19 June 2014

Ashar 5, 1421 Shaaban 20, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 79

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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7 | WINNER TAKES ALL

8 | IRAQ CRISIS SOUNDS DEATH KNELL

11 | A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS

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Tarek confesses to seven murders The order came from a RAB high official after Nur Hossain talked to him Islam Shaon with n Ashif Narayanganj Correspondent Sacked RAB 11 commanding officer Tarek Sayeed Mohammad has confessed to killing Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam and six others “to obey a high official’s order.”

Two other officials and 30 of Tarek’s subordinates took part in the abduction and killing missions following Tarek’s instructions.

Senior Judicial Magistrate KM Mohiuddin recorded Tarek’s confession under section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) yesterday.

Previously, two other sacked officials of Rapid Action Battalion – Maj Arif Hossain and Lt Comm SM Masud

Tarek says he was not present during the kidnapping but kept communicating with Arif and Rana over phone Rana – had given statements, confessing their involvement in the crime.

In his confession, Tarek described how and when he got physically involved in the abduction of seven people and dumping their bodies into the Shitalakkhya River, and revealed his phone communication with the killers and plotters, our correspondent in Narayanganj reports.

“Tarek Sayeed’s statement is very similar to those of his subordinates Arif and Rana. Like them he has given vivid description of the incident,” said Md Sakhawat Hossain Khan, chief of the association of lawyers in Narayanganj and a victims’ lawyer.

He, however, refused to share any

details of the statement, saying he had faced trouble for talking to the media about Rana’s confession that RAB Additional Director General Col Ziaul Ahsan had been involved in the abduction and killing plan.

At that time Sakhawat said Arif and Rana had described in details how the abduction and murders had been carried out, where the victims had been taken and killed, who had executed the murders and who had given the orders.

The two had confessed that RAB ADG Zia had ordered the abduction and murders, the lawyer had told the Dhaka Tribune at that time.

Several sources yesterday said Tarek had named Siddhirganj unit Awami League leader Nur Hossain as the mastermind of the whole incident who had influenced high officials at the RAB headquarters.

However, before going to the RAB headquarters, Nur had visited Tarek at his Narayanganj office to discuss the plan. The ex-commanding officer asked him to talk with the “high official” first.

After an agreement was reached, five RAB members led by Rana waited on the court premises where Nazrul had gone to attend a hearing. Nur had provided the information that Nazrul would go there.

But of the five RAB members, Kamal Uddin got caught by Nazrul’s men for spying on them. When Nazrul’s associates released Kamal, Rana and other RAB members left the court premises, said a court source.

Along with three RAB members Rana then took position in front of Fatulla Stadium on Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road where Major Arif had been waiting with his team.

After finishing work at the court,  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

tee however recommended that the government should take all necessary measures to bring back Nur Hossain to face trial.

“Yes, there are some legal complexities; he (Nur Hossain) is facing trial in India. Questions can be raised whether Indian authorities would hand him over to us until his trial there is over,” Tipu Munshi, the chairman of the

Former judge Khademul Islam, who headed the BPL tribunal, pronounced the punishment against them in the sanction judgement held yesterday. The three-member tribunal found 29-yearold Ashraful, apparently the first cricket star from the country, guilty of four charges of corruption in the second edition of the BPL. The charges were made by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (Acsu) in August last year.

“All the four charges involved him [Ashraful] with match fixing in BPL 2,” said Justice Khademul. “All the charges against him were proven and he will remain suspended from all forms of cricket for eight years minus the provisional suspension that he has been serving since May 2013,” he added.

The judge said Ashraful’s punish-

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Tarek Sayeed, the sacked RAB official accused in the Narayanganj seven-murder case, is being taken to jail after submitting his confession before a Narayanganj court FOCUS BANGLA

Nur’s extradition likely to be delayed Reza Chowdhury n Kamran and Rabiul Islam Nur Hossain, the prime suspect in the seven-murder case in Narayanganj, who was arrested in India is unlikely to be brought back to Bangladesh soon as his extradition process involves complex legal procedures, Home Ministry officials told the parliamentary watchdog.

While discussing the seven-murder

case yesterday they told the parliamentary standing committee on the Home Ministry that Nur Hossain was facing trial in India for violating its laws.

Unless the trial in India ends his extradition is likely to be delayed, said Home Secretary CQK Mustaq Ahmed adding that the Indian authorities could send Nur Hossain if the Foreign Ministry can negotiate the process well.

The 10-member standing commit-

Iraq seeks US help against advancing jihadists n AFP, Baghdad

from Sao Paulo, Brazil

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n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Ashraful’s punishment can be minimised to five years if he takes an education or rehabilitation programme

RAIHAN MAHMOOD

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Chile’s midfielder Charles Aranguiz (20) celebrates after scoring the winning goal against Spain in their World Cup Group B match in the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro yesterday AFP

Spicy Chile end mighty Spain’s reign n Reuters, Rio de Janeiro

1ST ROUND EXITS OF WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS

Holders Spain were eliminated from the World Cup on Wednesday when their 2-0 Group B defeat by Chile brought an end to one of the greatest dynasties of the modern game.

On the day when Spain’s King Carlos also signed his abdication papers, Spain’s footballers left their throne as goals from Eduardo Vargas after 20 minutes and Charles Aranguiz two

minutes before halftime earned Chile a stunning victory.

They advanced to the last 16 along

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Italy Brazil France Italy Spain

1950 1966 2002 2010 2014

with the Netherlands and Australia go out with Spain.

The Dutch, who beat Spain 5-1, and Chile each have six points and they play each other in Sao Paulo next Monday. Spain face Australia in Curitiba bidding to avoid finishing bottom.

Spain became the third champions in the last four World Cups to be eliminated at the first hurdle and their departure will almost certainly end the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Iraq asked the United States Wednesday to carry out air strikes on Sunni jihadists, who attacked the country’s main oil refinery and seized more territory in the north.

The appeal came as fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) were pressing a week-long offensive that has brought them close to the capital, and as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki pledging to face down “terrorism.”

“Iraq has officially asked Washington to help under the security agreement (between the two countries), and to conduct air strikes against terrorist groups,” Zebari told reporters in Saudi Arabia.

However, Zebari said “a military approach will not be enough. We acknowledge the need for drastic political solutions.”

The United States spent millions of dollars over several years training and arming a new Iraqi army after disbanding the Sunni-led force created by the late dictator Saddam Hussein.

Washington has already deployed an aircraft carrier to the Gulf and sent marines to bolster security at its embassy in Baghdad, but President Barack Obama has insisted a return to combat in Iraq for US soldiers is not on the cards.

However, Secretary of State John Kerry has said drone strikes could be used.

Maliki vowed on television that “we

INSIDE B1 | Business

Inflation rose slightly to 7.48 in May as compared to the previous month, official data showed yesterday, but it still remained above the government’s fiscal target.

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People’s harassment in getting passports may reduce significantly as the department of immigration and passport has signed an agreement with the Election Commission to gain access to the national database according to which national identity cards are made.

Ashraful smacked with eight years’ embargo The Bangladesh Premier League tribunal yesterday imposed an eight-year ban from all form of cricket on national cricketer Mohammad Ashraful.

On the other hand, Dhaka Gladiators Managing Director Shihab Chowdhury was sentenced to a 10-year ban from cricket while Sri Lankan cricketer Kaushal Lokuarachchi was given an 18-month ban and former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent received a threeyear ban.

Apart from the ban, Ashraful was also slapped a fine of Tk10 lakh.

Frenzied Sao Paulo with beer and skittles

The Brazilian football fans of Sao Paulo chose to be content with the goalless draw of their team against Mexico on Tuesday. Why football is called a religion was perfectly realized as the busy streets were deserted and all shops and malls were closed on the occasion of the match. Moreover, the state government declared half holiday to allow people enjoy the match.

So it was suddenly a surprising view to experience the ever busy roads of Paulista Avenue without cars and buses. ‘Paulista never sleeps’ is a popular phrase used by the Brazilians as almost all the corporate offices connecting with international business links are located there. But during the match against Mexico, it seemed like the busy schedules had come to an abrupt halt.

All the roadside pubs were not authorized to set up the big screens and host the fans with beer and foods. A few were allowed and those generally were

Jun 21, 2014 1am Switzerland vs France 4am Honduras vs Ecuador 10pm Argentina vs Iran Jun 22, 2014 1am Germany vs Ghana 4am Nigeria vs Bosnia-Herzegovina 10pm Belgium vs Russia

Trees in the forest ranges of Ukhiya and Inani in Cox’s Bazar are being erased and burnt nonchalantly to make into charcoal, a much easier way for woodcutters to earn a living.

The two city corporations of Dhaka launched an eviction drive against signboards and billboards containing advertisements in English or mixed languages

6 | Nation

The lack of a bridge has made life miserable for people of 10 villages under Baishari union of Naikkhangchhari in Bandarban, which is a densely populate area.

9 | World

Sri Lanka’s police arrested 49 people overnight over deadly anti-Muslim riots in a tourist region where Buddhist hardliners have set shops and homes ablaze.

will face terrorism and bring down the conspiracy,” adding that “we will teach (militants) a lesson and strike them.”

He also said the country’s security forces, which wilted in the face of a major militant offensive that overran all of one province and chunks of three more in a matter of days last week, had suffered a “setback” but had not been defeated.

Maliki security spokesman Lieutenant General Qassem Atta later said security forces would retake by Thursday morning full control of Tal Afar, a Shiite town in the north that lies along a strategic corridor to Syria.

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CIA FACING GAPS IN IRAQ AS IT HUNTS FOR MILITANTS

That would provide a base from which to launch operations to recapture Mosul.

With regional tensions rising, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the Islamic republic “will do everything” to protect Shiite shrines in Iraqi cities against the militant assault.

And Saudi Arabia warned of the risks of a civil war in Iraq with unpredictable consequences for the region, while the United Arab Emirates recalled its envoy to Baghdad, voicing concern over “exclusionary and sectarian policies.”

The crisis, which has displaced hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, threatens to break the country apart, while the assault on Baiji oil refinery Wednesday further spooked international oil markets.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Mahmudul: Provision for uncontested winner constitutional n Nazmus Sakib

Constitution expert Mahmudul Islam yesterday said the Representation of the People Order (RPO) provision, which allows declaring a lone candidate elected uncontested, was constitutional.

“The legal point, based on which the January 5 election was held, was correct. However, it was not ethically acceptable,” said Mahmudul, who was appointed by the High Court as an amici curia, which means an impartial adviser to the court, in this issue.

The former attorney general set forth his opinion before the bench of Justice Mirza Hussain Haider and Justice Khurshid Alam Sarkar.

He said: “The uncontested winner provision must exist. Many countries in the world have such provision. In the absence of such provision, if any major political party decides not to contest elections even though there is only one candidate, new election schedule has to be declared. Then it might happen that the party would again refrain from participating in the election. If such boycott is continued, it will lead to a vacuum.”

The bench set today to deliver its verdict on whether the RPO provision is constitutional or not. The court will also pass its judgement on a writ petition demanding inclusion of “no vote provision” in the RPO. Mahmudul said: “The judiciary can direct the parliament only when the direction is based on constitution or law.”

He said the court could make any observation, if deemed necessary, in an appropriate case.

In a case of violation of fundamental rights, the High Court made an observation which prompted the parliament

to amend the Public Service Retirement Act recently, said Mahmudul.

Additional Attorney General Murad Reza told the court to consider all possible consequences, including political, social and financial, before making any observation as every word of the court was very important.

“If the court thinks the petition that challenged the uncontested winner provision has no merit then it should not make any observation,” he said.

Mahmudul said the judicial review power of the Supreme Court could not be curtailed by anybody as that was an unchangeable feature of the constitution.

As for the inclusion of “yes/no vote” as the last resort when there is only one contender, the jurist said he was doubtful about whether the judiciary could deal with a matter of political wisdom.

Election Commission’s lawyer Tawhidul Islam said the commission had no authority to amend the RPO but the parliament could do so if it thought it was necessary.

However, the legislature could not be directed by the judiciary, he said, adding that the right to vote was a right created under the RPO rather than a constitutional one.

Following a writ petition filed on December 17 last year by Jatiya Party Vice-chairman Khandaker Abdus Salam, five amici curiae gave their opinions on the RPO provision that allows lone candidates to be elected unopposed. They are Dr Kamal Hossain, Badiul Alam Majumder, Barrister Rafique-Ul Huq, Ajmalul Hossain QC and Rokanuddin Mahmud.

Meanwhile, BNP standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed withdrew his name as amicus curiae citing personal reasons. l

Fakhrul: Deal signed with China for corruption n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Most of the roads in the capital saw long tailbacks yesterday. The photo shows vehicles stuck on both sides of the road at Karwan Bazar at 4pm MEHEDI HASAN

Titas mulls over prepaid gas meter installation n Aminur Rahman Rasel

Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited plans to install 200,000 prepaid gas meters for its customers in the Dhaka metropolitan area to reduce the misuse of gas and prevent bill manipulation through meter tampering.

Under the natural gas efficiency project funded by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) prepaid meters will be installed by June 2020,

Spicy Chile end mighty Spain’s reign  PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

long international careers of the ageing greats who won the 2008 European Championship and their first World Cup in South Africa four years ago.

Coach Vicente del Bosque is also unlikely to keep his job.

Chile, who had never beaten Spain in 10 previous meetings, looked sharp,

composed and confident from the start and even faster and more fluid in the second half.

Although Spain’s Xabi Alonso had a shot saved in the 15th minute, Chile took the lead five minutes later.

A counter-attack on the right set up Aranguiz to provide the cross for Vargas who danced around goalkeeper

Iker Casillas before firing home with defender Sergio Ramos arriving too late to stop him.

Casillas, who had a poor game in Spain’s mauling by the Dutch, was at fault for the second goal, punching an Alexis Sanchez free kick straight back to Aranguiz who swept the ball past Casillas with a spinning shot with the outside of his right foot. l

acting Managing Director Md Nowshad Islam of Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Company Limited (TGTDCL) told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The TGTDCL has already invited expression of interest (EOI) from eligible international consulting firms and joint ventures for consultancy services for installation of the prepaid gas meters.

The last date for EOI submission is July 21 this year.

MATCH STATS Goals scored Total shots Shots on target Corners Offsides Fouls committed Yellow cards Red cards Ball possession

Spain 0 15 9 7 1 14 1 0 56%

Chile 2 7 4 1 2 15 2 0 44%

Iraq seeks US help against advancing jihadists  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Brent crude for August delivery added three cents to $113.48 per barrel just after midday in London. US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for July delivery picked up 34 cents to $106.73 a barrel.

Pre-dawn attack

The attack on the refinery complex, in Salaheddin province north of Baghdad, was launched before dawn, officials said.

Atta said Iraqi forces managed to kill 40 militants and repel the attack, but that some tanks containing refined products caught fire. The refinery was shut

down and some employees evacuated on Tuesday due to a drop in demand caused by the militant drive.

The militants’ swift advance has sparked international alarm, with the UN’s envoy to Baghdad warning that the crisis was “life-threatening for Iraq.”

Police and officials reported that militants had moved into the Shiite Turkmen area of Bashir in Kirkuk province and also seized three villages in Salaheddin province Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the Indian foreign ministry announced that 40 Indian construction workers had been abducted in Mo-

sul, the first city to fall in the offensive.

Spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said 46 Indian nurses were also stranded in the militant-held city of Tikrit.

Last week, as the offensive got underway ISIL fighters kidnapped 49 Turks in Mosul, including diplomats and children, after earlier seizing 31 Turkish truck drivers. In a bid to see off the offensive, Maliki sacked several top security commanders Tuesday evening, then stood alongside several of his main rivals in a rare display of unity among the country’s fractious political leaders.

The dismissals came after soldiers

and police fled en masse as insurgents swept into Mosul, a city of two million, on June 10. Some abandoned their vehicles and uniforms when faced with the insurgents, which are led by ISIL fighters but also include loyalists of executed dictator Saddam Hussein. After taking Mosul, militants captured a major chunk of mainly Sunni Arab territory stretching towards the capital.

Despite security forces’ initial poor performance, Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said Iraqi troops, with help from Shiite volunteers, were “stiffening their resistance” around Baghdad. l

in the abduction mission. Tarek said he was not present during the kidnapping but he kept communicating with Arif and Rana over phone.

Tarek was produced before the court around 8am. The judge gave him four hours to think about making the confession. Around 12noon Tarek started giving his statement at the judge’s chamber.

Tarek first gave statement in the case filed by Nazrul Islam’s wife Selina Islam for killing Nazrul and his four associates.

Then he confessed in the case filed for killing advocate Chandan Sarker and his driver. The judge sent him to jail after finishing recording the statement around 3:45pm.

On April 27, Nazrul, three of his aides

and driver, and senior lawyer Chandan Sarkar and his driver were kidnapped from the Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road.

Three days later, six bodies were found floating in the Shitalakkhya. The seventh body was recovered from the river the next day.

On May 6, Tarek, Arif and Rana were sent on forced retirement over allegation of their involvement with the abduction and killing.

Meanwhile, several police sources confirmed that before going to the court Tarek had given a statement to the police under section 161 of the CrPC in the morning.

In the statement, Tarek claimed that he had had knowledge about Nazrul’s

abduction and was instructing Arif and Rana from his office. After the seven people were abducted they were taken to Narsingdi. He said the plan was to kill them there, but Arif wanted to take them back to Narayanganj for the murder to avoid hassles. Tarek said he did not want to kill Chandan and his driver but Arif and Rana insisted and killed all seven without notifying Tarek.

When the seven bodies were taken to the west side of the Kachpur bridge at night Tarek scolded Arif and Rana seeing the bodies.

Later, the three former RAB officials dumped the bodies at Char Dhaleshwari under Sadar upazila’s Madanganj, Tarek said in the statement. l

Tarek confesses to seven murders  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Nazrul and his four associates took the link road to go to the capital. The RAB team intercepted his car in front of the stadium and at gun point picked them on a microbus.

In his statement, Tarek said they had to beat Nazrul with the pistol as he tried to prevent the RAB members and there was a scuffle.

After all the victims were picked up, the RAB team administered injection to make them unconscious.

Tarek claimed that they did not have any plan but picked lawyer Chandan Sarker mistakenly as his car model was almost the same.

A total of 12 RAB members took part

Nur’s extradition likely to be delayed  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

standing committee, told the Dhaka Tribune after the meeting.

He said the central government in India would convey Dhaka’s request for Nur Hossain’s handover to the West Bengal government which would then forward its opinion to Delhi. The central government’s Home Ministry would then send the matter to its Foreign Ministry, which will give the feedback to the Bangladesh mission in New Delhi.

The Bangladesh High Commission in Delhi will then communicate with Bangladesh Foreign Ministry that will work in coordination with the Home Ministry on the matter.

“This is not a matter of a telephone

call; there are procedural complexities to get him back. It (Nur Hossain’s extradition) may be time-consuming, unless the Foreign Ministry could make the Indian the government understand the gravity of his (Nur Hossain) trial in Bangladesh,” CQK Mustaq, the home secretary, told the Dhaka Tribune.

According to the extradition treaty between Bangladesh and India, any criminal hiding in either country can be transferred to the country of his or her origin.

The committee members Mozammel Hossain, Shamsul Hoque Tuku, Omor Faruk Chowdhury, Abul Kalam Azad, Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapon, Fakhrul Imam and Begum Kamrun Nahar Chowdhury attended the meeting.

The BNP yesterday said the government had signed a deal with a Chinese company to construct Padma Bridge just to plunder money from the project.

“Why did not they sign the deal with the World Bank? The government did not do so, as the World Bank would not allow for any corruption. Now they have devised a system for corruption,” Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the party, said.

He made the comment while addressing a discussion at the National Press Club in the capital.

The BNP leader also said as the government wanted to legitimise it through holding talks it proved that it is an illegal government.

“But we are ready to hold talks with the illegal government to resolve the prevailing political crisis,” he said.

Heath Minister Mohammad Nasim on Tuesday said dialogue can take place only when legitimacy would be given to the government but in a normal situation there is no possibility of holding dialogue before next general election.

Fakhrul once again called upon the government to hold a “meaningful

dialogue” in order to organise a fresh election.

He said: “Still there is time. We want meaningful dialogue with the government in a bid to organise fresh elections. We want elections immediately after reaching an understanding.”

Addressing the government, the BNP leader said: “You should stop the killings, abductions and repression.

Take initiative to hold a participatory and credible election immediately through meaningful talks.”

Terming the government an unacceptable one, Fakhrul said: “Ninety Five percent of people in the country boycotted the January 5 election responding to Khaleda’s call.

So, the government should hold talks with her as 95% of the population are with her.”

He said: “The prime minister has claimed that Khaleda is no more the opposition leader. But we want to say that Hasina is also not the premier as only 5% of the people voted for her.”

Regarding the killings in Bihari camp, Fakhrul said: “According to different newspapers’ reports, the probe committee report mentioned that the fire was started deliberately in the presence of the police.” l

Meanwhile, India sought further information about Nur Hossain, the prime accused of Narayanganj seven murders.

“In a note verbal, India sought information about Nur Hossain and we are sending information,” State Minister for Home Assaduzzaman Khan told reporters at his office yesterday after meeting with Bihari leaders.

Home Secretary CQK Mustaq Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune that India was yet to inform Bangladesh officially.

But India has not denied that Nur Hossain was arrested, he added.

The secretary said: “We have sent all relevant documents to the Foreign Ministry yesterday (Wednesday).”

Seeking anonymity a senior official

at the Home Ministry said: “Official information from India is not important; we are sending extradition request.”

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday, Narayanganj Police Super Khandker Mohid Uddin said: “We have translated all relevant documents into English and sent those to the Home Ministry through police headquarters”.

Kolkata police arrested Nur Hossain, the prime accused of seven murders in Naryanganj, along with two of his accomplices on Saturday night.

Narayanganj City Corporation panel mayor Nazrul Islam and lawyer Chandan Sarkar along with five others were killed and their bodies dumped into River Shitalakkhya after they were abducted on April 27. l

“The TGTDCL intends to employ a consulting firm to design and prepare bid documents, carry out bid evaluation, monitor and assess project activities including construction supervision as well as provide advisory services for the project implementation,” Nowshad said.

On May 20, Titas Gas and Singapore-based Itron Metering Systems Singapore Pte Ltd signed a deal for the installation of 8,600 household prepaid meters in the capital’s Lalmatia

and Mohammadpur areas.

Besides, on January 11, 2012, some 4,500 prepaid gas meters were installed in households in Mohammadpur and Lalmatia areas under the pilot project.

The TGTDCL, which is responsible for supplying gas in Dhaka, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Narsingdi, Manikganj, Gazipur, Tangail, Mymensingh, Netrakona, Sherpur, Jamalpur and Kishoreganj districts, has over 1.56 million customers. l

Ashraful smacked with 8-year ban  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

ment could be minimised to five years “if he completes an authorised education or rehabilitation programme on anti-corruption under the ICC or the Bangladesh Cricket Board or the Asian Cricket Council.”

Dhaka Gladiators’ Shihab was found guilty of fixing matches in BPL 2 and thus will serve a 10-year ban from organising any form of cricket. He was fined Tk20 lakh.

Justice Khademul told the media that appeal could be filed against the tribunal’s verdict within the next 21 days. “The appeal has to be made either to the chairman of the BCB disciplinary committee or the Court for Arbitration for Sport, based in Switzerland.”

When contacted, Ashraful told the Dhaka Tribune that his lawyers would appeal against the verdict. “My lawyers will look into the papers which are supposed to be provided by the tribunal in two weeks,” he said.

The unexpected explosion of match- and spot-fixing allegations came to light in May last year after the Dhaka Tribune and a national Bangla daily revealed that a Bangladesh cricketer had been questioned by the ICC’s Acsu. The matter was also confirmed

by BCB President Nazmul Hassan.

Ashraful was the first player to

admit of being involved in corruption after which formal charges were laid in August by the ICC against nine individuals, including six players from Dhaka Gladiators franchise. This was then followed by the BCB forming a three-member BPL tribunal which started operating on January 19.

On February 26, the tribunal in its short judgement acquitted six individuals, including players and officials, of charges and revealed that Lou Vincent had been involved in fixing too.

The tribunal on June 8 made its “reason judgement” providing a 59page report to the ICC, the BCB and those involved with the matter. The Dhaka Tribune acquired a full copy of the report which revealed that the tribunal was unhappy about how Acsu went about their investigation and termed it “flawed.”

The tribunal in the report also mentioned that the Acsu had breached the “Services Agreement” with the BCB as well as the penal code of Bangladesh.

Asked whether Acsu’s flawed investigation resulted in few of the accused escaping punishment, Justice Khademul replied: “I cannot comment on this as the head of the tribunal. Charges were made and those acquitted had to fight to get rid of the charges.” l

Frenzied Sao Paulo with beer and skittles  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

crowded with fans. Among those, Asterix was the biggest one as it had a projector and also about 10 LEDs hanging in all the corners. The deal was to pay 100 Reais and eat and drink throughout the match. The Guinness beer officials also distributed gifts during the interval.

Black Dog was a crowded cafeteria opposite of the Asteirx and it also offered the same deal to its clients and it did not have a single chair vacant.

While these food stops were closed and covered, there were cafeterias like Lancheon which remained open with sitting arrangements outside the shop. Hundreds of fans kept standing all through the match and of course a large amount of beer was swallowed too.

Standing there gave an individual the feeling that he was also in the stadium and enjoying the match live.

There were shouts and disgusts after every Brazilian attack and movements as Mexico’s goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa made a series of outstanding saves to keep Brazil at bay.

When Ochoa dived full length to his right to deny Neymar’s goalbound header from giving Brazil the

lead in the 26th minute, the sound of ‘OOOOH’ actually make you think that you are sitting in the stands.

Ochoa made three other outstanding saves also to keep the host nation from breaking the deadlock - a shot by Paulinho, a second-half effort

by Neymar and a close-range header

by Thiago Silva in the 86th minute.

All those saves triggered remarkable reactions from the fans as they suffered from the agony and anguish for not being able to celebrate a Brazil goal. Piles of cigarettes were smoked and gestures of frustrations were a constant company.

Adalynn was not happy and said, “Brazil should have won. They missed the ideal scoring opportunities upfront. However, we hope that Brazil will beat Cameroon with a big margin and top the group.”

However, Benjamin presented an interesting fact. “Mexico is our traditional nemesis. Brazil somehow falters against them. The team played well but could not score. I think Brazil will be firing in all cylinders against Cameroon,” said Benjamin.

Overall, Sao Paulo seemed content as the cracking sounds of crackers came down and people returned to their regular routine of life. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

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3

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Passport dept to get national database access

Deal sealed with Election Commission; no need for police verification Home Secretary CQK Mustaq n Kamran Reza Chowdhury Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune: “This People’s harassment in getting passports may reduce significantly as the department of immigration and passport has signed an agreement with the Election Commission to gain access to the national database according to which national identity cards are made.

The passport wing’s working paper reads that the applicants can now file applications for passports online Passport applicants face huge hassles, sometimes harassment from the police who have been authorised to verify the data provided by the people. The passport department in many cases delays issuing passports on the pretext of not getting police verification.

Allegations are rife that the officials assigned for police verification collect money from the people applying for passports while many non-Bangladeshis such as Rohingyas had managed Bangladeshi passports in exchange of money.

According to a paper placed at the yesterday’s meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on home ministry, the department of immigration and passport had inked the deal with the commission to have access to the national database.

This will stop the practice of giving misinformation in the applications by the applicants, says the paper the Dhaka Tribune obtained.

(passport department’s access to the national database) will of course reduce the alleged harassment or hassles in getting passports. We very often get allegations of harassment in the name of police verification.”

He said: “From now, the passport department can easily gain access to the national database to verify the data provided by the applicants. Police verification will be redundant in most of the cases [for the persons above 18 years of age].”

The secretary said the police should only verify whether the applicants were the nationals of Bangladesh.

“Anyone facing trial will automatically be stopped at the airport or other immigration points, but they have right to get passports.”

He said the passport and immigration wing had simplified the procedures for getting passports.

“If the police fail to send verification reports within 15 days, then the passport and immigration wing will issue passports to the applicants,” he said.

The Election Commission provides national identity cards to the citizens above 18 years. The police will verify the applications filed by the persons below 18 years until national database contained the data on all nationals.

The passport wing’s working paper reads that the applicants can now file applications for passports online. Use of information technology will enable the applicants to check whether their passports are ready. l

Hundreds of tangled cables, mostly broadband Internet lines, hang precariously just a few feet above the ground in the capital’s Green Road, posing serious risks to residents, pedestrians and commuting vehicles SYED LATIF HOSSAIN

New pay scale to be implemented in phases n Asif Showkat Kallol

The government has decided to implement the national pay scale in phases over three years because of a shortage of fund.

Finance Secretary Fazle Kabir yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that the government wanted to start implementing the pay scale from next January although there was no specific allocation in the next budget.

He said the fund would be allocated

in the revised budget and the National Pay and Service Commission might submit recommendations in December.

A senior official of the Finance Division had last week said there was a provision for Tk11,160 crore hidden under a sub-head under non-development capital expenditure.

“It is a flexible account. The money was kept hidden because, if disclosed, it could have an impact on the market causing inflation,” the official added.

If the amount is used in the next pay scale, it should be approved from the cabinet as per the budget management act, he said.

In his budget speech, Finance Minister AMA Muhith said the Pay Commission was expected to submit its recommendations by December.

Another official of the Finance Division said it would require more than Tk5,000 crore to meet the increased pay for six months. The estimate was based on a possibility that the new pay

structure would take effect from next January.

The Finance Division allocated Tk3,494 crore for 20% dearness allowance in the outgoing fiscal year. As a result, the allocation for the salaries of civil servants amounted to Tk28,867 crore. The budget for the next fiscal year will have an allocation of Tk29,975 crore for the salaries and allowances.

Presently, there are more than 8.32 lakh government employees and officers and around 5 lakh pensioners. l

BTRC issues 2 National Internet Exchange licences for the first time n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

Smoke gushes out of a clothing market in Deobhog in Narayanganj after it caught fire in the early hours of yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

For the first time in the country, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has issued two National Internet Exchange (NIX) licences aiming to reduce interruptions in domestic internet traffic and bring down the use of international bandwidth.

The NIX, a consortium of two or more internet service providers (ISP), will be a passing point to route the local internet traffic within the country.

BTRC Chairman Sunil Kanti Bose issued the licences to Bangladesh Internet Exchange Trust (BDIX) and Novocom in a ceremony at the BTRC office yesterday, said the regulator’s Director (media) Mirza Sarwar Alam.

Syed Moinul Haq, managing director of Novocom Limited, and M Aszduzzaman from the BDIX received the licences on behalf of their companies, Sarwar added.

The BTRC had formulated a guideline for the NIX in 2010 but failed to issue any licence as no one showed interest, BTRC sources said. The initiative

is part of reducing the cost component of internet service other than the bandwidth, they added.

The NIX licence tenure will be for 15 years with an acquisition fee of Tk10,000 Novocom MD Moinul said the NIX would reduce the use of international bandwidth and interconnection charges for the ISPs. Moinul added: “For example, presently when you send an email from Gulshan to Motijheel it passes through the international gateway and again returns to the country’s domain… When we will route this email through the NIX, the email will not need to go via international server, reducing the cost for service providers.”

The NIX would also secure the internet usage and ensure the dedicated internet speed, he said.

Novocom also owns licences for

International Gateway (IGW), International Internet gateway (IIG) and International Terrestrial Cable (ITC) link.

Specialists of the ICT industry said the NIX would facilitate local content development, encourage local web hosting and reduce latency in domestic traffic and thereby save international bandwidth and foreign currency.

The latest move came after a previous private initiative to introduce the NIX in the country had failed.

The NIX licence tenure will be for 15 years with an acquisition fee of Tk10,000, while the annual fee for licence renewal is Tk5,000 with a bank guarantee of Tk2.50 lakh.

The successful operators also have to return 20% of their earnings to the government, according to the guideline.

Authorities at both BDIX and Novocom said they would offer the service within eight weeks, even though guideline had given them six months’ time.

Currently, 37 million people are using internet in Bangladesh consuming at least 60 gigabytes of bandwidth from submarine and territorial cable links. l

Latif to be grilled at safe home

Witness: Subhan responsible for brother’s killing

Martyr’s son testifies against Qaisar

n Udisa Islam

n Udisa Islam

The International Crimes Tribunal 1 has allowed the investigation agency to question war crimes suspect Abdul Latif Talukder at its Dhanmondi safe home any day.

The tribunal passed the order after holding the hearing on a petition filed by the prosecution on June 16.

Prosecutor Syed Sayedul Haque pleaded for allowing the investigation agency to grill the accused to verify authenticity of the evidence found so far. However, Latif’s counsel Sarwar Hossain opposed the plea.

The tribunal on June 12 sent Latif to jail custody when the prosecution placed him before it.

Hailing from Sholarkola village under Kochua police station of Bagerhat, Latif, 69, is the third suspect in a new war crimes case. The two others – Sirajul Haque alias Siraj Master and Khan Akram Hossain – are not arrested yet.

Latif was allegedly involved in several incidents of crimes against humanity committed in Shakharikatthi of Bagerhat during the war. l

A witness from Pabna yesterday accused top war crimes suspect Maulana Abdus Subhan of killing his brother along with several others in their village during the 1971 Liberation War. Md Azizul Sarder, 54, from Ramnathpur of Ishwardi, said the collaborators led by Subhan had also looted their house and set it on fire.

Now Jamaat-e-Islami’s nayeb-eameer, the accused was the acting ameer of Pabna district unit Jamaat and chairman of Peace Committee during the war. He also allegedly led the “Mujaheed Bahini” in the district.

The International Crimes Tribunal 1 on December 31 last year indicted Subhan on nine charges. The case was transferred to the tribunal 2 on March 27.

During the deposition, witness Aziz said: “Subhan along with more than 50 razakars besieged our house on October 30 of 1971 and started to torture the family members. After some time, they tied my brother with a mango tree, and looted gold and cattle from our house. Later they set it on fire.”

Along with three others from near-

Son of a martyred freedom fighter yesterday said former Jatiya Party state minister Syed Mohammad Qaisar had led collaborators and the Pakistani Army to confine and kill his father and three others in Habiganj in 1971.

Renu Mia, 58, son of martyr Siraj Mia from Mouzpur of Madhabpur, testified at the International Crimes Tribunal 2 as the 27th prosecution witness. Mazeda Khatun alias Jomila Khatun, 74, daughter of martyr Akkas Ali, gave her deposition on Tuesday on the same incident.

Before being killed beside Sonai River, Mazeda mentioned that her father and three other freedom fighters had been picked up from the house of Siraj Mia. Renu Mia said his family had refused to support Qaisar during the 1970 election, and for this, the accused killed his father during the war.

The witness said: “My father and three of his friends were sleeping at the time of abduction on 11th of Ashwin [sixth month of Bangla calendar].

During Fajar prayers, we heard someone shouting. We saw some people wearing maroon dress and identified neighbours Rawshan Ali and Alauddin.”

by Betbaria village, the witness said, his brother had been taken to a razakar camp set up at Muladuli food storage on a van.

The International Crimes Tribunal 1 on December 31 last year indicted Subhan on nine charges Aziz said his family members had gone to the camp and requested Ishaq Ali, chairman of Peace Committee, to free the confined men. But Ishaq refused to do so and continued torture. “Later the collaborators took them to the Dak Bungalow [government rest house] of Ishwardi.”

The witness’ family had gone to Ishwardi too and pleaded to razakar leader Dukhu Khan. Aziz said: “He told my family members that the razakars already killed my brother.”

After his deposition, a junior counsel grilled Aziz briefly and the tribunal adjourned the trial until today keeping the cross-examination incomplete. l

n Udisa Islam

The group of four were taken to Jagadishpur High School army camp.

Renu and his mother along with Mazeda went to the camp and saw one white-dressed man torturing them.

People from Jagadishpur told the witness that he had been Qaisar, who led a force of collaborators named “Qaisar Bahini” in the district.

“Advised by local people, we went to Qaisar and pleaded him to free my father and the three others. But the accused hinted at some of his fellows to beat us and forced us to leave the place,” Renu said. The four were later taken to the bank of Sonai River and

shot dead. Some maroon-dressed people threw the bodies into the river, he added.

After his deposition, defence counsel Abdus Sobhan Tarafder grilled him.

Later the prosecution placed seizure list witness Nurul Islam, personal assistant of the coordinator of investigation agency. He said Investigation Officer Monwara Begum had seized some books named “Shei Razakar,” “Associates of Pakistan Army” and “Muktijuddhe Habiganj” from the library around 3:30pm on April 19, 2012.

After his testimony, the tribunal adjourned the trial until today. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Cox’s Bazar reserve forest disappearing; ecology at risk n Adil Sakhawat from Ukhiya The trees in the forest ranges of Ukhiya and Inani in Cox’s Bazar are being erased and burnt nonchalantly to make into charcoal, a much easier way for woodcutters to earn a living.

An influential syndicate of woodcutters in association with the local lawmaker’s relatives is engaged in plundering the forests and wildlife.

The powerful syndicate is virtually getting the upper hand over forest officials who are weak in putting up resistance.

According to the Cox’s Bazar South Forest Department, Ukhiya upazila has two forest ranges stretching over 25,000-acre land with 12 forest bits.

The bit officials of both ranges admitted that they were unable to rein in the destruction of natural habitat that had fallen to woodcutters and charcoal makers who only thought of their narrow self-interests rather than ecological importance.

They said they were short-staffed, only 25 people tasked with overseeing the two ranges.

While visiting the areas this correspondent observed that in Pinjirkul, Tuturbil, Cheraingar Jhiri, Kedar Ghona, Sikder Bil, Rejupara, Sonarpara, Khaliapara many woodcutters were burning timber in the reserve forest and turning them into charcoal.

The woodcutters enter the Machkaigga jungle areas early in the morning and keep on collecting raw materials – small seedlings, roots of big trees and branches – for making charcoal.

A charcoal maker, Delwar, alias Delu

said: “We cut trees almost every day and burn them for one hour and a half.

Then we put the burnt timber into a number of holes and sprinkle water on them to cool down. Next, we sell them in the market.”

He said they sold charcoal for Tk180Tk250 per kg and they got only Tk30Tk40.

The rest of the amount went to their syndicate that supervised them, added Delwar.

The charcoal is sold to different brick fields in Ukhiya areas and also to tea stalls, laundries and households in many districts.

Asked who come to their rescue if they are arrested, Delwar mentioned the names of local lawmaker’s relatives.

“We also bribe them to get over the problem,” said he.

Sona Mia, another woodcutter, who was putting charcoal into a sack, said the forest areas were not regularly visited by officials.

“If they plan to pay a visit to this forest range, we get information beforehand.”

A local farmer Mohammed Abdul Khalek cited the importance of burning of timber.

He said the big fire originated from timber burning saved them from the attacks of wild elephants that frequented their village earlier.

Ironically, the wild elephants have begun to disappear due to shrinkage of their habitat.

Contacted, Assistant Forest Officer of Ukhiya forest range SM Hasan denied the bribery allegation.

Workers hired by an influential syndicate chop down trees at the reserve forest at Ramu’s Chuabagan area in Cox’s Bazar. The photo was taken recently He attributed the abject poverty of locals to turning to forests and eking out their living.

“We have manpower shortage and

so we are take action against them.

If we conduct drive solely the woodcutters attack us with arms,” said Hasan.

Asked about the local lawmaker’s involvement, the official said many influential persons in the area were involved in the destruction of the reserve.

RAJIB DHAR

He said this kind of charcoal-making scenario was not only noticed in Ukhiya-Inani ranges but also in the entire Cox’s Bazar reserve.” l

‘22 million exposed to arsenic threat’ Youth held for harassing Shakib’s wife

Children’s show Kanastara launched n Moniruzzaman Uzzal n Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique Bangladesh has been conducting arseNetherlands-based Free Press Unlimited and Children’s Television Foundation of Bangladesh (CTBF) yesterday announced the launch of children’s opinion-based TV programme “Kanastara” through an event at the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel.

With its launching, Bangladesh is going to be the 11th country to be a part of Kids News Network (KNN), an international programme of Free Press Unlimited.

“Kanastara” - derived from the word canister - with an aim to “create awareness about matters that impact children directly” will be broadcast on BTV at 6:30pm on Fridays and on Channel I at 5:20pm on Thursdays every week. BTV will air the first episode on June 20.

CTBF Chairman Selina Hossain said the programme would create opportunities for unprivileged children, and help make a different world.

The event was also addressed by Dessi Damianova, programme manager of Free Press Unlimited, Ruth Kronenburg, South Asian programme manager of KNN, and Henrick Van Asch Wijck, first secretary of political and economic affairs of Netherlands Embassy to Bangladesh.

Additional Secretary AH Harunur Rashid was the chief guest, while CTBF Executive Director Faridur Rahman also addressed the event. l

nic mitigation programmes since 1993 but more than 22 million people are still exposed to arsenic contamination, said speakers at a seminar yesterday.

Nearly 43,000 to 56,000 people die of arsenic-related implications every year, according to speakers who addressed the seminar titled “Arsenic activity, research and outcome” organised by Bangladesh Medical and Research Council (BMRC) at its Mohakhali auditorium.

Experts and medical professionals expressed their concern over the prevalence of arsenic, saying arsenicosis was a silent killer.

We should rethink about it, find out

ways to control arsenicosis and create mass awareness among people, they said.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recently fixed the tolerance level for arsenic at 10PPB (parts per billion) but Bangladesh is still following the earlier level which was 50PPB. Unfortunately, the level of arsenic in the water was found to be up to 200PPB. At the seminar, Dr Kazi Matin Ahmed, professor of geology at the University of Dhaka, Joseph Graziano, professor of environmental health sciences and pharmacology at Colombia University, and Mir Misbahuddin, chairman of pharmacology department at BSMMU, gave three separate presentations on the overview of arsenic contamination in the country’s groundwa-

ter.

Dr Matin said despite efforts, many people were still exposed to the level of arsenic that is above the standard set for drinking water.

“Among the options for getting safe water, deep well is the most effective one. Village health workers can test wells for a nominal cost using field kits.

Besides, use of Geographical Position (GP) can help in spatial and vertical mapping of arsenic,” he said.

Professor Mahmud Hasan, president of Bangladesh Medical Association, presided over the seminar while Ayubur Rahman, additional secretary of the Health Ministry, and Professor Dr Din Mohammad Nurul Haque, director general of the Directorate General of Health Services, spoke among others. l

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

THURSDAY, JUNE 19 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:48PM SUN RISES 5:11AM FORECAST FOR TODAY 35°

28°

Chittagong

29°

26°

Rajshahi

34°

28°

Rangpur

33°

27°

Khulna

32°

26°

Barisal

33°

27°

Sylhet

35°

26°

Cox’s Bazar

30°

27°

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

36.4ºC Rajshahi

24.5ºC Chittagong

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

3:43am 5:10am 12:00am 4:40pm 6:48pm 8:16pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Police last night arrested a youth in the capital’s Banani in a case filed for harassing the wife of cricket star Shakib Al Hasan during the Bangladesh-India match at Mirpur stadium on Sunday.

Rahib Rahman Khan, son of a businessman, was arrested around 10pm at his house in Banani, Inspector Salauddin Khan, also the OC of Mirpur police station, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We will arrest the other accused through interrogation of the detained

Locals gather at an intersection to enjoy a World Cup match together, in the capital’s Panthapath yesterday

Ekattor TV unveils 8 docus n Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique Private Television Channel Ekattor in association with Laser Vision unveiled eight documentaries through a colourful event at Star Cineplex at Basundhara shopping mall in the capital Tuesday evening.

These documentaries, once broadcast in the TV channel, will be available as DVD from now on.

The formal unveiling was preceded by the speeches by eminent academic Professor Emeritus Dr Anisuzzaman, filmmaker Manzare Hasin Murad, BTV Director General M Hamid, Laser Vision Chairman AKM Arifur Rahman and Ekattor TV Managing Director Mozammel Babu.

The eight documentaries – Pataka, Bangla Naame Desh, Hartalnama, Shaharkavya, Bishkavya, Tokai, 36-24-36 and Hefazatnama – were released in four DVDs.

The distinguished guests unveiled the documentaries with the directors Shabnam Ferdousi, Bratya Amin, Palash Rasul and Tasmiah Mou. The programme came to an end with a trailer show of the documentaries.

Special guest to the event filmmaker Murad said the documentaries, which have deep-rooted commitment to the liberation war, democracy and the mass people, are to be marked as “brave” besides all its remarkable development in the process and skills that were used in making.

Professor Anisuzzaman referred it to another instance that symbolised the development of the nation since before the independence. He said: “These documentaries, in contrast to the per-independence period, exemplify the institution’s role which has great commitment to the people and also signifies the professionalism which is very important for the nation.” l

SYED LATIF HOSSAIN

Hearing on Khaleda’s petitions begins

n Nazmus Sakib The hearing on BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s petitions challenging her trial in two corruption cases began at the court of a newly-assigned judge.

Justice Quazi Reza-Ul Hoque will resume the hearing today while the lower court is also set to record testimonies of prosecution witnesses against the former premier on the same day.

During the hearing, Supreme Court lawyer AJ Mohammad Ali contended for Khaleda while Attorney General Mahbubey Alam represented the government and Khurshid Alam Khan stood for the Anti-Corruption Commission.

On May 25, a two-member bench gave split order on the petitions filed on May 12. On Sunday, the chief justice assigned Justice Reza-Ul Hoque to give an order so that the petitions could be resolved by a majority decision. l

youth, he said.

He said the police had taken much time to identify and locate the youth, who was named by Shakib in the case he had filed.

Some youths allegedly harassed Umme Ahmed Shishir, the wife of Shakib, when she was watching the match at the stadium’s VIP Gallery. Being informed, Shakib allegedly swooped on them with the help of security guards.

A day after the incident, Shakib filed the case accusing Rahib and several others. l

DMCH to provide ROP treatment n Tribune Report

WEATHER

Dhaka

n Kailash Sarkar

Orbis International Bangladesh (OIB) has taken an initiative to launch the treatment of Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), an eye disease that effects prematurely-born babies, in the country, said Dr Munir Ahmed, OIB country director.

OIB signed an agreement with Dhaka Medical College Hospital and Ispahani Islamia Eye Institute and Hospital (IIEIH) in this regard at the DMCH conference room on Tuesday.

The first of its kind in Bangladesh, the treatment will be initially available at the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) of the DMCH with the support of IIEIH. Pre-term and low birth weight babies are usually prone to ROP. Without timely screening and treatment, those who contract the disease could go blind within 20-30 days of their birth.

Experts say around 37.50 lakh children are born every year in Bangladesh. Of them, around 25,000 children’s weight

at birth stand at 1.5 kg or below.

Dr Munir Ahmed also mentioned that the treatment would be made available at other NICUs in government-run and selected private hospitals in phases.

Zahida Ispahani, adviser at IIEIH, said that IIEIH was committed to provide the treatment to the babies from the poor families at free of cost.

Brig Gen Md Mustafizur Rahman, director of the DMCH, thanked Orbit International and IIEIH for this initiative, terming that the agreement historical for the DMCH. DMCH Principal Professor Dr Md Ismail Khan called upon all to come forward to reduce ROP, hoping that the initiative would contribute in removing childhood blindness.

Professor Dr Maksudul Islam, head of the ophthalmology department at the DMCH, said this kind of public-private partnership would make a difference in reducing childhood blindness in the country. l

13kg gold recovered in Dhaka, Ctg airports n Tribune Report Around 13.3kg gold have been recovered and five people arrested in separate drives at Shahjalal International Airport in the capital and Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong.

Sixty gold bars, weighing around 7.4kg were seized and three passengers of a Biman flight were arrested at the Dhaka airport yesterday.

Moinul Khan, director general of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID), said: “Although the flight came to Dhaka from Abu Dhabi via Sylhet, the arrestees came from Sylhet.

“The smugglers handed over the gold bars to the arrestees immediately after the flight arrived at Dhaka. Later, they were arrested while trying to re-

turn to Sylhet by a domestic flight.”

Without disclosing the identities of the arrestees, the CIID official said the seized gold bars were worth Tk3.7 crore.

Meanwhile, around 5.9kg of gold were seized at the Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong on Tuesday night.

The gold was found in the luggage of two passengers who were returning from Dubai on a Fly Dubai flight.

Airport sources said the arrestees, Helal Uddin and Nurul Aziz, were handed over to Patenga police. A case was also lodged with the police station.

According to Mashiur Rahman Mandal, assistant commissioner of Chittagong Customs House, the gold bars, worth Tk2.5 crore, were attached to the inner layer of two luggage using special methods. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Drive against foreign language adverts begins in capital Signboards, billboards in English being removed following an HC order DSCC Chief Revenue Officer Md n Abu Hayat Mahmud Mostafa Kamal said: “We have already The two city corporations of the capital yesterday launched an eviction drive against signboards, billboards and banners containing advertisement or messages in English or mixed languages in the city as per a recent High Court directive.

The Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) launched their drive after allowing three days to advertising agencies to remove such advertisements themselves.

“As per a High Court ruling, we have started drive today [Tuesday] to remove signboards, billboards and banners that contain advertisements in English or in mixed languages,” DNCC Chief Waste Management Officer Captain Bipan Kumar Saha told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“We have removed more than a hundred signboards from the capital’s Gulshan area on the first day of the drive,” he added.

Bipan said they had issued a public notice in two national dailies and five television channels last week asking advertisers to remove such signboards, billboards or banners within the next three days.

When asked about the reaction of advertisers regarding the eviction drive, he noted: “Advertisers readily agreed to remove such advertisements following the notice.”

started the drive and already removed many such billboards and signboards.”

On May 28 this year, the HC has asked the government to take measures to implement its prior directive on using Bangla in all advertisements, nameplates and signboards.

The court has also ordered the home secretary to use Bangla language in nameplates and number plates of police vehicles and other signboards under the ministry.

It further asked the information secretary to take measures to stop publishing or broadcasting advertisements in English language in both electronic and print media, unless they were unavoidable, within a month.

During the hearing, Deputy Attorney General Biswajit Roy said letters asking implementation of the use of Bangla have been sent to authorities concerned, but the government would need more time to implement the order.

However, the HC fixed July 1 to implement its prior order. The court also ruled that the names of mass media should be written in Bangla everywhere.

On Monday, LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam announced in the parliament: “An eviction drive will begin very soon to remove signboards, billboards and banners that contain advertisements in English language or in mixed languages.” l

Over 200 RMG workers accused of murder n Our Correspondent, Savar

Government to build new flats for public servants

A case was filed on Tuesday night against more than 200 RMG workers in connection with the killing of Dynamic Dhaka Sweater factory supervisor.

Mahfuza Akhter, wife of dead supervisor Shahjahan Swapan, filed the case with Savar Model police station accusing 43 named and 200 unnamed workers of the factory in Ulaul area of Savar.

Officer-in-Charge Mostafa Kamal of Savar Model police station said the names of the 10 arrestees who were held right after the incident on Tuesday morning were also included in the names of the accused.

The arrestees were Baten Das, Rabiul Islam, Bulbul, Abul Bashar, Mintu, Hasan, Enamul Islam, Sohel, Momin and Rabiul.

On Tuesday morning, the factory workers had beat up Shahjahan indiscriminately, leaving him critically injured. Later he was declared dead by duty doctors at Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar.

Police sources said the incident had occurred because of the unrest of the workers that prevailed in the factory. The owner of the factory tried to quell the protest with the support of Shahjahan which had infuriated the workers, leading them to attack the supervisor. l

n Mohosinul Karim

The Housing and Public Works Ministry has finally initiated the building of new flats to solve the accommodation crisis of the public servants.

Several high-rise buildings would be constructed on government land in Dhaka and Chittagong city area, demolishing the existing unusable infrastructures.

The decision was made at a meeting of the ministry held at the secretariat with Housing Minister Mosharraf Hossain in the chair.

Labourers remove a billboard containing an advertisement in mixed languages in the capital’s Gulshan area yesterday

After the meeting, Housing and Public Works Secretary Golam Rabbani told the Dhaka Tribune that the decision was made to resolve the accommodation crisis of the public servants as the minister was so interested to do it.

The chairmen of Rajuk and National Housing Authority and chief engineer of Public Works Department were given responsibility to suggest places in the two cities for the project, he said.

Until then, the Rajuk will construct a 15-storey building at 20 katha lands

in Gulshan area with 1,800 square feet four apartments in each floor. The building will be used for shifting the high level officers who have been living in less standard and unusable buildings.

The chairmen of Rajuk and the NHA and chief engineer of the PWD and chief architect of the Department of Architecture will visit the place in Gulshan.

Later, the ministry will start constructing more buildings in the abandoned government properties and demolishing unusable buildings. It will

reduce the existing accommodation crisis, he added.

Replying to a query, Public Works Secretary Golam Rabbani said Rajuk and NHA would construct the buildings from their own funds which would be withdrawn after selling the flats to the public servants at competitive prices.

The ministry now has the capacity for providing government accommodation to only 8% of the public servants.

Rests of the public servants have to wait until the houses are made vacant, ministry sources said. l

8 indicted for deaths in Chittagong flyover collapse n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong A Chittagong court yesterday framed charges against eight people for the deaths of 12 in the Bahaddarhat flyover collapse after rejecting the prosecution’s plea for further investigation into the incident.

The court of Metropolitan Sessions Judge SM Mojibur Rahman passed the order and fixed July 16 for recording deposition in the case, said Omar Fuad, bench assistant of the court.

The eight accused – then Project Manager Gias Uddin, Supervising Engineer Manjurul Islam, Site Engineer Abdul Jalil, Quality Control Engineer

Shahjahan Ali, Aminur Rahman, Abdul Hai, Mosharraf Hossain Riaz of Mir Akhter and Parisha Trade Systems and one Rafiqul Islam – are on bail from the High Court, sources said. Of them, the name of Rafiqul was not in the First Information Report.

On November 24 night in 2012, at least 12 people were killed and 13 others injured critically as three girders of the under-construction Bahaddarhat Flyover collapsed due to substandard construction materials and lack of security measures.

A case was lodged on November 26 against three officials of Chittagong Development Authority, 10 officials of Mir

Akhter and Parisha Trade Systems and 12 officials of consultancy firm SRM Associates and DPM. Inspector (investigation) Rezaul Karim of Chandgaon police station on October 24, 2013 submitted the charge sheet before the court, implicating only eight people, including seven accused in the FIR. On March 9 this year, the CMM court sent the case to Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s court.

The Public Prosecutor Md Fakhruddin Chowdhury said police submitted the charge sheet dropping the names of 18 influential accused, including three CDA officials named as Executive Engi-

neer AAM Habibur Rahman, then project director Assistant Engineer Tanjib Hossain and Deputy Assistant Engineer Salah Uddin Ahmed Chowdhury.

Besides, the IO dropped the names of three officials of Mir Akhter and Parisha Trade Systems including its Managing Director Abdur Razzak and 12 officials of consultancy firm SRM Associates and DPM including its Managing Director MA Motin from the charge sheet as he did not find any evidence against them, said the PP. The Bangladesh Army later completed the construction of the flyover which was opened to traffic on December 31 last year. l

NASIRUL ISLAM

Road crash kills septuagenarian n CU Correspondent A person was killed in a road crash on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway at Sitakunda upazila in Chittagong yesterday.

The victim, Safiqur Rahman, 70, was a resident of Choto Kumira area of the upazila, said police sources.

Sergeant Zillur Rahim of Kumira highway police outpost said the aged man was ran over by a Chittagong bound speedy covered van in Gul Ahmed Jute mills area of Choto Kumira around 11am while he was crossing the road, leaving him dead on the spot.

Police seized the covered van but the driver and his associate managed to escape, added Sergeant Zillur. l

200 shops gutted n Our Correspondent, Narayanganj At least 200 shops and hosiery factories in two markets of Narayanganj city were gutted in a devastating fire yesterday.

SI Razzak of Naryanganj police station said the fire broke out around 4am at Suhrawardy market in 2 no Rail Gate area and engulfed the nearby Bhuiyan market.

On information, four fire fighting units from Dhaka and Naryanganj rushed to the spot and doused the fire around 7am, said Narayanganj fire service sources. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Absence of bridge leads to locals’ woes

Man hacked to death by wife in Natore n Our Correspondent, Natore

Residents urge Bandarban district administration to build a bridge over Rakhali canal

n Our Correspondent, Bandarban The lack of a bridge has made life miserable for people of 10 villages under Baishari union of Naikkhangchhari in Bandarban.

Baishari, which is a densely populated area, is known for its rubber industry, with rubber plantations stretching hundreds of acres of land. The Bakkhali-Baishari road in the area was built nearly fifteen years ago but there is no bridge over a canal lying at the halfway point of it, leading to difficulties. The absence of a bridge prevents vehicles from crossing the canal which has left the area almost isolated.

Apart from the inhabitants of the 10 villages, the 14km road is regularly used by hundreds of rubber workers.

Because no vehicle runs on the road, the workers are forced to shoulder different rubber materials and walk 14 kilometres to reach at the other end of it.

Md Mozaher Mia, a local farmer, said sufferings of people increase during the monsoon season because of problems such as water logging.

Upazila parishad member Azizul Haque said all the problems could be solved by building a bridge on the canal.

Many locals and indigenous people, including the inhabitants of nearby hills, have to walk their way to Baishari

4 arrested for murder n Our Correspondent, Kurigram Police arrested four persons yesterday at Saddam Mor area in Bhurugumari upazila of the district for killing a minor boy on Sunday.

According to sources, miscreants hacked Rounak,5, to death in the area on Sunday. They also hacked Rehana, the mother of the boy as she tried to protest the criminals.

Later, Rokunuzzaman, father of the boy filed a murder case.

Following the case, the police arrested Nayem Borson,18, his father Azadul Alam,60, Zaoadul Alam Mukul Master,65, and Rehana Begum, stepmother of the deceased.

Police said earlier that Rehana had led the incident over family feud. l

Housewife burnt to death n Our Correspondent, Tangail

Bazar to buy goods and other basic commodities. It has become increasingly difficult for them to collect fruits grown in the hills, home.

Locals have to walk their way to Baishari Bazar to buy goods and other basic commodities. It has become increasingly difficult for them to collect fruits grown in the hills, home Local indigenous leader Newhla Mang Marma said because there is no bridge on the canal, agricultural goods and food grains perish much before those are brought to the market.

The farmers are thus being deprived of fair prices of their harvest, he said.

Locals have called on Bandarban district administration and Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board to build a bridge on the canal.

The poor transport system has been said to be preventing Baishari from flourishing despite having a good economic potential. l

The recently taken photo shows that a man wades through water on a motorcycle at Baishari village in Bandarban

Diarrhoea spate turns alarming Correspondent, n Our Munshiganj Diarrhoea has broken out alarmingly at nine union parishads in Munshiganj because of scorching heat.

According to sources at Munshiganj Sadar Hospital, about 1,000 patients afflicted with diarrhoea, mostly children and elderly people, got admitted to the hospital in the last two days.

The hospital authority is struggling to accommodate the staggering number of patients.

During a visit to the hospital, this correspondent found that being unable to get bed, many patients have been staying on floor and corridors.

Minara Khatun, a resident of Kalibari village under Tongibari

upazila, said she had become sick on Monday after taking lunch and got admitted to the hospital at night.

Saleha Begum, a resident of Aldi Bazar area, said she had come to the hospital with her 9-monthold boy after he has been affected with diarrhoea. She said, “It will be better for us if we get a bed.”

Rakib Uddin, a resident of Baligaon, said he had come to the hospital with his younger sister.

He alleged that doctors of the hospital were not giving proper attention to patients.

Like him, many patients alleged that they were not getting adequate oral saline and medicines.

But, Dr Nijamuddin differed with the allegation saying they had sufficient stock of oral saline and medicine.

He said, “Usually we provide 1,500 to 1,600 packets of oral saline daily, but now we are giving around 3,000 packets seeing huge rush of patients.”

The scorching heat as well as scarcity of pure drinking water are main causes behind the recent outbreak of diarrhoea, said Dr MAO Kamrul Karim.

He said diarrhea usually breaks out alarmingly in the country twice every year from April to June and from August to October.

He advised people to drink more pure drinking water and said one person should drink 10-12 glasses of water every day.

“People should avoid stale food to prevent diarrhoea,” he said.

Apart from Diarrhoea, many people affected with viral fever have admitted to the hospital. l

A housewife was burnt to death allegedly by her husband at Adi Daspara area in the town yesterday.

According to sources, Sheuly Begum, 28, mother of two children, was set on fire by her husband Sujan Mian on Tuesday over a triflel matter. Around 96 percent of her body was damaged in the incident.

Later, she was admitted to the burn unit of Dhaka Medical College and Hospital where she died. l

20 injured in clash n Our Correspondent, Moulvibazar At least 20 people were injured in a clash at Chonkapon area in Sadar upazila yesterday over occupying a road.

Local sources said the clash ensued when the supporters of Ali Hossaain occupied the road of Abdul Haque’s house.

At one stage, both the groups locked in the clash, leaving 20 injured. l

The Pahari Chhatra Sangram Parishad brings out a procession in Bandarban district town yesterday, protesting cancellation of move to establish a medical college hospital in the district DHAKA TRIBUNE

Transport leader killed allegedly by wife, her lover in Comilla n Our Correspondent, Comilla

The woman and her lover together allegedly murdered the husband, Rezaul Karim Raja Miah, 45, who was general secretary of Gojaria Bus Service on the Daudkandi-Dhaka route, at Sotanandi village under Daudkandi Municipality of the district five days ago.

Daudkandi police station OC Md Abu Salam Miah Chy said it quoting Rezaul’s wife Alo Akter and her young lover Tapos Chandra Shil, 25, both of them were earlier arrested and gave statement confessing their involvement in the killing before a court of Sajjad Hossain, Senior Judicial Magistrate of Comilla Lower Court, under the section 164.

The OC stated that Alo and her lover Tapos, son of Shanti Ranjan Shil, of

Dakkhin Sotanandi village of the upazila, planned to kill Rezaul one month ago and she drugged her husband with green coconut water on June 12 and informed her lover.

Later, they as well as Rashed killed Rezaul stabbing on the throat and dumped the body yard of the house to pass the buck others.

On the other hand, police were trying to arrest an accomplice of them named Rashed, 26, a resident of Chandina upazila here.

However, police recovered the weapons used in in the killing from the house of couple who has two children.

On June 13, police recovered the body of Rezaul who had been living in his father-in-law area hailing from Charcasi village in Gojaria upazila of Munshiganj. l

Two siblings rescued four hours after abduction Correspondent, n Our Munshiganj Police rescued two siblings from Dakshin court Gao area of Munshiganj district town yesterday afternoon four hours after their abduction.

Police said a gang of miscreants had kidnapped Monsur Bhuiyan, 50, and his sister Khadija Begum, 55, at gun point from Adalatpara at 12 noon.

Later, the kidnapers phoned their family members and demanded Tk5 lakh in exchange of their freedom.

Acting on a tip-off, police rescued them around 4pm. The law

enforcers also arrested Shahjalal, 27, in connection with the kidnapping. A case was filed against him.

Shahidul Islam, officer-incharge of Sadar police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that Shahjalal was accused in several cases, including extortion and robbery.

He has been involved in criminal activities in the locality for long.

Local people alleged that although police had arrested Shahjalal several times, he again got involved in criminal activities after getting bail.

The OC said he would look into the matter. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

A woman allegedly hacked her husband to death over family feud at Boraigram Uttarpara village under Boraigram upazila in Natore yesterday morning.

The deceased, Selim Reza,32, son of Abul Hossain, got married with Jesmin Khatun, 25, some six years ago.

According to the locals and family members, Selim and Jesmin had a longstanding family dispute as Selim was drug addict and used to torture Jesmin for money.

Yesterday morning, Selim engaged in an altercation with his wife and demanded money from her in order to buy drugs.

As Jesmin refused to give the money, Selim locked in altercation with her.

At one stage of quarrel, Jesmin hacked Selim with Sharpe weapons, leaving him critically injured, said witnesses.

Locals rushed Selim to the Upazila Health Complex where the doctors declared him dead at about 7am.

Boraigram police station Officer-inCharge Ibrahim Hossain said: “The police have arrested Jesmin from the spot and recovered the body of Selim. The body was sent to hospital morgue for post-mortem examination.

Selim’s mother Sanwara Begum has filed a murder case against Jesmin.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Juris

Winner takes all

Juridical Insight

Our constitution has given unfettered powers to the executive organ disregarding the concept of check and balance

Unlocking the puzzle of police remand n Naurin Aktar Kankon

W

hereas praying for police remand in criminal cases is always suspiciously viewed by all concerned with the Criminal Justice System, it is expedient to share with the readers of Juris some legal views on the matter of granting the police remand.

A judge of the criminal courts in judicial or metropolitan magistracy while entertaining a petition for remanding an accused to the police custody has to ponder over the Case Docket submitted with the petition of police remand and the legal documents attached to the case record, eg FIR, charge sheet, statements of the witnesses recorded under section 161 of Criminal Procedure Code, postmortem and inquest report, and the chronicles of orders given by the same court in different stages of that judicial proceeding in relation to investigation and cognizance regarding that criminal case.

Generally remand may be prayed and sought on the following basis: • To ascertain the nature of dispute • To detect the course of action in the alleged occurrence • To find out who were the accomplice of the alleged occurrence • To find out documents/materials connected to the alleged offence

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

T

n ABM Imdadul Haque Khan

he power of the government is to be divided among three separate branches, ie: the legislative, the executive, and the judiciary. Each branch is independent, has a separate function, and may not usurp the functions of another branch.

However, the branches are interrelated. They cooperate with one another, and also prevent one another from attempting to assume too much power. This relationship is called the doctrine of “checks and balances,” where the functions of one branch serve to contain and modify the power of another. Through this mechanism, the framers of the constitution seek to protect the nation against tyranny.

A close scrutiny of the provisions of the Bangladesh constitution shall make it clear that in reality, the doctrine of check and balance has been disregarded in the constitution.

This, in its present form, simply ensures the “dominance” (instead of “check and balance”) of the executive over the legislature and the judiciary.

Let us now see how the constitution of Bangladesh deals with the concept of check and balance.

First, the cabinet, comprising the most powerful members of the political party, enjoys majority in the parliament. This collection of big shots is led by an almost invincible prime minister. Members of the ruling party is nothing but helpless against such a panel of big bosses.

Article 70 says that any member of parliament going against the

decision of his political leadership runs the risk of losing his seat in the parliament. As a result, the legislature and the executive get virtually converged in one hand. Gone with these are the practical utility of the provisions mentioned above.

Second, even the parliamentary standing committees fail to make the executive behave. A minister, may not be the chairman of a parliamentary standing committee, yet may still be a member of the committee which seriously affect the supervising role of the committee over that ministry. Surprisingly, the ghost of Article 70 haunts the MPs even when they sit in the standing committees. Parliamentary standing committees enjoy little independence in determining its agenda.

Third, the president’s power being subject to the prime minister’s advice (as per Article 48(3) of the constitution, and his advice being immune from judicial scrutiny), the last and final say in appointing and removal of Supreme Court judges – the defacto authority remains strictly in the hands of the executive. As the number of judges in the Supreme Court is not constitutionally fixed, the practice of appointment of additional judges proves to be a political weapon in the hands of the prime minister to tame an adverse Supreme Court.

In the original constitution, at least the task of the removal of judges was entrusted with the parliament.

A Supreme Court judge could be impeached or removed through a resolution passed by two-third majority in the parliament. This, however, was transferred to the president through the fourth amendment of

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Thursday, June 19, 2014

the constitution to strengthen the presidential prerogative. Later, the authority of investigating complaints against the judges of the Supreme Court was granted to the supreme judicial council (a body comprising the chief justice and two other most senior judges of the apex court) under the fifth amendment of the constitution. The result is that in the check and balance scheme we have no role attributed to the parliament in checking the judiciary.

Finally, the end result of any separation-of-power-talk in Bangladesh shall obviously be that there is no separation of power in our country. What prevails here in the name of check and balance is simply the absolute dominance of the prime minister and cabinet over both the parliament and the judiciary. This executive dominance over parliament and other organs of the government has taken the shape of “elective dictatorship” in Bangladesh where

This executive dominance over parliament and other organs of the government has taken the shape of ‘elective dictatorship’ in Bangladesh where the winner of the election takes it all, and parliament acts merely as the rubber stamp of the executive In case of lower judiciary, the grip is tighter. Pursuant to Articles 114, 115, and 116, the president, and from behind, the government has vast power to control the appointment, transfer, leave, terms, and conditions etc of the judicial officers in the lower judiciary. Though there is a requirement of consultation with the Supreme Court, it is not very effective since there is no express provision giving primacy to the Supreme Court’s opinion over that of the executive. Without bringing necessary amendment in Article 116, even the Masder Hossain verdict cannot ensure complete independence of judiciary.

the winner of the election takes it all, and parliament acts merely as the rubber stamp of the executive. The judiciary is grossly and shamelessly politicised. Objectively speaking, no one can ever dare to think of becoming a judge in the Supreme Court if he does not have a link with any one of the two major political parties.

So, it is apparent that in Bangladesh we have a mere paper separation. Thus the goal of our constitution has not been accomplished.  ABM Imdadul Haque Khan is a Lecturer, Southeast University, Dhaka.

The arguments for rejecting the remand prayer generally include the following points: • If remanded to police custody, the accused person will be subjected to inhuman physical and mental torture defying his fundamental rights and will suffer long custody period without trial. In such circumstances, there is no legal necessity to take the accused to the police remand for interrogation to explore the prima facie truth through investigation and involvement of different accused persons in the alleged offence in question.

• The prime responsibility of the investigating officer of any case is to ascertain the fact that whether alleged accused persons should be recommended for trial being primarily liable for the alleged offences or not. More specifically, he has to find out the connection of the accused persons with the alleged offence. To that end, he shall act in accordance with the law and as per the procedure prescribed by law for conducting investigation of a criminal case. It should not be the priority of the concerned investigating officer to take the principal accused to police remand for interrogation with a view to explore the so called “necessary information” some of which are already traced out and some of which are of no legal necessity in relation to the quantum of investigation he is invested with.

• Moreover, in criminal cases there is every option for the concerned investigating officer to pray for recording the judicial confession of an accused person if he/she wishes to confess his/her guilt voluntarily.

• It is also argued that the prayer

for remand has invariably become a tool for the investigating police officers to demand some undue monetary benefit from the family of the accused persons by threatening them to torture the accused persons while interrogating in camera.

It is also argued that the prayer for remand has invariably become a tool for the investigating police officers to demand some undue monetary benefit from the family of the accused persons The Honorable High Court Division of Bangladesh Supreme Court in the celebrated case of BLAST and others v Bangladesh and others delivered its judgment on April 7, 2003, observing that sections 54 and 167 of the CrPC are not fully consistent with the freedoms and safeguards which are guaranteed in the constitution. The court chalked out a comprehensive set of recommendations concerning necessary amendments to the sections of the CrPC, along with the Police Act, The Penal Code and the Evidence Act, and directed that these should be acted upon within six months.

Upon considering the above standpoints and analysing the circumstances and legal necessity if the court finds that the application on remanding the accused person to the police custody has legal essence and force of logic to be granted, the said prayer may be considered positively.

Conversely, upon perusal of the case record if the circumstances of the case do not justify detention of the accused in police custody at all, the court may not allow the prayer of remand. Nonetheless, any judge while disposing of any prayer of ‘remand’ must keep in his/her mind the citizens’ fundamental rights to life and liberty, to equal protection of law, to be treated in accordance with law and to be free from cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment as guaranteed under articles 27, 31, 32, 33 and 35 of our constitution and the guidelines of our apex court on the police remand issue enunciated in the BLAST Case.  Naurin Aktar Kankon is a metropolitan magistrate, CMM Court, Chittagong.

From the reader

Flying foreign flags is unlawful

JURIS QUOTE An earthquake achieves what the law promises but does not in practice maintain — the equality of all men.

Ignazio Silone

(1900 – 1978) Italian author and politician

Send us queries for

Consult you counsel

and also your articles on any legal issues at: law@dhakatribune.com

Dhaka Tribune Visit our website at: www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune RIO SHUVO

A

head of the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, people have started flying flags of the different countries they support.

Every building in the capital has at least one flag of any football playing nation. One may even notice flags of three/four different countries on the rooftop of some buildings in the capital. The rural area is no exception.

However, according to article 9 of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Flag Rules, 1972, the flag of a foreign state shall not be flown on any car or building in Bangladesh without getting specific permission from the government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh.

Therefore, it appears to me that people who hoist flags of foreign countries violate a law of the land. I also believe that those who fly flags of other countries do not intend to break the law, rather they do it out of their ignorance of the law.

We have also seen many people

cheering in cricket and other sports with our national flag held in their hands, sometimes draped around their heads. Many people also fly the national flag in their houses and vehicles. These are also not allowed by the law.

The People’s Republic of Bangladesh Flag Rules, 1972 also provides detail guidelines relating to the size and colour of the national flag, occasions when one can fly the national flag and use of flag in buildings, residences and vehicles, etc.

I request the concerned government authority to initiate a public awareness programme regarding the rules of hoisting national flag. Media, both print and audio-visual, can also play a big role in educating people about these legal issues.  Hafizur Rahman Hafiz LLB (Honours) Final Year Daffodil international University, Dhaka.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Iraq crisis sounds death knell of centralised state n AFP, Beirut

A lightning offensive by Sunni militants may have sounded the death knell of a centralised Iraq, say analysts, who suggest the country, at best, may survive as a federal state.

In just a week, an insurgency spearheaded by the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has laid bare the country’s sectarian and ethnic divisions.

The state of Iraq, in its modern form, was created in 1920, and has always been a patchwork of ethnicities and religious confessions. Its population is mainly Shiite Muslim Arab, but the large Sunni Arab minority dominated the country since independence in 1932 until Saddam Hussein was overthrown in the US invasion of 2003.

There is also a sizeable minority of Kurds. Thrown in to the mix, are ethnic Turkmen, Christians of all stripes and other minorities. The Kurds, who straddle the borders of Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria, have for a century fought to have a state of their own, and have taken advantage of the current crisis by seizing the oil-rich area of Kirkuk.

Meanwhile, leading Shiite clerics have reacted to the Sunni offensive by making a call to arms, raising

fears of all-out civil war.

Fanar Haddad, a research fellow at the Middle East Institute of the National University of Singapore, said that, “at least from a Kurdish perspective, Mosul was definitely an irreversible turning point.”

That was a reference to Iraq’s second city that fell to ISIL control last week.

“Kirkuk was seen as one of Iraq’s most intractable problems and it was effectively resolved overnight thanks to ISIL and company,” Haddad told AFP. The Kurds, who have had their own autonomous region within Iraq since 1991, have long laid claim to Kirkuk, as its energy resources would enable them to enjoy total economic sovereignty.

There’s no going back

The Iraqi Kurds’ premier has said it will be “almost impossible” for Iraq to return to how it was before last week.

In an interview with the BBC, Nechirvan Barzani said he believed autonomy for the Sunni areas might be the best solution.

Haddad says partition of any kind remains a thorny subject in Arab Iraq, and that the “conflict between Sunni and Shiite political actors has been about control of the whole rather than separation.”

(Left): Iraqi Shiite women hold their weapons as they gather to show their willingness to join Iraqi security forces in the fight against Jihadist militants in the southern Shiite Muslim shrine city of Najaf. (Right): Demonstrators chant pro-al-Qaida-inspired ISILevant as they carry al-Qaida flags in front of the provincial government headquarters in Mosul AFP/AP That said, ISIL has a broader objective – creating an Islamic state incorporating vast tracts of Iraq and neighbouring Syria. Haddad says, after recent events, “never before has the prospect of partition of Arab Iraq been more of a possibility.”

John Drake, an expert on Iraq with

British security group AKE, was asked if Iraq could remain united. “I don’t think it’s impossible, but it is highly unlikely,” was his verdict. “The de facto internal borders have changed, and I think they are likely to solidify into de jure borders over the coming years.”

The UN envoy to Baghdad, Nicko-

CIA facing gaps in Iraq as it hunts for militants

Iraqi men board a military truck to join the Iraqi army at the main recruiting center in Baghdad

n AP, Washington The CIA and other spy agencies are scrambling to close intelligence gaps as they seek ways to support possible military or covert action against the leaders of the al-Qaida-inspired militant group that has seized parts of Iraq and threatens Baghdad’s government.

The lack of clear intelligence appears to have shifted President Barack Obama’s immediate focus away from

airstrikes in Iraq because officials said there are few obvious targets. However, officials said no final decisions had been made and suggested Obama ultimately could approve strikes if strong targets do become available.

As the US intensifies its intelligence collection efforts, officials are confronting a diminished spying capacity in the Middle East, where the 2011 departure of US troops and the outbreak of civil war in Syria left large swaths of both

AP

countries largely off-limits to American operatives.

US intelligence analysts are working to track the movements of key figures in the militant group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, which seized Mosul, Tikrit and other towns in Iraq as the country’s military melted away. They are sifting through data provided by Jordanian, Saudi, Turkish and other intelligence services, as well as their own human sources, satellites,

Ukraine president offers cease-fire

A woman holds a map of Ukraine divided into two parts, the eastern carrying the name Novorossia, or New Russia, during a rally in support of peace in Donetsk AP

n AP, Kiev Ukraine’s president said yesterday that government forces will unilaterally cease fire to allow pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country a chance to lay down weapons or leave the country, a potential major development to bring peace to the country.

Petro Poroshenko’s plan, announced following conversations with Russian and German leaders, aims to end two months of fighting in eastern provinces that form the nation’s industrial heartland. It could also help ease the worst crisis between Russia and the West since the Cold War, which was triggered by Moscow’s annexation of Crimea that followed the ouster of Ukraine’s pro-Russia president.

The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed a possible cease-fire in a phone conversation with

Poroshenko late Tuesday. Poroshenko’s office said he also discussed his peace plan with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“The plan will begin with my order for a unilateral ceasefire,” Poroshenko told reporters in Kiev. “I can say that the period of the ceasefire will be rather short. We anticipate, that immediately after this, the disarming of the illegal military formations will take place.”

He said that those who lay down arms and haven’t committed grave crimes will be granted amnesty, and there will be joint patrols against looters and other criminals.

Poroshenko didn’t say when the cease-fire could be declared, but the country’s defense minister, Mykhailo Koval, was quoted as saying the ceasefire could begin “literally within days.”

Any such cease-fire would raise the question of whether the separatists

would respect it, and whether Russia had the desire or the ability to persuade them to do so.

Russia has denied Ukrainian and Western claims that it was fomenting the insurgency in the east by sending troops and weapons, insisting that Russian nationals among the rebels are volunteers. Some top rebel leaders visited Moscow Tuesday and met with senior officials and lawmakers.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, speaking in Baku, Azerbaijan, said that any cease-fire should be “comprehensive,” not temporary.

However, he said that if it was followed by negotiations “then it could be the step President Poroshenko has promised and which in general we were all waiting for.”

Separatists have seized government buildings, held disputed referendums and declared independence in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions along Ukraine’s eastern border with Russia.

Ukrainian troops have struggled to suppress the insurgents, who on Saturday shot down a military transport plane, killing all 49 on board. Authorities say more than 300 people have died in fighting.

Poroshenko was elected after a protest movement drove his predecessor, Viktor Yanukovych, from office in February.

In his inaugural address June 7, Poroshenko said he was willing to negotiate with people in the region, but not with “terrorists” with “blood on their hands.” He proposed an amnesty for separatists who have not committed violent acts, early regional elections and new efforts to create jobs in the area. l

drones and communications intercepts by the National Security Agency, US intelligence officials say. The officials would not be quoted by name because they were not authorized to discuss the classified details publicly.

The Obama administration has discussed the possibility of launching targeted airstrikes, either with drones or manned aircrafts, to try to blunt the momentum of the fast-moving Sunni insurgency. Other options under consideration include deploying a small contingent of US special operations forces to help train the Iraqi military and boosting intelligence available to the Iraqis.

More broadly, the Obama administration is also pressing for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to take steps to make his Shiite-dominated government more inclusive.

It’s unclear whether the CIA and the NSA have been able to locate the top insurgent figures, such as Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the ISIL’s leader. Baghdadi, who was released in 2009 after spending four years in US military custody in southern Iraq, came away with an appreciation of American monitoring technology that made him an elusive target once he took command, said Richard Zahner, a retired Army general and former senior NSA official.

But intelligence agencies have been tracking the ISIL for years, officials say, watching closely as it grew stronger in the Syrian civil war and began to challenge the Shiite-dominated Baghdad government. l

lay Mladenov, described the crisis as “life-threatening” for Iraq and the region as a whole. Arthur Quesnay, from the Institut Francais du Proche Orient, said he believes Iraq can remain whole, but only if it adopts federalism.

“Iraq can survive as one country, but with a federal or confederal system

after negotiations and a consensus between Baghdad and other actors. The constitution allows this,” said Quesnay.

“Most Arab Sunni actors, including the insurgents, are nationalist. They want power to be shared in a more balanced way, and they also want political autonomy in their regions.” l

Would US air strikes work against Iraq insurgents? n Agencies Calls for air strikes have been growing increasingly robust, particularly from Capitol Hill, but some former US defense officials have countered that the chances of civilian casualties and other miscalculations are too great if the US military launches such strikes without boots on the ground to provide intelligence and keep civilians safe.

So, can the US military launch effective air strikes without troops on the ground? “Of course you can,” says retired Lt. Gen. David Deptula, the Air Force’s first deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and a former F-15 fighter jet pilot. Air strikes without US boots on the ground have been used effectively in a number of recent US conflicts, he says.

Yet “one needs to be very careful about the downsides,” warned Eric Edelman, former Pentagon undersecretary for policy in the George W. Bush administration, in an interview with Bloomberg News, adding that effective air strikes “require some kind of US presence on the ground.”

Whether boots on the ground are critical, analysts say, hinges on what the air strikes will be used to do.

Secretary of State John Kerry has come out in favor of such air strikes.

“They’re not the whole answer, but they may well be one of the options that are important to be able to stem the tide and stop the movement of people who are moving around in open convoys, in trucks, and terrorizing people,” he told Yahoo News Tuesday.

The “moving around in open” space point is key here, Mr. Deptula notes.

Air strikes without boots on the ground could prove effective against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) fighters, who tend to mass in formation more than, say, Taliban fighters or the Iraqi militias that US troops once fought in the streets of Baghdad.

If the US military was interested in routing ISIS troops from the cities they have already occupied, however, including Fallujah and Mosul, air strikes without US boots on the ground would risk civilian casualties.

The key question is to what end the US government would use these strikes. They are not likely, for example, to inspire Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki – whose sectarian agenda has contributed to the breakdown of the country’s social fabric – “to create a Jeffersonian democracy,” Deptula says. l

Israel approves 172 new settler homes n AFP, Jerusalem Israel gave approval yesterday for the construction of 172 new homes for Jewish settlers in annexed east Jerusalem, a city councillor said, nearly two weeks after it announced thousands.

“The municipality approved this morning the construction of 172 apartments in Har Homa,” Jerusalem city councillor Yosef Pepe Alalu of the leftwing Meretz party, who opposes settlements, told AFP. “This is the final stage before construction, and is the continuation of a policy that harms the peace process.”

Israel unveiled plans on June 5 for 3,200 settler homes in east Jerusalem

and the occupied West Bank, in retaliation for the formation of a Palestinian unity government backed by the Jewish state’s foe Hamas.

That announcement drew furious reaction from the Palestinians and the international community, with UN chief Ban Ki-moon saying he was “deeply concerned” and urging Israel to freeze its settlement activity.

Wednesday’s approval came as Israel was engaged in a huge crackdown on Hamas, accusing the Islamist movement of kidnapping three missing Israeli teenagers in the West Bank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the international community to press Palestinian president Mahmud

Abbas to end his reconciliation deal with Hamas, citing the kidnapping as proof the movement’s “terrorist” activities make it an unsuitable political partner.

Israel’s settlement building is viewed as a key obstacle to a peace deal with the Palestinians.

When nine months of US-backed peace talks collapsed in April, officials in Washington placed a large portion of the blame on Israel pushing through plans for thousands of settler homes during negotiations.

The Palestinians have pledged to seek an anti-settlement resolution at the UN Security Council for the first time in more than three years. l

UK sets record for smallest properties in Europe n Agencies Britain is in the grip of an invisible housing squeeze with millions of people living in homes that are too small for them, according to a new research which reveals that more than half of all dwellings are failing to meet minimum modern standards on size.

The poorest households are being hit hardest, with estimates suggesting that four-fifths of those affected by the Coalition’s “bedroom tax” are already forced to contend with a shortage of space, the Cambridge University study found.

The findings will put pressure on the government, which announced it was to develop a national space standard –

although this will only be enforced where it does not impinge on development. Critics argue that the UK already has the smallest properties in Europe following the end of national guidelines in 1980. But soaring land and property prices and a shortage of new homes are fuelling overcrowding, which causes health problems including depression, insomnia and asthma.

The authors of the study – based on an analysis of 16,000 homes in England – said the findings showed the bedroom tax was “fundamentally flawed.” The study argues that, when analysed by floor space instead of the number of rooms, 55 per cent of all homes fail to meet enhanced minimum guidelines laid down by the London Hous-

ing Design Guide. When analysed by number of current occupants, one home in five is too small. And the problem of too many undersized properties would be much more serious if it were not for low occupation rates caused by increased numbers of single-person households.

Worst affected were flats and terraced houses with children, whilst the study suggested that 79 per cent of homes were either near or below acceptable size.

The average floor space for a dwelling in the UK as a whole is currently 85 sq metres, whilst new-builds average only 76 sq metres – putting Britain at the bottom of a league table of 15 countries including Ireland, Portugal and Italy. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Thursday, June 19, 2014

9

Sri Lanka police arrest 49 over religious riots n AFP, Alutgama Sri Lanka’s police arrested 49 people overnight over deadly anti-Muslim riots in a tourist region where Buddhist hardliners have set shops and homes ablaze, a senior officer said yesterday.

Both Buddhists and Muslims were arrested during a police crackdown in the southern resort towns, where two nights of violence have left four people dead, the officer said.

The European Union expressed alarm at the violence against Muslims in which three people died and more than 50 were injured so far “We have already arrested 49 and remanded 25 of them and further arrests will take place today,” Sri Lanka police spokesman Ajith Rohana told AFP. A curfew was also lifted in the mainly-Muslim towns of Beruwala and Alutgama, where followers of the extremist Buddhist Force, or BBS, went on the rampage on Sunday and Monday nights.

Hundreds of troops have been deployed to help police contain the violence, which erupted after a BBS mob marched in Alutgama on Sunday, with clashes breaking out as it claimed its procession was stoned by Muslims.

Residents have said authorities did little to stop the violence, which saw

dozens of shops and homes torched by mobs armed with guns, petrol bombs and knives.

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, one of the world’s top Islamic bodies, urged authorities to investigate the violence and take action against those responsible.

OIC Secretary General Iyad Madani said he hoped “every possible effort would be exerted by the Sri Lankan authorities to prevent a further escalation of violence.”

“While appealing for calm and peaceful relations between the communities, Mr Madani urged the authorities to enforce the rule of law, investigate the incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice,” an OIC statement said.

The attacks are the latest in a series of religious clashes to hit the island following unrest in January and last year, when Buddhist mobs attacked a mosque in the capital Colombo.

Muslims make up about 10 percent of the 20 million population, but are accused by nationalists of having undue influence in the Buddhist-majority country.

The United States has led international condemnation of the violence, while Western embassies in Colombo have advised their nationals holidaying in the area to stay indoors.

The European Union expressed alarm at the violence against Muslims in which three people died and more than 50 were injured so far, and urged the government to ensure that the rule of law is upheld.

“Incitement of communal violence and hatred can only be counterproductive to Sri Lanka’s stability,” the EU delegation in Colombo said in a statement yesterday. l

‘Blasphemous’ tweets unblocked in Pakistan n Agencies

previously withheld content is warranted.”

Twitter has unblocked access to dozens of accounts and specific tweets that it had made unavailable in Pakistan.

The social network had imposed the restrictions last month after complaints from the country’s telecoms authority that the material was “blasphemous” and “unethical.” Many of the examples mocked Islam.

Twitter said it had now dropped the ban because the watchdog had not followed up its initial requests with further documentation. It publicised the move by informing Chilling Effects, a website that keeps track of cease-and-desist demands sent to internet-based organisations.

“On May 18, 2014, we made an initial decision to withhold content in Pakistan based on information provided to us by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority,” Twitter told the site. “Consistent with our longstanding policies we provided notice to all of the affected account holders and published the actioned takedown requests on Chilling Effects to maximise transparency regarding our decision.

“We have re-examined the requests and, in the absence of additional clarifying information from Pakistani authorities, have determined that restoration of the

Banned content Twitter introduced the ability to selectively block tweets on a country-by-country basis in 2012 - a move criticised at the time by freedom-of-speech organisations, including Reporters Without Borders.

Twitter received five batches of complaints from Pakistan in May, according to the information provided to Chilling Effects.

They included requests to block: 1) accounts dedicated to posting anti-Islamic comments, 2) accounts sharing drawings of the Prophet Muhammad, 3) tweets showing photos of the Koran being burned, 4) an Arabic-language-based account that urges Muslims to become atheists, and 5) accounts used by three North American porn actresses.

Some of the accounts involved have since been suspended across the whole of Twitter, but the majority of the material is still online.

While Twitter has dropped its Pakistan-imposed blocks, other country-specific bans remain in place, including: restrictions in Germany against a neo-Nazi account, a ban in France against a series of homophobic tweets, and censorship in India of claims that a soft drinks company had distributed contaminated products. l

Clockwise from top: Sri Lankan muslims, made homeless after two days of anti-muslim riots in Sri Lankaís tourist region of Alutgama, demonstrate against radical Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) at a makeshift camp in Beruwala. A Sri Lankan muslim man, wounded during anti-muslim riots in Alutgama, looks on in Beruwala. Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa (L) meets Muslim religious leaders in Beruwala, where he visited the site of communal clashes which happened over the weekend AFP

40 Indians in Iraq kidnapped n Agencies

Forty Indian construction workers stranded in violence-hit Iraq have been kidnapped, the Indian foreign ministry confirmed according to international and local media reports.

A ministry spokesman said yesterday he could confirm the report in the Times of India newspaper that fighters have abducted the 40 workers in the northern city of Mosul amid a deteriorating security situation.

“Forty Indian workers of the Tariq Nur Al Huda company in Mosul have been kidnapped,” foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin told reporters in New Delhi, according to

the AFP news agency.

According to local television channel NDTV, Akbaruddin said the missing workers are largely from Punjab and other parts of northern India and added that Indian nurses stranded in Tikrit, under fighter control, have been contacted by the Red Crescent but are unable to get out.

The Indian foreign ministry has set up a 24-hour control room in New Delhi to provide information on Iraq.

On Twitter, Akbaruddin said that an Indian diplomat was on his way to Baghdad to help the embassy there.

The Times of India, citing unnamed sources, said the 40, who were working on various projects, were abducted by

‘Quarter of India’s land turning into desert’ n Reuters, New Delhi About a quarter of India’s land is turning to desert and degradation of agricultural areas is becoming a severe problem, the environment minister said, potentially threatening food security in the world’s second most populous country.

India occupies just 2 percent of the world’s territory but is home to 17 percent of its population, leading to over-

use of land and excessive grazing. Along with changing rainfall patterns, these are the main causes of desertification.

“Land is becoming barren, degradation is happening,” said Prakash Javadekar, minister for environment, forests and climate change. “A lot of areas are on the verge of becoming deserts but it can be stopped.”

Land degradation - largely defined as loss of productivity - is estimated at 105 million hectares, constituting 32

Thai junta unfazed by serial hunger striker’s fast n Reuters, Bangkok

Chalad Vorachat

For more than three decades, Chalad Vorachat’s hunger strikes have drawn crowds.

Once, he even helped topple a government.

But this time, the veteran Thai anti-coup campaigner says he’s contemplating a very different outcome: wasting away unnoticed on a Bangkok pavement.

He wants to see Thailand’s military, which took power in a bloodless coup last month, set a date for a new general election to usher in a democratically elected government. “If it doesn’t happen soon, then I’ll have to sacrifice my life,” he told Reuters outside Bangkok’s parliament building, where he sits beside plastic wreaths symbolizing the death of democracy and subsists on honey and water.

“If I don’t die, then I win. And if I do die, I also win,” he said, a smile flickering across his face.

Chalad, 71, embodies the vicious cycle that is Thai politics. Since 1980, the former Democrat Party lawmaker has refused food as a form of protest against everything from oil prices to constitutional amendments.

He was thrust into notoriety in 1992,

the fighters during an evacuation of the Mosul area.

Since launching their offensive on June 9, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has captured Mosul and a big chunk of mainly-Sunni Arab territory stretching south towards the capital.

As many as 46 Indian nurses were also stranded in Iraq waiting for the turmoil to subside.

Several have told NDTV and other Indian television stations by phone that they were living like prisoners at a staterun hospital in Tikrit after being abandoned by their employers as well as the military. The offensive has displaced hundreds of thousands of people and sent jitters through world oil markets. l

when a hunger strike against then-Prime Minister General Suchinda Kraprayoon, who took power following a coup, helped inspire bloody protests that killed at least 52 people and resulted in Suchinda’s downfall.

Since then, he’s carried out hunger strikes in 1994, 2000 and 2006 aimed at ending the political meddling of the military, which has carried out 12 successful coups since the abolition of absolute monarchy in 1932.

The former navy lieutenant last week filed criminal charges against junta leader General Prayuth Chan-ocha and other officers for insulting the monarchy and treason. The case was promptly dismissed.

Thai politics has long been tumultuous, and the past decade has seen society sharply divided over the influence of Thaksin Shinawatra, a former telecoms tycoon elected prime minister twice on massive rural support garnered through populist giveaways.

He was overthrown in a 2006 coup. His sister, Yingluck Shinawatra, became prime minister in 2011, but months of protests that began in November helped trigger her downfall in May.

Lonely protest While Chalad could once count on mass support, much of it from Bangkok’s middle classes, his latest protest is happening in near anonymity. Reclining on the street dressed in black pajamas, Chalad was accompanied by just two supporters.

Partly, he blames that on draconian rules introduced since the May 22 coup, banning criticism of the junta and political gatherings of more than five people.

But the other factor he believes is at work doesn’t bode well for Thailand’s democratic prospects: much of the middle class swung its support behind anti-Shinawatra protests that set the stage for the army’s takeover, and are not too bothered by the coup.

“The thing is, Thais don’t have sufficient education so their understanding of democracy is shaky,” he said. “They think the democratic system doesn’t achieve anything...

That’s part of the military’s plan – to make people think Thai democracy is weak.”

Some of those who once supported Chalad say they’re resigned to military intervention in times of political crisis. l

percent of the total land.

According to the Indian Space Research Organisation that prepared a report on desertification in 2007, about 69 percent of land in the country is dry, making it vulnerable to water and wind erosion, salinization and water logging.

The states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh are the among the most arid. These are some of the cotton and rapeseed growing states of India. l

Japan finally bans possessing images of child abuse n Agencies Japan has finally moved to outlaw the possession of images of child abuse following years of international pressure, but has avoided a ban on sexually explicit Manga comics and animation depicting young children. Japan is the last OECD nation to criminalise the possession of such material after its Parliament voted on the new legislation on Wednesday. The production and distribution of the material was made illegal in 1999.

However, the new law does not make similar images depicted in Manga or animation illegal, following strong resistance from artists and magazine publishers who argued it could infringe on freedom of speech. The law is due to take effect next month. Those found guilty under the new law will face imprisonment of up to a year or a fine of up to 1 million yen (£5,778), although such punishment will not be enforced in the first year.

Masatada Tsuchiya, a Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker, supported the bill but said he was disappointed it did not include cartoons and computer graphics. “I believed we should go a step further and take a look at manga and animation in which children are sexually abused.” l

China scolds Vietnam for ‘hyping up’ South China Sea oil rig row n Reuters, Hanoi/Beijing China’s top diplomat scolded Vietnamese officials during talks in Hanoi yesterday for “hyping up” a row over a Chinese oil rig drilling in disputed waters in the South China Sea, in tough comments that suggest relations will remain rocky.

State Councilor Yang Jiechi also told his hosts that the rig’s activities in waters also claimed by Vietnam were “completely legal,” China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said at a daily briefing in Beijing.

Yang, who outranks the country’s foreign minister, made the remarks in a meeting with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Before the visit, experts had said many obstacles remained to resolving one of the worst breakdowns in Sino-Vietnamese relations since the neigh-

bours fought a brief border war in 1979.

Among them is Beijing’s demand for compensation in the wake of anti-Chinese riots that erupted in Vietnam after the drilling platform was deployed on May 2. “The most urgent thing is for Vietnam to stop its interference and harassment, stop hyping up the issue and stop whipping up disagreement to create new disputes, and properly deal with the aftermath of the recent serious incidents of violence,” Hua said, describing Yang’s comments.

Yang later met Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and was due to have talks with the head of Vietnam’s ruling communist party before attending a dinner hosted by Minh. No news conferences are planned. Vietnam has yet to make any statement about the talks.

Yang’s visit is the highest-level direct contact between the two sides since the rig was parked 240 km (150 miles) off the coast of Vietnam. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Thursday, June 19, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Make good on JICA loan deal

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he government recently finalised the concessional loan deals worth $1.18bn with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The deals are set to secure the implementation of five projects, which encompass factors such as improvements to city governance, flood management, and agricultural productivity.

This is a welcome vote of confidence towards the future of Bangladesh, and a further indicator of the longstanding friendly relations shared by our nations.

While the goals which the government hopes to achieve through the use of this money are focused, pressing, and relevant enough, it should make sure that the funds are used to meet these objectives and are not spent unscrupulously.

It is also imperative that concrete and timely dates are set for the implementation of the announced projects, and for the bodies concerned to make good on those dates.

While time is an important factor, the government should also make sure that these projects are handled with delicate care.

There is no room for unnecessary bureaucracy or intra-body infighting to hinder the implementation of these projects.

Through the finalisation of these loans, the government of Japan has shown much faith in Bangladesh. It is up to us to put that faith to good use for the sake of our economy, and future relations with Japan. We cannot afford to abuse this trust.

The government must make sure the funds are not spent unscrupulously

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

PM: Place Khaleda, Tarique on remand for Zia killing

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ast month, the High Court asked the government to take necessary measures to start using the Bangla language in all advertisements by July 1. This directive would affect not only advertisements in the print media, but the electronic media as well.

In the directive made on May 29, the court also ordered the Ministry of Home Affairs to use Bangla instead of English in nameplates and number plates of all police vehicles and other signboards within the next month, as part of a campaign to implement Bangla “in all spheres.”

English language newspapers, however, would be exempted, and we applaud this decision as it would be very difficult for English language media to change all their advertisements into Bangla.

Although the initiative to promote the use of Bangla in every sphere is a noble one, the actual implementation is fraught with problems. Many ads are untranslatable, or are directed squarely at an English-speaking market. Furthermore, there are substantial costs associated with changing or getting rid of ads that have already been commissioned or published.

Therefore, idealistic as the goal may be, it may not be realistic or practical to try to completely stop the use of English across the board in all spheres overnight.

We should not let our patriotism lead us into waging a misguided “war on English.” The use of English in advertisements and signboards does not necessarily mean we are failing to respect or value our mother tongue.

Use of English does not mean we are failing to respect or value our mother tongue

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

June 14 what ails the country to the recent tomfoolery on One this topic.

I think Tarique should end his run of pointed By the way, if the PM is sincere about reopening remarks about Sheikh Mujib and related history. It’s an investigation into former President Ziaur Rahunnecessary and unhelpful. As senior vice-chairman’s assassination, a public statement of gratitude man, he ought to devote his thoughts and time today to devising political strategy for the party, go- from her to Ziaur Rahman for permitting and facilitating her return to Bangladesh, back in 1981, is long ing forward. And BNP ought to completely ignore overdue. the deliberately diversionary antics of the PM and her cohorts.

This latest soundbite stunt from the PM should bdguy82 be ignored outright. It’s best not to indulge her inan- Our leaders need to learn to rise above petty ities with somebody in BNP responding and helping personal politics and focus on the future of the the PM to happily divert public attention away from country.

SUDOKU

10 Biharis killed in capital

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.

June 14

No need for a war on English

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 8 represents D so fill D every time the figure 8 appears.

You have two letters in the control grid to start you off. Enter them 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.

vihan Shame! What on earth has happened to our secular Bangladesh, world-famous for its tolerance and hospitality?!

We should unite to protect our fragile democracy against racists, fascists and religious extremists infiltrating our society!

Towfiq I Exploding crackers should be banned on Shabe-Barat nights. This night is for prayers. Not for goofing around.

Where were the police? They should have patrolled the whole area to prevent this kind of incident. Like they used to do before. khanadil Under a certain political leadership, we seem to be increasingly emerging into and portraying ourselves as the world’s most insensitive nation.

We show no concern for our own people who get killed by the Indian BSF at the borders on a daily basis. And the other day, Myanmar security forces killed one of our BGB members and, more recently, six more civilians traveling on a trawler.

What did we do except giving a meaningless state funeral to the dead BGB soldier? Precious nothing.

Now 10 Biharis have been killed – who cares about Biharis when we don’t care about our own? The ideas of human compassion, social justice, rule of law etc are a complete anathema in present-day Bangladesh.

We have already earned our name as the world’s most corrupt country, and to this we now add being the world’s most heartless country.

No use appealing to this government to change things. In statement after statement, its leader has demonstrated that only people that are safe and get blessings are the criminals.

They seem to be totally incapable of showing respect for human dignity, because it seems they possess none!

Rethink state banks

June 13

Dhusor Diganta Close the loss-making banks.

Still occupied

June 12 Osmania Good report by a British politician. The occupation is degrading, and creates insecurity for all. Mind you, I’d pay good money to see other politicians go through Israeli checkpoints.

The often denied, seldom confronted reality June 13

kaniza I feel like the article had some nice thoughts, but these were poorly expressed. Expect better writing from Dhaka Tribune.

Nafis kaniza : I beg to disagree. This article is simply written, which is much needed when tackling such issues. The use of academic social jargon can lead the reader astray into the murky world of definitions. For the purpose of this article, the use of simple language called a spade a spade.

And this is not often seen in Bangladesh, especially when it comes to women’s rights.

Brazil slips past Croatia, thanks to Yuichi Nishimura June 14

Someone The penalty was ludicrous and unjust. But then Croatia got lucky too; they were gifted with Brazil’s own goal, and failed to score one on their own. As for the scoreline, it was, in effect, an (unconvincing) 2-0 win for Brazil.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Fastener (4) 5 Make suitable (5) 8 Worshipped (6) 9 Refuse to admit (4) 10 Doctrine (3) 12 Discount (6) 13 Holiday period (6) 15 Join firmly (6) 18 Evades (6) 20 United (3) 21 Trick (4) 23 Book of the Bible (6) 24 Locations (5) 25 English river (4)

DOWN 1 Membership token (5) 2 Lyric poem (3) 3 Desires earnestly (5) 4 Attempt (3) 5 Sticks (7) 6 Operatic air (4) 7 Large volume (4) 11 Stupefy (4) 12 Goes back (7) 14 Soon (4) 16 Ooze out (5) 17 Long lock (5) 18 Domestic animals (4) 19 Dexterous (4) 21 Decay (3) 22 Prosecute (3)

Ruhel I agree 100% with this article. That ref was told

by FIFA to make sure Brazil won. I think the Croat goalkeeper should have retired five years ago. All three goals were let in by him.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

Spain 1-5 Netherlands June 14

CROSSWORD

Osman Now that’s what I call football. Goed geddan Nederland!!!!

PEANUTS

Govt yet to decide over new crest June 13

vihan Does it matter?! Harm is done, anyway.

Kurds take Kirkuk, Sunni militants surge toward Baghdad June 13

Vikram Khan Muslim against Muslim... brother against brother.... What to think about it...

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

Thursday, June 19, 2014

11

Rape equals victory? n Rashaam Chowdhury

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Is the Padma Bridge truly feasible?

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BIGSTOCK

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A bridge over troubled waters

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n Mamun Rashid

was on vacation. Michael Jackson had just died. My ten-yearold son was singing: “I’m bad.”

It seems in today’s Bangladesh, I should also be singing only that song. I have already become the “odd man out,” because of the challenges I pose to the established myths or regulatory behaviour. My only consolation is maybe others can’t see what I can.

A few of us were always critical about building Padma Bridge with our own resources. It was not because we are short of resources. It was more for maintaining compliance with the international building codes or standards, project supervision, attracting the best contractor to build the world class bridge, smooth management of relocation and rehabilitation programs, and most importantly, maintaining financial discipline.

We never doubted that a nation that earns Tk1.8 trillion in revenues and spends an excess of Tk2.5 trillion per annum can of course build a number of bridges like the one over the Padma with its own resources. If we could achieve independence at the cost of more than 3 million valuable lives, we can surely accomplish many “missions impossible.”

But one could easily raise the question: Do we really need a Padma Bridge to be built at any cost? In doing so, should we push the macro-economy, which is already showing some signals of stress and strain, into further trouble?

Or divert funds from “large infrastructure projects,” social safety net programs, education, rural health infrastructure, the Dhaka-Chittagong dedicated trade corridor, Chittagong port modernisation, conversion of Dhaka-Chittagong or Dhaka-Mymensingh highways into four-lanes, and improvement of rail and river routes?

ladesh Institute of Management in Dhanmondi be converted into a world class management institute with the help of IIMs in India or under an affiliation with one of them. We need to fix these things first.

There has been news regarding the signing of the Padma Bridge construction contract with China Major Bridge

When I look at our commanders responsible for implementing the Padma Bridge, for some reason I don’t feel very confident

The bridge may be very important for the ruling party legislators from the country’s southwestern regions, but not for their friends in Chittagong, Noakhali, Sylhet, Comilla, or even Rajshahi and Dinajpur. The bridge may play a large role in improving connectivity within the country or even region, but our entrepreneurs need a more functional Chittagong port or reduction in transportation time to take goods to the port.

The cabinet the other day decided to establish a medical college in Rangamati. I was so happy to hear this. I would also be very happy if they decided to build a medical college in Narayanganj, adjacent to the large medical hospital they have there. I would be most happy to see the Bang-

Construction and Engineering Company under a budget of Tk121.3bn. The Ministry of Finance has already added another half a billion dollars to the estimated cost for building the bridge and associated expenditure considering the possible cost overrun.

Despite a lot of good wishes, there seems to be no “easy arithmetic” as far as mobilising such a huge volume of resources is concerned. The timefactor for its implementation will also be a critical issue. Many other estimates including the toll fixing and receivable numbers need to be re-casted. Funds for the project will be largely required to be spent in foreign exchange. The domestic financing of the project is also likely to have implications on macro-economic

management, prices, execution capacity, technical safeguard, development activities, as well as diversion of funds to the resources – hungry sectors of the economy, operations of financial sector, public debt management etc.

All these factors will have to be taken care of in order to safeguard the economy and ensure project implementation with precision. When I look at our commanders responsible for implementing the Padma Bridge, for some reason I don’t feel very confident. They seem to be in a hurry without much preparation or fair feasibility about their destination. I am not sure they have done their homework well.

The issues being raised here are not to question the merit of the decision about the execution of the Padma Bridge project under domestic financing. Rather, more dependence on domestic resources for meeting the financing needs of investmentrelated development activities should always be considered thoughtful.

But affordability and capacity of the economy and its players obviously need to be examined properly before venturing into a massive and costintensive project like Padma Bridge.

China should be happy today. So should our government for getting China on their side to tide over the political mess. But political considerations bypassing economic prudence may strain the nation in future. l

ootball enthusiasts took to social media to express their feelings after Netherlands “thrashed” Spain in the World Cup. The word “rape” and variations of it dominated Twitter and Facebook – “It’s Friday the 13th and Spain got raped.” “That was absolute rape – Spain should pack their bags after that embarrassment.” “Spain has been raped without mercy and has lost their dignity.” These are a few less graphic examples of the reactions appearing online. As the World Cup continues, the steady stream of rape analogies persist within social media.

Likening the victory or loss of a football match to rape in this manner is appalling. Stating that an overpowering team has raped the less powerful one glamourises rape as an adrenalin-pumping-testosterone-driven win.

Simultaneously, the word rape serves to belittle the losers. Do we feel the same way about women and men who experience rape? Are rapists superior and powerful? If the answer to either of these is “no,” then how can we utilise the word rape for such frivoulous purposes?

Such usage gives the impression that rape victims should feel embarrassed and simply give up in the aftermath of their ordeal. Being raped demonstrates some form of weakness – a weakness that should and can be made fun of.

Concurrently, it portrays that rapists are supremely complete in their masculinity, and the act of rape is a part of that demonstration of enviable power. The “rape” of a mighty team such as Spain gives us more pleasure. Essentially, we equate rape with victory and it is unacceptable in this modern day and age.

In the field, two teams consent to the act of playing football and the possibility of one party facing defeat is implicit in this understanding. However, in real life, rape is defined by the absence of consent, and the victims do not implicitly or explicitly consent to being raped.

Getting a goal through a penalty box surely is not similar to rape.

Continual misuse of metaphors in this manner serves to perpetuate myths about rape and sexual assault experiences. People using the term may not realise the inherent misogyny associated with it. Nevertheless, research has shown that it trivialises and normalises rape culture within

Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.

Sport is not the same as sexual assault

This self-fulfilling prophesy has worked for the goal the Indian media has set for this election.

Again, even if one is not as cynical, there are alternative explanations of media pro-activism in Indian politics.

As the polity of the country is getting more and more fractured with every passing day, and the party system has degenerated to coalitions which are now faltering as well, the media in India has perhaps tried to resist further decay and save a functional coalition system.

coalition system to maintain political order in their diverse agglomeration.

The rational course for them is – as the Congress-led UPA is likely to do bad in the election, they should be made to do the worst and as the most prospective replacing coalition, the BJP-led NDA, may do well, they should do the best. But the outcome was even better than what they envisaged.

That’s fair enough, in a way. But did this lead to democracy? How does media activism play out with democratic propriety and true representation of

mainstream society.

Commentators question why we are not equally outraged about expressions such as “thrashing,” “slaughtered,” or “pulverised.” This line of criticism is difficult to counter. The fact that murder rates are nowhere close to sexual assault rates may shape our selective outrage.

Getting a goal through a penalty box surely is not similar to rape

Furthermore, myths about murder and assault are not as rampant as those about rape. Culturally and legally, we are much more willing to give victim status to those murdered than those raped. On the contrary, rape victims are often ridiculed and continue to be blamed for their plight. Maybe it is the contested nature of rape victims that impels us to fight harder against the perpetuation of rape culture through the use of these metaphors.

Whatever the reason, we must understand that such peripheral arguments effectively subsume the broader debate and serve to dismiss it altogether as feminist propaganda.

Trivialised references to rape are ubiquitous and pervasive in Bangladeshi society. Events such as the FIFA World Cup simply make these instances more visible. We are actively outraged about gang rape in Delhi.

Yet, we can’t even stop using a simple expression that has far-reaching and damaging consequences for the moral fabric of our society.

It is not about being politically correct. However, it is about respecting hundreds of thousands of women raped during our liberation war, and the 1 out of 4 Bangladeshi women who have been raped in their lifetime. And it is certainly about teaching ourselves to have the common sense not to equate their gruesome experience to a sport. l Rashaam Chowdhury teaches criminology at Deakin University and is a Masters student at the University of Melbourne.

AFP

A media monster n Sarwar Jahan Chowdhury

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edia activism is an issue which warrants more debate.

As the dust of the long multi-phased Lok Sabha election settles down, it is time to have a critical look at the role Indian media has played in the run-up to this crucial election.

This recent Indian election appeared to be no less melodramatic than a Bollywood masala movie. And it unmistakably picked the recent Bollywood trend of making the anti-hero a hero, regardless of some gesture of moderation. The disguised director of the movie seemed to be the Indian media, almost collectively. And the producer was supposedly corporate India with a subtle understanding with the directorship.

It is unprecedented that the national media of a democracy in this age has taken up a scheme that is way outside of their natural purview. Yet it has happened. The result is – initially unexpected – a resounding victory for the BJP. Of course, there were other factors, but implicit assistance from the media, in general, is what has helped the political outfit to attain the crucial extra mileage that has taken them past the magic figure on its own

– the first time for a single party since 1984. It may also spell a paradigmatic shift in Indian politics, ie reverting to a single dominant party system from the coalition culture of the last two decades.

If one had observed this carefully, he or she would have noticed the way Indian media has been setting up agendas in the run-up to this 16th Lok Sabha election. On the one hand, it completely ignored the relative economic success of the UPA-2 government under the adverse global trends.

On the other, it blew out of proportion limited achievements of one person – Narendra Modi – in order to promote him as the saviour of the nation in a perceived dire situation.

All this brings forth the question: How does the media set agendas, news, or discussion topics? Why is it averse to comparative, in many senses, sector-wise objective talks? And why did it make the persona of one controversial politician the point of persistent focus, eventually drawing, by and large, positive conclusions about him despite records to the contrary.

Day after day, it was basically Congress and the Gandhi family-bashing in one way or the other in most of the influential English, Hindi, and many

other regional press and electronic media. At the opposite end, there had been an extensive craftily drawn exercise of projecting Modi as the wizard of development, which is of course, a claim not sufficiently substantiated. The media also took up a largely revisionist take at his role as the chief minister in not deliberately saving the Muslims in the Gujarat riots in 2002.

It’s true that the Congress has shifted economic policy wisely from investment and growth-oriented to pro-poor “trickle down” policies and social security leniency. Perhaps the party wanted to create a stable political base beyond just caste and community dynamics. But as it somewhat contradicts the interest of corporate India and the well-to-do upper caste middle class , the latter are now all out to haunt the grand old party.

The upper caste well-offs have been the traditional and stable support base for the BJP. They dominate the sophisticated domains like corporate India, media, and intelligentsia. Now there is a silent agreement to see the decade-long UPA off. Despite most of the recent pre-election opinion polls going wrong, TV channels and newspapers are doing it again and unequivocally spelling the doomsday for Congress.

Will the Indian media be able to reign in the Frankenstein’s monster it has created when the monster starts reasserting its primitive propensity?

As per the media mind, a hung parliament could have spelt disaster for India, hence at least a replacing coalition led by a major national political party is preferable. Indian media perhaps fancied a German-like two

people? Are the electorates aware of this implied media clout? Can they take decisions fairly either assimilating or ignoring the media feeds? From where can they get objective information and analysis? These are difficult

questions with no easy answers. This could also be true, fully or partly, for many other democracies.

It’s true that Indian media has almost forced Modi and the BJP to moderate to a certain extent. It’s not clear though, whether this overt change is genuine or just symbolic. There will be, for sure, media pressure on Modi and the BJP to maintain this moderate development-focused posture. But given their past record, what unfolds is anybody’s guess.

The danger is that if the BJP fails to deliver on the promises which aren’t easy with the kind of overblown expectation they have created, then they may well try to revert to hard Hindutva for their political survival.

Will the Indian media be able to reign in the Frankenstein’s monster it has created when the monster starts reasserting its primitive propensity?

This could be the biggest question for the future of media pro-activism in the Indian election or in any other watershed moment. l Sarwar Jahan Chowdhury is the Head of Operations at BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University.

He is also a member of Regional Studies Research Cluster in the same Institute.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Abaji set to rock Dhaka audience once again n Entertainment Desk French-Lebanese singer and song writer Abaji is back in Dhaka for a special concert with local Baul musicians on World Music Day. Abaji is set to tour Bangladesh for the third time after the tremendous success of his previous events left the music-lovers of Dhaka wanting more. The event will be held at the La Galerie on June 21 2014 at 6:30pm.

A multi instrumentalist, his last concert at the La Galerie, AFD in May, 2013, showcased his talent for fusion.

As part of a musical family, Abaji began playing the guitar at the age of eleven before moving on to other instruments: the clarinet, the percussions, the oud, the bouzouki and the

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Shahiduzzaman Selim juggles four wives n Entertainment Desk Shahiduzzaman Selim who bagged the National Film Award in the category of Best Actor in a Negative Role is married to four women. But not in real life; he did it for a special six-episode serial titled “Niyamot O Tar Bibigon” which is scheduled to air during Eid. Selim is portraying the title role while both veteran and young actors assembled for the drama. Shampa Reza, Bijori Barkatullah, Aporna and Urmila Srabonti Kar played the four wives in the mini series.

The drama is written by Moin Ahmed and directed by Aniruddho Rassel. About the plot, Selim said: “An exceptional plot for a TV drama is rare now-a-days. ‘Niyamot o Tar Bibigon’ is a fantastic story. The audience is bored with the redundant stories of all the TV serials that are aired at present and I can vouch that they will enjoy this particular plot.”

Shampa Reza was asked about the drama and she said: “At this stage of my career I rarely act in TV plays, but Moin’s story overwhelmed me and I carried out the role passionately.”

Youngsters Aporna and Urmila are excited about acting with gifted stars like Selim, Shampa and Bijori. Other actors of the drama include Intekhab Dinar, Majnun Mijan and Moin Ahmed. l

various flutes he collected during his travels worldwide. Later on he continued to transform his instruments, playing the guitar with a violin bow at many international concerts. His music continuously echoes his passion – Indian music, Oriental music and blues – and his extensive travels around five continents. Abaji believes that the beauty of music must be shared with everybody.

Alliance Française de Dhaka (AFD) is celebrating the occasion of the “Fête de la Musique 2014,” known worldwide as the World Music Day in two phases. The second segment will take place on June 27 at the same venue where local musicians will present a number of solo and group performances. l

Spur of the moment n Entertainment Desk A telefilm titled “Biporite Heet” starring Sajal and Bindu will be aired today on Maasranga TV at 8pm.

Written by Shraboni Ferdous and directed by Maruf Mithu, the story follows Sajal and Bindu who are in a secret relationship. In a spur of the moment they decide to elope when their respective families put pressure on them to get married to different individuals. They take shelter in a rich friend’s bungalow. As days go by, the couple realise that they are not compatible for marriage and decide to part their ways. They meet one last time before breaking up and something very unusual happens.

Along with Sajal and Bindu, Ahsan Kabir, Shikha Haque, Rohan and others are cast in the drama. l

YouTube to block indie labels n Entertainment Desk Independent record labels have slammed YouTube over a royalty dispute which could see videos by artists including Adele and the Arctic Monkeys disappear from the popular website.

YouTube’s general head of business, Robert Kyncl told the Financial Times on Tuesday that videos by independent labels would be gone “within a matter of days” if they refused to sign up to its new streaming service.

Artists including Adele and Jack White, who are signed by XL Recordings, and Arctic Monkeys and Hot Chip, under Domino, could be affected.

While Kyncl claimed that “90 per cent of the music industry” has agreed to the royalty rates of its new ad-free streaming service, a number of influential independent labels have refused. Music giants Sony, Warner and Universal have all reportedly accepted the terms.

But smaller labels have accused the video-sharing giant of making a “grave error of judgement,” by offering them non-negotiable terms over the impending subscription service.

The Worldwide Independent Music Industry Network (WIN), which represents independent firms, also complained that the terms undervalue existing deals with existing streaming firms Spotify and Deezer.

They are now urging the Google-owned site to take part in negotiations so they can agree on a deal.

Alison Wenham, the CEO of WIN said that music fans want to be able to access a wide range of music - something which Spotify and Deezer both do and “have excellent relationships with the independent music sector.”

“By not giving their subscribers access to independent music YouTube is setting itself up for failure. We appreciate that a small number of independent labels may have their own reasons for agreeing to YouTube’s terms, that is their prerogative, but they are very much in the minority.

“The vast majority of independent labels around the world are disappointed at the lack of respect and understanding shown by YouTube. We once again urge YouTube to come and talk to us,” said Alison.

Kyncl told the newspaper that they intended to press ahead with the service regardless. l

Apur Panchali: Obsession reincarnate n Mosabber Rahman

“Apur Panchali” is an above average Indian Bangla film that retells the saga of Apu, an iconic character created by author Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay, and immortalised by three films collectively called the “Apu Trilogy” (“Pather Panchali,” “Aparajito,” and my all-time favorite “Apur Sangsar”) - frequently voted among the greatest-films-ever-made. Some of the scenes are done quite well and succeed in capturing a sense of nostalgia.

However, it does not feel like a photograph of reality; it feels like a photograph of a photograph of reality- it feels self-conscious. It’s more of a recipe-testing exercise than inspired filmmaking, like an experiment to check if Maxwell’s equations still hold true. This is exactly the kind of release that causes film-buffs go to the theater with slings and arrows: so why would anyone even try such a thing? Obsession.

Over sixty years ago, a young advertising man, both an economics graduate and an art school dropout, became obsessed with a book and decided to film it. He found

a bunch of amateurs like himself and started shooting on holidays. Then one day, after four years of cathartic struggle, the work actually got finished. The film would become “Pather Panchali” and the man would become “Satyajit Ray.” Now every time we watch the film, this obsession, poured from a man’s heart into a film, permeates from the screen, enters our eyes via electromagnetic radiation, and in turn possesses our hearts. Ray would move on to other projects, making one masterpiece after another, but we are still there, we cannot get over it- our obsession with that first film is unending.

The scenario: A film student Arko (obsessed with “Pather Panchali”) is given the task of seeking out the seventy-year-old Subir Banerjee, the forever-young first Apu. He is being honored and needs to fly to Europe to accept it. Arko does find Subir, practically a hermit now, and tries his best to convince the old man to accept the honor. Half the film is about the friendship that develops between them. The other half is in black & white flashbacks, a reenactment of the Apu story with young Subir, juxtaposed with actual footage from the original films.

If the film genuinely wanted to honor the forgotten child actors of world cinema, it would have primarily focused on the story of old Subir, and it would have been a different kind of film (after all the best performance comes from old Subir - Ardhendu Bannerjee). Instead it chooses to indulge on the romance of filmmaking and becomes a nostalgic escapade. Yes, there are some bizarre similarities between the fictitious Apu and real life child actor Subir- both had similar jobs, both married their friend’s cousin, both lost their wives at an early age- but to say Ray’s script of the three Apu films dictated Subir’s life such that Subir became Apu is really pushing it. Even the director himself knows that’s not true, otherwise why would he cast two actors so dissimilar in physical types, one for old Subir and one for young Subir.

Filmmakers tend to devour their heroes to give them homage and to become just as good. But it goes much deeper than that. To be an heir to a legacy is to digest the “ideas” of the filmmaker that he so densely packs into his films from whose DNA strands an entire dinosaur can be made. Films are the ambers that carries “ideas.”

In that aspect “our films” might be closer to Satyajit Ray’s legacy than “their films.” l

Shah Rukh Khan’s eight million followers n Entertainment Desk Shah Rukh Khan has proved again that he is not only the “Badshah” of Bollywood but also the king of social media. He now has eight million followers on micro-blogging website Twitter. The actor, who has been active on the social networking platform in the last few months, enjoys immense popularity among his fans on the social networking site.

In fact as soon as he touched the eight million mark, Twitter got flooded with congratulatory messages for the actor. And since then #SRK8Million started trending on Twitter.

Shah Rukh thanked his followers with this tweet: “They say that the heart beats & u can hear it, that’s Biology. But wot is the song i hear with the beat? I believe it’s all if u. Thanx 8Mil.” l

From factory floor to a kitchen

n Entertainment Desk “Food Factory” is a fascinating documentary that shows the detailed manufacture process of how finger smacking crunchy chips, favourite gulab jamun, masterful almond biscotti and protein-rich tofu get to a dinner table.Behind every one

of these deceptively simple food products is a fascinating and intricate process involving grand machinery, a symphony of assembly lines and a suite of wonderful steps that carries each treat from the factory floor right into a kitchen.

The show will be telecast today at 8pm on the Discovery Channel. l

Soha Ali Khan to walk the ramp n Entertainment Desk Bollywood diva Soha Ali Khan will grace the ramp as the celebrity showstopper at the fashion show “Pond’s Presents The Lustrous Runway” to be held today. The event will take place at the Radisson Blue Water Garden Hotel in the capital and is organised by Infinity.

Besides Soha, gorgeous, professional models like Sona Golder, Ayesha Ghosh, Madhura Dasgupta, Ushoshi Sengupa and several others from India will be landing on the ramp along with popular local ramp models.

The show, titled “Pond’s Presents The Lustrous Runaway,” has been conceived and created by Infinity with a vision to “redefine the future of fashion and integrate Dhaka into the global fashion world.”

This time the “Lustrous Runway” will be showcasing designers - Anokhi, Joconde, Paera, Tootli Rahman and Libasse by Najmi Moyeen and Naheed Moyeen. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Thursday, June 19, 2014

Lowly Tigers hoping for change of fortunes Rain and the outcome were the only consistent things in the first two-one day internationals between Bangladesh and India as performance from both the sides have been highly contrastive. India, under their captain for the seven-day tour, Suresh Raina, have already secured the three-match series and they will be eyeing a series sweep when they take on the Tigers, who are yet to register a win in ODIs in 2014, in the final game at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium today.

A horrible first-quarter of the year saw the Bangladesh Cricket Board restructure the coaching staff, but recent results can hardly be blamed on the new mentors - Chandika Hathurusingha and Heath Streak – as they just joined and this series is mainly a chance for them to assess things and make a plan for the future.

Team morale has hit rock-bottom and the players appeared shell-shocked at home conditions, as whatever they seem to be doing, they still come out second – may it be defending a big total of 300 odd or chasing a small target of around 100.

Even after India’s innings on Tuesday, many would have thought that

13 Streak impressed with bowling front As Heath Streak began his stint as the new bowling coach of the Tigers in the one-day international series at home against India, many were wondering how the Bangladesh bowlers would fare under the tutelage of the former Zimbabwean captain. To his credit, the Bangladeshi pacemen bowled commendably in the first and second ODIs and although the home side suffered defeats in both the games, Streak expressed his satisfaction with the display of his charges.

“From a bowling perspective, I’m very excited. There seems to be some really good young prospects. I think if we can get them the support they need and keep them fit, the future for Bangladesh cricket from a bowling perspective is very bright,” Streak told the media at Mirpur yesterday.

The 40-year old Zimbabwean, a former fast bowler himself, praised young pace bowler Taskin Ahmed after his brilliant debut on Tuesday when he scalped 5/28 in eight overs to become the first Bangladeshi cricketer to pick up a five-wicket haul on debut in ODIs. “Obviously very happy with Taskin [Ahmed]. He is someone who we know has got some potential so we need to look after him and keep him because I think people like him are good,” said Streak. “Al-Amin [Hossain] is another good prospect. Obviously we’ve got the old guys like Mashrafe [Mortaza] who is doing well but coming towards the back end of their careers and then other guys I’ve looked at, I think, Rubel Hossain, he’s still got a lot to offer Bangladesh cricket,” he added. l

finally Bangladesh will win their first ODI of this year riding on the back of Taskin Ahmed’s dream debut. The teenager used the conditions to perfection and rattled the Indian line-up to end up with a five-for, but the batsmen faltered while garnering 105 runs which eventually saw Tigers skipper Mushfiqur Rahim apologising to the nation for their joint-lowest ODI total of 58.

Going into today’s game, Mushfiq would want to end on a high note, but he too knows that will be very difficult given the current state of his side. Hathurusingha has probably seen enough of Tamim Iqbal and might give Shamsur Rahman a go. The series is out of reach and given the existing circumstances, it is a good opportunity for the coaches to tinker with the playing XI and weigh the available options they will be expected to work with.

India also have the luxury of giving their bench-warmers a game as the likes of Kedar Jadhav and Manoj Tiwary might finally get a game. l

Opener Tamim Iqbal is all ears as Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusingha gives him some tips during training at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday MUMIT M

Sugarloaf Mountain and all its beauty A bitter doze of the Brazilian Carnival

All the tourists and football fans touring Rio de Janeiro invade the Copacabana beach but to discover the real beauty of one of the most beautiful cities in the world, all and sundry rush to Sugarloaf Mountain and acknowledge it as the best. Many football teams like Chile, Cameroon and Colombia have already asked Fifa’s Local Organising Committee to arrange a tour to the picturesque mountain from where the whole of Rio, its beaches and the blue Atlantic Ocean are visible.

Sugarloaf Mountain (Portuguese: Pão de Açúcar) is a peak situated near Copacabana, at the mouth of Guanabara Bay on a peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean. Rising 396 metres or 1,299 ft above the harbor, it was named for its similarity with the traditional shape of a concentrated and refined loaf sugar, the main source of earning of the Brazilians when sugar was its principal export resource. The name “Sugarloaf” was coined in the 16th century by the Portuguese during the heyday of sugarcane trade in Brazil. The mountain is only one of several

Schumi was awake for hospital transfer Formula One champion Michael Schumacher was conscious and had his eyes open during his top-secret transfer from a French hospital to a facility in Switzerland, Swiss newspaper Blick reported.

Schumacher was moved on Monday after emerging from a coma following his devastating ski accident in December.

The paper said he had his eyes open for most of the journey by private ambulance, which was conducted like a secret service operation.

Schumacher did not speak, but he communicated by nodding his head during the 200-kilometre (125-mile) journey, the paper said.

The ambulance company was not told the identity of its world-famous passenger in advance, and staff had to give up their mobile phones when they came into contact with him.l

monolithic granite and quartz mountains that rise straight from the water’s edge around Rio de Janeiro.

The tourists have to take two cable-cars to reach the peak. The first one takes the tourists to the shorter Morro da Urca, 220 meters high, from where another cable-car reaches the peak of the Sugarloaf. The Italian-made bubble-shaped cars offer passengers 360-degree views of the surrounding city. The climb takes three minutes from start to finish. Departures are available every 20 minutes.

A Brazilian engineer Augusto Ferreira Ramos completed the entire project in 1912 after which the cable-cars were introduced. It is a magnificent journey in the air with a panoramic view of Rio and the blue Atlantic soothes the eyes and the body. The cool and windy atmosphere is marvelous. With His bronze statue situated at the top, the tourists stop for a brief moment and shower respect to Him.

The downtown of Rio - the southern beaches Corcovado and Niteroi Bridge that are 13km long across the ocean presents the viewers a wonderful experience. The authorities have carved out concrete roads across the peak so that the people can have a walk through the green jungle that has grown up down the cliffs. Evenings are the best time to visit Sugarloaf and enjoy the stupendous sunset.

At the top of the peak there is a souvenir shop, a disco and a food court.

The parties held at the peak are gorgeous with the top celebrities attending regularly. The peak was used in the James Bond film Moonraker and a number of other Hollywood films.

All the football fans visiting Rio was seen taking the cable-cars wearing their national team jerseys and often shout out their country’s name while they enjoy the superb scenic beauty and admire the beautiful experience that is the Sugarloaf Mountain. l

killing the Brazilian game, and displaying distinct lack of courage. Neymar isn’t being able to pass the ball because he is not sure if he will get fed back, and Fred is a jamai (son-in-law), a position of special privileges especially in the beginning of a marriage, who might as well be sitting on a dais with a handkerchief over his mouth.

You can say what you want about Farooki’s footballing proclivities, and I can say plenty given that he switched from my beloved Liverpool to Chelsea, but there is no doubting the man’s understanding of the game or his passion for the Selecao.

One did not have to be a footballing expert to realize that Brazil gave a fairly shoddy performance against Mexico. Two events, one last night and another this morning made me realize how devastating their insipid display was for the Selecao faithful.

Last night after the game I went to see my nearly septuagenarian father. He was sitting on his laptop at 3 in the morning clicking random icons with the same kind of listlessness that I saw in the Brazilian midfielders. When I asked what he was doing, he gave me a Pirloesque blank stare but there was no earth shattering free kick to follow.

This morning I received a barrage of whatsapp messages from Mostafa Sarwar Farooki, who is doing the festival rounds in Seoul with his latest film. Farooki is usually parsimonious with his texting but he was in abundant form today. While he insisted that I write his comments verbatim in my column, I am convinced that doing so will get me permanently barred from ever writing in any Bangladeshi publication ever.

So here is a gist of what he said. If Scholari wants his certain orbs to remain intact he will have to display a little more power in said spherical objects. Playing the game with three holding midfielders is

I have actually never been to a carnival so I cannot vouch for the success of my prescription but it does make a certain kind of sense, and was conceived and conveyed with the most loving intentions So when he misses photo ops with Ben Kingsley to compose a lengthy jeremiad about Brazilian football to this humble writer, one feels that Brazil fans really do need a pick me up.

I could not help but notice, however, that the actual Brazilians that I saw on TV yesterday seemed much happier, even at the end of the game, than the fans here in Bangladesh. Surely they are not less devoted to their OWN country’s team than we are.

Banned headphones, a World Cup fashion beat Neymar likes them Brazil-green. England’s Wayne Rooney, white. Luis Suarez, blue.

Banned from the pitch by FIFA for licensing reasons, the bulky Beats headphones are a favorite for many of the world’s top players, making the World Cup a huge unofficial ad for the company acquired by Apple Inc last month.

The colourful high-end headphones created by rapper Dr Dre have become a ubiquitous soccer accessory.

Neymar wore them as he stepped off the bus at the Castelao stadium of Fortaleza for Brazil’s last training season on the eve of their match with Mexico on Tuesday.

Suarez had them wrapped around his neck as he joked with his Uruguay team mates during a break at a recent practice.

But soccer world governing body FIFA’s licensing agreement with rival electronics maker Sony Corp means players have to take them off when

they are in World Cup stadiums for official matches and media events.

Marketing experts say that probably only amplifies their appeal.

“When fans see World Cup athletes wearing Beats in their downtime, by choice, it has as much impact as seeing them lace their Adidas (boots) or sip a sponsored beverage,” said strategist Ellen Petry Leanse, a former Apple and Google executive.

“Maybe more, actually - Beats isn’t a sponsor, so the message is more au-

thentic and credible.” Acquired by Apple for $3 bln, Beats Electronics is known for “guerrilla marketing” tactics to bypass licensing barriers.

During the 2012 Olympics in London, for instance, the company sent thousands of free headphones to high profile athletes including the U.S. basketball team and the entire British delegation, outsmarting official sponsor Panasonic.

Officials at Beats were not available for comment on their strategy at the Olympics and this World Cup.

A five-minute film featuring Neymar, Suarez, Germany’s Mario Goetze, Netherlands’ Robin van Persie, Mexico’s Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and other players wearing Beats headphones released days before the World Cup has been seen by 10.6 million people on YouTube.

Its name? “The Game Before the Game”.

Sony this month issued all players participating in the World Cup with a free set of its own headphones they can take to the games. l

The explanation seemed obvious to me. They have a carnival. We do not. All we possess is the game, and while watching football in Bangladesh is as much fun as anywhere else in the world, there is little to fall back on when things are going south on the pitch. So here is a little tip on how to create our own carnival right here in Dhaka.

The first condition for carnivalesque circumstances is excess. Due to our many social and economic limitations it might not be possible to replicate the exact buffet of excess one experiences in Brazil, but that should not stop us from creating our own. After all what would a Rio carnival in Dhaka be if it did not possess a certain Bengali flavor.

Here’s what you do. Buy lots and lots of Corola, the vegetable not the car. I have actually tried this before. Whenever you buy ridiculous amounts of anything you get this soaring sense of spiritual high.

Much like being in a carnival. Actually my own exercise was with cheap fried chicken, but I am not so irresponsible as to suggest something so blatantly unhealthy to the reader. So go to the nearest vegetable wholesaler and for the bargain price of a few thousand takas buy a truckload of corolla and fill your house with them. You will feel great surrounded by the greens. It might even feel like the rain forest.

For a few hours, or even days if your endorphins are shooting better than Ramires, you will feel ecstatic. And if Brazil gives a similarly poor performance against Cameroon, you can start chomping on the vegetables raw. Anything will better in comparison. Even slow Jo and wrong said Fred.

(Disclaimer) I have actually never been to a carnival so I cannot vouch for the success of my prescription but it does make a certain kind of sense, and was conceived and conveyed with the most loving intentions. l

Muralitharan joins Australian coaching team Sri Lankan spin great Muttiah Muralitharan announced Wednesday he will join the Australian coaching team for their series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

The world’s leading Test wicket taker is already working with Australia’s top spinner Nathan Lyon as part of Australia’s National Cricket Centre Spin Programme, and has agreed to become more involved.

His signing is a coup given his knowledge of the doosra delivery, which has long baffled the Australians, and with Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal among the game’s most potent mystery spinners.

“I know the Australian team is a very good side, but hopefully I can have a little bit of input to help them do well in the series against Pakistan,” said Muralitharan. l

14

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Thursday, June 19, 2014

5 problems jeopardising Brazil’s hopes Coping with the pressure “The demands are always much greater here in Brazil, but we are prepared,” said Dani Alves after the Mexico game. Nevertheless, the Selecao have shown signs of fragility under pressure in their two matches so far. Seeing Neymar break down in tears at the end of the rousing version of the national anthem at the Castelao brought home the enormity of what this Brazil side are trying to achieve and the amount of pressure they are having to carry on their shoulders.

Dependence on Neymar With the possible exception of Oscar, Neymar is the one player in this Brazil side capable of conjuring up a moment of match-winning magic from nowhere.

Fred last week insisted there was nothing wrong with giving the ball to the Barcelona man when the going gets tough. However, Neymar could do with having some of the weight taken off his shoulders.

Striking concerns Scolari selected Fred against both Croatia and Mexico, but the 30-year-old has been ineffective. There are no other options, and it is easy to wonder how much of a difference Diego Costa could have made had Scolari shown faith in him and persuaded Costa to represent Brazil rather than his adopted country Spain.

Paulinho With a solid centre-back pairing and Luiz Gustavo offering extra protection to the defence, Brazil could do with a more technical, creative player in central midfield.

Paulinho has often appeared sluggish, his touch clumsy. Perhaps Hernanes will get his chance to impress in Brasilia.

What about Plan B? Scolari wants his sides to come flying out of the blocks and score an early goal. But against Croatia they conceded first and had to rely on a controversial penalty.

Scolari may need a more efficient Plan B come the tournament’s latter stages. l

Heroics put Ochoa firmly in shop window Guillermo Ochoa is effectively a free agent, but the queue of clubs hoping to acquire the goalkeeper’s services will have lengthened after his exceptional performance in helping Mexico hold Brazil to a 0-0 draw in the World Cup. “It was the best game of my life,” said Ochoa, 28, after he produced several stunning stops to frustrate Brazil at the Castelao Stadium in Fortaleza.

One stop in the first half, down low to his right to keep out Neymar’s header, had shades of a legendary save by England’s Gordon Banks to deny Pele in the 1970 World Cup in Mexico.

GROUP A

P W D L GF GA Pts Brazil 2 1 1 0 3 1 4 Mexico 2 1 1 0 1 0 4 Cameroon 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 Croatia 1 0 0 1 1 3 0 And he would surely have won the man of the match award even without producing incredible reactions to block the unmarked Thiago Silva’s header from point-blank range late on.

“There is no doubt that today was the best game of my life, because of who we were playing -- the hosts of the World Cup,” added Ochoa.

“At Neymar’s header I didn’t think I would get there because it surprised me that he jumped above (Mexico captain) Rafa Marquez, but luckily I got there.”

Mexico have now kept clean sheets in each of their two Group A games, following a 1-0 success against Cameroon in Natal last Friday, and qualification for the last 16 is in their hands going into the final group game

Maradona, Germany swoon over hot-shot ‘Skinny One’ Goal-scoring machine Gerd Mueller was unkindly nicknamed ‘short, fat Mueller’ during his career, now Germany’s latest hot-shot star has been dubbed ‘El Flaco’ -- the Skinny One -by Argentina legend Maradona.

Thomas Mueller claimed the first hat-trick of these World Cup finals in Monday’s 4-0 drubbing of Portugal in Germany’s Group G opener in Salvador.

The Bayern Munich star, 24, is normally deployed as a winger or attacking midfielder and has only made rare appearances as striker for either club or country.

But the gangly Mueller repaid the faith of head coach Joachim Loew with an impressive display as a striker against Portugal, which led to Maradona -- who almost singlehandedly inspired Argentina to the 1986 World Cup trophy --dubbing him ‘El Flaco’.

“He has no muscles, but today he tore them (Portugal) apart,” an impressed Maradona, who knows a thing or two about goal-scoring, told Venezuelan television.

The goal-scoring exploits of stocky 1970s star Gerd Mueller are legendary amongst Germany fans, but his younger namesake currently has his football-mad country swooning.

The 68-year-old Gerd -- also nicknamed ‘Das Bomber’ -- retired after scoring West Germany’s winning goal in the 1974 World Cup final against the Netherlands.

He finished his career with an incredible 68 goals in 62 internationals and the younger Mueller is producing similar impressive statistics with 20 goals in 50 internationals.

“The lad’s fast, he’s got a good technique - he’s going to be a great player,” Gerd Muller said.

With eight World Cup goals now to his credit, the younger Mueller outshone Portugal’s World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo. l

with Croatia on June 23.

Ochoa, nicknamed ‘Memo’, went to each of the last two World Cups as a back-up and his place in the Mexico side this year was far from assured heading into the tournament.

However, El Tri coach Miguel Herrera has been justified in choosing the former Club America star ahead of both Jose Corona and Alfredo Talavera.

“It was difficult because I had several goalkeepers in mind when I started this whole process,” said Herrera.

“I decided to pick these three for the World Cup and then I had to select a first-choice ‘keeper. It was never in my mind to start changing. I sat down with my backroom staff and my goalkeeping coach.

“It wasn’t that the other two did not look solid but we decided that Memo looked just a tiny bit better than them.

He has responded like we thought he would.”

When asked for his opinion, Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari joked: “I didn’t like the Mexico goalkeeper.” But he admitted that Ochoa was the best player on the field on the day.

For now Ochoa, who turns 29 on July 13, the day of the World Cup final, is focused only on Mexico, but his future at club level remains to be resolved.

He has spent the last three years with Ajaccio in France’s Ligue 1, and his mere presence there has increased the marketability of the French top flight abroad -- Ajaccio’s games have been broadcast live internationally almost every weekend during his time there.

However, after playing a central role in helping the modest Corsican outfit avoid relegation in the last two campaigns, even his regular heroics could not keep them up in the season just finished. l

Blunders at the back cost Korea, Russia

Russia’s goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev fails to save a goal during their World Cup Group H match against South Korea in the Pantanal Arena in Cuiaba on Tuesday AFP

South Korea’s slapstick defending has been a major cause for concern in the leadup to the World Cup, so it was no surprise when slack play at the back cost them a goal against Russia in their Group H opener on Tuesday.

What did come as a surprise was that Russia, who under Fabio Capello have become airtight at the back, also conceded from a defensive blunder, goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev somehow letting the ball slip from his grasp and over his shoulder into the net.

Both sides earned a point from the 1-1 draw in Cuiaba, leaving them joint second in the group after Belgium came from behind to beat Algeria earlier in the day.

On Tuesday’s performance, both will have to raise their game significantly if they are to make it to the second round.

After a first half devoid of goalmouth

action and excitement, the Koreans took the early initiative in the second 45 minutes, pushing forward eagerly and looking to deliver a body blow with the first goal.

It came through substitute Lee Keun-ho, whose rasping shot from out-

MATCH STATS Goals scored Total shots Shots on target Corners Offsides Fouls committed Yellow cards Red cards Ball possession

Russia S Korea 1 1 16 10 10 6 4 4 0 0 15 7 1 3 0 0 47% 53%

side the box spun off Akinfeev’s palms and looped into the net to give Korea a 1-0 lead in the 68th minute.

But like an aggressive boxer with a glass chin, the Koreans looked as if

they could be knocked out each time the Russians counter-attacked, their panic-stricken full backs just grateful to thump the ball anywhere out of the danger zone.

And that lack of composure cost Korea six minutes later.

After goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong spilled Alan Dzagoev’s shot in the sixyard box, the Korean defence smacked the ball off Andrey Eschenko and it landed at the feet of Alexander Kerzhakov, who swivelled and stabbed it home.

South Korea coach Hong Myungbo, the elegant sweeper who led Korea to the 2002 semi-finals on home soil, has a job on his hands to tighten up a defence that shipped 11 goals in five World Cup warm-ups.

His central pairing of Hong Jeongho and Kim Young-gwon looked solid enough but full backs Lee Yong and Yoon Suk-young were frequently caught out of position and failed to mark tightly enough. l

Pele stuck in jam during Brazil match Pele was one of many who missed the first half of Brazil’s World Cup match against Mexico on Tuesday after being caught in traffic as fans rushed to get home before kickoff.

“For the first time I had to listen to the first half of a Brazil game inside a car, we were stuck in traffic,” the Brazilian soccer great told Globo TV. Widely regarded as the greatest ever player, Pele at least missed no goals with the tournament favourites being held to a 0-0 draw in Fortaleza.

Much of Brazil ground to a halt for the match, the hosts’ second of the tournament, with the second largest city Sao Paulo suffering near record traffic jams as scores of residents rushed back home to watch.

Sao Paulo transportation authorities said that at its peak, 302 km of roads and highways were backed up in the city. The all time high was 344 km on May 23. l

FIVE OF THE BEST GOALS OF THE WORLD CUP

ROBIN VAN PERSIE

LIONEL MESSI

HARIS SEFEROVIC

CLINT DEMPSEY

ARJEN ROBBEN

(Netherlands 5 Spain 1)

(Argentina 2 Bosnia 1)

(Switzerland 2 Ecuador 1)

(United States 2 Ghana 1)

(Netherlands 5 Spain 1)

A stunning goal to match a stunning result as the Netherlands came from behind to thump world champions Spain in Salvador.

With Spain leading 1-0 through Xabi Alonso’s 27th minute penalty, Van Persie sprung the offside trap to launch himself in the air and meet a raking cross from left wing back Daley Blind.

The Dutch captain’s diving, looping header caught Spain keeper Iker Casillas in no man’s land and dipped below the bar to tie the score at 1-1.

“It was a brilliant goal, I have to be fair,” said Van Persie. “It was a bit of a gamble but just before the pass I saw Iker Casillas out of his goal. It was a header, really a lob-header, but a great goal.”

Argentine number 10 Messi picked the perfect time to score his first goal at the World Cup finals for eight years.

With Argentina leading 1-0 but struggling to put World Cup debutants Bosnia away, the four times World Player of the Year lit up the Maracana in the 65th minute, dancing past a defender, playing a one-two with Gonzalo Higuain before striking home a sweet left-foot shot that went in off the post.

It was Messi’s first goal at the finals since he scored in Argentina’s 6-0 win over Serbia & Montenegro almost eight years ago to the day.

Seferovic finished off a breathtaking box-to-box counter-attack in stoppage time to give Switzerland a thrilling 2-1 win over Ecuador, but excellent refereeing

by Ravshan Irmatov also played a part in the goal.

Valon Behrami’s brilliant block tackle in his own box got the move underway, and Uzbek official Irmatov allowed him to continue his surge into Ecuador territory despite almost being bowled over by a bodycheck.

As the flowing move continued and the ball was fed out wide, Seferovic stole in across the Ecuador defence to clip home Ricardo Rodriguez’s cross and round off a tremendous team goal that sent Swiss fans into raptures.

The American took 30 seconds to put his side 1-0 up against Ghana, recording one of the fastest goals at a World Cup. Dempsey, who became the first U.S. player to score at three World Cups, picked the ball up from a throw-in outside the Ghana box, and surged towards goal.

Showing terrific balance at full stride, the U.S. skipper zigzagged past two defenders into the area and struck a left-foot shot in off the far post.

Dempsey’s goal was the fifth fastest at a World Cup. Turkey’s Hakan Sukur holds the record for the fastest goal which he netted after 11 seconds against South Korea in 2002.

Dutch winger Robben capped a rampaging performance against shell-shocked Spain by outsprinting the defence from inside his own half, tying goalkeeper Iker Casillas up in knots and firing home with his left foot.

Media reports say the 30-year-old reached 37kph during his sprint, the fastest ever recorded by FIFA in a game. Olympic sprint champion and world record holder Usain Bolt has been clocked at just under 45kph.

Robben’s goal was the perfect bookend to the Dutch scoring after Robin van Persie tied the game at 1-1 with his superb diving header in the first half.

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Thursday, June 19, 2014

Fight or flight for England, Uruguay The city of Sao Paulo i s bracing itself for the first “do-ordie’’ match of this World Cup between former champions England and Uruguay tonight and the high-voltage fixture has generated quite a considerable amount of interest in the capital of Brazil’s most populous state. Group D was duly dubbed the group of death due to the presence of three former world champions and it is definitely living up to its reputation.

Both England and Uruguay have failed to pick up any point so far in the group of death, losing 2-1 and 3-1 to Italy and Costa Rica respectively in their opening games and both sides are fully aware that they must pick up three points tonight to keep their hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages alive. Thousands of English supporters were seen arriving in the city and are expected to match the Uruguayans in equal numbers in a game which will show the exit door to the team which is beaten in this match.

If England beat Uruguay, they will face Costa Rica in their final group game knowing victory is likely

Japan, Greece face moment of truth Japan and Greece face a high-stakes World Cup shoot-out here on Thursday after opening match defeats which have left their participation in the tournament hanging by a thread.

V Japan

Greece

Estadio das Dunas, Natal 19 JUN 2014 - 7:00PM Local (4:00AM BST) With Japan outmuscled by Ivory Coast 2-1 and Greece thumped 3-0 by Colombia on Saturday, defeat for either side in their Group C collision in Natal could well be terminal.

Whether Japan or Greece are heading for the exit on Thursday night will depend on the outcome of Colombia’s showdown with the Ivory Coast earlier in the day.

But what is not in doubt is that neither Japan nor Greece has much margin for error in their match.

Japan’s English-based defender Maya Yoshida believes it will be cru-

cial for the Blue Samurai to score first against the Greeks.

“Of course we lost the first match so at the moment we’re very disappointed but we still have two games to go,” said Yoshida.

But Yoshida was adamant the Asian giants had not given up hope of progressing to the knockout rounds for only the third time in their history.

“Greece lost as well. They have good defenders and tactics,” said Yoshida.

“They have a good orientation defensively so if we get the first goal they have to come forward so we will have a chance to take more initiative.”

Keisuke Honda, who faded badly in the second half against the Ivorians after firing Japan ahead in the 16th minute, insisted his team-mates had picked themselves up after the defeat in Recife.

But Greece’s national team manager Fernando Santos meanwhile believes he has pinpointed Japanese vulnerabilities after scrutinising their performance against the Ivorians.

“We have already watched Japan in the past and we know their advantages and disadvantages. We will be ready,” Santos said. l

Fans camp by the beach to dodge Rio hotel prices Hundreds of cost-conscious soccer fans have found a cheaper way to attend the World Cup in one of Brazil’s most expensive cities - camping by Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach.

Most of them drove thousands of miles from other South American countries to support their national teams, avoiding expensive flights as well as Rio’s notoriously pricey hotels.

The largest contingent of supporters camping by the beach is Argentine, but Colombians, Chileans and Ecuadoreans could also be seen parking old cars, trailers and even small buses turned into rolling dormitories along Avenida Atlantica, one of Rio’s most famous postcards.

Emmanuel Estrada, 29, and Damian Perez, 32, took four days to drive a 1984 Ford Falcon Ranchero from Buenos Aires to Sao Paulo for the World Cup’s opening game on Thursday. Then they came to Rio for Argentina’s first match on Sunday.

“We will stay here until Argentina wins the World Cup. And certainly a few extra days after that,” Estrada, who works as a plumber in Buenos Aires, told Reuters as he sipped a cup of coffee he made himself, using a portable stove. l

to be enough to see them qualify for the knockout stages for the fifth consecutive time. If the England-Uruguay clash ends in a stalemate, then victory for the English against Costa Rica could be enough if Costa Rica lose against Italy tomorrow. If England lose against Uruguay, then they will need to beat Costa Rica and hope Italy beat Uruguay and Costa Rica. Due to all the probable permutations, the encounter between England and Uruguay promises to be a fascinating one.

All the focus will be on the return of Uruguay star Luis Suarez who has declared himself 100 percent fit and determined to rescue his nation against the country where he plies his trade in club football. England will have to explore an effective strategy to stymie the player who has troubled the most staunchest of Premier League defences in 2013/14 while playing for Merseyside giants Liverpool.

Suarez has not featured in a club or country game in five weeks, but following Uruguay’s shock defeat to Costa Rica, his presence in the field was severely felt by coach Oscar Washington Tabarez. And on the eve of the crucial game, the star striker was all ready to plot England’s downfall. “We are go-

FACT BOX Referee: Joel Aguilar (El Salvador)

Orestis Karnezis; 15-Vassilis Torosidis, 19-Sokratis Papasthathopoulos, 4-Kostas Manolas, 20-Jose Holebas; 18-Giannis Fetfetsidis, 21-Giorgos Katsouranis, 2-Yannis Maniatis, 8-Panagiotis Kone, 7-Giorgos Samaras, 9-Kostas Mitroglou.

Japan

1-Eiji Kawashima; 2-Atsuto Uchida, 22-Maya Yoshida, 5-Yuto Nagatomo, 6-Masato Morishige; 17-Makoto Hasebe, 16-Hotaru Yamaguchi; 4-Keisuke Honda, 10-Shinji Kagawa, 9-Shinji Okazaki; 13-Yoshito Okubo Key Stats:

Japan have come up against European opposition in their second match at all four of their previous World Cups and have won one of the encounters.

Greece conceded four goals in 10 matches during their qualification campaign for Brazil but three in their Group C opener against Colombia.

Previous Meetings

The only previous game between the two countries took place at the Confederations Cup in Frankfurt on June 19, 2005, when Japan won 1-0 with a Masashi Oguro goal.

WORLD CUP IN BANGLADESH PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

Send us your photographs to WorldCupBD@dhakatribune.com

Little Enemy “I am a supporter of Argentina and my son likes to wear the colourful yellow jersey. Enemy at home!”

Dhaka

For more info visit our FB event page ‘World Cup in Bangladesh’ Photography Contest

THE BIG MATCH

V Uruguay

England

Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo 19 JUN 2014 - 4:00PM Local (1:00AM BST)

FACT BOX

ing to give our best against England.

And, trust us, we are the first who want to move forward. England have really good players who I played against all year. I know their defenders, the strikers and the coach as well. They played very well against Italy but it’s been a hard couple of days because of the defeat to Costa Rica,’’ said Suarez.

England coach Roy Hodgson on the other hand was completely engrossed about his possible formation and may change the position of Manchester United forward Wayne Rooney.

Hodgson employed a 4-2-3-1 formation against Italy with Suarez’s club-mate Daniel Sturridge playing as a lone striker in front of an attacking triumvirate of Rooney, Raheem Sterling and Danny Welbeck. This time, Rooney might be imposed as the second attacker beside Sturridge as England may adopt a 5-32 formation. England were also seen practising shootouts not towards the goalpost but specific targets.

The Sao Paulo police authorities have already started their vigilance act across the Arena de Sao Paulo to prevent any untoward incident and the strengthening of security measures were clearly visible as 600 CC Honda Hornets were seen roaming around the venue ahead of the blockbuster tie. l

Probable teams: Uruguay

1-Fernando Muslera; 2-Diego Lugano, 3-Diego Godin, 4-Jorge Fucile, 22-Martin Caceres; 17-Egidio Arevalo Rios, 5-Walter Gargano, 11-Christian Stuani, 7-Cristian Rodriguez; 9-Luis Suarez, 21-Edinson Cavani England

1-Joe Hart; 2-Glen Johnson, 5-Gary Cahill, 6-Phil Jagielka, 3-Leighton Baines; 4-Steven Gerrard, 14-Jordan Henderson 19-Raheem Sterling, 11-Danny Welbeck; 9-Daniel Sturridge, 10-Wayne Rooney Key stats:

England’s 2-1 loss to Italy on Saturday was their first defeat in a World Cup opener since losing to Portugal in 1986.

Uruguay have won the World Cup twice, including the inaugural tournament on home soil in 1930.

England’s sole triumph came in 1966, also on home soil.

Uruguay finished fourth at the last World Cup in South Africa after losing to the Netherlands in the semi-finals.

Previous meetings

England have played Uruguay 10 times previously, with the South Americans winning four to England’s three.

Colombia wary of strong Ivory Coast

Probable teams: Greece

15

Colombia are planning to rely on a possession game to combat the speed and power of Ivory Coast when the two sides meet in Brasilia on Thursday.

It is a Group C match in which there is everything to gain for two sides who began their World Cup campaigns with victories.

Colombia top the group after a dominant 3-0 victory over Greece while Ivory Coast hit back from a goal down to beat Japan 2-1.

The Japanese struggled to make their high-tempo, high-energy gameplan work against the Africans but Colombia midfielder Fredy Guarin says the South Americans will look to bypass the physical advantages of the Elephants by making the ball do the work.

The Inter Milan player said Colombia were “ready” and “looking forward” to the match against opponents who are “powerful and very fast”.

“They’re a very physically strong team who fight for every ball and will rely on their physicality to try to beat us, but with our football, our passing and control of the ball we can have success,” said the 27-year-old.

“To beat them we have a plan and we mustn’t have any doubts about that plan.

“We have to be very intelligent, al-

De Rossi wants quiet WC after red card and dive After being at the centre of controversy at the 2006 and 2010 World Cups, Daniele De Rossi now wants to be at the heart of Italy’s push for a fifth world title.

The tough-tackling midfielder, known as DDR by the media, was red carded in 2006 for a crunching challenge on America’s Brian McBride and fell theatrically to the floor to earn a dubious penalty against New Zealand four years later.

Playing in his third World Cup, the 30-year-old, who has spent his entire senior career at Roma, admits he fears what Brazil 2014 might have in store.

“Superstitious? A little bit,” he said ahead of Friday’s second Group D match against Costa Rica in Recife.

“Especially of a red card. After all these years, the only time I have been sent off playing for Italy was in 2006.

Now I want to make sure that we qualify for the second round.”

Having defeated England 2-1 in their opener, Italy will face Costa Rica who stunned Copa America champions Uruguay in their first match.

“Even at my club, I am not very enthusiastic about open training sessions.

It’s great for the children who come to see us but I do better without the noise of the ‘tifosi’ (fans), without you journalists,” he said. “I prefer silence for my work, for concentration.” l

ways keep the game under control, don’t give the ball away and take a breather with the ball, but above all have confidence in what we’re doing.”

A victory for either side would potentially secure their passage into the last 16, depending on the result between Japan and Greece, but although he didn’t say as much, Guarin suggested Colombia would be happy to settle simply for a clean sheet.

The physical approach Ivory Coast are likely to bring could include the presence of Didier Drogba up front after his game-changing entry off the substitutes’ bench against Japan.

Wilfried Bony had a disappointing game on his own up front and after the game Elephants coach Sabri Lamouchi, the former France midfielder, paid tribute to his veteran forward for his impact.

“His appearance changed the game.

He brought in two or three players (to mark him) and the team created favourable situations,” said Lamouchi.

He also had praise for midfielder Yaya Toure, who was another far from his best, although he has been struggling with a hamstring injury recently.

“With competitors like these two (Drogba and Toure), it’s much easier,” said Lamouchi.

That suggests he may be planning on relying on his battle-hardened veterans for Thursday’s match. l

V Colombia

Ivory Coast

Estadio Nacional, Brasilia 19 JUN 2014 - 1:00PM Local (10:00PM BST)

KEY STATS Colombia’s 3-0 win over Greece was their biggest at a World Cup finals.

Colombia coach Jose Pekerman has yet to lose a match in normal time at the World Cup. Pekerman was in charge of Argentina in 2006 when they were beaten on penalties by Germany in the quarter-finals, having not previously lost a game.

Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba and Colombia defender Mario Yepes are set for a battle of the veterans.

Drogba is 36 and Yepes 38.

Colombia are taking part for the World Cup for the fifth time and have progressed to the last sixteen once. Ivory Coast are taking part for the third time are have never gone beyond the group stage.

Both teams have won their respective contintental championships once. Colombia were South American champions in 2001 and Ivory Coast won the African Nations Cup in 1992.

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE Thursday, June 19, 2014 DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, June 16, 2014

13 Tigers hoping for change of fortunes

14 Heroics put Ochoa in shop window

Sport

15 Fight or flight for England, Uruguay

Dutch down brave Aussies in thriller enoord man.

Australia continued to press at the start of the second-half and had a goal ruled out within 60 seconds of the restart for a push by Matthew Leckie on Daley Blind.

Van Persie then saw his second yellow card of the tournament when he clashed with Spiranovic.

And things got even worse for the Dutch moments later when Daryl Janmaat was adjudged to have handled substitute Oliver Bozanic’s cross and Jedinak stepped up to convert from the penalty spot to put Australia in front.

Again, though, the lead was short lived as poor defending from Jason Davidson allowed Van Persie to spring the

The Netherlands all but secured their place in the last 16 of the World Cup as they came from behind to beat Australia 3-2 in Porto Alegre on Wednesday.

Arjen Robben had fired the Dutch into an early lead, but a stunning volleyed equaliser from Tim Cahill and Mile Jedinak’s penalty early in the second-half had put Autralia on course for their most famous ever victory at a World Cup. Their joy was short-lived, though, as Robin Van Persie levelled before Maty Ryan let Memphis Depay’s long-range effort creep into the bottom corner to make it two wins from two games for the Dutch in Group B.

MATCH STATS Goals scored Total shots Shots on target Corners Offsides Fouls committed Yellow cards Red cards Ball possession

AUS 2 10 8 3 1 18 1 0 48%

NED 3 14 13 2 1 25 1 0 52%

The Dutch will be certain of a place in the next round should Spain fail to beat Chile later later on Wednesday while Australia are staring at almost certain elimination.

Australia will face champions Spain in their last match but will have to do without Cahill as he saw his second yellow card of the tournament, whilst Van Persie will miss his side’s clash with Chile after also being booked.

GROUP B

N’lands Chile Aus Spain

Dutch forward Memphis Depay (L) celebrates with Robin van Persie after scoring the winning goal against Australia at the Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre yesterday AFP Australia had never been beaten in three previous friendly meetings with the Netherlands, but they forced to come from behind when Robben galloped through the Australian half almost unchallenged before rifling home his third goal of the tournament.

The lead lasted barely a minute though as the Socceroos levelled in

style when Cahill caught a deep cross flush on the volley to send the ball crashing in off the bar in a goal reminiscent of Marco Van Basten’s legendary strike for the Dutch in the 1988 European Championships final.

Australia then went on to control the rest of the half and had two great chances to go in front.

Firstly Mark Bresciano blasted over when well-placed inside the area before Matthew Spiranovic failed to make to make a clean contact from close range as a free-kick fell at his feet.

Cahill was then booked for a rash challenge on Bruno Martins Indi that forced the Dutch centre-back off on a stretcher with Depay replacing the Fey-

MP 2 2 2 2

W 2 2 0 0

D 0 0 0 0

L GF GA Pts 0 8 3 6 0 5 1 6 2 3 6 0 2 1 7 0

offside trap and thunder his third goal of the tournament high into the net.

The game then turned in 60 seconds midway through the second-half as Leckie’s chested effort from Tommy Oar’s cross was smothered on the line

by Jasper Cillessen and at the other end Ryan let Depay’s long-range effort slip through his grasp to put the Netherlands back in front.

Ryan somewhat redeemed himself with a great save from Nigel De Jong 16 minutes from time, but it had no impact on the outcome as, despite another brave display, Australia slipped to their second defeat in the group. l

Ronaldo out of World Cup? Cristiano Ronaldo ended his participation in a Portugal training session early on Wednesday and left the pitch with ice on his knee, Portuguese media reported.

The website of the sports paper Record showed Ronaldo walking off with a large pack of ice attached to his left knee. There was no immediate comment from the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF).

Ronaldo struggled with minor injuries during the closing weeks of Real Madrid’s season before playing 120 minutes in the Champions League final against Atletico Madrid and scoring the final goal in their 4-1 win with a penalty.

He was rested from Portugal’s early pre-World Cup training sessions after being diagnosed with a thigh injury and tendonitis in his left knee.

He stayed on for the whole of Portugal’s opening Group G game against Germany on Monday which they lost 4-0. l

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B3 GM hit with $10bn lawsuit

B4 Political change, China

news spurs spike in Q2 Asia business sentiment

Inflation rises slightly in May Economists doubt on production data from 8.95% in previous month while n Kayes Sohel non-food inflation including house Inflation rose slightly to 7.48 in May as compared to the previous month, official data showed yesterday, but it still remained above the government’s fiscal target.

Economists have expressed doubt about industrial production data provided by the government in the wake of scaling up food inflation.

Fiscal inflationary target might not be achieved if the present trend continues The May reading was higher than the government’s fiscal target of 7% with only one months remaining to end the current fiscal year.

In April, inflation was 7.46 %, marginally lower (0.02 percentage point) than May, according to Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) data released yesterday.

The food inflation inched up 9.09%

rent and transportation slightly fell to 5.16% from 5.23%.

Finance Adviser to the last caretaker government AB Mirza Azizul Islam said rising food inflation indicated that there were problems in production and supply side.

“If you look at the import statistics of food from July-April, food imports increased by 130%, which means traders know the problems of supply side.

That’s why they are importing more.”

He expressed doubt over the government’s statistics over the industrial production of the country. “Inflation pressure scenario also proved that the data provided by the government about the production is not in consistent with the reality,” he said.

Because, he said, there is no reason for demand increase as remittance inflow is in the negative terrain and, VAT and tax collection is lower compared to the previous year.

He said fiscal inflationary target might not be achieved if the present trend continues.

In rural area, inflation also marginally rose to 7.27% in May from 7.19% in April and in urban areas, it stood at 7.92% from 7.96%. l

Stock manipulators abuse social media n Kayes Sohel “Buy BSRM Steel more … enjoy more.”

The status was posted on a social media network a week ago. Since then, stock prices of the company started rising and shot up by 14% as of yesterday.

Its volume of trade increased, bringing it to the second best position in the turnover list of Dhaka Stock Exchange.

“Beware! Beware! ... market will fall for few next days.” A day after the posting, the market started falling.

The couple of statuses picked up from many posted on the Facebook by LoveProfit Dsegroup, the name of accountholder.

“This is the way the market is being driven by manipulators instead of fundamentals and, economic, political and natural woes,” an investor pointed out.

Over the last four years, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) has been trying to check the price-influencing opinions being posted through the social media networks.

But the regulator has not yet taken any noticeable action against anybody except filing some cases.

“We are trying to identify the culprits. But it is very difficult,” said BSEC Executive Director Saifur Rahman. “As soon as they sense our drive, they delete their accounts immediately,” he said.

He said some actions have already been taken. “But, we’re going to be more active to stop such practice.”

An IT specialist, Md Arman Habib Raihan, said it is very difficult to trace out the people having fake accounts in

IFC keen to invest in improving textile sector safety standard n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman International Finance Corporation has taken a decision to invest its resources to support improvement in the textile sector of Bangladesh.

“Textile is a sector that we decided we would be really putting resources and this is one of our transformative agenda,” IFC South Asia Director Serge Devieux told a small group of journalists in Dhaka yesterday.

IFC has ambitious plan for next year and it wants to amplify its portfolio for textile sector to improve fire and safety standards so that no tragic incident occur in the industry, said Serge, who is responsible for IFC operations in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, India and the Maldives.

The private sector arm of the World Bank Group invested $774m in Bangladesh last year.

“Textile sector is very important for Bangladesh in terms of export and employment generation, and IFC wants to be a part of it,” Serge said. “We are talking about complete solution.”

IFC is interested to provide advisory services to investment through forging partnership with the private sector so that the compliance issues could be addressed, the IFC director said.

People will ask questions to companies whether they are compliant and environment friendly or if they con-

The headquarters of the World Bank Group's International Finance Corporation is located on a triangular site on Pennsylvania Avenue at Washington Circle serve energy. IFC has a vision to bring transformative changes in the sector so the issues are properly addressed, he said.

He further said IFC has already joined hands with International Labour Organisation under Better Work Programme to improve labour conditions and, fire and structural safety of the industry.

Bangladesh is the second biggest exporter of readymade garment products with an export of over $21 billion.

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

After the tragic twin incidents – fire incident at Tazreen Fashion and collapse of Rana Plaza – the government along with international community has taken programmes to improve the condition in the sector.

Serge said Bangladesh is growing with an average of 6% growth and “there is a room for adding value.” He said: “Today it is textile, tomorrow it will be electronics, and later it will be pharmaceuticals.”

Infrastructure, gas, power production, energy, manufacturing, energy efficiency and renewable energy are the key areas where IFC is working, he added.

Regional power cooperation IFC country director for Bangladesh Kyle F Kelhofer said Nepal and Bhutan have tremendous hydropower generation capacity and IFC would like to see direct agreement on power export from Kathmandu to Dhaka.

IFC is helping to bring relevant people together and talk through the idea as everybody needs to be involved, he said.

Bhutan and Nepal need to develop actual generation capacity and it needs financing to increase the generation, he added.

IFC is providing advisory services to Bhutan to set up a power trading company in India so it can sell power to New Delhi, Kyle said. l

price influencing opinions by using such social network. It had shut down some sites and warned some individuals who have hosted sites those are harmful for the market.

In its latest directive in September 2012, the BSEC warned of legal actions against spreading rumours or

BAPLC wants corporate tax cut for listed companies

Operators start raising SIM price

n

Tribune Report

Owners of publicly listed firms yesterday demanded reducing corporate tax for the companies to attract more companies to get listed with the stock exchanges.

Currently, tax rate for listed companies are 27.5% and for non-listed companies 37.5%. Minister AMA Muhith proposed to cut corporate tax for non-listed companies by 2.5 percentage points.

“We urged the government to lower the corporate tax for the listed companies,” Tapan Chowdhury, president of Bangladesh Association of Publicly Listed Companies (BAPLC) told reporters, after a meeting with Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC).

The government proposed to reduce corporate tax for the non-listed firms, which is relatively non-transparent and less accountable than the listed ones, he said, adding that the proposal will discourage companies to go public.

The BAPLC also demanded continuing with 10% tax rebate for the listed-firms those give more than 20% dividend. l

8th REHAB fair attracts port city dwellers n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong The four-day long housing fair that started in Chittagong Club Table Tennis Complex yesterday witnessed huge crowd as the participating companies are offering lucrative facilities, including discounts and gifts.

Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB) has organised the fair.

From the very beginning of the fair, all the stalls were seen overcrowded as the people are looking for the best offers being provided by the participating real estates and developers. To attract the visitors of all ages, they organised different programmes this year, said Engineer Iftekhar Hossain, committee convener of the 8th Rehab Fair.

He said: “As the enthusiastic crowd were seen even in the adverse weather, we expect more visitors in the following days.”

Emon Das, a junior executive (sales and marketing) of SAF Holdings, noted that his company is showcasing some of their projects having special offers

marking the occasion.

Assistant manager (sales and marketing) Md Akram Uddin of Epic Properties said his company has come up with some cheaper offers to attract the middle class families.

Omar Faruk, a visitor who is a businessman, observed that the arrangement of the fair was different from previous years while he was looking for a flat in the city’s Dampara area in a cheaper rate.

A total 67 stalls are set up in the fair while 47 are from REHAB member business organisations, 16 are from building materials organisations and four are from financial organisations.

Besides, the fair will also feature a seminar with the participation of engineers and architects on June 19, “Kids Day” on June 20 and closing ceremony on June 22 through ongoing fair and other amusement programmes to attract the visitors.

Six business organisations are the co-sponsors of the fair while seven others organisations sponsor different events of the fair.

The entry fee is Tk50 and Tk100 for multiple entries for a day and this money will be spent in public welfare activities, said the organisers.

Earlier, state minister for land Saifuzzaman Javed, as chief guest, formally inaugurated the fair by cutting ribbons at around 12:30p.m.

The slogan of this year’s fair is “Gunagata Mane Astha, Nischit Nirapatta” (confidence in quality, safety ensured).

The inaugural ceremony was attended, among others, by Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) chairman Abdus Salam, Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam, REHAB general secretary Md Wahiduzzaman, its Zonal Standing Committee chairman Engineer SM Abu Sufian and 8th REHAB fair committee convener Engineer Iftekhar Hossain.

The programme was presided over

by Alamgir Samsul Alamin, president of Real State and Housing Association of Bangladesh (REHAB).

Addressing the inaugural ceremony, the state minister observed that the

price-sensitive information of listed companies through different social media networks, including Facebook.

It also cautioned investors against gathering information from the social media or any unconfirmed sources as it might cause financial losses to investors. l

social media. “But sometimes, it may be possible if the regulator requests the authorities of the social media like Facebook.”

Several times since 2010, the BSEC had warned taking legal actions against those responsible for spreading rumour about stock market and

housing business sector was experiencing a mushroom growth day by day although the crisis of this sector were lessening gradually.

“As our government has planned to develop Chittagong as a standard port city, it is carrying out different development projects in the city, which will be completed in the tenure of the incumbent government,” the minister added.

The housing companies have to maintain their credibility to the common people by with better service on time, said CDA chairman.

CMP commissioner said that the housing companies should save the farmlands to ensure the food security as the trend of the housing projects are busy in grabbing the lands indiscriminately across the country.

REHAB president said that the administration and CDA can remove the housing problems of the middle class and lower middle class people by allotting lands for them with the assistance from REHAB. l

n Muhammad Zahidul Islam Grameenphone has increased price of pre-paid SIM cards to Tk200 each while other mobile phone operators are expected to follow the same path shortly.

The price hike comes after the proposed national budget didn’t pay heed to the operators’ demand of SIM tax withdrawal, rather added SIM replacement tax.

to raise SIM prices although set no specific date from which the hike would be effective leaving the matter with the operators’ individual decisions.

AMTOB discussed the matter at a meeting and initially decided to increase the SIM price and replacement charge, the industry sources said.

“We have discussed about the increase of SIM price and replacement charge, but fixed no time for implementation,” a senior executive of a

‘We believe that imposition of a new tax on SIM replacement while retaining the Tk300 SIM tax on all new connections will hamper further penetration of mobile connectivity and hinder the realization of Digital Bangladesh’ In a recent post-budget meeting, Association of Mobile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh (AMTOB) decided to increase the prices saying the newly imposed Tk100 replacement tax was an “added pressure” on them while they had to pay Tk300 regular tax for a SIM sold to customers at Tk188.

Grameenphone raised SIM price to Tk200 from Tk188 and replacement price to Tk125 from Tk75.

It said the price hike should be regarded as effective from June 18, 2014, said a statement issued yesterday.

The price of the post-paid SIMs will, however, remain unchanged.

The budget for next fiscal beginning from July will be passed in parliament this months.

Grameenphone is the largest mobile phone company in Bangladesh.

AMTOB sources said they demanded withdrawal of SIM tax of Tk300, but the demand was not taken into account in the proposed budget.

Then it called meeting and decided

mobile phone operator told the Dhaka Tribune asking not to be named as he is not the authority for comment to the media on the issue.

In FY2010-11, the SIM tax was set at Tk800 prompting the mobile phone operators to increase the price to Tk900. But the operators didn’t implement the increased price in order to stay in competition.

In FY2011-12, the government reduced the SIM tax to Tk600 and then to Tk300 in March 2013 by a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO).

Grameenphone said Bangladesh’s mobile companies are offering the lowest call tariff in the world, but the operators still have to pay Tk55 from every Tk100 income to the government.

“We believe that imposition of a new tax on SIM replacement while retaining the Tk300 SIM tax on all new connections will hamper further penetration of mobile connectivity and hinder the realization of Digital Bangladesh,” Grameenphone’s release stated. l

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Stock DSE GAINERS

Stocks end flat with low turnover

DSE key features June 18, 2014

Traded Issues

295

n Tribune Report

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

147

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

140

The market breadth remained positive, as out of 295 issues traded, 147 advanced, 97 declined and 51 remained unchanged After rising more than 20 points, the benchmark DSEX ended at 4,340 with a rise of only 1.6 points, feebly recovering from previous session’s five-month low.

The Shariah index DSES dropped 1 points or 0.2% to 1,000.

The comprising blue chips DS30 saw fractional losses of almost 1

54,441,659 61,903

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

8

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,262.05

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.42

CSE key features June 18, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

410.42

Turnover (Volume)

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index :

2,339.19

Number of Contract

points to 1,606.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, rose 12 points to 8,272.

Trading activities continued to decline, reflecting that investors were cautious in taking participation in trading. Turnover at DSE stood at more than Tk233 crore, which is higher than six-week low and down by over 11% against the previous session.

The market breadth remained positive, as out of 295 issues traded, 147 advanced, 97 declined and 51 remained unchanged.

Cement sector was the worst sufferer as it shed 3.4% on profit booking. Major sectors, including bank, non-banking financial institution and textile gained marginally.

Lanka Bangla Securities said market reaffirmed the wavering trading pattern amid cautious market sentiment.

Escalating tense over imposition of tax on capital gains might have tempted the investors to take wait and watch approach in the market.

Lafarge Surma Cement topped the turnover list, followed by BSRM Steel, Beximco, Grameenphone, Square Pharmaceuticals and Mithun Knitting. l

Stocks closed flat yesterday with lower turnover falling to nearly Tk200 crore.

The market opened higher but selling pressure beginning from mid-session has wiped off early gains, leading to close the market marginally higher.

Company

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

6,635,296

Number of Contract

9,121

4340.46290

(+) 0.04%

▲

Traded Issues

210

999.91700

(-) 0.13%

▲

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

112

1606.28351

(+) 0.05%

▲

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

92

CSE All Share Index:

13415.00280

(+) 0.05%

▲

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

CSE - 30 Index :

10998.99630

(-) 0.03%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,183.83

8272.22360

(+) 0.14%

▲

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.47

DSE Shariah Index : DSE - 30 Index :

CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS

Kohinoor Chem -A Midas Financing-Z Standard Insurance-A Prime Islami Life -A Meghna Life Ins. -A 8th ICB M F-A Deshbandhu Polymer-A 2nd ICB M F -A

-7.11 -6.70 -5.44 -3.46 -3.43 -3.35 -3.30 -2.81

Average (% change) -7.09 -6.61 -0.68 -6.06 -3.36 -3.64 -2.42 -1.26

Al-Haj Textile -A Aziz PipesZ

-2.81 -2.78

-1.74 -0.71

Company

Closing (% change)

CSE LOSERS Company

Closing (% change)

Aziz PipesZ AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A ISN Ltd. -Z Northern G Insur-A Apex SpinningA Sonargaon Tex -Z DESCO Ltd. -A Reliance1 M.F.-A

-8.57 -7.94 -7.62 -6.50 -6.00 -5.56 -4.51 -4.49

Average (% change) -8.93 -7.50 -7.62 -5.08 -6.00 -5.88 -4.49 -4.82

ICB Emp. PMF-A Asia Insur. Ltd.-A

-3.57 -3.21

-1.46 -3.37

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 259.99 89.25 25.22 283.31 67.70 156.19 1.12 257.42 279.56 0.05 32.86 28.50 9.80 368.43 10.70 23.49 75.58 154.11 74.16 141.47 0.30

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

417.98 16.81 27.88 89.39 109.32 63.60 17.75 266.60

418.00 16.70 27.80 89.20 109.80 63.40 17.60 266.60

434.00 17.90 29.00 92.40 113.70 64.00 18.20 266.60

413.00 16.60 27.10 83.80 107.50 63.10 16.40 266.60

1.051 0.127 0.210 2.891 6.959 0.159 3.562 0.013

9.37 -6.91 2.88 4.95 6.45 7.96 0.81 33.24

44.6 -ve 9.7 18.1 16.9 8.0 21.9 8.0

176.54 14.07

172.80 14.00

182.40 14.50

171.50 14.00

31.304 0.159

2.00 0.68

88.3 20.7

Closing average

Closing

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Sandhani Life -A Mithun Knitting -A Rahima Food -Z ICB Islamic Bank-Z BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Progressive Life-A Provati Insur.-A UNITED AIR-A Bangladesh Welding -Z Delta Brac HFCL-A

12.80 5.80 9.70 33.10 75.20 8.50 55.10 8.50

12.80 5.80 9.70 33.10 75.20 8.60 55.20 8.50

12.70 5.80 9.70 33.10 75.20 8.40 55.10 8.50

0.003 0.009 0.005 0.066 0.015 0.089 0.221 0.009

0.68 1.49 0.20 6.40 1.85 -0.92 0.95 1.86

18.8 3.9 48.5 5.2 40.6 -ve 58.1 4.6

5.40 24.10

5.40 24.10

5.60 24.40

5.30 24.00

0.014 0.283

0.68 1.93

7.9 12.5

Escalating tense over imposition of tax on capital gains might have tempted the investors to take wait and watch approach in the market

% change 11.11 3.82 1.08 12.11 2.89 6.68 0.05 11.00 11.95 0.00 1.40 1.22 0.42 15.75 0.46 1.00 3.23 6.59 3.17 6.05 0.01

Million Taka 22.21 8.06 1.54 29.71 10.15 15.95 32.19 12.59 15.35 3.00 15.68 0.87 233.24 1.29 0.73 3.15 10.78 15.96 23.84 0.10

% change 4.87 1.77 0.34 6.51 2.22 3.50 0.00 7.05 2.76 3.36 0.66 3.44 0.19 51.11 0.28 0.16 0.69 2.36 3.50 5.22 0.02

Million Taka 282.20 97.31 26.76 313.02 77.85 172.14 1.12 289.61 292.15 15.40 35.86 44.18 10.67 601.67 12.00 24.21 78.72 164.89 90.12 165.31 0.40

Total

7.19 6.80 6.24 5.88 5.38 5.11 5.00 4.63 4.46 4.44

CSE GAINERS Company Standard Insurance-A Imam Button -Z Asia Pasific Insu. -A ACI Formulations-A UNITED AIR-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Berger Paints-A The Ibn SinaA M.I. Cement-A LankaBangla Fin. -A

Closing (% change) 8.53 7.04 5.91 4.76 4.63 4.60 4.52 4.24 4.06 4.03

Average (% change) 4.15 3.99 3.99 5.09 6.06 5.06 5.08 3.32 2.01 3.54 Average (% change) 8.74 7.80 4.78 7.37 3.51 6.19 4.52 4.38 4.83 4.02

Closing average 76.82 112.81 47.15 5.37 27.13 121.30 21.09 11.19 11.65 60.55

Closing average 28.00 7.60 21.50 88.00 11.22 27.10 1149.00 105.75 83.64 41.17

Closing 79.00 114.70 47.70 5.40 27.40 121.30 21.00 11.30 11.70 61.10

Closing 28.00 7.60 21.50 88.00 11.30 27.30 1149.00 105.80 84.60 41.30

Daily high 80.70 115.80 48.00 5.60 27.90 124.90 21.50 11.80 12.00 62.20

Daily high 28.00 7.60 21.50 88.00 11.40 27.80 1149.00 108.50 85.90 41.80

Daily low 72.00 100.00 44.50 4.80 23.40 117.00 18.00 9.80 10.10 53.00

Daily low 28.00 7.60 21.50 88.00 10.80 26.10 1149.00 103.00 81.80 40.30

Turnover in million 4.775 58.555 1.933 2.988 121.675 1.395 2.022 24.126 0.367 5.587

Turnover in million 0.056 0.004 0.011 1.056 5.421 22.682 0.057 0.021 1.537 5.851

Latest EPS 2.39 2.69 -1.01 -1.12 0.59 2.30 2.24 0.77 0.48 5.05

Latest EPS 2.88 -1.85 2.48 6.28 0.77 0.59 57.68 3.12 4.23 1.24

Latest PE 32.1 41.9 -ve -ve 46.0 52.7 9.4 14.5 24.3 12.0

Latest PE 9.7 -ve 8.7 14.0 14.6 45.9 19.9 33.9 19.8 33.2

News from trade server DUTCHBANGL: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the surveillance rating of the Company as "AA1" in the long term and "ST-1" in the short term based on audited financial statements of the Company up to 31 December 2013 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

UTTARABANK: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has rated the Company as "AA3" in the long term and "ST-2" in the short term based on audited financial statements of the Company up to 31 December 2013 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

RDFOOD: 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 17, 2014.

NATLIFEINS: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on June 23, 2014 at 4:00 PM to consider, among others, audit-

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LafargeS Cement-Z BSRM Steels-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Grameenphone-A HeidelbergCement -A Square Pharma -A Mithun Knitting -A

CSE

Closing (% change)

ed financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

BDSERVICE: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on June 22, 2014 at 5:30 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

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 subscription 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 DELTALIFE: 11% cash and 25% stock, AGM and EGM: 20.07.2014, Record date for AGM and EGM: 25.06.2014.

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.

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.

GOLDENSON: 25% stock, EGM and AGM: 21.06.2014, 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.

Latest PE

12.75 5.80 9.70 33.10 75.20 8.48 55.15 8.50

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Daily high

Thursday, June 19, 2014

% change 10.09 3.48 0.96 11.20 2.78 6.16 0.04 10.36 10.45 0.55 1.28 1.58 0.38 21.52 0.43 0.87 2.82 5.90 3.22 5.91 0.01

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

BD Submarine Cable-A UCBL - A ACI Limited- A

The Peninsula CTG.-N Delta Life Insu. -A LankaBangla Fin. -A G Next Fashions-A Renata Ltd. -A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company HeidelbergCement -A

BEXIMCO Ltd. -A LafargeS Cement-Z BSRM Steels-A The Peninsula CTG.-N G Next Fashions-A LankaBangla Fin. -A UCBL - A Grameenphone-A UNITED AIR-A Appollo Ispat CL -N BD Submarine Cable-A AramitCementA Aftab Auto.-A Mithun Knitting -A

Volume shares 2,947,500 1,478,553 4,484,348 315,971 144,150 221,488 519,066 323,493 1,992,596 174,119

1,176,800 219,375 943,258 2,104,685 42,377

Volume shares

402,950 837,116 194,500 136,315 296,800 398,452 142,125 221,918 18,000 483,365 198,800 29,526 127,000 60,782 44,600

Value in million 251.26 133.57 121.68 95.87 74.20 61.59 58.56 58.24 52.60 43.23

40.63 39.13 38.77 36.82 35.53

Value in million

209.51 22.68 16.54 12.29 10.26 6.98 5.85 5.81 5.45 5.42 5.38 5.32 5.25 5.06 4.71

% of total turnover 10.74 5.71 5.20 4.10 3.17 2.63 2.50 2.49 2.25 1.85

1.74 1.67 1.66 1.57 1.52

% of total turnover

52.02 5.63 4.11 3.05 2.55 1.73 1.45 1.44 1.35 1.35 1.33 1.32 1.30 1.26 1.17

Daily closing 84.60 89.80 27.40 303.30 515.70 277.90 114.70 179.00 26.60 249.90

34.20 179.10 41.20 17.50 837.30

Daily closing

511.00 27.30 84.50 89.50 34.30 17.60 41.30 26.40 302.70 11.30 27.00 179.90 41.60 81.60 115.70

Price change -2.65 -2.60 5.38 -0.13 -0.14 0.00 6.80 -1.32 2.70 3.09

Daily opening 86.90 92.20 26.00 303.70 516.40 277.90 107.40 181.40 25.90 242.40

Price change

Daily opening

-1.72 -0.56 3.78 2.94 0.72

-0.43 4.60 -1.74 -3.03 -1.44 2.92 4.03 1.93 -0.13 4.63 -0.74 -0.88 1.22 -1.33 7.93

34.80 180.10 39.70 17.00 831.30

513.20 26.10 86.00 92.30 34.80 17.10 39.70 25.90 303.10 10.80 27.20 181.50 41.10 82.70 107.20

Daily high 88.00 93.30 27.90 307.00 519.00 281.00 115.80 183.30 27.00 255.00

35.20 181.20 41.60 17.90 850.00

Daily low 84.00 83.00 23.40 295.00 490.00 254.00 100.00 163.90 23.40 221.50

34.10 170.00 35.90 15.40 828.30

Daily average 85.25 90.34 27.13 303.42 514.73 278.06 112.81 180.04 26.40 248.27

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

516.00 27.80 87.00 93.00 35.10 17.70 41.80 26.70 305.50 11.40 27.40 183.00 42.00 85.70 117.00

510.00 26.10 83.70 89.00 34.20 15.40 40.30 25.80 300.00 10.80 26.90 179.30 41.00 81.10 100.20

34.53 178.36 41.10 17.49 838.40

519.94 27.10 85.06 90.19 34.57 17.51 41.17 26.16 303.00 11.22 27.04 180.24 41.33 83.28 105.56

DHAKA TRIBUNE

H&M quarterly profits soar on ‘strong’ sales n AFP, Stockholm Swedish fashion giant H&M yesterday said profits soared in the second-quarter as it continued a major global expansion, and announced it would launch a broader footwear range later this year.

Net profit in the second quarter rose 25% from the March-May period a year earlier to 5.8bn kronor (645.3m euros, $874.5m).

That slightly beat the prediction of analysts polled by Dow Jones Newswires, who predicted a 5.63bn kronor profit.

Chief executive Karl-Johan Persson said in a statement the positive results came from “well-received collections and continued strong expansion”, together with “good cost control”.

Revenue grew by 19% to 44.18bn kronor compared to the same period in 2013.

All the group’s brands - H&M, COS, & Other Stories, Monki, Weekday, Cheap Monday and H&M Home - showed “good” sales development during the quarter, Persson added.

The group also announced a larger shoe range for men, women, teenagers and children, which will be available in the autumn in nine countries and online shops.

“This is a part of our long-term investments which also includes investments in online, IT and our new brands,” Persson said.

H&M’s growth strategy includes increasing its number of outlets by 10 to 15 percent each year, while maintaining high profitability, according to the group.

This year, the company expects to open 375 new outlets, mainly in the US and China. Besides Australia, where the first shop opened in April, H&M plans to expand to India and the Philippines in the autumn. l

Business

GM hit with $10bn lawsuit n Reuters A new lawsuit says General Motors Co should compensate millions of car and truck owners for lost resale value, potentially exceeding $10bn, because a slew of recalls and a deadly delay in recalling cars with defective ignition switches has damaged its brand.

According to a complaint filed yesterday with the federal court in Riverside, California, GM hurt customers by concealing known defects and valuing cost-cutting over safety, leading to roughly 40 recalls covering more than 20 million vehicles this year alone.

It said this has caused a variety of late-model vehicles to lose roughly $500 to $2,600 in resale value.

Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, which filed the lawsuit, said the case could be worth more than $10bn, and is the first seeking to force GM to pay a potential 15 million car and truck owners, not just those whose vehicles were recalled, for damage to its brand and reputation.

A GM spokesman, Greg Martin, declined to comment on the lawsuit.

He said that many customers and analysts recognized the strength of the GM brand and that the market recognition has resulted in increased sales, transaction prices and residual values.

The lawsuit painted a “disturbing picture” of GM’s approach to safety, including how “in truly Orwellian fashion” the largest US automaker would encourage employees to avoid words such as “bad” and “failed,” and use euphemisms such as “issue” or “condition” rather than “problem” when discussing defects.

“GM’s egregious and widely publicized conduct and the never-ending

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Thursday, June 19, 2014

Evonic senior executive in Dhaka n Tribune Report

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron (left) and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang applaud during a signing ceremony in London June 17.

Britain and China have signed trade deals worth over £14bn ($28bn, 17bn euros) during a visit by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, British Prime Minister David Cameron said AFP and piecemeal nature of GM’s recalls has so tarnished the affected vehicles that no reasonable consumer would have paid the price they did when the GM brand meant safety and success,” the complaint said.

The plaintiff is Anna Andrews, a res-

ident of La Quinta, California. She said she would not have bought her used 2010 Buick LaCrosse, or would have paid less for it, had GM done a better job of disclosing vehicle defects.

Her lawsuit seeks class-action status for people who owned or leased GM ve-

hicles sold between July 10, 2009, and April 1, 2014, or who later sold such vehicles at cut-rate prices.

Vehicles affected by the earlier ignition-switch recalls are not included in the lawsuit. Thirteen deaths have been linked to those vehicles. l

AG Nicholas Guthier, vice-president of Evonic Industries, a major poultry feed chemical supplier from Germany, arrived in Dhaka yesterday along with his technical managers Sheila Heidi M Ramos and Dr Kartik Masagounder.

They came to Bangladesh to attend a seminar titled “Economic Impact of Choosing the Right Methionine Source” to be held today at the Ball room of Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the capital.

Evonic (SEA) Pte Ltd., Singapore and Broadways Chapmen Ltd, Dhaka are jointly organising the seminar in the wake of growing criticism against the low quality poultry feeds and medicines.

Attending the seminar, Nicholas Guthiar will present a key note paper while Dr. Kartik Masagounder will discuss about redefining of the energy needed for broiler chickens and Sheila Heidi Ramos will speak on improving the feed quality.

Evonic is a creative industrial group having production sites in 24 countries and activities all around the world.

The company is one of the world leaders in specialty chemicals concentrated on high growth mega-trends, specially health, nutrition resource efficiency and globalisation with its attribution towards delivering pioneer products solutions and method that open up new perspective.

In Bangladesh, Evonic has been doing business in different essential sectors like poultry, health and nutrition, food, pharmaceuticals, personal care, toiletries, coating, PVC and rubber industries. l

Dollar firm ahead of Fed policy decision

Coca-Cola invests in Egypt and Pakistan, sees big sales growth

n AFP, Tokyo

n Reuters, Cairo

The dollar held steady in Asia yesterday as investors awaited the end of a two-day US Federal Reserve policy meeting later in the day.

In Tokyo afternoon trading, the greenback fetched 102.26 yen, against 102.13 yen late in New York and well up from the 102 yen in Tokyo earlier Tuesday. The euro bought $1.3545 and 138.50 yen, against $1.3546 and 138.35 yen.

The Fed’s two-day meeting is expected to wrap up with policymakers keeping interest rates at record lows and announcing a further cut to the bank’s stimulus programme.

Bank policymakers will keep in mind data on Tuesday showing US interest rates in May jumping to their highest level since October 2012, which gave a fillip to the greenback in New York.

However, the focus will be on its outlook for the economy and clues about future policy direction, with speculation growing that rates will go up next year.

“The policy rate should be unchanged, with all forecasters showing

a continued taper (in stimulus bondbuying) of $10bn this month,” National Australia Bank said.

But little change in the Fed’s economic projections “would be disappointing to markets, and we should see yields lower and the US dollar lower,” it said in a note.

There was little movement in currency rates after official Japanese figures showed the country’s trade deficit narrowed last month as imports turned down for the first time in a year and a half.

The dollar was stronger against most other Asia-Pacific units, rising to Sg$1.2537 from Sg$1.2527 on Tuesday, to 1,023.08 South Korean won from 1,022.55 won and to 43.99 Philippine pesos from 43.96 pesos.

It also strengthened to 11,994.00 Indonesian rupiah from 11,872.80 rupiah, and to 32.54 Thai baht from 32.45 baht.

It fell to 60.13 Indian rupees from 60.38 rupees, while it was flat at Tw$30.02.

The Australian dollar weakened to 93.35 US cents from 93.59 cents, while the Chinese yuan changed hands at 16.42 yen against 16.36 yen. l

Coca-Cola Co expects to start production in five new factories in Egypt and Pakistan over the next 18 months, seeing double-digit percentage growth in sales for both markets this year, its Middle East and North Africa president told Reuters.

The U.S. soft drinks maker’s investment is a particular boost for Egypt, which is desperate to attract foreign direct investment after three years of political and economic turmoil that has seen its foreign currency reserves shrink and budget deficit swell to around 14% of GDP last year.

“Egypt is going to be one of our key anchor countries,” Curt Ferguson said on Wednesday, citing the country’s large and growing population as a big positive. “For sure the other key anchor will be Pakistan.”

As part of a $500m investment plan announced for Egypt in March, CocaCola will start constructing a new juice plant in 6th of October city near Cairo next year in a joint $100m dollar project with Saudi Arabia’s Aujan Coca-Cola Beverages Company.

The $500 million will be spent over the next three years, Ferguson said.

The beverage group is in talks to buy a plot of land between Cairo and Alexandria to build a plant for sparkling drinks and water which should go online next year, Ferguson added.

The rest of the $500m will be used to increase production at existing plants such as its concentrate factory in Cairo, the only one of its kind in the Middle East, and to cover capital spending.

In Egypt, the company wants to redevelop production lines and keep distributing tens of thousands of CocaCola branded fridges to small supermarkets every year. Just to keep its business ticking over, Coca-Cola needs to spend more than $75m a year in the country on such costs.

The Cairo concentrate plant exports more than 30% of its produce and CocaCola wants to double exports from this facility within about three years, Ferguson said, sipping a can of coke light in the regional headquarters in Cairo.

When asked about recent tax increases in Egypt, Ferguson said CocaCola could live with the tax rates and

understood Egypt’s need to increase its revenues, but added lower taxes and clear, well-organized economic reforms would help investors.

“Business needs certainty,” he said, listing recent presidential elections as helping stability in the country. “The clearer, the easier, the lower the tax

In Egypt, the company wants to redevelop production lines and keep distributing tens of thousands of CocaCola branded fridges to small supermarkets every year rate, you’re going to attract the most investment. It’s that easy.”

Expansion beyond egypt

Surpassing Egypt for its sales growth, Pakistan will see three new plants open in the next 18 months in Karachi, Multan and Islamabad to serve the domes-

tic market with sparkling drinks such as Coke, Fanta and Sprite.

“We watch the needle in Pakistan and almost every month we red-line on what our capacity is,” Ferguson said, adding he expected sales growth of around 20 percent in Pakistan this year. “We’re just scratching the surface there.”

Coca-Cola has also purchased land in the Palestinian Gaza Strip for a bottling factory for which it has already paid $20m and which should go online in the first quarter of 2015, Ferguson said.

The company hopes US Secretary of State John Kerry might open the Gaza plant, Ferguson said, adding the group had received all necessary permits from Israel, which has imposed a blockade on the Gaza Strip. Kerry has not visited the Gaza Strip since becoming Secretary of State.

Further expanding into the region, Coca-Cola has started building its first factory in Qatar for $40m, to be finished before an expected surge in demand for the 2022 soccer World Cup in the desert country. “It’s us and nine stadiums,” Ferguson joked of the construction. l

Professor Golam Rahman, president of Bangladesh Institute of Planners and Rezaul Hossain, chief commercial officer of bKash Limited recently signed an agreement for enabling BIP members to pay their membership and other fees through bKash

Standard Insurance Limited yesterday held its 14th annual general in Dhaka. The company’s chair HTM Quader Newaz was present at the meeting among others Symphony recently opened its 41st customer care centre named Symphony Smile in Jatrabari. The chair of Edison Group, parent company of Symphony, Aminur Rashid inaugurated the centre

Shamsul Huda Khan has recently been promoted to additional managing director in National Bank Limited. Prior to the promotion Huda was discharging duties as the bank’s deputy managing director and was looking over international, general banking, credit risk management, credit cards and anti money laundering divisions.

He has joined National Bank Limited during the year 1985 as a senior officer. Huda holds a masters degree in finance from the University of Dhaka Md Nazmus Salehin, MD and CEO of Standard Bank Limited recently inaugurated a daylong workshop on environmental risk management and green banking, that was organised by the bank’s training institute

Dhaka Bank recently organised a ceremony for handing over the cheque of a syndicated term loan facility of Tk198 crore to KDS Logistics Limited in Dhaka. Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman presided over the event as chief guest

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Thursday, June 19, 2014

Political change, China news spurs spike in Q2 Asia business sentiment n Reuters, Shanghai Business sentiment among Asia’s top companies hit its highest level in more than two years in the second quarter of 2014, rising sharply on supportive political changes around the region and positive signs from China, a ThomsonReuters/INSEAD survey showed.

The ThomsonReuters/INSEAD Asia Business Sentiment Index jumped to 74 in the second quarter from 64 in the first, the highest reading since the start of 2012. A reading above 50 indicates an overall positive outlook.

Leadership change gave India and Thailand sorely-needed shots in the arm, with the two key markets powering a rise in the wider index. Robust scores from China and Australia also helped lift the index with scores of 67 and 79 respectively, both up significantly from the previous quarter.

Export-driven South Korea saw a steep drop to 50 from 67 in the first quarter on weaker trade and consumer data. Japan and Malaysia edged down slightly, while Singapore and the Philippines held flat, although the Philippines still maintained its 100 reading, the same as in the first quarter.

“At the moment, stronger U.S. growth, China providing some support to prevent collapse and the India story is still there. These are positives,” said Anthony Chan, senior economist for Asia at asset management firm AllianceBernstein.

However, the sentiment spike may be short-lived. India is due a “reality check” after its election boost, China’s stimulus will create only a short-term lift, and there is still plenty hanging “in the balance” for Thailand after the military coup there in May, Chan said.

The index surveyed 200 of the AsiaPacific region’s top companies in 11 economies across sectors from property, to financials and tech. Companies included Japanese clothes maker Fast Retailing, Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries and Australian construction mate-

India reintroduces onion export price to help curb inflation n Reuters, New Delhi India on Tuesday set a minimum export price for onions of $300 per tonne to discourage overseas shipments amid an inflation scare that threatens to stoke public anger over rising prices at local food markets.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made tackling inflation his top priority after widespread resentment about rising prices contributed to the exit of the previous government last month.

After wholesale price inflation accelerated to a five-month high in May, the new government imposed the price rule on onions three months after the previous administration withdrew it.

Until early March, the minimum export price was $150 per tonne.

Indians consume about 15 million tonnes of onions a year, using them as the base for curries and traditional dishes such as biryani and bhaji. In the past, higher onion prices have contributed to the fall of state governments.

India exports about 1.5 million tonnes of onions a year. Fears of domestic shortages have been fuelled by a scorching summer, a lack of chilled storage and a threat of strike action by distribution workers. l

Corporate sentiment in Malaysia sank to 67 from 75 the quarter before while the Philippines held steady at the maximum score of 100. No companies from Indonesia responded to this quarter’s survey.

China, Asia’s largest economy, posted a score of 67, bouncing back from a score of 50 in the quarter before as Beijing’s “mini-stimulus” package promised to help the country shift smoothly into slower gear and hit its growth targets for the year.

“The slowdown in China that we saw in Q1 has not extended into Q2 and things seem to have stabilized,” said Julian Evans-Pritchard, China economist at Capital Economics.

“There’s quite a lot of relief that the government has stepped in to shore up growth and offset some of the weakness that we’ve seen in the property sector.”

Resources up, financials down

An aircraft flies overhead as a person rummages for recyclables at a garbage dumpsite in Paranaque city, metro Manila rials firm James Hardie Industries Plc. The poll, conducted by ThomsonReuters in association with INSEAD, a global management and business school, was compiled in June 2-13. It showed global economic worries, rising costs and other risks including political and regulatory uncertainty were the key business concerns.

Of the 124 companies that responded 52.42% said they had a neutral outlook and 47.58 percent said they had a positive outlook in the second quarter of 2014. None reported a negative outlook, the first time ever in the survey’s history.

Positive trends for key trade partners gave Asia a boost, said Simon Shakesheff, Sydney-based group executive for strategy and stakeholder relations at Australian property group Stockland Corp Ltd.

“Business confidence has been buoyed by a broad improvement in the global environment, especially some increased optimism with regards to the outcome of Europe, the US looking quite respectable and Japan traveling better than expected,” he said.

New faces

Political changes around Asia sparked a positive mood in the countries affected with all 10 companies surveyed from India and the majority in Thailand reporting a positive outlook.

This helped Asia’s third-largest economy hit the maximum score of 100 after pro-business candidate Narendra Modi stormed to victory in India’s general election in May. “India is positive because the previous government has done such a poor

REUTERS

job that everyone expects it can only improve,” said Dariusz Kowalczyk, Hong Kong-based senior economist for Asia ex-Japan at Credit Agricole, pointing to Modi’s strong majority in parliament and wide popular support.

“This will make it easier for him to push through reform and therefore business sentiment improved.”

A military coup in May helped Thailand, Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy, rebound strongly to 91 after months of anti-government protests had dragged the country’s score down to negative territory since the end of last year.

The army said it would end political unrest and revive the country’s flagging economy, boosting business and consumer sentiment. Thai consumer confidence rebounded last month for the first time in over a year.

Big tobacco squares up as EU rules aim to track every cigarette n Reuters It takes a British American Tobacco factory machine three minutes to load 4 million cigarettes onto a truck in northern Bavaria - but it can take a lot longer to figure out whether those cigarettes end up where they should.

So the EU is asking tobacco firms to do more to track and trace their goods, in order to tackle a huge black market and ultimately prevent some of the 700,000 deaths each year in the EU from smoking-related diseases.

The legislation, which takes effect over the next two years, is part of a package that also slaps no-holdsbarred pictures of the health effects of smoking on packets, and bans menthol. Alongside it, an international treaty ratified by 178 countries - the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) - aims to ensure similar measures are introduced right across the world.

There’s one problem, however: The big international tobacco firms - Philip Morris International, British American,

Japan Tobacco and Imperial Tobacco already use a track and trace system called Codentify, developed by Philip Morris, which they say works perfectly well.

They do not want to have to add costly third-party systems to their massive operations, which turned out more than 2 trillion cigarettes last year.

“Our biggest concern is proprietary solution providers pushing unproven solutions on to governments,” said Daniel Hubert, BAT’s supply chain tracking and verification program manager and a director of the Digital Coding & Tracking Association (DCTA), a group made up of BAT, Philip Morris, Japan Tobacco and Imperial.

But tobacco industry critics say Codentify is simply not good enough, because it focuses too much on production and does not store product codes or track them. Last year Luk Joossens, advocacy officer of the Association of European Cancer Leagues, and Anna Gilmore, director of the University of Bath’s Tobacco Control Research Group, published a report listing the system’s

technical and ethical limitations.

“Codentify is not up to the task and worse than that, it puts the fox in charge of the hen-house,” Gilmore told Reuters.

In response, Big Tobacco acknowledges that Codentify only does part of the job, and says critics fail to include third-party technology used alongside it to make it fully compliant.

EU member states have two years to bring their national legislation into line with the new tobacco directives. So most of the new rules will apply in the first half of 2016. In the interim, experts are analyzing the feasibility and cost of a range of alternative track and trace options from security printing companies and IT/data processing companies, and will report back at the end of the year.

For now it is not clear what they will recommend, but industry sources doubt Codentify will be adopted without at least significant changes.

“There’s a lot of resistance to allowing the tobacco industry to use its own technology,” said Euromonitor International analyst Shane MacGuill. l

Japan robot firm showcases thoughtcontrolled suits n AFP, Kawasaki A Japanese robot-maker yesterday showed off suits that the wearer can control just by thinking, as it said it was linking up with an industrial city promoting innovation.

Cyberdyne founder Yoshiyuki Sankai said he was allying with Kawasaki, a city south of Tokyo, to explore ways to expand real-life applications for his robo-suits, which are often used for physical therapy.

“We want to make technology that actually helps people,” Sankai, who is also a professor of engineering at the University of Tsukuba, northeast of Tokyo, said.

Cyberdyne, based in Tsukuba, makes power-assisted robotic suits, limbs and joints that can help the elderly and disabled to get around or can help industrial workers to lift heavy objects. l

Region-wide, resources was the strongest sector with a reading of 80 marking a three-year high. The property sector was just behind, climbing to 79 from 75 the previous quarter.

The shipping, food and building sectors tied for third with readings of 75. In the building sector half of the companies reported a positive outlook, helping drive a steep rise from its score of 50 in the first quarter.

“Our main regions are currently experiencing strong housing construction markets,” said Sean O’Sullivan, vice president of investor and media relations at James Hardie, pointing to relatively low interest rates, strong employment markets and robust broader economic conditions. The firm’s key regions in Asia are Australia, New Zealand the Philippines.

The weakest sectors were financials and retail. Financials dropped to 60 from 64 the previous quarter, while rising costs dragged retail down to 69 from 75. Autos also posted a relatively weak score of 67, although this was up sharply from 50 in the first quarter. l

Sri Lanka’s central bank yesterday urged lenders to reduce interest rates, saying levels of lending needed to rise to fuel economic growth.

The Central Bank of Sri Lanka in its monthly policy review urged commercial banks to reduce the spread between deposit and lending rates and ensure cheaper borrowing.

The prime lending rate for some banks is high as 13% while the deposit rate is as low as five percent. Almost all banks charge 24% on credit card borrowing. Credit to the private sector had reduced by 3.3% in April compared to a year earlier, the bank said. Earlier, the bank had expected a turnaround in private sector credit by the second quarter of 2014.

“A reasonable level of expansion in bank credit disbursed to productive sectors of the economy is considered beneficial for the continued growth in economic activity,” the bank said in a statement.

It noted that lending rates were too high in the context of the country’s official inflation rate dropping to 3.2% in May, the lowest level since February 2012.

The Central Bank’s benchmark lending rate was reduced by 50 basis points to 8.0 percent in January to encourage private sector credit growth, but it has had no immediate impact, the bank said.

However, the bank felt there was “adequate space” for commercial banks to reduce market lending rates.

“The Monetary Board (of the Central Bank) also decided to urge banks to lower their market lending rates,” the Bank said.

It said the economic growth target of 7.8% for this year, up from 7.3% last year, could be achieved if there was a turnaround in private sector credit in the second half of this year.

The bank’s policy review made no mention of the economic impact of religious rioting at two southern coastal resorts where four people were killed and dozens of homes and businesses were torched in two days of violence. l

Media: China has surpassed Britain’s ‘declining empire’ n AFP, Beijing China has overtaken Britain as a world power, a state-run newspaper argued scornfully yesterday, after Premier Li Keqiang oversaw the signing of trade deals that will see Chinese invest in British high-speed trains and nuclear power.

“Britain’s national strength cannot be placed in the same rank as China now, a truth difficult to accept for some Britons who want to stress their nobility,” the state-run Global Times wrote in an editorial.

“Chinese society is more and more relaxed in dealing with Sino-UK ties, while the British could not be pettier,” it added as Li began the third and final day of his British trip.

The newspaper, which is close to China’s ruling Communist Party, frequently takes a nationalistic tone.

Britain and China signed trade deals worth more than £14bn ($24bn, 17bn euros), Prime Minister David Cameron announced Tuesday.

China will invest in Britain’s new high-speed rail link from London to northern cities, and in new nuclear power plants among other energy projects, according to a joint statement.

That could include Britain importing Chinese reactors.

The trend of investment illustrates dramatically how much China has changed: from economic basket-case a few decades ago to now being in a position to export advanced technology to the cradle of the Industrial Revolution.

“China is the largest developing country while Britain is the first industrialised nation, so further cooperation between the two would not only benefit themselves, but also the whole world,” China’s Xinhua news agency quoted Li as saying.

Among other trade deals, British

DILBERT

This handout picture released from Japan's electronics giant Sharp on June 18, 2014 shows a prototype model of the newly developed free-form LCD display in Tokyo. The free-form display can be shaped into various patterned models such as elliptical shape using Sharp's IGZO technology AFP

Sri Lanka banks urged to lower interest rates n AFP, Colombo

energy giant BP says it will sign a pact worth around $20bn to supply China with liquefied natural gas. And Royal Dutch Shell signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Chinese energy giant CNOOC. Li and Cameron have been working to repair a relationship that had suffered after a spat over Tibet.

But the improved mood was strained last week when The Times newspaper reported that Beijing had made a meeting between Li and Queen Elizabeth II a precondition for the visit, threatening to call it off otherwise.

'China is the largest developing country while Britain is the first industrialised nation, so further cooperation between the two would not only benefit themselves, but also the whole world' The Global Times dismissed such reports as “hype” which only serves to reflect the narrow-mindedness of the British media and even the whole of its society”.

“The once-powerful British Empire must now resort to such trickery to manifest its pride,” it said.

“Perhaps Chinese people should forgive Britain’s confusing sentiment,” it continued. “A rising country should understand the embarrassment of an old declining empire and at times the eccentric acts it takes to hide such embarrassment.” l