core IT industry’s sales and employ hundreds of thousands of engineers.

But as these focus on routine services like application development and IT infrastructure management, the startups are stealing a march in newer areas such as cloud computing and mobile technology.

The value of outsourcing contracts for digital technologies - social, mobility, analytics and cloud (SMAC) - is set to soar to $287bn by 2016 from $164bn last year, says Rajat Tandon, a senior director at the National Association for Software and Services Companies, an outsourcing sector lobby group.

Start-ups will lead the race in providing solutions based on these SMAC technologies, says the group, which predicts the number of start-ups in India will top 2,000 by 2015, from 450 in 2012.

“There’s a gold rush. Start-ups are rushing in to serve markets that were never served before,” said Sharad Sharma, co-founder of iSPIRT, a think-tank and start-up consultancy.

Head-to-head

One such relative newcomer is ISGN, a mortgage technology and services company backed by California-headquartered New Enterprise Associates and India’s KK Birla group. With a modest workforce of 1,200, the 2007 startup is already taking business from its bigger, established rivals, winning outsourcing contracts from leading US mortgage companies.

‘India needs to rationalise gold import duty’ n Reuters, New Delhi India needs to “rationalise” duty on gold imports, which plunged 72% in May, Trade Secretary Rajeev Kher told reporters on Wednesday.

Following a steep rise in the country’s current account deficit, India raised the gold import tax last year to 10% from 4%. Separately, Kher said his ministry was not considering raising import duty on sugar, as the matter had not been brought to his notice.

Last week Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said India will examine raising import tax on sugar to support local prices and help mills clear dues to cane growers. l

ISGN last year won a $75-$100 million renewal order from one of the top five US mortgage companies which had previously placed work with one of the major Indian IT firms, said CEO Amit Kothiyal, a former Infosys veteran. He declined to give details, citing a confidentiality pact.

“We have a couple of large deals going on right now, where we’re competing head to head with some of the traditional Indian IT majors,” he added.

India’s big outsourcing companies have thrived for years by providing IT and back-office services to global corporations such as Citigroup and BT Group Plc, tapping a vast cheap local workforce. But they are now coming under pressure from smaller firms with venture capital funding, a technological edge and staffed often by skilled engineers who have quit well paid jobs at the large IT companies to take on the challenge of a new venture.

“Today, the deal isn’t about labour arbitrage ... to be competitive, companies need to provide technology, and services become an add-on to that,” said Ben Mathias, a partner at New Enterprise Associates’ India unit. “Without the technology you lose the competitive edge.”

US retailer Target, for example, is working with five Indian start-ups on areas ranging from automating the generation of rotating 3D images to the personalisation of search and product recommendations, said Navneet Kapoor, its India managing director.

Sudin Apte, CEO and founder of advisory firm Offshore Insights said the so-called Global 2000 firms - from the Forbes list of the world’s biggest public companies - are expected to spend 15-16% of their IT services and outsourcing budgets on SMAC, with India forecast to export $16bn worth of SMAC software and services in fiscal 2018.

Business model revolution

Reuters spoke to five start-ups, four of which said that more than 60% of their revenues came from clients in the United States and Britain, and there’s almost always an incumbent IT player they have to compete against.

Employees of ISGN work at their stations inside the company headquarters in Bangalore Client demands range from quick project turnaround and customised marketing solutions to a need for a competitive edge in using digitisation, mobile, social media and other platforms.

The adoption of digital technology has substantially changed business models across the financial services, healthcare, entertainment and telecoms industries, says Sudin Apte, CEO and founder of advisory firm Offshore Insights.

For example, Mumbai-based Emart Solutions, a loyalty management company, won a deal with a global energy company by developing new mobile technology that cut the time needed to process sales data from several weeks to a few seconds, co-founder Srikanth Chunduri told Reuters.

MRDI holds CSR workshop in Thailand n Tribune Business Desk Business development experts have discussed about innovative models of business sustainability through CSR activities at a capacity building workshop in Thailand.

The weeklong workshop on corporate social responsibility (CSR) held at the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) was concluded on Wednesday.

MRDI organised the event in partnership with Bangladesh Bank and AIT. Alex Mavro, professor of the Sasin Institute of Business Administration, Chulalongkron University, Bangkok

and Dennis Walker, management and sustainability consultant were the facilitators.

Sixteen professors from Dhaka University including deans of social sciences and business studies faculties, director of IBA and chairpersons of thirteen departments, representatives of Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) and MRDI participated in the workshop.

During the workshop the participants made a visit to the Standard Chartered village in the Mekong province to see a sustainable CSR intervention. l

In traditional IT services, affordable options like Zoho, which offers customer relationship management solutions to small and mid-sized firms, prompted EcoMark, a Denver, Colorado-based solar energy firm, to migrate from a similar Salesforce.com platform, the start-up told Reuters. Zoho, based in Chennai, said EcoMark saved more than $1,000 per month for 30 users by switching to its platform. EcoMark and Salesforce.com did not respond to requests for comment.

“One can’t ignore that for every account we speak to there’s always an incumbent you have to contend with,” said Puneet Jetli, chief operating officer at Happiest Minds, whose investors include Canaan Partners and Intel Capital.

REUTERS

Jetli says at least 60% of the Bangalore-based start-up’s new projects come from companies which are already working with established IT groups, but want a change.

Funding innovation

Venture capital funding has long been a missing link for budding tech start-ups in India - from the days when the seven co-founders of Infosys pooled $250, mostly borrowed from their spouses, to start the company more than three decades ago.

The country is now seeing a boom in early-stage investment with a large number of funds, including US-based Accel Partners, Lightspeed Venture, Charles River and Sequoia Capital, chasing innovative ideas.

Venture capital funds invested around $190m in early-stage tech firms in India last year, up by almost a quarter from 2012, according to Hong Kongbased Centre for Asia Private Equity Research Ltd. A total of $623m has been invested by venture funds in India since 2011, three-quarters of which was used to buy stakes in software services and ecommerce start-ups, data from the research house shows.

“India is undergoing a transformation. The Internet is catching up and is becoming a basic need here. That makes India an incipient market for businesses that leverage that,” said Prayank Swaroop, Senior Associate at Accel Partners in India.

The attraction for venture funds was underscored by Facebook Inc’s acquisition in January of Bangalore-based Little Eye Labs, a start-up that builds performance analysis and monitoring tools for mobile Android apps.

VenturEast Tenet Fund, an earlystage investor in Little Eye Labs, made a return of multiple times its initial investment, people in the industry said.

Sateesh Andra, managing partner for VenturEast, which has close to $300m under management, said returns on Little Eye were “attractive”, but declined to give details.

“There’s a lot of innovation to come and that can only happen if capital is made available,” said Bejul Somaia, India managing director for Lightspeed, whose investments in India range from $1m to $25m.

“It’s encouraging to see that more capital is being made available to fund innovation at a time when these technology platform shifts are underway and as more young entrepreneurs take the risk of starting companies.”

The established IT companies are taking note, and are open to partnering with start-ups to reach a wider range of clients, instead of developing all the facilities themselves.

“We proactively deliver value using our start-up ecosystem and innovation, which in turn helps us differentiate from our competitors,” said KR Sanjiv, Chief Technology Officer at Wipro. l

Dollar edges up against yen in Asia n AFP, Tokyo

The dollar inched up against the yen in Asia yesterday after tumbling in New York as the Bank of Japan kicked off a policy meeting and investors look ahead to the release of US data, but geopolitical tensions capped gains.

In afternoon Tokyo trading, the greenback bought 102.08 yen, slightly up from 102.03 yen in New York - although it was still down from 102.27 yen in Tokyo earlier Wednesday.

The euro strengthened to $1.3540 and 138.23 yen against $1.3532 and 138.06 yen.

Bank of Japan policymakers are widely expected to hold off further easing measures after their meeting wraps up Friday.

But markets will be keen for any

hints of future moves at a regular news briefing by BoJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda.

Following upbeat jobs data last week, investors were also eyeing May US retail sales for the latest snapshot of the world’s biggest economy, with a positive result likely to lift the dollar.

“Healthy US data releases could provide some relief to the negative market tone,” Credit Agricole said.

However, there is some nervousness in the market after rebels seized the Iraqi city of Tikrit as a jihadist offensive sweeps closer to Baghdad, prompting the UN Security Council to convene crisis talks. The US is said to be considering air strikes on the rebels.

“So we have another source of geopolitical tension to add to Ukraine and various parts of East Asia,” National

Australia Bank said in a note.

That came as the World Bank trimmed its 2014 global growth forecast to 2.8% from its January forecast of 3.2%, while the International Monetary Fund warned sky-high housing prices could foreshadow a crash.

In other trading, the dollar rose to 43.79 Philippine pesos from 43.72 pesos, to Tw$30.00 from Tw$29.99 and to 11,811.50 Indonesian rupiah from 11,802.50 rupiah.

The greenback also strengthened to 1,017.35 South Korean won from 1,016.16, while it was unchanged at 59.31 Indian rupees, 32.47 Thai baht and Sg$1.2500.

The Australian dollar bought 93.77 US cents from 93.55 cents, while the Chinese yuan slipped 16.40 yen against 16.43 yen. l

Euro zone April output rises twice as much as expected n Reuters, Brussels

Union Bank Ltd has recently launched its Pahartali Raojan Branch at MY Plaza in Chowmuhoni Bazar, Pahartoli Raojan, Chittagong. The bank’s managing director Md Abdul Hamid Miah inaugurated the branch

Frutika, a mango juice product of Akij Food & Beverage Ltd has announced of a Facebook contest. The contest will be on taking selfie picture by the contestants. The chief guest at the contest ceremony will be Altaf Hossian, executive director (sales & marketing) of Akij food & Beverage Ltd

Standard Bank Training Institute recently organized a two-day long workshop for 30 participants on garments export financing under back-to-back L/C. The bank’s managing director and CEO Md Nazmus Salehin inaugurated the workshop

Mohammad Abdul Mannan, managing director of Islami Bank Bangladesh Limited is seen handing over a prize to the bank’s clients for winning remittance lottery of Money Gram in a function at Islami Bank Tower on June 10. The bank’s deputy managing director and head of international banking wing Md Mahbub-ul-Alam was present on the occasion among others

Euro zone industrial output rebounded with a twice-as-strong as expected monthly rise in April thanks to energy and non-durable goods production, official data showed yesterday, adding to positive signs that the bloc’s economy continues to grow.

Output at factory gates in the 18 countries sharing the euro expanded 0.8% on the month in April following a downwardly revised -0.4% drop in March, against market expectations of a 0.4% rise.

When compared with the same period of last year, production grew by a much stronger than anticipated 1.4%, following an upwardly revised 0.2% rise in March, previously reported as a 0.1% drop.

Economists polled by Reuters expected 0.9% annual growth.

The monthly expansion, strongest in five months, was mainly driven by a 2.5% rise in energy production, followed by a 2.1% increase in non-durable consumer goods output.

Production of capital goods was the only sector showing a monthly decline, with a 0.1% drop.

Industrial production in Portugal, which exited an international bailout

in May and saw strong investor appetite for its bonds this week, had production rising by a record 6.7% on the month in April.

Spain had monthly production rising at its fastest pace since August 2012 and Ireland’s industry recorded its strongest annual rise in April since November 2010, according to Eurostat.

Finland and Malta were the only two euro zone countries with production falling on the month in April, while the bloc’s second and third largest economies - France and Italy, returned to monthly expansion in April.

Output in Germany, the euro zone’s growth engine, edged up by a smallerthan-expected 0.2% on the month as the spring rebound turned out weaker than usual due to a mild winter.

Outside the euro zone, Britain enjoyed its strongest annual growth in over three years in April, showing that the country’s economic expansion was becoming less reliant on consumer demand and the recovery was broadening.

The 9.5tn euro zone economy surprised with weaker than expected growth at the beginning of this year as strong growth in Germany was not enough to offset contractions in the Netherlands, Italy and stagnating French economy. l

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Friday, June 13, 2014

Japan’s ‘Abenomics’ faces critical test n AFP, Tokyo Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s bid to light a fire under the country’s long-tepid economy will this month face its most critical test with a long-awaited update to his plans for structural reforms.

Farming and pharmacology, pension investments and immigration, taxes and trade are all expected to be addressed in some way as pressure builds on the premier to make good on his early promise to slough off two decades of economic lassitude.

The reforms are the final tranche of the prime minister’s “Abenomics” action plan, which burst into life in early 2013 with a huge public spending bonanza and an unprecedented monetary easing campaign by the Bank of Japan.

That gave the economy a shot in the arm and set off a blazing stock market rally as firms’ profitability fattened on the back of a sharply weaker yen.

But his much-touted - and politically more difficult - first attempt at a package of reforms, announced to great fanfare last summer, fell flat, amid accusations they were too timid and did not undo the vested interests Abe had promised to scuttle.

Observers criticised them as little more than a woolly wish list, full of grand ideas such as getting more women into the workforce, but with few details on how they might be achieved.

Japan economy

Industrial output

Month-on month, % change 4

3

1.5

2

1 0.6 0

Excluding fresh food prices Year-on-year, % change

3.9

2.7

2

0.7

-4

1 0 -1

-2

-2.8

-2.3 -2.5

A M J J A S O N D J F M A 2014 2013

Source: Finance Ministry, AFP

Now, a year later and 12 months wiser, the reforms update has been rather low-key, with no final date set for an announcement - although it is expected to be this month - and little concrete detail on exactly what they

3.2

3

-1

-3

Inflation

0.4

0.7

1.3

1.3

-0.4

-2 -3

AM J J A S ON D J F MA 2013 2014

will entail.

Doubters say that despite his bold rhetoric, Abe will not be able to deliver a wider overhaul of the world’s number three economy, including shaking up rigid labour markets and taking on

a powerful agricultural sector that opposes free-trade deals.

‘Enthusiasm fading’

The 59-year-old premier faces a delicate balance as ordinary Japanese struggle

with lacklustre wage growth and rising prices for everyday goods - the result of Tokyo’s bid to stoke long-absent inflation and the April consumption tax hike to 8% from 5%.

The rise was seen as crucial for bringing down one of the world’s heaviest debt burdens.

But it also threatens to dampen spending power and further erode support for Abe’s turnaround plan.

“The initial enthusiasm for Abenomics has long since given way to scepticism - both in the financial markets and with the public at large,” said Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics.

“Taxes on spending are going up, prices are increasing faster than wages, and many of the planned tax breaks will require painful adjustments in labour and product markets.”

Last month, Abe vowed that “nothing can stop my reforms” but even his hand-picked central bank governor, Haruhiko Kuroda, is calling for less talk and more action.

Kuroda warned that the BoJ’s monetary easing would not guarantee longterm success on its own.

“Implementation (of reforms) is key, and implementation should be swift,” he told the Wall Street Journal.

Abe has pushed through a plans to start deregulating the energy sector and improve access to child care but other changes could be tougher.

Among them are opening up the cossetted agricultural sector and a reported plan to let firms cut overtime

pay for skilled professionals.

Huge potential

Abe’s possible reforms include cutting one of the world’s highest corporate tax rates and rebalancing the bond-heavy national pension fund’s $1.26tn in assets toward equities.

He may also unveil proposals to heavily promote clean energy and robotic technology, as well as scrapping an income-tax deduction for stay-athome spouses in an effort to bring more women into the workforce.

Despite a low birth rate and an ageing workforce, immigration reforms are unlikely in the largely homogeneous country, which has the lowest rate of foreign-born nationals among major industrialised nations.

Abe may, however, loosen permanent residency rules for white-collar professionals and some manual workers, reports said.

But “we are not too optimistic about the resolve of the government to push through radical reforms, particularly in agriculture”, Thieliant said.

Market expectations are “quite low” and given the lengthy timeline for any reforms that Abe does launch, his plans to raise sales taxes again to 10% is more pressing in the short term, said Takahiro Sekido, economist at the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ. “The focus is soon going to shift to Abe’s decision on another consumption tax hike, which will the key issue for the Japanese economy this year.” l

MasterCard expects growth from ‘big data’ n Reuters, Berlin MasterCard Inc, the world’s secondlargest debit and credit card company, sees business booming from selling data to retailers, banks and governments on spending patterns found in the payments it processes, a top executive told Reuters.

MasterCard, which handles payments for 2 billion cardholders and tens of millions of merchants, uses that information to generate real-time data on consumer trends, available more quickly that regular government statistics.

“It is an incredibly fast growing area for us,” Ann Cairns, who heads MasterCard’s business outside North America, said in an interview, stressing that the company respects cardholder privacy, using anonymous data rather than personal information.

MasterCard does not give figures for its information services products but “other revenues”, which include the sale of data, grew 22% in the first quarter of 2014 to $341m, outpacing the growth of total revenue dominated by payments processing, which rose 14% to $2.177bn.

Cairns said clients for the data include retailers, banks and governments, with MasterCard tailoring it to their needs.

“Retailers are fantastic at using the data they have available about how people shop in their store, how their inventory turns over, but what they don’t know is what happens outside their store,” she said.

“The data we’ve got is ubiquitous

across the whole market. We can help retailers see what they need to do to capture more sales.”

Cairns, 57, a statistician by training who joined MasterCard in 2011 after helping manage the disposal of Lehman Brothers assets in Europe, revels in the insights real-time card data can provide, such as London’s popularity as the world’s top travel destination and a rise in spending on experiences such as eating out or going on holiday rather than shopping in stores.

MasterCard has recorded a spike in spending in Brazil on groceries and a drop in spending on luxury goods as the price of food has risen ahead of the World Cup, she said, the kind of insight valued by companies such as Nike and Adidas that are hoping to sell $300 soccer boots during the competition.

Growth in e-commerce, emerging markets

While MasterCard expands in “big data”, Cairns sees no slowdown in its traditional business of processing payments, with plenty of potential for growth as 85% of consumer transactions are still made by cash or cheque.

“Moving money and doing it safely and securely is so deeply cared about by so many people around the world that it will be a business that has fantastic value now and for years to come,” said Cairns, who previously worked at Citigroup and ABN Amro.

London-based Cairns, whose division accounts for 60% of MasterCard’s

business, said the expansion of e-commerce and emerging markets is driving growth, noting that 2.5 billion people are still without access to financial services.

She predicted that shoppers in many developing economies will leapfrog plastic cards and go direct to payment via smartphone - adding MasterCard is providing “digital wallet” technology to retailers and banks and does not see their own moves into the payments field as a competitive threat.

She also played down the challenge from other new rivals such as Kenya’s money transfer service M-Pesa, owned

by Safaricom, and eBay’s online payments unit PayPal, which is trying to move into physical transactions.

“We run at such a sub-infrastructure level around the world. It is very difficult to replicate our network,” she said, adding that M-Pesa had built a branch network to receive and make payments in Kenya, but that would not work in countries where there is more established financial infrastructure.

“Most counties in the world have ATM networks and point of sale networks. Because they are so ubiquitous, that model won’t fly,” she said.

Meanwhile, MasterCard is entrenching its technology in other emerging markets, for example developing a biometrics-based card used for benefits payments in South Africa and working with the Nigeria government on a pilot to overlay payment technology on a new national identity card. l

Employees speak with David Cann (centre), CEO and Co-founder of Double Robotics, on a Telepresence "Double" Robot at the company's headquarters office in Sunnyvale, California. Double Robotics is a technology startup company that produces an iPad-based telepresence robot called Double AFP

Inequality is about more than money n Lawrence Summers

With Thomas Piketty’s book, “Capital in the 21st Century”, rising to number one on bestseller lists, inequality has become central to the public debate over economic policy.

Piketty, and much of this discussion, focuses on the sharp increases in the share of income and wealth going to the top 1%, 0.1% and 0.01% of the population.

This is indeed a critical issue. Whatever the resolution of particular numerical arguments, it is almost certain that the share of income going to the top 1% of the population has risen by 10 percentage points over the last generation, and that the share of the bottom 90% has fallen by a comparable amount.

The only groups that have seen faster income growth than the top 1% are the top 0.1% and top 0.01%.

This discussion helps push policy in constructive directions.

Taxes can be reformed to eliminate loopholes and become more progressive, while also promoting a more efficient allocation of investment.

In areas ranging from local zoning laws to intellectual property protection, from financial regulation to energy subsidies, public policy now bestows great fortunes on those whose primary skill is working the political system rather than producing great products and services.

There is a clear case for policy measures

to reduce profits from such rent-seeking activities, as a number of economists, notably Dean Baker and the late Mancur Olsen, have emphasized.

Unless one regards envy as a virtue, the key reason for concern about inequality is

Lawrence Summers is a former World Bank Chief Economist, former US Treasury Secretary, former US National Economic Council Director, former President of Harvard University and currently the Charles W Eliot Professor at Harvard University that lower and middle income workers have too little, not that the rich have too much.

So in judging policies relating to inequality, the criterion should be what their impact will be on the middle class and the poor.

On any reasonable reading of the evidence starting where the United States is today, more could be done to increase tax progressivity without doing any noticeable damage to the prospects for economic growth.

It is important to remember, however, that important aspects of inequality are unlikely to be transformed just by limited

income redistribution.

Consider two fundamental components of life: health and the ability to provide opportunity for children.

Barry Bosworth and his colleagues at the Brookings Institution have examined changes in life expectancy starting at age 55 for the cohort of people born in 1920 and the cohort born in 1940.

They found that the richest men gained roughly six years in life expectancy, those in the middle class gained roughly four years, and those in the lowest part of the distribution gained two years.

To put this in perspective, the elimination or doubling of cancer mortality would mean less than a four-year change in life expectancy.

Why these differences?

They more likely have to do with lifestyle and variations in diet and stress than the ability to afford medical care, especially since the figures refer to relatively aged people, all of whom, once they reach 65, fall under Medicare.

Over the last two generations, the gap in educational achievement between the children of the rich and the children of the poor has doubled.

While the college enrollment rate for children from the lowest quarter of the income distribution has increased from 6% to 8%, the rate for children from the highest quarter has risen from 40% to 73%.

What has driven these trends? No doubt

there are many factors. But a crucial one has to be that the average affluent child now receives 6,000 hours more enrichment activity - for example, being read to, taken to a museum, coached in a sport or other kind of stimulation provided by adults - than the average poor child, and this gap has greatly increased since the 1970s.

A famous literary spat between 1920s novelist F Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway has been boiled down over time to a succinct, if apocryphal, exchange.

Fitzgerald: “The rich are different from you and me.” Hemingway’s retort: “Yes, they have more money.”

These observations on health and the ability to provide opportunity for children suggest that the differences between the rich and everyone else are not only about money but about things that are even more fundamental.

If society is to become more just and inclusive, it will be necessary to craft policies that address the rapidly increasing share of money income going to the rich.

But it is crucial to recognize that measures to support the rest of the population are at least equally important.

It would be a tragedy if this new focus on inequality and on great fortunes diverted attention from the most fundamental tasks of any democratic society: supporting the health and education of all its citizens. l The article was written for Reuters.

H&M reports strong sales growth n Reuters, Madrid The world’s two top fashion retailers Zara owner Inditex and Hennes & Mauritz reported strong sales growth on Wednesday, benefiting from a recovery in consumer spending in their core markets in Europe.

Inditex, whose brands also include upmarket Massimo Dutti and teen label Stradivarius, said sales rose 11% in local currencies between Feb 1 and June 8, accelerating from the 8% it recorded in the year to Jan. 31.

While net profit fell 7.3% to 406m euros ($553m), the biggest decline in five years due to the strength of the euro that still beat analysts’ average forecast thanks to better-than-expected cost control.

Inditex is benefiting from the start of a recovery in its home market Spain

DILBERT

where it still makes about one fifth of sales. Spanish retail sales rose 0.7% year-on-year in April, the first increase in three months.

Sweden’s H&M said sales rose 19% in May, its fastest growth in six months and easily beating analyst forecasts.

However, H&M said the figures were boosted about 3-4 percentage points by calendar effects, which would be reversed in June. H&M said there was one extra Saturday shopping day this May than last year and fewer holidays when stores were closed in some countries, such as its top market Germany.

H&M and Inditex have outperformed the wider clothing market in recent years, helped by their focus on fast-changing fashions and low prices, with the Spanish firm having the edge thanks in part to its greater presence in developing economies. l