22 June 2014

Ashar 8, 1421 Shaaban 23, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 82

SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

20 pages | Price: Tk12 Jun 22, 2014

Jun 24, 2014

2am Cameroon vs Brazil 2am Croatia vs Mexico 10pm Italy vs Uruguay 1am Korea Republic vs Algeria 10pm Costa Rica vs England 4am USA vs Portugal Jun 25, 2014 10pm Australia vs Spain 2am Japan vs Colombia 10pm Netherlands vs Chile 2am Greece vs Côte d’Ivoire 10pm Nigeria vs Argentina 10pm Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Iran WC MATCHES 10pm Belgium vs Russia Jun 23, 2014

B1 | BANGLADESH MAY FACE UNEMPLOYMENT

7 | THE LONG & SHORT OF HR CONSULTING

11 | NARROWING NARROW SPACE

Laxmipur police role called into question In last 6 months 40 people killed Jamil Khan, n Mohammad back from Laxmipur

spring up around 12 criminal groups in the area and the election manipulator cashed in on the situation.

But Sheikh Shariful Islam, former ASP of Laxmipur, refuted the allegation against police.

He went to the extent of saying that if anyone could prove his involvement in any kind of irregularities, he would quit his job.

“This is a baseless claim,” he said.

During the Sadar upazila poll, district Mayor Abu Taher’s Son Salahuddin Tipu who had been contesting the chairman post allegedly manipulated the election with the blessings of police officials.

Taher was said to have driven out his opponent BNP-backed candidate Mahmudul Karim Dipu from the election area and seized at least 100 of 169 polling centres the night before the election.

Tipu, however, denied the allegation against him, saying: “Why should we do that when everybody supports us?”

The law enforcers just played the role of silent spectators.

Asked about it, M Alauddin, Laxmipur district unit president of the ruling Awami League, told the Dhaka Tribune he heard about the election manipulation, but that was not done in a large scale.

In reply to who the people were behind the malpractice, he evaded the question.

About police role, he said their role had been mysterious over the last couple of months.

Even the Laxmipur city Mayor Abu

A series of alleged irregularities and professional misconduct by the police have brought to the fore current slide in law and order situation in Laxmipur district.

Locals as well as a section of political bigwigs allege that police are being manipulated into realising political ambition of some vested interests.

In the last six months, incidents of killing across the district have been more frequent, with 40 people murdered, according to the crime data of police.

Taher was said to have seized at least 100 of 169 polling centres the night before the election This is most appalling when it comes to police failure to unearth the mystery behind the murders and arrest the masterminds and the perpetrators.

The arrests were virtually not made and raid hardly carried out till the incumbent Superintendent of Police Shah Mizan Shafiur Rahman took the charge on May 16.

Additional Police Super Sheikh Shariful Islam while working as an acting SP of Laxmipur allegedly kept his eyes shut to criminal activities, taking a heavy bribe, said locals and political leaders.

The police negligence has led to

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Argentina captain Lionel Messi celebrates after scoring the winning goal during their Group F match against Iran at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte yesterday

Messi stunner sees off Iran scare from Brazil It felt like a phoenix had suddenly risen from the ashes and stung the opponent with venom in its very first sight as Argentine superstar Lionel Messi’s stoppage-time strike broke the Iranian resistance in a last-gasp 1-0 victory in Group F of the Fifa World Cup at Belo Horizonte yesterday.

The stipulated 90 minutes were over, four minutes were added before the game was scheduled to come to

an end and Messi, comparatively below-par as per his high standards, was standing patiently in the right flank in front of a boisterous crowd of 68,000 people. Almost 95 percent of the crowd were Argentinian fans and they never stopped cheering as the game was petering out into a stalemate.

Iran were on the verge of pulling their biggest achievement in history until the prince of modern football had other ideas. Backed on by a romping crowd, the Argentine captain probably needed the last bit of inspiration from the fans to spur himself on. Tireless right-back Pablo Zabaleta saw his diminutive captain standing alone in

Bangladesh-born Five girls violated in the capital American indicted Adil Sakhawat Mugda police went to the spot and 28, and the helper Hasnan, 23, kept the n arrested one from the spot. The other two adolescents in the dark. on terror charges Five girls, four of whom were adoles- Without telling them that they two, however, managed to escape.

Md Mostafizur Rahman, inspector of cents, were raped in the city yesterday. reached Savar, the bus staff brought n Tribune Report The victims are now admitted to the two adolescents back to Mugda Mugda police station, said: “We are tryDhaka Medical College Hospital.

Of the adolescents, one hailing from Sherpur and another from Pirojpur were violated by four staff members of a public bus service “Labbaik” Paribahan yesterday in the city’s Mugda area.

Two girls were going to Savar by bus after their daily work in a local fan manufacturing factory in Jatrabari area.

As the two did not know the location, they asked the bus staff to drop them at right place.

But the bus driver Ahmed Sheikh,

A Bangladesh-born American, Rahatul Ashikim Khan, has been indicted in the US for terror charges.

A Texas court indicted him, said a report by KVUE, an Austin-based television station located in Texas.

Citing documents released Friday by the US Department of Justice, the KVUE report said a federal grand jury indicted Arafatul, along with Michael Todd Wolfe from Houston.

Rahatul was arrested at his home in  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

and forcibly took them to a workshop where they were violated.

The two other associates of the bus staff, Shaon and Kuddus, joined them.

One of the victims managed to escape using the sanitary pipe of the washroom of the building.

The escapee let the building’s security guard Mohammad Humayun about this incident and sought his help.

Humayun with the help of locals detained one of the rapists trying to flee and called police.

INSIDE 3 | News

Mobile courts across the country including the capital have been frequently destroying fruits contaminated with formalin.

4 | News

Cox’s Bazar human traffickers use many remote points of the district’s coastal areas to send passengers to Malaysia illegally on trawlers, and they often change the routes sensing a drive of law enforcement agencies.

5 | News

People suffered immensely yesterday as the low-lying areas of Chittagong city went under

knee-deep water due to the continuous heavy rainfall, which started early Friday.

6 | Nation

Pig rearing has turned out to be a profitable business for a section of people belonging to the Baishaya caste in the country’s northern region. According to sources, a section of the people of the caste rear pigs for commercial purposes.

8 | World

Sunni fighters seized a border post on the IraqSyria frontier, security sources said on Saturday, smashing a line drawn by colonial powers almost a century ago and potentially creating an Islamic Caliphate from the Mediterranean Sea to Iran.

12 | Entertainment

Queen Elizabeth II is gearing up to visit the Titanic Quarter in Belfast where the studio facility for the HBO smash-hit ‘Game of Thrones’ is located.

15

ing to arrest the other culprits.”

In another incident, a 10-year-old madrassa student was violated by an elderly man in Darussalam area in Mirpur of the city.

The rape incident of another adolescent took place in Demra area of the capital. A 14-year-old girl fell victim to such abuse.

In another incident, a garment worker hailing from Jhenaidah was raped by her own brother-in-law  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

MATCH STATS Argentina 1 19 9 10 0 8 0 0 71%

Iran 0 8 4 6 1 14 2 0 29%

AFP

Messi most popular in Bangladesh n Tribune Report

his favourite right flank and instantly floated a long ball which was brilliantly

Bangladeshi football fans outnumber fans of all other countries in the world when it comes to supporting the diminutive Argentine phenomenon: Lionel Messi, who also holds the unique record of being voted world’s best player of the year a total number of four times.

According to the Facebook Fan Map (https://www.facebook.com/worldcup/map), Messi’s fan base in Bangladesh is even greater than the fan base in his own country, Argentina. Facebook created a new application entirely for the World Cup season known as the

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

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

Death sentence upheld for Brotherhood men n Reuters, Cairo An Egyptian court confirmed death sentences on Saturday against the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood and 182 supporters, in a mass trial of Islamists who ruled Egypt for a year but face a fierce crackdown under the new president, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Mohamed Badie and other defendants were charged in connection with violence that erupted in the southern town of Minya following the ousting of the Brotherhood’s President Mohamed

Mursi last July, led by then army chief Sisi. One police officer was killed in the violence.

The court’s decision came two months after it referred the case against Badie, general guide of the now outlawed Brotherhood, and 682 other defendants to a top religious authority, the first step to imposing a death penalty.

Those preliminary sentences triggered outrage among Western governments and rights groups, with the United States and European Union  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, June 22, 2014

INDIAN FM’S DHAKA VISIT

Teesta, land boundary pact to be discussed n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Bangladesh will be discussing Teesta water sharing deal and ratification of the land boundary agreement (Land Boundary Agreement) during the upcoming visit of Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj.

“Bangladesh will raise the issues during the bilateral talks between the two foreign ministers,” said a senior official of the Foreign Ministry. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj will pay a goodwill visit to Bangladesh from June 25-27 at the invitation of her Bangladeshi counterpart Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali. Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Tariq A Karim met Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Water Resources Minister Uma Bharati last week, said another official.

“Tariq also met Indian State Minister for Foreign Affairs BK Singh and Foreign Secretary Sujatha Singh last week,” he added.

Teesta water sharing agreement was supposed to be signed during the visit of the immediate past Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka in 2011 but was not in the face of stern opposition by West Bengal Chief

Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The LBA was inked in 1974 and Bangladesh ratified it the same year but India is yet to do that on its part. Former Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid placed a bill to amend the constitution at the Rajya Sabha to pave the way for ratification but it is yet to be passed.

The Bharatiya Janata Party during its election campaigns strongly opposed any move to hastily settle border disputes with Bangladesh.

This will be Sushma’s first foreign visit after she assumed office in May. Foreign ministers of both the countries will have bilateral discussions during the visit. She will also meet President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The Indian foreign minister will deliver a speech on June 26 where she will explain the present state of Bangladesh-India relationship and the future course of action, said an official of the Foreign Ministry.

She will also have engagement with think tanks, chambers of commerce and industry and cultural organisations.

The visit is expected to improve bilateral ties between the two neighbouring countries. l

Workers construct a makeshift gate at the Dhanmondi Road 27 intersection yesterday to bear banners celebrating the 65th founding anniversary of the Bangladesh Awami League .

Such structures pose risks for both commuting vehicles and creates tailback along the road SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

REB chief, staff take oath to cut corruption in power sector

War crimes accused Akram sent to jail n Aminur Rahman Rasel n Tribune Report With a view to preventing corruption in A Dhaka court has sent Khan Akram Hossain, accused of committing crimes against humanity during the War of Liberation, to jail.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mainul Islam Bhuiyan passed the order after Bagerhat police produced him befor the court yesterday afternoon.

Khan Akram Hossain, 59, was arrested from Rajshahi district on June 19.

He, alleged Razakar commander of village Doiboggohati in Bagerhat, was on the run since the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) 1 issued an arrest warrant against him on June 10. l

the government agency, Rural Electrification Board Chairman Brig Gen Moin Uddin in a unique attempt yesterday administered oaths to its officers, including the general managers of Palli Bidyut Samity units under the REB across the country.

Around 800 employees took the oath at the REB headquarters in the capital yesterday when they were taking part at a views-exchange meeting on minimising loadshedding and harassment of customers.

The initiative came in the wake of reported widespread corruption during the construction of distribution lines

and while giving new electricity connections.

State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid, Power Cell Director General Mohammad Hossain, REB Member (finance) Md Ataul Hoque Mollah and Member (engineering) SK Nurul Absar were present.

Nasrul told the programme that there had been political pressure since it is a political government. There is corruption everywhere in the world.

“But the employees will have to try to stay away from corruption.

“No government wants corruption in any sector. We have taken steps to stop corruption.”

In reaction to the junior minis-

ter’s comment, an REB official after the meeting told the Dhaka Tribune: “When a minister talks like that, there is no need of take oath. If the high officials supports us and we can work freely [without any political pressure], there will be no corruption.”

Established in 1977 to ensure rural people’s access to electricity, the REB has been working in association with 72 PBSs. Brig Gen Moin said corruption was rising in the PBSs and “it is tarnishing our image day by day. So, we took oaths with a view to stop corruption.”

To get new connections, the people usually bribe the PBS officials to avoid filing new applications, he told the Dhaka Tribune.

“The REB has set a target of ensuring power supplies to all citizens by 2021.To achieve the goal, it needs to establish about 1 crore new power connections and extend the distribution lines by 1.30 lakh kilometres.”

Since it would involve huge work to achieve the target, Brig Gen Moin said: “The oath was administered to ensure that all the employees stay away from corruption during the implementation of the scheme.”

He said: “We will publish several lakh anti-corruption posters the village people aware.”

According to the REB chairman, the number of power consumers will rise from 1.02 crore to 2.21 crore by 2021

Messi stunner sees off Iran scare Laxmipur police role called into question  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

controlled by Messi and thus the unstoppable run began its full flight.

Dribbling past his marker with a deft left-foot touch, Messi saw the gap from about 25 yards out and hammered his trademark, curved left-footer past Alireza Haghighi, the superb Iranian goalie who denied the Argentine for 90 minutes but was absolutely helpless from stopping the Messi screamer. It was total heartbreak for Iran while the joy of the Argentinian fans knew no bounds.

The feared Argentine attack comprising Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain, Angel di Maria and Messi failed to stamp their authority upon the sticky and spirited Iranians and the passionate Asian side came agonisingly close to a famous draw but lost to the sheer magic of the magician as the Argentine captain rose to the occasion to save his team.

Earlier, Iran’s compact defence and astounding goalkeeping by Haghighi kept Argentina at bay. In the 13th minute, Fernando Gago’s low cross from the right flank found Higuain, whose

swept first-time shot was well blocked by the advancing keeper.

In the 22nd minute, Haghighi denied Aguero who curled a shot after being fed by Higuain as the Iranian custodian dived to his right to palm it away.

Iran also sent a chill through the Argentine spine on a number of occasions. Jalal Hosseini’s header on an Ashkan Dejagah corner flew over the crosspiece in the 42nd minute. In the 52nd minute, Dejagah delivered a cross towards the path of Reza Ghoochannejad but Argentine goalie Sergio Romero fisted it away to safety. Five minutes before the final whistle, Ghoochannejad went past Javier Mascherano and was on the receiving end of a forward pass from Jahan Baksh but Romero pulled out another superb save to his left.

When the match was heading towards a draw, the magic of Messi was responsible for the collapse of the Iranian forte as two-time champions Argentina booked a second-round slot before their final group game against Nigeria.

Messi most popular in Bangladesh  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

‘Fan Map’ where Bangladesh is ranked no. 1 for casting maximum votes into the global fan base of Messi while his worldwide fanbase currently stands at a whopping 58,800,000.

Despite failing to participate in the finals of the world’s greatest festival of football, Bangladesh have always expressed unbound enthusiasm for Fifa World Cup and Argentina has always been known as one of the most loved, adored and popular football teams in this country, and this latest Facebook initiative has just re-authenticated this popular notion.

Messi hits the field on Saturday as Argentina’s match against Iran is set for a 10 pm [Bangladesh time]. Being among the finest footballers, Messi proved his worth once again in Argentina’s first match of this World Cup against Bosnia Herzegovina with a spectacular goal which only bodes well for another victory for Argentina today.

For those interested in finding the

top World Cup sportsmen on Facebook and where their biggest fans are located, this new implementation will keep them well informed of the most popular football player in their region.

This new installment can be found through the search option on Facebook.

Facebook users just need to type ‘Trending World Cup’ which will then direct users to the World Cup fan page on Facebook.

Meanwhile, among the ten players Facebook has mapped, the football player with the highest number of fans on the Facebook Fan Map is Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo, who has a global fan base of approximately 86,300,000.

However, according to Facebook statistics, Bangladesh is ranked 82 among his fanbase around the world.

The Brazilian footballer Neymar da Silva Santos Júnior, commonly known as Neymar and who plays for World Cup 2014’s hosts Brazil, has 26,400,000 fans all over the world. Bangladesh is his 13 largest fan base. l

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Taher laid blame on the lawmen for the present law and order situation.

In the latest accusation against police, the lawmen allegedly killed Ismail Hossain Khokon, 38, in their custody, according to the victim’s family who also described the killing as preplanned.

The district police authority withdrew ASP Sheikh Shariful Islam, DB police Officer-in-Charge Abdul Wahid, court police Inspector Moslehuddin and Komolnagar police station Inspector Abdur Jabbar in the face of massive allegations.

Khokon’s wife Nahida Akther on June 15 filed a case with Laxmipur court against district Detective Branch of police Sub-Inspector Abul Bashar, Dasherhat Sub-Inspector Kamal, Assistant Sub-Inspector Sarwar, Sadar police Sub-Inspector Zillur Rahim and three brothers of khokon – Abul Kashem, Abul Hashem and Manik.

Now, police are allegedly giving her pressure to withdraw the case, while some threatening her to meet the same

fate as her husband.

Contacted, Zillur Rahman, sub-Inspector of Sadar police station, denied the allegation against him.

He rather termed Ismail a notorious criminal, describing that he was killed in a gunfight between rivalries.

Meanwhile, when locals and political leaders are counting on new Superintendent of Police to bring the law and order situation back to normal, an indiscriminate arrest of individuals is being made.

In a couple of weeks, at least 500 people have been detained while the ring leaders and the masterminds are slipping through the cracks.

In this regard, M Alauddin, Laxmipur district unit Awami League present, said: “It is good that police are taking action but we hope the lawmen will arrest the murder masterminds and ring leaders.”

Contacted, Shah Mizan Shafiur Rahman, incumbent SP of Laxmipur, told the Dhaka Tribune, “I do not know what happened earlier. Since we

launced our operation to rein in the crime in the district, all offenders regardless of their political identities will be brought to book.”

Asked about police negligence, he said he was oblivious of such complaints since he had taken office.

About the transfer of four police officials, he described it as a matter of routine.

The new SP also branded Ismail as a criminal who he said was killed in a gunfight with his rival criminal groups. l

Five girls  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

Tarikul Islam in Savar, said SubInspector Asaduzzaman of Savar police station. Savar police filed a rape case against the perpetrator.

Dr Bilkis Begum, duty doctor of the DMCH, told the Dhaka Tribune forensic tests of the victims would be done tomorrow. l

while the current demand will rise from 3,700 megawatts to 8,500MW, by 230%.

He says the present 2.60 lakh km distribution lines would be increased by 150% to 3.90 lakh km. Currently the number of sub-stations in the country is 477 and it would eventually be increased to 850, while the present capacity of 5,400MVA would stand at 10,400MVA in 2021.

“At present, the REB is running 11 consumer connection projects, estimated to end by 2018. Later we will construct 77,386km new distribution lines and build 426 new sub-stations.

Then we will be able to provide electricity to 25 lakh consumers,” said the REB chairman. l

Terror charges  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Round Rock of Texas and Michael Todd Wolfe was arrested at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston on Wednesday.

The duo had been planning to travel halfway around the world to engage in violent jihad.

Federal officials say both men have pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiring and attempting to provide material support to terrorists.

The Central Texas Joint Terrorism Task Force will not reveal if the alleged crimes these men committed are somehow connected, the KVUE report says.

Both of them may face up to 15 years in federal prison and a maximum $250,000 fine if they are convicted, according to the report.

The 23-year-old Rahatul was a college student at the University of Texas at Austin and lived with his family in a Round Rock golf course community.

The FBI says Rahatul was born in Bangladesh and became a US citizen in 2002. l

Death sentence upheld for Brotherhood men  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

both saying they were appalled by the rulings.

Since Mursi’s overthrow, which was followed by protests by his supporters, hundreds of Islamist protesters have been killed and thousands jailed in a crackdown by security forces. Five hundred army and police officers have also been killed.

Sisi, who won a presidential election last month, said in the run-up to the vote that the Brotherhood - Egypt’s oldest, most organised and successful political group - was finished and would not exist under his rule.

Amnesty International described the verdicts as “the latest example of the Egyptian judiciary’s bid to crush dissent”.

There was no immediate reaction on the ruling from the Brotherhood, whose members are either in jail or on the run.

Outside the Minya court compound, around 200 people, mostly relatives of defendants that were freed, gathered to celebrate the ruling. “Long live jus-

tice, long live Sisi,” they chanted.

Out of a total 683 defendants, around 100 are in detention and the rest were tried in absentia. Four were jailed for life while 496 were acquitted, according to judiciary sources. All verdicts can be appealed before a higher court.

“Those rulings are a continued farce,” prominent Egyptian human rights activist and lawyer Gamal Eid said on Saturday.

“And the state is still insisting that the judiciary is independent. I don’t know how we can believe that when we see rulings like that. It is against logic and common sense. It is a joke,” he said.

US Aid

The United States has said it would be unconscionable for Egypt to carry out mass death sentences against the Brotherhood and that Cairo’s actions would have consequences for resumption of suspended U.S. aid.

The U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is due to tour the Middle East

this week, is expected to pay a brief visit to Egypt on Sunday, according to local Egyptian media reports.

Egypt, the biggest Arab state, which controls the strategic Suez Canal, has been among the largest recipients of U.S. military and economic aid since its 1979 peace treaty with U.S. ally Israel.

Some of that support was put on hold after Mursi’s overthrow, the latest round in a decades-old struggle between Egyptian authorities and the Islamist movement.

The 70-year-old Badie was first jailed under President Gamal Abdel Nasser nearly 50 years ago, alongside the Brotherhood’s then leader and ideologue Sayyid Qutb who was executed in 1966.

Qutb’s revolutionary writings in jail are believed to have inspired generations of Islamist militants including Ayman al-Zawahri, the Egyptian doctor who succeeded Osama bin Laden as al Qaeda leader, although the Brotherhood itself has renounced violence decades ago.

The same court that sentenced

Badie on Saturday has already confirmed death sentences on 37 Brotherhood supporters in rulings that were part of a final judgment on 528 Muslim Brotherhood supporters who received initial death sentences.

In a separate case, a Cairo court referred Badie and 13 Brotherhood supporters on Thursday to the Mufti, a top religious authority, on charges of murder and firearms possession related to clashes during the protests last July.

Badie and other senior Brotherhood leaders including Mursi are standing trial in other cases.

Sisi held a brief meeting at Cairo airport late on Friday with Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah whose country, like Egypt, has branded the Brotherhood a terrorist organisation, viewing its Islamist doctrines as a threat to Saudi dynastic rule.

The Egyptian state had in November issued a law that banned protests without police permission. Many liberal and Islamist activists have been arrested in the past few months for protesting without a licence. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Formalin detection method ‘wrong,’ drive ‘unethical’

ATTACK ON SHAMIM

Case filed against unnamed criminals n Kailash Sarkar

Fruit traders on strike as they claim to be the target of corrupt officials n Abu Hayat Mahmud Mobile courts across the country including the capital have been frequently destroying fruits contaminated with formalin. However, a group of experts and professionals argue that the way of checking fruits does not conform to scientific standards, and that the method is wrong.

They say although the drives to prevent formalin-mixed fruits from reaching the consumer is praiseworthy, the “faulty” method is contributing to more wastage of food products and possibly subjecting many innocent vendors to fines and prison terms.

Chemists, biochemists and chemical engineers at a press conference yesterday termed the formalin-testing method with Formaldehyde Meter Z-300 “wrong.”

The event organised by Bangladesh Fresh Fruits Consumers’ Association (BFFCA), an awareness building organisation to ensure sound public health, at the National Press Club was chaired

by Dr Abdul Wadud.

Dhaka University’s biochemistry teacher Prof Ishtiaq Mahmud and Prof Nilufa Nahar of chemistry, and Buet’s chemical engineering department teacher Prof Dr Mohidus Samad Khan also spoke at the press conference.

Prof Ishtiaq said: “The ongoing drive against formalin is not based on scientific standards. The method is not acceptable because the device is not capable of reading properly the amount of formalin present in fruits.

“I am surprised with the government decision and also concerned over the panic among people over the presence of formalin in food.”

Prof Ishtiaq suggested that the government stop the frequent “unethical drives” and take initiative to find out the adulteration sources. He demanded tracing the persons responsible for mixing formalin, carbide and others toxic chemical in fruits and other food items, and bringing them to book.

Prof Nilufa said: “All traders do not use formalin in fruits, but the mobile courts have been destroying huge amounts of fruit based on the faulty results shown on Formaldehyde Meter Z-300. This tool is incompatible for the task and not acceptable.”

Answering a question, she said there was no specific machine in the market for testing formalin limits in fruits.

“Only sample test in laboratories is the only appropriate and acceptable process to assess the existence of formalin in food items,” she added.

On June 11, the DMP launched a drastic anti-formalin drive in the capital, armed with Formaldehyde Meter Z-300, and has so far seized and destroyed a huge amount of contaminated fruits after assessment.

However, the electronic device is meant for testing the concentration level of formaldehyde in the air.

According to agriculturalists and several research institutes in the country including the Institute of Food Science and Technology (IFST) and the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Council, the Formaldehyde Meter Z-300 is an instrument to measure concentration of chemicals or gases in the air, not in food items.

Even it is not used on food items in the US where it was manufactured.

The manufacturer, Environmental Sensors Company, defines the device as a hand-held instrument to measure formaldehyde concentration within a range of 0-30ppm (parts per million) and a resolution of 0.01ppm.

Prof Mohidus Samad said: “We do not want anybody to use formalin in food but we also do not want to see anyone subjected to punishment without getting confirmation. It is not untrue that the ongoing drive against formalin is not based on scientific standards.

“The government should stop the drive and take steps towards laboratory tests. The sources of contamination should be traced with the help of detectives.”

BFFCA Convener Abdul Wadud blamed corrupt bureaucrats and some multi-national juice companies for inspiring the drive for their financial benefits.

“The corrupt government servants have taken bribes from a company, which is marketing the Formaldehyde Meter Z-300 in our country. The original price of this device is only around Tk10,000, but the company is charging Tk1.2-1.5 lakh,” he said.

Wadud also urged the government to stop the controversial and unethical anti-formalin drive.

He also announced an eight-point demand to ensure availability of fresh foods and other daily necessities.

Meanwhile, the fruit traders both wholesalers and retailers across the country termed the drive as a means of harassment and demanded that it be stopped immediately.

The Dhaka Metropolitan Fruits Import-Export and the Merchants’ Multiple Cooperative Society yesterday kept the shutters of their shops down until 2pm in line with a protest programme announced earlier.

The retailers in the capital’s Badamtali market also formed a human chain on the same issue.

On Wednesday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Fruit Traders Association called an indefinite strike in the capital protesting the ongoing drive. Mango traders and growers in Chapainawabganj extended their support. The strike was called off yesterday. l

Joy: ICT sector to fetch $1 billion n Tribune Report The country is expected to fetch $1b export earnings from the ICT sector within next 5 years, prime minister’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy has said.

Joy, son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, has come up with the hope while speaking as the chief guest at a view exchange meeting at Bangladesh Computer Council auditorium in the capital on Saturday, reports BSS. “I have received foreign investor’s commitment to $100 million investment in the country’s ICT sector,” he said. Joy hoped that the export earnings from the ICT sector would cross the ready-made garments sector in the future. Referring to the Awami League government’s various initiatives for the greater interest of the people, he said the government has already introduced the third generation (3G) internet service and it would provide the fourth generation (4G) services soon.

“To materialise the government’s vision, all the government services would be digitised by 2021 and the service receivers would be able to finish their official works from their houses,” he said, adding that the government has also plans to bring all villages under internet service and set up more union information service centres (UISCs) for providing internet services to the people.

Joy said the ministry has taken initiatives to train up freelancers for developing skilled manpower in the sector.

“I will talk to Bangladesh Bank Governor about loan facilities for the freelancers, as Bank usually provides loans on mortgage,” he added.

Sajeeb Wazed Joy said the government has a plan to upgrade all union information service centres (UISCs) to video call centres within the next 5 years. l

3

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Picture depicts an anti Formaldehyde Meter Z-300 poster, held by a protester at the human chain formed by fruit traders in front of the National Press Club, yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

Khaleda’s north tour draws people out Al-Masum Molla n Mohammad from Bogra BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is now on her first tour to the country’s north since the January 5 national election, with observers saying there is a marked improvement in public support compared to the Teesta long march.

This tour is seen solely as serving political purposes and has drummed up considerable public support and enthusiasm in the northern districts.

The Teesta long march – the first major programme of the BNP after the national election – failed to draw the public out although it was staged to push the burning national issue of water sharing. BNP’s acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir lead that programme.

During that programme, this Dhaka Tribune reporter, who travelled along with the long march from Dhaka to Rangpur, saw very few archways, banners and festoons on the roadsides – things that usually characterise similar programmes of the party. However, the supporters in the northern districts are showing much more energy centring the visit of the party chief, says the reporter, who is travelling north once again with the BNP contingent.

Party standing committee member Mirza Abbas is accompanying Khaleda.

As is usual with such tours to the north, they are taking a stoppage in Bogra, the hometown of Khaleda’s husband and party founder Ziaur Rahman.

Khaleda is scheduled to speak at a rally in Joypurhat today. Other senior leaders of the party are supposed to join her. l

It took around 40 hours for the filing of a case, accusing three unidentified suspects for shooting at former Bangladesh Chhatra League President Enamul Haque Shamim, also an executive member of the ruling Awami League.

Nasir Uddin, uncle of Shamim, also a former vice-president of JUCSU, filed the case late Friday night with the Dhanmondi police station, said Abu Bakkar Siddique, officer-in-charge of the police station.

The AL executive member sustained bullet wounds in one of his hands when armed criminals launched a gun attack on his car in Dhanmondi area around 9:30am on Thursday immediately after he came out of his house. He is now undergoing treatment at Dhaka Combined Military Hospital.

Abu Bakkar said the plaintiff in the case statement had mentioned that BNP, Jamaat or political opponents of Shamim were among the suspects responsible for the attack.

“The number of the accused has not been specified in the case statement, although the plaintiff mentioned that one of the three criminals was riding a motorcycle opened fire on Shamim,” the OC said.

“The OC claimed that they continued the drive to hunt down the criminals involved with the gun attack. l

Palak launches his official application on Google Play n Muhammad Zahidul Islam State minister for ICT division under Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministry Zunaid Ahmed Palak yesterday launched his personal android app to “stay connected as always” on the Google Play Store.

In a status on his personal Facebook profile, posted on Saturday 2:12am, the junior minister claimed his app to be the first personal app in Bangladesh.

“Introducing a personal android app for the first time in Bangladesh and stay connected as always,” he said in another Facebook status just before launching his personal app.

However, local android developers and ICT experts have differed with his claim.

“There are many personal apps available in the market, such as on Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam even on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, so minister’s claim is not true,” said a leading app developer requesting anonymity.

He, however, said the app may be the first where an active politician in the country launched his own personal app.

The app contains Zunaid Ahmed Palak’s life sketch, his latest updates, political resume, achievements, social connections and feedback.

Among others, the app also contains his email address and his contact information.

The app also claims Pakak to be the state minister of ICT ministry, although

Bangladesh no longer has a separate ICT ministry as it was merged with the telecom ministry in February last year.

Developed by local software firm Ezze Technology, the app can be downloaded for free on any android device.

In the app description: the developers said: “Zunaid Ahmed Palak is a Bangladeshi lawyer and politician from the Bangladesh Awami League Party and a member of the Parliamentary Treasury Bench. He is the youngest Minister of Parliament in the National Assembly of Bangladesh from his ancestral area of Singra in Natore of Rajshahi. His victory in the National Elections of 2008 at the age of just 28 resulted in him referred to the as the Youngest Lawmaker of Bangladesh.”

Earlier, popular social networking site Facebook verified the official page of junior minister, making him one of the very few personalities or politicians

in Bangladesh to have a fan page verified by the Facebook authority.

Meanwhile, the junior minister received much criticism from his Facebook friends regarding the launch of his personal app.

Terming the app launch Palak’s focus on personal publicity instead of his ministry or party, many Facebook users also criticised the junior minister for not taking any initiative in cutting down internet prices.

When the Dhaka Tribune contacted Zunaid Ahmed Palak, he said: “I just wanted to create something new that is why I did it.”

But when asked over the funding for his innovative idea, the junior minister tried to avoid answering the question and asked this correspondent to call him later. Later, he was found unavailable on his personal phone for further queries. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Human traffickers active, thanks Seminar on 'Climate Change' held at DU to lack of monitoring n n Adil Sakhawat, from Teknaf

Cox’s Bazar human traffickers use many remote points of the district’s coastal areas to send passengers to Malaysia illegally on trawlers, and they often change the routes sensing a drive of law enforcement agencies, according to the Coast Guard, police and local inhabitants.

Investigations by the Dhaka Tribune have found that for safely ferrying the passengers, now the traffickers are using the coastal areas of Katabonia, Kochubonia, Hariakhali, Mundar Deil, Paschimpara of Shah Porir Dwip, Bahar Chhara of Teknaf; Mazir Ghat, Madarbonia, Reju Mohona of Sonar Para, Moricca Bazar Ghat of Ukhiya; Boro Chhara, Bahar Chara and different points of Marin Drive Road; Hoanok and Sonadia of Moheshkhali upazila.

Most of these spots are situated in

remote coastal areas where the law enforcers cannot reach immediately after getting information mainly because of a poor communication system.

Talking to the local of the areas, the Dhaka Tribune has found the names of many traffickers, then crosschecked those with the Teknaf police officials and finally found some names matched.

Police have got some names from the passengers rescued recently from a Malaysia-bound fishing trawler.

The persons directly involved in trafficking are Dolu Hossain Dolu of Shah Porir Dwip; Sharif Hossain of Naya Para of Teknaf; Aiyub Bangalee of Teknaf; Sabdan, Abdur Rahim Majhi, Amanullah, Amin, Faruq, Farid, Siddique, Moulovi Bashir, Leru and Hamid of Kochubonia; three brothers Alamgir, Jahangir, Shawkat of Katabonia; Hasan, Jafar, Mustaru, Bhutto of

Hariakhali; Hakim Majhi, Jamal Majhi, Hasan Ahmed, Mahmudul Hasan of Leda Rohingya Camp; and Nur Alam, Abdul Hafez, Mohammad Rafique, Kala Hasan of Godar Bill.

A lot of local people and Teknaf police sources alleged that many illegal Rohingya citizens, living in several areas of the upazila, are directly involved in human trafficking.

Kamrul Azam, second officer of Teknaf police station, said: “We have found some names of traffickers from others districts too and already informed the related police stations to arrest the criminals.”

So far, 126 cases related to human trafficking have been filed in Cox’s Bazar district accusing 708 people.

Of them, 241 have been arrested and others are on the run, according to the Cox’s Bazar superintendent of police office.

Ali Ahmad, former chairman of Teknaf upazila, said: “Officials in the administration and the law enforcement agencies have to act strictly in order to stop illegal human trafficking.

But unfortunately they are not taking any action against the culprits.”

Habibur Rahman, chairman of Sabrang union in Teknaf upazila, also blamed the law enforcers for assisting the traffickers.

Md Ruhul Amin, the deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazar, said: “The law enforcement agencies have been ordered to take human trafficking as a serious crime and prevent the traffickers.”

Also president of the district’s Anti-human Trafficking Taskforce, Ruhul said they were conducting awareness campaigns against human trafficking so that people could stand against the traffickers themselves. l

Du Correspondent

A daylong international seminar on “Managing the Impact of Climate Change in South Asia” was held at the Nawab Nabab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban in Dhaka University (DU) yesterday.

DU Vice Chancellor Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique inaugurated the seminar, jointly organised by the Bureau of Economic Research (BER) of DU and the Hanns Seidel Foundation of Germany.

Chaired by Professor Dr Barkat A Khoda, chairman of Bureau of Economic Research while Additional Secretary of Environment and Forest Ministry M A Hannan spoke on the occasion as the special guest.

Speakers at the program stressed the need for conducting collaborative research among Bangladeshi and international research institutions especially in the South Asian countries in order

RAB resumes patrol in Narayanganj n Ashif Islam Shaon

Two workers electrocuted n FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

After nearly two months into the gruesome seven abductions and murders in Narayanganj, the elite force started patrolling in the city yesterday.

Though patrolling was one of the regular tasks of Rapid Action Battalion, hardly any such activity had been seen in the city because of their image crisis over the past two months.

The RAB patrol resumed ahead of the Narayanganj 5 by-polls scheduled to be held on June 26.

“The Election Commission has instructed us to discharge special duty along with regular tasks before and during the poll time,” New RAB 11 Chief Anwar Latif Khan said yesterday.

On April 27, seven people including panel mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation Nazrul Islam and lawyer Chandan Sarker were abducted from Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road. Three days after their abductions, bodies of six of them were found floating in Shitalakkhya River.

Following the incident, finger of doubt was pointed at RAB 11. l Ethnic people perform their traditional dance on the occasion of the 159th anniversary of the Santal Revolution Day at Godagari in Rajshahi yesterday

Bapex discovers gas field in Narayanganj Sufia Kamal’s eldest daughter passes away n Tribune Report Amena Kahar, elder daughter of poet Sufia Kamal, died at her Agrabad residence in Chittagong city early yesterday. She was 88.

She was buried at the Garibullah Shah graveyard after Asr prayer yesterday. She left behind two sons and a daughter to mourn her death.

Amena retired as a director of Department of Women Affairs at the regional office in Chittagong.

Amena Kahar studied from Lady Brabourn College of Kolkata. After completing her studies, she joined as “English Announcer” at Radio Pakistan before the Liberation War. She was also a teacher of Viqarunnesa Girls School in Dhaka. l

to face the adverse effects of climate change around the world.

Professor Arefin said many of the South Asian countries are now in the face of severe threats due to adverse effects of climate change.

“If these countries continue their joint research and cooperative outlook to find out the ways in which to face the crisis, they will be far benefited,” he added.

BER Director Professor Dr Shafiquzzaman said his institution would continue their support to conduct research on the environment change.

“Bangladesh has limited resources to avert the adverse effects of climate change, so experts should increase their eyes on the development of country's resources,” he said.

MA Hannan said the government has generated funds to conduct research collaboratively with the others countries. l

n

Aminur Rahman Rasel

A new gas field was discovered at Rupganj in Narayanganj yesterday, said MA Baki, managing director of state-run Petrobangla’s exploration wing Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company Ltd (Bapex).

This is the 26th gas field discoveredso far in the country, he told the Dhaka Tribune. Baki said the new gas field may have a reserve of 50 billion cubic feet (bcf) of gas.

The gas field could supply 10-15 million cubic feet (mmcf) of gas per day to the national grid. According to the calculation, the field would be able to supply gas for around 17 years.

The new gas field is located in the Purbachal Residential Model City.

Baki said gas was found at a depth of 3,326 metres. “Gas has been found in two zones (lower and upper) of the field. The lower zone where gas was found between 3,591 and 3,593 metres; but exploring gas from the zone will not be commercially

viable while gas was also detected 3,326 metres in the upper zone.”

“We are now able to explore gas in 2,100 PSIG [pressure per square inch gas] in the upper zone. Exploring gas from the zone will be commercially viable,” he said. It would need to construct 5-6km long gas transmission line to feed it to the national grid.

“We hope that we would be able to supply gas to the national grid within four months.”

Baki said there were also plans to dig several development wells at the field.

It is the third discovery of gas during the previous and current tenure of Awami League-led government.

The cost of digging the experimental well under the Rupganj Oil/Gas Exploration Well Digging Project was estimated at Tk97 crore.

Bapex is currently producing and supplying 115 million cubic feet gas to the national grid every day from its six gas fields in Saldanadi, Fenchuganj, Shahbazpur, Semutung, Sundalpur and Srikail. l

Hasan Azizul Huq (left), Kazi Shahid Ahmed (centre) and Afsana Begum (right) pose for a photograph while attending the Gemcon Literary Award 2014 at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the capital yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

AZAHAR UDDIN

Two workers were killed after being electrocuted in separate incidents in the port city’s Sadaghat and Akbar Shah area yesterday.

The deceased are Tapos Chawakrobarty, 28, a electrician, son of Dilip Chawakrobarty, resident of Boalkhali upazila and Md Sakil, 19, a mechanic, son of Sohrab Chowkidar of Shariatpur district.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Pankaj Barua of Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) police outpost said Tapos Chakrabarti, 28, an electrician, was electrocuted while he was fixing an electric wire at Al-Arafa Islami Bank, Sadarghat Branch around 1pm.

He was taken to the CMCH, where the on duty doctors pronounced him dead, the ASI said.

On the other hand, Md Shakil, 19, a mechanic, came in contact with a live wire while he was working at a workshop at Akbar Shah area around 2pm, said ASI Pankaj.

He was also taken to the CMCH, where on duty physicians pronounced him dead. l

BNP: President betrays nation n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla BNP said yesterday the president had betrayed the people of the country.

The party came up with such a remark a day after President Abdul Hamid told United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that people had accepted the January 5 election and so dialogue would take place after the expiry of the tenure of the incumbent Awami League government.

“President’s remark on dialogue and election have frustrated people [because] people want a credible election immediately,” Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the party, told his party leaders at a training programme held at a hotel in the capital.

He also said: “...there is no room for frustration. Tough movement would be waged to oust the government.”

Fakhrul claimed that the president had lost the confidence of the people through the remark that people had accepted the election and so dialogue would be held after the tenure of this government expired.

He however hoped that the president would work for the country and its people rising above partisanship to restore the confidence.

Later, the party spokesperson at the National Press Club said Awami League leaders had told Ban that the January five election would be held for only keeping the continuity of the Constitution. “Now [listening to the president's remark], it seems that the president’s

Hasan Azizul Huq, Afsana Begum bag Gemcon Literary Award 2014 n Afrose Jahan Chaity

Hasan Azizul Huq won this year’s Gemcon Literary Award 2014 and Afsana Begum was awarded the Gemcon Tarun Katha-Sahitya Puroshkar 2014. The award giving ceremony was held at the Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the capital yesterday.

Hasan Azizul Huq received the award for his novel “Sabitree Upakhyan,” and Afsana Begum for her book “Doshti Protibimwer Pashe”.Hasan Azizul Huq received a crest, Tk3 lakh and an honorary certificate while Afsana Begum was awarded with Tk75000, a crest and an honorary certificate.

Among others, Gemcon Group Chairman Kazi Shahid Ahmed, litterateur Syed Shamsul Haque, Dr Rafiqul Islam, Indian writer Mihir Sengupta, Bangla Academy Director General Shamsuzzaman Khan, poet Kamal Chowdhury and many other literary personalities were present at the function.

Hasan Azizul Huq’s award winning novel “Sabitree Upakhyan” depicts the story of a rape victim who had been raped again and again. The protagonist of the novel Sabitree faces the brutal nature of humanity.

Afsana Begum’s “Doshti Protibimwer Pashe” represents ten practical stories of common people and their emotional outbursts. In his opening speech, Gemcon Group Director Kazi Anis Ahmed said the group has been giving away the literary awards to inspire young writers since 2000.

The award giving ceremony started with a musical performance, performed by popular musicians, Avi Chowdhury and Jhumur Ahmed. l

statement is a version of the Awami League leaders.”

Referring to the government, Fakhrul said: “You (government) are taking taste of power, sending money to Swiss Banks, buying houses in Canada and Malaysia. None wants to leave office easily and so get ready to be ousted from office through people’s upsurge.”

Regarding the writ petitions of the MPs elected uncontested, he said, “There should not be any nexus between the (court) verdict and politics.

Political issues should be settled politically. If everything happens as per court order, then Sheikh Hasina could not be the prime minister because the court had termed her wrongheaded. It is not possible to legitimise the January 5 election.” l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

City life troubled by water logging One dies and three injured in wall collapse

Risky hillside dwellers being evicted n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Hayat and Tarek Mahmud, n Tushar Chittagong People suffered immensely yesterday as the low-lying areas of Chittagong city went under knee-deep water due to the continuous heavy rainfall, which started as a shower in the early hours of Friday.

A construction worker died and three others sustained injuries falling under the collapsed boundary wall of an under-construction building at Hillview Residential Area under Panchlaish Police Station in the city at around 3:30am.

All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay were advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice Fire brigade officials said the newly-built boundary wall of the under-construction building collapsed as the uncovered boundary wall had absorbed the excessive rain water in the last two days.

Panchlaish police station Officer-in-Charge Abu Jafor Mohammad Omar Faruk said Aslam, 30, and Md Mamun, 18, Shefajul, 20, and Mohammad Khokon, 22, were sleeping in a makeshift house close to the boundary wall at about 3am, when it collapsed.

On information, fire brigade personnel rushed to the spot, rescued the injured four workers and sent them to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), said Jashim Uddin, deputy assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters in Chittagong.

Assistant Sub-Inspector Pankaj Barua of CMCH Police Camp said the on-duty doctors at CMCH declared Aslam dead when he was taken to hospital while the remaining three were undergoing treatment at the hospital.

The shower that started in the early hours of Friday, later turned into a heavy rainfall and continued to fall well into midday yesterday, said Chittagong Divisional Met Office sources.

The met office recorded 336.4 millimetres of rainfall in last 24 hours till 3:00pm yesterday while it was 314.2 millimetres in previous 24 hours, said Mirza Nilufar Jahan, meteorologist of Meteorological Office in Chittagong city’s Patenga area.

5

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Low-lying areas of Chittagong city went under knee to weight deep water due to heavy downpour for the past two days. The photo was taken from PC Pole area of Halishahar yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE She said the rainfall might continue for a few more days under the influence of a low pressure formed in the Bay of Bengal.

Among the low-lying areas in the city that went under water are Bakalia, Nasirabad, Patenga, Dewanbazar, Chawkbazar, Agrabad, Halishahar, Kapasgola, Chandgaon, Shulakbahar, Enayet Bazar, Boropol, Muradpur, Sholoshahar, Bahaddarhat and Probartak intersection.

Motorised vehicles were hardly seen in the areas while rickshaws and vans were seen plying on the city roads.

Commuters, greatly outnumbering the rickshaws, had to suffer quite a lot through filthy water from overflowing roadside drains. Offices and different educational institutions-bound people however faced water logging problem mostly.

Omar Faruk, a businessman and resident of the city’s Agrabad area, told Dhaka Tribune that he could not use his private car due to water logging on the road and reluctantly, he had to pay

an excessive rickshaw fare.

He blamed the poor sewerage and drainage system of the city for the water logging.

Bonny Mutsuddy, a resident of the city’s CDA Residential Area, said she could not go to her university as filthy drain water had flooded roads because of the nonstop rainfall.

Abdur Rahim, public relation officer of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC), said some areas had gone under water but the city corporation authorities were working to solve it.

CCC Mayor M Manjur Alam could not be reached on the phone to talk over the matter. It may be mentioned here that the present mayor gave words to port city dwellers to remove water logging problem during CCC election campaign four years ago.

Ship movements at Chittagong Sea Port channel remained halted during the morning shift due to excessive rainfall yesterday.

Mohibul Haq, director (admin) of

Chittagong Port Authority, told Dhaka Tribune that four vessels which were scheduled to leave the port jetties remained stuck in the morning while two other vessels could also not reach jetties from the outer anchorage.

“The ship movements at the port channel have been suspended temporarily from 7:00am till the noon due to torrential rain,” he said.

The loading and uploading of the goods at the port jetties and outer anchorage had also remained suspended during the period because of heavy rainfall, he added.

A special weather bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department yesterday said deep convection was continuing over the North Bay and adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh due to strong monsoon over the North Bay. Under its influence, stormy weather might continue over the North Bay, adjoining coastal area of Bangladesh and the maritime ports.

Maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox’s

Bazar, Mongla and Payra were advised to keep the local cautionary signal number three hoisted. All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay were advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution till further notice.

Under the influence of strong monsoon over the North Bay, the low-lying areas of the coastal districts of Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Noakhali, Lakshmipur, Feni, Chandpur, Barguna, Bhola, Patuakhali, Barisal, Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Bagherhat, Khulna, Satkhira and their offshore islands and chars are likely to be inundated by 1-2 feet height above normal astronomical tide.

As there was the possibility of a mudslide in the port city due to heavy rainfall, the district administration had started a campaign over loud speaker asking the hill-side dwellers to go to a safe place like nearby school building and cyclone centre, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Abdul Quader of Chittagong district administration. l

The district administration and Chittagong Metropolitan Police jointly conducted drives to evict hillside dwellers from risky hills in Chittagong city for the second consecutive day yesterday.

Due to continuous heavy rain since Friday, the authorities started the eviction drive as there is a possibility of mudslides and casualties, said district administration and police sources.

Earlier on June 17, Chittagong district administration decided to conduct eviction drives of the risky hills of Chittagong before Ramadan. The eviction started a bit earlier because of recent heavy downpour.

Additional Deputy Commissioner (revenue) SM Abdul Quader, member secretary of Hill Management Committee in Chittagong district, told the Dhaka Tribune that as there was a possibility of mudslides in the city due to heavy rainfall, the campaign was started asking the hill-side dwellers to take shelter in nearby school buildings and cyclone centres.

Dipak Jyoti Khisha, assistant commissioner of Panchlaish circle of the CMP, said they started the eviction in Motijharna, Batali Hill and adjoining hilly areas around 8:30am. Around hundred policemen and fire brigade personnel took part in the drive and the additional deputy commissioner led the drive.

Besides, eviction programmes was also conducted in Bayezid and Akbar Shah areas, said Mohammad Shahidullah, additional deputy commissioner of CMP (North Zone).

He said the eviction would continue till every hill-side dwellers was evacuated to a safe place.

Earlier, district administration evicted around 200 families from the city’s Motijharna area, a risky hill slope, and sent them to nearby school buildings.

Mezbah Uddin, Chittagong deputy commissioner, said executive magistrate and law enforcing agencies were jointly conducting the campaign.

Most of evicted families went back to their risky residences at night, but the authorities forced them to stay at school building to avoid any kind of casualty, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Abdul Quader.

The Hill Management Committee of Chittagong district administration had already identified 30 risky hills, while 666 families are detected as most vulnerable in 11 hills out of the 30 risky hills. l

MoU signed between CU and BSMRMU n CU Correspondent A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Chittagong University and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujubur Rahman Maritime University (BSMRMU) yesterday, said an official

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

SUNDAY, JUNE 22 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:49PM SUN RISES 5:12AM FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

31°

28°

Chittagong

29°

26°

Rajshahi

32°

27°

Rangpur

30°

26°

Khulna

32°

27°

Barisal

30°

27°

Sylhet

28°

25°

Cox’s Bazar

30°

26°

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

24.4ºC Rangamati

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

MoU, CU would co-operate the BSMRMU to enhance its education levels and exchange development ideas.

Besides, the two universities would jointly arrange seminars, symposiums, conferences and workshops, said the press statement. l

Check graft in power sector

WEATHER

31.4ºC Syedpur

press release.

Professor Anwarul Azim Arif, CU vice-chancellor, signed the MoU on behalf of CU authority, while BSMRMU VC Admiral ASM Abdul Baten signed on behalf of his institution.

The press statement said under the

3:44am 5:11am 12:00am 4:41pm 6:49pm 8:17pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

n UNB State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid yesterday urged the officials of the Rural Electrification Board (REB) to check corruption in power sector.

“If we fail to check corruption and irregularities, all the achievements in power sector will be jeopardized,” he told a meeting with the REB officials at the organisation’s headquarter at Nikunja of Khilkhet in the city.

He said allegations of irregularities and corruption were tarnishing the image of the REB. The corruption might not come at the zero level, but it must be ensured it is coming down to a tolerable level.

“The success of a political government depends on performance of the field level officials,” he told the meeting.

REB Chairman Brig Gen Moin Uddin and other officials of the organisation were also present at the meeting. l

A goods-laden truck lies abandoned on the middle of the capital's Mirpur Road yesterday after colliding head-on with a bus on Friday nighy hampering vehicular movement RAJIB DHAR

CITY TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORT SYSTEM

Study: Lack of long-term solution creates fresh problems n Abid Azad Dhaka keeps facing new traffic and transport problems because of a lack of long-term solution to existing problems, according to a study.

The study done by Buet Professor Dr Md Shamsul Hoque pointed out that the problems could not be solved for a long term without coordination among all stakeholders in the traffic and transport system.

Outcomes of the study were presented at a seminar, organized by the Association of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology Alumni (ABUETA), at the BUET seminar hall yesterday.

“The government usually does not supervise Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects as well as the foreign

projects and that is how those projects are finished. As a result, bodies such as Rajuk, BRTA, Dhaka City Corporation and LGRD work with individual plans and have no idea if a project will conflict with another,” said Shamsul.

“We sometimes find solutions to big problems but because of a lack of a unitary authority and coordination between different departments, those become unfeasible as long-term solutions,” he added.

Professor Shamsul said Mohakhali Flyover was an obstacle to implementing some other mega projects in the area, adding that such a situation could have been avoided if the government had properly followed strategic transport plan (STP) for Dhaka.

“Water buses were introduced for

people traveling from Aminbazar to Sadarghat but while doing so, the authorities concerned did not think how commuters will reach Motijheel from Sadarghat within the shortest possible time,” he said.

Shamsul said: “There are similar problems with rails. A train cannot run fast because of the large number of level crossings it has to pass which also causes traffic congestion. But if we built an elevated railway, trains could have moved faster without hindering traffic on the road.

“This way, many projects are taken up or implemented for development but most of those are conflicting with each other, bringing no solution to traffic woes in Dhaka.”

“Rather than focusing on the num-

ber of vehicles running on a road, we need to think how many passengers could be provided with transport service within the least possible time, said the Buet professor.

According to a 2010 JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) study, 19.8% city dwellers walk to their destinations, 38.3% travel by rickshaw, 28.3% by public bus, 0.0% by railway, 5.1% by car and 0.1% take waterway.

Director General of Bangladesh Railway Engineer Toffazal Hossain admitted the problems of too many level crossings, saying: “There are at least 25 crossings in the 16-kilometre rail route from Dhaka to Narayanganj. If the number can be reduced, trains would run faster and we can also increase the number of trains.”

Addressing the seminar, Communi-

cation Minister Obaidul Quader said: “Everyone is complaining about traffic and transport problems but there are some factors. Besides, there are lots of bureaucratic problems in the country which force us to work tactfully.”

“A magical transformation is not possible but we are trying our best,” the minister said.

Traffic control official of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Md Shah Abid Hossain said: “Illegal parking, frequent level crossings, motorised and non-motorised vehicles running on the same road, unplanned development of residential and commercial areas, lack of traffic infrastructure, and erection of shopping centres, houses and schools beside main roads are responsible for traffic and transport problems in the city.” l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Pig rearing, a profitable business n Our Correspondent, Thakurgaon Pig rearing has turned out to be a profitable business for a section of people belonging to the Baishaya caste in the country’s northern region.

According to sources, a section of the people of the caste rear pigs for commercial purposes.

Besides, the indigenous people of the region also rear pigs for domestic use. In the region indegenous people of Santal and Urao communities rear pigs for domestic purposes.

Cornel Tirky, Joakim Akka ,Ruby Tigga, Anna Ekka at Khochabari area Suru Soren in Thakurgaon College Para Adibasi Polly rear pigs for domestic use and commercial purposes.

Fani Roy of Mahishkhocah village under Aditmari upazila of Lalmanirhat district for grazing a herd of pigs came to Dakshin Batina village under Thakurgaon sadar upazila a few days ago.

In the herd there were 151 pigs and 67 adult swine. The total value of the herd is about Tk10 lakhs. The female swine gives birth twice a year, 10 to 12 pigs each time. In this way the number of pigs increases in the herd.

This correspondent met Fani Roy in Gourypur village a few days ago. Fani Roy told this correspondent that he along with other 5 people set out for different destinations from Mahishkhocha village before 8 months for grazing the herd of pigs.

Day after day, week after week and month after month they had been grazing the pigs in different villages of Rongpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Panchagarh and Thakurgaon districts in last 7 months.

Fani and his colleagues are not the owners of the pigs. They are the employees of the owner Atul Chandra Roy, a man of Baishya cast of Mahishkhocha village of Lalmonirhat district.

Hanging body of a housewife recovered n Our Correspondent, Gazipur Police has recovered the hanging body of a housewife in West Chandona area of Gazipur in early hours of Friday.

Sub-Inspector Ikramul Haque of Bhogra highway police outpost under Joydebpur police station said family members of Orpa Akter Kakoli, 21, found her body hanging from the ceiling fan of her bedroom around 11pm.

Later, police recovered the body around 1am and sent it to Gazipur Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

Locals said Kakoli’s husband Abul Hossain Tipu recently returned to Bangladesh, and alleged that his family members had been torturing Kakoli mentally. They suspected that Kakoli might have killed herself for not being able to tolerate the torture.

Police said the course of the case might change following the autopsy report. l

n Our Correspondent, Khagrachari Scientists have innovated a new technology that will help cultivate underutilised land all year round in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) by reserving rainwater with building dams between the hills at a very low cost.

The benefits of this innovation by the scientists of Hilly Agricultural Research Centre was disclosed at a workshop held at the Ethnic Minorities Cultural Institute in Khagrachari yesterday.

Naba Bikram Kisore Tripura, secretary for the Ministry of CHT Affairs and chairman of CHT Development Board, attended the workshop as the chief guest while among others, Mike Rebson, representative of International Rice Research institute to Bangladesh, and Abu Hamid Mia, director general of Agricultural Extension Department, were present as the special guests.

The workshop informed its partici-

A section of people belonging to the Baishaya caste in the country’s northern region rear pigs as the business is profitable. The picture has been taken from Dakhin Bhatina village under Thakurgaon Sadar upazila DHAKA TRIBUNE In total, Atul Chandra has 550 pigs and adult swine. Fani said that for the purpose of grazing they had to pass nights under open sky in the villages.

The owner provides them with tents, clothing, utensils and other essentials. Fani and other herdsmen each get salary of Tk6,000 a month. Besides, the cost of daily meals is borne by the owner. The owner sends the cost of meals through B-kash. When they will go home they do not know. Sometimes

Jamaat calls hartal n Our Correspondent, Sylhet Jamaat-e-Islami unit in Sylhet has called a half-day hartal in the district for Monday protesting the arrest of its acting secretary general. Hafiz Miftah Uddin, publicity secretary of metropolitan Jamaat unit, confirmed the Dhaka Tribune about the shutdown programme.

He said the hartal would be observed from 6am to 12pm on Monday. l

the owner transfers the herdsmen from one herd to another.

The pigs eat roots and taro stolon of arum, water lilies (shapla, shaluk), mach alu (a kind of wild potato) and other wild vegetation.

In the process of grazing, the pigs grow old. Sale of pigs is being held directly from the herd. The buyers come from Dhaka to the owner who sends them directly to the herds. The buyers at a time purchase truck-load of pigs.

Two killed, two hurt falling off bus roof n Our Correspondent, Naogaon Two indigenous men died after falling from the roof of a bus at Chakmayaram of Dhamirhat upazila in the district on Friday night.

The two were Shailen Mumu, 20, son of Ramlal Mumu of Bahadurpur village, and Sanjit Hemram, 18, son Golap Hemram of the same village.

The incident, which happened around 11:30pm, also left Ruplal Hemram, 30, and Uzzal, 28, injured.

Officer-in-charge (investigation) of Dhamirhat police station Nazmul

Haque said the four fell off the roof of the bus after ramming into a branch of a tree as the vehicle was letting an ambulance pass by.

The bus was carrying people who was returning from Gobindaganj after attending a wedding, he said.

Nazmul said that Shailen had been killed on the spot while the other three were admitted to Dhamirhat Upazila Health Complex in critical condition.

Sanjit died yesterday morning while being treated at the hospital, he added. l

One female pig is sold at Tk2,500 to 3,000 whereas a big male pig is sold at Tk15,000 to 16,000.

A male pig gives pork of about 2 to 2.25 maunds (40 kg a maund). In Dhaka there is a market in the Christian community where the Christians and the Indigenous people purchase pork at Tk350 to 400 per kg. Pork also is also sold in the villages among the indigenous people community. In the villages it is sold at Tk200 to 250 per kg. l

pants that the current picture of the agricultural activities of the district can be altered by building dams between the hills at a cost of Tk4 lakh only. Around 4,000 hectors of land remain underutilised every year due to the lack of water while half of the land can be made arable using this new technology.

It is also possible to utilise the reserved water to bring the adjacent plain and hilly gardens of mixed fruits under irrigation.

Not only that, It makes husbandry of domestic animals like ducks, geese etc and cultivation of fisheries much easier than it used to be earlier.

The entire project would eventually pave the way for the self-employment for many local farmers.

It was also learnt from the workshop that the dam-building technology would not only accelerate the agricultural activities in the CHT but also help ease the crisis of drinking water simultaneously. l

Man found dead n Our Correspondent, Narsingdi

Police yesterday morning recovered the decomposed body of a man from Shekherdhar marsh of Shibpur upazila in the district.

The deceased was identified as Masud Mia, 28, son of Raju Mia of Dargahbanda village in the upazila.

Police and locals said Masud went out of his house on June 12 and had been missing since then. His family

also filed a general diary with Shibpur Model police station after he had gone missing.

His relatives identified the body after police had recovered it from the marsh.

Officer-in-charge Shibpur Model police station Khandakar Mizanur Rahman said Masud’s relatives identified the body by examining the clothes.

The body was sent to the sadar hospital for autopsy, he added. l

Flood feared in Feni n Our Correspondent, Feni

Around 15 villages are feared to be flooded as a part of the Muhuri river flood dyke has got breached at the Uttar Sripur village point of Fulgazi upazila in Feni.

Among the villages are Uttar Sripur, Goshaipur, Shaldhar, Nilakkhi, Bijoypur, Darbarpur of the upazila.

Locals said there had been a strong

flow of water in the frontier river for a few days due to heavy rains and onrush of water from Indian hills, leading to the dyke’s 30-feet breach.

They said two villages, including Uttar Sripur, had already been affected by the dyke breach as home yards and roads went under knee-deep water.

People there were moving to and fro, wading through water.

The locals feared that the breach might get bigger if it was not repaired immediately, causing a major flood in the upazila, but authorities were yet to come up with any initiative to repair it.

Feni Water Development Board Executive Engineer Ramzan Ali said they had written to the higher authorities of the breach and hoped it would be repaired very soon. l

One beaten to death, two hurt

4 Indians held with n Our Correspondent, Gazipur An alleged robber was beaten to death 57 gold bars while two people were injured in a clash between robbers and villagers at n Our Correspondent, Jessore Dumni village of Sreepur upazila in the The customs at Petrapole on the Indian side, opposite to Benapole land port, have arrested four Indians with 57 gold bars.

The arrest and recovery were made on Friday, however the information reached Benapole at a later time, said Benapole land port sources.

Nuruzzaman, revenue officer, Benapole customs check post has confirmed about the arrest of four Indian nationals and recovery of 57 pieces of gold bars.

Jahangir Hossain, officer in-charge of Benapole immigration police told the Dhaka Tribune that four Indians were held by the Petrapole customs on the other side of Benapole and a total of 57 pieces of gold bars weighing 5.7 kilograms were seized, from their possessions during checking by the customs official.

“They entered into India from Bangladesh through Benapole land port holding Indian passports”, he added. l

Scientists innovate dambuilding technology between hills

district early yesterday.

The victim was Sohel Rana, 35, a resident of Jaina Bazar in the upazila. The name of his father, however, could not be identified.

On the other hand, the two villagers were Sudhan Chandra, 42, and Manik Chandra, 35. They were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Villagers said armed with local weapons, machetes and rods, 10 robbers attacked the house of Arun Das, an expatriate in Singapore, around

2am. They looted gold jewellery and some essential goods from a room.

Meanwhile, people in the adjacent room called the neighbours and informed them of the robbery. The neighbours surrounded Arun’s house and attempted to intercept the robbers, leading to a clash.

Sudhan and Manik were injured when the robbers attacked them indiscriminately with machetes.

Sub-inspector of Sreepur police station Saiful Islam said one alleged robber died on the spot when villagers beat him up but his accomplices managed to flee. The body was sent to Gazipur Sadar Hospital for autopsy, he added. l

Dhaka-Northern region rail link resumed n Our Correspondent, Tangail Rail communications resumed after the repair work of a pothole had been completed, said divisional railway manager.

Md Afzal Hossain, additional chief engineer (Track), West Zone of Bangladesh Railway said: “Rail communications between Dhaka and the northern part of the country have resumed after a five hour suspension following a crack under the rail track due to the incessant rain.”

He said: “A seven feet pothole has developed under the rail track in Analiabari area due to heavy rainfall for the last two days.”

“The rail track subsided at 11am and the railway authority decided to keep the railway communication suspended,” Pankaj Kumar Saha, divisional railway manager said.

The repairing work of the hole has been completed and the rail communications has resumed, Pankaj said.

Dhaka-bound Silk City service from Rajshahi got stuck at Ibrahimabad station, the east side of Bangabandhu Bridge, Nilsagar Express, Rangpur Express at Tangail Station, Sundarban Express at Mohera Stattion of Mirzapur and Ekata Express at Mouchak of Gazipur, Divisional Transportation Officer Md Shafiqur Rahman said. l

Comilla Stadium Market and its adjacent area in the district has gone under water after a day long downpour yesterday

Khaleda arrives in Bogra n Our Correspondent, Bogra

BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia arrived in Bogra yesterday night as part of her two-day visit to the northern region.

She will address a rally in Joypurhat today to press home her party’s demands including the re-introduction of a care-taker government and putting an end to abductions and murders.

Meer Shahe Alam, organisational secretary of BNP’s Bogra district unit, told the Dhaka Tribune that she arrived in Bogra around 10pm yesterday and she would stay at the Bogra Circuit House during her visit.

She would start her journey to Joypurhat after lunch today and is expected to deliver important directives for the forthcoming movement against the incumbent administration at a public gathering due to be held at 3pm at the Ramdeo Bajra High School in Joypurhat, Shahe Alam said.

Although Begum Zia has no scheduled program in Bogra, but the party men and supporters would welcome her today on her way to Joypurhat from Satmatha to Mokamtala of Bogra, added the BNP leader. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Mango traders calls off today’s shut-down till June 26 Correspondent, n Our Chapainawabganj Mango traders in Chapainawabganj yesterday called off today’s shutdown till Thursday as part of their ongoing protest against the alleged extortion, harassment, and destruction of the

Extortion, harassment, and destruction of mangoes on the way to Dhaka fruits by the law enforcement agencies in the name of formalin testing.

President of Chapainawabganj Chamber of Commerce and Industries and Director of FBCCI Abdul Wahed yesterday announced the decision of the traders to halt their protest programs till June 26 after a meeting with

the district administration on Friday night, said local sources.

Seven professional bodies including Chapainawabganj Chamber called off the shut-down after the administration decided to issue “Formalin-free Certificate” after testing the mangoes properly.

Deputy Commissioner Sardar Sarafat Ali said the administration remains vigilant so that mango farmers and traders do not incur loss due to false checking of formalin.

Earlier, Chapainawabganj Chamber along with seven other fellow trade bodies called on today’s shut-down to protest the alleged destruction of fruits by law enforcement agencies worth crores of taka accusing the traders of mixing formalin with mangoes.

Although the leaders of the trade bodies said that the anti-formalin drive launched by the local administration failed to trace the presence of formalin so far in mangoes despite running the drive for 21 days at a stretch. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Career

7

Sunday, June 22, 2014

The long and short of HR consulting Understanding the approach undertaken by great teams n Naiian Yazdani and Nakibul Haq

As Bangladesh strives to become a middle income nation, the demand for standardised HR consulting services will grow as corporations get up to speed with global HR practices to make themselves world class in all aspects

A

s Brazil and Argentina capture the hearts of the nation, as it does every four years, the debates about Messi and Neymar will follow suit. The truth is, the victor of the world cup will rely not solely on one person; rather, it will be the team which ensures that they are greater than the sum of their parts. This is essentially what a modern corporation looks like, each person providing their talents in an environment which pursues success, and HR consultancies are the ones to help shape the team and all within it.

More than ever before, today’s global organisations are driven by not only profit margins and revenue generation but also by sustainability and development. To compete on a global scale Bangladeshi corporations need to become introspective, focusing on employee engagement to ensure that employees are of a high standard as much as the products and services they provide.

This internal focus is an aspect that flows through multinational corporations which have implemented proven global practices. The approach focuses on creating a sense of belonging and pride, and therefore an obligation to perform to the best of one’s ability for the company. The brand loyalty and success of such an approach is reflected in the fact that these companies have always topped the list of best companies to work for in Bangladesh.

The way these companies enact such an approach is to instil the idea that everyone can make a direct contribution to the company. Entrusting employees and creating a collegiate atmosphere which is conducive to idea sharing and by extension is creating higher quality output. One example is sharing and acknowledging achievements of one team member with the rest of the group. Simple recognition and positive reinforcement helps sustain a sense of belonging and creates a positive atmosphere.

While these new customs are slowly encroaching on domestic corporations, the real change needs to come at an executive level. The sentiment exuded by those in charge is one resistant to change and one which appears to be based on a narrow prescribed method-

BIGSTOCK

ology. It remains the case that a bottom-up approach for building employee loyalty has yet to become pervasive across all spheres of the corporate ladder. The ingrained processes are remnants of a historical context in which human capital is often side-lined in the search for relentless profits. There is no mutuality in relationship; rather it remains oriented toward indebtedness to those in positions of authority.

This may have appeared successful in a previous era; however, the reality is that the labour force was not utilised as it may have. While meta-analysis and extensive research is yet to be available on these aspects of organisational practices, it is quite apparent that organisations need to develop their human resource in order to function at their maximum potential.

In this brave new world, one in which knowledge is streamed directly from the tips of most intelligent to our computer screen; it is now clear that employee satisfaction and profitability are intertwined.

The increasing focus on employees

The sentiment exuded by those in charge is one resistant to change and one which appears to be based on a narrow prescribed methodology has facilitated the growth of Human Resource (HR) consultancies specialising in creating modern workplaces.

At Grow n Excel, HR consultancy firm based in Dhaka, consultants specialise in optimising solutions for corporations through services such as recruitment and selection, implementing HR practices in organisations, organisational restructuring and various other HR administrative and functional activities.

Mr Zulfiquar Hussain, currently the CEO and Lead Consultant at Grow n Excel, believes in unleashing the potential of domestic human capital. Having

worked as the Human Resources Director in Nestle Bangladesh Limited and Citycell, he founded the company in mid-2008. Grow n Excel represents one out of several HR consultancy firms offering their broad services in the corporate sector. As Bangladesh strives to become a middle income nation, the demand for standardised HR consulting services will grow as corporations get up to speed with global HR practices to make themselves world class in all aspects of an organisation.

The primary focus for consultancies such as Grow n Excel is to diagnose and solve the many human resource issues organisations face every day. This requires a deep understanding of both the organisation's internal structure, its outlook and culture. The key is to understand the strength of the bond between perception, reality and the long term visions of the company’s top level management.

Once a clear picture of the people in the business is taken, Grow n Excel works closely with corporate management. They will make recommenda-

tions about reporting lines, internal programmes and initiatives which can be undertaken.

The aspiration is to create a sustainable, fully compliant organisational practice in which employees and management work together and towards the long term visions and goals of the company. While HR outsourcing might still be a nascent idea in Bangladesh, there is no doubt as to the fact that as organisations focus more on their core competencies this is one area where companies would like to use less of their time and resources.

One of the most outsourced HR functions in recent times has been recruitment and selection. Many organisations now recognise the high cost of bringing in new talent and establishing a talent pipeline. This is why they are choosing to engage consulting firms like Grow n Excel and HR Kites to outsource talent recruitment so that the top management can focus more on the organisation's core competencies. Throughout rigorous testing procedures, interviews and in-depth assessment, an outside

The role of power at the workplace n Career Desk

W

hat is the relationship between power and leadership?

Does being a leader give one power? Or, are powerful people simply more prone to becoming leaders?

Leadership and power are directly linked, and not only as superficially as the paradox mentioned suggests. People tend to follow those who are perceived as most powerful. Leaders have power for different reasons – the ability to let you off work early, assign you to your dream project or assign you work you hate, expertise in a given field, admiration from team mates, etc. Can you recognise different forms of leadership in others around you at work, school or university, or at home? Does your football coach hold the same leadership role as your boss? How about in your own role to your children, employees, students, teammates, etc?

determine what forms of power you and others have; it is a common conception to assume you are powerless, or have less power than the other person.

Coercive power

This is the power to compel and oblige others to do things against their will. It is often physical, but not limited to it.

This is the power exercised by dictators, despots, mob bosses and bullies.

Coercion often results in physical and psychological harm, but the wielder’s principal goal is compliance. “Or else” scenarios are often used to illustrate what will happen if compliance is not gained.

Coercion is also the ultimate power of all governments. While the word certainly has a negative connotation, it is also used to keep the peace. For example, a coercive parent might stop their child from associating with harmful

elements in school because they don’t know any better. The other five forms of power may also be used in coercive ways, such as when a reward or expertise is withheld or referent power is used to threaten social exclusion.

Reward power

One of our primary motives to work, to put it simply, is to make the money we need to conduct our lives the way we want to. There are other forms of reward – in fact anything we find desirable can be a reward, be it a vacation home or someone’s approval. Reward power is the ability to give others what they want, and in exchange ask them to do things for you.

Rewards can also be used negatively to punish (a method reminiscent of negative reinforcement) by withholding them. It is essentially “Do this and you will get that” or “Do this or you won’t get that.”

Legitimate power

Legitimate power stems from a person’s role – it is “legitimate” under the law of the land. Kings, ministers, police officers and directors all have legitimate power.

The legitimacy is often meted down from a higher power. A common delusion that people in such roles fall into is to forget that people are obeying the role, not the person.

Legitimate power is that based on social rules and can have several different forms instead of just being based on position or role.

Legitimate position power: The social norm of obeying people in a superior position.

Legitimate power of reciprocity: The norm that we should repay those who help us.

Legitimate power of equity: The norm of fair play and due compensation.

Referent power comes from another person liking you and wanting to be like you. It is the power of charisma and fame

One of the most notable studies on understanding power was conducted by social psychologists John French and Bertram Raven in 1959. They identified five bases of power, and the study is popularly still referred to as French and Raven’s Five Bases of Power, despite Raven having added an additional 6th base in 1965.

By studying the different forms of power, one can deal with people in a position of authority more effectively.

Following are the six forms of power.

Use these categories as a checklist to

Legitimate power of responsibility: The norm of social responsibility in helping others.

Referent power

This is the power that comes from another person liking you and wanting to be like you. It is the power of charisma and fame and is wielded by all celebrities as well as social leaders. In wanting to be like these people, we imitate them hoping some of it will rub off on us.

Those with referent power often use it for coercion. One of the biggest fears for most people is social exclusion, and all it takes is a word from a social leader for us to be shunned by others in the group. School children are very familiar with this dynamic, and learn from an early age the pitfalls and politics of popularity.

Expert power

This is the power of expertise and knowledge, and others being in need of that knowledge. This is a very common form of power and is the basis for a very large proportion of human collaboration, including most companies where the principle of specialisation allows large and complex ventures to be undertaken.

Expert power may be used by skilled labourers demanding better pay or working conditions. It may be used by a research and development engineer to demand a better office or steep pay rise.

Informational power

BIGSTOCK

This is the sixth base of power that Bertram Raven added in 1965: informational power. This is providing information to a person that affects the way they think or do things. Information alone is often not enough for this and is thus supported by an argument as to why the information should be believed.

If the information is accepted then “socially independent change” occurs as the person continues to believe this information to be true and acts accordingly. l

specialist consultant firm makes sure that the organisation has the right talent at the right time and place.

To become effective consultants in this industry, one needs to possess exposure to global HR practices that are highly employee-oriented. Since it is a well-established fact that MNCs are the organisations which have such employee-friendly HR cultures, the HR departments of the top multinational companies are good places to kick start your ambitions of becoming an HR expert.

Looking forward, an issue which grapples with the Bangladeshi perception of value is the difficulty to quantify the benefit of HR. One simply cannot link human and social capital to productivity in monetary terms that easily and this requires a change in attitude.

However, as consultancies like Grow n Excel advocate, there is no substitute for promoting human resource and employee engagement inside the organisation. After all, an effective human capital is what makes world-class organisations like Google achieve the maximum out of their employees while putting a smile on their faces. l Nakibul Hoq is a research analyst at GradConnect, an international career information and advisory firm. You can email him at nakib@grad-connect.com and find more career information at www.gradinsights.com and www.grad-connect.com.

Naiian Yazdani is the director of strategy at GradConnect. You can email him at naiian@ grad-connect.com.

The language of negotiations n Career Desk

Alternatives - Other options Amplify - Expand; give more information Arbitration Conflict that is BIZ addressed by using a VOCAB neutral third party Bottom-line - The lowest one is willing to go Compensate - Make up for a loss Comply – Agree Compromise - Changing one’s mind/ terms slightly in order to find a resolution Concession - A thing that is granted or accepted Conflict resolution - General term for negotiations Confront - Present an issue to someone directly Consensus - Agreement by all Counterattack - Present other side of an issue Counterpart - Person on the other side of the negotiations Deadlock - Point where neither party will give in Dispute - Argument/conflict Entitled - Be deserving of Flexible - Open/willing to change Hostility - Long-term anger towards another High-ball - Make a request that is much higher than you expect to receive Impulse - Quick decision without thought or time Leverage - (Bargaining power) something that gives one party a greater chance at succeeding over another Log-rolling - Trading one favour for another Low-ball - Offer something much lower than you think the opponent will ask for Receptive - Open to/interested in an idea Resentment - Anger held onto from a previous conflict Resistance - A display of opposition Resolve - End conflict, come to an agreement Tactics - Strategies used to get one’s goals met Tension - Feeling of stress/anxiety caused by heavy conflict Trade-off - Terms that are offered in return for something else Ultimatum - A final term that has serious consequences if not met Unrealistic - Very unlikely to happen Yield - To give in to another’s requests. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Iraq militants take Syria-border post in drive for Caliphate n Reuters, Anbar, Iraq Sunni fighters seized a border post on the Iraq-Syria frontier, security sources said on Saturday, smashing a line drawn by colonial powers almost a century ago and potentially creating an Islamic Caliphate from the Mediterranean Sea to Iran.

The militants, led by the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), first moved into the nearby town of al-Qaim on Friday, pushing out security forces, the sources said.

Once border guards heard that al-Qaim had fallen, they left their posts and militants moved in, the sources said.

Sameer al-Shwiali, media adviser to the commander of Iraq’s anti-terrorist squad, told Reuters that the Iraqi army was still in control of al-Qaim.

Al-Qaim and its neighbouring Syrian counterpart Albukamal are on a strategic supply route. A three-year civil war in Syria has left most of eastern Syria in the hands of Sunni militants, including the Albukamal-Qaim crossing.

The Albukamal gate is run by al-Qaeda’s official Syria branch, the Nusra Front, which has clashed with ISIL but has also agreed to localised truces when it suits both sides.

The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group, Rami Abdulrahman, said ISIL has pushed

World

Sunday, June 22, 2014

B R OT H E R H O O D M E M B E R S S E N T TO D E AT H

the Nusra Front out from many areas of eastern Syria in the past few days and their capture of al-Qaim will allow them to quickly move to the Syrian side.

ISIL already controls territory around the Abukamal gate, effectively pinching the Nusra Front between its forces in Syria and those in neighbouring Iraq, said Abdulrahman, who tracks the violence.

Shi’ites mobilise

With stunning speed, ISIL, an offshoot of al-Qaeda, has captured swathes of territory in northwest and central Iraq, including the second city, Mosul. They have seized large amounts of weaponry from the fleeing Iraqi army and looted banks.

The Shi’ite-led government has mobilised militia to send volunteers to the front lines.

President Barack Obama has offered up to 300 US special forces advisers to help the Iraqi government recapture territory seized by ISIL and other Sunni armed groups across northern and western Iraq. But he has held off granting a request for air strikes to protect the government and renewed a call for Iraq’s long-serving Shi’ite prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, to do more to overcome sectarian divisions that have fuelled resentment among the Sunni minority. l

Relatives and families of members of the Muslim Brotherhood and supporters of ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi react outside a court in Minya, south of Cairo, after the sentences of Muslim Brotherhood leader Mohamed Badie and his supporters were announced, June 21. An Egyptian court confirmed on Saturday death sentences against the leader of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood and 196 of his supporters, Al Arabiya TV said quoting a lawyer involved in the case REUTERS

Rebel attacks on Ukraine forces put Syria warns UN: Aid ceasefire under pressure delivery without n consent is an attack Reuters, Kiev/Donetsk

Pro-Russian separatists attacked Ukrainian posts on the border with Russia and a military base, and tried to storm an airforce base overnight into Saturday, government forces said, putting a Ukrainian unilateral ceasefire under pressure.

The fresh action came just hours after the start of a ceasefire at 10 pm on Friday by Ukrainian forces, ordered by President Petro Poroshenko as part of his plan to end the rebel insurgency in the east of the country.

A government forces spokesman said the separatists used mortars and sniper fire to attack Ukrainian posts at Izvareno and Uspenka on the border, wounding nine Ukrainian officers.

In other incidents, rebels with big caliber machine guns and grenade-launchers attacked a Ukrainian military position at Avdiyivka, near the main regional town of Donetsk, as well as a Ukrainian post at Kreminna.

Separatists controlling the town of Slaviansk also attacked Ukrainian forces on Karachun hill overlooking the town with mortars and grenade-launchers, the spokesman, Vladyslav Seleznyov, said.

“In all these episodes, the attacks of the (rebel) fighters were deflected,” Seleznyov said. “There were no losses to Ukrainian servicemen. The number of dead fighters is being established.”

Poroshenko, announcing the weeklong ceasefire on Friday night, urged the rebels to lay down their arms and

n Reuters, United Nations

Soldiers of the self-proclaimed ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’ stand guard in front of a statue of Lenin on Lenin Square in Donetsk yesterday AFP warned them that Ukrainian forces would return fire if attacked.

Air base

Ukrainian forces also repelled two attacks by around 50 heavily-armed fighters in the early morning on an air defense base at Avdiyivka, which houses surface-to-air missiles, the defense ministry said separately. No Ukrainian personnel were hurt and rebel losses were being established, it added.

The rebels, who have seized strategic points in major towns including Donetsk and set up “people’s republics,” saying they want to join Russia, said

Ukraine has broken its own ceasefire.

“I’ve spoken to our commander-in-chief, Igor Strelkov. He said that fighting resumed in the morning. There is no ceasefire at all,” Pavel Gubarev, a prominent rebel leader, told Rossiya-24 TV channel.

Either Ukrainian troops were not obeying Poroshenko, or “he is lying,” Gubarev said.

Poroshenko, installed on June 7 as president after seven months of turmoil in the ex-Soviet republic, ordered government forces to cease firing to allow his 15-point peace plan to take root. The ceasefire ends at 10 pm on June 27. l

Syria’s government warned the UN Security Council that delivering humanitarian aid across its borders into rebel-held areas without its consent would amount to an attack, suggesting it would have the right to retaliate against convoys.

As the veto-wielding members of the council – the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia – negotiate a draft resolution to boost aid access, Syria circulated to the 15-member council a letter from dozens of Arab and Syrian lawyers.

The June 18 letter, obtained by Reuters on Friday, argues against a bid by Western states for the resolution to be Chapter 7, which would make it legally binding and enforceable with military action or other coercive measures such as sanctions.

The humanitarian resolution text was drafted by Australia, Jordan and Luxembourg.

“The sole purpose of the initiative is to use United Nations auspices for the delivery of logistical backing to the terrorists,” the lawyers wrote in the letter that was sent to the United Nations by Syrian UN Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari.

“Importing aid in coordination with terrorist organisations and without consultation with the Syrian state would amount to an attack on the Syrian state and on its territorial integrity

and political independence,” the lawyers argued.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday told the Security Council in a report, obtained by Reuters, that the United Nations was ready to put in place “speedy, pragmatic and practical arrangements at critical border crossings” to deliver more aid.

“Such arrangements would allow United Nations convoys to cross the border into Syria – in their own vehicles, without the need for specific permits or visas – to deliver urgently needed relief to people in need,” Ban wrote in the report.

Amid the resolution negotiations, Russia said on Tuesday it has gained Syrian approval to open four border crossings named in the draft text under a “far-reaching formula.” UN diplomats said this involved using monitors to inspect convoys.

But Australia’s UN Ambassador Gary Quinlan said on Thursday that the proposal “is not good enough” yet.

The lawyers stated that the Syrian government’s refusal to allow aid deliveries without its approval “is grounded in and motivated by the Charter of the United Nations, international resolutions and Syrian counterterrorism legislation.

“If anyone describes it as arbitrary, we invite them to provide the legal bases for their novel argument, which amounts to saying that the only way to protect civilians from terrorism is not to fight it, but to work with it,” they said. l

Israel steps up West Bank search for missing teens n Reuters, Ramallah Israel sent more troops to the occupied West Bank on Saturday to search for three missing teenagers it says were abducted by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.

The army said it had also arrested another 10 Palestinians during its hunt – the latest in a series of detentions and raids that have raised tensions and triggered street clashes in the West Bank.

Hamas, which refuses to recognise Israel’s existence, has neither claimed nor denied responsibility for the disappearance of the youths, who went missing near an Israeli settlement on June 13.

Hundreds of troops arrived around the city of Hebron on Saturday, a day after the army declared the area a closed military zone, and appeared to be carrying out searches, a Reuters witness said.

The army says it has searched more than 1,150 sites in the West Bank and arrested more than 330 Palestinians, including 10 more on Saturday.

Campaign group The Palestinian Prisoners Club said the army had arrested 37 people on Saturday.

Overnight in Ramallah, troops raided the offices of a media broadcast and production company that provides services to a number of outlets, including the Hamas-affiliated al-Quds channel, witnesses said.

An Israeli military spokeswoman said the soldiers found “electronic devices and magnetic media used for terrorism” that she said belonged to Hamas, without going into further detail. l

Iran says Obama remarks US-Iran relations: When history isn’t history after all n show US not serious in fighting terrorism Jim Gaines

n Reuters, Dubai President Barack Obama’s plan to send advisers to Iraq to help Baghdad counter Sunni Islamist militants shows the United States is not serious about fighting terrorism, an Iranian official was quoted by official media as saying on Friday.

Obama on Thursday offered up to 300 Americans to help coordinate the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). But he held off granting a request for air strikes from the Shi›ite-led government and renewed a call for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to do more to overcome sectarian divisions that have fuelled resentment among the Sunni minority.

“Obama’s recent remarks showed that the White House lacks serious will for confronting terrorism in Iraq and the region,” the official IRNA news agency reported Deputy Foreign Minister for Arab and African Affairs Hossein Amir Abdollahian as saying.

Abdollahian said the US “delay” in fighting terrorism and the ISIL has “fu-

elled suspicions and doubts about the US objectives in Iraq,” IRNA reported.

Another official, Hamid Aboutalebi, who works in the office of President Hassan Rouhani, also criticsed Obama’s remarks.

“The US cannot adopt contradictory policies in the Middle East; to support war in Syria and peace in Iraq or be on the side of terrorists in Syria and against them in Iraq,” Aboutalebi wrote on his Twitter account.

Iraqi forces were massing north of Baghdad on Friday, aiming to strike back at the Islamists› offensive towards the capital.

Mohammad Nahavandian, Rouhani’s chief of staff, said Iran was closely watching developments in Iraq and would give an “appropriate” response to a request from Iraq for intervention to solve its internal problems, IRNA reported.

“We are concerned about the fate of sacred (Shi’ite) sites particularly,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA, echoing a June 18 remark by Rouhani that Iranians were ready to go to Iraq to protect such sites if need be. l

I learned what a trickster history can be 20 years ago at Hanoi airport. After everything the United States gave and lost in Vietnam while trying to keep it safe from Communism, who would have thought you would find the lion lying down with the lamb at a business convention? But there it was, capitalism in capital letters, a billboard advertising vietnamerica expo!

Who won that war again?

Things like that change how you understand the world – if only by teaching you to wonder about even those things you think you know for an absolute fact.

It happened again last weekend. I read something that laid waste one of the most common assumptions of Cold War history: that an expert 1953 CIA covert operation in Iran overthrew a democratically elected prime minister to put the shah back back in control of his country. Ray Takeyh, an Iranian-American historian and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, argues persuasively in the July/August issue of “Foreign Affairs” that President Dwight Eisenhower’s CIA did not actually bring down Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh after all.

Hunh? There had to be some mis-

take. Could it be that the United States is not the Great Satan the Middle East has made it out to be all these years?

That the Iranians embraced the shah all on their own?

Maybe that is the reason why the people of Iran have always evinced more affection for the US and its citizens than their government does. They knew all along what US historians did not – the truth.

Takeyh can see it clearly. “ he CIA’s impact on the events of 1953,” he writes, “was ultimately insignificant.”

This is historic revisionism that cuts deep. The “truth” being revised has been the subject of soul-searching

by US presidents from Harry Truman, who refused to authorise covert ops in Iran, to Barack Obama, who, with implied contrition, invoked the CIA’s role in “the overthrow of a democratically elected Iranian government” during his much-covered speech to the Arab world in 2009.

The notion that the US deposed Mossadegh and reimposed the shah on the people of Iran is one of the founding myths of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and among the most poignant intricacies of the American-Iranian relationship-one that is right now poised at a moment of great danger and great potential.

With the region being fractured by sectarian violence, with extremists on the far side of al-Qaeda taking over whole swaths of Syria and Iraq and threatening to carve a radical Sunni heartland out of the desert borderlands now only nominally controlled

by Damascus and Baghdad, Iranian and US officials actually met this week to discuss cooperation to keep Iraq from blowing up entirely. And while negotiations are far from concluded, the outlines of a deal that would contain Iran›s nuclear ambitions are already coming clear.

This makes Takeyh’s rewriting of history of more than academic interest.

His point, in brief, is that while the CIA and MI6 did plot to bring Mossadegh down, the written record proves that their plotting was ineffective and that everyone knew it. General Walter Bedell Smith gave the news to Eisenhower straight. “The move failed,” he wrote. “We now have to take a whole new look at the Iranian situation.”

Only after Western intelligence backed off was Mossadegh brought down-not by the CIA or MI6, not even by the shah, but by the Iranians themselves, in a coalition of disaffected politicians, military officers, members of parliament, and Iranians of all stripes who took to the streets – led by

none other than the most important religious leader in the country, Ayatollah Abul-Qasim Kashani and fellow Iranian clergy.

“You have to understand that Iran in the 1950s was a different place,” Takeyh said in an interview. “The shah was tentative, deferential, not the megalomaniac he would become in the ‘70s. The clergy was more quietist and moderate than they are now, and apart from a few relatively minor disputes they had very good relations with the monarchy.”

Takeyh’s careful scholarship is bound to be contradicted by historians and politicians in both countries who have published the conventional story or have an interest in sustaining it, but the evidence for his case is strong, and it comes at a time when the need for a “reset” in US-Iranian relations is compelling.

Though the correction of a 60-yearold mistake is unlikely to produce a breakthrough in Syria, Iraq or nuclear negotiations, it does subtly change one of the negotiators – from helpless victim of the imperialist dog to a country that, however much its leaders may wish to distance themselves from it, shaped its own history. l This article was first publiced by Reuters.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Police shoot dead 13 attackers in Xinjiang n Reuters, Shanghai Chinese police shot dead 13 attackers in the restive far-western region of Xinjiang on Saturday after they rammed a car into a police station and detonated explosives, Xinhua news agency said, in the latest of a series of attacks to worry Beijing.

China has been toughening its response to violent crime after a spate of attacks around the country, centred on Xinjiang, the traditional home of Muslim Uighurs.

China has blamed previous attacks on Islamist separatists in the region, who they say are looking to establish an independent state there called East Turkestan. It was not immediately clear who was responsible for Saturday’s violence.

“The gangsters drove a truck to ram the building of the public security bureau of Yecheng County in southern Xinjiang and set off explosives. Police shot and killed 13 attackers at the scene,” Xinhua said, adding that three police were slightly wounded.

In 2012, seven attackers were shot dead after killing 13 people in a knife attack in Yecheng, also known by its Uighur name of Kargilik, a remote town on the road leading to China’s mountainous border with Pakistan.

China has been on edge since a suicide bombing last month killed 39 people at a market in Xinjiang’s capital, Urumqi. In March, 29 people were

stabbed to death at a train station in the southwestern city of Kunming.

The rise in violence has prompted a crackdown on violent crime. Authorities in Xinjiang have arrested dozens of suspects in recent weeks for spreading extremist propaganda, possessing banned weapons and other crimes.

China also executed over a dozen people for terrorist attacks in the region earlier this month and three for an attack on Beijing’s central Tiananmen Square.

Resource-rich and strategically located on the borders of central Asia, Xinjiang has been plagued by violence for years, but exiled Uighur groups and human rights activists say the government’s own repressive policies in Xinjiang have provoked unrest, something Beijing denies.

“The crackdown against the Uighur population is making it hard for people to bear,” Dilxat Raxit, spokesman for the World Uyghur Congress, the largest group of exiled Uighurs, told Reuters by email.

“Opening fire and killing those resisting, and accusing them of terrorism while skirting the root causes, this will only lead to the situation in the region becoming worse.”

President Xi Jinping said earlier this year that the Kashgar region, which sits in the far west of Xinjiang, was “the front line in anti-terrorism.” The Silk Road city of Kashgar has been at the centre of much of the unrest. Yecheng is in the Kashgar prefecture, and is more than 1,500 km southwest of Urumqi. l

World

Sunday, June 22, 2014

T H E I N D I A N R A I LWAY FA R E WA R

Indian activists from the Social Unity Center of India (SUCI) shout anti-government slogans as they burn a poster symbolising new railway fares during a protest in Siliguri on June 21.

Angry demonstrators blocked railway tracks and burned effigies of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protest a steep hike in train fares, seen as the government’s first tough step towards reforming a sluggish economy. Modi’s government, which came to power a month ago after overthrowing the ruling Congress, has pledged to revive the economy after it grew at just 4.7 % last year – the lowest in nearly a decade. The hike is seen as the first dose of the ‘bitter medicine’ that Modi recently warned was needed to revive the economy, Asia’s third-biggest AFP

US says Thailand, Malaysia, Venezuela Tensions mount over among worst human trafficking centers Afghan vote, protest n Reuters, Washington

The United States downgraded Thailand, Malaysia and Venezuela to its list of the world’s worst centers of human trafficking on Friday, opening up the countries to possible sanctions and dumping them in the same category as North Korea and Syria.

The three countries were all downgraded to the lowest “Tier 3” status in the US State Department’s 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report as they did not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking.

Thailand, one of Washington’s oldest Asian treaty allies, expressed disappointment. Thai officials had expressed confidence their country would be upgraded, submitting a 78-page report to the US government in April to make its case.

Acting Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak Phuangketkeow asked the United States to reconsider its evaluation, saying category three was intended for countries “that have done nothing.”

“It is up them to see whether we have made progress, up to them if they want to continue engaging constructively with Thailand, working together to ensure further progress,” Sihasak told a news conference in Bangkok on Saturday.

“And it’s up to them to consider whether Thailand is an important ally in this part of the world.”

S Korea ferry disaster: Prime suspect’s wife arrested n Reuters, Seoul The wife of South Korea’s most wanted man, a businessman linked to a ferry disaster in which hundreds of school children drowned, was arrested on Saturday, prosecutors said, as the net tightens around the fugitive’s family.

Police and prosecutors arrested Kwon Yoon-ja, 72, on suspicion of embezzlement after chasing her for more than 20 days, an official said.

Prosecutors and police are seeking Yoo Byung-un, 73, who has eluded one of the country’s biggest manhunts for more than a month. The husband of Yoo’s younger sister, a former ambassador to the Czech Republic, was arrested on Friday on suspicion of helping Yoo escape arrest.

Yoo is wanted on charges of embezzlement, negligence and tax evasion stemming from a web of business holdings centred on I-One-I, an investment vehicle owned by his sons that ran the shipping company, Chonghaejin Marine.

Chonghaejin owned the Sewol, which sank off the southwest coast on April 16 killing more than 300 people, many of them school children, on a routine journey from Incheon on the mainland to the southern holiday island of Jeju. l

The downgrades could cause some multinational companies to reconsider investments in industries accused of using trafficked labor such as fisheries, a lucrative business in Thailand, the world’s largest exporter of shrimp.

The countries could also lose US non-humanitarian and non-trade-related aid and face US opposition to help from bodies like the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.

The report said the majority of trafficking victims in Thailand – “tens of thousands ... by conservative estimates” – were migrants from neighboring countries “forced, coerced, or defrauded into labor or exploited in the sex trade.” A significant number were trafficked into the fishing industry, garment production and domestic work.

The State Department cited media reports of “trafficking-related complicity by Thai civilian and navy personnel in crimes involving the exploitation” of Rohingya Muslims who have fled Myanmar by the tens of thousands over the past year.

Those reports included a Reuters story in December that documented a clandestine Thai policy to remove Rohingya from immigration detention centers and deliver them to traffickers and smugglers waiting at sea. Many Rohingya were then ferried back to brutal trafficking camps in Thailand, where some died.

9

The State Department said that not only had the government “systematically” failed to prosecute trafficking into the fishing industry, but the Thai navy had also filed defamation charges against two journalists who reprinted reports of complicity of civilian and naval personnel in exploitation of Rohingya asylum seekers from Myanmar.

That was a reference to criminal defamation charges filed by Thailand’s navy against two journalists at Phuketwan, a small English-language news website based in Phuket, which published excerpts from a July Reuters report.

The Reuters report, based on interviews with people smugglers and survivors of boat voyages, revealed how some Thai naval security forces worked with smugglers to profit from the surge in Rohingya fleeing religious persecution.

The Thai navy has also filed a criminal complaint against two Reuters journalists, alleging violations of the Computer Crimes Act. Reuters has not been charged and stands by its reporting, a Reuters spokesman said.

“We have seen interlocutors who we think are actually trying hard, but of course that gets dragged down by the widespread official complicity,” said US Ambassador at-Large Luis CdeBaca of the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. l

held in Kabul n Reuters, Kabul Protesters gathered in the Afghan capital on Saturday in support of presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah’s accusation of vote fraud, and his call for the organisers to stop counting the ballots from the run-off election held a week ago.

Several hundred people gathered, disrupting traffic on the main road to the airport, as police were deployed with batons and riot shields to counter any violence.

Tensions have been running high in Kabul since the run-off between Abdullah and his rival Ashraf Ghani, an former World Bank economist.

Abdullah says he no longer trusts the electoral bodies and blames them and interference by President Hamid Karzai for mass fraud. He wants the electoral bodies to halt counting votes and has invited the United Nations to intervene.

The move has imperilled Afghanistan’s political transition at a critical time, with most foreign troops preparing to leave by the end of 2014, and a Taliban insurgency still raging after 13 years.

Karzai late on Friday – to the dismay of diplomats who want the electoral bod-

ies to be respected and the election process to completed – issued a statement supporting Abdullah’s call for the United Nations to intervene in the election.

The United Nations has said it needs to hear the details of any proposal, but is ready to support an “Afghan-led process.”

There are fears that street protests could turn violent and take on an ethnic dimension, as most of Abdullah’s supporters are Tajiks, the second largest ethnic group, while Ghani’s supporters are mainly Pashtun, the largest group in Afghanistan.

Abdullah’s supporters chanted “we will defend our vote to the last drop of blood,” while blocking the road leading to the airport on the outskirts of the capital.

They also brandished banners with slogans, including “Death to Karzai,” “Death to Ghani.” The Independent Election Commission was similarly targeted, with banners that read “Death to the IEC.” Elsewhere in Kabul, a suicide bomber killed himself and a bystander in an attempt to assassinate an advisor to the the High Peace Council, which is seeking reconciliation with Taliban fighters. l

HEIL HITLER! INDONESIA OPENS NAZI STYLE CAFE

Indonesian customers come in World War II motif military uniforms, one bearing a Nazi’s swastika insignia while a portrait of Adolf Hitler hangs in the background, at the reopened SoldatenKaffee in Bandung city, western Java island on June 21. The Nazi-theme cafe in Indonesia that sparked international outrage and closed shop, has reopened with its walls still bearing swastikas and a large painting of Adolf Hitler AFP

Police smash major World Cup betting ring in Macau n Reuters, Hong Kong Macau police have busted a bookmaking racket that allegedly took HK$5bn ($645m) in illegal bets – including a single HK$40m bet – on World Cup football matches in a week, the South China Morning Post reported on Saturday.

Police have arrested 22 suspects from what they say is the biggest illicit soccer-betting ring uncovered in the gambling haven following a raid of a hotel on Thursday, the newspaper said.

The syndicate, operating out of three rooms in the hotel, took online bets and telephone orders from around the world, the report said.

Initial investigations showed that about HK$5bn in World Cup bets had been taken and officers had found evidence of a single HK$40m bet on one match, it cited Macau police spokesman Suen Kam-fai as saying.

Investigators seized more than HK$2m in cash, along with 17 computers as well as more than 10 mobile phones and betting slips from the rooms, the paper said.

Authorities in Macau, the world’s largest casino market, Hong Kong and the neighbouring province of Guangdong have been collaborating to crack down on illegal soccer betting in southern China since the World Cup kicked off in Brazil last week. l

US lawmakers seek to honour Modi n Agencies Prime Minister Narendra Modi may be invited to address a joint session of US Congress during his visit scheduled for end of September, an honor not extended to every visiting dignitary.

US House of Representative’s foreign affairs committee chairman Ed Royce set the ball rolling on Friday requesting Speaker John Boehner to invite Modi to address lawmakers.

“With more than 500 million people voting in the recent Indian election, it was both the world’s largest democratic event and a historic moment for India,” Royce wrote in a letter to Boehner, signed jointly with Congressman George Holding.

“The US must now work closely with Prime Minister Modi to strengthen the important relationship between the two countries.”

Royce also pointed to recent frustration in the US over trade relations with India. “Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to cut the red tape that has long plagued our trade relationship gives reason for hope that our economic partnership will flourish,” he said.

The signatories are both Republican, as is Speaker Boehner. And a group of lawmakers from their party had called on him in Gujarat in early 2013, long before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) named him its prime-ministerial candidate. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Sunday, June 22, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

A higher standard for food safety

T

he initiative taken by the government to crack down on the use of formalin in fruits is a welcome move. However, the drive has been lacking in the organisation and rigourous scientific standards required of such an operation.

Experts have argued that the method being used to check the amount of formalin in fruits does not conform to scientific standards, and is simply adding to the wastage of food products.

Moreover, this system is subjecting many innocent fruit vendors to undue harassment and punishment.

After the tardiness shown by the government in initiating such a drive – despite the alarming degree of food adulteration in the country – it is concerning that the operation does not even have a team of experts to oversee it. The inefficiency with which this project is being conducted not only allows for wastage of food and undue penalties, food prices have reportedly soared as a result.

This lack of scientific standards will only work as a counterproductive element in an initiative meant to serve the public good. Ensuring food security is one of the foremost responsibilities of the government, and this includes the duty of providing knowledge about the effects of chemicals in foods and how to detect them.

We hope the authorities will take into account the scrutiny the ongoing anti-formalin drive is generating, and modify the operation to hold food safety to a higher standard.

This lack of scientific standards will only work as a counterproductive element

More progress needed on child labour

A

t an event for the World Day against Child Labour recently, it was indicated that the government has no current plans to conduct a fresh child labour census.

The Labour Ministry which had previously undertaken to conduct a fresh survey, is focusing funds on projects to eliminate the most hazardous forms of child labour.

While limited funding makes it appropriate to prioritise projects for children engaged in the most hazardous jobs, the lack of a survey is concerning.

Child rights groups are correct to say that a census is needed to update and improve implementation of the country’s framework for eliminating child labour. According to the last full survey conducted in 2003, over 3 million children, aged between five and 17, were engaged in active labour, with over a third identifiably involved in physically hazardous jobs.

Most experts are of the view that there has been no significant change in the situation over the last decade.

Although programs which provide non-formal education and skills training, have some success, collectively they have not been effective in ending the cycle of child labour.

In part, this is down to the high rates of poverty in the country.

However, the government and campaigners also need to reform social attitudes to root out the practice, and allow all children equal access to education.

The scandalous persistence of child labour only helps reinforce cycles of poverty, and undermines the progress which the country is making in increasing education enrollment rates.

A census is needed to improve implementation of the framework for eliminating child labour

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

Shameful Shakib beats spectator!

June 16

pls change your career If someone is harassing your wife, are you just going to watch them do it and let them continue? How can you call this act shameful?

GoneCray Don’t be crazy. He needs to be commended for having a functioning set of balls.

Tasnim chowdhury Protecting one’s own wife is shameful? Wow, I didn’t know that. No husband should resort to this kind of violence.

Imzy Tasnim chowdhury: Protecting someone from physical violence is fine, but if the spectator was just saying bad things about them, it doesn’t give Shakib the right to beat him. But then again, that’s the state of Bangladesh and Bengali culture isn’t it?

Whatever So now it is a “shameful” act to defend one’s wife’s honor in public, eh?

Tamim Whatever: Very shameful, even if someone comments on your wife’s private parts.

Ehsan Abdullah Well, if that is shameful, then insulting/flirting/ annoying etc another man’s wife should be termed “brave”??

Someone The media and the fans are guilty, in their own ways, in idiotically inflating, out of all proportion, Shakib’s estimation of his own talents and importance to the team. This conceited rogue needs to have the book thrown at him for his repeated indefensible misdemeanors. It wouldn’t hurt my feelings, in the slightest, to see Shakib banished from the team, till he gets his act together, both on and off the field.

Tamim Shaukat: It seems he is interested more in playing for KKR than Bangladesh.

Tangled Abstract Fallacy Yeah, BNP should have a proper dialogue with Jamaat/Shibir/Al-Badr/Biharis. They are finished for good in Bangladeshi politics! Mark our words and the solemn resolve. The days of anti-liberation forces in Bangladesh are numbered!!

Tamim Only Punjabi. What about calling it a pantaloon?

Ronnie I reiterate that it’s naive of BNP to expect the government to be too interested or serious about “dialogue” with them, on election-related issues. Instead, BNP needs to begin properly mobilising the public, countrywide, to finally compel the ruling party to ditch its hubris, and willingly and wisely meet BNP at the negotiating table. Appeals to a government that is presently heedless of the will of the people is pretty pointless. A genuine political movement backed by robust public support is the key to end the status quo. It’s up to BNP to muster the required resolve and strategy towards achieving that.

RealMoghul Get rid of Tamim Iqbal. That’ll be a good start.

Disgruntled Fan Tamim should be replaced. And any underperformer likewise will be put on notice. And the ones with perennial learning difficulties (of Cricket 101) should be gotten rid of. There are talents among the young, where we should focus on. Absolutely disgraceful batting performance.

No Zuckerbergs here June 17

Mahmudul Islam This is a top-notch write-up. Small but carries a very profound message. It’s not how you look but how you think that makes all the difference.

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.

Shaukat After playing for KKR, he has become arrogant.

MZ If he is a true, proud Bengali, he wouldn’t call it a punjabi, it is a shalwar kameez. Calling it a Punjabi is signifying that it’s a Punjabi form of dress, exclusively, and is yet more evidence of the cultural colonialism many Bengalis perpetuate today.

June 17

SUDOKU

Finally a Shakib fan Shabash Shakib! Now you are truly a “bagh!”

BNP wants ‘meaningful dialogue’

Miserable tigers collapse for 58

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

Bangla Chele Shakib should be charged for assault. I don’t care who he is, or who verbally provoked him into action.

He has no right to physically beat somebody. He was not even on site when the alleged provocation happened.

Shakib Al Hasan has become too big for his boots.

He now thinks he is above the law. I hope, one day soon, he gets the kicking he deserves. He thinks he is better than he is. In truth, he is an over-hyped mediocre man who got lucky because he happens to be born in, live in, and play cricket in a country lacking talent.

‘I was adamant to wear Punjabi at Cannes red carpet’

June 16

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 1 represents B so fill B every time the figure 1 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

June 18

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Common white or colourless mineral (6) 4 Deity (3) 7 Sheeplike (5) 8 Whole (6) 11 Mirthful sport (3) 12 Appendage (4) 13 Successes (4) 15 Kind of wheat (5) 16 Marine growth (5) 20 Daybreak (4) 23 Bait (4) 24 Male sheep (3) 25 Prepared for publication (6) 26 Field of conflict (5) 27 Japanese currency unit (3) 28 From that place (6)

DOWN 1 Hulled and coarsely ground grains (5) 2 Bird (7) 3 Destructive insect (4) 4 Present (4) 5 Burden (4) 6 Lair (3) 9 Short sleep (3) 10 Neckwear (3) 14 Worship (7) 17 Groove (3) 18 Land measure (3) 19 Shelf (5) 20 Venture (4) 21 Prayer ending (4) 22 Tidy (4) 24 Narrow beam (3)

Chances of exploring 2 deepsea blocks flimsy

June 17 Vikram Khan I did not hear or read anything about a study (independent or not) about the impact on the fragile ecosystem and aquatic system in the Bay of Bengal, as to whether offshore drilling will go ahead. Looks like another environmental disaster in the making.

CALVIN AND HOBBES 3 Muslims killed in Sri Lanka ethnic clashes June 16

Buddhika Lokubandara The world should know that the attacks on Muslims in Sri Lanka are government-sponsored. There have been allegations aplenty that it is not only the defence secretary, Gotabaya Rajapakse, the brother of the president, but the president is also involved and have given a free-hand to insult, denigrate and attack the Muslims. Their main aim seems to be to destroy Muslim businesses and reduce the Muslim community to abject poverty.

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

PEANUTS Rokan: Elected unopposed is not unconstitutional June 17

truthfuloneone A goon of opportunists, Rokan cannot say otherwise. If the judiciary cannot dictate the parliament, then how were the 15th Amendment to the Constitution passed, citing the direction of the Supreme Court?

And Rokan challenged the verdict which is responsible for bringing so much bloodshed into the country?

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

Sunday, June 22, 2014

11

Out of your league n Garga Chatterjee

N

We express ourselves with clicks

S

A

L

BIGSTOCK

T

A

N

D

H

O

N

E

Y

Narrowing narrow space

N

n Iffat Nawaz arrow me down to a drop of monsoon and paint me happy. That’s what I have done, I think when I look at my Facebook profile.

Happy images, hidden thoughts, the in-between lines, the protocols of the average likes and comments. What image do I want to put out there, how important are my status updates, and are we narrowing ourselves down to what we think our best selves are on the platforms of social network.

Of course we are. And that is what we do. We are people driven by our communities, even the loners here have communities of our own. We too Facebook, we too Instragram.

Our communal mentality gets us to increase our connections everyday but it’s not really all about connections, it’s also about the perfect worlds we put out there to remember our lives in a way which may or may not represent a good percent of the reality.

Anyone with the dream of being an artist can share their work, the ones with overflowing opinions can express themselves through other’s words and

their own. And the rest of us can read it and say: “Oh, he thinks like that!”

Or: “She dresses this way!” Hot news becomes hotter and important details become less front and centre.

ate a Facebook profile. Then we take the liberty to imagine we have a space of our own. And what are we doing with this space? Many of our profiles are as good as television serials, with

Should we write the script first, or should the script be written as we become Facebook personalities?

The exclusivity of lives shared, the “no pass” to enter certain zones which you can only wish or not wish to be a part of, the consumerist deal of it all, is it doing us good or bad, I do not know.

Neither do I want to really analyse it to a great extent. Like all things, Facebook too will die down one day when another platform will take over with more force. But for now, Bangladesh has over 3 million Facebook users, and that is not a number to ignore.

In our over-populated country, we get the illusion of space when we cre-

guest appearances, falling out and falling in. The popularity contest, the pressure of being cool, cooler, coolest, how do we control it all? And how much volunteer encroachment do we welcome?

The smart ones post international articles on politics and art, the thoughtful ones post reflections of their days in poetic words, and the ones in search for virtual partners add and subtract people according to interest of the other parties. It’s a game that we pledge to be a part of until we

become wise enough to discontinue.

Our lives cannot be summed up online. But we still try to package ourselves as best. The girls, the boys, the women and the man, dogs and cats, and vacation photos – how do these images affect us, influence us in our daily lives?

In a country where standards of modernity are constantly evolving, a place which is so in-between, can we really grip on to Facebook and our life’s expressions so tightly or loosely?

The click within a click within a click.

How narrow are we making our space, and who do we make room for in those lives? Should we write the script first, or should the script be written as we become Facebook personalities, exclusive, inclusive and the forced push for perfection? No voices speak, no words last, and we keep going, thinking we are learning more about each other and the world, when the real world keeps moving in parallel, but confined to the computer screen we hide to remember what we thought we were once, and what we wanted to be. l Iffat Nawaz is Acting Editor, Arts & Letters, Dhaka Tribune.

Parody of diction n Khawaza Main Uddin

F

lattery is one of the most useful means to win a heart quite cheaply. Still, the offering has to be in unison with the feelings of the recipient for building a partnership.

But when a relation is in question, it’s hard to work out a suitable way to keep it going smoothly.

Dhaka today, as cynics say, is circumscribed by such a sense of uncertainty among the rulers. And how have the outsiders come to know of the “fear of tiger” in the prime minister’s mind?

support to the controversial January 5 elections. The antagonists rather took a disturbingly unsympathetic view of the Awami League’s awkward position following Congress’ humiliating defeat to the BJP. Thus, Team Hasina looked presumptuous in appeasing the Narendra Modi-led government. After all, it is a question of AL’s survival in office. Only those who fail to appreciate the compulsion to prove its relevance to Delhi, in addressing issues like insurgency by undertaking fishy steps, may term it as being a subservient policy.

It’s not new to take help from the

Hasina alone shouldn’t be blamed for any conflicts of interest between India and China

An Indian media report said the recent arms haul in Satchhari and Habiganj was “an act of crookedness” by the Sheikh Hasina administration in order to draw the kind attention of the new government in New Delhi. The report pointed out a mismatch between the weapons and the leaflets recovered from the scene.

Critics at home may not be fully aware of any advice the incumbents presumably received to stick to a single direction – Delhi. It was the Congress government which duly lent

intelligence for political gain. Ayub Khan did it, and so did Indira Gandhi.

The use of the National Security Agency for surveillance by Washington also backfired for excesses committed by powerful quarters from within.

We are yet to be informed on whether the Hasina regime used the intelligence to act on certain issues, or of the intelligence dictated it to follow guided policies. In any case, however, the goal is the same: To perpetuate the AL’s stay in power. There’s no need for accountability in making a tactical

shift from recovery of “Jihadi Qitab” (books) to the insurgents’ arms haul.

Why should the “powerful people” care about anything else than consolidating power?

Beyond the territory, they see, though not with own eyes, a different world — the emerging polarisation in international politics. The simplistic, but still somewhat imagined, line being followed by Dhaka, is the Russia-China-India axis when the West and the Middle East were not so friendly to them. Pragmatists must acknowledge that originality is not required for such foreign policies.

Premier Hasina alone shouldn’t be blamed for any conflicts of interest between India and China, surrounding Bangladesh’s geo-politico-economic interests. She maintains closer ties with Russia and has tried to coax Japan into being a development partner.

She visited China and made assurances to facilitate Chinese business.

The head of the government isn’t supposed to study the chemistry of relations between the big powers of the “axis” outside of America’s global hegemony. Both China and Japan have kept Dhaka engaged in upholding their economic interests – why should they lose the Bangladesh market to India?

The Indian media report ventilated certain concerns of Delhi over a widely speculated move to award the deep sea port project to China. We have yet to know if Sushma Swaraj would blackmail the office-bearers in Dhaka, who have a deficiency in legitimacy.

Of course, they dare to ignore the miscalculation of depending merely

on external forces, in fact, only one power, rather than placing trust in domestic factors of democratic politics.

Ours are an exception to world leaders who cannot afford to stoop to undermining national dignity and internal harmony.

Sheikh Hasina has proven her statesmanship in the electoral walk over designed to duck the public opinion apparently hostile to her party. Some analysts privately praise her for outwitting her rivals. Is it not a matter of regret that she is being deprived of their valuable services to justify evil designs and her clinging to power?

Even the beneficiaries are not showing any guts to speak in her favour publicly. Some of them tacitly support her policy of giving priority to regime interests over everything. Such unwillingness is tantamount to betrayal with their paramount leader, who is solely exposed to public wrath. Whatever has been discussed, an adamant leader is enough to implement the gameplan at hand, be it right or wrong.

In shorter-version cricket, some batsmen waste balls to retain wickets to face the task of scoring adventurously later. If I may use a simile, Hasina has occupied the crease playing too many “dot balls” and now seems bound to heave every ball from here on in. Who can predict if she may hit a six or four, or get caught at long-on or behind the wicket, be adjudged LBW, or even clean-bowled? l Khawaza Main Uddin is Executive Editor, ICE Business Times.

ow that the fireworks have ended, the stars have gone home and people have moved on to other sports, it is probably a good time to talk about certain things. The richest “team” in the Indian Premier League (IPL) T20 cricket tournament won. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) is also the IPL franchise that has generated the maximum profit.

This franchise represents Kolkata at the IPL. In a subcontinent that abounds with self-appointed thikadars, from neighbourhood to religion, KKR has received the thikdadari of the brand called Kolkata. Let us not mix up that private brand with the very public urban agglomeration, the capital city of West Bengal, which goes by the name Kolkata. Inhabitants of Bengal typically don’t prefer red chillies with their rice, but green ones.

Such thikadaris have also been given for brands named Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, etc.

KKR won the tournament and Rs15cr in prize money. Just after this was announced, an unverifiable Internet meme went viral. It claimed that Shahrukh Khan had donated Rs15cr for cancer-care in Kolkata and Mumbai. Like most internet memes, this nugget of benevolence could not be verified. The most verifiable and substantial thing that connects the city of Kolkata with the branded franchise Kolkata Knight Riders is the stupendous amount on unpaid taxes that the owners of KKR owe to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC).

KMC’s deputy mayor let out the simple mathematical truth – KKR had not paid Rs1.16cr in taxes owed from the last three years, as of May 20, 2014.

This just goes to show that at the end of the day, the owners of KKR are running a business. And if the business strategy involves not paying taxes, so be it. Incidentally, the tax money that KMC collects is used to clean and maintain sewers, run health centres, maintain roads, and provide drinking water to the thousands in Kolkata who were cheer for the knights of the Shahrukh order.

So much for the periodic “love” for Kolkata and its people that is declared by the KKR and its owners. If I owed someone more than a crore and that person cheered me instead of pressuring me for payment, I would love him. I would dance for him, wherever, whenever, for free. If he had something to sell, I would promote it for free. There must be “something different” about any place where I am publicly felicitated when I actually owe huge amount of tax money to it.

With things so alien like a Corinthian helmet being the emblem of a bunch of “knights” in the land of lethels (lathi-warriors), it is not surprising that the closest thing to Kolkata that figured in the T20 final was Shakib Al Hasan. At a time when talk of illegal Bangladeshis is doing the rounds in imperial metropolis of Delhi, the legal Bangladeshi in the KKR team in the form of Shakib Al Hasan was the saving grace for Kolkata and Suba Bangla.

I wonder how this IPL thing is received in the cricket-loving quarters who revel in thrashing people for supporting foreign teams. If it is not anti-Kolkata or anti-West Bengal to recruit alien players for a team built by a private entity (KKR), how does a supporting or not supporting a team built by another private entity (BCCI’s Team India) become some test of loyalty, citizenship, tricolour and all that?

Or conversely, if it is about “swadeshi,” then supporting the team with even more ethnic and cultural consonance with one’s “desh” is better, I suppose. There should be no problem if some West Bengalis start supporting the cricket team from

Bangladesh against the BCCI team that has few if any Bengalis. Or say Gurkhas of the Indian Union supporting Nepal in a football match with the Indian Union. What makes one private entity using a nation-state (India) as a brand more authentic in any way than KKR that uses the name of a city (Kolkata) that is older than the nation-state of India?

In the meantime, the media bombardment will ensure cheerleading from metro-based “Bongs” for “their” side – the charming thing that is post-1990 market deregulation driven “Bong” pride. It is domesticated enough to only do korbo, lorbo in front of their TV sets.

In the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the presence of any kind of IPL phenomenon is rather unfortunate.

Internationalism is all good, but the sad bit is that it is the poorer and the darker peoples of the world who always have to prove their internationalism by opening up to phenomenon elsewhere.

In Bangladesh, the presence of any kind of IPL phenomenon is rather unfortunate

That some Bengalis in the East are excited about a private commercial project like IPL that is funded primarily by Indian banias and executed by mercenary sportspersons underlines the triumph of corporate globalisation.

It generates in its clientele an inferiority complex as well as a pathway to be included in the happening global class.

The empire wants the periphery to the extent that in generates revenue. Make no mistake. Bangladesh generates revenue for IPL in more than one ways.

How consciousness gets fashioned, how prototypes are created, how some newer loyalties are celebrated and some older loyalties are conveniently forgotten – all this is the stuff of collective myth-making and how power casts its long shadow on the people. Kolkata’s KKR is in many ways similar to the British Indian Army. Fighting ostensibly in the name of cheering, happy brown people, the owner is a distant king man whose god on earth status has been constructed.

And yes, the browns foot the bill of the battles, the revelry and all that.

They always have. There is a more sinister element to this, especially for us Bengalis. During the Second World War, Britain deliberately caused the death of 3 million people in Bengal by starving its populace so that its imperial war effort could be well fed. None of the people who served in the British Indian Army during the Second World War, remaining loyal throughout to a man-eating boss called Britannia, lost their job.

The long-range result of that level of Anglophilia, continuity and alienation is rather clear. When todays Bengalis remember genocide in the Second World War, they remember Jews, gays, and Gypsies. 3 million hapless Bengalis don’t find a place in that list. Zainul Abedin, Chittaprosad Bhattacharya and many others chronicled those millions that Britain murdered.

But today’s Manchester United fan from Dhaka has not heard about Chittaprosad, the Chelsea fan from Kolkata has not heard about Zainul. These are signs of dangerous times – of a slowly progressing ice age, starting from the tropics. l Garga Chatterjee is a freelance contributor.

BCCI

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Apu Biswas on rocky ground n Entertainment Desk

A group dance recital was performed with the rendition of the song ‘Dhoronir Gogoner Miloner Chhonde’ as a part of Chhayanaut’s programme welcoming monsoon on Friday evening. The programme also marked the 103rd birth anniversary of Sufia Kamal, poet and cultural icon. The event featuring a number of timeless Bangla songs that narrate the splendour of the unique season was attended by a houseful audience SADIA MARIUM

Pavillion airs on Channel 9 today

Gone are the days when Apu Biswas got outstanding response for the her debut film “Koti Takar Kabin” in 2006. Apu has ruled the film industry with her acting for over eight years and the role of Parvati in “Devdas” has earned her much fame. But in recent times, the actor has failed to generate commercial success at the box office and seems desperate to remain in the limelight even though she has not bagged any big projects. According to the analysts, Apu's demise from stardom is due to her dependency on Dhallywood megastar Shakib Khan. Rumour has it that the actor is now charging as low as Tk 300,000 to 400,000 and might turn into a producer in order to remain in the film industry. l

Spinning Tales of a Shadowist

Queen Elizabeth to visit Game of Thrones set n Entertainment Desk Queen Elizabeth II is gearing up to visit the Titanic Quarter in Belfast where the studio facility for the HBO smash-hit “Game of Thrones” is located. During her Ireland-tour next week, the 88-year-old monarch will be accompanied by her husband Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, as she treads on the ground where the much-awaited Season 5 of the series will be shot.

Announcing her visit on the social media soon after the Season 4 finale aired on HBO and broke all piracy records, the British Monarchy’s official Twitter account stated: “As part of the visit to Northern Ireland The Queen and The Duke will tour the @GameOfThrones set in the Titanic quarter,” concluding the message with a #GoT hashtag like any true blue fan of George RR Martin’s saga on Twitter-verse.

The ongoing HBO series, which was recently renewed for Seasons 5 and 6, is reported to be the biggest TV production in Europe that has boosted the economy of Northern Ireland

n Shadma Malik

n Entertainment Desk New drama series “Pavillion” will be aired today on Channel 9 at 8:30pm. Directed by Ishtiak Ahmed Rumel, the cast of the series includes Masud Ali Khan, Laila Hasan, Toukir Ahmed, Jenny and others. The soap tells the story of two brothers, Mazharul Islam and Kamrul Islam, living in the same building despite having a strained relationship. Having retired recently, Mazhaul, the elder of the two, lives happily with his wife Kamrun Nahar and the rest of his family. His eldest son Rahat lost his job at a private firm which caused a rift with his wife, Jenny. His only daughter, Toma, is seemingly an “ideal” girl.

She is able to please her family and maintain a secret relationship with her cousin at the same time.

The other son Kamrul Islam lives with his wife, Munira Mithu, portrayed as an ideal mother. His son Arefin is a DJ by profession but is best known as the son of Kamrul Islam.

His eldest daughter Rakhi is very calm in nature and tries her best to assist her mother in solving family crises. His other daughter Tisha works to sustain herself and the youngest one, Ankhi, is a university student, and often the main cause of the family’s problems, even when she is not at fault.

The peace in Kamrul’s home is continually disrupted by his brother-in-law Montu, whose only aim in life is to get married. The drama is centred around the many problems faced by the members of the two families. l

A solo exhibition titled “Spinning Tales of a Shadowist and Others” by Md Ashikur Rahman Turja is going on at the Dhaka Art Centre (DAC) and will remain open until June 26.

The exhibition is a display of Turja’s academic and experimental work during his BFA and MFA terms at the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka. The artist’s primary medium of expertise is printmaking but he has also displayed his skills on woodcut, etching, acquaint, dry paint and lithography.

This is Turja’s first solo exhibition and many of his artworks depict spintop toys. According to the artist, he has highlighted top as an object of self depiction.

With the theme that is mysterious in nature, many of his pieces show hands in blurry shades, depicting an existence of a citizen in the midst of a socio-economic complexity prevailing through the decay of morality in the society.

Charges filed against new Transformers movie n Entertainment Desk Just days before “Transformers: Age of Extinction” debuted in China, Beijing Pangu Investment, a prominent sponsor of the fourth installment to the “Transformers” movie series, has terminated its sponsorship deal with the production, claiming producers of the film failed to meet the terms of the agreement.

According to a report published in the Hollywood Reporter, the investment company provided financial resources to the production, and in exchange, Paramount Pictures agreed to feature Pangu Plaza Hotel, the company’s flagship building, in the film.

But Beijing Pangu Investment accused the film studio and its Chinese associate partners this week that they failed to give them the “full value” of showing the building in the much-awaited Michael Bay flick, according to The Wrap.

In a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter, a spokesman for Paramount said: “Pangu Plaza has a prominent placement in ‘Transformers 4’ and it looks beautiful onscreen. We regret that Pangu is not currently satisfied with certain aspects of our collaboration and are working to resolve its concerns.”

Following the termination of the contract on June 15, Beijing Pangu Investment has asked Paramount to remove its licensed content (company’s image, logo, or views of the building) from the movie’s marketing materials as well as from the film itself.

The company has also filed a lawsuit concerning its complaint and alleged loss of reputation and money.

The “Transformers” saga has a huge following in China. The third installment of the franchise, “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” grossed $177m in the country in 2011. l

His artwork “Reduction of the Magnetic” is about the complexity of social structures and their conflicting natures. “Journey” is associated with the sense of nostalgia. “Spinning Tales” reflects memories of a carefree play-tool.

Through his work titled “Steering System,” done once again in blurry shades, the artist explains how coming from a middle-income group influences his art and at the same time how financial restraints control an artist’s creativity and freedom of thought. l

by nearly $140m.

Meanwhile, it is believed widely among critics and enthusiasts alike that the character of Daenerys Targaryen, portrayed by Emilia Clarke, is inspired by Queen Elizabeth I. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Film

X-Men: Days of Future Past The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (3D) Pompeii 300 Rise of an Empire Tarkata Time: 10am – 10pm Star Cineplex, Level 8, Bashundhara City

Theatre

Rarang

By Aranyak Time: 7pm – 9pm Experimental Theatre Hall Shilpakala Academy Shegun Bagicha

Cake Boss airs tonight

Exhibition

Artistic Musings of Great Collector Nasir Ali Mamun Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts, Road No 16, Dhanmondi Time Line Time: 11am – 8pm Galleri Kaya

Tom Cruise to shoot inside British parliament n Entertainment Desk Actor Tom Cruise will reportedly shoot scenes for the next installment of the Mission: Impossible franchise inside Britain’s Houses of Parliament.

A source tells Britain’s The Sun newspaper: “Mission: Impossible 5 will feature numerous well-known locations in London, but the Houses of Parliament is clearly the biggest coup... The writers are excited about what stunts they could pull off inside the Commons.”

The news comes shortly after Meryl Streep and Carey Mulligan’s new movie “Suffragette” became the first commercial feature film ever to be shot in Britain’s Houses of Parliament earlier this year. l

n Entertainment Desk Watch out for the master baker and chef Buddy Valastro in his own TV show “Cake Boss” which will air on TLC tonight at 10:30pm.

Buddy Valastro is one of the most successful and renowned cake artists in the United States. He is the head of Carlo’s City Hall Bake Shop in Hoboken, New Jersey.

He supervises a team that includes his mother, four older sisters and plenty of cousins, second cousins and brothers-in-law. When you’re working with family on a daily basis, there is bound to be a lot of drama. The Valastros know drama, but at the end of the day, they also know love.

“Cake Boss” chronicles Buddy’s over-arching desire to achieve his late father’s dream of making Carlo’s Bake Shop a household name with or without the help of his family. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

13

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Shakib claims to be unaware of dressing-room protocol Bangladesh national all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan appeared for a hearing called by the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s disciplinary committee yesterday. The half hour hearing was related to the brawl involving Shakib at the general viewing stand of Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium during the rain-affected first ODI between Bangladesh and India.

According to Jalal Younus,the BCB director and also the chairman of the media committee, it will take around five more days to reach a conclusion regarding the issue.

“We heard Shakib’s version of the bust-up. We are only concerned about how Shakib managed to enter the general viewing area during the game,” informed Jalal.

The BCB director explained that the board cannot deal with an issue such as this where Shakib raised hand on spectators because it has now become court’s concern now after Shakib filed a case against the group of spectators.

“We cannot do anything with the part where it is mentioned that he (Shakib) had a fight with the spectators as the issue is in the court now,” said Jalal.

Jalal also added that the disciplinary committee would talk to others related to the issue if needed and they were still waiting for a report from team manager Khaled Mahmud Sujon.

However, Shaikb, one of the leading all-rounders of world cricket, denied of raising hands on the spectators although he confessed that he had breached the code of conduct of both

the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the BCB by leaving the dressing room without permission during the game. But Shakib stunned a majority of those present at the hearing when he admitted that he was not aware of the rules and regulations.

Questions were asked and eyebrows were raised as to how a former national skipper and a cricketer who participates in tournaments around the world could be unaware of the regulations. It was also unfathomable as to how an experienced cricketer of the team, especially against the backdrop of the recent end to the ignominious BPL match-fixing affairs, could be so callous of entering the general viewing area of the stadium during a game which again has made country’s cricket the headline for a negative reason.

This reporter of the Dhaka Tribune

came across another version of the bust up in question. It has been reported since day one of the incident that Shakib charged the group of spectators after he learned of his wife Ummey Ahmed Shishir being teased. However, the other version of the bust up according to a BCB security personnel paints a different picture which puts Shishir’s innocence under threat as she is the one who actually sparked the whole affair which was later blown out of proportion by Shakib.

According to the BCB security requesting anonymity, the group of spectators was making ill comments on Bangladesh cricketers and was doing so amongst themselves only. Shishir, sitting near to the group, protested against their comments which then diverted the group’s attention towards the star-cricketer’s wife.

Meanwhile, Shakib, who filed a case against one Rahib Rahman Khan under the Prevention of Repression against Woman and Children act, has informed of continuing the legal battle. Rahib was arrested by police and was later granted bail by the judge of Tribunal 5.

Shakib was surprised to see Rahib getting bail as he has always known cases under Repression against Woman and Children act is non-bailable.

However, Rahid’s lawyer Masud Ahmed also had told the media that the case was non-bailable but he did manage to secure it for his client by arguing that the case filed by Shakib did not fall under Clause 10 of the Prevention of Repression against Women and Children 2003 (Amended) Law. l

Brazil’s Thiago Silva (L) and David Luiz pose for photos after a training session in Teresopolis near Rio de Janeiro on Friday

Brazil training questioned, players must improve

Ireshional Thoughts

A bit of the strong stuff, in one-year olds Yesterday I realized that all my remaining twenty or so articles for the World Cup could be about how amazing Steven Gerrard is, but my Editor, the fascist Manchester United supporter that he is, refused to let me entertain such wonderful thoughts. He in fact threatened to end me and my family if I wrote one more article about Liverpool or Gerrard.

Okay well that’s not true. But what IS true is that my editor is a Manchester United fan and has been since the year of my birth, and therefore all that I have written will most likely BECOME true at

some point in our lives. It’s a prescient cautionary tale.

Today’s article, however, is not about Liverpool nor is it about how horrible Manchester United fans like my editor, and “friends” Toffael Rashid and Aneek R Haq are. Today’s article is about coffee. Coffee, if you don’t know and it is perfectly okay if you don’t (after all coffee’s ubiquitous greatness is nowhere close to Gerrard’s), is a beverage made from coffee beans that can be served either hot or cold, and is a vital ingredient for cheap “White Russians”, a beverage not a xenophobic slur.

It turns out that Brazil is in fact the largest producer of coffee in the world. That possibly explains why the Brazilians display more energy supporting France than the French do. Among the nations represented in the World Cup, the Netherlands has

Queiroz’s hunger still the same from Belo Horizonte, Brazil Despite previously guiding South Africa and Portugal to the 2002 and 2010 World Cup respectively, Iran coach Carlos Queiroz’s hunger has not diminished one bit as he is currently experiencing his third stint as a trainer in the greatest show on earth.

The 61-year old Portuguese tactician is an admirable name in world football with his career decorated with spells at different football giants. Queiroz earlier managed the high-profile Galacticos at Real Madrid, served as a successful assistant coach to Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United and guided the Portugal Under-20 side to consecutive Fifa U-20 World Cup titles in 1989 and 1991.

Not only that, several players from that triumphant youth team went on to play for the senior side and helped to form the golden generation that the Portuguese national team was widely known as. Some of the names on that list are Luis Figo, Rui Costa and Abel Xavier among others.

An extremely likeable personality, Queiroz is fluent in both English and Portuguese and often pauses between his words. He was sacked by the Portuguese Football Association in 2010 following their narrow 1-0 defeat to eventual champions Spain in the round of 16. Despite a stalemate against Ivory Coast in the group stage, some of Queiroz’s successes include the draw with Brazil and the 7-0 rout over North Ko-

rea. But deep inside his heart, he was craving for one more challenge, hence the decision to coach Iran, also referred to as Team Melli. “I dreamt of being in Brazil as a coach. Iran offered me and I accepted it. I am happy to be here,” said the Portuguese.

Every coach has a formula for success and Queiroz is no exception. In order to motivate the Iranian players, Queiroz has chosen the most essential word often used in football, “Sacrifice”. “Sacrifice means putting the best for the country, for the people against the top brass teams of the world. You have your ability and you have to sacrifice for the success that will make you a star and bring a smile to the face of the people who expect the best from you, that’s sacrifice,” said Queiroz.

Upon being asked to comment over England’s first-round exit from Group D, Queiroz’s reaction was quick and witty. “They said it was the group of death. And it was materialised by a team (Costa Rica) that nobody thought would win. No match is won before being played. That’s the beauty of football and the World Cup,” said Queiroz.

He refused to reveal his destination following the conclusion of the 20th edition of the World Cup. The Iranian Football Federation has requested him to extend his tenure while one journalist even asked whether he has received any offer from a Brazilian club. “Everything in life, that has a start also has an end. I am only focused with the World Cup now, I can’t say anything more,” concluded the dead-faced 61-year old. l

the highest per capita consumption of coffee. In light of this fact, it is no great surprise that De Jong runs around and tackles like Gennaro Gattuso on crack cocaine.

The most interesting piece of information about coffee and World Cup nations, however, is that Costa Ricans feed their infants coffee. I am not making this up. They really do put coffee in the milk feeders of one year olds. Google it. Search “coffee, infant, costa rica”, or “babies, costa rica, coffee”, or any two of the three words.

I suspect that coffee has a latent impact on one year olds. After all we have not heard of any Costa Rican infants tackling like De Jong. And I also suspect that this practice of giving coffee to humans barely young enough to smoke (Costa Rica also has one of the highest per capita consump-

tion of cigarettes in the world though I have not come across any information regarding infants and smoking) started around twenty-six years ago. That is the average age of the Costa Rican squad in this World Cup. Now the coffee has kicked in. And the rest is history.

Other than Suarez’s knee and Prandelli’s bizarre decision to change the formation that worked so well against England and play Motta in the starting eleven, I have found no other explanation for how Costa Rica has taken the World Cup by storm, and broken English hearts. They had just won just one international friendly in 2014.

Clearly Suarez’s absence and Prandelli’s brain breeze are side notes. The real news is, as of June 12th, 2014, the Costa Rican beans have started taking effect.

Be afraid world. Be VERY afraid. l

Brazil’s first team have not trained as a unit since Tuesday’s draw with Mexico, prompting concerns over the lack of urgency in a side that were disappointing in their opening two World Cup games.

Manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has long known his starting 11 and that team beat Croatia 3-1 in the tournament opener. He made one change to the side that drew 0-0- with Mexico, bringing in Ramires for Hulk, who had been suffering with a thigh injury.

Scolari led a technical training session on Friday, at which players practised drills as separate defensive and attacking units.

The squad had a day off after the scoreless draw in Fortaleza and the first team were spared training on Thursday because of heavy rain.

The host nation are seeking to se-

Iran exhibits spirited display Till date, Iran have won only one game in 10 matches of the Fifa World Cup and that famous victory was achieved against the United States on June 21, 1998, exactly 16 years from yesterday’s Group F tie between the top-ranked Asian side and powerhouses Argentina led by the wonderful Lionel Messi. This time the Iranians were on the threshold of another magnificent result but a moment of sheer magic broke their hearts.

Nearly 5,000 Iran supporters were egging their team on amongst a vociferous crowd of 68,000 people at Belo Horizonte. With the vast majority of the crowd cheering on Argentina, Iran faced a strong challenge both off and

REUTERS

on the field but the stocky and brave Western Asian side refused to go down without a fight. The physique of the Iranian footballers undeniably posed problems for the Argentine attackers and the unfancied Asians fought bravely producing a good tactical performance, especially in the second half.

The tall Iranian defenders did not allow any aerial superiority to their opponents while the park-the-bus strategy adopted by the Iranian defence did not allow any free space for the reputed Argentine attacking line.

However, the standard of Asian football once again fell short of the world standard as the depth of their crosses, free-kicks and long balls lacked the required venom. Iran though gradually grew in confidence, especially in the second half, and were the better side from the 65th to the 80th minute. Ar-

Iran’s fans celebrate on Vanak Square, in the capital Tehran, yesterday, despite their national team’s narrow defeat to Argentine in the World Cup in Brazil AFP

gentine coach Alejandro Sabella had to play all of his five forwards in different points of the game which is a clear indication as to how tough the game was for the South American giants. Sabella had to pull out Gonzalo Higuain and Sergio Aguero and inserted Ezequiel Lavezzi and Rodrigo Palacio in search of the alluding goal, which did not arrive before the 92nd minute.

The curved shot thumped in by Lionel Messi was too powerful for Iran custodian Alireza Haghighi, who stood like a stonewall in front of the opposition for the entirety of the game.

Haghighi rightly anticipated it but the ball curved in and beat him in the air by a second or half.

It was not that Iran did not get a chance themselves to pilfer the game away from the Argentinians.

First, Reza Ghoochannejad forced an excellent reflex save from Argentina keeper Sergio Romero after Pejman Montazeri had exploited space down the left flank. Moments later, Askhan Dejagah was convinced that he should have been awarded a penalty when he went down under a challenge from right-back Pablo Zabaleta. Replays suggested that the Manchester City defender had just made the faintest of contacts with the ball. Romero again palmed away a dangerous header of Ghoochannechad in the dying stages of the game. Soon, Dejagah’s powerful header from close range was tipped just over the bar by Romero. “We know that it would be a difficult, tense match,” Romero said. “Thank God I could get my hand on the ball and it didn’t go in. Messi then rubbed his magic lamp and we won.” l

cure first place in Group A against Cameroon to secure a last 16 encounter with the loser of the Group B match between the Netherlands and Chile. Brazil top the group with four points, ahead of Mexico on goal difference.

“We have to improve a few things, of course, but we do that (by) playing,” said left back Marcelo. “Now we have a game against Cameroon to improve things.”

Centre half David Luiz said the players were still adjusting to a more competitive level after the Confederations Cup and a year of friendlies. As host nation, Brazil qualified automatically for the 2014 World Cup. “We know that we can get better, that we can grow, but we also know what we’re up against,” Luiz told reporters at Brazil’s training camp outside Rio de Janeiro.

“When you compare the Confederations Cup with the World Cup it’s not the same, all the teams are very prepared for the World Cup. The level today is very high.”l

Argentina graced

by Maradona’s presence Argentine legend Diego Maradona was present in the Belo Horizonte stadium during his country’s Group F encounter against Iran in the Fifa World Cup yesterday.

The Argentinian fans were concentrating towards the players on the field but all of a sudden their attention shifted towards the VIP section where all the people surrounding the area started to flash their cameras upon catching a glimpse of arguably the best footballer of all time.

However, the Argentine legend did not watch the full game as he left his seat in the 41st minute of the first half and it was learned that he had to leave in order to attend a special interview session with a television channel afterwards. l

Messi saves bettor $350K A bettor walked into the Tuscany Casino in Las Vegas on Thursday and bet $231,676 in cash for Argentina to beat Iran straight up. It was the largest World Cup wager made at the 100 William Hill sportsbooks in the state of Nevada, confirmed company spokesman Michael Grodsky. Argentina was such a prohibitive favorite that if the team won, he would only win $20,000 so the bettor dropped another $120,000 on the same bet on Friday to win another $10,000 if Argentina prevailed.

Well, the guy had to sweat. He was four minutes of stoppage time away from losing more than $350,000. l

14

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Sunday, June 22, 2014

French press: France ‘breathtaking’

France coach Deschamps vindicated by Swiss rout “Liberté, égalité, fraternité” was famously the rallying cry of the French Revolution but it was the “unité” on display in the 5-2 rout of Switzerland on Friday that could be the most significent factor in how far France advance at the World Cup. Coach Didier Deschamps admitted he had not selected the best 23 players when he finalised his squad for the tournament and the omission of creative midfielder Samir Nasri was explicitly for reasons of squad cohesion.

While it was an understandable decision given the scandal of the South Africa campaign in 2010, it was still controversial and World Cup winner Patrick Vieira was among those who suggested he might live to regret it.

Four years after the strike on the team bus that presaged their departure from South Africa winless and a national disgrace, they took apart a Swiss team who had lost only once in the last two years to all but book a place in the last 16.

Vieira was unstinting in his praise for the team ethic that Deschamps - his captain when France won the World Cup in 1998 - had instilled in the squad.

“Didier Deschamps did a fantastic job bringing the players together, their collective will was unbelievable,” he told ITV. “What I really liked today was how they could find team mates who were in a better position to score.”

And score they did, twice through Olivier Giroud and Blaise Matuidi in little over 60 seconds inside the first 20 minutes in Salvador to put the Swiss on the canvas and again through Mathieu Valbuena after a sweeping counter-attack just before halftime.

Forward Karim Benzema, who had a penalty saved in the first half, finally got reward for his inspirational efforts with the fourth in the 67th minute to bring his tally for the tournament to three goals, before Moussa Sissoko grabbed the fifth.

“Things are going excellently for us,” striker Giroud, whose lung-busting run up the left flank set up Valbuena’s goal, told German TV. “We’ve got a great team spirit. We gave up two strange goals. But the important thing was the win over Switzerland.”

Combined with the 3-0 victory over Honduras, the result means France are almost assured a place in the knockout rounds before their final Group E match against Ecuador.

The French press hailed their country’s “breathtaking” performance after they recorded their second consecutive victory at the 2014 World Cup, beating Switzerland 5-2 on Friday.

Following their 3-0 victory over Honduras in the first round of matches, Les Bleus blew away their neighbours Switzerland in a match which L’Equipe described as a “magical display” and featured a side which “has all the weapons to become one of the star teams at this World Cup.” The victory came four years to the day after the French World Cup squad went on strike in South Africa and puts them on the brink of qualification for the second round. For L’Equipe the French team’s triumph was “breathtaking” and “marked the anniversary by burying (the memory) once and for all.”

“The euphoria that they have created is proportional to what they showed with their desire, commitment, generosity, enjoyment and audacity,” wrote Fabrice Jouhaud in the French sports daily. “Make the most of this moment,” he added, as “France played in a way we have so rarely seen in the last 10 years.”

Switzerland conceded just six goals in their qualification for the finals, but the paper’s front page said that Switzerland were blown away by the “attacking verve” of the French side.

“Until now,” argued columnist Vincent Duluc, “everything has gone well.

Very, very well.”

“Impressive” was the verdict of Le Parisien, who claimed that France “had opened up new horizons,” claiming that “we have not felt such enjoyment since 1998,” when Les Bleus won the competition on home soil.l

More important, perhaps, was the sight of French footballers playing for their country with such focus and pleasure.

“It is the same thing that we saw in 1998,” said Deschamps.

“Of course we can’t compare each changing room. I have a very focused group at present, they have a mindset that they want to maintain, even those who play less, there is a force that is rising.”

It was that very lack of rancour from the squad players that Deschamps had identified as the key factor in leaving Nasri at home.

If Deschamps lifting the World Cup on home soil marked the high point of France’s relationship with their national team, South Africa was the nadir.

It was by no means the end of the problems, though - the Euro 2012 campaign was nothing to write home about and it is easy to forget after the rampant display in Salvador that France so nearly missed out on qualification for Brazil.

“Respect”, a word that had not been associated with the France team for several years, was the L’Equipe headline after they overturned a two goal first-leg deficit to beat Ukraine in a playoff and book their spot in the tournament. l

Prandelli warns Azzurri Valencia double gives Ecuador new life ahead of Uruguay decider Italy must step up the pace against Uruguay or face a second consecutive World Cup exit at the group phase, coach Cesare Prandelli warned Friday after his side’s shock defeat.

Costa Rica’s 1-0 win over the Italians left them needing at least a point against Uruguay in their final Group D game to avoid a repeat of their first round exit at the South Africa World Cup in 2010.

Italy started with a solid 2-1 defeat of England, but Prandelli is now worried.

GROUP D

P W D L GF GA Pts Costa Rica (Q) 2 2 0 0 4 1 6 Italy 2 1 0 1 2 2 3 Uruguay 2 1 0 1 3 4 3 England 2 0 0 2 2 4 0 He rejected claims that the heat and humidity in Recife had played a factor in the defeat. “It was no excuse,” said the 56-year-old.

“We had the wrong approach, our pace was too slow. It wasn’t the best approach,” added Prandelli.

“Costa Rica were well organised, quick and good at winning the ball.

After we conceded the goal, we just couldn’t get back into it.”

Prandelli added: “I’m sure we are going to step up a notch (for Uruguay).

We have to, otherwise we are out.”

Striker Mario Balotelli missed two first half chances set up by midfielder Andrea Pirlo, who was marked closely throughout as Costa Rica shut out through balls to the forwards.

“If we’d have scored those two goals, we’d have been looking at a different game,” Prandelli said.

But two minutes after seeing strong claims for a penalty waved away, Costa Rica stunned the Italians.

Prandelli made a series of changes, with Antonio Cassano and Lorenzo Insigne notably replacing Thiago Motta and Antonio Candreva.

But it did not spark the Italians, who had to charge back to thwart Ruiz and late substitute Marcos Urena from adding a second goal.

Before Tuesday’s decider in Natal, Prandelli says he will be working to help the team get over the shock of defeat and to strengthen them physically to take on a Uruguay side that stormed to a 2-1 win against England on Thursday.

“It’s going to be an especially challenging match,” said Prandelli. “We played them last year in Confederations Cup and after we played well for 35 minutes, they took over.

“But right now, we have to chase all negative thoughts away. We have to prepare from a mental and psychological point of view. And we need to recover our energy and spirit.”l

Ecuador moved into second place in World Cup Group E as two goals from Enner Valencia handed them a 2-1 win over Honduras in Curitiba on Friday.

Honduras had looked on course for their first ever World Cup win when Carlo Costly fired them in front on 31 minutes, but Valencia levelled from close range just three minutes later.

And the Pachuca striker moved alongside Karim Benzema, Robin Van Persie, Thomas Mueller and Arjen Robben as the tournament’s joint top scorer on three goals when he headed home the winner from Walter Ayovi’s

free-kick 25 minutes from time.

“Scoring at a World Cup has been something I have dreamed of since I was a child and thanks to the coaching staff and my teammates that has come true,” said Valencia.

“The golden boot is not something I am thinking about. The most important thing is qualifying from the group and if that comes thanks to more goals from me then all the better.”

Ecuador now lead Switzerland on goal difference with both sides locked on three points after two games behind group leaders France on six.

However, Honduras can also still qualify despite losing both their games

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

Ecuador’s Enner Valencia (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring in their World Cup Group E match against Honduras at the Baixada Arena in Curitiba on Friday AFP

2. IMPRECISE TACTICS - While Hodgson’s 4-2-3-1 formation was well established, England’s approach in Brazil has felt approximative. Although Sterling, Welbeck, Rooney and Daniel Sturridge roamed around the pitch to useful effect in the loss to Italy, their attacking endeavours against the tough-tackling Uruguayans felt desperate rather than

Italy’s 1-0 defeat to Costa Rica on Friday condemned England to their earliest World Cup exit since the 1958 tournament in Sweden.

Despite striker Wayne Rooney’s assertion that his side would have “no excuses” for a premature departure in Brazil, England were eliminated before the squad had even finished their course of anti-malaria tablets.

After the latest in a long list of disappointments at major tournaments, AFP Sports identifies five areas where England came unstuck this time:

3. DEFENSIVE ERRORS - All the goals that England have conceded in Group D have been down to basic defensive mistakes. Inattention at a corner allowed Claudio Marchisio to fire Italy ahead in Manaus, while Baines was found wanting in the build-up to Balotelli’s headed winner. Against Uruguay, Edinson Cavani was able to pick out Luis Suarez for the opening goal despite England having six players back, with Phil Jagielka responsible for letting his man ghost into space behind him. Uruguay’s second goal was a disaster

Ecuador Honduras 2 1 8 16 5 9 12 4 1 1 17 15 3 2 0 0 51% 49%

GROUP E

1. TOO MUCH, TOO YOUNG

methodical. As former England right-back Danny Mills, now a BBC pundit, observed during the Uruguay game: “There is no set pattern to England’s play.”

away by Australian referee Benjamin Williams when Costly went down under pressure from Juan Paredes.

Moments later it was Ecuador who should have taken the lead as Valencia timed his run onto Frickson Erazo’s long ball forward perfectly but couldn’t find the target when left with just Noel Valladares to beat. After the break it was Ecuador’s turn to feel aggrieved with referee Williams as he again was unmoved when Felipe Caicedo tumbled under a challenge from Maynor Figueroa.

However, that decision mattered little in the end as Valencia netted the winner when he rose highest to meet Ayovi’s sweet delivery. l

MATCH STATS

FIVE THINGS THAT WENT WRONG FOR ENGLAND - Manager Roy Hodgson received praise for flooding his squad with young, creative players, but England looked unbalanced in their defeats against Uruguay and Italy.

Aligning pure attackers such as Raheem Sterling, Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney on the flanks left the full-backs exposed, as demonstrated by the ease with which Antonio Candreva beat Leighton Baines en route to setting up Mario Balotelli for the decisive goal in England’s opening game against Italy.

Sterling, 19, shone in a central role against Italy in Manaus, but could not free himself from Uruguay’s shackles in Sao Paulo, while 20-year-old Everton starlet Ross Barkley was unable to make a telling impression as a substitute in either game.

so far should they heavily defeat the Swiss and Ecuador lose to France.

And Honduras boss Luis Suarez insisted they have to believe anything is possible against Switzerland.

“It would be worse if we were eliminated and this game didn’t mean anything. This chance still exists and we have to try,” he said.

“Now more than ever we have to fight for the country. If a victory means qualification then great, but if it doesn’t at least we have given everything until the end.”

After a nervy opening from both sides the game began to open up midway through the half and Honduras felt they had a strong penalty appeal waved

from an English perspective, as a route-one punt from goalkeeper Fernando Muslera was allowed to reach Suarez, who had the freedom of the England box to fire past Joe Hart. Former England centre-back Rio Ferdinand described the defending as “schoolboyish”.

4. LACK OF MIDFIELD COMPOSURE - England dominated possession against Uruguay and saw plenty of the ball against Italy, but too often technical deficiencies and unnecessary haste betrayed them. With a team geared exclusively towards attacking at pace, England lacked players capable of drawing the sting from the match by putting a foot on the ball and slowing the pace.

At 1-1 against Uruguay, England’s inability

to control the game’s tempo proved their undoing. “I just thought when we got the equaliser, we just needed to be a bit more clever, a bit more cute, and a bit more difficult to beat,” admitted Steven Gerrard.

“Maybe we should have accepted that going for a point might have been the best option.”

5. GERRARD OVERWHELMED - After an emotionally and physically draining season with Liverpool, Gerrard has looked off the pace in Brazil. Used to playing alongside two central midfielders with Liverpool, the skipper had only club-mate Jordan Henderson for company in England’s first two games and the extra exertion seemed to take a toll. He was culpable in the build-up to both of Suarez’s goals for Uruguay, tamely conceding possession before the first and inadvertently heading the ball straight into his Liverpool team-mate’s path for the second. “You’ve got to say Steven Gerrard, in both England’s group games, hasn’t looked sharp,” said former England winger Chris Waddle. “He has not dictated the games.”

–AFP

P W D L GF GA Pts France (Q) 2 2 0 0 8 2 6 Ecuador 2 1 0 1 3 3 3 Switzerland 2 1 0 1 4 6 3 Honduras 2 0 0 2 1 5 0

Rooney says sorry for World Cup flop Wayne Rooney on Saturday apologised to England fans for the country’s disastrous exit from the World Cup after two defeats.

The 28-year-old Manchester United striker said on his Facebook page that he was “absolutely devastated” and “gutted” by the losses to Italy and Uruguay in Group D. Costa Rica beat Italy 1-0 on Friday, snuffing out any remaining hope for England.

“Sorry to all the fans that travelled and at home that we haven’t done better,” said Rooney, who did manage to get his first World Cup finals goal in the Uruguay game.

“Going into each game we had great belief in ourselves but unfortunately it hasn’t worked out,” he added.

Midfielder Jack Wilshere sent the same message to England fans.

“Gutted doesn’t come close to how I am feeling right now. Sorry to all the fans who came out and supported us, and everyone back home,” the 22-year-

old Arsenal player said on his Twitter account.

England have faced withering criticism from the media. But the English Football Association has insisted it will stick with coach Roy Hodgson for the Euro 2016 qualifiers. l

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Sunday, June 22, 2014

Ronaldo key to Portugal recovery as US clash looms A wounded Portugal, still smarting from a 4-0 defeat by Germany, are fervently hoping that talismanic forward Cristiano Ronaldo is fit when they take on the United States in their second World Cup Group G game on Sunday.

The thrashing was the biggest ever loss the Portuguese have suffered at a World Cup and their misery deepened as central defender Pepe was sent off while Ronaldo struggled for form as he battled a knee injury.

The world player of the year will need to be back to his best for the clash with the Americans, who surprisingly beat Ghana 2-1 in their opening game.

Rumours about Ronaldo’s condition have been swirling across the internet and offi-

V Belgium BELGIUM

RUSSIA

Russia in Belgium’s path to round of 16

Maracanã, Rio De Janeiro 22 JUN 2014 - 13:00 Local (10:00PM BST)

FACT BOX Possible teams: Belgium

1-Thibaut Courtois; 2-Toby Alderweireld, 4-Vincent Kompany, 5-Jan Vertonghen, 15-Daniel Van Buyten; 7-Kevin De Bruyne, 22-Nacer Chadli, 6-Axel Witsel, 19-Mousa Dembele; 10-Eden Hazard, 9-Romelu Lukaku Russia

1-Igor Akinfeev; 14-Vasili Berezutskiy, 4-Sergey Ignashevich, 22-Andrey Eshchenko, 23-Dmitry Kombarov, 18-Yury Zhirkov; 8-Denis Glushakov, 19-Alexander Samedov, 20-Victor Faizulin, 17-Oleg Shatov; 9-Alexander Kokorin Key facts:

Though only playing in their first finals since 2002, Belgium came to the tournament as bookmakers’ fifth favourites behind Brazil, Argentina, Germany and Spain.

Belgium finished top of their group in European qualifying and were unbeaten - winning eight games and drawing two to finish nine points clear of Croatia.

After the break up the Soviet Union, Russia have appeared at two World Cup finals, failing to make it out of the group stage in 1994 and 2002.

Russia won seven of their 10 qualifiers to finish above Portugal in their qualifying group.

Previous meetings:

The pair have met eight times, including matches involving the Soviet Union. Russia lead the series 4-3, with one match drawn.

This is their fifth meeting at the World Cup, where each side has claimed two victories apiece. The first two meetings were won by Russia (then Soviet Union), 4-1 in the group round in 1970 and 1-0 in the second group round in 1982. The Belgians clinched the next two matches, 4-3 after extra time in the Round of 16 in 1986 and 3-2 in the opening round of the 2002 edition.

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots is his country’s all-time top scorer at the World Cup with five goals. The former midfielder’s last strike came against Russia in that 3-2 win in 2002.

Having come from behind to beat Algeria in their opening game, Belgium can reach the World Cup knockout phase by beating Russia at Rio de Janeiro’s fabled Maracana on Sunday.

Marc Wilmots’s ‘golden generation’ looked destined to make a meek entrance into the tournament after falling behind to a Sofiane Feghouli penalty in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday, but late goals from substitutes Marouane Fellaini and Dries Mertens got them off to a winning start.

With Russia having been held 1-1 by South Korea in their Group H opener, the last 16 is already within sight for Belgium, who are seen as dark horses to win the tournament after going through qualifying unbeaten.

Belgium centre-back Nicolas Lombaerts, who plays for Russian side Zenit Saint-Petersburg, knows better than most what to expect from Fabio Capello’s side, and he expects his teammates to have a physical edge.

“Capello places lots of importance on organisation,” said the 29-year-old, whose side are appearing at a first major tournament since 2002.

“We’ll have to pay attention on the turnovers. Russia are not very physical.

Our size should be an advantage.

“They’ve only got two players taller

than six foot. They’ll try to hurt us by keeping the ball on the ground.”

Lombaerts is on standby to play in case Belgium captain Vincent Kompany is unable to shake off a minor groin complaint. The Manchester City defender missed training on Thursday and Friday, but Wilmots is confident that he will be able to take part in Saturday’s eve-of-match session at the Maracana.

Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard, creator of Mertens’s winning goal against Algeria, is also expected to be fit despite sustaining a bruised toe during that game.

Should Russia lose, Capello’s side would find themselves on the brink of elimination ahead of their final game against Algeria on Thursday.

“We should forget the first game because it’s in the past and we have to focus on the game against Belgium,” he said.

“We have a huge responsibility on our shoulders, so we have to try to do our best to get the three points to get a chance to qualify.

Glushakov’s position in the team is under threat from Dynamo Moscow midfielder Igor Denisov, while Kerzhakov’s goal in Cuiaba has strengthened his claim to a starting berth.

Russian media reports, meanwhile, suggest that CSKA Moscow playmaker Alan Dzagoev will replace Zenit’s Oleg Shatov in the number 10 role. l

cials were forced to deny reports that his personal doctor had advised him to quit the tournament.

A few days’ rest seem to have helped and his team mate Miguel Veloso said the player appeared to be in good shape.

THE BIG MATCH

V USA

“I’m not a doctor but from what I see, Ronaldo is fine,” Veloso told reporters after a training session in Campinas.

“He is training, he is jumping and he is shooting. There is not much else to say.”

Ronaldo, who was suffering from tendinosis in his left knee several weeks before the 32-nation tournament, was photographed walking out of Wednesday’s training session early with an ice pack on his left knee.

Also of concern to coach Paolo Bento is the need to find the right replacements for the suspended Pepe and injured left back Fabio Coentrao whose involvement in the tournament is over.

Algeria scored their first World Cup goal in 28 years in their opener and

KEY STATS The only Arab nation present in Brazil, Algeria scored their first World Cup finals goal in 28 years in a 2-1 loss to Belgium in their tournament opener. Sofiane Feghouli converted a spot kick in the 25th minute to notch Algeria’s first since a 1-1 draw against Northern Ireland in the 1986 tournament.

Algeria were the last African qualifiers, beating Burkina Faso 1-0 in the second leg of their play-off to advance on away goals after a 3-2 first-leg defeat.

South Korea’s best finish at a World Cup was fourth place in 2002 on home soil. They became the first Asian side to reach the semi-finals after a run that saw them defeat Portugal, Italy and Spain before falling to Germany in the last four.

This is the 30th World Cup match contested by South Korea, who have made more appearances in the event than any other Asian team.

South Korea are undefeated against African teams in the World Cup, having beaten Togo 2-1 in 2006 and drawn 2-2 with Nigeria four years ago.

WC TV coverage breaks records: Fifa Japan’s clash against Ivory Coast was one of the most viewed games of the 2014 World Cup so far as television coverage shattered a host of records during the first round of group matches, Fifa said on Friday.

As many as 34.1 million viewers in Japan watched the team’s 2-1 defeat by

the Ivorians on the NHK channel at 10 a.m. local time, while 42.9 million in Brazil saw the hosts beat Croatia 3-1 in the tournament’s opener on TV Globo.

The match between the U.S. and Ghana was watched by 11.1 million on ESPN in the United States, setting a new record for ESPN coverage of a men’s World Cup match.

“These record-breaking figures show

just how popular football and the FIFA World Cup is across the world, from Japan to Argentina,” said Fifa TV director Niclas Ericson. England’s 2-1 defeat by Italy in the Amazon city of Manaus attracted 14.2 million on BBC 1 in the UK and 12.8 million on RAI 1, the highest TV audiences in both countries in 2014. Germany’s ARD channel had 26.4 million watching the country’s 4-0 win over Portugal. l

WORLD CUP IN BANGLADESH PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST Send us your photographs to WorldCupBD@dhakatribune.com

For more info visit our FB event page ‘World Cup in Bangladesh’ Photography Contest

FACT BOX Probable teams: United States

1-Tim Howard; 23-Fabian Johnson, 6-John Brooks, 20-Geoff Cameron, 7-DaMarcus Beasley; 15-Kyle Beckerman, 4-Michael Bradley, 13-Jermaine Jones, 11-Alejandro Bedoya; 8-Clint Dempsey; 9-Aron Johansson Portugal

12-Rui Patricio; 21-Joao Pereira, 13-Ricardo Costa, 2-Bruno Alves, 19-Andre Almeida; 4-Miguel Veloso, 8-Joao Moutinho, 16-Raul Meireles; 7-Cristiano Ronaldo, 23-Helder Postiga, 17-Nani Key stats:

Unites States beat Portugal 3-2 in the only competitive meeting between the two sides, the result helping them advance to the last 16 in the 2002 World Cup at the expense of the Portuguese.

United States coach Juergen Klinsmann was in charge of his native Germany when they beat Portugal 3-1 in the 2006 tournament’s thirdplace match.

Portugal suffered their worst World Cup defeat in the previous 4-0 drubbing by Germany.

Portugal have twice reached the semi-finals in their five previous World Cup appearances.

Previous meetings

These two teams have met five times, winning two games each while one ended in a draw. Four of them were friendlies and they are also level on five goals apiece overall.

Algeria eye to turn goal trickle into flood

DAY’S WATCH BTV, Gazi TV, Maasranga TV 2014 FIFA World Cup 10:00PM Belgium v Russia 1:00AM Korea v Algeria 4:00AM USA v Portugal Star Sports 1 4:00PM Sri Lanka Tour of England 2nd Test, Day 3

PORTUGAL

Arena Amazonia, Manaus 22 JUN 2014 - 18:00 Local (4:00AM BST)

Goalkeeper Rui Patricio and striker Hugo Almeida were also nursing knocks but have been ruled fit to play, although the latter could be dropped for Helder Postiga after a lacklustre performance against Germany.

INSPIRED DISPLAY The United States will hope to reproduce the inspired display from the 2002 World Cup when they beat Portugal 3-2 in the group stage, a win which helped them advance to the last 16 at the expense of their rivals.

Coach Juergen Klinsmann, who was in charge of his native Germany when they beat Portugal 3-1 in the 2006 tournament’s third-place match, said he expected Ronaldo to fire on all cylinders in the hot and humid city of Manaus.

Klinsmann also hopes that his walking wounded recover, in particular Clint Dempsey who broke his nose after taking a boot to the face against Ghana shortly after scoring inside a minute.

“Now (Portugal) are going to come into Manaus pretty angry and I don’t know how Ronaldo is going to perform when he is angry. We need to show Portugal how good we are,” he said.

Klinsmann might ponder whether to start John Brooks, who scored the winner against the Ghanaians on his World Cup debut after coming on as a substitute for Matt Besler, while striker Aron Johansson is set to replace the injured Jozy Altidore. l

15

Dhaka

will hope the offensive floodgates have opened in a crucial Group H match against a leaky South Korea on Sunday.

With dark horse Belgium sitting atop the group standings and Russia and Korea joint second after an opening 1-1 draw, Algeria will be fighting for their World Cup lives on Sunday at Porto Alegre’s Beira Rio stadium.

Back in the World Cup for the fourth time, the ‘Desert Foxes’ have never made it past the first round and will need a result against the Koreans if they are to extend their stay in Brazil.

The only Arab nation present at the tournament, the Algerians arrive at this gritty port city believing a place in the last 16 is within their reach after going down 2-1 to highly rated Belgium.

Confidence and mood, however, will not be as high in the South Korean camp after sloppy play in their back end cost them a victory against Russia.

After yielding 11 goals in five World Cup warm-ups, the Koreans again looked vulnerable at the back in their opener and Algeria’s coach Vahid Halilhodzic will be plotting to add to their woes.

When Sofiane Feghouli converted a spot kick to give Algeria a 1-0 lead over Belgium, the Arab nation celebrated their World Cup finals goal since 1986 and were on course for a famous upset until the Europeans struck twice in the last 20 minutes.

“We could have won,” lamented Halilhodzic. “We were heroic in the

first half. At half-time I was sure we would make it. We’ve missed a major opportunity. But I don’t want to blame anyone. You can say I am the one to be blamed, as usual.

“Belgium is one of the best teams in Europe. My team gave as much as they could in the present time.”

South Korea, fourth place finishers in 2002 on home soil, also see the contest as a must-win with group favourites Belgium looming on the horizon.

V KOREA

ALGERIA

Estadio Beira-Rio, Porto Alegre 22 JUN 2014 - 16:00 Local (1:00AM BST) “We have to defeat them to get to the round of 16,” said Korean midfielder Koo Ja-cheol. “We’ll concentrate on doing whatever it takes to win.”

Korean coach Hong Myung-bo, the elegant sweeper who led Korea to the 2002 semi-finals, will want to see a better effort defensively but is also considering his attacking options.

A team that plays with plenty of offensive flair and ambition Hong could keep Park Chu-young as his main striker against Algeria or bring in Kim Shinwook or Lee Keun-ho, a sergeant serving in the South Korean military who earns less than $150 per month. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE Sunday, June 22, 2014 DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, June 16, 2014

13 Shakib claims to be unaware of protocol

14 Rooney says sorry for England flop

Sport

15 Ronaldo key to Portugal recovery

Record-equalling Klose salvages draw for Germany n Reuters, Fortaleza

Germany striker Miroslav Klose came off the bench to score a record-equalling 15th World Cup goal and salvage a 2-2 draw against Ghana in a pulsating Group G game on Saturday.

Klose, with his first touch of the game, poked home at the back post from a corner in the 71st minute to move level with former Brazil striker Ronaldo.

Ghana, who trailed to Mario Goetze’s goal early after the break, stormed back to level through Andre Ayew and take the lead when Asamoah Gyan lashed home but Klose secured a point to leave Germany top of the group on four points from two games.

After a cautious, evenly-balanced first half, the match came alive in the 51st minute with Goezte putting the Germans ahead with a downward header that came off his knee before beating Fatawu Dauda in the Ghanaian goal.

But the Africans hit straight back, Andre Ayew outleaping the towering figure of Per Mertesacker in the German defence to head his side level on 54.

Nine minutes later, Ghana took the lead with Gyan breaching the German back line and firing a right foot shot past goalkeeper Manuel Neuer.

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

Germany Ghana 2 2 11 20 6 10 7 3 1 5 11 17 0 1 0 0 59% 41%

Germany coach Joachim Loew turned to experience, throwing on Klose and Bastian Schweinsteiger and it proved an inspired switch with Klose netting the goal that keeps the Germans in contention to reach the second round for a remarkable 16th consecutive World Cup. Ghana sit third in the group on one point with United States (three points), playing bottom side Portugal on Sunday This was the 800th match in the history of the World Cup and was a fitting tribute to the tournament. It marked Mertesacker’s 100th German cap and also saw the Boateng half-brothers face each other for the second World Cup in a row.

Jerome played the first half for Germany while Kevin-Prince played for Ghana. l

Germany’s Miroslav Klose celebrates scoring the equaliser against Ghana in their Group G World Cup match at the Castelao Stadium in Fortaleza yesterday

AFP

Argentinian fans most passionate of the lot

from Belo Horizonte, Brazil

For their passion, spirit and commitment towards the national team, the Argentine fans can be declared the champion of the roads even though the

crown of official champions will not be decided before July 13 which is still three weeks away. Scrutinised thoroughly by the Brazilian police wherever they go, the Argentine fans have appeared the most colourful besides being a little volatile too during the ongoing football extravaganza.

The English fans were dubbed as an attacking brand but this time they were not seen in their traditional mode and subsequently replaced by the Argentine fans who have flooded the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro when Argentina beat Bosnia-Herzegovina on June 15. Only the Argentine fans were seen in different match venues prior to the matchday. They crowded the entrance of the Maracana Stadium shouting “Ole, Ole, Argentina” and “Ole, Ole, Messi” and different other chants. It was a continuous process and at the same time gulping endless bottles of beer was also a simultaneous process.

The Argentine fans have decorated themselves with wigs and t-shirts boasting pictures of Lionel Messi and Diego Maradona. They carry guitars, drums and other ceremonial objects with them and take great pride in

chanting different patriotic anthems.

Everything is done through a combined effort.

Argentina were scheduled to kickoff their match against Iran at 7pm at Maracana yesterday but their fans

started crowding the stadium from 8am, almost 12 hours in advance and the dance, the chorus and the endless “Ole, Ole” will go on till the end of the game. It was also observed that one group sometimes threatened the other and a fight was about to begin but apparently some leaders, who like to be referred to as the football gang “Barras Bravas”, quickly intervened and the opposing parties obeyed their words.

The same scenario prevailed at Belo Horizonte yesterday.

Brazil have reportedly banned 2,100 Argentine hooligans from entering the country during the World Cup, according to the Brazilian federal police department.

Brazil though are yet to ban fans from any other countries. Prior to the World Cup, Brazil requested that Argentina share information on its football hooligans’ criminal records. As a result 650 members of a group called “Barras”

belonging to the United Argentine Fans (HUA) have taken a case to the court to stop the government from handing over information. Over the years hooliganism in football was on the rise and the Argentine Football Association last season banned away fans in league matches after a fan was killed.

It was also learned that in the last Group F match between Argentina and Nigeria, dozens of Argentine police officials in plain clothes jointly scrutinised the scenario alongside the Brazilian police.

The flamboyant Argentine supporters’ passion towards their national team is unmistakable and Messi and co. will no doubt take inspiration from their die-hard faithful. If Argentina clinch their third world title, and they are more than capable of it, the fans will no doubt bask in the glory and savour one of the greatest journeys they have undertaken. l

Football-mad Indian couple off to 9th World Cup finals Their World Cup love affair began more than three decades ago in Spain. Now 81-year-old Pannalal Chatterjee and his wife Chaitali, 72, are once more heading from cricket-mad India to the ultimate football fiesta.

“This may be my last one, but I am so happy at getting the chance to watch a tournament in Brazil,” Pannalal said during a stopover in Singapore on his way to what will be the couple’s ninth World Cup. “It’s always been my dream to watch the World Cup in Brazil. It’s the Mecca of football,” he told AFP by phone.

The Chatterjees, who live in the eastern city of Kolkata, are life-long football fans and Pannalal has been involved as a volunteer administrator for the sport in eastern India since the early 1970s.

They got their first taste of top-level football in 1982 when a friend whom they were staying with in London got them tickets for the tournament in Spain, when a young Diego Maradona first garnered global attention. l

Pannalal Chatterjee and his wife Chaitali showing mementos of their participation in last eight World Cup football tournaments

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

B3 Western automakers

B4 Power of Microsoft’s

embrace aluminium, Asia still welded to steel

Muhith for serious efforts on land use to improve productivity n Tribune Report Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday put emphasis on best use of land for increasing the productivity.

“Plan for the best use of land is important at the upazila level. The land management is so poor in Bangladesh. I think, we should work seriously regarding this,” Muhith said, opening the twoday conference of Bangladesh Economists’ Forum (BEF) at a city hotel.

More than 500 economists, researchers, experts, policymakers and journalists are taking part at the conference to discuss a series of issues relating to growth, macro and financial policies, fiscal policy and capital markets, trade, aid and infrastructure, poverty reduction, human development, sustainable development and public policy-making and institutions.

Muhith said Bangladesh is a land of impossible attainment as it moves up despite many impediments. “You will be successful here in every filed as the people is capable despite many impediments.”

He admitted the fact that political instability and infrastructure bottlenecks were the barriers for boosting the economic growth. “Bangladesh is facing serious infrastructure deficit.

We need huge infrastructure development,” he said. Reiterating to revive the private investment, the finance minister said the government is focusing to encourage the private investment for meaningful growth.

Chairman of Centre for Policy Dialogue Rehman Sobhan emphasised the need for political stability for faster economic growth. “It can be division in politics, but in economy there should be no division among the political parties.”

While presenting the keynote paper titled “Farming, fertility, food: why has Bangladesh done better than expected? Can it continue to do so?” Professor at University of Sussex Michael Lipton called for redistributing farmland for effective use of land.

“Top 5% own 26% land, but their farm size average only 5.3 acres! Its reform may be counterproductive unless ownership ceiling is enforced,” he said.

He said Bangladesh is doing well in its economic arena especially in farming, fertility and food sector, and it would continue this trend in future.

Lipton said Bangladesh has reduced poverty, gender discrimination, ensured food security and done well in the health and education sectors from 1990 to 2014.

“This success is better in comparison with India,” he added. He hoped that Bangladesh would continue to make successes by reducing political violence and arrange dialogue about forming policy. l

Bing an open question in search industry

SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

Bangladesh may face risks of middleincome trap and jobless growth Economists fear as they suggest reversing the country’s growth strategy n Kayes Sohel Bangladesh may face the risks of middle-income trap and jobless growth unless the present pattern of growth is not reversed, economists fear.

They said traditional problems like energy and land crisis should be removed while eliminating corruption and establishing rule of law are among the immediate challenges for accelerated and sustainable growth.

A galaxy of renowned economists raised the concern at a session titled “Growth Strategies And Macroeconomic Stability” of the “First BEF (Bangladesh Economists’ Forum) Conference” at a hotel in Dhaka yesterday.

Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister Mashiur Rahman moderated the session on the first day of the two-day conference.

Former director of UN IFAD Mohiuddin Alamgir in his presentation said the situation Bangladesh is likely to face on its way to prosperity would be to face the consequence of the Philippines – record growth with little or no employment growth.

This is because the country’s productivity growth is induced by new technology, which seems to have reduced employment growth. Second, worker/employment shifts from low productivity to high productivity sec-

tor pushed by rural-urban migration is having the same impact on growth of employment.

Alamgir found two immediate challenges to overcome – the so called middle-income trap and jobless growth.

“The latter is an emerging phenomenon faced by countries like the Philippines, high growth rate accompanied by sustained high rate of unemployment.”

Bangladesh could conceivably move to a higher trajectory of accelerated growth but should then grow at a rapid pace avoiding the middle-income trap like Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Africa and Thailand, and escaping the current fate of the Philippines of jobless growth, the paper noted.

“Beyond the middle income trap and jobless growth which represent structural limitations to growth, Bangladesh will have to deal with a number of other constraints to longer term.”

World Bank lead economist Zahid Hussain, however, sees political stability, enhancement of ability to enforce rule of law and equability, and to encourage business community to seek profits from improving productivity, learning efficiency rather than parking savings in the offshore are the key challenges for higher growth and economic development.

He said capital accumulation is beyond dispute for accelerating the growth. Macrocosmic scenario is good but private investment scenario, a pre-requisite for the sustainable growth, is not in good shape in Bangladesh. However, Bangladesh had done well but it falls short of well behind in Asian economics, he said.

In his presentation, vice chairman of Policy Research Institute Sadiq Ahmed said under the high growth scenario, Bangladesh would attain middle income status comfortably by 2021 and move on to $2,500 per capita income in 2030.

“If growth rate stays at the present level, Bangladesh still attains middle income status by 2021. However, if growth slides to the low case, the attainment of middle income status by 2021 will likely become questionable.”

The high growth scenario causes per capita GDP to almost triple in 16 years, from a low of $882 in 2014 to $2,500 in 2030. As compared to this, per capita GDP reaches $1867 under the base case and only $1601 in the low case, he said.

“The gap between the low case and high case is strikingly large and is indicative of the importance of paying attention to the growth strategy.”

The most important growth drivers are: the accumulation of capital, the growth of labor force, quality of

labor force, and the contribution of the growth of total factor productivity (TFP).

In the past two years, the investment rate seems to have stagnated, especially the private investment effort.

The fact that the national savings rate exceeds the domestic investment rate is suggestive of an incentive problem and other demand side constraints that require proper investigation and resolution, the paper said.

“If Bangladesh is unable to expand its investment effort substantially in the coming years, this traditional source of growth will be jeopardized.

This presents a major policy challenge.”

It said the income of Bangladesh was not much different from that of China.

Bangladesh has achieved considerable success in securing higher rates of GDP growth, but this performance falls short of the aspirations articulated in the government’s Vision 2021 and the Perspective Plan 2010-2021.

These growth rates also fall short of growth achieved in the dynamic East Asian economies of South Korea, Malaysia and China and these countries have moved far ahead of Bangladesh, according to paper.

MG Quibria, professor of department of economics at Morgan State University, Maryland also spoke. l

Prominent economists are addressing the inaugural session of the ‘First BEF (Bangladesh Economists’ Forum) Conference’ at a hotel in Dhaka yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

‘Market crash will happen again’ Shahariar Zaman and n Sheikh Jebun Nesa Alo Market manipulation is one of the causes of capital market instability in Bangladesh.

This issue was investigated by former deputy governor of the Bangladesh Bank Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled and his report cited market manipulation behind market instability, said former caretaker government adviser AB Mirza Azizul Islam.

He was speaking at a conference of Bangladesh Economists’ Forum in the city yesterday.

In his presentation, the former SEC chairman suggested increasing the number of initial public offerings.

More shares will bring balance between supply and demand, and give more options to investors, he said.

He, however, said: “The promised off-loading of shares of 26 state-owned enterprises has not been materialized.”

Centre for Policy Dialogue Executive Director Mostafizur Rahman said unless the manipulators are remained untouchable, the market would not operate in its normal course. “Market crash will happen again.”

Former finance minister Saiduzzaman said there is a lack of coordination between regulators including Bangladesh Bank and Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission.

Despite having lower savings rate in the banks, depositors are reluctant to move towards the share market for lack of confidence, economists told at an earlier session.

Banks are though offering lower interest rate on deposit due to excess liquidity, but depositors still rely on the banks than share market, Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune on the sidelines.

This is because the bank clients get proper judgment against the fraud in the banking sector, he added.

Addressing a session, he suggested entrepreneurs to mobilize fund from the stock market as the banks do not lend for a long period of time as the banks’ deposits are of short term nature.

“It’s not possible for banks to give loans for 10-year term … the country’s economy would have been more rich if banks could provide long term loans,” he said.

The governor said there is a lack of good governance in the banking sector mainly in the state-owned ones. “We are trying to overcome the problems and establish digital system to ensure transparency.”

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal said there is no positive reflection of economic progress in the share market due to lack of confidence of general investors.

He said the market could not yet recover the investors’ confidence after three years of debacle in 2010. l

Bangladesh labour productivity slides State banks likely to see ‘tougher n Jebun Nesa Alo Labour productivity has slowed down significantly in Bangladesh during the last decade (2001-2012) because of slower growth in domestic savings and persistent high-level of household consumption, a conference was told.

Moreover, the country’s GDP growth continues to grow at a slower rate than major trading partners.

The average growth rate of GDP per worker fell from 3.4% during 1990-2000 to 2.4% during 2000-2011 while the growth rate of GDP per hour worked fell more sharply from 3.3% to 1% during the same period.

The country registered an average GDP growth rate of 4.8% during the period of 1981-2012 as compared to 5.9% during 2001-2012.

Hamid Rashid, Senior Adviser for Macroeconomic Policy UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, New York, came up with the observation while presenting his report titled ‘’Stimulating Productivity Growth for Achieving Sustainable Middle-income Status,” at a session of Bangladesh Economist’s Forum (BFF) conference at a city hotel yesterday.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman, however, intercepted the presentation of the session, disagreeing with the findings. In response, Hamid Rashid informed the meeting that the figures were compiled from the available published data.

policy’ on directors

SOURCES OF GDP GROWTH BY FINAL DEMAND IN 2011 (%) 120

100

Net Export

Investment

Government Consumption

Household Consumption

14.1

25.1

n Asif showkat kallol

17.1

31.7

29.7 33

80 47.6

60

40

82.3

81.2

77.8

68.5

63.5

56.6

20

36.4

0

Bangladesh

India

Pakistan

China

Vietnam

Cambodia

Indonesia

-20

He said productivity growth is a key determinant for achieving convergence with meddle and higher income countries. But productivity growth slowed in Bangladesh due to weak growth in domestic savings, persistent investment-savings gap, inadequate tracking and monitoring of productivity growth and absence of an over-arching industrial policy for productivity-led economic growth, he said.

“As the major consumption of people goes to the food due to high inflation, growing dominance of short-term finance in the economy and lack of

appropriate savings instruments also among the factor of lower productivity,” he added.

According to his report, household consumption of Bangladesh was 77.8% against the country’s total investment of 25.1% in 2011.

The report also painted a grim picture of house hold consumption and then investment in the neighbouring Asian countries while India was 63.5% and 31.7%, Pakistan 81.2% and 14.1%, China 36.4% and 47.6%, Vietnam 68.5% and 29.7%, Cambodia 82.3% and 17.1% and Indonesia is 56.6% and 33%. l

Finance Minister AMA Muhith will sit today with three secretaries and NBR chairman to discuss about strategies to bring back discipline in the country’s scam-hit state-owned banks.

He will also discuss about formulating a tougher policy to appoint chairmen and directors for the state-owned banks.

The meeting will be attended by Banking Division Secretary Dr M Aslam Alam, Planning Secretary Bhuiyan Shafiqul Islam, Economic Relations Division Secretary Mohammad Mejbahuddin and National Board of Revenue Chairman Md Ghulam Hussain at the finance minister’s secretariat office.

State-owned Sonali Bank and BASIC Bank suffered large loan scams like those of Hall-Mark and Bismillah Group.

The state-owned banks have so far seen appointment of chairmen and directors loyal to the ruling party.

“The existing policy is not strong to prevent politically affiliated being appointed as directors and chairmen.”

“We have already taken steps to make state-owned banks’ internal auditing system sturdy after the large Hall-Mark scam,” he said.

Dr M Aslam hinted that the BASIC Bank Chairman might be removed before expiry of his tenure.

Sonali Bank’s Hall-Mark loan scam involved an amount of Tk3,547 crore while the Bismillah Group scam involved over Tk1,175 crore.

The central bank investigations unearthed irregularities involving loans worth around Tk4,500 crore in the last three years.

Besides, the meeting will try to seek solutions to different problems like revenue generation, foreign fund disbursement and increasing implementation rate of Annual Development Programmes (ADP).

About the today’s meeting, officials

said it would further discuss about revenue matters related with NBR in next fiscal’s budget and the streamlining the country’s banking sector.

Coordination among the ministries and divisions will also be discussed to ensure implementation of budget, said an official.

Topics like purchase and implementation capacities of the ministries and divisions and financial process of budget will also come up, sources said.

Besides, talks will be about introducing a new presentation style of the budget from FY2015-16.

The style will accommodate revenue and development budgets like many other countries in the world. l

B2 Bearish spell sweeps over stock market last week n

cially Padma Bridge contract signing, could not lure investors much. Participation receded day by day and average daily turnover declined by over 33%, it said.

“Overall market level sentiment deteriorated, significantly and put investors in a tight spot of indecisiveness.”

LankaBangla Securities said investors continued to be in bearish mood and there is no apparent buying interest. It said market sentiment has become very shaky after the budget for 2014-15 proposed some anti-capital market measures.

The provision for 10% tax rebate for companies declaring more than 20% dividend has withdrawn which will increase effective tax rate by 275 basis points. All the MNCs pay high dividend, so their effective tax rate will rise, it said.

They will have to keep higher provision for tax, for both the second quarter (April to June) as well as the first quarter (January to March). Most of the multinational companies’ stocks got highly corrected last week, said the stock broker.

Except for banks, all the major sectors ended lower in the week. Banks gained marginally. Fuel and power was the biggest loser which went down by 4.5%. Pharmaceuticals and food retraced 3.5% and 2.7%. NBFIs lost 1.6% while telecommunications closed almost flat in red.

Lafarge Surma Cement dominated the week’s top turnover chart, followed by Grammeenphone, BSRM Steel, Peninsula Chittagong and Square Pharmaceuticals. l

Tribune Report

Bearish spell swept over the stock markets in the past week, as investors were worried over immediate rebound of the market.

The week featured all five trading sessions and four of them suffered lossess while one session closed flat in green.

'Coupled with substantial profit booking and erosion in confidence among investors, the bourse faced significant downtrend last week' In the week that ended Thursday, the benchmark DSEX was down 80 points or 2% to close at 4,328, which is lowest in five months.

The comprising blue chips DS30 Index lost 34 points or 2% to 1,603.

The DSE Shariah Index, DSES, declined 25 points or 2% to 993.

The Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, dropped 145 points or 1.8% to close at 8,265. The week’s daily turnover averaged Tk279 crore, registering a decline of over 33% over the previous week.

“Coupled with substantial profit booking and erosion in confidence among investors, the bourse faced significant downtrend last week,” said IDLC Investments, in its weekly market analysis.

It said some positive news, espe-

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS Company Renwick Jajneswar-A Wata Chemicals -A Argon Denims Limited-A Meghna Con. Milk -B Jute SpinnersA Marico BD Ltd-A Safko Spinning-A Agrani Insurance -A MJL BD Ltd.-A GPH Ispat Ltd-A

Closing (% change) -12.83 -12.48 -11.82 -10.71 -10.59 -10.42 -9.57 -8.96 -8.81 -8.59

CSE LOSERS Company Wata Chemicals -A Continental Insur. -A Power Grid Co. -A MBL 1st M. F.-A Mercantile Bank -A Anlima Yarn -A Popular Life Insu. -A Asia Pasific Insu. -A DBH 1st MF-A Central Insur -A

Closing (% change) -22.77 -9.58 -9.30 -8.93 -8.70 -8.68 -8.68 -8.64 -8.62 -8.55

4328.40667

(-) 1.82%

1603.46267

(-) 2.11%

13381.4335

(-) 1.77%

10970.1005

(-) 1.40%

8264.8816

(-) 1.73%

Average (% change) -14.22 -10.89 -11.72 -9.47 -10.37 -10.46 -10.32 -8.95 -9.47 -8.28 Average (% change) -22.84 -5.61 -9.23 -7.94 -7.74 -8.56 -8.70 -7.58 -7.89 -8.04

ANALYST

Closing average 247.85 268.33 47.32 7.65 53.33 964.52 19.03 18.31 82.89 51.43

Closing average 281.90 21.71 40.03 5.10 14.91 22.10 197.65 20.12 5.37 24.60

Weekly closing 248.10 263.80 47.00 7.50 53.20 965.10 18.90 18.30 82.80 51.10

Weekly closing

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 1349.56 377.17 177.97 1709.67 571.76 1157.68 10.48 1393.05 1593.73 0.64 245.24 185.76 44.21 1701.46 62.74 122.60 468.52 1421.31 795.18 579.06 2.15

▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ Weekly high 288.00 327.70 52.90 8.90 56.90 1050.00 22.00 21.80 90.80 58.00

Weekly high

281.90 21.70 40.00 5.10 14.70 22.10 197.70 20.10 5.30 24.60

298.00 24.00 42.70 5.30 16.50 22.10 197.70 21.50 5.70 26.90

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features June 15-19, 2014

Company

Turnover (Million Taka)

13,969.93

Turnover (Volume)

300,367,739

Number of Contract

385,924

Traded Issues

304

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

52

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

250 2

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,252.66

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.31

CSE key features June 15-19, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

1,282.39

Turnover (Volume)

31,299,001

Number of Contract

55,821

Traded Issues

244

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

49

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

189

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,178.42

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.41

Turnover in million

242.10 0.00 0.00 7.50 52.50 954.00 17.30 0.00 0.00 0.00

Weekly low

14.914 93.510 18.163 0.553 0.172 5.628 5.173 2.609 278.970 148.422

Turnover in million

271.30 21.70 39.90 5.10 14.70 22.10 197.60 20.00 5.30 24.20

BEXIMCO Ltd. -A ICB Islamic Bank-Z Beacon Pharma Ltd.-Z AB Bank - A Northern Jute -Z ICB AMCL IslamicMF-A GeminiSeaFood-Z Monno Stafllers -A Bangas -A Provati Insur.-A

Closing (% change) 9.35 8.00 6.62 6.30 5.69 5.68 5.39 4.91 4.84 4.50

CSE GAINERS

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

Weekly low

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Latest EPS 3.92 6.24 4.04 -4.85 -43.81 43.99 1.08 1.83 4.72 2.42

Latest EPS

0.511 0.025 0.268 0.152 3.869 0.011 0.198 0.133 0.269 0.206

6.24 3.00 2.13 1.44 1.16 0.80 17.00 2.48 0.81 3.64

Latest PE 63.2 43.0 11.7 -ve -ve 21.9 17.6 10.0 17.6 21.3

Latest PE 45.2 7.2 18.8 3.5 12.9 27.6 11.6 8.1 6.6 6.8

Company BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Paramount Insur-A Islami Ins.BD-A Pragati Gen. I -A AB Bank - A Bangas -A Beacon Pharma Ltd.-Z ACI Limited- A Berger Paints-A LankaBangla Fin. -A

Closing (% change) 8.98 8.94 7.93 7.32 6.69 6.07 5.88 4.81 4.45 4.18

Average (% change) 12.15 9.80 5.62 7.83 5.69 3.86 5.39 4.95 3.38 4.69 Average (% change) 12.28 9.06 7.22 7.29 7.77 5.30 5.42 3.89 4.45 2.61

Closing average 27.04 5.49 14.46 25.75 130.00 18.58 135.00 324.35 512.50 21.00

Closing average 26.89 19.50 24.34 44.00 25.80 517.06 14.40 259.95 1149.00 42.00

Weekly closing 26.90 5.40 14.50 25.30 130.00 18.60 135.00 326.80 517.80 20.90

Weekly closing 26.70 19.50 24.50 44.00 25.50 522.20 14.40 261.70 1149.00 42.40

Weekly high 27.90 5.60 14.90 27.00 130.00 19.30 135.00 334.00 524.00 21.50

Weekly high 27.80 19.50 24.50 44.00 26.50 526.00 14.60 262.00 1149.00 42.70

Weekly low 117.00 17.40 127.00 299.00 485.00 -

Weekly low 23.30 17.70 24.00 41.00 23.00 490.10 14.00 240.00 1099.00 39.30

Turnover in million

Latest EPS

430.723 9.020 26.270 215.202 4.264 1.839 0.142 8.738 80.641 5.941

Turnover in million

0.59 -1.12 0.04 3.12 -11.08 2.33 -11.90 1.12 5.87 2.24

Latest EPS

82.622 0.037 0.036 0.045 16.388 2.200 3.118 10.151 0.222 17.147

0.59 1.64 1.92 2.52 3.12 5.87 0.04 5.28 57.68 1.24

Latest PE 45.8 -ve 361.5 8.3 -ve 8.0 -ve 289.6 87.3 9.4

Latest PE 45.6 11.9 12.7 17.5 8.3 88.1 360.0 49.2 19.9 33.9

Weekly news from trade server DELTALIFE: The Board of Directors has recommended 11% cash dividend and 25% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. The board has also decided to amend certain clauses of the Articles of Association of the Company to conform to the Insurance Act, 2010, Insurance Rules and the judgment of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh dated 20.06.2013 and other relevant laws subject to the approval of the shareholders in EGM. Date of AGM and EGM: 20.07.2014, Time for AGM and EGM: 9:30 AM and 10:30 AM respectively, Venue: Delta Life Tower, Plot# 37, Road# 45 (south) & 90 (north), Gulshan Circle-2, Dhaka-1212. Record date for AGM and EGM: 25.06.2014.

Audited/unaudited Financial Reports: PENINSULA: (Q3): The Company has reported its profit after tax Tk. 45.29 million and basic EPS Tk. 0.78 for the 3 (three) months ended on 31 March 2014 (Jan 2014 - March 2014) as against profit after tax of Tk. 38.65 million and basic EPS of Tk. 0.67 for the same period of the previous year. It is to be noted that basic EPS has been calculated based on weighted average Pre-IPO paid-up number of shares i.e. 58,016,000 shares both for 2014 and 2013. However, considering Post-IPO 113,016,000 number of shares the Company's basic EPS for the 3 (three) months ended on 31 March 2014 would be Tk. 0.40. For the period of 9 (nine) months (July 2013 to March 2014) ended on 31 March 2014 profit after tax was Tk. 112.40 million and basic EPS was Tk. 1.94 as

against profit after tax of Tk. 107.63 million and basic EPS of Tk. 1.86 for the same period of the previous year. It is to be noted that the said EPS has been calculated based on weighted average Pre-IPO paid-up number shares i.e. 58,016,000 both for 2014 and 2013. However, considering Post-IPO 113,016,000 number of shares, Company's basic EPS would be Tk. 0.99 for 9 (nine) months ended on 31 March 2014 (July 2013 to March 2014) and NAV per share would be Tk. 32.37 as on 31 March 2014.

Fixed Assets/Right/Investment: DACCADYE: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has passed the following resolutions: 1) has decided to go for commercial production of knit dyeing (a new product line) from June 15, 2014 with a capacity of 2 lac kg per year in addition to its existing capacity of woven dyeing. The said product line has been implemented from Company's own source. It is mentionable that the Company has printing capacity for the kinted fabric since before; and 2) has decided to install high quality yarn dyeing plant (another product line) with a capacity of 20 lac kg per year. The finance in connection with that production line will be meet up from its own source.

Credit Rating: EMERALDOIL: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the entity rating of the Company as "BB1" based on audited financial statements of the Company up to 2013, bank liability (30 June 2013) and other relevant

quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

BANKASIA: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the surveillance rating of 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.

STANDBANKL: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the surveillance rating of 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.

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.

Market sentiment has become very shaky after the budget for 2014-15 proposed some anti-capital market measures

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

% change 9.66 2.70 1.27 12.24 4.09 8.29 0.08 9.97 11.41 0.00 1.76 1.33 0.32 12.18 0.45 0.88 3.35 10.17 5.69 4.15 0.02

Million Taka 103.66 30.97 8.63 138.84 50.51 87.54 0.00 123.49 70.54 60.99 11.78 65.17 4.84 328.29 6.12 3.03 24.78 88.88 161.23 95.44 0.16

CSE

% change 7.08 2.11 0.59 9.48 3.45 5.98 0.00 8.43 4.82 4.16 0.80 4.45 0.33 22.41 0.42 0.21 1.69 6.07 11.01 6.51 0.01

Million Taka 1453.22 408.14 186.60 1848.51 622.27 1245.23 10.48 1516.54 1664.27 61.64 257.02 250.93 49.04 2029.75 68.86 125.63 493.31 1510.19 956.41 674.49 2.31

Total

% change 9.42 2.64 1.21 11.98 4.03 8.07 0.07 9.83 10.78 0.40 1.67 1.63 0.32 13.15 0.45 0.81 3.20 9.78 6.20 4.37 0.01

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LafargeS Cement-Z Grameenphone-A BSRM Steels-A The Peninsula CTG.-N Square Pharma -A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A HeidelbergCement -A BD Submarine Cable-A Delta Life Insu. -A MJL BD Ltd.-A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company HeidelbergCement -A The Peninsula CTG.-N LafargeS Cement-Z BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Grameenphone-A BSRM Steels-A UNITED AIR-A BD Submarine Cable-A Appollo Ispat CL -N Delta Life Insu. -A

Volume shares 13,618,515 3,680,921 8,193,705 15,449,000 1,688,049 16,462,849 661,100 1,678,887 1,613,155 3,197,250

Volume shares 419,200 3,323,000 991,500 3,169,314 206,600 650,860 3,142,153 144,253 907,200 124,650

Value in million 1165.24 1117.74 748.40 569.88 472.32 430.72 341.63 303.57 298.93 278.97

Value in million 217.89 121.31 85.20 82.62 62.75 59.20 35.89 26.13 24.96 23.11

% of total turnover 8.34 8.00 5.36 4.08 3.38 3.08 2.45 2.17 2.14 2.00

% of total turnover 17.40 9.69 6.81 6.60 5.01 4.73 2.87 2.09 1.99 1.85

Weekly closing 81.70 300.10 86.00 34.30 277.60 26.90 504.20 178.90 185.60 82.80

Weekly closing 503.70 34.50 81.10 26.70 302.30 86.10 11.80 179.00 27.00 184.90

Price change -0.97 0.27 -5.08 0.00 -2.08 9.35 0.66 -4.38 -4.28 -8.81

Weekly opening 82.50 299.30 90.60 0.00 283.50 24.60 500.90 187.10 193.90 90.80

Weekly high 91.70 312.00 95.00 45.00 284.50 27.90 531.00 187.20 199.50 90.80

Weekly low 81.30 0.00 0.00 34.10 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 170.00 0.00

Weekly average 82.14 298.97 86.97 34.42 277.28 27.04 505.76 178.65 184.43 82.89

Price change 0.34 0.00 -2.76 8.98 1.10 -5.07 1.72 -4.28 -6.25 -4.84

Weekly opening 502.00 0.00 83.40 24.50 299.00 90.70 11.60 187.00 28.80 194.30

Weekly high 529.00 45.00 91.90 27.80 312.00 95.00 12.00 185.70 28.80 200.10

Weekly low 496.10 34.20 80.20 23.30 295.40 85.00 10.20 178.00 26.90 176.90

Weekly average 504.23 34.43 81.66 26.89 301.10 86.81 11.76 178.95 26.99 184.14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Western automakers embrace aluminium, Asia still welded to steel n Reuters, Seoul About four years ago, Hyundai Motor considered shifting from steel to aluminium body parts for its Genesis sedan to make it lighter, more fuelefficient and more competitive with German luxury marques, two people familiar with the matter said.

Its affiliate Kia Motors made a similar move, building test versions of its premium K9 sedan, called K900 in the United States, using aluminium in body panels including the door, hood and trunk lid, two other people told Reuters.

But the South Korean duo, which together rank fifth in global auto sales, opted for steel instead, deterred by the cost and, according to two of those individuals, hamstrung by close ties with sister steelmaker Hyundai Steel Co. As western carmakers such as Audi AG and Ford Motor Co lead the way in using aluminium, which is lighter but more expensive than steel, their Asian rivals are reluctant to invest in the costly retooling required that would disrupt existing manufacturing processes and supplier relationships.

“A really big challenge at the moment for the Asian companies is to find out how they should behave in this context of vehicles coming under more pressure to be lighter,” said Truls Thorstensen, president and CEO of EFS Business Consultancy.

Automakers in Asia often prefer evolutionary upgrades that enable them to use existing plants and make multiple models on the same assembly lines; western rivals tend to make wholesale product changes that require re-engineering of factories. That’s forcing Asian car companies to find other ways to cut weight and emissions as tighter US and European fuel economy and emissions rules drive a push for lighter cars.

“If you are free to do whatever you want, the decision might be easier to go in the direction of aluminium or light weight,” Thorstensen said.

Hyundai declined to comment on what materials it considered in product development. At Kia, a spokesman said the company did not use aluminium body parts in K9 test versions, and de-

Hyundai Motor's sedans are assembled at a factory of the carmaker in Asan, about 100 km (62 miles) south of Seoul clined to comment on whether it considered using the material during the car’s development.

Rising demand

Aluminium demand by Asia’s auto industry is expected to rise 71% by 2016, far below a projected five-fold jump in North America, according to an internal forecast by Atlanta-based Novelis Corp, the biggest maker of flat-rolled aluminium and a unit of India’s Hindalco Industries .

In 2016, Asia will account for less than a tenth of total auto industry aluminium consumption, while North America and Europe will have about 45% each, Novelis predicts. That’s despite expectations that Asia will continue to account for over half of global vehicle output, according to IHS Automotive.

“This substitution from steel is being driven mainly by strict emissions regulations, especially in North America, and is a game changer for the aluminium rolling sector,” said Charlie Durant, senior consultant at CRU, a

metals consultancy. “In Asia, the emissions regulations are less stringent and vehicles tend to be much smaller.”

“The relative cost of aluminium sheet is seen as a prohibitive factor, so it’s in regions with the most stringent legislation ... that this material will be most widely adopted,” he added in emailed comments to Reuters for this article.

European luxury brands such as Volkswagen AG’s Audi and BMW AG are expanding their use of aluminium in highend, high-margin cars. Ford will begin building its flagship F-150 pickup with an aluminium body later this year, making it the first such mass-market vehicle.

Hyundai, Toyota Motor Corp and other Asian automakers, however, mostly produce mass-market cars on highly efficient assembly lines that are often decades old. They don’t sell luxury cars in high volumes and can’t demand the sorts of prices that Audi and BMW can.

Aluminium can cost some four times more than steel, although aluminium is up to 30% lighter than conventional steel and 15% lighter compared to ad-

REUTERS

vanced, high-strength steel, according to consultancy Wood Mackenzie. A switch to aluminium increases not only materials costs but requires heavy investment to overhaul production lines.

“If you start making a completely different architecture for Lexus from Toyota or Infiniti from Nissan, you will get into a cost problem because the numbers sold and the premium price they get is not similar to the Germans,” Thorstensen said. “All manufacturers in Asia face that same problem. They can’t get the premium price so they have to be much more careful.”

Stronger steel

Instead of embracing aluminium, Asian automakers are working with steelmakers to develop lighter, stronger steel, while taking other measures to improve fuel efficiency including upgrading conventional engines and parts without having to make heavy modifications to manufacturing facilities.

“Hyundai Motor is under enormous pressure to cut costs since it’s

a volume, mass-market carmaker,” Woo Yoo-cheol, president and CEO of Hyundai Steel, told Reuters. “The most important thing is to stay competitive in the market. They believe it is much more competitive to use steel for their flagship models.”

For now, Japanese carmakers limit aluminium mostly to parts of hybrid and premium vehicles, such as Toyota’s Lexus IS. Honda Motor has developed technology to combine aluminium and steel for select parts in the US versions of its Acura RLX and Accord.

“When we consider mass production, all-aluminium is still difficult,” Honda spokeswoman Yuka Abe told Reuters.

Nissan Motor last year announced a plan to expand the use of high-tensile steel, which is stronger and lighter than conventional steel, in up to 20% of parts installed in its new production models starting in 2017.

“We continue to use aluminium in vehicle areas such as hoods, doors and trunk areas on certain models - such as the GT-R and 370Z high-performance sports cars. Going forward, more highstrength steel will be used in key structural areas,” said Chris Keeffe, a spokesman for Nissan.

Steel surplus

Asian automakers stick with steel in part because it is plentiful, with two-thirds of global supply made in the region.

Novelis will complete an auto sheet plant in China late this year and is getting plenty of inquiries from Asian automakers about using aluminium, although it will take 4-5 years for Chinese automakers and 2-3 years for Korean and Japanese firms to use it in significant amounts, said Jeff Wang, its Asia automotive sales director. He predicted western automakers using aluminium in China-made cars would spur Asian rivals to follow suit.

Wood Mackenzie said it was not certain that aluminium body sheet would find its way into mass-market cars.

“Suppliers of automotive steel parts will fight back with attractive innovations and pricing as this is a market that steel producers are unlikely to give up readily,” it said. l

B3 Publication ceremony of 'Hand Book of Entrepreneurship Development' held n Tribune Report Publication ceremony of the book titled “Hand Book of Entrepreneurship Development” was held in the capital yesterday.

The book has been written and published by Md Sabur Khan, chairman of the Board of Trustees of Daffodil International University (DIU) and former president of the Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI).

Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Atiur Rahman attended the function as the chief guest.

Sabur Khan said the book would help new entrepreneurs as a guideline to knowing the ins and outs of forming a new company The governor said: “Developing more and more new entrepreneurs is essential for the overall development of Bangladesh. 55% of the total population of the country is young. So we have created a fund amounting to Tk100 crore for the small and medium enterprise owners and we will distribute these amount among the young entrepreneurs after training them through a jury board.”

Sabur Khan said the book would help new entrepreneurs as a guideline to knowing the ins and outs of forming a new company or initiate a new business.

He also said the amount earned from the sale of the book would be donated to forming “Innovation Center” to develop entrepreneurs and the students would get 50% discount on purchase of the book.

The function was also attended by Professor Dr Golam Rahman, dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social science of DIU, Executive Directors of Bangladesh Bank Ahsan Ullah, and Nirmal Chandra Vakta; and General Managers Asaduzzaman, and Masum Patwary. l

Introducing e-traceability in fisheries sector stressed n Tribune Report Speakers at a seminar in Dhaka yesterday underscored the need for introducing e-traceability to replace the existing paper-based programme to improve the image and reputation of Bangla-

BEST Project-Better Fisheries Quality, Department of Fisheries and United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) at a city hotel.

Speaking as chief guest, Shelina Afroza, secretary of the ministry of fisheries and livestock, emphasised the need

'Both the government and the BEST-BFQ (Better Fisheries Quality) are working together very closely for the improvement of food safety and quality management' desh fisheries products in global markets as well as to enhance food safety and quality management.

They came up with the recommendation while addressing a seminar titled “Present Status and Transition plan to E-Traceability” jointly organised by

for enforcing quality management system including piloting of e-traceability in the shrimp value chain.

“Both the government and the BEST-BFQ (Better Fisheries Quality) are working together very closely for the improvement of food safety and

The Watches World, authorized distributor of Fossil watches has recently opened its first outlet at Bashundhara City, a shopping mall in Dhaka

The launching ceremony of an exclusive showroom named Burhan Electronics for selling Marcel products has been held at Shapla Chattor Kushtia recently. The company’s brand ambassador, film actor Amin Khan inaugurated the showroom at the presence of Haji Abul Kasem, president of Kushtia Chamber of Commerce and Humayun Kabir, the company’s executive director for media

quality management,” she added.

Utilising electronic traceability (etraceability) with data intelligence can help the industry to digest and manage the vast volume of data and move to a proactive paradigm, said Md. Kamal of BEST-BFQ while presenting a key-note speech.

The speakers stressed on the increased pressure from importing countries for fish processors to establish effective quality assurance systems in their plants and its supply chain.

The successful introduction of etraceability over the existing paperbased programme would help improve the image and reputation of Bangladesh fishery products in the global market through transmitting the message of compliance among different sectors, stakeholders and donors, they opined. l

People show control numbers queue to enter the Spanish clothes chain Zara store in Caracas on June 18, 2014, which reopened with the new season collection after months of working with reduced hours and empty shelves AFP

Professional Advancement Bangladesh Limited (PABL) recently organised a daylong workshop on anti money laundering for Green Delta Insurance Company Limited employees in Dhaka. Nasir A Choudhury, the insurance company’s advisor was the chief guest of the workshop while Md Quddus Khan, member of the Insurance Development and Regulatory Authority was the guest of honour

Young Woman’s Christian’s Association and Ayesha Memorial Hospital have recently arranged a green rally for celebrating world environment day. The minister of woman and child affairs, Meher Afrose Chumki led the rally

Brothers Furniture Limited recently held its 2nd annual conference for associates at a hotel in Dhaka. The company’s chair Habibur Rahman Sharkar and managing director Md Elias Sharkar were the chief guests at the event

Professor Dr Muzaffer Ahmad Dr Swadesh Ranjan Bose Bangladesh Bank recently decided to confer the “Bangladesh Bank Award 2013” (posthumous) on Professor Dr Muzaffer Ahmad and Dr Swadesh Ranjan Bose for their distinctive and remarkable contributions in the fields of economics. The government of Bangladesh has previously awarded Professor Dr Muzaffer Ahmad with Ekushey Padak 2008 and Dr Swadesh Ranjan Bose with Independence Day Award 2013

B4

Back Page

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sunday, June 22, 2014

Power of Microsoft’s Bing an open question in search industry n Reuters, Seattle Microsoft Corp’s new chief executive, Satya Nadella, likes to boast that Bing is growing and powers 30% of the Internet search market, making it a worthy competitor to Google Inc. But within the advertising and research industries that measure and manage search as a business, Microsoft’s strength is an open question.

The figures quoted by Microsoft, which include searches by partner Yahoo Inc, are much higher than the rate at which people actually click on the links that a search returns, according to new studies by industry researchers.

The new search data calls into question Bing’s effectiveness for advertisers. It also lends support to the argument from some investors that Microsoft should sell Bing.

Microsoft has been in the Internet search business since 1998, and Bing - five years old this month - is its latest and most intense effort to unseat market leader Google. The company initially assumed that its world-class engineers and the sheer scale of its Windows user base would sweep away competitors, but Google has not relinquished any share.

To measure its progress in the search business, Microsoft prefers to cite market share numbers from comScore, which established itself as the prime source for Internet data a decade ago, when reliable numbers were hard to come by, and has long been considered the gold standard.

ComScore said Google sites had 67.6% of US searches in May, compared with Microsoft’s 18.8 percent and Yahoo’s 10%, which are both powered by Bing.

ComScore bases its calculations on desktop computer Internet searches by about a million anonymous people in the United States. It does not measure searches on mobile phones or tablets, which are dominated by Google, but it does count searches within the big MSN and Yahoo portals, factors which help explain why Bing has such a significant share.

Clicks count

But advertisers are less interested in searches than what users do with search results. They want traffic to their sites; they care what search result links

A employee stands in the Microsoft booth during the 2014 Computex exhibition at the TWTC Nangang exhibition hall in Taipei REUTERS users click and what sites they visit. In recent years, technology has made that behaviour much easier to track.

“Clicks are important because they tell us how well we are capturing (search users’) demand, and of course advertisers pay based on clicks,” said Jason Hartley, group media director at search marketing firm 360i, whose clients include brands such as Coca-Cola and Verizon.

ComScore data “can lead you down the wrong path, or it doesn’t give you as much insight as you’d like,” he added.

A study published last month by Conductor, a company that advises marketers on how to stand out in Web searches and social media, showed Google accounted for 85% of traffic to websites from search engines, with only 5% from Bing and 7% from Yahoo. The study was based on 100 million visits to 63 websites from clicks on search links - not counting ads - including from mobile devices.

Ireland-based StatCounter, which gets data from more than 3 million websites, found Google accounted for

80% of search engine-supplied US traffic in the last three months, Bing 10% and Yahoo 8%. Search marketing firm Define Media Group came up with similar figures based on 1.4 billion visits from search engines so far this year to 125 websites.

Advertisers make the same point with their spending: web marketing firm IgnitionOne estimates that Google gets about 77% of web search ad dollars against 23% for Yahoo/Bing. Design software maker Autodesk told Reuters that it generally splits search ad spending 80/20 in favour of Google with its “significantly larger pool of users”.

The does not mean comScore’s data is faulty. Rather, many in the search industry say it doesn’t measure what advertisers and website owners want to know, the web traffic generated by a search.

“Their current methodology is likely to mislead those who take it at face value,” said Rand Fishkin, a well-known pioneer in the search engine optimization field and co-founder of search ad-

Google, Microsoft to add smartphone ‘kill’ switches n AFP, Washington Google and Microsoft said Friday they plan to join Apple in offering theft-deterring “kill switches” in their smartphone operating systems, as part of an agreement with mayors and police agencies.

The companies confirmed the commitment which was noted in a report Thursday by the “Secure Our Smartphones Initiative” led by the New York state attorney general with officials from San Francisco and London.

We can make the violent epidemic of smartphone theft a thing of the past, and these numbers prove that The coalition of more than 100 elected leaders and law enforcement officials from major cities said the agreement means the three main smartphone platforms would soon add the feature as part of an effort to curb an epidemic of thefts.

The report said Google Android and Microsoft Windows Phone would add

the feature - enabling a user to deactivate a stolen handset - after Apple included this last year.

Google confirmed the news Friday without providing a date for the new feature.

“Yes, the next version of Android will include a factory reset protection solution to help deter smartphone theft. We will be releasing more details shortly,” a spokesman told AFP in an email.

Microsoft said in a separate statement it would introduce the feature ahead of the mobile industry target date of July 2015.

“The new theft deterrent features will be offered as an update for all phones running Windows Phone 8.0 and newer, though availability is subject to mobile operator and phone manufacturer approval,” said Microsoft vice president Fred Humphries New York state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said the commitments show the initiative to use technology to deter theft is making progress.

“In just one year, the Secure Our Smartphones Initiative has made tremendous strides towards curtailing the alarming trend of violent smartphone theft,” he said in a statement.

“We will continue the fight to ensure that companies put consumers’ safety first and work toward ending the epidemic of smartphone theft.”

The report noted that preliminary data following Apple’s adoption of its “activation lock” feature found that in the first five months of 2014, theft of Apple devices fell by 17% in New York, while thefts of Samsung products increased by 51% from the same period in the previous year.

In the six months after Apple introduced the feature, iPhone thefts fell 24% in London and robberies fell 38% in San Francisco, while thefts of other popular mobile devices increased, the report said.

The report cited studies that showed 3.1 million mobile devices were stolen in 2013 -- nearly double the levels of 2012, and one in three Europeans experienced the theft or loss of a mobile device last year.

In 2013, a mobile device played a role in roughly half of all robberies in New York City, San Francisco and London, the report said.

“We can make the violent epidemic of smartphone theft a thing of the past, and these numbers prove that,” said San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon.

“It was evident from day one that a technological solution was not only possible, but that it would serve as an effective deterrent to this growing threat. This past year we successfully held the wireless industry’s feet to the fire and it’s already having an impact for consumers.” l

visory firm Moz. ComScore stands by its figures. Vice President of Marketing Andrew Lipsman said the data is not designed to measure where Web traffic goes, only the searching behavior of consumers. He added that comScore is working on integrating mobile device results into its data.

Microsoft said it had no reason to doubt comScore’s figures. It added that it is committed to Bing, which is a core part of Microsoft’s game console Xbox and its coming voice assistant on Windows phone. Bing also powers other companies’ sites and devices, including Apple Inc’s Siri and soon Apple desktop search. Bing is integrated into translation features on Facebook and Twitter.

Microsoft search advertising revenue rose 38% last quarter, helped by higher prices and more searches, it said in its last quarterly report, without disclosing dollar figures.

Microsoft’s online services unit, which includes Bing, lost more than $14bn in Bing’s first four years, including the cost of a failed acquisition.

Last year, Microsoft put Bing in a new reporting group so its financial performance is obscured, but many on Wall Street assume Bing is still losing money.

Craig Beilinson, director of consumer communications at Microsoft, said it “continues to gain traction” as a standalone search engine and powering other companies’ products.

While Bing has grown, that improvement has come mostly at the expense of Yahoo, according to comScore figures. The combined share of Bing and Yahoo has risen less than one percentage point in five years, taking share from smaller competitors Ask.com and AOL Inc, not Google.

Some search marketers say they like having an alternative to Google, and that Bing/Yahoo can be a good investment for some clients.

“Clients that have an older demographic, we sometimes do better on Bing or Yahoo,” said Pauline Jakober, founder of Group Twenty Seven, which advises mid-sized clients on paid search ad campaigns. Businessto-business, like janitorial or industrial types, could do well on Bing, while tech clients might not even want to advertise on Bing, she said.

But Bing has drawn criticism from some investors because it is expensive to operate, requiring resources from engineers to server farms.

The new search data called into question Bing’s usefulness, said Todd Lowenstein at HighMark Capital Management.

He and other investors believe Microsoft should focus on products that businesses pay for, such as the Office suite of products and the Windows operating system.

“Microsoft would be better served selling Bing to another player who can use the asset,” he said. Ironically, Google does not highlight this weakness any more than Microsoft.

“Google loves the fact that anybody other than Google looks like they are doing better,” said Danny Sullivan, longtime industry observer and editor of the Search Engine Land blog. “It’s a very handy tool for them to go out and say you don’t need to be regulating us, look, the market’s strong.”

Google and Yahoo declined comment on the comScore data. l

India sees no impact on fuel supplies from Iraq conflict n Reuters, New Delhi India’s domestic fuel supplies will not be affected by fallout from the ongoing conflict in Iraq although state-run refiners have been asked to draw up a contingency plan, the oil ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

Iraq, the second-biggest crude oil supplier to India after Saudi Arabia, met around 13% of the South Asian nation’s overall import needs last year, it said.

State-refiners are aiming to buy 388,000 barrels per day (bpd) of Iraqi oil this year.

Two of the state refiners, Indian Oil Corp and Hindustan Petroleum Corp, together aim to buy 374,000 bpd from Iraq in 2014, it said.

Crude supplies from Iraq come from the Basra oilfields which are situated well away from the fighting in northeastern Iraq.

Ship loading from the Basra oil terminal, continued normally, it said.

The government has also asked state refiners to diversify resources for the import of crude oil to minimise the impact of any geo-political instability in the Middle East. l

Google’s Nest to buy Dropcam for $555m n AFP, Washington Google’s Nest Labs said Friday it was buying video monitoring startup Dropcam for a reported $555m in cash.

The deal comes amid huge growth in the smart home sector. One such example is Nest, which began as a smartthermostat startup and Google bought in January in a deal valued at $3.2bn.

“This is a Nest Labs deal, not a Google deal,” Nest co-founder Matt Rogers told The New York Times, which reported on the deal’s value. But Rogers declined to detail future plans for the two companies.

In announcing the deal, Nest said “Dropcam has the best products, services and customer experience in the business.” It did not confirm the value of the transaction on its blog.

Nest said the general plan was for the two firms to “reinvent products that will help shape the future of the conscious home and bring our shared vision to more and more people around the world.” l

After eurozone crisis, IMF rethinks rescues n AFP, Washington The International Monetary Fund is rethinking bailouts in the wake of the eurozone crisis, with an eye to giving governments near default better options to stabilise their finances.

To date the world’s crisis lender has had two choices to help out a country struggling to pay its debts: offer funds to keep it afloat while it adjusts policy, or, if the crisis is too deep, first require its creditors to write off some of the debt.

But the eurozone crisis showed that that was too inflexible, given the difficulty of assessing what is needed to ensure debt “sustainability” - when a country can continue to service its debt while making necessary governance adjustments and reforms.

Taking the harsher approach of writeoffs to ensure sustainability, the IMF concluded, risks not only the country perhaps unnecessarily losing access

for a long time to capital markets, but also contagion, causing further damage to the broader financial system.

That was the case with the bailouts of eurozone countries. The restructuring of Greek debt especially damaged holders of its bonds around the eurozone, including banks, and sparked selloffs of the bonds of other at-risk countries, pushing them toward crisis.

“No matter how orderly a debt restructuring operation is, it will impose costs... (which) may include any spillover effects to other sovereign bonds or asset classes,” said the IMF study.

“From the perspective of global financial stability, there is also the risk of contagion.”

The IMF study suggests a third way: if the country can still pay its debts but faces the possibility of default because it has lost access to markets, the IMF will push the bondholders to stretch out the payment terms of their bonds,

rather than take writeoffs, to help stabilize the government.

The IMF would then provide funds to the government, along with a required program of reforms, aimed at helping it restore access to capital markets more easily.

It could also avoid going through the lengthy process of negotiating a debt restructuring, which allows creditors time to dump their bonds, complicating the broader rescue program.

Such a “reprofiling”, rather than a full debt restructuring with writedowns, “will generally be less costly to the debtor and creditors -- and thus to the system overall,” it said.

“Relative to a bailout, the financing that will be provided through the reprofiling could allow for more gradual adjustment paths, which would help growth, reduce economic dislocation and facilitate successful program implementation.” l

DILBERT

An exhibitor shows rugged smartphone maker RugGear's new Rugpad RG900 tablet with a 7-inch touch screen, during its launch at the CommunicAsia Conference and Exhibition in Singapore on June 18, 2014. The event is one of Asia's largest telecommunication fairs which takes place from June 17 to 19 AFP