23 June 2014

Ashar 9, 1421 Shaaban 24, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 83

MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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10pm Australia vs Spain 10pm Netherlands vs Chile Jun 24, 2014

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B1 | TUS BLAMED FOR ANTI-RMG PROPAGANDA

7 | THE STATE OF DEMOCRACY IN BANGLADESH 11 | THE END OF AN ERA

Cameroon vs Brazil Croatia vs Mexico Italy vs Uruguay Costa Rica vs England

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Jun 25, 2014

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Japan vs Colombia Greece vs Côte d’Ivoire Nigeria vs Argentina Bosnia-Herzegovina vs Iran

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Honduras vs Switzerland Ecuador vs France USA vs Germany Portugal vs Ghana

Jun 26, 2014

Illegal trades of Bihari Chairman Jalaluddin He earns Tk3-4 lakh every month by providing illegal power lines n Tazlina Zamila Khan Jalaluddin Bhantu, chairperson of Kurmitola Relief Committee, has earned a fortune allegedly by extorting money from his own Bihari community members for the past four years.

Most members of the community alleged that Jalal’s accomplices “Napak” Raju, Md Asgar, Murad, Jabed, Selim, Bholu, Kamal and “Dariwala” Raju collect Tk50 to Tk1,000 from each house of East Kurmitola New Camp every month.

Riaz Uddin Ahmed, senior vice-president of Bangladeshi Bihari Rehabilitation Sangsad, told the Dhaka Tribune: “During last Ramadan, Tk500 was collected from each of the houses. Now they are demanding money ahead of this year’s Ramadan.

“Jalaluddin is our chairman and his duty is to look after us. But he is a bad man. He verbally abuses us.”

Neaz Ahmed Khan, chief patron of the Kurmitola Relief Committee, said: “Many unlawful acts take place in the camps.”

Jalaluddin has been allegedly pro-

viding illegal electricity connections to houses in the camps in exchange for money. Many told the Dhaka Tribune that they had got their connections from him and pay a monthly bill of Tk50-60 to his men.

Riaz Uddin Ahmed said a complaint on behalf of the camp members had been submitted to the deputy commissioner on June 19.

The complaint reads: “Jalaluddin deliberately excluded East Kurmitola Camp, Irani Camp, Medical Camp, Murapara Camp and School Camp from the government’s list of recipients of free electricity by bribing officials. He now takes money to provide illegal connections and earns around Tk3-4 lakh every month.

“Mirpur 11 Relief Committee member Sarfaraz, Sanaullah, Mostaq, Fakku, Bablu and Golam Gaus Guddu are providing electricity from the Bihari camp to around 1,500 shops of New Society Market in Mirpur and are earning Tk4-5 lakh. As a result, the people from the camp are experiencing power outage.”

Residents of Maulvirtek area in the capital’s Khilgaon have been forced to wade through dirty water every day for the past two months as overflowing waste from the sewerage lines inundate the alleys. The photo taken yesterday shows how even a brief spell of rain causes the water to reach knee-deep level MEHEDI HASAN

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Khaleda revives her caretaker government demand Al-Masum Molla n Mohammad from Joypurhat BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia warned yesterday that hartals, blockades and a non-cooperation movement would be waged if the government did not hold a dialogue about holding fresh elections under a non-partisan government.

Ramna Batamul killing case verdict today n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu The much-awaited verdict in sensational Ramna Batamul killing case is set to be pronounced today, 13 years after the bomb blasts which killed at least 10 people during the Pahela Baishakh celebrations.

Judge Ruhul Amin of the Dhaka’s Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court will hand down the verdict around noon.

However, verdict in other case, involving explosives, is uncertain as a petition seeking the Supreme Court registrar’s opinion is still pending.

Mufti Abdul Hannan, chief of the banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihadal Islami (Huji), and it’s 13 other leaders and activists are accused in the case.

Hannan in a confessional statement before the magistrate said they had carried out the bomb attack as celebrating the Bangla New Year was “anti-Islamic.”

As per an order of the court oo May 28, the verdict was first set to be delivered on June 16. But the date was later revised since the judgement had not been ready.

Md Abdullah Abu, public prosecutor of the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court, yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune that the prosecution had been able to prove the charges against the accused. He hoped that all the accused would get the capital punishment.

OC (prosecution) of the court Abu Musa Sheikh told the Dhaka Tribune  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Belgium’s Divock Origi (L) scores the only goal against Russia at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro yesterday. Belgium won the match 1-0 REUTERS

Brazil in search of goals from Brasilia, Brazil There is no easy way to put this but Brazilian fans want goals against Cameroon in their last group match today after what has been an underwhelming tournament for the hosts so far.

Standing outside the beautiful national stadium named after mercurial forward Garrincha, a number of Brazilian fans said they were disappointed with the goalless draw against Mexico.

“They missed a lot of chances, Brazilian attackers are not performing as well as the nation wants, we hope there will

score some goals against Cameroon today,” said Atalia Piheiro, in her broken English, her friends another five girls echoed the same tune, “We want goals and a big win” they said.

Brazil’s forward line with the exception of Neymar have played well blow par with Fred who started the last two matches looking completely out of sorts in front of goal. And his statistics don’t lie, Fred has produced a solitary attempt on goal in 158 minutes he has played – a header from a corner. He completed 10 accurate passes against Croatia – a game when he failed to make a single run into the attacking third.

Only half of the 16 passes he made during his 68 minutes on the pitch against  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

INSIDE 3 | News 15

Isolux Ingenieria SA of Spain and Samsung C&T Corporation of South Korea are set to get the job of building the Bibiyana South, a 400MW gas-based combined cycle power plant project, in Habiganj as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.

4 | News

The officers of four batches of Bangladesh Civil Service (admin cadre) have expressed dissatisfaction as they have yet to get promotions, even after a decision was taken in this regard.

5 | News

Presence of harmful chemicals in the air in Dhaka and other cities, which

cause respiratory problems and affect the brain and heart, is much lower than the permissible level, Environment Minister Anwar Hossain tells parliament yesterday.

6 | Nation

The lives of people in several districts of the country have been hampered because of the continuous rainfall for the last three days.

8 | World

Sunni militants have seized another town in Iraq’s western Anbar province, the fourth to fall in two days, officials said yesterday, in what is shaping up to be a major offensive in one of Iraq’s most restive regions.

However, the former prime minister also said the election had to be held under a nonpartisan arrangement even if the talks never took place.

“For the time being, there will be no hartal. But we will announce all sorts of programmes after Eid and if the government creates any obstacle, we will be compelled to announce tough-

er programmes,” she said in front of thousands of cheering BNP leaders and activists at the RB High School playground in Joypurhart.

Despite heavy downpours, thousands of people attended Khaleda’s rally. Joypurhat district BNP organised the rally to drum up public support in favour of the demand for an election

under a non-partisan interim government and protesting the recent spike in killings, abductions and forced disappearances.

She said they would accept whoever came to power if the election was overseen by a neutral body.

She claimed that her party and allies

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

BIHARI CAMP ARSON ATTACK

Elias Mollah denies role n Kamran Reza Chowdhury Awami League lawmaker Elias Uddin Mollah, whom the Biharis blamed for the murder of 10 people in Pallabi, said yesterday that he was a “good friend of the non-Bengalis.”

He shrugged off his involvement in the attack on the camp of the stranded Pakistanis in his constituency, Mirpur.

The stranded Pakistanis, commonly known as Biharis, came to Bangladesh during the partition of India and Pakistan in 1947.

Some left political parties demanded Elias’ arrest for his alleged involvement in the incident on June 13.

“I am a good friend of the non-Bengalis who live in my constituency. I always extend my support whenever they face any problems. I have no involvement in the Bihari camp killing and arson attack,” Elias Mollah told a section of reporters at the chamber of Awami League Whip Iqbalur Rahim inside the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.

Elias also said he would quit politics if he was found guilty after investigation, urging all to cooperate with the committee tasked to probe the Bihari camp tragedy.

He alleged that a vested political group was hatching a conspiracy against him, centering the tragedy.

When he was asked about the allegation of land-grabbing that was made against him, he termed it baseless and boasted that his forefather being a land-lord in the Mirpur area.

Former Pakistan president Ayub Khan also branded our forefather as a land-lord, he said.

“Still I have sufficient properties,” he said.

“Many [reporters] are running reports [implicating me] like an essay on cow.

Nobody has any authentic documents substantiating that I have grabbed even a decimal of land. If anyone can prove it, I will distribute all my land property among the people,” Mollah stated. l

14 burnt in gas pipeline blast n Ashif Islam Shaon At least 14 people including a CNG-run auto-rickshaw driver sustained burn injuries in Feni in an explosion caused by a gas pipeline at a CNG filling station yesterday.

Of the victims, ten critically injured were rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital's (DMCH) Burn Unit with severe burn injuries.

The condition of the six injured were said to be critical.

The injured are 30-year-old Md Harun with 30% burn, Yar Ahmed, 45, with 26% burn, a technician of the filling station 40-year-old Rafiqul Islam with 60% burn, Bappi, 25, with 20% burn, Abdullah Al-Mamun, 35, with 65% burn, Abdur Rahim, 25, with 11% burn, Nurul Amin, 45, with 65% burn, Wasim, 40, with 50% burn and Abu

Sayeed, 17, with 20% burn.

Wasim, a sub-engineer of the Majumder Gas Filling Station in Chagalnaiya municipality area said they had had some technical problems in the gas supply in the last three days.

“The gas from the reserved tank was not passing properly to the supply line.

We have been repairing it for the last three days,” he said.

Yesterday around 1pm as the repair was done to the gas line, it was opened for a test run but within a second the line exploded and caught on fire, he said.

At the time of the fire, CNG-run auto rickshaws and some cars were in queue for refueling. Some drivers along with the filling station staff also sustained injuries.

According to Wasim, injured Rafiqul Islam, Abdullah Al-Mamum are technicians, Nurul Amin and Abu Sayeed are

staff. Police identified Bappi and Rahim as auto-rickshaw drivers. The other injured was a passenger of a vehicle waiting in queue. The injured said they were first admitted to the Feni Sadar Hospital and then were shifted to the capital by ambulance.

Contacted, Moazzem Hossain, officer-in-charge of Chagalnaiya police station, told Dhaka Tribune over phone last night that they had picked up the station owner Nur Ahammad Majumder for interrogation.

Burn Unit's Resident Surgeon Partha Shankar Pal said six of the injured had severe burn injuries and their condition was critical.

“None of them are out of danger as their respiratory system was damaged in the fire,” he said adding that they were under close observation. l

Bangladeshis in Iraq can take shelter in Iran n Rabiul Islam Expatriates' Welfare Minister Engineer Khandker Mosharraf Hossain yesterday said in case of emergency the Bangladeshi migrants in Iraq would be able to take shelter in Iran.

“We have asked Bangladesh Embassy in Iran to make arrangements and plan to set up camps on Iran borders,” the minister told reporters after a meeting of the Migration Crisis Observation Committee at the ministry in Probashi Kallyan Bhaban yesterday.

Expat Secretary Khandakar Showkat Hossain, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Chief of Mission, Dhaka Sarat Das, among others, attended the meeting.

Mosharraf, however, stated that there was no necessity at the moment to evacuate the Bangladeshis from Iraq.

Ban imposed on export of rice until next July

n

“We are fully prepared to bring back our migrants if necessary,” the minister said.

Khandker Mosharraf further said: “The IOM helped us in evacuating Bangladeshis from Libya and it will help us the same way if we need to evacuate Bangladeshis from Iraq.”

He urged the Bangladeshi expatriates to stay calm and safe in Iraq.

The government had brought back around 36,000 Bangladeshis from Libya in 2011 with the assistance of the IOM. Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Sarat Das said: “We have discussed the evacuation of Bangladeshis in Iraq if necessary. We would provide assistance if evacuation becomes necessary.”

According to the Expatriates' Welfare Ministry, there are around 25,000 Bangladeshi migrant workers in Iraq.

But unofficial sources said the number

Ramna Batamul killing case verdict today  PAGE 1 COLUMN 1

Mohosinul Karim

The government has imposed a ban on exporting rice, excepting some aromatic varieties, for the next financial year.

A gazette notification issued by the Commerce Ministry on Thursday said the government had made the decision to ensure supply and control price hikes in the local market.

The ban is effective from July 1 to June 30, 2015, said the notification signed by Deputy Secretary Saidur Rahman Selim.

However, export of aromatic varieties, including Kalojira, Chinigura, Chiniatop, Kataribhog, Madanbhog, Radhunipagal, Banshphul, Khorma, BR 5 (Dulabhog) and BR 34, 37, 38 and 50, will be allowed with prior permission from the ministry.

In 2008, the caretaker government first banned exporting rice in the wake of price increases at home and abroad.

The ban was lifted in June 2012. l

was even higher.

Earlier, the secretary concerned said around 1,500 Bangladeshis in Mosul were at risk, but those in Nazaf, Karbala and southern Iraq were safe.

The Bangladesh Embassy in Iraq shifted 51 migrants to Kurdistan from Mosul. Some of them fled away.

Mosharraf said: “We took preparation to bring them back but they are unwilling to return.”

The Bangladeshi migrants are passing days in fear and anxiety as sectarian clash between Sunni insurgents and Shia people favoured by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki swept over a large part of the country's north area in the past two weeks.

The Bangladesh Embassy on Friday set up two hot-lines to assist the expatriates in Baghdad. The numbers are 00964-7816601805 and 009647814238351. l

that the law enforcement agencies had taken all necessary preparations to ensure security on the court premises since it was a sensational case.

During the traditional celebrations of the Bangla New Year, 1408 (April 14, 2001) at the Ramna Batamul, several blasts killed 10 people and injured around 50 others. Leading cultural platform Chhayanaut organises the event every year.

Two cases – one for killings and the other under the Explosive Substances Act – were filed with Ramna police. It took the investigators over seven years to trace Huji’s links with the attack.

Since the accused and the witnesses were same in both the cases, the Speedy Trial Tribunal 1 of Dhaka in 2009 sought the Supreme Court registrar’s opinion on whether both the cases could be tried together. The registrar is yet to respond on the matter.

The prosecution concluded its arguments on May 18. Earlier the court recorded statements of 61 out of 84 prosecution witnesses, including the complainant of the case.

The Criminal Investigation Department on December 30, 2008 pressed charges against the 14 accused including Hanna in both the cases. The other accused are: Mufti Shafiqur Rahman, Maulana Yahiya, Mufti Abdul Hye, Maulana Shawkat Osman alias Sheikh Farid, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Hawlader, Maulana Mohammad Tajuddin, Maulana Abdul Hannan Sabbir, Arif Hasan Suman, Maulana Akbar Hossain alias Helaluddin, Maulana Abu Taher, Maulana Abdur Rouf, Hafez Jahangir Alam Badar, and Shahadat Ullah alias Jewel.

Of them, Hannan, Suman, Jewel, Abu Taher, Sheikh Farid, Sabbir, Rouf, Yahiya and Akbar are behind bars, while the others are still at large. l

Khaleda revives her caretaker government demand  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

represented 95% of the country’s people, who heeded their boycott call and refrained from casting their votes in the January 5 election.

Referring to a recent High Court verdict that declared the 154 MPs elected unopposed to be legal, Khaleda said: “No matter what the court says, the 154 MPs are not legal people’s representatives.”

If the 154 unelected MP’s are legal, then why should 11 unelected advisers of a caretaker government not be legal?” Khaleda inquired.

Terming the government corrupt, she said the ruling party men had been plundering money from the Padma bridge fund, the share market and other organisations and siphoning it off to foreign banks such as the Swiss Bank.

She demanded an impartial probe body to investigate into the matter and criticised the Anti-Corruption Commission, terming it “one-eyed” and “blind.”

Khaleda also slammed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who recently said the BNP founder, late Ziaur Rahman, had blocked her from entering the country three decades ago.

“It is totally false. It was Ziaur Rahman who brought you [Hasina] back to the country… You signed a paper after you received all the valuables and properties of your family, except arms,” the former premier reminded the current premier.

She also said there was a connection between Hasina’s homecoming and Ziaur Rahman’s murder.

“You returned to the country on

May 17 [1981] and Ziaur Rahman was murdered 13 days later… on May 30.

When the country’s people were in a sombre mood and busy taking part in his funeral, you tried to cross the border wearing a veil. Why? You did it because you were afraid, because you might have been involved with the killing,” she said.

She once again echoed her son Tarique Rahman who said Ziaur Rahman, and not Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, had proclaimed independence as the first president of Bangladesh.

The former premier also claimed that the government had been unnerved by the recent change in power in India. “The Awami League leaders are making unguarded remarks because they are very nervous and disap-

Monday, June 23, 2014

Life-term proposed City BNP 'backing' Akram in Formalin Control in Narayanganj by-poll Law said: “I am in fact a business leadn Tribune Report n Our Correspondent, Narayanganj man er though I have joined the Jatiya Party

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday said the government was finalising the draft Formalin Control Law, keeping a provision of life-term imprisonment as the maximum punishment.

On November 4 last year, the cabinet approved the draft law, in principle, which suggested 10 years of jail as the highest punishment.

Speaking to reporters at his Secretariat office, the minister said the draft law would soon be placed before the cabinet for final approval.

Commerce Ministry Additional Secretary ATM Murtaza Reza Chowdhury told journalists that the government had redefined formalin in consultation with experts from Buet, Dhaka University and the BCSIR. Formalin is usually used in laboratories, hospitals, tanneries and hatcheries. These days, some dishonest traders have been using it to preserve fruits, vegetables and fish. l

Nur to be placed in court today n Tribune Report Prime accused in Narayanganj seven murders Nur Hossain will be produced before the Barasat Judicial Magistrate’s Court in North 24 Parganas district of West Bengal today on completion of his eight-day remand.

He may file a bail petition on the day.

His two other accomplices – Khan Sumon and Ohidur Zaman Shamim – were also placed on an eight-day remand on June 15.

Baguiati police arrested them in a joint drive with Anti-Terrorist Squad on June 14 from a fourth floor flat of multi-storey Indraprastha apartment complex.

Nur took the flat identifying him as Bappi Saha, and said he had gone to Kolkata for treatment. l

Jamaat ameer, activists detained n Abid Azad Police arrested the acting ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami’s Kadamtoli unit Abul Kashem and eight other activists from the capital’s Dhania area yesterday.

Confirming the arrests, the OC of Kadamtali police told the Dhaka Tribune: “Kashem is the party's acting ameer for Kadamtoli unit. After primary interrogation, we have found that three of them are connected with the party.”

Police arrested them while they were holding a meeting, and recovered anti-government leaflets, papers and banners from their possession. l

Brazil in search of goals  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

Mexico found a Brazil shirt. He has not created a chance, never mind registered an assist, and he has lost the ball 17 times in total.

Brazil’s other attacker Hulk was injured and missed the game against Mexico throwing the team into moderate disarray. Bernard and Willain failed to fill the vacuum though they were inserted in the second half.

Brazil will seek inspiration from the name of Garrincha who was a fluent scorer and the hero of Brazil’s first World Cup triumph in 1958. Interestingly history is on their side as in 1958 under Vincent Fiola Brazil scored three goals over Austria in the first match and drew their second game 0-0 against England. Brazilians will try to draw inspiration from it and rise on the occasion against Cameroon who showed they are not a united team after two defeats of 1-0 against Mexico and 4-0 against Cameroon. l

pointed with the change of government of India,” she stated.

Khaleda said the government had been sponsoring godfathers such as Shamim Osman, Joynal Hazari and Nizam Hazari and humiliating Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

While briefly laying out her plans if she returned to power, the BNP chief said the highest importance would be given to agriculture and ICT. “Once we return to power, we will create an investment friendly environment by ensuring all the utility services, other facilities and security for foreign and local investors,” she said.

Reiterating her demand for the disbandment of RAB, Khaleda said the government had turned the elite force into a killer force. l

City BNP leaders have hinted at supporting independent candidate SM Akram for Narayanganj 5 in the by-election slated for June 26, though the party has neither landed any candidate or yet backed any candidate in the election.

Former BNP MP Abul Kalam said: “The people in Narayanganj will cast their vote in the election to stem any terrorism and further occurrence of killings, like Twaki killing and sensational seven murders.”

City BNP General Secretary ATM Kamal said: “We have the moral support for the pineapple (election emblem of Akram).

Bandar Upazila Chairman and BNP leader Ataur Rahman said: “Though we have no candidate on behalf of the party, we will take stance against the terrorism as always.”

A BNP supporter who took part in the election campaign for Akram at the Bandar's Kolagasia said, “We have been instructed to vote for the pineapple and as such we are working now.”

“Besides, Nasim Osman had made an ugly remark against our leader a few days before he died and so it would not do even if his brother comes to seek vote from us.”

Jatiya Party-backed AKM Salim Os-

ahead of the election. The party leaders, activists and supporters already know what to do on the voting day.”

“Being a business leader, I am on good terms with all, including those from Awami League and BNP and so I believe everybody will vote for me.”

Independent candidate Akram said: “I have never harmed or harassed any BNP Leader but some people have vandalised the BNP's office. So I hope the BNP people will vote for me.”

He added that he had been on the good terms with the Awami League leaders and activists and so he expected their votes too.

The former Awami League leader in January quit his post centring on disagreements with the party high-ups during the Narayanganj City Corporation elections.

In a calculated move, the BNP had also stayed away from fielding its mayor candidate, paving the way for a key ballot battle between indpendent candidate Selina Hasan Ivy and Awami League-backed AKM Shamim Osman.

Ivy was elected mayor while Shamim, now the MP for Narayanganj 4, was defeated. Shamim Osman is said to have been involved in Twaki killing and sensational seven-murder in the city. l

Illegal trades of Bihari Chairman  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

Division in the community

The army has been tasked with constructing the first part of the camp which is divided into three parts. The second part is being built under the supervision of the deputy commissioner and the relief committee, while the last part, known as Rajur Basti (Raju’s slum), is being constructed by members of Non-Bangalee Camp Management Committee.

Jalaluddin took Tk2,000-3,000 from each household for building houses in Rajur Basti four years ago. There are at least 500 houses where around 80% of the people are Biharis. Although the Biharis there claimed themselves to be members of the new camp, new camp inhabitants refused to include them in the community.

Md Rahmat, a resident of the new camp, said: “They are slum people and most of them are Bangalis. We do not want them in our community. They have been using our electricity and water connections illegally. Now we are not going to give them any facilities.”

Case against Jalaluddin

On June 12, Riaz filed a case against Jalaluddin, 19 named and 15-20 unnamed people with Pallabi police station.

The case statement said: “Four years ago, the chairman took Tk2,000 from each family and provided electricity connections. A month ago, he wanted Tk1,000 from each of us again and threatened to cut the power supply if the money was not paid. As we refused to pay the money, they disconnected the power lines on June 1. Later, they began threatening us that we would be ousted. Electricity officials came on June 11 and wanted to reconnect the lines but the chairman’s men, including Md Firoz, Napak Razu, Asgar, and several others, resisted them. When we wanted to intervene, they hit Riaz and left him injured. Some women were also assaulted and ear rings weighing two tolas of gold worth Tk15,000 from a Bihari woman were snatched.

Jalaluddin then threatened by saying he would kill us by bombing and burning us.”

Secretary of Kurmitola Relief Committee Mostaq Ahmed, however, denied the allegations, saying: “Our chairman is clean. People of Rajur Basti are trying to trap us.”

Interestingly, Md Nasim, known as “Current” Nasim who used to collect bills from the houses on behalf of Jalaluddin, said the opposite.

“The chairman is a wicked man. He provided three illegal power connections to Tota Miyar Basti and Fazar Ali Basti, each having 500 houses. I myself also paid Tk1,500 for a connection.

Jalaluddin is running an illegal electricity business,” he said.

Electricity mechanic of the camp Shakir said: “Some components in the lines were burnt on June 1. Electricity officials came the following day and suggested reducing the load in order to carry out repair work. I disconnected the illegal lines as Jalaluddin promised to reconnect those later. When I finished repairing and was reconnecting the lines, Jalaluddin’s men stopped me and asked for money.”

They blame each other

Commenting on Neaz, Jalaluddin said: “He is a cheap man. He used to collect extortion money from the houses.

When I tried to stop him, I was sued but I am not going to stop.”

“Soon we are going to file case against Neaz Ahmed Khan.”

On the other hand, Riaz said: “They are blaming each other to save themselves when we filed cases against them.”

Neaz said: “Lawmaker Elias Mollah is fully aware of the extortion business but is not taking any action. If he did, we would not have faced such problems.”

The outsiders do not know what is happening inside the camps, he added.

Electricity office denies allegation

Electricity officials have denied the allegations brought against them by the new camp members, who said these officials were also involved in providing illegal electricity connections.

Electricity for the camps in Mirpur 12 is being supplied from Pallabi Electricity Supply and Distribution office of Desco located in Mirpur 13.

Engineer Niaz Banda, sub-divisional engineer of S & D Division of Pallabi branch of Dhaka Desco, said: “Our officials are not involved in any illegal act. Besides, as far as I am concerned, none of our officials went to the camp on June 11.”

He said a complaint was recently filed by the camp residents about illegal electricity.

Niaz said: “Earlier this month, we received a complaint that some groups are using electricity illegally. I can not disclose any further to the press.”

MP is unaware

Contacted, lawmaker Elias Mollah told the Dhaka Tribune: “On June 10 around 10:45pm, the Biharis called me and I went to the camp. I called Jalaluddin to resolve the matter and he said he would arrive within 10 minutes. After a long wait, I called him again but his mobile phone was switched off. I then tried to convince them to give electricity to other Biharis as they are from the same community.”

He added: “I am not aware of any extortion business of the chairman. The Biharis are misunderstanding me. I believe they will meet me after knowing the truth. Some of them have already apologised.”

When community members turn enemy

Riaz said: “There is dispute among the community members and they have turned into enemies of each other. We are receiving threats. On June 13, Napak Razu threatened me and asked to withdraw the cases.”

Mostaq also said he was threatened.

“Some unidentified people are threatening us, saying why we spoke against the lawmaker. We are suffering from insecurity,” he said.

They support ex-chairman

Most of the Biharis have expressed their support for former chairman Gafur, saying he did not extort.

Riaz said: “Jalaluddin ousted Gafur from the area and became chairman four years ago but we want our former chairman back.”

Current Nasim, who is working for Jalaluddin, echoed the same view.

“Four years ago, Gafur went to Pakistan for two months and delegated the responsibility to Jalaluddin. Taking advantage of the situation, Jalaluddin unlawfully assumed power,” he said. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Isolux and Samsung picked for Bibiyana South plant n Aminur Rahman Rasel Isolux Ingenieria SA of Spain and Samsung C&T Corporation of South Korea are set to get the job of building the Bibiyana South, a 400MW gasbased combined cycle power plant project, in Habiganj as an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor.

“After receiving tender and evaluation, we have selected Isolux Ingenieria SA of Spain and Samsung C&T Corporation of South Korea from six companies and sent the proposal to the Power Division for approval,” Power Development Board Chairman Md Abduhu Ruhulla told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“We hope that we will sign the company as an EPC contractor soon…After signing of the EPC contract, the PDB

requires owner’s engineer for the implementation of this project. Construction period for this project is 900 days including a simple cycle completion time of 720 days,” he added.

Apart from this, another 399MW power plant named Bibiyana 3 will be built under the PDB The PDB has already invited the expression of interest (EOI) from reputed international engineering consulting firms to indicate their interest in providing consultancy services as owner’s engineer for the construction of the plant. The last date for EOI submission

is July 16.

Around Tk1,800 crore will be used from the consumers’ bill fund set up by the Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission – named Energy Development and Maintenance Fund – for the construction of the plant.

A power plant of this capacity requires at least Tk4,000 crore to be constructed, while every year nearly Tk700 crore is deposited to the fund.

Alongside the Bibiyana South, another plant named Bibiyana 3 with a 399MW gas-based power plant will be built under the PDB. The PDB signed a deal with Marubeni Corporation of Japan last June and Hyundai Engineering and Construction Co of South Korea to build the Bibiyana 3 plant, and its full operation is expected to commence in September next year. l

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Monday, June 23, 2014

EXTORTION CHARGE

Court orders probe against New Market, Ramna police officials n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday ordered a judicial inquiry into the allegation against Ramna police station officer-in-charge and New market police station sub-inspector in an extortion case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mizanur Rahman passed the order after hearing a plea filed by Md Jakir Hossain, a complainant, who was on police remand in two separate cases in Ramna police station on June 3 and later freed on bail on June 10.

The plaintiff ’s counsel Md Rafiqul Islam Mollah mentioned in his complaint that Jakir was on a three-day police remand in two separate cases, one in Nari-O-Shishu Nirjatan Daman Ain and another in a theft case.

Around 1am to 2am on June 3 night, Officer-in-Charge of Ramna police station Mohammad Moshiur Rahman and

one of his associates Sub-Inspector Jamal Hossain of New Market police station tortured him and demanded Tk2 lakh, the complaint read.

The two officials also threatened to kill him in a crossfire if Jakir failed to come up with the demanded sum.

The plaintiff also mentioned that the Ramna police station officer-in-charge called him into his room and tortured him for money.

During the torture session New Market police station Sub-Inspector Jamal Hossain was also present and he also joined in with his associate.

In fear of the death threat, the plaintiff ’s wife, however, managed Tk2 lakh and gave the sum to the OC. After getting the money, the official asked him not to be worried.

Later on June 10 Jakir was granted bail and filed the case against the police officials. l

Awami League’s 65th founding anniversary today n Tribune Report The ruling Awami League will celebrate its 65th founding anniversary today. To mark the day, the party and its associate bodies have taken up programmes.

The national and party flags will be hoisted atop the Awami League offices across the country from sunrise today.

The party leaders and activists would also pay tribute to the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhanmondi road 32.

The party will also bring out a mass procession on foot of Shikha Chirantan (Eternal Flame) at the Suhrawardy Udyan at 3:30pm to Dhanmondi 32.

A discussion will be held on June 28 at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital with party President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Now Bangladesh Awami League, the party emerged as the Awami Muslim League on June 23, 1949 in the then East Pakistan.

Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani and Shamsul Huq were unanimously elected as president and general secretary of the party while Sheikh Mujib a joint secretary. The word “Muslim” was later rescinded from the party nomenclature. l

Vehicles and rickshaws risk their lives to cross a rail crossing at the capital’s Moghbazar yesterday after the lineman tried to close the crossing to make way for an approaching train MEHEDI HASAN

National web portal to be launched today n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

The government is going to launch a national portal today for around 25,000 of its websites, in a bid to reduce confusion and protect the sites from being hacked.

The portal would give a common design and layout to all the websites which are each currently being hosted and maintained individually.

Prime minister’s Information and Communication Technology Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy would formally inaugurate the portal at a ceremony at Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), sources of the PMO said.

Access to Information (A2I) project under the PMO has claimed the portal would be the world’s largest national web portal.

The A2I developed the portal, also called National Portal or the NP, with the Information and Communication Division under Post, Telecommunication and Information Communication Ministry.

Sources said around 24,000 websites which host the government’s upazila and union departments; would be brought under one platform to minimise hacking attempts and enable authorities to maintain the sites easily.

The other websites from different ministries and their departments and wings will also be under this common platform.

“We want each and every government website to come under a common design which will be user-friendly and also reduce the unnecessary hazards,” Md Nazrul Islam Khan, secretary of the ICT Division, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Currently, the ministries, divisions and other wings of the government has individual layouts for their respective websites which sometimes creates confusion among users and disrupts smooth browsing of the sites.

Sources at the ministry said the new design would also be implemented on union to secretariat-level websites, bringing all the websites under a common platform.

In September 2013, the ICT Ministry set up more than 24,000 websites, with the claim that it was the world’s biggest national web network. However, they were unable to launch the sites formally as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina could not give a schedule for the inauguration programme, sources said.

The Cabinet Division has reportedly trained IT officials in every ministry for detailing the sites. l

Experts: Political consensus Witness blames Subhan for ’71 killings n must for sustainable economic development

Khandker Mahbub cleared from contempt charge n Tribune Report

n Tribune Report

The International Crimes Tribunal 1 yesterday acquitted senior Supreme Court lawyer Khandker Mahbub Hossain from a contempt charge.

The three-member tribunal, however, said Mahbub, an adviser to the BNP chairperson, should be more cautious in future when making comments about the tribunals, courts and judges.

On October 6 last year, the tribunal issued a contempt notice against Mahbub, also vice-president of the Bangladesh Bar Council, after the prosecution had brought charges against him.

Shortly after the conviction of BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury on October 1, Mahbub told the media that “each and every person” involved in the trial process would be tried if the BNP assumed power. He said the BNP would hold trials of the “real war criminals.”

The tribunal yesterday said such comments were unexpected from a senior member of the bar.

On November 19 last year, Mahbub submitted his reply to the tribunal 1 issued notice which asked why his remarks should not be taken as contempt of court.

He claimed that he had not said anything regarding the tribunal or its judges. He also said he had not tried to malign the tribunal. l

Tribune Report

The country’s economic growth would not be sustainable without ensuring good governance, economists say.

They suggested that reforms and depoliticisation were urgently needed in autonomous bodies to function independently and professionally. They also recommended reaching political consensus among the political parties for the economic development.

The observations came at the concluding session on Public Policy Making and Institutions of a two-day conference of Bangladesh Economists’ Forum (BEF) at a city hotel yesterday.

“Good governance is needed not only for growth, good governance is more needed for ensuring basic human rights,” said economist Akbar Ali Khan.

He said: “In the last four decades, there has been deteriorating governance. We have two elite groups – one is succeeding each other with no clear vision where to go. Unfortunately, things are deteriorating. If things deteriorate, neither growth nor structure will last.

That is why it is high time there should be political consensus for governance.”

Political parties should sit together to draw a programme of good governance where politicisation would be minimised, he said. Big reforms were needed in the administration, but there was no concern about that, while no political party had really given any blue print on how things would be reformed.

In the keynote paper, economist Wahiduddin Mahmud said Bangladesh has had a unique record of experiencing accelerated average annual growth of GDP per capita in every five-year period since the last half of the 1990s, but the ongoing growth stagnation may jeopardise the continuation of that record beyond 2010.

“The challenge is to gradually expand governance effectiveness and good practices beyond some existing enclaves. Unfortunately, the reverse seems to have been happening in Ban-

gladesh,” he said.

The credibility of our financial sector or the quality of our economic diplomacy would increasingly become major detriments of how far we can benefit by leveraging the emerging global order, he noted.

He recommended that a more cooperative and accommodative approach among the political parties would also be needed to sustain any workable form of democracy.

In his keynote paper, economist M Khalid Shams said there was a clear need for initiating regulatory reforms, more effective enforcement of law and order based on a “rule of law, further decentralisation within political parties, decentralisation of government, professionalisation of bureaucracy, depoliticisation of professional bodies etc.”

He said at this critical stage of country’s development, “we need strong political will regarding reforms in governance that would accelerate our economic growth.” Judicial reforms are essential for ensuring human rights, he said.

Former adviser to a caretaker government Mirza Azizul Islam said growth was not only objective for the development. “But growth is a pre-condition for other objective for the development.

“There is really no difference among the political parties with regard to basic development strategy. And that strategy focuses on private sector led growth,” he said. Given that, “we needed private sector investment as a precondition to accelerate the growth,” Azizul said.

He suggested the government to develop infrastructure as a fast track basis for boosting the private sector investment. He also put importance on health and education sector that contribute to the growth and poverty alleviation.

Prime Minister’s Political Adviser Hossain Taufique Imam, BNP chairperson’s Adviser Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury, Prime Minister’s Foreign Affairs Adviser Gowher Rizvi, economists Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed and Professor Emeritus AR Khan also spoke. l

A freedom fighter from Pabna accused top war crimes suspect Maulana Abdus Subhan yesterday of atrocities in his village and the nearby places during the 1971 Liberation War. Mamtaz Uddin Montu, 66, of Dogachhi under Pabna sadar, told the International Crimes Tribunal 2 that the Pakistani occupation forces – assisted by the collaborators led by Subhan – had killed dozens of people in the area in May, 1971.

After the atrocities in Dogachhi village, the witness said the villagers had found the dead bodies of a 12-year-old

boy, an elderly person and six others.

“We saw the bodies of Haripada Saha and Benu Saha on the road in Dogachhi Bazar,” he stated.

Montu said following Subhan’s orders, the Pakistani Army had killed Shomujuddin Pramanik and injured his wife Rahatunnessa in the nearby Kulnia village. They also killed one Amin Uddin’s wife Hasina.

The witness said the occupation forces had killed several other people, including Wazuddin.

Jamaat-e-Islami leader Subhan was indicted on December 31 last year on nine charges of crimes against humanity.

According to the charges, Subhan was the acting ameer of Pabna district Jamaat during the war, and a key leader of the collaborators’ forces – Peace Committee, razakar, al-Badr, al-Shams and Mujaheed Bahini – in the region.

He was nominated for the byelections held in late 1971. In 1972, he was accused by a special tribunal for collaborating with the Pakistani occupation army. The tribunal asked him to be present on February 29. But he was not, as he had fled to Pakistan with then Jamaat chief Ghulam Azam.

After 40 years, detectives arrested him on September 20 last year. l

Witness: Qaisar’s forces killed my nephew n Tribune Report A freedom fighter yesterday said the alleged war criminal Syed Mohammad Qaisar’s forces had killed his nephew and injured his mother in Nurpur village under Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria during the 1971 Liberation War. Azharul Haque, 61, son of Sobdar Ali, told the International Crimes Tribunal 2 that Qaisar and members of notorious “Qaisar Bahini” had also burnt the house of Fisheries and Livestock Minister Mohammad Saidul Haque.

During the war, Saidul was the president of Nasirnagar unit Awami League.

The witness said he had been an HSC student at Brahmanbaria Govern-

ment College in 1971.

He said the accused had formed Peace Committee in April, 1971 in Brahmanbaria and later formed “Qaisar Bahini.”

Azhar said on November 15 in 1971, some 150 people including Qaisar, members of Qaisar Bahini, razakar forces and the Pakistani Army had attacked his village and burnt his house.

They also set fire to some other houses in the village.

“When I returned home around 9pm, I found my mother injured. She told me that Qaisar’s forces beat her severely and killed my nephew Azizul Haque. Locals buried my nephew,” he said.

Tribunal sends Akram to jail n Tribune Report The International Crimes Tribunal 1 yesterday sent war crimes accused Khan Akram Hossain to jail after he had been produced before it.

The three-member tribunal headed

by Justice M Enayetur Rahim enquired whether the accused had a lawyer.

Akram replied in the negative.

The tribunal told the prosecution that the trial process would begin after the appointment of a lawyer for the accused.

Akram, 60, was arrested on Thursday night in Rajshahi. On Saturday, he was produced before a metropolitan magistrate court as the tribunal was closed that day. That court too ordered him jail sentence.

The tribunal on June 10 issued arrest warrants against Akram and two other war crimes suspects in a case.

One of them Abdul Latif was arrested on June 11.

Akram is from Morelganj upazila in Bagerhat district. l

The witness said on that day, the collaborators had killed around 10 people in the village including Torab Ali, Shukkur Ali, Azizul Haque, Siru Mia and Jummat Ali. He also learnt that Kalpana, daughter of one Chuni Lal, had been raped and killed.

The witness claimed that the collaborators had killed a total of 108 people in 22 villages and burnt down some 400 houses. Most of the victims were Hindus.

The witness said he knew Qaisar for a long time as the accused had taken part in the providential council election. He also saw Qaisar at Madhabpur Bazar in 1970. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Monday, June 23, 2014

BCS admin officers get frustrated over delay in promotion n Mohosinul Karim The officers of four batches of Bangladesh Civil Service (admin cadre) have expressed dissatisfaction as they have yet to get promotions, even after a decision was taken in this regard.

Although a meeting of the Superior Selection Board led by Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan had finalised a list of qualified officers for promotion, the Public Administration Ministry has yet to implement the decision taken by the SSB four months back.

According to the ministry, of the officials and officers selected for promotion, the 18th, 19th and 20th batch BCS cadre officers had already been considered for promotion in the SSB’s meeting. Around 200 senior assistant secretaries of three batches were enlisted to get promoted to deputy secretary.

After finalising the list, the Public Administration Ministry’s Senior Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikder was made principal secretary to the prime minister. Education Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury was made new secretary to the Public Administration Ministry and was later promoted to senior secretary.

As a result, the initiative to promote the officials of the three batches was stuck. In the meantime, the 21st batch of officers has also become eligible for promotion.

Despite having previous preparations, the ministry did not make any move to promote the officers to deputy secretary.

Seeking anonymity, senior assistant secretaries working at the Secretariat,

including the Public Administration Ministry, told the Dhaka Tribune that most of the junior bureaucrats are getting frustrated as the ministry is delaying in executing the decision to promote them to deputy secretary.

An officer of the 21st batch working in the Public Administration secretary’s office said they are losing interest in working harder and better due to the dilemma in promoting them to deputy secretary, despite their being qualified.

It will hamper the normal process of promotions which may also interrupt the promotions of their juniors.

Public Administration Ministry’s Senior Secretary Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury, however, recently told the Dhaka Tribune: “We are considering the issue of promoting the officers to deputy secretary. It will be given in time. I am trying to learn everything from the ministry in this regard.”

“I must see the list again before placing in before the prime minister. A new batch (21st batch) may also be included in the list as it is also eligible for promotion,” he added.

Kamal Chowdhury said most of the officials of the batches are now working in field level administration such as district or upazila levels. It may create a huge vacancy if they are immediately withdrawn after promotion.

We are replacing the officials by transferring junior officers in the field level administrations, as this will not create any vacuum. It will be completed soon. The promotions will be made after ensuring that it will not create any vacuum in the field administration,” he added. l

A city service bus pauses in the middle of the Bangla Motor intersection, one of the busiest spots in the capital, to drop off passengers on Friday. Such reckless driving had led to many accidents in the city as passengers mostly get caught in between rushing traffic SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Committee formed to update draft of Coast Guard Act n Mohosinul Karim A five-member expert committee was formed to improve and update the draft of Bangladesh Coast Guard Act, 2014, which was approved in principle in the last meeting of the cabinet on June 16 at the secretariat.

Law Minister Anisul Haque will head the committee while Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister Abdus

Sobhan Sikder, Senior Secretary to the Home Ministry CQK Mushtaq Ahmed, Defense Secretary Kazi Habibul Awal and Legislative and Parliament Affairs Secretary Shahidul Haque will be its members.

A gazette notification of the Cabinet Division said the committee was formed according to the decision and instruction of the cabinet.

The committee will prepare a final

RAPE VICTIM AWAITS JUSTICE

Family members accuse police of inefficiency n Afrose Jahan Chaity Ruma (not real name), 24, was on cloud nine when she went to Suhrawardy Udyan on the evening of May 12. Little did she know that her dreams would be shattered by the very man who had promised to make them come true.

Her boyfriend, Naim, 27, had promised her that they would get married that day. When she went to meet him with her sister, Tumpa (not real name), she was raped by Naim and his friends while Tumpa was restrained, forced to witness the barbaric event.

Now Ruma is living in uncertainty, wondering if she will get justice.

Her family accused police of not taking action deliberately in exchange of a huge sum of money.

Ruma could not be reached over

phone, and her family said she no longer lived with them.

Tumpa, however, was available and gave the Dhaka Tribune an account of what happened.

Ruma met Naim at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital 15 days before the incident. They exchanged mobile phone numbers, and their relationship started.

On the day of the incident, Naim asked Ruma to marry him and told her to meet him at Suhrawardy Udyan in the evening. When she went there with Tumpa, she met Naim’s friends Shahin, 27, Rubel, 24, Imran, 28, and Habib, 45.

The group passed a few hours chatting; Naim kept telling Ruma that the wedding preparations were taking a while.

Around 11pm, the guys took the girls to the Kali Temple in the park and raped Ruma, while a man named Kabil

restrained Tumpa.

Around midnight, the culprits hired a rickshaw for the sisters to go home and threatened them not to go to police.

However, the victim’s rickshaw was stopped by the patrol police near Nilkhet area, where she told them about the rape. The police then took them to Shahbagh police station. Later, they were taken to the Detective Branch.

Habil Hossain, inspector (investigation) at the police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that Ruma did not have any details about Naim other than his name, phone number and a few photographs.

He said she was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for forensic test on May 14.

Tumpa said their family were living in fear as the culprits had not been ar-

rested yet.

“They are threatening us to withdraw the case. My sister has been sent away. I am afraid of going to school now,” she told the Dhaka Tribune.

Tumpa said Ruma followed DB officials’ advice and planned twice to convince the rapists to meet her, so that she could tip off the police and they could arrest them.

However, her plan was thwarted both the times as police did not respond when Ruma sought their help.

When asked about the accusation, Inspector Habil Hossain denied them all, saying police had been trying to apprehend the rapists.

“We have also informed the police station in their locality to ensure their safety. But we suspect the victim has left town,” he said. l

draft of the act accommodating all the observations of the cabinet meeting on June 16 last. They will also amend several provisions of the draft, if needed.

But, the committee was not given a frame to submit its final draft to the Cabinet Division.

Earlier, the cabinet approved the draft of Coast Guard Act, 2014, keeping provision of capital punishment (death

sentence) as the maximum punishment for any kind of insurgency or indiscipline in the force.

After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told the media: “Though the draft of the act got approval, a number of secretaries will examine the loopholes of the proposed law led by the law minister. The Law Ministry will vet the draft after their approval. l

Muggers snatch Tk11 lakh from bank employee n Tribune Report A gang of armed men robbed more than Tk11 lakh from an employee of a private company yesterday, after shooting him in the leg in front of a bank in the capital’s Uttara area.

The incident occurred when Mahmudul Alam Shaheen, a business manager at Robi Digital Service, and a friend went to a branch of Prime Bank in Uttara sector 11 to deposit Tk11.92 lakh in cash.

“We got there in a CNG autorickshaw. As soon as we got off the vehicle, five youths approached us, brandishing arms, and attempted to snatch the bag of money from me. They opened fire when we tried to resist them,” said

Mahmudul.

The alleged muggers then fled the scene on two motorcycles which were parked nearby.

“Perhaps, they had been following us since we left for the bank from our office in sector 7,” he added.

Mahmudul, 32, received a bullet wound in his right knee and was taken to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital for treatment. His friend, Nazrul, was unhurt.

Meanwhile, police said no case has been filed yet regarding the mugging.

“But we have heard about the incident and we are looking into it,” said Sub-Inspector Shaheed Suhrawardi of Uttara West police station. l

Healthcare facilities to get more ICUs, CCUs, burn units n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

Brac Bank Managing Director Syed Mahbubur Rahman and Samakal Editor Golam Sarwar, among others, pose for a photograph at the Brac Bank-Samakal Shahitya Puroshkar 2013 in the capital yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Brac Bank-Samakal Shahitya Puroshkar 2013 held n Tribune Report Brac Bank-Samakal Shahitya Puroshkar 2013 was held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel in the capital on Friday. The award ceremony was attended by Syed Mahbubur Rahman, managing director and CEO of Brac Bank Ltd, and Mr Golam Sarwar, editor of Dainik Samakal.

Many literary personalities and social elites of the country also attended the event.

Moinul Ahsan Saber won the award for his novel “Akhon Porimol” in the Poetry and Novel category, Mashrur Arefin for his translation work “Franz Kafka Golpo Shomogro” in the Essay, Autobiography, Travel Story and Translation category, and Badrun Nahar for her book “Brihospatibar” in the Humayun Ahmed Young Writer category.

Moinul and Mashrur each won Tk1 lakh for the award, while Badrun Nahar won Tk50,000. The winners also

received crests and citations.

Launched in 2011, the literary award is a joint venture of Brac Bank and Dainik Samakal to inspire writers and litterateurs to further enrich Bangla literature with their creative work.

The Young Writer category was named after the late Humayun Ahmed last year to honour his memory and work.

Since its inception, the Brac Bank-Samakal Shahitya Puroshkar has generated great enthusiasm in the country’s literary community. More than 600 books were submitted this year for the three categories. A panel of judges comprising Professor Mustafa Nurul Islam, Professor Zillur Rahman Siddiqui, poet Asad Chowdhury and novelist Selina Hossain selected the winners.

The organisers hope this award will inspire creative minds and provide writers, especially the young ones, a platform to practise and flourish in literature. l

The Health Ministry has decided to set up more Intensive Care Units (ICU), Coronary Care Units (CCU) and burn units at medical colleges and district hospitals across the country soon.

The burn units will have 20 beds while the ICUs and CCUs will have 10 and 8 beds respectively. The units will be opened at around 40 healthcare institutions.

The Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) has told all medical college and district hospital authorities that it would provide instruments and necessary support to implement the decision quickly.

Professor Dr ABM Abdul Hannan,

director (medical education and manpower development) of DGHS, told the Dhaka Tribune facilities at ICUs and CCUs at medical colleges and district hospitals are very limited at present.

“If we can improve the facilities, more lives could be saved and the cost of treatment would also go down,” he said.

The professor said the Health Ministry had recently declared burn injury as a “notifiable disease” and had directed all public hospital authorities to register each burn injury patient and send their details to the DGHS from now on.

A notifiable disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to the authorities.

On June 22, the DGHS issued a circular to directors, civil surgeons and su-

perintendants concerned, asking them to take initiative to open ICUs, CCUs and burn units at their institutes on an urgent basis.

According to the DGHS Health Bulletin 2013, the number of different non-communicable diseases, including heart and kidney complications, cancer, hypertension, diabetes and pneumonia, is on the rise.

At present, there are limited facilities even at ICUs, CCUs and burn units at the healthcare institutions in the urban areas while these units at district hospitals have virtually no facilities.

A number of private hospitals are offering good services to ICU, CCU and burn unit patients but those remain beyond the range of affordability for most

CSP submits memo protesting Madrasa education system n DU Correspondent Leaders and activists of the Chhatra Sangram Parisad (CSP), a platform of pro-government students’ organisations, submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Education yesterday, demanding the cancellation of the current syllabus of the Madrasa Education Board, alleging that the contexts of the textbooks go against the country’s liberation war.

The protesters also alleged that the fabricated information in the textbooks also go against the constitution and distort the country’s history.

A seven member delegation from the platform submitted the memoran-

dum at noon to the APS of Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid.

Earlier in the morning, police blocked the leaders and activists of the platform in front of Bangla Academy, when they tried to march a rally to the ministry from Dhaka University’s Madhur Canteen area. The protesters later staged a short demonstration in the area.

At the demonstration, Bangladesh Chhatra League President HM Badiuzzaman Sohag, who is also the coordinator of the platform, alleged that the Madrasa Education Board has been distorting information about the country’s history and providing that to around 50

lakh Madrasa students.

He further alleged that publishers at different books houses have been patronising the anti-liberation force Jamaat-e-Islami by using Madrasa education to publicise their political views.

“According to the National Education Policy-2014, general students and Madrasa students should study the same English and Bangla textbooks.

However, the Madrasa Board has been violating the education policy by changing few of the articles there,” he added.

He urged the respective authorities to reprint of these Madrasa textbooks after getting rid of all distorted information. l

of the patients as the cost of treatment is very expensive.

According to DGHS sources, 10-bed ICUs will be opened at state-owned healthcare facilities in Mymensingh, Bogra, Khulna, Faridpur, Dinajpur, Gopalganj, Manikganj, Gazipur, Sirajganj, Kishoreganj, Cox’s Bazar, Kushtia, Pabna, Noakhali and Jamalpur.

Eight-bed CCUs will be opened at district hospitals in Mymensingh, Bogra, Comilla, Khulna Faridpur, Gopalganj, Manikganj, Gazipur, Sirajganj, Moulvibazar, Kishoreganj, Jessore, Patuakhali, Kushtia, Cox’s Bazar and Noakhali.

Meanwhile, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Sylhet, Khulna and Rangpur medical college hospitals will have 20-bed burn units. l

Woman commits suicide in capital

n Tribune Report

A woman apparently took her own life by jumping off the roof of a 10-storey building in the capital’s Dhanmondi area early yesterday.

The victim, Salma Islam Benu, 42, had been living with her elder sister’s family in Dhanmondi since her divorce.

Her sister, Sajeda Runu, said Salma had been depressed when she lost custody of her two children to her ex-husband.

“She threatened to kill herself many times if her children were not returned to her,” Sajeda said.

Sub-Inspector Rejaul Islam of Dhanmondi police said after being informed, they recovered a body and sent it to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for an autopsy. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Minister: Chemical substance in 7 cities below permissible limit n Kamran Reza Chowdhury Presence of harmful chemicals in the air in Dhaka and other cities, which cause respiratory problems and affect the brain and heart, is much lower than the permissible level, Environment Minister Anwar Hossain tells parliament yesterday.

According to the standard set by the Department of Environment in 1997, the average (24 hours) maximum permissible level of sulphur dioxide is 140 parts per billion (ppb).

Exposure to sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide for five minutes’ can cause asthma and other respiratory problems. And carbon monoxide can have harmful effects by reducing oxygen delivery to the body’s organs such

as to the heart and the brain, says the US environment protection agency.

Exposure to carbon monoxide can reduce the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood, it further says.

But the air in Dhaka, Chittagong, Narayanganj, Rajshahi, Gazipur, Khulna, Sylhet and Barisal contains 2-30 ppb of suphur dioxide, said the minister quoting the data collected by 11 continuous air monitoring stations in the cities.

Replying to a question from the Awami League MP Nizam Uddin Hazari (Sonagazi) Anwar Hossain said air in the cities contains 35 to 40 ppb of nitrogen oxide against the maximum level of 53 ppb (annual average).

He said the presence of carbon monoxide is 2-4 ppb against the set

maximum standard of 9 ppb (per eight hours).

“According to the data available from the monitoring stations, the content of sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide are not alarming,” said the minister.

Under the CASE project, the environment directorate set up three continuous air monitoring stations – two in Chittagong and one each in Narayanganj, Rajshahi, Gazipur, Khulna, Sylhet and Barisal.

The minister said the government chalked out plans to stop air pollution by the brick kiln under CASE project.

Besides, he said, the government with the assistance of the Germany had initiated the plan to distribute pollution-free burner styled Bondhu Chula. l

5

Monday, June 23, 2014

Removal of BRU registrar demanded n Our Correspondent, Rangpur A small section of officials of Begum Rokeya University (BRU) demanded the removal of the newly-appointed registrar from his post yesterday.

They also threatened to continue their movement until their demand was met. On the other hand, a large section of the officials welcomed the new registrar with flowers. ATM Emdadul Alam was appointed as acting registrar on deputation. Previously, Emdad was an assistant deputy registrar at the Islamic University, Kushtia.

Meanwhile, Vice Chancellor Dr AKM Nur-un-Nabi accused the agitating officials of trying to create disorder and ruin the educational atmosphere with their movement.

However, Deputy Director ATM Golam Firoz said they had been forced to agitate in order to remove the new registrar since the vice chancellor had not taken any steps to do so, despite their telling him to remove the illegally appointed registrar.

Public Relations Officer Mohammad Ali said authorities had not found anybody here who was fit for the post of the registrar and so Emdad had been brought here on deputation to act as the registrar.

A reliable person at the vice chancellor's office said a deputy director had been lobbying to be appointed as the registrar.

He said the deputy director who had been lobbying for the post of the registrar was among the agitators.

He added that when that director had learned that the post had been filled by somebody from elsewhere, he and his seven followers began to agitate for the removal of the new registrar from his post.

Vice Chancellor Nur-un-Nabi said nobody had been appointed for the post of the new registrar. A person had just been “brought” here on deputation to “act as the registrar”. Those speaking up against this were just trying to create disorder and ruin the educational environment on the campus. l

BM College students protest hike in exam fees

n Our Correspondent, Barisal Fourth year students of 18 departments under Barisal Brojo Mohun College held an agitation rally yesterday, protesting the increase in examination form fill-up charges.

Demanding an immediate decrease of the charges, the students alleged that the authority increased the fillup charges from Tk3,300 to Tk4,500, without showing any cause or giving any prior notice.

The agitated students threatened to put forward harsher movements if their demands were not met immediately.

Professor Fazlul Huq, principal of the college, said as per the direction and approval of National University, the form fill-up charge had been increased. He said they had informed the NU authority about the students’ agitation. Form fill-up will be held from June 23 to 26, he added. l

Life comes to a halt for constant rain in Chittagong city, port activities hampered n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Life in Chittagong has been at standstill due to the downpour since Friday which has waterlogged a huge area of the city. The flood has caused immense sufferings for the city-dwellers and, in some cases, has been life threatening.

Around 150mm of rainfall was recorded in 24 hours until 3pm yesterday, said Nur Mohammad, duty officer at the Meteorological Office in the city’s Patenga area.

A special weather bulletin issued

by Bangladesh Meteorological Department yesterday said under the influence of the deep convection over the North Bay of Bengal, stormy weather may continue over the North Bay, the adjoining coastal areas of the country and the maritime ports.

Due to the rain, parts of a hill collapsed on a four-storey building at Bagghona area around 4pm yesterday.

No casualty was reported, said fire brigade sources.

Md Jashim Uddin, deputy assistant director of Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters in Chittagong, told the Dhaka Tribune that they had rescued all the residents from the building.

“We also evacuated a building close to the affected one to further avoid casualty,” he said.

The landslide was caused by an under-construction building on the hill slope, he added.

Parts of another hill collapsed on four thatched houses in the city’s Kushumbagh area yesterday morning, but no casualty was reported, according to the fire brigade officials.

Anticipating the mudslide due to the heavy rainfall, the district administration started a campaign asking the hill-side dwellers to move to the nearby school buildings and cyclone centres, said Chittagong district administration sources.

WEATHER

HEAVY RAIN

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

34°

Chittagong

30°

26°

Rajshahi

36°

28°

Rangpur

32°

25°

Khulna

35°

28°

Barisal

34°

28°

Sylhet

30°

25°

Cox’s Bazar

29°

27°

28°

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

23.0ºC Khulna

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

Port activities at halt

The photo taken from Muradpur intersection in the port city shows that students return home from schools on rickshaws which run in waist-deep water The district administration and Chittagong Metropolitan Police jointly evicted 666 hillside dwellers from 11 risky hills in the city by yesterday, said Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Abdul Quader of Chittagong dis-

3:44am 5:11am 12:01am 4:42pm 6:49pm 8:17pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

trict administration.

Because of the heavy rainfall, water submerged the tracks on No. 34 rail bridge in the Navy Gate area under Sitakunda upazila, which halted the rail communication between the

Med schools likely to bid adieu to admission tests n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

MONDAY, JUNE 23

31.7ºC Satkhira

manager of Chittagong railway station.

Public suffering: What is the government doing?

Motorised vehicles were hardly seen in the waterlogged areas and commuters, mostly office-goers and students, had to wade through filthy water from the overflowing roadside drains.

Sumon Sikhdar, a commuter, had to pay excessive rickshaw fares. He blamed the poor drainage system of the city for the waterlogging.

Chittagong City Corporation Mayor M Manjur Alam, however, said the city’s drainage system was better than what it was 10-15 years ago.

Claiming waterlogging as the prime problem, the mayor said it would not be solved until the government implemented the Drainage Master Plan of 1995, as per the city corporation’s repeated requests.

“The city’s drainage system can endure up to 80mm of rainfall. The low-lying areas and roads get flooded when the rainfall exceeds that limit,” he said.

The present mayor had promised to to remove the waterlogging problem during the city corporation election campaign four years ago.

The Health Ministry is planning to eliminate admission tests for public and private medical colleges from the upcoming academic session, and instead opt for enrolling students based only on their SSC and HSC results, said health sector sources.

However, a final decision in this regard will be made at a stakeholders meeting headed by Health Minister Mohammed Nasim on June 30, several senior officials of the ministry and health directorate told the Dhaka Tribune.

The meeting is scheduled to be attended by top officials of the Health Ministry, Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC), Bangladesh College of Physicians and Surgeons (BCPS) and other officials concerned.

Sources said the initiative to change the admission system comes on the heels of the recent controversies surrounding question leaks as well as part of an attempt to reduce the hassles of taking tests of around 70,000 students.

Refusing to comment on whether there was any plan to cancel the traditional admission test system, Dr ABM Abdul Hannan, DGHS director of medical education, told the Dhaka Tribune that they wanted to find a system that was acceptable to all.

A final decision regarding the issue

will be made at the upcoming meeting, he added.

Dr Moazzem Hossain, president of Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA), however, told the Dhaka Tribune that they preferred reforms to the admission policy instead of the introduction of a brand new admission system.

He said the BPMCA will recommend that the government take separate admission tests for private medical and dental colleges. A separate proposal will also be placed for collecting Tk2,000 as admission test fee for private med schools, and Tk600 for public ones to ensure that only the students who are truly interested and financially capable of getting admitted into private colleges apply.

Currently, there are 2,862 seats available at 23 government medical colleges, while 55 private establishments offer 4,850 places. There are also one public and 18 private dental colleges with 532 and 1,050 seats respectively.

Last year, 64,000 students sat for the admission test.

According to the existing admission policy, a student can sit for the test twice, while a survey found that around 60% of the students who passed the test were ones who were appearing for the second time. To pass the test, a student has to score at least 120 out of 200 marks (100 marks from SSC and HSC and 100 marks from the admission test). l

port city and the rest of the country around 12pm, said Bangladesh Railway sources.

However, the railway technicians restored the communication around 4:30pm, said Tofajjal Hossain, general

DHAKA TRIBUNE

manager of Bangladesh Railway (East Zone).

Several train services between Chittagong and other parts of the country was halted, while a few others were delayed, said AA Shamul Alam, station

Ship movement at the Chittagong Sea Port channel were almost halted during the day yesterday due to the excessive rainfall.

Mohibul Haq, director (admin) of Chittagong Port Authority, told the Dhaka Tribune that a few vessels were able to enter the jetties, and some others had left.

“Ship movement at the port channel was suspended temporarily from 7am until noon due to torrential rain,” he said.

The loading and uploading of the goods at the port jetties and outer anchorage also remained suspended during the day shift, he added. l

SAVAR FACTORY FIRE

Tk5cr sweaters gutted, reason still unknown n Our Correspondent, Savar A blaze at a sweater factory in Savar destroyed nearly 12,000 sweaters worth around Tk5 crore on Friday afternoon, hours before 4,000 pieces were to be shipped to the buyer.

Witnesses and fire service sources said the fire at the four-storey ZA Sweater factory, located in Kuturia of Savar, originated from the yarn warehouse on the ground floor around 05:30pm and rapidly spread to other floors.

Eight firefighting units rushed to the scene and managed to douse the flame after trying for nearly three hours.

However, the sweaters, 4,000 pieces of which were supposed to be loaded onto vehicles around 7pm, had been reduced to ashes by then.

A three-member probe committee led by Deputy Director (Dhaka division) of Fire Service Jahirul Amin was formed on Saturday afternoon but the reason behind the fire remains unknown even after two days. The committee was asked to submit a probe report within 15 days.

Managing Director of the factory Jahangir Alam said the sweaters were made for several European buyers and 4,000 pieces were to be sent to Chit-

tagong port on Friday night.

“Several officials and 8-10 workers were waiting inside the factory since the transport vehicles which would take the goods to the port, were due shortly. The sweaters destroyed were worth Tk5 crore, though a part of those was insured for Tk1.5 crore with Nitol Insurance,” he said.

Tanzil Manzur, HR manager at the factory, said the office of the transport vehicles was called and was asked not to send any vehicles.

Jahirul Amin said the reason for the fire has yet to be ascertained.

“We will know soon,” he added. l

Donation dependent budget in CCC n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) yesterday announced a Tk1,195.91 crore donation-dependent budget proposal for the fiscal year 2014-15 where it hopes to collect only Tk567.41 crore from own income sources.

While the donation was fixed at Tk628.50 crore which includes development donation Tk590 crore, relief fund Tk40 lakhs and other sources Tk38.10 crore, showed in the proposed budget that also stated that the CCC is hopeful that it also collect revenues from taxes of Tk352.87 crore from the city dwellers.

CCC Mayor M Manjur Alam proposed the budget at a programme held in the Nagar Bhaban auditorium at noon.

The mayor also announced the small revised budget of Tk498.35 crore for the FY 2013-14 while its proposed size was Tk1,106.30 crore.

According to the speech on budget, the donation and the tax of the city dwellers were considered as the main sources of CCC income which it allocated mostly for the development sector.

“To turn the city into a economically prosperous, livable and peaceful place, many development projects have been adopted,” said the mayor.

About the scanty budget implemen-

tation, Manjur Alam said: “As we did not get the desired allotment from the government, there is a big difference between the proposed and revised budget of the previous fiscal year.”

Terming the water logging a big problem, the mayor said the drainage system of the port city has improved in his tenure than last 10-15 years.

He also stated that the problem would not vanish fully until the Drainage Master Plan of 1995 will be implemented.

Mayor Manjur said the CCC repeatedly urges the government to implement Drainage Master Plan to get rid of the water logging crisis, which is under process. l

Nation Rain disrupts life across country 6

n Tribune Report The lives of people in several districts of the country have been hampered because of the continuous rainfall for the last three days.

People in those districts have been suffering a great extent as low-lying areas were submerged because the of poor drainage system.

Moreover, crops on vast tracts of land were submerged which could be a disaster of farmers.

Our Khagrachhari correspondent reports, low-lying areas in the hill district went under water because of the heavy downpour which the district has been experiencing for the last three days.

According to Department of Agricultural Extension Department, crops on 3,000 acres of land at nine uapzilas of the district were inundated.

The villages are Kaladeva, Battali, Golabari, Ganjapara, Muslimpara and Mehedibug area under Sadar upazila while Chhoto Merung, Bachha Merung, Boro Merung, Sobahanpur, Shantipur, Kobakhali of Dighinala upazila, Fatemanagor, Pujgangmukh, Latiban of Panchhari upazila, Tabalchhari, Gumti, Natunpara of Matirnga, Gachhabil, College Para, Tintahori of Manikchhari upazila.

Farmers fear that if the rain continues for more a few days then they would have to incur huge losses.

Sub-assistant of Agriculture Officer Ranjit Chakraborty said farmers are becoming the biggest victims of flash floods as most of the vegetable gardens in the district were situated on the bank of Chengi-Mainee and Feni rivers.

When contacted, Deputy Commissioner Md Masud Karim said they would stand beside the farmers if they get required monetary aid from the government.

DHAKA TRIBUNE

In Feni, around 8,000 people were marooned as a portion of an embankment at Sripur under Fulgazi upazila collapsed because of flash flood which was caused by torrential rain and the onrush of water from the hills.

The flood affected villages are Sripur, Gosaipur, Shaldor, Nilokshi and Bijoypur.

Ramjan Ali, executive engineer of Water Devolopment Board, Feni told the Dhaka Tribune that the Mohuri River flowed 13.4 cm above the danger level.

Our Kushtia correspondent adds: The life in Kushtia has come to a halt as most of the low-lying areas in district have been submerged in waist-deep water, causing immense sufferings to city dwellers.

The waterlogged areas of the district are Courtpara, Kalisangkarpur, Peyaratola, Hospital road area, Purba Mojompure, Pashchim Mojompur and Kataikhana intersection.

Motor vehicles were hardly seen in those areas while some rickshaws were seen on city roads. Commuters faced immense sufferings while travelling through waist-deep water.

School authorities of many schools postponed examinations as rainwater intruded into those schools.

DAE sources said crops on a vast tract of land have been damaged by the rain. Farmers are afraid that if the rain does not stop within a short period of time then they will also have to incur huge losses.

The rainfall in the district was recorded 111.4 millimeter which is highest this year, said Obaidur Rahman, executive engineer of Water Devolopment Board, Kushtia.

Local people blamed poor sewage and drainage systems for the waterlogging.

In Dinajpur, road communication

Monday, June 23, 2014

A youth was a raft in front of Fulgazi police station yesterday as low-lying areas of Feni were inundated by rainwater in between Dinajpur and Gobindaganj remained suspended as a wheel of a goods-laden truck fell into a hole.

Inspector of Ghoraghat police sta-

tion said the driver of the truck could not see the hole because of the heavy rainfall.

Later, the road communication be-

came normal by 12 noon.

According to the Met office, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur in places in Rajshahi, Rangpur, Dhaka,

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Khulna, Barisal, Chittagong and Sylhet divisions till today due to the deep convection over the North Bay and adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh. l

Two get death sentence for murder

Five Indian nationals held with 4.4kg gold in Benapole

Rebel candidates weigh in Nakla UP poll

n Our Correspondent, Jessore

n Our Correspondent, Barguna

Members of Border Guard Bangladesh detained five Indian nationals from a Dhaka-bound BRTC bus on the JessoreBenapole road yesterday afternoon with possession of 36 pieces of gold bars weighing 4.4kg.

Lieutenant Colonel Matiur Rahman, director, 26 Border Guard Battalion told the Dhaka Tribune that the BGB men arrested Bijoy, Ashok, Ramkumar and Rakesh of Maharashtya and Kamal of Nagpur, India after stopping a BRTC bus at Pulerhat under Jessore Kotwali police station.

Later, members of the Border Guard

The Awami League and BNP rebel candidates are weighing heavily against their party-nominated candidates vying for the Nakla upazila parishad election slated to be held on June 26.

A total of 15 candidates are competing for the posts of chairmen, vicechairmen and women vice-chairmen.

The forthcoming poll turns out to be a talking point and holds an extra interest to voters as the constituency belongs to Awami League presidium member and incumbent Agriculture Minister Matia Chowdhury.

There are a total of three rebel candidates from the Awami League and two from the BNP contesting the post

A court in the district awarded death sentences yesterday to two persons in a murder case.

According to the prosecution, on 23 December 2006, Tazenur, 30, the mother of two children and the wife of Khalilur from Tafalbaria village, was brutally killed by her husband and stepson Ismail over a family feud. Tazenur was Khalilur’s second wife.

Later, Abdur Rashid, the victim’s father, filed a case, accusing Khalilur and his son.

Police arrested Khalilur and Ismail and sent them to jail.

The court, led by Judge Nazrul Islam, handed down the verdict after examining the evidence and the witnesses.

found the gold bars after searching their bodies. The gold was estimated to be worth Tk2.2 crore.

“The arrested came to Bangladesh from Dubai on June 19 and reached Benapole yesterday morning, using Indian passports. But instead of going into India, they were coming towards Jessore,” said Lieutenant Colonel Matiur Rahman.

During interrogation, they confessed that they had smuggled gold into India earlier through this route as there is no gold scanner at the Benpole and Petrapole check posts. BGB members pumped out the gold bars from the stomach of the smugglers as they had been pushed in through their rectums, he added. l

n Our correspondent, Sherpur

n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj

Two drug peddlers held

n Our Correspondent, Cox's Bazar Border Guard Bangladesh arrested two drug peddlers yesterday in a drive at Natun Pallanpara area of Teknaf upazila of the district.

BGB commander Abuzar-al-Zahid said on a tip-off, a team of law enforcers made a drive in the area and arrested Farid Alam, 25, and Enaetullah, 20, with possession of 552 cans of alcohol.

A case was filed in this regard. l

AL are running for the posts of vicechairmen while only one BNP candidate vies for it.

Besides, the Awami-backed former vice-chairman Umme Kulsum Renu, Lucky Akter and Hazera Begum are running for the women vice-chairman posts while Dewan Kohinur and Latifa Begum Usha are running from the BNP. The Awami League and BNP leaders, plus voters are seized with apprehension about the victory of their party-nominated candidates facing a surge of rebels.

The upazila has a total of 1,32,604 voters. Of them 66,005 are female voters and 65, 342 male.

The election will be held in 63 polls centres across Nakla. l

Emphasis on mass awareness among families and guardians to stop child marriage

Train derails in Sirajganj

Two compartments of a container train heading towards Sirajganj got derailed at Raypur railway station yesterday since the rain damaged the slippers of the rail-line.

Railway and local sources said two compartments of a container train went off the track at the station around 9pm.

A rescue train was making an effort to remove the train from the track but it is yet to rescue the train as the work was disrupted due to the rain, said Abdul Mannan, an engineer at Sirajganj Bazar Railway Station.

The two trains were stranded at the Sirajganj station after the accident, snapping rail link between Dhaka and Sirajganj Train communication on the Ishwardi-Sirajganj-Dhaka route remained suspended since the night following the derailment. l

of chairman in the election.

The ruling party has nominated Shah Mohammad Borhan Uddin, incumbent UP chairman, to again run for the post while the BNP has given the nod to Mahbub Ali Chowdhury, alias Munir Chowdhury, former chairman of the upazila.

The Awami League rebel candidates fighting for the post of chairman are acting president of the upazila AL Md Golam Rabbani, Jubo League leader Md Munir Hossain and Awami League activist Shawkat Hossain Khan Mukul.

The BNP rebel candidates are Zahid Hossain Badsha and Zahurul Islam Manzu contesting the chairman post.

A total of three candidates from the

Participants at a workshop yesterday stressed on building mass awareness among families and guardians in order to stop early marriages in the country.

They suggested informing families and guardians of the merits and demerits of early marriage.

The workshop was organised by the Upazila Department of Women Affairs on stopping early marriage, in association with Plan International, Bangladesh, at the Sripur Upazila Auditorium in Gazipur. Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mohammad Sadekur Rahman presided over the workshop.

Upazila Parishad Vice Chairman Mohammad Rafikul Islam Mondol Bulbul

and Women Vice Chairman Sheikh Farida Jahan Shwapna attended as the chief guest and special guest, respectively.

Plant International, Bangladesh Gazipur Programme Unit Manager Abdul Kuddus was also present at the workshop.

He said 188 early marriage cases had taken place from April, 2013 to March, 2014 in the upazila.

He said that, of the marriage cases, 123 were held, 27 were stopped upon receiving information, 11 were held at the court, nine through notary public, six without registration and 33 outside the upazila, Sripur Reporters Unity President Abu Bakar Siddique Akand and Barmi Union Parishad member Pandit spoke, among others, at the workshop. l

Cyclone centre inaugurated Labourers unload goods from a train which derailed near Raipur railway station in Sirajganj yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

NEWS IN BRIEF Three injured in attack by robbers Three people were injured in an attack by robbers at Begunbari area in the district yesterday. According to sources, a gang of robbers entered the house of Rashedul Islam, an engineer of Kaliakoir Telecommunication.

The family members protested while being robbed. At one stage, they attacked the family members, leaving Rashedul, his mother Rousan Ara and grandmother Joytunnesa critically injured. The injured were admitted to Savar Enam Medical

College. SI Masud confirmed the incident. A case was filed in this connection.

– Our Correspondent

Lightning kills one An adolescent boy was killed in a lightning strike at Sagorkanda village in Sawarupkathi upazila yesterday. Local UP chairman Mahmud Kabir said Alok Debnath,18, son of Gobindra Chandra Debnath died in a lightning strike while he was he was going to local Bazar. – Our Correspondent

UP member murdered in Mymensingh A gang of assailants murdered a UP member at Muktagachia Union Parisad in Mymensingh district yesterday. According to police sources, the assailants hacked Dulal Mian, member of 10 no ward in the union council. He died while he was being taken to hospital. OC Kamal Hossain said Dulal might have been killed over land dispute. The OC said they were trying to arrest the people involved with the killing.

– Our Correspondent

n Our Correspondent, Barisal A cyclone centre was inaugurated yesterday at Mombi Para village in Latachapli union of Kalapara upazila in Patuakhali district.

Francis Bepari, regional director of Caritas Barisal region, inaugurated the centre at the local primary school as the chief guest.

Syed Fakir, acting chairman of Latachapli union parishad,

presided over the function.

Abu Hanif, Parimal Gayin, Stayendra Nath Haoladar, Anwar Hossain Anu and Mohiuddin Musulli addressed the programme, among others. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

Monday, June 23, 2014

7

The state of democracy in Bangladesh

The first of a three-part series on the current state of democracy, the challenges it faces, and the future

I

n Rounaq Jahan

n the last two and half years, as the contestations between the two opposing political forces of the country, one led by the Awami League (AL), and the other by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), about the organisation of the tenth parliamentary election could not be resolved peacefully through dialogue, and escalated into violent confrontation, we began to again worry about the future of our democracy.

The high hopes of democratic renewal, which was kindled after the 2008 parliamentary elections that ended a two year rule by a military-backed “caretaker” government, began to fade away.

We not only witnessed the failure of the two opposing sides to come to an agreement on the modalities of a poll-time government overseeing the elections, we also saw unprecedented violence unleashed on the ordinary citizens by one of the alliance partners of the BNP, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) whose main agenda was to thwart the trials of the war crimes of 1971.

RAJIB DHAR

parliament, but the JP still insisted to remain as part of the government and was rewarded with three ministerial posts in the cabinet.

After the election, each of the two opposing political forces has attempted to portray the elections as a “victory” for its side. The AL led forces have argued that the mere organisation of the elections, no matter the flaws, was a victory as they were able to overcome all the obstacles created by the opposition.

The BNP led forces, on the other hand, have claimed victory pointing out the lack of credibility of the elections organised by the government.

They argued that they were right in their claim that the AL-led government cannot be trusted to organise a fair and credible election.

While both sides have continued with their claims and counter-claims of victory blaming each other for undemocratic behaviour, the nation has remained shell-shocked reeling from the death and destruction caused by hartals and oborodhs called by the BNP-led opposition over many months, and the incredulous elections engineered by the AL-led government.

Since our independence in 1971, our democratic journey has not been smooth. We have often lost our direction and walked on wrong paths

Despite the BNP-led alliance’s repeated threats to boycott and prevent the holding of the tenth parliamentary elections, and months of mayhem and destruction, the AL-led alliance government did succeed to hold a one-sided parliamentary elections on January 5, 2014. Prior to the elections, many members of the government said the elections had to be organised to meet the constitutional requirement of organising the parliamentary elections within the five year term limit.

The BNP led alliance did not participate in the elections leaving to the AL-led political forces to divide the 300 seats in the parliament among themselves.

Even before the elections were held on January 5, 2014 a record 153 members of parliament (MP) were declared winners as they were uncontested in their constituencies. After ensuring the majority in the tenth parliament without having a single vote cast, the government organised elections to the remaining 147 seats on January 5, 2014, which attracted little voter interest resulting in low voter turnout.

One alliance partner of the AL, the Jatya party (JP) could be persuaded to play the role of the opposition in

While debates are raging as to which side has won, it is very clear as to who has lost.

The citizens of Bangladesh have lost. They had to bear a heavy price in terms of loss of life, property, and sense of security. They were deprived of an opportunity to cast their ballot and choose who will be their representatives in the parliament. The state of our fragile and halting democracy has been dealt a grievous blow, and it will take painstaking efforts by all stakeholders to nurse it back to recovery.

Of course, as a nation we are known for our resilience – overcoming many obstacles and making many fresh starts. Since our independence in 1971, our democratic journey has not been smooth. We have often lost our direction and walked on wrong paths.

Though we started as a parliamentary democracy in 1972, within four years we fell under military rule which continued for the next fifteen years (1975-1990).

However, thanks to the people’s unwavering commitment we have repeatedly succeeded in getting back to the path of democracy. In 1990, as a result of a people’s movement we

were able to end military rule and renew our democratic journey. Over the next fifteen years (1991-2006) we made gradual progress in fulfilling three criteria of being classified as an electoral democracy.

First, we organised three regular free, fair and contested elections in 1991, 1996 and 2001 under a system of Non-party Caretaker Government (NCG).

Second, there was peaceful transfer of governmental power as a result of these elections.

And, third and most significantly, we were able to establish civilian control over policy and institutions.

But we stumbled in 2007 when we failed to organise the scheduled ninth parliamentary elections as the two opposing political forces could not agree on the ground rules for organising elections. We had to again witness military intervention, and the country was ruled by a military backed “caretaker” government for two years (2007-2008).

This time, however, it was very clear that the people would not tolerate a prolonged period of military rule.

The military was also sensitive to the people’s mood. Within two years, the military backed government organised a free and credible parliamentary elections on December 29, 2008, and handed over power to the democratically elected government. This voluntary transfer of power from a de facto military government to an elected civilian government was unprecedented in South Asian history.

The ninth parliamentary elections organised by the military backed government was widely acclaimed by national and international observers as the freest in the country’s history. The election commission (EC) prepared a new voters list discarding the names of approximately 12.2 million bogus voters. New guidelines were introduced controlling election expenses and election related violence. This encouraged nomination and election of a record number of relatively clean candidates, and also a good number of women. Voter turnout was nearly 87%.

The AL-led grand alliance won 262 parliamentary seats thus securing more than three-fourth majority in parliament. The BNP-led political opposition won only 34 seats.

We had hoped that one of the first priorities of the AL-led grand alliance government would be to work out a formula for a poll-time government that would be acceptable to all major political parties so that we would not have to face uncertainties regarding elections again as we did earlier in 1995-1996 and 2006.

However, the government pushed through the fifteenth amendment of the constitution in June 2011 abolishing the NCG system in the face of strong opposition from the BNP-led forces.

As a consequence, from mid-2011 onwards, we were again faced with a situation when the two main political forces of the country took opposing stands regarding the poll-time government; the AL-led government arguing

in favour of the incumbent elected political government going into a caretaker mode, and the BNP-led forces arguing for the continuation of the NCG system instituted by the 13th amendment of the constitution in 1996.

The two sides could not come to any negotiated settlement despite repeated appeals by concerned Bangladeshi citizens and international organisations.

Finally, we witnessed a very flawed tenth parliamentary elections, and we face a risk of not being classified even as an electoral democracy.

In 2014, we appear to be again at a crossroads, needing to make another fresh start to sustain our democratic process.

It will be pertinent to ask at this point, why are we having so many breakdowns? Why is our democratic journey not one of linear progress?

There is no easy answer. We can identify many causes for our repeated set backs. However, the primary focus here, is on the argument that our fresh starts have floundered because we have failed to break away from the undemocratic practices of the past.

Let me now elaborate what are some of our undemocratic practices that have continued to bedevil our democratic process.

The challenge of breaking away from past undemocratic practices Over the last 42 years we have witnessed the development of certain patterns and practices of politics and governance, which have been inimical to democracy. Some of these practices are legacies of Bangladesh’s inheritance from military rule; but some have also been spawned from the cauldron of our electoral democratic process.

Unfortunately, our elected political rulers did not repudiate many of the undemocratic practices of military rulers; instead they perpetuated and sometimes even exacerbated these practices. Let us first focus on the undemocratic practices of our military rulers which have been carried over by our elected political rulers, then highlight a few of the undemocratic practices which have become the hallmarks of our electoral democracy.

Legacy of military rule (1975-1990) During the 15 years of rule by the two military dictators – Major General Ziaur Rahman (1975-1981) and Lieutenant General HM Ershad (1982-1990) – we witnessed monopoly control of state power by the chief executive who ruled unconstitutionally. We also saw their attempts to “civilianise” their regimes in order to attain a semblance of representative legitimacy through the process of election engineering.

Both of them floated political parties by using state patronage and intelligence agencies. In their bid to recruit support from constituencies who were opposed to the post-independent AL rule (1972-1975), the

military rulers abandoned two fundamental principles enshrined by the AL in the 1972 constitution: secularism and socialism. Islam was privileged as a state religion, and the practice of the political use of religion which was much favoured by Pakistan’s military dictators, was revived.

Many of the undemocratic features of military rule left a profound impact on the pattern of our politics and governance. Four major features, which have created a lasting political imprint, can be highlighted in this regard.

Unconstitutional rule The military rule, first and foremost, left a legacy of unconstitutional rule when the control of state power was transferred not through the ballot, but through the bullet. The military first intervened on August 15, 1975, by assassinating the elected political leader, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of the nation, together with most members of his family.

After several coups and counter-coups, which resulted in the killing of many military officers and four major leaders of the AL who refused to collaborate with the military, Major General Ziaur Rahman emerged as the strongman of the regime in November, 1975.

martial law for prolonged periods when the constitution and fundamental rights were suspended. The two military dictators changed constitutional provisions, and enacted laws through ordinances, which were later ratified by their hand-picked parliamentarians.

Many of their unconstitutional acts, including the killings, were subsequently indemnified. Thus, Ziaur Rahman pushed through the fifth amendment of the constitution in the second parliament elected in 1979, which validated all acts of the military government from 1975 to 1979. Similarly the third parliament passed the seventh amendment of the constitution in 1986, which validated the acts of HM Ershad’s military government.

This practice of lawmaking, first through executive ordinances those were later validated by the parliament, was continued even after the restoration of democracy in 1991. For example, during the tenure of the fifth parliament (1991-1996), 34% of laws passed by the parliament were first promulgated as ordinances, and were later placed before the parliament for approval.

This trend was diminished during the seventh (1996-2001) and the eighth (2001-2006) parliament, when less than 5% of the laws originated as ordinances. However, the ninth parliament (2009-2013) was again faced with the task of giving legal cover to

The citizens of Bangladesh have lost. They had to bear a heavy price in terms of loss of life, property, and sense of security

The military assassins of Bangabandhu were constitutionally pardoned by Ziaur Rahman, and most of them were awarded with diplomatic assignments abroad. This culture of impunity bred its own malign nemesis. Ziaur Rahman himself was assassinated in another military coup in 1981.

The second military dictator, Lt General HM Ershad ruled for another eight years, but was eventually toppled from power through a peoples’ movement in 1990. During the next 15 years (1991-2006), elected political leaders ruled the country, but when they failed to agree on the ground rules for holding the scheduled parliamentary elections, and violent confrontations appeared imminent, the military again intervened in January, 2007, but this time they remained in the background. A civilian “caretaker” government, backed by the military, ruled the country for two years (2007-2008) under emergency laws.

During the first two military regimes, the country remained under

many of the ordinances passed during the two years of the military-backed civilian government (2007-2008).

In two landmark judgements, the Supreme Court declared military rule and all acts passed by military governments as illegal. The fifth and seventh amendments of the constitution were annulled by the Supreme Court.

The parliament passed the fifteenth amendment of the constitution on June 30, 2011, which declared military takeover of government as an act of sedition.

It is to be seen whether the judgements of the Supreme Court and the fifteenth amendment of the constitution will work as effective inhibitors to prevent future extra-constitutional takeover of state power by the military. l This article is based on the second Mozaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Memorial Lecture by Rounaq Jahan, delivered on February 3, 2014. A former faculty of Dhaka University, Professor Jahan teaches and researches at Columbia University.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Monday, June 23, 2014

Iraq insurgents capture fourth town in Anbar n AP, Baghdad

A group organized by the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (ANSWER) Coalition stages a small protest against any new US wars in Iraq, during a demonstration in front of the White House in Washington REUTERS

Sunni militants have seized another town in Iraq’s western Anbar province, the fourth to fall in two days, officials said yesterday, in what is shaping up to be a major offensive in one of Iraq’s most restive regions.

The officials said the militants captured Rutba, about 90 miles (150 kilometers) east of the Jordanian border, late Saturday. Residents were on Sunday negotiating with the militants to leave after an army unit on the town’s outskirts threatened to start shelling.

The latest advance has dealt another blow to Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who is fighting for his political life even as forces beyond his control are pushing the country toward a sectarian showdown.

In a reflection of the bitter divide, thousands of heavily armed Shiite militiamen — eager to take on the Sunni in-

surgents — marched through Iraqi cities in military-style parades Saturday on streets where many of them battled US forces a half decade ago.

The towns of Qaim, Rawah, Anah and Rutba are the first seized in predominantly Sunni Anbar province since fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant overran the city of Fallujah and parts of the provincial capital of Ramadi earlier this year.

The capture of Rawah on the Euphrates River and the nearby town of Anah appeared to be part of march toward a key dam in the city of Haditha, the destruction of which would damage the country’s electrical grid and cause major flooding.

Taking Rutba gives the insurgents control over the final stretch of a major highway to neighboring Jordan, a key artery for passengers and goods that has been infrequently used for months because of deteriorating security.

Rutba has a population of 40,000 but it has recently been home to 20,000 displaced from Fallujah and Ramadi.

Iraqi military officials said more than 2,000 troops were quickly dispatched to the site of the dam to protect it.

They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The Islamic State and allied militants have carved out a large fiefdom along the Iraqi-Syrian border.

Control over crossings like that one in Qaim allows them to more easily move weapons and heavy equipment. Rebels control the Syrian side of the crossing.

Al-Maliki’s Shiite-dominated government has struggled to push back against the Sunni militants, who have seized large swaths of the country’s north since taking control of the second-largest city of Mosul on June 10 as troops melted away. l

As the Sunni terror spreads, its fighters look for wives n Patrick Cockburn

The Iraqi army and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) are battling for control of Iraq’s largest refinery outside Baiji north of Baghdad, with each side holding part of the complex. But in the town of Baiji itself, a few miles away, which is completely under the control of ISIS, residents say they are most frightened by ISIS militants going door to door asking about the numbers of married and unmarried women in the house.

“I told them that there were only two women in the house and both were married,” said Abu Lahid. “They said that many of their mujahedin (fighters) were unmarried and wanted a wife. They in-

sisted on coming into my house to look at the women’s ID cards (which in Iraq show marital status).” ISIS says its men have been ordered not to bother local people if they are Sunni, but in many places they are imposing their puritanical social norms in the towns they captured.

In Mosul people were at first jubilant that ISIS had removed the checkpoints that for years had made movement in the city very slow. Merchants and farmers were ordered to reduce the prices of their goods. But tolerance and moderation on the part of ISIS is intermittent and may be temporary. In one case in Mosul a woman was reportedly whipped, along with her husband, because she was only wearing a headscarf

Nasa to build world’s most-powerful telescope in hunt for alien life

rather than the niqqab cloak covering the whole body. In some captured towns fanatical ISIS militants start imposing rules about women’s clothing, watching TV in coffee shops and cigarette smoking almost before the fighting is ended.

The restraint, or lack of it, shown by ISIS has important political implications.

When al-Qaida in Iraq, the forerunner of ISIS, insisted on local women marrying their fighters during the Sunni-Shia civil war between 2004 and 2008, they alienated much of the Sunni community.

They killed even minor government employees. “I would rather have my door kicked in by American soldiers than by al-Qaida because, with the Americans, I would stand a better chance of staying

alive,” a young Sunni man in Baghdad said at the time. Such feelings enabled the Americans to create Sahwa, an anti-al-Qaida force among the Sunni.

ISIS could isolate itself again through its brutality and bigotry, though its leaders show signs of recognizing where they went wrong last time. Its fighters act as the shock troops of what has turned into a general Sunni uprising, but it is only one part, albeit the most important, of a loose alliance of seven or eight militant Sunni groups that could easily break apart.

For now, it is held together by a common sense of grievance and hatred against Nouri al-Maliki, the Prime Minister, and his government whom it

sees as persecuting and marginalizing the Sunni community. The departure of Maliki will remove part of the glue holding together the ISIS-led Sunni alliance.

Some strains between the Sunni rebel factions are already evident: When the Naqshabandi Army, of which Saddam Hussein’s former deputy Izzat al-Douri is titular head, put up posters of Saddam in Mosul, ISIS gave them 24 hours to take them down or face the consequences.

The Naqshabandi Army did not want a confrontation and complied.

Government television channels try to push the idea that the Sunni coalition is already in disarray, but this is probably premature. In most Sunni towns captured by the insurgents, peo-

Pope ‘excommunicates’ mafia n Agencies

Pope Francis has issued the strongest attack on organised crime groups by a pontiff in two decades, accusing them of practising “the adoration of evil” and saying that mafiosi were excommunicated. It was the first time a pope had used the word ‘excommunication’ – a total cutoff from the church – in direct reference to members of organised crime.

“Those who in their lives follow this path of evil, as mafiosi do, are not in communion with God. They are excommunicated,” he said in impromptu comments at a mass before hundreds of thousands of people in one of Italy’s most crime-infested areas.

To sustained applause he told the crowd: “This evil must be fought against, it must be pushed aside. We

must say no to it.” He branded the local crime group, the ‘Ndrangheta, as an example of the “adoration of evil and contempt of the common good” and said the church would exert its full force in efforts to combat organised crime.

“Our children are asking for it, our young people are asking for it. They are in need of hope and faith can help respond to this need,” he said.

Vatican spokesman Father Ciro Benedettini said the pope’s stern words did not constitute a formal over-arching decree of canon (church) law regarding excommunication, which is a formal legal process. Rather, he said it was more of a direct message to members of organised crime that they had effectively excommunicated themselves, reminding them that they could not participate in church sacraments or other activities because

they had distanced themselves from God through their criminal actions.

Still, the use of the highly charged word by a pope was significant because many members of organised crime in Italy see themselves as part of a religious, cult-like group, take part in sacraments, go to church and in some cases have also found complicity by some churchmen in the south.

The pope, Benedettini said, was trying to “isolate mafiosi within their own communities,” sending a message that they should not in any way be looked up to as “men of honour.”

In 1993 Pope John Paul sternly warned members of Sicily’s mafia that they would “one day face the justice of God.” The mafia responded several months later with bomb attacks against several churches in Rome. l

ple say they are more frightened by the return of vengeful government forces than they are by the presence of ISIS. For the moment, the battle lines have steadied north of Baghdad after the blitzkrieg advance of ISIS and its allies.

The fighting for Baiji refinery has been swaying backwards and forwards for the past five days. Further south, ISIS holds Tikrit, though a resident said “many people are fleeing to Erbil and Sulaimaniyah in Kurdistan because they think that if the Iraqi Army returns, it will shoot everybody indiscriminately.” In Sunni areas ISIS is still mopping up resistance: on Saturday, its fighters captured al-Qaim close to the border with Syria after a fight in which 30 soldiers were killed. l

Two die in clash with Israeli troops n Agencies Israeli troops killed two Palestinians yesterday, Palestinian medics and a militant group said, as Israel pressed on with its crackdown on Hamas, the Islamist group it accuses of abducting three Israeli teens.

The latest death brings to four the number of confirmed fatalities since Israel started its operation to find the missing teens. Soldiers entered several Palestinian cities and villages in the occupied West Bank, rounding up six suspected armed men. Israel has said its West Bank operation is twofold - to find GilAd Shaer and US-Israeli national Naftali Fraenkel, both aged 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19, who went missing near an Israeli settlement on June 13. l

‘Game of Thrones’ puts N Ireland on the map n AP, Belfast n Agencies NASA scientists have announced plans to build a telescope that may give us clues to whether alien life exists on planets millions of miles away, The Independent reported.

The Atlast, or Advanced Technology Large-Aperture Space Telescope, will be the most powerful telescope in the world and will be able to analyse atmospheres of planets and solar systems up to 30 light years away. It is hoped that the telescope will give astronomers crucial insights into whether extra-terrestrial life forms are able to exist in undiscovered areas of space.

To be able to analyse these planets, the

telescope will have to be the largest of its kind ever to be built and up to four times bigger than the 44ft Hubble Space Telescope. Inside will be a mirror with a diameter of 52ft, the largest man-made mirror ever.

Due to the size of the telescope, no rocket will be capable of transporting it up to space and instead, a team of astronaut construction workers will be ferried by Nasa’s Orion rocket to assemble the telescope situated 1million miles from the earth’s surface. The details of the project will be revealed at this week’s National Astronomy Meeting in Portsmouth by the president for the Royal Astronomical Society, Martin Barstow. l

On social issues, America edges steadily left n Agencies Along the left-right spectrum on social and economic issues, Americans have traditionally tended to be a bit more conservative – certainly compared to the European countries to which they trace their ancestry. That, however, appears to be changing, according to recent surveys.

Just since 2010, Gallup finds, the conservative advantage on economic issues has dropped from 36% down to 21%. On social issues, the decline over the same period looks more precipitous: from 17% to just four percent.

“Conservatism is still the dominant ideology in the US when Americans are asked to describe their political views overall and when asked about their

views on economic and social issues separately,” Gallup reported recently.

“However, the conservative advantages are shrinking, in large part because of Democrats’ increasing likelihood of describing their views as liberal rather than conservative or moderate.”

In other words, party affiliation and the current state of political affairs – partisan to the point of divisiveness – are part of the picture. But demographics (younger generations coming along) and the rise of libertarianism are too. Looking ahead, Gallup predicts: “With the conservative advantage on social issues down to four points, it is possible in the next few years there will be more Americans describing themselves as socially liberal than as socially conservative.” l

Giants, dragons and vengeful queens have for generations populated Northern Ireland’s folk tales. Now, such creatures are visiting the land in a different version — on the sets for the hit TV show “Game of Thrones.” But rather than spells and destruction, they’re bringing an economic boost to this British province still healing from its past of political violence.

Fans of the HBO fantasy drama would recognize here the landscapes from the fictional land of Westeros — the castle of Winterfell, the seaside cliffs of the Iron Isles and the King’s Road leading to the north. About 75% of the show is filmed in Northern Ireland, both in natural settings and in the Titanic Studios in Belfast.

Since the pilot episode began filming in 2009, the show’s presence has helped foster a film industry that is catching the eye of other Hollywood productions.

And Northern Ireland is taking advantage of the attention by promoting the filming locations as tourist destinations.

The latest — and perhaps most illustrious — visitor is Queen Elizabeth II, who will tour the studio sets today. But thousands have already been visiting from across the globe. Cara and Tom Collins from Springdale, Arkansas, were in Ballintoy Harbour recently to see the rocky coastal setting used in the show for the ‘Iron Isles,’ a kingdom of rugged sailors.

“You can just close your eyes and picture everybody there,” said Tom. The province’s tourism industry hopes to use the show’s popularity to increase the number of tourists to over 2 million annually by 2016, from 1.8 million in 2013 — more than the region’s population of just 1.8 million. l

Clockwise from top: Game of Thrones tourists take part at clearsky adventure which has built an exact replica of Winterfell Archery range in the same spot where filming took place at castleward, Strangford, Northern Ireland. Game of Thrones fans stop for a picture on their way to Audleys field and castle, which was used for filming season 1. Tourists visit Audleys field and castle AP

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Hong Kong votes in democracy ‘poll’ in defiance of Beijing n Reuters, Hong Kong Nearly 600,000 votes have been cast in three days of an unofficial referendum on democratic reforms in Hong Kong, part of a civil campaign that has been branded illegal by the former British colony and by Communist Party authorities in Beijing.

Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with wide-ranging autonomy under the formula of “one country, two systems,” along with an undated promise of universal suffrage.

But social tensions have risen steadily, with many residents concerned that civil liberties are being eroded and with pro-democracy activists threatening to blockade part of the city’s financial district if China doesn’t stick to its promise.

Polling in the unofficical referendum was extended from June 22 until June 29 after the voting website received billions of hits in an apparent cyberattack last week that prompted organisers to open 15 polling booths across the city on Sunday. Residents have so far voted online and via smartphones.

While Beijing says Hong Kong can go ahead with a vote in 2017 for the city’s top leader, Hong Kong’s mini-constitution, the Basic Law, specifies that only a nominating committee can pick leadership candidates. Pro-democracy activists say this should be changed to allow public nominations.

“What is the point of one man, one vote if at the end of the day we have to vote from three puppets or four puppets anointed by Beijing?” Anson Chan, Hong Kong’s former top civil servant and a key supporter of the vote, said on Sunday.

The unofficial referendum comes a week after Beijing released a white paper in which it reasserted its authority

Submarines to choppers: A sneak peek into Modi’s defence agenda n Agencies Major decisions and policy announcements aimed at beefing up India’s defence are going to be on the front burner of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the next few weeks, Firstpost reported.

Multi-billion dollar deals for acquisition of submarines, attack helicopters, heavy-lift helicopters, missiles and fighter aircraft are on Modi’s radar screen. In fact, the prime minister’s foreign policy in near term too will have heavy defence agenda. Here is a sneak peek into the Modi government’s defence agenda in near future.

Submarines

A man leaves after voting in a polling station for an unofficial referendum on democratic reform as assistants sitting on left side use smart devices to register the voters’ ID card infomation in Hong Kong AP over Hong Kong, a move that unnerved and enraged many in the city, raising fears of direct intervention.

At one polling station, about 20 people from pro-Beijing group Caring Hong Kong Power shouted at voters who braved the rain, urging them not to cast ballots.

“You are sending your children to the battlefield,” one shouted at a voter.

The referendum, organized by the Occupy Central protest group, offers voters three options, which all include a popular vote. There

is also an option to abstain, but no breakdown of the results has been provided.

More than 590,000 votes had been cast by midday on Sunday, according to organisers, or nearly 10% of Hong Kong’s population of seven million.

Occupy Central had said it hoped the referendum would draw up to 300,000 people and it aims to mobilize thousands on to the streets of the city’s financial district as part of its campaign to demand full democracy.

9

Monday, June 23, 2014

It’s been a busy few weeks for pro- and anti-establishment groups.

Pro-Beijing group Silent Majority released a video last week warning of possible deaths and general mayhem if the Occupy Central protests proceed.

In one scene, a dagger pierces a throbbing heart that symbolizes the central business district.

At a sing-along rally in support of the referendum on Friday, more than 100 people gathered in Central to sing “Do You Hear the People Sing?” from the musical Les Miserables. l

This is a crucial sector and a major area of concern as the former defence minister AK Antony did more harm than good to the cause of modernisation of Indian armed forces. Antony brought the defence armaments’ acquisition process to a virtual halt for a major part of his tenure. After INS Sindhurakshak was lost to the Indian Navy due to a massive fire and multiple explosions in Mumbai naval dock yard on 14 August, 2013, and operational issues with several other aging submarines, the navy has been left with just 13 conventional diesel-electric submarines, 11 of which are 20-27 years old.

Interestingly, it was the previous NDA government of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee which had approved in 1999 a long-term ambitious project, called Project 75i, aimed at adding 30 new submarines to the naval fleet by 2030. It is for the Modi government now to put this project back on the rails. A major decision of clearing pending submarines project is awaiting the nod of the new Indian government.

Helicopters

This is another area where the Indian armed forces are feeling distressed for years but no decision could be taken by the UPA government.

The armed forces are in dire need of attack helicopters and heavy-lift transport helicopters. The US is the frontrunner for grabbing the deal for offthe-shelf purchase of these two types of helicopters — 16 Chinuk heavy-lift helicopters and 22 Apache attack helicopters.

The helicopter deal, likely to cost up to $3bn, is going to dominate the India-US conversations in the coming weeks in the run up to Prime Minister Modi’s bilateral visit to the US in September this year. Modi is likely to hold a summit meeting with President Barack Obama in Washington on 30 September.

But then, this won’t be an easy decision for the Modi government as several major foreign powers, including Russia, have been wooing India for this lucrative deal.

MMRCA Project

This mega project of Medium Multirole Combat Aircraft, though awarded in principle to France by the UPA government in January 2012, is still in a limbo as final commercial negotiations with the French company Dassault are lingering on. The Modi government has to come up with its decision of ‘clearing’ the deal.

The project is going to cost a whopping $20bn involving 126 fighter aircraft. The project is of utmost necessity for the Indian Air Force which is currently down to just 34 fighter squadrons as against a minimum requirement of 44 fighter squadrons. l

Protests over election fraud claims gather pace in Afghanistan

Cuffed knifeman Pakistan offensive ‘apologises’ for holy war in Xinjiang displaces 350,000 among those who are currently on the n Reuters, Beijing n Agencies n Reuters, Kabul move in the tribal region. “The civilOne of the assailants who carried out an attack in western China that injured four people has apologised and said other members of his group had convinced him to participate in a “holy war,” state media said late on Saturday.

The knife attack occurred last Sunday in a crowded chess hall in the city of Hotan in troubled Xinjiang, the traditional home of ethnic Muslim Uighurs.

Two of the attackers died from serious injuries, while the remaining one, Muer Zhati, was arrested, China Central Television (CCTV) said on Saturday.

“I just listened to them and did something like this, hacked people,” Muer Zhati was shown as saying on CCTV. “I’m sorry, I apologise for my behaviour. I just want to say I’m sorry.”

Muer Zhati, who was shown on television wearing an orange prison vest and handcuffs, said members of his group had advocated a holy war, telling him that he could obtain a straight path to heaven.

“They told me about this matter of the holy war, that as long as I died while participating, I could go directly to heaven and not be subject to a trial after I die,” Muer Zhati said.

On June 15, Muer Zhati said he spent five seconds observing people in a room playing cards before he started hacking a woman.

CCTV said, however, that Muer Zhati’s confession “came too late and all that is waiting for him now is the strict punishment of the law.”

CCTV often airs confessions by thieves, prostitutes and other petty criminals, but in recent months, several high-profile suspects have confessed to crimes on air, often wearing handcuffs and jumpsuits. Critics say public confessions deprive the accused of the right to a fair trial.

China has been on edge since a suicide bombing last month killed 39 people at a morning vegetable market in Xinjiang’s capital of Urumqi. Knife attacks in the past have often resulted in attackers being arrested or killed.

Chinese police shot dead 13 attackers in Xinjiang on Saturday after they rammed a car into a police station and detonated explosives, state news agency Xinhua said.

Police in Xinjiang have arrested or tried dozens of suspects in recent weeks for spreading extremist propaganda, harbouring banned weapons and other crimes.

Rights activists and exile groups have charged that the government’s own repressive policies in Xinjiang have sowed the seeds of unrest. l

Some 350,000 people have been displaced since the start of an army offensive against militants in Pakistan’s North Waziristan a week ago, officials say.

Long lines of buses and lorries are reported waiting in intense heat for security clearance to enter the nearest town of Bannu. There are fears the refugees could spread polio, as many of the displaced children have not been vaccinated.

The offensive began after a deadly attack on Karachi airport. The attack was claimed by an Uzbek militant group and the Pakistani Taliban.

Tens of thousands of children are

ians have no idea where they are going,” reports Shazeb Jillani from Bannu Many of them have never been vaccinated for highly-infectious diseases - like polio - because of a Taliban-imposed ban.

Local officials say they are doing everything they can to deal with the unfolding humanitarian crisis. A camp for the displaced people has been set up near Bannu.

But most families have refused to go there, saying the place lacks basic necessities like water, food and sanitation, the BBC’s Shahzeb Jillani in Islamabad reports. l

MH370 pilot ‘chief suspect’ in case of foul play n Agencies The captain of Flight MH370 has been identified as the prime suspect by a Malaysian police investigation into the disappearance of the plane after checks cleared all other people on board, a media report said yesterday. The criminal inquiry does not rule out the possibility the Boeing 777-200 plane was lost due to mechanical failure or terrorism, but the police view is that if it was the result of human action, the captain was the most likely perpetrator.

Malaysia’s special branch focused

the inquiry on Captain Zaharie Shah, 53, after intelligence checks failed to substantiate any suspicions about the other people on board the jet, the report said.

The Beijing-bound Flight MH370, carrying 239 people, mysteriously vanished on March 8 en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur. The disappearance of the plane is one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history.

Detectives conducted more than 170 interviews. They found that Zaharie, an outgoing man with a penchant for gadgetry, appeared to have made no social or work commitments for the future. l

Protests in support of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah’s decision to drop out of the electoral process gathered in several cities yesterday, as tension over allegations of mass-fraud in the run-off vote grew.

Abdullah has so far ignored calls by the United Nations and the Afghan government to return to the electoral process, after withdrawing earlier this week by declaring any outcome was illegal and recalling his observers monitoring the vote count.

The second day of protests came despite appeals for calm by Afghan authorities and the United Nations, intensifying longstanding concerns of a struggle for power along ethnic lines and casting doubt on Afghanistan’s attempt to transfer power democratically for the first time in its history.

The election comes as most foreign troops are planning to leave Afghanistan by the end of the year. The fragile state of the society they will leave behind was underscored on Saturday by a suicide bombing aimed at a government official.

Abdullah, of mixed Tajik and Pashtun heritage, is known for his leadership role in the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. The June 14 run-off vote pitted him against ex-World Bank economist Ashraf Ghani, who belongs to the majority ethnic Pashtun group.

Abdullah is demanding an investigation into vote fraud and the dismissal of the head of the Independent Election Commission (IEC) Secretariat Ziaul-Haq Amarkhil. l

Supporters of Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah shout slogans during a protest in Kabul, Afghanistan, June 22 AP

Malaysia’s tiny, strutting serama fowl gains fans n AFP, Kampung Pandan

A judge watches as a Serama chicken struts down a judging table during a beauty contest at Kampung Pandan in Kuala Lumpur AFP

Marching imperiously with a puffed-out chest and soldier’s ramrod posture, Mohamad Hatta Yahaya’s tiny chicken strutted its rich yellow plumage for a stone-faced judge.

“Yes my hero, puff out your chest!” Mohamad Hatta cried out above the din of fellow fowl-owners as his $10,000 bird pranced to victory in a “beauty contest” for serama chickens outside the capital Kuala Lumpur.

The breed – among the world’s smallest chickens with adults weighing less than 500 grammes (17 oz) – has been a favoured pet in its native Malaysia for decades. But its popularity has spread to as far as Europe and America, with enthusiast clubs proliferating as owners celebrate the decorative breed’s distinctive characteristics.

These include attractive and richly coloured plumage and a unique bearing

marked by a protruding, heart-shaped chest and wings that hang straight to the ground, giving the pigeon-sized bird the air of a goose-stepping soldier on military parade.

While the Asian bird-flu outbreaks of recent times and subsequent poultry restrictions have hamstrung breeding efforts, the serama has been sustained by the efforts of ardent enthusiasts who will pay up to several thousand dollars for a prize bird.

‘Part of my family’ “There are people who want to buy my bird.

But I am not selling it. It is part of my family,” Mohamad Hatta said.

Believed to be a cross between the Malaysian wild fowl and Japanese bantam, the serama first emerged decades ago as a decorative pet for Malaysia’s state sultans before gaining a broader public following beginning in the 1980s.

Its name is thought to derive from “Rama” – a term referring to Thailand’s royalty. Some believe the breed originated as a long-ago gift from a Thai king to a Malaysian sultan.

Many Malaysians eat serama, believing them an aphrodisiac that also fights asthma. But the bird’s attractiveness and good-natured, manageable disposition has pushed it up the pecking order of Malaysian pets.

“These beautiful tiny birds gives you great pleasure to own,” said Norzamini Tukiban, a 54-year-old banker who heads the district chapter of Malaysia’s serama association.

Ahmad Fauzi Mohamed, president of the Malaysia branch of the World Serama Federation, estimates there are about 250,000 serama in Malaysia. There are nearly as many overseas, he said, and serama clubs have sprouted across Southeast Asia, the United States, Canada, Belgium, Holland, South Korea and elsewhere. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Monday, June 23, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

A long road to development

D

haka continues to face new traffic and transportation crises every year, a key reason being there has not been any long-term planning since its inception as the capital city. It is past time for our city planners to conceive a more lasting solution to the problem. Nor is this a problem that is limited to Dhaka alone. Congestion and insufficient infrastructure bedevils the entire country, and there is not a village, town, or city which is immune.

Any development that has taken place in road infrastructure was done with minimal consideration for the city’s rapidly growing population, with the result that we are always playing catch up and that, despite continual expansion, road infrastructure has never been sufficient for our needs at any given moment in time. Once again, this is a problem that has replicated itself countrywide.

No government in the past has been successful in expanding either the capital city – or any urban area – in a planned manner, leading to the relentless traffic congestion.

Considerable amounts of money and time have been wasted in makeshift solutions to the problem. If city planners do not find more durable answers, sooner or later, Dhaka will no longer be able to serve its purpose as a capital city.

Major investments are required for such a project and cannot be implemented without proper management and coordination between city planners and transport authorities. Implementing such plans will be a prolonged process and will also require the commitment of all. Additionally, certain policies will need to be put in place to protect resources that are intended for the project.

We urge the government to formulate a long-term strategy for developing the nation’s infrastructure that can tackle the traffic issue once and for all. The capital city would be a good place to start.

Major investments in city planning cannot be implemented without proper management and coordination

Shut the valve on water-logging

R

oads in various parts of the country are badly congested because of water-logging caused by the sudden surge in rainfall, and the increased number of vehicles plying them for that very reason.

This phenomenon is nothing new to those who have lived in Bangladesh for long enough, but it is high time that the government took measurable steps in alleviating this frustrating issue.

The centre of this problem can be traced back to the inefficient and poorly-managed sewage systems in our cities.

Negligence on the part of local government bodies in maintaining drainage systems is the primary reason contributing to the woes of city dwellers around the country, with citizens often citing flippant, uncooperative attitudes from both the water authorities and the city corporations in tackling the issue with more fervour.

This rationale pervades more than the drainage system, however.

The government’s strategy in building metropolitan infrastructure thus far has been on an ad hoc basis in place of having a planned, comprehensive system designed, one that also takes future conditions into account. This is not the way urban centres are meant to be maintained.

Instead of dipping its toes into sectors which can take care of themselves, the government should instead concentrate on the more pertinent responsibilities it has been given.

Taking care of water-logging, disentangling traffic, improving infrastructure, these are not duties that the private sector can, or should, be left to tackle. This is the government’s job, and we expect the government to make it a priority.

Taking care of waterlogging, disentangling traffic, and improving infrastructure are duties for the government to tackle

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

The beautiful game

June 18 are slow-paced here, with people just watching TV. saima imam Don’t Bangladeshis have anything better to do? It Breadbitten was only a few months ago when the whole frenzy saima imam: Wow! Lighten up! about cricket ended. Now the World Cup. Why do they not work on their skills so that one day they Zero-Agenda can participate in the World Cup? Ain’t going to It always amazes me how festive things get here in happen? With that attitude they are not going to even try. When do people work if they are watching Bangladesh every four years when the World Cup comes around. It’s the only time when people butt games all day long? What about the students? heads over opposing views, but do so with some When do they sit down and study?

Perhaps Bangladeshi television should broad- much-needed level of endearment and lightheartcast one major game each night. No wonder things edness. I love it!

Mewing Tigers suffer shocking defeat

June 18

Zaheer I refuse to let these cricketers represent Bangladesh.

Tamim First of all, tell me: Why are they even called Tigers? They couldn’t even perform like Tigers!

Monir The Indian cricket team is not even the main team.

India sent a very young team to Bangladesh. We really are not capable of winning against them.

Are we aware of our true abilities? I think we are expecting too much from our team.

Bangladesh deserves defeat for this failure because we are too proud for no reason. We only hold 9th place with 1807 points. But if you see the ratings list, you will notice that India is holding 2nd place in ODI with 6169 points. They are far ahead of us. In test cricket, we hold last place. We should be aware of our abilities before we say anything.

Still we have a long journey to go.

“Bangladesh pacer Taskin Ahmed’s heroic effort on his memorable ODI debut was made even more memorable, credit to his colleagues with the bat who failed to chase a paltry 106 runs and hence succumbed to an appalling 47 run defeat against an untested and young India team at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.”

The article’s first line talks about Taskin Ahmed’s bowling. But why didn’t we appreciate Binny’s bowling? He is the one who took more wickets in this match.

Tamim Monir: I think even the Kolkata Knight Riders can beat this team with ease.

Khaleda: Movement after Eid

June 18 SD Khaleda is all about political bickering and does not care about the needs of the people of Bangladesh. She should be imprisoned for life for inciting violent demonstrations, which only damage the Bangladeshi economy and make the people suffer.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

A bridge over troubled waters June 19 riazo We need the Padma Bridge to rejuvenate the south and south-west of Bangladesh, in the same way we needed the Jamuna Bridge to rejuvenate northern Bangladesh. I am sure the government is well aware of any short-term pressures the bridge construction may put on the macro-economic situation of the country.

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 3 represents G so fill G every time the figure 3 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

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

Evil people politics The Padma Bridge project may forever be stuck in a limbo if more concrete headway (pun unintended) is not made by the government.

Hasina is godfather’s mother, claims Khaleda June 17

Ronnie Khaleda Zia isn’t alone in correctly castigating the PM’s mind-boggling defence of Shamim Osman, and her doting tribute to the Osman family, in Parliament. Any fool who still harboured hopes of seeing the PM and her government properly pursue the course of true justice, regarding Mr Osman and others, has no excuse to delude himself any longer after the PM’s public conferral of immunity from prosecution to this man.

Apur Panchali: Obsession reincarnate June 19

Mosabber Rahman The final paragraph should read as follows: “We are thankful cannibals, devouring our heroes for our own glory and later paying them tributes. Is this the way? To be an heir to a legacy is to digest the ‘ideas’ of the filmmaker that he so densely packs into his films from whose DNA strands an entire dinosaur can be made. Films are the ambers that carry ‘ideas.’ In that aspect, ‘our films’ might be closer to Satyajit Ray’s legacy than ‘their films.’”

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Facts given (4) 5 Joint (5) 9 Keen insight (6) 10 Respectful fear (3) 11 Nothing more (4) 12 Ventured (5) 14 Register (5) 16 Region (4) 19 Meshed fabrics (4) 21 Loyal vassal (5) 24 Stringed instrument (5) 27 Poker stake (4) 29 Anger (3) 30 Pokes gently (6) 31 Garment (5) 32 Look for (4)

DOWN 1 Moist (4) 2 Top card (3) 3 Soup dish (6) 4 So be it! (4) 5 Sanction (7) 6 Barrier (3) 7 Be indebted (3) 8 Cleat (5) 13 Beverage (3) 15 Fixed allowances (7) 17 Take vengeance (6) 18 Shining (5) 20 Old cloth measure (3) 22 Cattle goads (4) 23 Furniture item (4) 25 Do wrong (3) 26 Sheltered side (3) 28 Golf mound (3)

A media monster June 18

VHS Media tends to love monsters. Also, I guess the public loves to watch something they hate on TV.

Drive against foreign language adverts begins in capital June 19

VK Just ask yourself why countries in the region, like India, Malaysia, Singapore and others, are so much advanced, and why countries like Bangladesh are going backwards. Maybe because they put the emphasis on the use of English instead of banning it!

PEANUTS

Someone This is incredibly regressive and extremely unfortunate. Now that this mindless campaign to obliterate English from our city streets has begun, I’d say the HC and the ruling party might as well reconsider the name “Awami League,” neither of which is a Bangla word. On another note, whether written in English or Bangla, I’ve always cursed and resented the very sight of advertisement billboards in Dhaka. I still find them an absolute abomination that have for long ruined the city’s landscape and aesthetics. Left to me, I’d tear all of them down.

Plaintiffs do not know about case details June 18

Vikram Khan So, the horrible event that shamed the nation will be treated in typical Bangladeshi style; (politically) covered up. Very, very nice indeed!

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Monday, June 23, 2014

Running over lives n Syed Ishtiaque Reza

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Time up for the old guards?

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The end of an era

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n Quazi Zulquarnain Islam

rance did it in 2002, Italy did it twice, and now Spain has followed suit as champions that exited the World Cup at the group phase the following year. Lumping this all-conquering Spanish side with the solid but spectacular incarnations of France and Italy is a disservice to the stylish and irrepressible football that Spain has gifted us over the last six years.

But with the man who directed that wonder orchestra, Xavi, missing from its swansong, it was somehow fitting that the Spaniards exited the World Cup to a Chile style playing an aggressive, breakneck brand of football. The “death” of tiki-taka is being celebrated and lamented in equal measure, but the truth is that with an ageing team, lacking a little bit in motivation and a tough group, this was always on the cards. But when you have players like Koke, Javi Martinez, David de Gea, Juan Mata, and Thiago Alcantara, be sure that Spain will be back. As an era ends, another is set to begin.

The pressure is affecting not uplifting Brazil

Things can change very quickly in football, but as of the first week, the pressure of expectation from a home crowd witnessing a World Cup on home soil after 64 years, is proving to be a hindrance rather than a help for hosts Brazil. Full stadiums, despite ongoing protests, have helped the Selecao little or not at all in the tournament, both of their games so far have been terribly scrappy affairs and the team looks functional rather than flamboyant. The 3-1 score line against Croatia was a flattering one for a very innocuous performance that hinged on a non-existent penalty given for a foul on Fred. Against Mexico, Brazil was better, but goalkeeper Guillermo

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Ochoa, a free agent soon, ensured that the South Americans were kept at bay.

A barely deserved win, and a sketchy draw may not make for good reading, but many World Champions have had worse starts.

Europe is alive and kicking, so far

Coming into the tournament, there was plenty of talk about how the European teams would cope with the warmer climates of South America and whether a maiden title for a European nation may be possible. On evidence of the first week, this could be possible.

The Dutch razed Spain to the ground in a daring display of counter-attacking football, and Germany, despite not playing well, managed to similarly dispose of Portugal 4-0, in conditions that captain Phillip Lahm described as “brutal.”

Twenty nine games and a goal average of almost 3 a game – this World Cup has been many things but boring Both followed that up with slightly more below par showings in their win and draw against Australia and Ghana respectively. However, the highlights have been France. After struggling in qualifying to even get through to the finals, France have taken full advantage of a relatively kind draw to post two very convincing back to back wins – the second of this a 5-2 thumping of a very good Switzerland side. In contrast to the Europeans, both Argentina and Brazil have struggled, as have Uruguay, with only Colombia the only side

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managing to play up to the expectations so far.

Atomic Flea can go nuclear

While the focus will readily be on Neymar, in all honestly, everyone expects this to be the tournament which Lionel Messi takes by the scruff of the neck. Argentina came into the tournament with a 4-3-3 formation firing on all cylinders, with Messi at its centrepiece. But come Brazil, the team looked strangely subdued and despite the two wins from two, looked fairly unconvincing so far. The exception of course has been Messi who was the difference maker in both games, scoring two stunning goals both from his favoured area just outside the opponent box. Both were moments of pure inspiration lighting up what was a dull and dreary encounter. It shows that with a truly exceptional player in their ranks, Argentina can go far, maybe even title-clinching far, if the rest of the team can pick up their game.

Goals goals goals

Twenty nine games and a goal average of almost 3 a game at the time of writing – this World Cup has been many things but definitely not boring.

While the spectators have loved it, the question that has often been raised is how and why this World Cup is suddenly different. Since Italy 1990, World Cups have been participated in a safety-first approach with teams generally more aware of not conceding than scoring themselves.

This approach is acceptable in a seven-game cup tournament, where margins for error are generally small.

Theories are abound as to the reason for this goals monsoon. The most commonly held one is that the hot and humid conditions have made pressing extremely difficult, which perhaps offers more room to attacking players to show their worth.

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The talent gap is closing

Gone are the days when drawing the third CONCACAF or the fifth Asian team in your group meant an almost certain victory. As Iran showed against Argentina, and as Costa Rica so appropriately showed against Italy, the international talent gap is perhaps at the lowest it has ever been. With coaching and systems more fluid, and more and more top-flight coaches taking their ideas and vision cross continent, we have seen a tactical and technical evolution. Costa Rica now play modern football, with men on the back looking to pass out of defence, and initiate play rather than the old-school favourite of putting men behind the ball, two banks of four, and hoping for the best. Football is richer for the changes, and much more exciting for the unpredictability.

Innovations are good, Refereeing not so much

This World Cup has seen one key innovation – the introduction of goal-line technology. This has proved useful not least for Bryan Ruiz’s header in the 1-0 Costa Rica win over Italy. It was a much needed gesture from FIFA after Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal in the last World Cup, and it looks like it is here to stay. Other innovations include the much talked about foam spray to make sure the free-kick taker does not inch a few yards closer, or the wall doesn’t walk ahead to break the 10 yards barrier. It’s the kind of idea that once you see it, you think why it was not done before. But despite the innovations, the refereeing has been fairly substandard starting from the first game. Unfortunately, it is the underdogs who often fall prey to the bad calls – Iran in particular desperately disappointed to not earn a penalty against Argentina. l Quazi Zulquarnain Islam is a freelance sports writer.

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angladesh leaves many countries trailing behind when it comes to fatal road accidents.

No one can give precise statistics, but the country is surely at the top when it comes to lives lost in road accidents.

In television newsrooms the ticker is updated periodically, and among the numerous political, economic, business, and crime-related news, they are also updated with frequent news of fatal road accidents every day.

In almost every news bulletin, news of accidents occupies a significant portion of airtime. It is high time that the government and the public took resolute actions for road safety.

A study conducted by the Accident Research Centre (ARC) of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) notes that there has been an alarming rise in the number of road accidents, highway accidents chiefly, in Bangladesh over the past few years.

According to the study, road accidents claim an average of 12,000 lives every year and lead to about 35,000 injuries. According to statistics from the World Bank, the annual fatality rate from road accidents is found to be 85.6 fatalities per 10,000 vehicles in Bangladesh.

A high growth in urbanisation and the number of cars can be identified as one of the factors leading to the large number of road accidents. But the real reason is issuing driving licenses to those who are unfit to drive. For a nation in which the number of vehicles per capita is quite low, the number of deaths is, on the contrary, huge, distressing, and worrisome.

If we observe all the news reports and television talk show deliberations, they all speak of the same thing – drunk driving, speeding, enforcement of rules, the importance of seat belts, the safety of pedestrians and motor cyclists who constitute the majority of those who perish in road accidents, improving infrastructure, and so on. But in the end, nothing gets implemented, resulting in lives being lost on the roads.

Lawlessness is very widespread in Bangladesh’s transport sector. There are rules, but no one seems to care.

The situation seems to be getting worse as our economy grows, along with our growing purchasing power and number of motor vehicles on the roads.

A nation cannot afford to allow its people to keep dying out on the streets Roads in Bangladesh are always packed with vehicles. Some are too fast, while some are too slow. The roadway infrastructure in some areas of the country is completely outdated.

And the drivers, especially bus and truck drivers, act like Neanderthals out on the roads. Many of our country’s

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sectors are gradually shedding any semblance of accountability, but the transport sector never really had any.

If the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) really is bent on improving this sector, and wants to reduce the number of accidents, its only option is to work with a sincere mission. It can reissue all driving licenses around the country in phases. Even those who hold valid licenses, not only those with forged ones, should be issued new licenses.

Lawlessness is widespread in the transport sector. There are rules, but no one seems to care First of all, the BRTC, and other authorities concerned, can think of changing the license issuance system; everyone is aware of the purchasable driving licenses in our country.

There are thousands of drivers who have very little knowledge of traffic rules. The driving tests conducted by the transport authorities are a farce.

Anyone can manage a driving license through bribery. This happens because the system is not there to ensure honesty and transparency. Bus and truck drivers are highly organised and backed by powerful quarters. They can kill thousands on the streets without as much as a slap on the wrist.

The government promotes Information Technology (IT) all the time. It can employ the use of IT in the transport sector. With help from experts, it can come up with a network of all the licenses issued connected to a central database. Apart from the obvious tragedy, the economic costs of such accidents are also a significant factor.

Estimates in Bangladesh show a significant waste in the total national GDP from road accidents, which could’ve been salvaged, had the number of accidents been lower.

Another way to reduce the number of accidents would be to randomly check the skills of drivers. Police, along with a magistrate, can do random checks on drivers. They can be asked questions regarding their driving skills and knowledge of traffic rules. But the real factor would be checking the individuals who issue licenses. If a driver is found to be unknowledgeable of the rules, or does not possess sufficient skills in driving, the next step would be to check the individual who issued a license to that driver. If things are done with a clear mission, a proper system can manifest.

This will surely be a grand undertaking, but the nation needs this in order to save lives. A nation cannot afford to allow its people to keep dying out on the streets. Violators must be dealt with judiciously. It is imperative to go all-out in preventing road accidents. l Syed Ishtiaque Reza is Director of News, Ekattor.

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British by birth, shackled by custom n Towheed Feroze

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t was an area just outside the main bustling city of Sylhet. The house which provided temporary sanctuary for Fatiha (name changed) was a nondescript structure. Inside, Fatiha was coming to terms with the fact that her British citizenship has made her into a conduit for the wish fulfillment of others.

Still reeling from a forced marriage, Fatiha’s case was far more deviant than the basic “bring back home on false pretext and have the girl married” type. She was married to an unknown person over the phone and made to live in a hostile household of a relative of her husband in the UK, where the treatment she received was appalling.

When she came back to Bangladesh, the husband turned out to be a drug addict. And to make matters worse, her father, who had two wives, died suddenly, triggering a family feud over property. In the frenzy, Fatiha’s plight was forgotten. Thanks to the Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) of the consular services of the British High Commission in Dhaka and the support office in Sylhet, she was saved from becoming a victim of unremitting sorrow.

The case I just mentioned dates

back to 2009, when I was in the service of the British government, working as the press officer. As part of the team to rescue her and provide her with regular assistance to overcome the ordeal, I found that while she had strong belief in her faith and culture, she also loved football, hanging with friends, cycling in the park, and listening to Spice Girls. A balanced mixture of two cultures, one can conclude.

Before coming face to face with Fatiha’s case, we had, as journalists, a very vague idea about the whole issue of forced marriage involving Brit Bangladeshis. In light conversations, people raised the issue stating that a lot of young women of Bangladeshi families who were born and brought up in the UK were often brought back home and married off without their consent.

The major topic was how a burqa-clad girl was speaking fluent English whereas her husband could hardly speak a single line.

However, the human ordeal of such episodes never came out in the open for two reasons – firstly, many women, living within strict conservative social rules, accepted their fate, and secondly, those who somehow managed to escape these arbitrarily imposed weddings hardly came to the media with their stories because they were embar-

rassed that disclosure might humiliate their parents or relatives.

Scarring family honour is very much a vital matter among the South Asian communities abroad, which often leads to honour-based crimes. Just to recall a recent incident, a woman with two children was severely beaten and bruised by her Sikh father-in-law in Britain when the latter suspected her of having an affair with a Muslim man.

Again, another social anomaly surfaces – the schism between expatriate communities of different faiths, taken to a fanatical level. Anyway, now that a UK law banning all such unions without consent comes into effect, can we expect victims to step forward to seek help?

The truth is, the whole matter is riddled with mind-boggling social and moral conundrums – on one side, a girl may not be willing to marry someone she has never met, or with whom she has very little in common and may desire support, but from the other angle, she may be unwilling to have the forced-marriage law enforced to have her parents or guardians punished.

It is of course laudable that a law has passed in the UK under which the maximum sentence can be seven-year-imprisonment, though what is essential is a concerted movement

to reform the mindsets of the South Asian communities in Britain and in home countries for any solid improvement in social cohesion.

British society in general understands marriage without consent is a severe breach of human rights. But the question is: When the notion of arranged marriage is firmly embedded in the psyche of the Asian communities, how can outlooks be revamped?

a stark gap in assimilating the basic precepts of individual choice.

Surprisingly, parents of young British Bangladeshis are often silent on the matter. Does this mean they give tacit approval to such marriages? Not all surprise marriages arranged by the guardians end up in disaster though, some survive with lasting results, providing the rationale for the custom to survive.

When the notion of arranged marriage is firmly embedded in the psyche of the Asian communities, how can outlooks be revamped?

A practical idea is to merge Westernstyle freedom of choice with an arranged marriage format that is more attuned to the age. If the approach is one or the other, failure is inevitable.

Once outside the Sylhet Airport, signboards of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office urging young women to call a number for fast help in cases of forced nuptials underline

On the other hand, the fear which haunts the South Asian communities is that unless a young girl born in the UK is married to someone from back home, she will eventually leave the cultural confines and become “Westernised.”

The term “Westernised” here is used as a pejorative term, carrying all the negative connotations. What is more unnerving is that people staying

in first-world states are harbouring and perpetuating some obsolete social notions in the name of preserving social and cultural identity.

This is definitely not to say that all South Asian families prefer a cloistered life. Many have blended with the British culture, making, if not a perfect then a practical combination of Eastern and Western values. Unfortunately, a lot of British Asian families still cling on to beliefs that clash with the perspective of their sons or daughters born and raised in the UK. Faced with the prospect of the new law that stipulates incarceration, many parents now take a different course – indoctrination. The marriageable person, under relentless sermonising, may capitulate only to discover later irreconcilable matrimonial differences.

Proselytising has many other ramifications, leading victims to adopt zealotry in forming their own philosophies. Perhaps in addition to the new law, there can be an effort to sensitise the South Asian communities, not only in the UK but back in the home states, about a healthy middle path that is not extreme on any side. l

Towheed Feroze is a journalist currently working in the development sector.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Abaji wins hearts again n Punny Kabir After performing in three concerts in three consecutive years in Dhaka, French-Lebanese musician Abaji has become the darling of the music lovers in the city. Being around Abaji, whose openness is exemplary, is an instantly heartwarming experience. He performed Saturday night in at La Galerie, Alliance Française de Dhaka and within a few minutes, had the crowd responding, singing along, clapping, and dancing as enthusiastically as if the barrier of language did not exist. Undoubtedly this relationship with the audience depended en-

tirely on Abaji’s personality.

The multi talented instrumentalist swayed the audience by playing one piece after another titled "For a cloud" played on a bamboo clarinet, "Traveller" and "Farâché" played on the oud-guitar. Honouring the Dhaka audience, he made a special piece, "Happy Dhaka," which he performed on a bouzouki (Greek long neck lute) with Bangladeshi flute player Musarrat Jabeen Rahman.

He played "Funny Rhythm" on djembe and mouth harp accompanied by Philip on the traditional instrument khamak.

The special concert marking the occasion

You of Many Days

of “Fête de la Musique 2014” globally known as the World Music Day also included local Baul musicians Rob Fakir and Baby Dewan on vocals, Nazrul on harmonium, Shafique, Paran on khamak and dhol and Jalal on flute.

Later, on the show, Abaji's collaboartion with the Bauls proved that music has no boundaries.

Born in Beirut, with parents born in Turkey but with Armenian, Greek and Syrian origins, Abaji has a multicultural background that enables him to play different types of music in multiple languages. The concert transported the audience to an eclectic musical world. l

Moments of Saturday concert

SADIA MARIUM

Season 3 of Dettol Shera Ami Shonge Ma kicks off

n Hasan Mansoor Chatak “You of Many Days,” an upcoming independent feature film, written and directed by Shireen Pasha, tells the story of a young woman’s journey for redemption when all hope seems lost.

The film is set to be released at film festivals next spring and in theaters next fall if the makers get sufficient funds to complete the film. It is a completely independent effort without government subsidies or corporate funding fuelled by donations from people all around the world who believe in the story, claims the director in a conversation with Dhaka Tribune.

The film opens in Bombay, as people rush to listen to celebrated writer Jheel Chopra’s new short story over the radio. The audience is unaware that the story she is about to share is a personal one. Jheel traces her narrative back to 1952, to a small village in Feni, with the young, melancholic Sagor, her uncle and father figure, who struggles to write compelling scripts for the film industry in Dhaka.

South Asia’s cultural diversity is portrayed in the film as Shireen said: “Diversity is the reality.

I come from a multicultural family. Therefore, I could only work with a story that has multiple languages in the milieu of South Asia’s biological and cultural diversity. Our film features Bangla, English, Hindi, Manipuri, Marathi, and Urdu.

Waves of Colour on display

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

Khona

By Bot-Tola Time: 7pm – 9pm Studio Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy

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

Music

Fete de la Musique 2014 Time: 6:30pm – 9:00pm La Galerie Alliance Francaise de Dhaka

Soha Ali Khan appears on the ramp in Bangladesh n Entertainmnt Desk Bollywood celebrity Soha Ali Khan appeared on the ramp for the first time ever in “Pond' presents The Lustrous Runway.”

Pond's along with Infinity Event Management organized the show to provide a platform for Bangladeshi boutiques and fashion houses to showcase their designs.

This time 10 international models showcased exclusive collections from Anokhi, Joconde, Libasse, Paera and Tootli Rahman. MasterCard, Jet Airways, Oriental Real Estate Limited, BMW, The Olives helped co-sponsor the event that took place on June 19 at Radisson’s Grand Ballroom. l

Our characters are as multicultural as we are in life, when we are honest about our roots.”

In the film, Sagor cares less about money and fame, and more about writing a role for his beloved Ranga, a young Manipuri woman who arrived as second wife of his father, Baki. Baki died in his sleep the week before, so his first wife decides to marry Ranga off to her drunkard son, Shimul- who runs away at the sight of Ranga’s large feet the very night of their wedding.

Jheel then tells how she was born to Ranga and how her passion for different food and tastes emerged.

Shireen grew up with stories about the many obstacles people faced in the nineteenth and twentieth century in the region and how people overcame these obstacles by having an expansive, universal and positive view on life.

As the story progresses viewers learn of the unusual love between Ranga and Sagor, of Ranga’s dream to become an actor, and of Sagor’s sacrifice. However all reveries come to an end when circumstances push Jheel to make the journey to Bombay.

The film took 24 days of shooting in Mumbai, Feni, Dhaka and other places, 3 years of location scouting and 11 years of script editing with a cast and crew of 90, enduring passion and patience to come away with a story promises to sway the audiences. l

Channel i Celebrity Football Tournament n Entertainment Desk

n Entertainmnet Desk “Dettol Shera Ami Shonge Ma,” a popular reality show pairing mother and child, is back again. Dettol, the flagship brand of Reckitt Benckiser Bangladesh has created the unique show where mothers and their children explore their talents to be the country’s best mom and child pair.

The registration for the program will take place online on www.DSASM.com and details on the show is available on www.facebook.com/dettolbd.

The program was formally inaugurated through a press conference yesterday. Reckitt Benckiser Bangladesh’s Marketing Director Mahbub Baset and Marketing Manager Faria Yasmin, and Syed Ashik Rahman, CEO of RTV, briefed the press about the program. l

Monday, June 23, 2014

Biren Shome

Khing Sai Mong

Sourav Chowdhury

n Shadma Malik A group art exhibition, titled “Waves of Colour” is being held at Gallery Cosmos-2, and will remain on display until June 25. The exhibition, showcasing forty seven artworks by twenty artists, were drawn during a three day long workshop, conducted by artist Alakesh Ghosh, Artist Sourav Chowdhury portrayed a river in rural Bangla in an artwork. Based on watercolour, the best medium in depicting land- Manik Bonik over the river, exuding a sense of freedom. scapes, the painting is both aesthet“Artists these days mostly work indoors, ic and inmate in nature.

Artist Manik Bonik, a nature lover, shows a but to make a combination of poetry and beautiful moment shared by couple walking beauty, they need to work outside in natural under the shadow of trees beside a serene lake. settings,” said artist Alakesh Ghosh.

The inaugural ceremony on June 6, was atKhing Sai Mong portrayed a woman outside her mud house in a village, against a brilliant tended by Lee Yun-young, Ambassador of Republic of Korea to Bangladesh, artists Samarjit backdrop of blue sky.

Artist Biren Shome has depicted fishing Roy Chowdhury and Mustafa Monwar were boats floating on water. Birds are seen flying present. l

Rahul Bose to play Priyanka’s estranged husband n Entertainment Desk Rahul Bose has long been associated with avant-garde cinema and the experience of working in a big commercial film is not entirely a familiar one for the actor.

Recently, Rahul too has joined the starcast of Zoya Akhtar’s upcoming mega project “Dil Dhadakne Do” along with an array of stars including Ranveer Singh, Priyanka Chopra, Farhan Akhtar, Anushka Sharma, Anil Kapoor and others. He will be playing Priyanka’s estranged husband in the film.

“They play an incompatible couple. It’s a very stormy relationship.

They have lots of fights in the film.

Zoya wanted Rahul to come across as the outsider in Priyanka’s family,” said a member of the “Dil Dhadakne

Do” team.

He also added: “Rahul was seen as the odd one out...you know, the actor from “English August” and “Chameli.” But he turned out to be the most fun. During the cruise he got along with Priyanka, Farhan and the rest of the cast like a house on fire.” l

While the whole nation is celebrating the beauty of football this FIFA World Cup season, big names in showbiz respond with “Channel i Celebrity Football Tournament” at the Mirpur Indoor Stadium on June 27.

The programme will feature celebrities wearing jerseys of their favourite teams to embrace the football celebration.

Marking the occasion, a new song “Hoi Choi Hottogol, Golemale Gole-

male Golemale Hoye Goal,” written

by Major Anisul islam (rtd) and tuned

by Farid Ahmed, will be performed at the beginning of the game. Monir, Mehedi, Shoron, Pranti and Zakir who are well known for their participation in “Channel i Shera Kontho,” “Khude Gaan Raj,” and “Sur Doria” will render the song.

Farid Ahmed said: “We will celebrate the beautiful game of football together with the vivacious sound and rhythmic music. Along with the artistes, we hope to cheer the listeners.” l

Shraddha Kapoor goes method in Ek Villain n Entertainmnt Desk Bollywood actress Shraddha Kapoor recently made her singing debut with the song “Galliyan” in the film “Ek Villain” which is going to be released on June 27.

The actor has been praised all over for her melodious voice in the song.

She is happy to have grabbed the opportunity.

On being asked whether she took any extra lessons before hitting the recording room, Shraddha said, “My training for this song has been minimal. I came from a musical family, I have many relatives from my maternal side who are singers. So I guess I got this little bit of talent from there.”

The actress also confessed to be a Priyanka Chopra fan.

“I am a huge fan of Priyanka Chopra. She has made herself a brand for singing and acting.”

Being an adventure lover, she also learnt to ride a bike for this film.

“I learnt to ride a bike just for this film.

I fell more than 7-8 times from the bullet I was riding, got burns and bruises too,” she said.

Mohit Suri's “Ek Villain,” is an intense love story. The director, who has helmed nine projects so far, has always stayed away from typical Bollywood candyfloss romance in his previous films like “Zeher,” “Woh Lamhe,” “Awarapan,” “Murder-2” and “Aashiqui 2.”

Ek Villain, Mohit says, is about forbidden love. "The story revolves around a sweet girl-next-door with fire in her heart and an angry young man hell bent on setting the world on fire. This is an unconventional musical romance born out of angst," he explained. l

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, June 23, 2014

107 cricketers to get central contracts A total of 107 first-class cricketers will be offered central contract by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). BCB tournament committee assistant manager Ariful Islam informed Dhaka Tribune that the names of the cricketers have been forwarded to the board which will soon be endorsed by BCB president Nazmul Hasan before the contracts are signed by the cricketers in the upcoming month.

AHM Mostafa Kamal, the former president of BCB, brought 105 cricketers under the central contract from outside the national team for the first time in 2012. It was a major step towards the decentralisation of cricket in Bangladesh from its Dhaka-centric structure.

However, that contract expired last December and no visible initiative by BCB regarding the renewal of the contract in the last six months has made the cricketers doubtful about their salaries for the months which have already passed.

“There is nothing to worry about that. All the cricketers will get their salaries beginning from January 2014,” said Ariful.

The BCB employee said that the

Police disperse fans near Argentina team bus Brazilian police used non-lethal munitions on Saturday to disperse a group of World Cup fans who breached a security line protecting the Argentina team bus.

Four Brazilians, three Argentines and one Colombian were slightly wounded in the incident near the stadium in the southeastern city of Belo Horizonte, the military police said.

“With the the aim of allowing the bus’s access to the stadium, police had to use non-lethal munitions to disperse the fans who passed the security perimeter,” the military police said in a statement.

The statement did not say what sort of security was around the bus.

It also failed to indicate the type of munitions used, though Brazilian police tend to use rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades in protests. l

busy international calendar in the first four months of the year kept the board busy which resulted in a delay in the renewal procedure.

BCB took the initiative of bringing in first-class cricketers under the central contract in order to create competition among the players in the National Cricket League, the first-class cricket competition of the country played among the divisional sports association teams.

The renewed contracts will see new names, according to Ariful. “The names are selected taking the recent performance into account. So it is usual to have the change,” he said. Dhaka Tribune learnt that a hike in the salaries was very much likely which should make the cricketers under central contract happy.

According to the previous contract, a cricketer with 11 years of first-class experience received Tk 25,000 per month under Category A. Players with 6-10 years of experience received Tk 20,000 per month in Category B and Tk 15,000 per month in Category C for players who have played for 1-5 years. These salaries are in addition to the match fees the players continue to receive. l

Mohammedan seal last-gasp win

Mohammedan winger Zahid Hossain is about to deliver a cross from the right flank against Uttar Baridhara in the Nitol-Tata Bangladesh Premier Football League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday MUMIT M

No easy predictions for animal psychics Paul the Octopus, you are sadly missed.

The goals have been rattling in all week at a sensational World Cup in Brazil but the animal kingdom seems to be still finding its feet, fins and feathers when it comes to the prediction game.

Paul’s unerringly accurate picks from his tank at the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, put him in a league of his own during the 2010 finals in South Africa and earned him worldwide fame as a soccer psychic.

His death, of natural causes only months after he correctly predicted Spain would beat the Netherlands in the final, was much mourned.

There have been many pretenders since, mostly copycat candidates proposed by those seeking to boost visitor

footfall or readership, but none with the accuracy or animal magic of the choosy cephalopod.

There are, it seems, no longer any easy predictions in international football.

Australia Zoo’s Predictaroo, also known as Flopsy the Kangaroo, bounced out of contention when she called Portugal to see off Germany and the Socceroos to beat the Netherlands.

Paul’s old Singapore-based rival Mani the parakeet has gone quiet while Bern-based guinea pig Madame Shiva was on the money with Switzerland to beat Ecuador but lost all credibility by tipping the Swiss to beat France before the 5-2 rout.

Germans have come up with a turtle in Schleswig-Holstein, Penguin Ronald in Brandenburg, armadillos Taka and Flitz in Erfurt and Chemnitz, Nelly the elephant and an otter called Ferret in Sachsen.

Maradona lashes out at Argentina FA chief Diego Maradona has hit out at the president of the Argentina FA following claims he was acting as a “jinx” on the team at the World Cup. Alejandro Sabella’s side have been uninspiring in their opening Group F matches, struggling to find rhythm in their win over Bosnia-Herzegovina before snatching a scarcely-deserved win over Iran courtesy of a brilliant late strike from Lionel Messi.

Following the underwhelming performance on Saturday, Grondona claimed “the jinx left and we won” after Maradona had left the stadium during the closing minutes, and the former Napoli star has wasted little time in issuing a riposte to the Fifa senior vice-president.

“So, someone said that the goal was scored because I left,” he began, before referring to the Grondona as a “moron” and raising his middle finger to the camera while speaking to Telesur.

He added, bitterly: “My message to Grondona is that I paid for the clothes on my back through hard work.”

Regardless of the unconvincing showings by Argentina, Sabella’s men have ensured qualification for the last 16 following their pair of victories.

They are set to battle Nigeria in Porto Alegre in their final first round match, looking to seal first place in

13

Group F ahead of the Super Eagles, who beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 1-0 in their second match. l

Mohammedan returned to winning ways after two late goals earned them a last-gasp 2-0 victory over Uttar Baridhara in the Nitol-Tata Bangladesh Premier Football League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

National striker Zahid Hasan Emily found the net seven minutes before the final whistle as his 10th goal of the season gave the Black and Whites a deserving lead before substitute Yousuf Sifat secured full points in injury time.

Following the victory, the Black and Whites moved back to third spot with 35 points from 20 matches, three behind archrivals Abahani while Uttar Baridhara remained at the bottom of the table with 12 points from the same number of games.

Uttar Baridhara had the first shot on target with five minutes into the clock.

Dulal Hasan dribbled past a defender after receiving a cross from Sujon Biswas and unleashed a shot which was saved by Mohammedan goalkeeper Titumir Titu.

Wahed Ahmed missed an opportunity for Mohammedan in the 42nd minute when his header from the middle of the box was safely gathered by the Uttar Baridhara custodian following a lovely cross from winger Zahid Hossain.

A defensive error saw Emily broke the deadlock in the 83rd minute tapping home a Jahid Hossain cross.

Substitute forward Sifat doubled the lead in time added on after dodging past the onrushing goalie Osman Goni outside the box. The former Brothers youngster slotted the ball into an empty net. l

Archery C’ship begins tomorrow

Big Head, a ‘psychic’ turtle from the Brazilian beach village of Praia do Forte, was more accurate in predicting that Brazil would overcome Croatia last Thursday but it is still early days.

To help identify his choice of nation, workers at the Brazilian Sanctuary pin flags of the competing teams above hanging fish.

Whichever fish the turtle eats rep-

resents his choice of team to win, while there is also a World Cup Brazuca ball over a third fish which gives him the option of predicting a draw.

It is a crowded marketplace but that has not stopped World Cup host city Curitiba from getting in on the action with their own ‘psychic’ capybara.

“Other predicting animals, they only tell you the results, Capybaras are different,” City Hall spokesman Alvaro Borba confidently told Reuters Television.

Different enough to ignore the balls, carrots and goals in predicting the outcome of Brazil’s Monday match against Cameroon.

“That means the ball is going to be stuck in the midfield. Nothing is going to happen at that game. It is going to be a game, a really boring game,” declared Borba with a hint of desperation.

“Capybara prediction is a science, you can trust it.” l

Fired-up Serena in no mood for small talk

Nadal, Djokovic under Wimbledon cloud

After gobbling up England’s three warm-up games for Britain’s Sun newspaper, Pele the piranha over-stretched himself by forecasting now-eliminated England would rip through Italy in their opener in Manaus.

Paul’s unerringly accurate picks from his tank at the Sea Life Centre in Oberhausen, Germany, put him in a league of his own during the 2010 finals

Serena Williams sent a warning to her Wimbledon title rivals as the world number one completed her preparations for the grasscourt Grand Slam in a feisty mood.

With Wimbledon set to get underway on Monday, Williams made an appearance at the All England Club’s pre-tournament press conferences on Saturday, but it quickly became clear the American had no time for small talk.

The 32-year-old cut a grumpy figure for much of her brief session with the media, issuing short answers to many questions and showing little of her usually effervescent personality.

Williams has been mired in something of a slump of late following surprise exits from both the Australian and French Opens.

Although she has won titles in Brisbane, Miami and Rome, the five-time Wimbledon champion has also suffered underwhelming losses to the likes of Petra Kvitova, Jana Cepelova, Ana Ivanovic and Alize Cornet.l

Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic enter Wimbledon plagued by injury fears and self-doubt, leaving Roger Federer convinced that this could be a golden opportunity to capture a record eighth title.

World number one Nadal, fresh from a record ninth French Open, was Wimbledon champion in 2008 and 2010 and runner-up in 2006, 2007 and 2010.

But his last two visits have been humiliating disasters.

The Spaniard suffered his first-ever opening round exit at a Grand Slam in 2013 to Belgian journeyman Steve Darcis, who was ranked 135 and has not won a main tour match since.

Twelve months earlier, the world’s 100th best player, big-hitting Lukas Rosol, put him out in the second round, a defeat which precipitated a seven-month absence from the sport for the man from Mallorca.

The 28-year-old Nadal hinted at another Wimbledon letdown in the immediate aftermath of his triumph over Djokovic in the French Open final two weeks ago, when he claimed his 14th major, and this weekend hinted at

A total of 310 archers from 61 teams will participate in the Grameenphone 7th National Archery Championship scheduled to get underway at the Army Stadium, Banani tomorrow.

The 61 affiliated organisations, who will fight for 15 gold medals, are set to take part in three divisions – bamboo bow, recurve bow and compound bow.

A maximum 256 participants including 109 women archers will be taking part in the bamboo bow section. The bamboo bow event is a Bangladeshi version and is set to be introduced for the very first time for the amateur archers while only 54 archers including 20 women archers will be competing in the international events of the 70m recurve bow and 50m compound bow.

State Minister for Youth and Sports Biren Sikder will inaugurate the fourday long meet as chief guest. l

more trouble to come.

“I’ve said before this is really the most dangerous tournament of the year,” said Nadal, who has been seeded second despite his world number one status.

“When I arrive at Roland Garros I have already played for one month on clay. I played a lot of matches. So more or less I can imagine how I am going to play.

“Here, especially the beginning of the tournament, the courts are a little bit faster. The feeling on court is a little bit strange for everybody. The match is decided in a few balls, so you need to convert the small opportunities that you have.”

Nadal, who faces Slovakia’s Martin Klizan in the first round, suffered an opening exit on grass at Halle last week, a straight-sets defeat by German world number 85 Dustin Brown.

World number two Djokovic, who won his only Wimbledon title in 2011 and was runner-up to Andy Murray in 2013, has not played a grasscourt warm-up event since 2010.

The 27-year-old Serb won the last of his six majors at the Australian Open in 2013 and his latest thwarted attempt to win a first French Open represented his seventh defeat in 13 finals at the majors. l

14

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, June 23, 2014

‘Old Guy’ Klose hailed for World Cup record Germany on Sunday hailed its evergreen football hero Miroslav Klose after he equalled Ronaldo’s record of 15 goals at World Cup finals with one of his most important strikes.

The 36-year-old tapped in a crucial equaliser against Ghana two minutes after coming on as substitute. Klose performed his trademark celebratory flip and the tributes came flooding in.

“Welcome to the club,” Brazilian great Ronaldo Tweeted. “I can only imagine your happiness!!! What a beautiful Cup!!!”

Klose has equalled Ronaldo’s record of 15 goals at World Cup finals.

Klose is the third player to net at four different World Cup finals (after Pele and Seeler).

Klose scored with his first touch of the ball against Ghana on Saturday, 112 seconds after coming on as a sub.

Germany coach Joachim Loew and the country’s media also paid tribute to the Lazio striker, now at his fourth World Cup finals whose goal even overshadowed a brilliant Lionel Messi strike against Iran that saw Argentina into the second round.

“Thanks, Old Guy!” headlined the Bild am Sonntag tabloid on its front page, showing a photo of Germany’s all-time record scorer doing his flip jump.

“Klose rescues Germany,” said the broadsheet Welt am Sonntag highlight-

KLOSE 15 20 .75 3 7 15 4

ing his role in the dramatic game which finished 2-2. The Berliner Morgenpost proclaimed it’s “world class to have a striker like Klose.”

“I’m incredibly pleased for him, that is another high point in his unparalleled career,” said Loew.

“It has not been an easy season for him, but he has done it again and got himself in top shape for a tournament.

For a coach it is of course great to have options like him on the bench.”

Klose has said next year will be his last in Germany’s white shirt. But he could yet break Lothar Matthaeus’ record of 150 caps. He has so far played in 133 internationals and scored 70 goals.

Klose sat out Germany’s 4-0 thumping of Portugal on Monday when Thomas Mueller claimed a hat-trick in his place.

“You really want to come in when the team is winning,” admitted Klose.

“It doesn’t matter whether I play from the start or come off the bench: all games are important and 15 goals in 20 World Cup games isn’t bad.”

The result left Germany on top of Group G with four points. Ghana, beaten by the United States in their first game, have one point heading into their final match with Portugal next week.

Messi curled in a brilliant shot in the first minute of injury time as Argentina overcame Iran 1-0 in Group F to enter the second round.

The result broke Iranian hearts.

Argentina’s captain was largely anonymous for much of the match as Iran frustrated the South American giants at Belo Horizonte’s Mineirao Stadium.l

World Cup contenders Argentina arrived in Brazil with high hopes but Saturday’s last-gasp win over underdogs Iran exposed deficiencies within the team that need rapid improvement if they are to mount a realistic title bid.

Lionel Messi’s sumptuous stoppage-time strike may have secured a ticket through to the next round with a Group F game to spare but Argentina’s attack and defence looked anything but world class against an arguably much weaker opponent.

Going into the game with one of the most intimidating attacking formations in the business, with Messi joined by Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel Di Maria, Argentina were scrappy going forward and left gaping holes in defence.

The ‘Fab Four’, as the quartet is

his front line.

Despite a crowded defence and three or even four Iranians marking Messi in midfield, the ball was circulated out to the wings far too infrequently.

Against tougher defences later in the tournament, their work will only become that much harder.

“We did go down the one side but we did not do it that well over both wings,” Sabella said.

The Argentines also need to improve at the back with central defender Ezequiel Garay repeatedly caught off guard when Iran broke forward, especially in the second half.

Garay had laughed off suggestions before the tournament the Argentine defence was their weak link but that was exactly the case against Iran, who could have scored in a strong second half performance and stunned the twotime World Cup winners.l

Bosnia went out of their first World Cup on Saturday with a sense of injustice over a disallowed goal and regrets that they had not performed as well as they can on soccer’s biggest stage.

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

Nigeria 1 20 13 4 3 9 1 0 45%

Bosnia 0 18 10 4 2 7 1 0 55%

“They are all depressed, disappointed, silent,” coach Safet Susic said of his players after they lost 1-0 to African champions Nigeria. Bosnia cannot now progress after losing 2-1 to Argentina in their first game in Group F. A tight match hinged on two controversial calls in the first half from the

15 19 .79 4 1 13 3

Name

Goals

15 15 14 13 12 11 11 10 10 10

Ronaldo (Brazil) Miroslav Klose (Germany) Gerd Muller (Germany) Just Fontaine (France) Pele (Brazil) Sandor Kocsis (Hungary) Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany) Helmut Rahn (Germany) Gary Lineker (England) Gabriel Batistuta (Argentina)

Date

KLOSE’S 15 WORLD CUP GOALS

Opponent Venue Goals 2002 FIFA World Cup, Korea & Japan (5 goals) 1 June 2002 Saudi Arabia Sapporo Dome, Japan 3 5 June 2002 Rep of Ireland Kashima Stadium, Japan 1 11 June 2002 Cameroon Shizuoka Stadium, Japan 1 2006 FIFA World Cup, Germany (5 goals) 9 June 2006 Costa Rica Allianz Arena, Munich 2 20 June 2006 Ecuador Olympic Stadium, Berlin 2 30 June 2006 Argentina Olympic Stadium, Berlin 1 2010 FIFA World Cup, South Africa (4 goals) 13 June 2010 Australia Moses Mabhida, Durban 1 27 June 2010 England Free State Stadium 1 3 July 2010 Argentina Cape Town Stadium 2 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil (1 goal*) 21 June 2014 Ghana Castelão, Fortaleza 1

Score 1–0, 2–0, 5–0 1–0 2–0 2–1, 3–1 1–0, 2–0 1–1 2–0 1–0 2–0, 4–0 2–2 *till Date

German fight-back delights Loew WC STATS TILL DATE Bosnia & Herzegovina forward Edin Dzeko has had more shots without scoring than any other player at this World Cup. Nigeria and Mexico are the only teams not to concede a goal at World Cup 2014.

Nigeria (18) are now the top scoring African team at World Cups, with one more goal than Cameroon.

Asamoah Gyan has scored in each of the last three World Cups for Ghana Asamoah Gyan has matched Roger Milla as the top scoring (5) African in World Cup history.

Germany have won their second World Cup group game on just one occasion since 1994 (D3 L1).

Coach Joachim Loew was delighted by Germany’s fight-back in their 2-2 World Cup draw against Ghana on Saturday despite their below-par performance.

Miroslav Klose equalled Brazilian legend Ronaldo’s record of 15 World Cup goals after coming off the bench to spare Germany’s blushes with the equaliser.

Mario Goetze had given Germany the lead before goals from Andre Ayew and Asamoah Gyan threatened to cause a major upset for the Black Stars in Fortaleza.

“I’m actually quite pleased because we showed great moral to come back from 2-1 down in these temperatures,” said Loew about the tropical conditions.

“We took the lead, then conceded two goals from nothing.

“The players are completely ex-

Bosnia exit with regrets, sense of injustice officials, led by New Zealand referee Peter O’Leary.

Bosnia striker Edin Dzeko had a goal incorrectly ruled out for offside and Bosnia also felt that their captain Emir Spahic was fouled in the build-up to Peter Odemwingie’s winning goal.

“Had they allowed the (Dzeko) goal, this would probably have changed the match,” said Susic.

“I was told in the dressing room that Dzeko was well onside. As far as the reported foul on Spahic, if the referee didn’t whistle there was no foul.”

Susic said that his own team ultimately had to take responsibility for being outfought by Nigeria and profligate in front of goal.

“It seems they (Nigeria) wanted it a bit more. You see what kind of chances we wasted, like the one in stoppage time,” he added referring to a scuffed shot from Dzeko which Nigerian goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama deflected on to a post and away to safety.”

Susic indicated he felt a Bosnian team featuring players of the quality of Manchester City’s Dzeko and AS Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic could have produced more. l

World Cup Goals Matches Goal Per Game Assists Headers Inside the Box Tournaments

ALL TIME TOP SCORERS

Argentina must turn one-man band into full orchestra known, looked more like a hastily assembled tribute act that were completely out of tune for most of the game and their 1-0 victory was barely deserved.

Higuain and Aguero managed only one shot each in the entire game compared to Messi’s six.

“We have to have a good look at what happened and try to improve. We have a few causes for concern,” head coach Alejandro Sabella told reporters.

One of those areas is Argentina’s work down the flanks with Aguero and Di Maria, whose combined worth is several times more than that of the entire Iranian team, proving completely ineffective against their unheralded opponents.

Higuain’s own effectiveness as a striker was also brought into question with Sabella taking him and Aguero off late in the game in an effort to revive

RONALDO

hausted, but in the end we had a few good chances against a good, combative and skillful team.”

But Loew’s enthusiasm failed to mask several deficiencies in the German defence that were exposed by Ghana’s determined counter-attacks.

Gyan, whose goal saw him join Cameroon legend Roger Milla as the leading all-time African World Cup scorer with five, said that they had played much better than in the 2-1 defeat to the United States.

“We believed in ourselves today,” the 28-year-old told the BBC. “I think tactically we were perfect today.

“Now we definitely have to beat Portugal. We will have to focus but we believe we can beat them.”

With the USA playing Portugal in Manaus on Sunday, the result breathes life back into Ghana’s hopes of reaching the last 16. l

Ghana cling to hope after draw

Nigeria’s players celebrate at the end of the Group F match against Bosnia-Hercegovina at the Pantanal Arena in Cuiaba during the 2014 Fifa World Cup on Saturday AFP

Ghana are clinging to hope of reaching the World Cup last 16 even though coach Kwesi Appiah admitted their chances were receding after the 2-2 draw with Germany on Saturday.

“It’s not going to be easy to qualify.

There’s other games to be played in our group (that can determine the outcome),” he told reporters.

“It was a really good, competitive game. Germany, at the end of the day, are among the best in the whole world and playing against them was going to be difficult. We had some opportunities but unfortunately playing such a big team, if you don’t take your chances, you always face a problem.”

Defending set pieces proved their undoing as he had anticipated.

“That was one of the major concerns when we were planning tactics against the Germans,” Appiah said.

“Most of them are really tall and defending against them is always a difficult situation. It’s unfortunate that we conceded one goal out of a set piece.

“Saying that, I had total confidence and belief in my players and the best way to defend was to attack. That was the strategy we adopted.”l

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, June 23, 2014

15

Brazil conundrum for Dutch, Chile The Netherlands and Chile will fight it out for top spot in Group B on Monday and hope they can avoid a fearsome round two assignment against fivetime World Cup winners Brazil.

Both teams have won their opening two games, putting them into the last 16 with a maximum six points each and sending reigning champions Spain and Australia crashing out.

Only goal-difference separates the two, with the Netherlands narrowly

V Netherlands

Chile

Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo (BRA) 23 Jun 2014 - 13:00 Local (10:00PM BST) top following their 5-1 win over Spain and 3-2 scrap against Australia.

Brazil are favoured to qualify top in Group A, meaning they will face whoever finishes second in Group B -- a match-up neither the Netherlands nor Chile will relish.

But with the outcome of Group A, where Brazil, Mexico and Croatia are separated by just one point, far from clear, Group B’s winners could still end up facing the hosts.

It is a complicating factor that neither the Netherlands nor Chile will want to dwell on before Monday’s game at Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo.

FACT BOX Probable teams: Australia

1-Mat Ryan; 6-Matthew Spiranovic, 22-Alex Wilkinson, 3-Jason Davidson, 19-Ryan McGowan; 13-Oliver Bozanic, 15-Mile Jedinak, 17-Matt McKay; 11-Tommy Oar, 7-Mathew Leckie, 10-Ben Halloran Spain

1-Iker Casillas; 5-Juanfran, 2-Raul Albiol, 4-Javi Martinez, 18-Jordi Alba; 14-Xabi Alonso, 16-Sergio Busquets; 21-David Silva, 8-Xavi, 6-Andres Iniesta; 7-David Villa Key stats:

Australia are on their way home from their fourth World Cup after losing to Chile (1-3) and the Netherlands (2-3) in their previous two games. Leading scorer Tim Cahill, who has five of 11 Australian goals at World Cups, is missing through suspension.

Defending champions Spain have also been eliminated after losing their first two matches to the Netherlands (1-5) and Chile (0-2). It is the first time since 1998 they have failed to make it out of the group.

In 19 matches on the way to winning Euro 2008, the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012 Spain conceded only six goals, one fewer than they have in Brazil in two games.

De Rossi ‘unlikely’ to face Uruguay Italy’s Daniele De Rossi has a leg injury and is highly unlikely to play in the World Cup Group D showdown against Uruguay on Tuesday, the Azzurri’s team doctor said on Saturday.

The 30-year-old midfielder played the full 90 minutes in both of Italy’s games in the tournament.

“He has a muscle problem in his leg,” Enrico Castellacci told a news conference on Saturday.

“It is highly unlikely that he will be able to play on Tuesday. If I was being positive I would say that it is possible the injury to the muscle would improve but it is highly improbable he will play.” l

Arjen Robben clocked 37 kilometres (23 miles) per hour, a record for a footballer, as he inspired the Netherlands’ deconstruction of short-passing Spain.

But it remains to be seen if the Bayern Munich flyer will again hit the heights in Monday’s run-out, effectively a precursor for the knock-out challenges ahead.

Robben and Manchester United’s Robin van Persie have lit up this World Cup with three goals each and more will be needed if the Netherlands are to reach their second final in a row.

Coach Louis van Gaal, who will link up with Van Persie at Old Trafford next season, will be looking for more solidity after some distinctly worrying moments against Australia.

Against one of the tournament’s least fancied teams, the Netherlands were trailing 2-1 early in the first half before Van Persie and Memphis Depay spared their blushes.

The Dutch may find themselves against an under-strength Chile after Juventus star Arturo Vidal and Internacional’s Charles Aranguiz both skipped training on Friday.

Both Aranguiz and Vidal, who is on a yellow card, came off injured during the 2-0 win over Spain, which sensationally ended the European champions’ title defence.

But Vidal said he had no concerns about picking up a second yellow card which would earn him a one-match ban, ruling him out of Chile’s round of 16 game. l

KEY STATS Chile were second in scoring only to winners Argentina in South American qualifying with 29 goals in 16 matches Chile’s win over Spain on Wednesday eliminated the 2010 World Cup winners from the tournament Netherlands striker Robin van Persie has scored three goals and picked up two yellow cards in Brazil. He misses the match due to suspension Dutch winger Arjen Robben has also scored three goals at the tournament Netherlands’ players take part in a training session at Flamengo Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Saturday

Encouraged Aussies smell Spanish blood Despite Australia already having been eliminated from the World Cup, the Socceroos all-time leading scorer Tim Cahill believes Australian football can take a huge step forward with victory over dethroned world champions Spain on Monday.

Both sides hopes of progression to the last 16 have been ended by succes-

V Australia

Spain

Arena da Baixada, Curitiba (BRA) 23 Jun 2014 - 13:00 Local (10:00PM BST) sive defeats to Chile and the Netherlands, but whilst Spain have endured a nightmare defence of their title in Brazil, Australia have taken huge encouragement from their performances.

Cahill will miss the match in Curitiba having picked up his second yellow card of the tournament in that match, but has backed his teammates to make history.

The post mortem into Spain’s disastrous exit after winning three consec-

FACT BOX Probable teams: Croatia

utive major tournaments has already begun with doubts over whether coach Vicente del Bosque will remain in charge.

The former Real Madrid boss has insisted he will take no decision over his future until he is back on Spanish soil, but he is expected to make a raft of changes to the side that failed to match Chile’s intensity in their 2-0 defeat to the South Americans in Rio on Wednesday.

Captain Iker Casillas, Xavi Hernandez and Xabi Alonso may all have played their final game for La Roja as they are likely to miss out with Pepe Reina, Koke and Santi Cazorla expected to be given their chance to shine.

However, defender Raul Albiol insists that pride will motivate the dethroned champions to fight until the end and assure they don’t return home without even registering a point.

“We are at a World Cup, we may be eliminated but we need to win and take some points so that we are not last in the group,” said the former Real Madrid man.

“We are representing our country and these are the last 90 minutes. Unfortunately we will be going home afterwards, but the fact it is a World Cup is enough to motivate us.” l

1-Stipe Pletikosa; 11-Darijo Srna, 5-Vedran Corluka, 6-Dejan Lovren, 3-Danijel Pranjic; 18-Ivica Olic, 7-Ivan Rakitic, 10-Luka Modric, 20-Mateo Kovacic, 4-Ivan Perisic; 17-Mario Mandzukic Mexico

13-Guillermo Ochoa; 7-Miguel Layun, 2-Francisco Rodriguez, 4-Rafael Marquez, 15-Hector Moreno; 22 Paul Aguilar, 6-Hector Herrera, 18-Andres Guardado, 23-Jose Juan Vazquez; 10-Giovani Dos Santos, 19-Oribe Peralta

Previous meetings

The two teams have met three times with Croatia winning twice and Mexico once.

Last meeeting

June 3, 2002, Niigata, Japan (World Cup) - Mexico 1 Croatia 0

‘Pogba’s omission not a punishment’ Highly-rated young midfielder Paul Pogba did not start the Group E game against Switzerland for tactical reasons, not because he was being punished for his excitable performance against Honduras in the opening game, said France coach Didier Deschamps.

Moussa Sissoko started in the impres-

sive 5-2 win instead of Pogba, 21, and who had been fortunate to stay on the pitch during a fiery altercation with Honduran hardman midfielder Wilson Palacios in the first-half of the previous match.

“It was not a punishment because he could have had a red card (against Honduras),” said Deschamps.

“It was because I preferred to choose Sissoko, who is an excellent player. He

is not the same type of player, he has different qualities.

“Paul has enormous potential, I have confidence in him. After that, though, there is the reality of the highest level, you have to dig deep. He saw that yesterday, and he made an impact when he came on (in the 63rd minute and set up Karim Benzema for the fourth goal).

He is young but it is no handicap.” l

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DAY’S WATCH World Cup 2014 BTV & Maasranga TV 10:00PM Australia v Spain Gazi TV 10:00PM Netherlands v Chile BTV, Maasranga TV & Gazi TV 2:00AM Brazil v Cameroon Star Sports 1 4:00PM Sri Lanka tour of England Second Test, Day 4

For more info visit our FB event page ‘World Cup in Bangladesh’ Photography Contest

Croatia relishing ‘final’ against Mexico Niko Kovac says his Croatia side are facing their own World Cup ‘final’ against Mexico on Monday with only a win guaranteeing them a place in the last 16.

Croatia bounced back from their opening 3-1 defeat to hosts Brazil in Group A with a 4-0 demolition of Cameroon last Wednesday to keep their knock-out dreams alive.

Key stats:

Croatia have not advanced to the knockout stage of the World Cup since 1998, when they reached the semi-finals in their maiden appearance as an independent nation.

Mexico have reached the last 16 in their last five World Cups, but have not reached the quarter-finals since 1986.

Occupation: Senior Strategic Planner, Adcomm Ltd Place: Old Dhaka, Kolta Bazaar Johnson road

AFP

V Croatia

Mexico

Arena Pernambuco, Recife (BRA) 23 Jun 2014 - 17:00 Local (2:00AM BST) Striker Mario Mandzukic scored two second-half goals as Croatia sent 10-man Cameroon crashing out of the tournament in disarray.

Wolfsburg pair Ivica Olic and Ivan Perisic also got on the scoresheet, but Croatia still remain third in the table behind leaders Brazil and Mexico.

Kovac knows his side face an uphill task against Miguel Herrera’s side in Recife in the wake of Mexico’s confi-

dence-boosting draw with Brazil.

Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa wrote himself into World Cup folklore with a string of top-class saves including one from point-blank range to deny Brazil’s Neymar in Fortaleza last Tuesday.

A draw against Croatia would be enough to put Mexico through after their goalless draw with Brazil and 1-0 win over Cameroon.

“The match against Mexico will be like a final,” Kovac told Croatian broadcaster HTV. “Mexico are strong, but so are we.

“The Mexico players are very patriotic, just like us, and they have a great team spirit.

“They play some aggressive football with a lot of pressing.

“They are strong going forward, but also have some weaknesses in defence, like Brazil showed us.”

Mexico have four points – one more than Croatia – as their draw with Brazil came after their 1-0 win over Cameroon thanks to Oribe Peralta’s second-half winner. But the Mexicans are bidding to finish the group as winners and want to beat the Croatians to pile the pressure on Group A leaders Brazil. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, June 23, 2014 DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, June 16, 2014

13 Maradona lashes out at Argentina FA chief FACT BOX Probable teams: Brazil

12-Julio Cesar; 2-Daniel Alves, 3-Thiago Silva, 4-David Luiz, 6-Marcelo; 8-Paulinho, 11-Oscar, 17-Luiz Gustavo, 16-Ramires; 9-Fred, 10-Neymar

14 ‘Old Guy’ Klose hailed for WC record

Selecao aiming to top Group A

Cameroon

16-Charles Itandje; 4-Cedric Djeugoue, 2-Benoit Assou-Ekotto, 3-Nicholas Nkoulou, 14-Aurelien Chedjou; 17-Stephane Mbia, 21-Joel Matip, 18-Enoh Eyong, 8-Benjamin Moukandjo; 10-Vincent Aboubaker, 13-Eric Choupo-Moting Key stats:

Brazil have played six matches against African teams at the World Cup, winning them all: Zaire (1974), Algeria (1986), Cameroon (1994), Morocco (1998) and Ghana (2006) - Brazil’s last home defeat in a competitive international was against Peru in the Copa America in 1975, when they lost 3-1 - Brazil are the only team to have taken part at all 20 World Cup tournaments.

Alex Song’s red card against Croatia was the eighth to be shown to a Cameroon player at the World Cup in only 22 matches.

Cameroon are at their seventh World Cup. They reached the quarter-finals in 1990 and went out in the first round on every other occasion, including the current tournament.

Previous meetings

There have been four with three wins for Brazil and one for Cameroon.

Brazil won 3-0 at the 1994 World Cup and Cameroon won 1-0 in the 2003 Confederations Cup on the last occasion the sides met, with a goal by Samuel Eto’o

Sport

15 Brazil conundrum for Dutch, Chile

Brazil’s perfect record against African teams at the World Cup suggests that Monday’s Group A match against a demoralised, discredited Cameroon should be little more than a stroll in the park.

Goalless Cameroon have already been knocked out of the competition and would seem to be the perfect opponents for the stuttering hosts to find their rhythm and sort out their disjointed midfield.

Brazil have four points from their opening two games and need a draw to make the last 16, which should be a formality against the Indomitable Lions whose seventh World Cup campaign has fallen into disarray in sadly familiar style.

Cameroon’s troubles began before they even left home when the players, having snubbed Prime Minister Philemon Yang, then refused to get on their expensively-chartered aircraft for Brazil in a protest over money.

After losing 1-0 to Mexico, they were eliminated in a shambolic 4-0 defeat to Croatia where Alex Song was sent off in the first half for striking an opponent and full back Benoit Assou-Ekotto appeared to headbutt team mate Benjamin Moukandjo near the end of the match.

Coach Volke Finke described their conduct as disgusting and the Cameroon federation are investigating. “The behaviour of some of them was not at all satisfying. It’s unacceptable to see that kind of thing,” said Finke.

Brazil have played six matches

Late Origi winner puts Belgium into last 16

against African sides at the World Cup and won each time.

The first game was against the former Zaire at the 1974 edition, a game which became famous after a player from the African side broke from the defensive wall at a Brazil free kick, hoofed the ball away and was booked for his pains.

The was followed by a hard-fought 1-0 win over Algeria in 1986 and fairly unremarkable 3-0 wins over Cameroon

Divock Origi sent Belgium into the last 16 of the World Cup when the teenager struck an 88th minute winner to secure a 1-0 victory against Russia in a largely lifeless Group H match at the Maracana on Sunday.

He rifled in just minutes after Kevin Mirallas crashed a free kick against the base of the Russian post to give Belgium six points from two games.

Russia have one point with South Korea and Algeria meeting in the other Group H match in Porto Alegre later on Sunday.

Apart from a rousing finale when Belgium finally awoke from their lethargy, the match was one of the poorest in the tournament so far with both teams regularly booed by the 73,000 crowd.

Despite a few flashes of inspiration from Belgium’s right-winger Dries Martens in the first half and their attacking finish at the end, the match never rose above the largely forgettable. l

V Brazil

Cameroon

Estadio Nacional, Brasilia (BRA) 23 Jun 2014 - 17:00 Local (2:00AM BST) in 1994, on the way to Brazil’s fourth world title, and Morocco four years later.

Brazil also won 3-0 when they met Ghana in the round-of-16 in 2006 and comfortably saw off Ivory Coast 3-1 at the last World Cup. Cameroon did, however, win their last meeting with Brazil when Samuel Eto’o scored the only goal in a match at the 2003 Confederations Cup. Brazil have yet to find the free-flowing form they displayed on the way to winning last year’s Confederations Cup and their 0-0 draw with Mexico on Tuesday ended a 10-match winning run.

Their midfield has been short on inspiration and failed to provide forward Neymar with the space and supply of passes he needs to torment defenders. l

MATCH STATS Brazil’s Neymar (R) takes part in a training session for the Fifa World Cup in Teresopolis, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Saturday AFP

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

Belgium 1 11 7 5 7 13 2 0 52%

Russia 0 13 6 8 0 9 1 0 48%

Done in by Ghana We more than Ze Germans

This Cup is like groundhog day, only half better. Every dawn I go to bed thinking the same thing. How cruel my editor is, and how the quality of football that I had just witnessed simply could not be improved upon. And every following night I am reminded of how cruel my editor is, and the football gets even more glorious and unpredictable than the previous night’s fare.

Some people, mistaking me for a football expert, routinely ask me to make predictions. I have resorted to closing my eyes and throwing darts at results and various score lines to produce my clairvoyance. There is simply no rational way of telling what will happen in the next game.

Take Ghana and Germany encounter for example. Everything we had studied up until the starting whistle, including form, ranking, player profile, turtles, octopi, and gerbils told us that it would be a walk in the park for the

boys from the land where David Hasselhoff is a musical deity (the sheer horribleness of Hasselhoff ’s music and the level of its popularity are both mind blowing).

Ozil would score, Muller would score, Klose would score, Khedira would score, and Neuer would have enough time in goal to trim sensitive hair. The scoreless first half told us that fate wasn’t traveling in its projected parabola, yet it did not prepare us for the second half.

Actually anything short of God sending me a text saying that I was about to witness one of the finest halves of football in history could not have prepared us for what happened. The Accra army played like men possessed, and the Germans went toe to toe. Words cannot begin to describe the sheer quality of tension that was produced in Fortaleza.

In terms of expectations from the game, the things that threw me off the most were Gyan’s hair and Muntari’s pants. Let me first say that I am not a person given to judge merit by appearance unless I am selecting models in pre-production meetings for soap

commercials, where not judging by the cover would actually be foolish.

I have no problems if some someone chooses to conduct a corporate presentation wearing spandex, though thankfully I am yet to witness one. Still when I saw Gyan had shaved the sides of his head to produce his favorite number three and dyed the space gold, some part of my father kicked into my consciousness, and I thought “ fatra” or “ruffian!”. Of course Pogba had donned a similarly strange coiffeur the night before but the French are the French and can pull off things only the French can, like serving you one tiny sliver of chicken liver, charging you your retirement for it, and making you feel good about it. Gyan’s trim made me feel like he was just not approaching the game with the level of seriousness that was due.

I have had a soft corner for the Ghanian team for a while, and wanted them to do well. Between Gyan’s hair and whispers of internal dispute among his teammates, however, I was getting a distinct feeling of pessimism when the national anthems ended.

The sinking feeling in my stomach was only exacerbated during the first

few minutes of the game when I had trouble not focusing on the fact that Sulley Muntari’s shorts were falling a foot below his waistline. It all seemed to portend ugly annihilation.

Perhaps because teams from Africa are named after really masculine and alpha animals like lions and elephants, and African players like my favorite Ghanaian son Michael Essien have nicknames like “the bison”,I do not expect them to demonstrate a high level of subtlety. No Mourinhoesque mind games for these boys. All brute and grimace is what I take to be the order of the African day.

Yet I have this sneaking suspicion that the talk of internal discord within the Ghanaian ranks was part of some secret Accra accord to have us all, and particularly the Germans, expect less from them than they were willing and capable of giving.

Ghana was actually expecting to put on a real show, and WANTED us to be shocked to hell by it. Nothing else explains Gyan’s hair and Muntari’s pants for me. Those and the rumors were the kind of distraction that the Special One would be proud of. l

A child (L) kisses the jersey given by Italy’s defender Leonardo Bonucci during a training session of the Italian team at the Abc Frasqueiro Stadium in Natal on Saturday AFP

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.

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B3 Small farms making big

B4 Oil price risks put infla-

impact in US agriculture

tion back in focus

MONDAY, JUNE 23, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

TUs blamed for anti-RMG Microsoft starts anti-piracy drive n propaganda abroad Muhammad Zahidul Islam

n Asif Showkat Kallol Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has brought an allegation that various non-worker labour leaders of the country are spreading misinformation in the USA about the apparel industry of Bangladesh.

He raised the allegation at a press briefing at his secretariat office in the capital yesterday, following his visit to the USA from June 11 to 14.

He, however, noted that the USTR will very soon place a bill at the US Congress for restoration of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP), which was suspended following the Tazreen Fashion fire and Rana Plaza collapse.

The minister said the officials of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) expressed their satisfaction over the progress of the Action Plan the USA imposed on Bangladesh to improve the labour standards and factory conditions.

But, he failed to produce any specific statement from the congressmen and the officials of the USTR, whom he met during his visit, although the minister claimed that a congressman had termed the progress on the conditions to regain GSP facilities as miraculous.

As Bangladesh has been deprived of GSP facilities in the US market from July last year, Bangladeshi products will regain the GSP facilities in the US market unless the political and other issues become the deciding factors, Tofail added.

“The US government has assured us that only stakeholders of garment industries will be called during the GSP hearing although the USTR did never call the stakeholders in the previous years.”

As the USTR officials referred to a letter sent by Geneva-based IndustryAll, Bangladesh that mentioned about labour exploitation in the country, the commerce minister explained: “I had been able to remove the misunderstanding of the officials about the la-

bour condition created by that letter.”

He informed the USTR that those raising the issues are actually non-workers, and requested the authorities in the US to ensure that government representatives are allowed to attend the hearings on RMG export from the country, besides the labour leaders.

The Commerce Minister further said IndustryAll Council President Nazrul Islam Khan is a BNP leader, and mentioned that other union leaders like Kalpana Akhter and Babul Akhter are responsible for creating unrest in the RMG sector.

Regarding the pressure to form a trade union in each factory by United States, Tofail said only 7% of private sector factories have trade unions while 35% of government sector factories have trade unions even in the United States.

Labour leaders claim they’re innocent

Labour leader Roy Ramesh, who is the

secretary of IndustriAll Bangladesh Council, told Dhaka Tribune that the IndustriAll is one of the biggest labour organisations in world. IndustriAll Bangladesh Council did not send any letter to the USTR. “I am strongly saying the commerce minister was not even near the truth,” he said, in a sharp reaction. “If he has any document regarding IndustriAll letter, please disclose in front of the nation. Otherwise, the minister should withdraw his statement.”

He further said IndustriAll will hold a press conference within a day or two unless the statement is withdrawn.

Nazrul Islam Khan, chairman of IndustriAll and member of BNP standing committee, said they have not sent any latter to USTR regarding canceling of GSP facilities.

“Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed made the statement to cover his failure,” he said. “I will face any punishment if the commerce ministry can show the document.” l

While the traders and ICT market analysts criticise Microsoft’s software price saying it “too high” for the Bangladeshi users, the world’s largest software firm has recently started drives against pirated versions in the city’s malls.

On Thursday, a team from Bangladesh chapter of International Software Alliance (BSA) conducted a drive in the capital’s one of the most popular ICT products mall Multiplan Center.

However, the drive found no pirated software in the mall during its one and half hours drive.

Subrata Sarkar, Secretary General of the Multiplan Center, alleged a section of people are “hatching conspiracy against the mall’s reputation.”

Claiming they never sold pirated software, he said: “We protest this drive as this is to tarnish our image.”

According to Subrata, a group is active to destroy their goodwill in the name of drive against piracy.

He also slashed Microsoft’s software price. “This is too much for the country’s users to buy an operating software of Microsoft.” Microsoft has fixed its operating software price at around Tk8,000.

“It should think about the users’ capacity before setting price which is now very high, even beyond the affordability of common people.”

Mostafa Jobber, former president of Bangladesh Computer Samity (BCS) and member of Anti-piracy Task Force, said Microsoft has no legal authority to conduct drives and this is the duty of the Task Force.

“The Task Force is currently not engaged in conducting anti-piracy drives.

If Microsoft launched drives, it would not be lawful and logical.”

He, however, said they do not favour piracy. “This is not to mean that we are in favour of pirated software.”

Mostafa Jobbar also alleged Microsoft software price is “very high.”

He said before fixing the price they

needed to consider the local market situation, the buyers’ affordability and their demand.

Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) President Shameem Ahsan echoed him: “We never favour pirated software. But it’s true that Microsoft’s software is beyond our costumers’ affordability.”

The market insiders said if the price is beyond general buyers, it would be hard to stop piracy.

When contacted, Sonia Bosir, newly appointed head of Microsoft in Bangladesh declined to make any comment regarding the matter. l

Muhith asks financial sector reform proposal by August n Asif Showkat Kallol

Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday asked the authorities to prepare a proposal on how the loopholes in the financial institutions could be sealed so irregularities like Destiny, Hallmark and Bismillah Group would not take place again.

He asked the secretaries of banking and finance divisions of the finance ministry to submit the proposal by August.

The minister gave the instruction at a

meeting with Finance Secretary Falze Kabir, 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 ministry, said an official who attended the meeting.

“We have just brainstormed the ideas of reform in the financial sector,” he told the Dhaka Tribune after the meeting.

Formulating strict rules on appoint-

ment of bank directors was among the options the meeting considered.

Meeting sources said the banking secretary proposed not to appoint the chairmen and directors in the banks, irrespective of their political affiliations, without scrutinising their previous works. In response, the finance minister just offered a smile, said one of the officials.

“The existing policy is not strong enough to prevent politically affiliated people from appointing,” the minister was quoted to have told the meeting. l

DCCI Entrepreneurship and Innovation Expo begins Impact of social safety n net on poverty negligible Tribune Report

A two-day “DCCI Entrepreneurship and Innovation Expo” kicked off in the capital yesterday to create new entrepreneurs especially from the young generation.

The show is being jointly oraganised

by Dhaka Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and Bangladesh Bank (BB) at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the city.

The expo aims at showing the path for the new generation and bridging the gap between the entrepreneurs and the financial institutions for ensuring financial support for them.

The show is a part of the DCCI’s initiative for creating 2000 new entrepreneurs with the help of country’s financial institutions. The DCCI took the initiative last year. Barrister Fazle Nur Taposh MP formally inaugurated the expo, as chief guest, in absence of finance minister AMA Muhith, who was scheduled to open the expo.

The chief guest and other high ups of the DCCI also handed over cheques of credit from various banks to nine entrepreneurs under the DCCI’s initiative of creating 2,000 new entrepreneurs.

Inaugurating the expo, barrister Fazle Nur Taposh stressed the need for widening the tax net instead of increasing the rate to enhance the overall tax volume.

He also urged the government to simplify the taxation system, which would virtually enhance the government’s revenue collection.

“Some 3,200 entrepreneurs have

n Tribune Report

Promising entrepreneurs pose at a photo session with speakers and organisers at the DCCI Entrepreneurship and Innovation Expo at the Bangabandhu International Conference Center (BICC) in the city yesterday RAJIB DHAR registered their names with the DCCI through on-line, of which 2,200 business projects under different categories have been selected while 1050 youths received training from the DCCI,” said Shahjahan Khan, President of DCCI. “So far 75 projects under different categories have so far been forwarded to various banks from DCCI for financing and most of the entrepreneurs of those projects have already started their business with their own funds.”

Apart from financing problem, lack of awareness, self-confidence, knowl-

edge in entrepreneurship development and insufficient trainings are the major obstacles towards entrepreneurship development in the country, said Khan.

A total of 39 bank and non-bank financial institutions are taking part in the expo including Bangladesh Bank, Junior Chamber International (JCI)-Dhaka, Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS), Daffodil International University, BD Venture Limited, Small and Cottage Industries Training Institute (SCITI), Bangladesh Council of Scien-

tific and Industrial Research (BCSIR), CTO Forum, Institute of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB), Hackathon, World Bank, the Future Leaders Ltd (the FLL), UK, Bangladesh Institute of ICT in Development (BIID) and Rotary International.

The inaugural ceremony was attended, among others, by DCCI Foundation chairman and chairman of Anwar Group of Industries Alhaj Anwar Hossain, former DCCI president and chairman of E2K project Md Sabur Khan and senior vice -president Osama Taseer. l

Robi launches HD voice service for first time n Tribune Report

Mobile phone operator Robi Axiata Ltd has introduced high definition (HD) voice service across its 3.5G network for the first time in Bangladesh.

The HD technology will offer clearer voice communication through better noise reduction and lessen listening fatigue during calls, said a press release issued yesterday.

Robi 3.5G subscribers, however, will require HD

voice capable handsets at both ends to use the advanced voice service.

“The latest introduction of HD voice is an initiative on our part to bring in the most advanced global standard of voice service for our customers in Bangladesh, which has now been endorsed by GSMA as well ... HD voice will definitely set a new standard of service quality in the country,” said AKM Morshed, Robi’s chief technology officer.

Robi is the first mobile operator in Bangladesh

to be accredited by GSMA, an international association of communication service providers and equipment manufacturers, to provide HD voice service, the release said.

It will be among only 109 mobile operators globally to offer the service.

HD voice uses AMR WB (adaptive multirate wide band) technology to provide voice clarity and intelligibility, leading to a more pleasant experience for mobile users. l

The impact of social safety net on poverty in our country is negligible, which is the major obstacle to the poverty reduction as the maximum share of the benefit of poor households goes to safety net programmes, a seminar was told.

The aggregate amount of benefit that the poor households get in exchange of labor is pitifully small. Even the small benefit that is on offer is captured mainly by the better-off households, viewed S R Osmani, a professor of University of Ulster, UK, while addressing a session titled “Poverty Reduction Strategies and Policies’’ on the concluding day of the 2_day first Bangladesh Economists’ Forum (BEF) Conference held at a city hotel yesterday.

Osmani was presenting a report titled ‘’Social Protection for All: Learning from Lessons of the Ground’’ while Azizur Rahman Khan, a Professor Emeritus, University of California, chaired the session.

Participation in safety net of disadvantaged households seems to increase the probability of being poor as it increases their household consumption, observed Osmani in his report.

According to the report, the percentage of participant in access to safety net is higher among the disadvantaged groups. The more disadvantaged households are more likely to participate in safety net which led them to the extreme poverty.

In his report, Osmani showed that the impact of safety net assessing three parameters in his presentation. While household consumption increasing with growing participation in safety net, ability to cope with crisis and asset transition decreasing.

He termed three categories of asset transition including “Faller”, “Stayer” and “Mover’’. Access to safety net should increase the probability of being a ‘mover’ and decrease the probability of being a ‘faller’, he added.

Access of participants to safety net among the poverty group, extreme poor is 53.2%, moderate group is 45%, marginally non-poor is 42.5% and well-off 29.3%, according to his presentation report.

He put emphasise on health insurance as health-related shocks are the most pervasive type of shock in rural Bangladesh.

Mustafa Kamal Mujeri, Director General of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), noted that three areas of transformational change would be critical to manage for Bangladesh including quality of governance, demographic transition and urbanisation and spatial transformation while presententing a report titled ‘’Vision 2030: What Lies Ahead for Bangladesh in a Post-MDGs World’’.

During his presentation Mujeri opined that the future of Bangladesh would depend on the quality with which the country could harness and manage the positive outcomes of those changes. l

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

As the bourse showcased extended level of dullness, investors shunned fresh fund injection, which cast shadow on turnover.

Day’s turnover came down to Tk223 crore which was 16.3% less compared to previous session’s value of Tk266 crore.

DSEX, the benchmark index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange closed at 4,322 points, shedding 6 points or 0.14% amid volatile trading.

The DS30 of blue chips stocks declined 10 points or 0.58% to close at 1,594 points while the DSE Shariah Index (DSES) fell by 4 points or 0.42% to end at 989 points.

Out of 292 issues traded, 140 advanced, 114 declined and 38 remained unchanged at the DSE trading floor.

Among the major sectors, only two sector – Banks and, food and allied were the gainers posting 0.67% and 0.28% growth respectively.

Telecommunications, which represents the flagship stocks of Grameenphone, was the highest loser going down by 1.02%. Pharmaceuticals, NBFIs and, fuel and power went down by 0.80%, 0.35% and 0.11% respectively.

Lafarge Surma Cement was the most traded stocks for the fifth sessions with shares worth Tk34 crore.

Monno Stafflers was the day’s highest gainer, posting a rise of 8.69% while Asia Insurance was the worst loser, plunging by 13.63%. l

Turnover at the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) yesterday sank to its four-week low to Tk223 crore as investors were reluctant to make fresh investments amid shaky confidence.

Meanwhile, the price index at the premier bourse ended with marginal fall, showing continuous downtrend that started last week.

“The market is still under selling pressure as investors prefer to stay on the sidelines and waiting to see whether the government changes the detrimental decisions taken in the proposed budget for FY 201415,” LankaBangla Securities stated in its regular market commentary.

Market is extremely cautious and warns against pinning much hope before the budget gets approved, said LankaBangla. Investors are waiting and watching out how things pan out after next week, it added.

“Opening session absorbed another beat with different phases of volatility. Since, investors lack further re-assessment across market level, sentiment turned worse,” said IDLC Investments’ market analysis.

While, market was upheld with the support of some specific scrips, especially Lafarge Surma Cement, Square Pharma and Bangladesh Submarine Cable, it said.

2,226.37 51,042,035

Number of Contract

55,533

Traded Issues

155

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

131

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

155

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

8

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,,245.43

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

27.22

CSE key features June 22, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

166.85

Turnover (Volume)

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index :

Company

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

4,611,241

Number of Contract

6,842

4322.26154

(-) 0.14%

▼

Traded Issues

183

988.79796

(-) 0.42%

▼

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

67

1593.87723

(-) 0.60%

▼

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

110

CSE All Share Index:

13338.74600

(-) 0.32%

▼

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

CSE - 30 Index :

10917.45910

(-) 0.48%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,170.75

8234.56880

(-) 0.37%

▼

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

26.31

DSE Shariah Index : DSE - 30 Index :

CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS

Asia Insur. Ltd.-A GeminiSeaFood-Z Aftab Auto.-A 7th ICB M F-A Kay & Que (BD) -Z Karnaphuli Insur -A BD Fixed Income MF-A BGIC -A

-13.64 -7.33 -7.30 -5.05 -4.55 -4.00 -3.80 -3.29

Average (% change) -14.33 -7.33 -6.11 -1.28 -3.41 -2.65 -1.52 -2.44

Salvo Chemicals-B LankaBangla Fin. -A

-2.87 -2.82

-1.91 -0.74

Company

Closing (% change)

CSE LOSERS

Asia Insur. Ltd.-A Daffodil Computers -Z Aftab Auto.-A PrimeFin. 1st MF-A Sonargaon Tex -Z EBL First M F-A Federal Insu.-A Salvo Chemicals-B

-11.62 -7.56 -7.41 -7.41 -4.65 -4.62 -4.41 -4.29

Average (% change) -11.41 -3.30 -6.84 -7.57 -4.65 -4.35 -4.51 -2.20

ICB Emp. PMF-A Meghna Life Ins. -A

-3.64 -3.60

-3.28 -3.23

Company

Closing (% change)

ANALYST

Closing average

Closing

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 254.72 46.56 30.21 254.52 89.35 168.11 0.44 178.03 335.85 0.11 21.46 16.77 8.51 384.26 11.35 19.47 62.28 169.11 90.12 84.78 0.37

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

20.81 125.10 76.01 99.71 12.75 19.47 7.75 20.75

20.90 125.10 74.90 99.70 12.60 19.20 7.60 20.60

21.50 125.10 81.00 101.10 13.00 21.00 8.10 21.10

20.70 125.10 73.00 97.50 12.50 18.50 7.60 19.50

2.206 0.006 42.833 0.349 0.051 0.823 0.062 0.393

1.84 -11.90 2.69 12.01 -0.92 1.40 0.56 1.36

11.3 -ve 28.3 8.3 -ve 13.9 13.8 15.3

20.53 41.69

20.30 41.30

20.90 42.50

18.90 38.30

8.877 17.194

1.16 1.24

17.7 33.6

Closing average

Closing

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Monno Stafllers -A Renwick Jajneswar-A Monno Ceramic -B Rangpur Foundry -A Sandhani Life -A R. N. Spinning-Z Continental Insur. -A Eastern Lubricants -A CMC Kamal Tex. -A Dhaka Bank -A

21.30 11.00 75.00 17.50 8.20 6.20 19.50 20.10

22.00 11.20 79.00 17.50 8.20 6.20 19.50 21.00

20.80 11.00 74.50 17.20 8.20 6.00 19.30 20.10

0.139 0.045 6.531 0.096 0.008 0.040 0.080 1.423

1.84 0.68 2.69 1.64 -0.92 0.45 1.36 1.16

11.6 16.4 28.2 10.7 -ve 13.7 14.3 17.6

5.30 113.05

5.30 112.60

5.30 120.00

5.30 111.70

0.003 2.176

0.68 6.45

7.8 17.5

Market is extremely cautious and warns against pinning much hope before the budget gets approved

% change 11.44 2.09 1.36 11.43 4.01 7.55 0.02 8.00 15.08 0.01 0.96 0.75 0.38 17.26 0.51 0.87 2.80 7.60 4.05 3.81 0.02

Million Taka 18.02 3.48 2.54 18.60 8.62 11.49 19.04 9.93 7.78 1.11 9.38 0.26 20.46 0.75 0.46 4.49 25.07 15.42 13.27 0.01

% change 9.47 1.83 1.34 9.78 4.53 6.04 0.00 10.01 5.22 4.09 0.58 4.93 0.14 10.76 0.40 0.24 2.36 13.18 8.11 6.98 0.00

Million Taka 272.74 50.04 32.75 273.12 97.97 179.60 0.44 197.07 345.78 7.89 22.57 26.15 8.77 404.71 12.10 19.93 66.77 194.19 105.53 98.05 0.38

Total

8.69 5.72 5.32 5.17 4.73 4.60 4.23 3.85 3.67 3.17

CSE GAINERS Company 3rd ICB M F-A Sandhani Life -A Apex SpinningA National Life I -A R. N. Spinning-Z Reliance1 M.F.-A Rangpur Foundry -A B I F C -A National Bank - B Standard Insurance-A

Closing (% change) 11.65 9.93 7.71 6.03 5.38 4.71 4.48 4.13 3.92 3.57

Average (% change) 8.69 5.18 6.54 4.55 5.00 5.55 5.48 3.56 2.89 1.79 Average (% change) 4.55 18.57 7.71 6.21 4.90 4.71 4.48 4.56 2.15 14.96

Closing average 352.52 260.68 28.02 105.03 87.55 27.21 22.15 455.68 22.44 19.33

Closing average 230.00 83.00 81.00 350.58 27.20 8.90 100.30 12.60 10.43 28.97

Closing 355.20 262.30 27.70 105.70 88.60 27.30 22.20 456.10 22.60 19.50

Closing 230.00 83.00 81.00 350.00 27.40 8.90 100.30 12.60 10.60 29.00

Daily high 355.30 266.70 28.60 106.50 90.00 27.70 22.40 464.00 22.90 19.70

Daily high 230.00 83.00 81.00 355.00 27.70 8.90 100.30 12.60 10.60 29.00

Daily low 338.00 251.00 26.70 99.70 84.20 23.90 21.00 442.00 20.00 18.00

Daily low 230.00 83.00 81.00 345.00 26.50 8.90 100.30 12.60 10.10 28.90

Turnover in million 2.732 6.165 2.715 15.440 12.343 8.611 0.454 0.843 11.852 10.291

Turnover in million 0.035 0.025 0.016 0.175 1.598 0.009 0.150 0.013 5.248 0.043

Latest EPS 1.12 3.92 0.28 3.08 2.39 3.12 3.00 6.95 1.32 2.00

Latest EPS 22.19 2.39 1.85 12.46 3.12 1.86 3.08 0.24 0.92 2.88

Latest PE 314.8 66.5 100.1 34.1 36.6 8.7 7.4 65.6 17.0 9.7

Latest PE 10.4 34.7 43.8 28.1 8.7 4.8 32.6 52.5 11.3 10.1

News, analysis and recent disclosers MEGHNALIFE: The Board of Directors has recommended 20% cash dividend and 10% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 17.07.2014, Time: 10:30 AM, Venue: "Muktijuddha Smrity Auditorium", Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh, 160/A, Kakrail VIP Road, Dhaka. Record Date: 30.06.2014.

FUWANGFOOD: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the entity rating of the Company as "BBB3" based on audited financial statements of the Company up to June 30, 2013, un-audited statement up to March 31, 2014, bank liability position as on April 30, 2014 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

APOLOISPAT: Credit Rating Agency of Bangladesh Limited (CRAB) has announced the entity rating (surveillance) of the Company as "BB1" based on audited financial statements of the Company up to June 30, 2013, un-audited financial statements up to December 31, 2013, bank liability position as on March 30, 2014 and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative informa-

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company LafargeS Cement-Z Square Pharma -A Grameenphone-A BD Submarine Cable-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A BSRM Steels-A Meghna Petroleum -A

CSE

Closing (% change)

tion up to the date of rating declaration.

AFTABAUTO: (Q3): As per un-audited quarterly accounts for the 3rd quarter ended on 31st May 2014 (Mar'14 to May'14), the Company has reported consolidated net profit after tax (excluding non-controlling interests) of Tk. 43.60 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 0.46 as against Tk. 70.76 million and Tk. 0.74 respectively for the same period of the previous year. Whereas consolidated net profit after tax (excluding non-controlling interests) was Tk. 193.82 million with consolidated EPS of Tk. 2.02 for the period of nine months (Sep'13 to May'14) ended on 31.05.2014 as against Tk. 257.60 million and Tk. 2.69 respectively for the same period of the previous year.

MICEMENT: The Company has informed that the Board of Directors of the Company has decided to purchase 392 decimals of land at west Mukterpur, Panchasor, Munshiganj at a cost of Tk. 15.56 crore only (approx.) including the registration cost.

NORTHRNINS: The Company has informed that it has credited the bonus shares for the year ended on December 31, 2013 to the respective shareholders' BO

Accounts on June 19, 2014.

SANDHANINS: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on June 29, 2014 at 3:00 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

IPO Subscription: Far East Knitting & Dyeing Industries Limited subscription date 15-19 June 2014, NRB upto 28 June 2014. @ taka 27, face value taka 10 and market lot 200. Shurwid Industries Limited subscription date 08-12 June 2014, NRB upto 21 June 2014. @ taka 10, face value taka 10 and market lot 500. Saif Powertec Limited subscription date 06-10 July 2014, NRB upto 19 July 2014. @ taka 30, face value taka 10 and market lot 200. Ratanpur Steel Re-Rolling Mills Limited subscription date 13-17 July 2014, NRB upto 26 July 2014. @ taka 40, face value taka 10 and market lot 200.

Dividend/AGM

DELTALIFE: 11% cash and 25% stock, AGM and EGM: 20.07.2014, Record date for AGM and EGM: 25.06.2014.

Latest PE

21.35 11.13 75.94 17.47 8.20 6.15 19.48 20.47

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

Daily high

Monday, June 23, 2014

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features June 22, 2014

DSE turnover sinks to 4-week low n Tribune Report

Stock

% change 11.29 2.07 1.36 11.30 4.05 7.43 0.02 8.15 14.31 0.33 0.93 1.08 0.36 16.75 0.50 0.82 2.76 8.04 4.37 4.06 0.02

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

The Peninsula CTG.-N ACI Limited- A Renata Ltd. -A

Aftab Auto.-A Olympic Ind. -A Mithun Knitting -A Golden Son -A Beximco Pharma -A

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Grameenphone-A

LafargeS Cement-Z BEXIMCO Ltd. -A The Peninsula CTG.-N BSRM Steels-A Aftab Auto.-A National Bank - B BD Submarine Cable-A Mithun Knitting -A UNITED AIR-A UCBL - A Square Pharma -A Beach Hatchery -A AramitCementA LankaBangla Fin. -A

Volume shares 4,303,000 460,950 343,800 371,935 2,499,279 736,280 233,749 1,652,800 208,075 51,424

563,533 144,500 277,750 714,751 789,925

Volume shares

69,200 200,500 422,239 313,800 80,130 86,004 503,092 24,029 36,600 348,280 132,726 11,986 115,000 58,000 55,500

Value in million 342.61 127.44 101.91 67.20 66.51 62.33 59.96 58.36 54.16 43.10

42.83 31.43 30.81 30.74 30.40

Value in million

20.73 16.05 11.18 11.10 6.76 6.53 5.25 4.34 4.16 4.01 3.53 3.31 2.75 2.46 2.31

% of total turnover 15.39 5.72 4.58 3.02 2.99 2.80 2.69 2.62 2.43 1.94

1.92 1.41 1.38 1.38 1.37

% of total turnover

12.72 9.85 6.86 6.81 4.15 4.01 3.22 2.67 2.56 2.46 2.17 2.03 1.69 1.51 1.42

Daily closing 82.00 275.40 296.50 181.90 26.70 84.20 259.50 35.10 261.90 832.60

74.90 219.80 109.20 42.90 38.40

Daily closing

298.60 81.30 26.70 35.20 84.10 75.00 10.60 181.70 109.40 11.50 26.70 275.40 23.80 42.50 41.40

Price change 0.37 -0.79 -1.20 1.68 -0.74 -2.09 0.15 2.33 0.34 -0.81

Daily opening 81.70 277.60 300.10 178.90 26.90 86.00 259.10 34.30 261.00 839.40

Price change

Daily opening

-7.30 -0.41 -1.89 -0.46 -1.54

-1.22 0.25 0.00 2.03 -2.32 -7.41 3.92 1.51 -1.97 -2.54 0.75 -0.86 1.28 -0.70 -2.36

80.80 220.70 111.30 43.10 39.00

302.30 81.10 26.70 34.50 86.10 81.00 10.20 179.00 111.60 11.80 26.50 277.80 23.50 42.80 42.40

Daily high 83.50 280.00 302.00 183.00 27.00 88.00 262.90 35.90 266.00 840.00

81.00 220.90 113.80 43.40 39.90 Daily high

304.00 83.00 27.00 36.00 85.50 79.00 10.60 182.90 115.00 11.90 26.90 278.00 24.20 42.70 42.10

Daily low 78.10 254.00 293.90 163.00 24.30 80.00 236.50 34.40 240.00 830.50

Daily average 79.62 276.47 296.43 180.68 26.61 84.65 256.50 35.31 260.27 838.19

Daily low

Daily average

73.00 215.90 102.00 38.80 35.10

294.30 77.80 25.90 34.20 83.20 74.50 10.10 178.60 109.00 11.40 25.80 275.00 23.50 42.10 41.10

76.01 217.47 110.92 43.01 38.49

299.54 80.03 26.48 35.37 84.38 75.94 10.43 180.79 113.78 11.52 26.63 275.99 23.95 42.40 41.65

DHAKA TRIBUNE

MI Cement eyes n future expansion

Business

B3

Monday, June 23, 2014

IFC to ramp up operations in Bangladesh

n Tahmidur Rahman MI Cement Factory Limited, manufacturer of the brand Crown Cement, has recently disclosed its board’s decision to purchase more land adjacent to its factory located in Munshiganj.

The declaration came at the company’s 141st meeting held at its head office on Saturday.

The board said the land is about 392 decimals at West Mukterpur, Panchasor in Munshiganj, which will approximately cost a total of Tk15.56 crore, including the registration fees.

The company previously bought lands adjacent to its factory premises of 53.22 decimals worth Tk3.28 crore in 2012 and 27.67 decimals worth 1.63 crore in 2012.

The purchase of land is for expansion of the capacity in future, and therefore, investors would have to wait to enjoy yields from the investment, said Md Mozharul Islam, the company’s secretary.

Replying to a question whether the investment would reduce the chances of paying out cash dividend, he told the Dhaka Tribune that it would not affect the dividend.

On May 18, the company announced its intention to set up two packing units that would cost approximately Tk21 crore, including civil construction.

Earlier on March 31, the cement producer had a cash and equivalent hold-

Dollar edges down in Asia n AFP, Tokyo The dollar edged down in Asia Friday, extending losses in New York that were driven by dovish comments from the head of the US Federal Reserve that indicated interest rates will not go up until next year.

In afternoon Tokyo trade, the dollar bought 101.84 yen, down from 101.94 yen in New York on Thursday.

The euro firmed to $1.3623 from $1.3606 and to 138.75 yen from 138.70 yen.

The dollar began sliding after the Fed on Wednesday said it would further cut its stimulus programme while keeping rates at record lows, and made no mention that it would bring forward plans to tighten monetary policy.

Fed chief Janet Yellen said the economy was growing steadily and dismissed a fresh uptick in inflation as "noise" reflecting some short-term distortions.

This suggests that the Fed still sees a low-inflation environment for the next year or more.

Junya Tanase, chief foreign exchange strategist at JP Morgan, told Dow Jones Newswires that it was tough to see how the dollar-yen rate will "break outside the current range to show a clear trend, at least for near term".

Investors are also keeping an eye on the Iraq crisis after government troops recaptured a major refinery and the US said it was sending in military advisers to train local forces.

The dollar was broadly higher against other Asia-Pacific units, rising to Sg$1.2493 from Sg$1.2483 on Thursday, to 1,019.22 South Korean won from 1,018.60 won, and to 11,967.00 Indonesian rupiah from 11,923.80 rupiah. l

ings of Tk319 crore, according to the third unaudited quarterly statements in FY14. Of the amount, Tk306 crore is deposited with banks and Tk13 crore kept in hand and banks.

Analysts believe the cash holding ratio against term deposit caused a fall in profit in the Q3 of FY14 against the same period of FY13.

The company has reported a quarterly profit drop of 12% for the quarter ended on March 31 against the same period last year.

The financial statement shows the quarterly profit of FY14 dropped to Tk13.6 crore from Tk15.5 crore during Q3 of FY13 due to increased financial expenses on bank loans – Tk10.3 crore in Q3 of FY14.

In contrast to quarterly performance, the company’s last nine-month profit is Tk47.1 crore against a profit after tax of Tk44.6 crore during the same period of the previous fiscal, FY13.

The disclosure about land purchase, published at the country’s bourses yesterday, however, failed to move the company’s share prices as investors took the stance of wait-and-see, said a broker.

It might be because the disclosure is unlikely to boost the company’s profitability any time soon, he added.

The stock’s closing price remained same at Tk83.6 each as its closing price at the end of last week. l

Tribune Report

International Finance Corporation would enhance its operations in Bangladesh to boost job creation and economic competitiveness.

IFC Regional Director for South Asia Serge Devieux said this at a meeting with Bangladesh Bank Governor Atiur Rahman, reaffirming IFC’s commitment towards building momentum for rapid, inclusive, and sustained growth in the country, said a press release yesterday.

The private sector arm of the World Bank Group is working on expanding job-creation opportunities, building critical infrastructure – including power, energy, and transport – and supporting better working conditions in the

readymade garments sector to improve Bangladesh’s competitiveness, he said.

IFC’s work in Bangladesh supports the World Bank Group’s goals of ending extreme poverty and boosting shared prosperity.

In the last two years, IFC invested over a $1bn in the country. In the current fiscal year, IFC has committed nearly $400m for 12 projects till date.

These include supporting naturalgas resources development, funding an independent power project to ensure the supply of electricity is reliable and affordable, and expanding trade finance and efficient working capital solutions for domestic private industry.

Bangladesh, which accounts for 5% of the world’s poor, is one of IFC’s largest country-specific advisory pro-

grammes.

IFC has a growing pipeline of investment projects in sustainable energy, power generation and distribution, economic zones, sea ports, inland transport, and the financial sector.

It is also implementing new advisory programs such as the Partnership for Cleaner Textiles, with support from Netherlands; the Better Work initiative with the International Labour Organisation to improve the rights and safety of workers in the garment industry; and the South Asia Regional Trade and Investment project for enhanced economic integration.

In addition, IFC is scaling up its advisory work on public-private partnerships to help mobilise financing for and build essential infrastructure. l

Oil mixed in Asia amid Iraq supply fears n AFP, Singapore Oil prices were mixed in Asia Friday but retained support near a nine-month peak as dealers track the unfolding sectarian conflict in Iraq fearing it could cause a major supply disruption.

Brent crude for August fell four cents to $115.02 in afternoon trade, after rallying to $115.06 in London, its highest since early September.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for July delivery rose 15 cents to $106.58. "Oil saw support from the risk of conflict in Iraq disrupting oil supplies, as the US said it would send military advisers to the country," Singapore's Unit-

ed Overseas Bank said in a note.

US President Barack Obama on Thursday announced that he was ready to send 300 advisers to Iraq and if necessary to take "targeted" and "precise" military action to counter radical Sunni fighters.

"We will help Iraqis as they take the fight to terrorists who threaten the Iraqi people, the region and American interests as well," he said.

Washington has already positioned an aircraft carrier in the Gulf and is also considering using drone strikes against the militants. A Congressional source has said US Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Iraq "soon".

The militants have captured swathes

of the country's north but have yet to directly threaten the key oil-producing region in the south.

The crisis has rocked the global oil market because Iraq is the secondbiggest producer within the 12-nation Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

The country has more than 11% of the world's proven resources and produces 3.4 million barrels a day.

Aside from concerns about Iraq, French bank Credit Agricole said "the market today should be relatively quiet heading into the weekend" with no significant data release and the conclusion of a key US central bank meeting. l

US jobs, factory data point to strengthening economy n Reuters, Washington The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits fell last week and factory activity in the mid-Atlantic region accelerated in June, more evidence the economy was strengthening after a disastrous first quarter.

“The economy has improved markedly in recent months,” said Jim Baird, chief investment officer at Plante Moran Financial Advisors in Kalamazoo, Michigan. “Signs point to continued growth in the coming quarters, and further improvement in labour market conditions.”

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits slipped 6,000 to a seasonally adjusted 312,000 for the week ended June 14, the Labour Department said on Thursday.

The four-week moving average for new claims, considered a better measure of underlying labour market conditions as it irons out week-to-week volatility, fell 3,750 to 311,750, not far from a seven-year low touched in May. Separately, the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank said its business activity index jumped to 17.8 this month, the highest level since September, from 15.4 in May. Any reading above zero indicates expansion in the region’s manufacturing.

Gains were driven by a surge in new orders, as well as an increase in factory employment and working hours. l

Small farms making big impact in US agriculture n AFP, Logan

As a teenager, Danelle Myer wanted nothing more than to leave her family's farm in Iowa and become a big-city advertising executive.

Now, the 42-year-old juggles orders for cabbage and deals with hail damage on her patch of land.

After building a career in public relations, Myer returned three years ago to her rural roots in the US farm belt - the tiny Iowan town of Logan, less than 40 miles (60 kilometers) north of Omaha, Nebraska.

"In my 20s, my health was not the greatest. I started realizing what we put in our body matters. I became more health-conscious," Myer said.

"What pushed me over the edge was the land owned by my family," said the fifth-generation farmer, as she sat cross-legged among her plants in a pink tank top and flip-flops. "It is an immense privilege and I should do something about it."

But she had no intention of taking up the conventional farming practices of her parents, who raise corn, soybeans and cattle. For her, it would be a truck farm on a small, sloping piece of land "all pesticide- and GM-free," she said, referring to genetically modified seeds that dominate much of US corn and soybean crops.

In the heart of the Midwest, the breadbasket of the United States and known for agricultural productivity, Myer's story is no longer so unusual.

Small farms booming

In the land of industrial-scale agriculture, "truck farming" - small-scale fresh fruit and vegetable production is booming, encouraged by the rising consumer interest in food grown locally, an industry worth $7bn.

hectares). If you want the same standards of living on a vegetable farm, you could probably do it on 10 acres," said Craig Chase, an economist at Iowa State University who has been watching the rise of sustainable, organic, and local farming in the US since the 1980s.

A jump in land prices in the Midwest in recent years is also a major reason why young people are setting up vegetable and small farms, Chase said.

For the children of farmers who cannot split up the farm without making it less profitable, and for immigrants and organic farmers wanting their own operation, the price of land is out of reach, he said. "If your land is $10,000 an acre and you want to begin farming, you are looking for a high-value crop versus a high-volume, lower-value crop."

'People just like the taste'

42-year-old Danelle Myer, washes the radishes she just picked in her field The country has 8,100 farmers' markets, and nearly 150,000 farmers and ranchers sell their products directly to consumers. Some 44% of schools have links to local farms for student meals.

To encourage the trend, the US government on June 9 launched "Local Food, Local Places", a program that provides experts in agricultural, transportation, the environment and the regional economy to rural communities

to help them build local food systems.

"The changes are tangible and inspiring," said Alice Topaloff, a young FrenchAmerican agricultural engineer working in Iowa. "The development of local farms is catching on, and in a more spectacular way than in France," she said.

"Certainly that is because people are distancing themselves from farms with thousands of acres (hectares) and where food culture isn't as anchored

AFP

to locally grown food." But it is a tough row to hoe.

The first year, in 2010, Myer sold $2,200 worth of vegetables. Her target this season is $20,000. Even if she makes that, it will not be enough to pay the bills. She works part-time in public relations to get by.

"To make a good standard of living for a conventional corn and soybean farm, it takes up to 2,000 acres (800

Consumers' desire for healthier, more flavorful food is a driver. Topaloff said food security also plays a role. Unlike in Europe, she said, "here, people are not particularly worried about genetically modified foods."

"By contrast, because the agri-food industry is concentrated in the hands of three or four companies, people are concerned that a terrorist attack could have a giant impact."

Bending over to pull out weeds from her new greenhouse, Myer insisted she would not trade anything in the world for the hours spent among her radishes, sweet potatoes and chamomile, specially raised for a herbalist in Omaha. She seemed exhausted but determined. Smiling broadly, Myer said she gets lots of encouragement – from some because she is a woman, from others because she is a "hometown girl" or because she grows organically.

"Some people just like the taste of my food," she said. l

NRB Bank Ltd recently held its first annual general meeting that was presided over by the bank’s chair Iqbal Ahmed

NCC Bank recently concluded a month long foundation training course for its officers on Thursday at the bank’s training institute. The bank’s MD and CEO Golam Hafiz Ahmed distributed certificates to the participants as chief guest

An opening ceremony titled 'Long Live Japan-Bangladesh Friendship' of RTM International Shikhha-o-Manob Sampod Unnayan Kandra was held recently. Japan Ambassador Heroki Nimani was present at the programme among others

Phoenix Insurance Company Ltd recently held its 28th annual general at Institute of Diploma Engineers in Dhaka. The meeting was presided over by the company’s chair Mohammed Shoeb where the shakeholders approved the proposed 20% cash dividend for the year 2013

Dhaka Chapter of Old Faujians Association (OFA) recently held the election of its working committee along with its executive conference (2014/16 tenure) at a local club in Dhaka.

Dhaka Chapter’s former president Md Mahmudul Haque made discussions while Brigadier General Moazzam Hossain, the election commissioner announced the newly elected working committee

MasterCard yesterday launched a ten-day long campaign of “Spend and Win” in Bangladesh called ‘Char Chakka Hoi Hoi’ for MasterCard debit and credit cardholders at a press conference held at a hotel in Dhaka. Syed Mohammad Kamal, country manager of MasterCard, Bangladesh was at present at the conference among others

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Monday, June 23, 2014

Oil price risks put inflation back in focus n Reuters, Brussels

Iraq will be foremost in investors' minds in the coming week as oil price risk has returned to markets, complicating the task for central banks whose policies are beginning to diverge for the first time since the global financial crisis.

Oil prices neared nine-month highs late last week, touching $115 a barrel, and the rapid advance of militants in Iraq, the second-largest OPEC producer, is destabilising oil markets.

That has implications for inflation in the United States and Europe, as well as Asia's export-oriented economies that are large net importers of oil.

Investors will be watching a range of data, from German and Japanese consumer prices to first-quarter US GDP, to see how the Federal Reserve, the European Central Bank (ECB), the Bank of England and the Bank of Japan respond.

"Just as oil prices had become increasingly stable, we reckon the risk for an oil price spike is now the highest since the global crisis," said Christian Keller, an economist at Barclays. "We think a further price spike of 10 to 15% from here is not implausible," he said.

Until now, falling energy prices have partly been responsible for the euro zone's low level of consumer price inflation, which the ECB considers to be in its "danger zone".

A rise in the inflation rate would be welcome but economists and the International Monetary Fund believe the ECB still needs to consider U.S.-style money printing to support the bloc.

Euro zone sentiment readings and preliminary purchasing managers' surveys for June on Monday may give the ECB a sense of how much more help the euro zone economy needs. The re-

Smoke rises from a oil refinery in Baiji, north of Baghdad, in this picture taken through the windscreen of a car, June covery from a two-year recession lost pace in April and manufacturing has lost momentum. Germany's inflation reading on Friday will give a taste of the euro zone-wide reading that is due the following week.

"Although higher near-term inflation may reduce the likelihood of more ECB easing in the short term, lower economic growth and core inflation down the line would, in fact, support the case for further policy accommodation at a

later date," Luigi Speranza and Gizem Kara of BNP Paribas said in a note.

EU leaders will discuss economic policy at a summit on Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

In the United States, investors will be looking to the third and final reading of US first-quarter GDP figures on Wednesday to see if there is a revision of the 1% contraction already printed and which followed disappointing March trade figures.

Federal Reserve chief Janet Yellen cited reasons for optimism about the world's biggest economy last week, including household spending and a better jobs market. Economists generally agree that the effects of unusually bad winter weather will fade later this year.

Core U.S. consumer prices have risen 2% over the last year. If the inflation rate went much higher, it would put pressure on the Fed to consider moving to raise rates.

REUTERS

For now though, the impact of events in Iraq and an oil-driven increase in inflation seem to be less pressing for the Fed. Yellen said interest rates could stay "well below longer-run normal values at the end of 2016".

Some of America's largest money managers interpreted her comments as signalling that rates will remain low throughout 2016.

A speech by Federal Reserve Bank of

Philadelphia President Charles Plosser in New York on Tuesday will also be in focus.

"Following last week's Fed meeting and amid renewed concern over inflation, U.S. news flow might actually be rather sobering," said Rob Carnell, ING's chief international economist.

There is also talk of additional stimulus in Japan in the coming months.

Japan's annual exports declined for the first time in 15 months in May, hurting the world's third-biggest economy just as consumption is being crimped by an increase in national sales tax.

This week, much of the focus will be on core nationwide inflation for May and Toyko's core reading for June as well as the government's growth strategy, which is under discussion and may be formally decided by Friday.

The Bank of Japan's monetary stimulus helped weaken the yen by a fifth last year. But the currency has stabilised this year versus the dollar, limiting gains in the value of exports.

Among other big industrialised powers, first-quarter British GDP on Friday will show a different picture.

Economists polled by Reuters expect growth to be revised up to 0.8 percent due to a better showing from construction.

That would bring annual growth to 3.1%, the strongest since before the start of the global financial crisis.

The Bank of England could become the first major central bank to raise interest rates since the crisis.

"Markets now more or less fully price in a 25 basis point rate hike by year-end, consistent with our view," Michael Saunders and Ann O'Kelly at Citi said in a note. "We expect growth will remain strong even while rates rise." l

NY Times top 3 paid generously given its results, size 'Nestle aims to double New York Times executives were paid according to their performancebased executive compensation program, which was approved by the compensation committee and our board of directors and is consistent with market practice

Arthur Sulzberger, Jr, chairman of The New York Times Company, listens at the Reuters Global Media Summit in New York

n Reuters, New York While the New York Times Co has shrunk by more than half in the past eight years, the compensation of the top three executives at the company has held steady. Measured against some key metrics of financial performance at comparable US media companies, their pay is among the most generous, a Reuters analysis shows.

The collective total compensation of Times Co Chairman and Publisher Arthur Sulzberger Jr, CEO Mark Thompson and Vice Chairman Michael Golden, including the value of stock awards and incentive payments, was $11.9m in 2013, according to the company's annual proxy statement.

That has not changed much over the past eight years; the top three in power at the company in 2006 received $10.9m. But when pay is looked at as a percentage of four key financial metrics, Times Co is more generous than eight out of nine other media companies on three or all four of the scores and is tied 2-2 with one of them, according to the Reuters analysis.

Depending on the metric, the results vary. As a percentage of revenue, Times Co's compensation is more generous than at six companies and less generous than at three. But as a percentage of free cash flow, it far outranks every

company, in many cases by a long way.

The company's approach to the compensation of its top editors has drawn attention from media pundits in recent weeks after a controversy over the ousting of Executive Editor Jill Abramson by Sulzberger. This has included allegations in The New Yorker magazine last month that one of the reasons Abramson was fired was because she complained she was paid less than her male predecessor. Sulzberger has denied her compensation was lower.

The key question for the board is, 'do we need that much management in what is today a much smaller and simpler company?

Of course, the Reuters analysis illustrates a wider phenomenon in corporate America: executive compensation tends to go up when companies expand by buying assets but rarely declines when they sell them.

Times Co said in a statement: "New York Times executives were paid according to their performance-based executive compensation program,

REUTERS

which was approved by the compensation committee and our board of directors and is consistent with market practice."

Sulzberger and Golden did not respond to requests seeking comment.

Thompson, who was previously director-general of the BBC and was hired in 2012, also did not respond.

Times Co has been making strides in recent years. Its first-quarter results exceeded expectations, and it now depends less on advertising revenue and more on readers' wallets because it now charges people to fully access its digital products. As a result, the board has reinstated a dividend after a fiveyear dry spell.

The company has shed a lot of businesses, turning a sprawling media empire into a publisher with one major asset, the flagship newspaper. Among the assets sold were The Boston Globe newspaper and a series of TV, radio and regional newspaper holdings. That and the pressure on advertising sales have cut Times Co revenue to $1.58bn in 2013 from $3.29bn in 2006.

In its report in the Times Co's 2014 proxy statement, the board's compensation committee said the company had "made noteworthy progress on strategic growth initiatives intended to enhance long-term stockholder value."

Five compensation experts shown

the Reuters analysis said the Times Co's basis for deciding compensation, such as the way performance targets are set, seemed appropriate. But most of them asked whether the current size of the company meant it should consider either reducing the number of top executives paid at higher levels or compensate them less generously.

In particular, Golden's compensation raised questions, given his job as head of the Times Company's human resources and modest international operations. That is because the top three in many companies includes the chief financial officer and/or the head of a very large division.

"The key question for the board is, 'do we need that much management in what is today a much smaller and simpler company?'" said Paul McConnell, managing director at executive compensation firm Board Advisory.

Paul Hodgson, a compensation expert at corporate governance advisory firm BHJ Partners, said: "The levels of compensation don't seem to match the company's current size."

Both Sulzberger and Golden are members of the Ochs-Sulzberger family, which has controlled the company for more than a century. Only owners of "B" shares, about 90 percent of which are held by the family, are allowed an advisory vote on executive compensation.

The owners of the ordinary "A" shares do not get a vote, although the board's compensation committee says it does consult with significant shareholders. l

DILBERT

direct commodities suppliers' n Reuters Swiss food giant Nestle aims to boost its share of direct commodity purchases to ensure it keeps a tight grip on quality and supply chains, Chairman Peter Brabeck told an Austrian newspaper.

"The consumer now wants to know where the coffee in the Nespresso capsule comes from. We want to double the ratio of commodities we buy directly - so not via traders - in the years ahead, especially for coffee and cocoa," he told Kurier.

This is "not because of the price, but rather due to quality and traceability.

Of course also because the consumer demands this in the age of social media," he added.

Nestle now has 670,000 farmers under contract, he said.

Asked if Nestle would soon do more than half its business in Asia, he said: "In terms of volume, yes, but in terms

of value, no, because of the exchange rate effects. China is already our second most important market after the United States." Around two-thirds of its sales in China come from brands it bought there, he said.

Brabeck said he was concerned about the emotional debate being waged over a proposed free-trade pact between Europe and the United States, saying it was time for a factual discussion over a deal that could give economies a major boost.

"At a time that we fight for every tenth of a percent of growth, we should at least discuss the topic objectively," he said, dismissing critics' concerns that a deal could weaken European food safety standards.

"As far as I know, no one has died in the United States from eating American products. If that is our fear then we also shouldn't go on holiday in the United States." l

China's wealth management products total $2.1tn n Reuters, Beijing China's wealth management products totalled 12.8tn yuan ($2.06tn) as of the end of May, state media said, quoting the vice central bank head.

China's market of wealth management products had grown at a rate of between 60 and 80% annually for a few years before it decelerated to 30 to 40% in 2013, Pan Gongsheng said in remarks published on Xinhua news agency on Saturday.

Fuelled by savers' and companies' thirst for higher returns, China's wealth management sector has exploded in recent years. But the opaque nature of the sector has fed concerns about the industry's health.

Pan said the authorities would do more to ensure the value of people's

financial assets are preserved and increased, according to Xinhua.

Regulation of the wealth management products market "should be strengthened to control risk and push forward the healthy development of the sector", Pan was quoted as saying.

With China's growth expected to slow to a 24-year low of 7.3% this year, there are growing concerns about the level of risk associated with the financial sector.

In May, a deputy governor of China's central bank, Liu Shiyu, said China should reorganise its wealth management industry as it is unduly raising funding costs and encouraging savers to behave like gamblers by chasing after lucrative shortterm returns. l