02 June 2014

Ashar 18, 1421 Ramadan 3, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 92

WEDNESDAY, JULY 2, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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SUNNIS, KURDS LEAVE IRAQ

Six IGWs plan to monopolise the market BTRC asked to allow selected IGWs handle all outbound calls n Muhammad Zahidul Islam Several international gateway (IGW) operators have created a consortium to control all the incoming and outgoing international voice call termination in the country, in an alleged attempt to monopolise the market that is worth over a thousand crore taka.

According to their proposal, the major control of the market would belong to only six IGW operators – owned by politically influential people – that would be able to terminate calls and handle all outbound calls, while the rest of the operators would only be able

Rest of the IGWs will only be able to bring incoming calls and give those to the top tier IGWs to terminate to bring incoming calls in exchange for guaranteed revenue.

Around 18 IGW operators, out of the existing 29, formed the IGW Operator Forum (IOF) that placed a proposal last week before the BTRC for establishing a two-tier call termination process.

IOF ad hoc committee president AKM Shamsudoha told the Dhaka Tribune their proposal could be helpful for the gateway industry.

“We have placed our proposal to the telecom regulator and they will consider all the necessary aspect for the legal and other processes,” said Shamsudoha, who recently bought all the shares of Global Voice Telecom Limited and became the Chairman of the company.

A BTRC committee headed by Engineering and Operation Commissioner Saleh Ahmad Hakim has already met thrice to discuss the issue and is expected to submit its report within this week, sources said.

They added that a lobbying group linked with the IOF proposal was reportedly active to bring down international incoming call termination rate down 50% from 3 US cents ($0.03) to 1.5 US cents ($0.015) per minute.

Industry insiders said it would not benefit the consumers. If approved, the decision would give the IGW operators a chance to charge more than 1.5 US cents to foreign carrier but only sharing revenue with the government as per the declared value, they added.

Termination rate is when one telecom operator charges another for terminating calls on its network.

The lobbying groups are also allegedly being backed by some influential ministers who are working to convince the prime minister to approve the slashing of the rate by half.

Sources said an influential business tycoon with ties to the ruling party, who is the top boss of a leading business conglomerate of the country and allegedly has ownership in three IGW operators, was behind the move to cut the rates.

A senior BTRC official, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that if the rate is slashed, a group of operators would be able to make more than a thousand crore taka within only a couple of months.

Abu Saeed Khan, senior policy research fellow of Colombo-based ICT  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Argentina’s Angel di Maria (R) celebrates his side’s only goal in extra time during their World Cup round of 16 match against Switzerland in Sao Paulo, Brazil early today

Last-gasp Di Maria takes Argentina into quarters from Sao Paulo, Brazil Argentina rode on Angel di Maria and sheer luck to edge past a spirited Switzerland 1-0 in the round of 16 of the World Cup at the Arena de Sao Paulo yesterday.

In the 118th minute of the intense affair, Argentine forward Rodrigo Palacio snatched the ball from Switzerland right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner in midfield and slipped it to Lionel Messi, who produced his trademark burst of pace and pulled two defenders towards him to create space for an unmarked Di Maria. The Real Madrid winger slotted the ball into the far post past goalkeeper Diego Benaglio and that was all. Argentina reached their third successive quarterfinal.

Luck, however, was also on Argenti-

na’s side. In the 120th minute Xherdan Shaqiri threaded a venomous cross from the right flank and substitute midfielder Blerim Dzemaili met it with a good header. Astonishingly for the Swiss supporters, the ball bounced back agonisingly from the side post before ricocheting off the midfielder’s feet towards safety. A few minutes later the final whistle was blown as the frustrated Swiss footballers fell down to the ground in heartbreaking pain.

The first half of extra time was a quite one but in the second minute of the second half of extra time, Di Maria was gasping for breath after seeing his 20-yarder punched away for a corner by the energetic Benaglio.

The typical Argentine flair was missing in large parts of the game as the Swiss were never short of motivation fighting neck-and-neck against the likes of Messi, Di Maria and Gon-

zalo Higuain. Led by the efficient and hard-tackling Napoli midfielder Gokhan Inler, Switzerland was proving to be a tough nut to crack.

Possession largely belonged to Messi and Co but it was all a story of losing the ball to the Swiss defenders most of the times. The Swiss backline compris-

2nd Round

Details on page-15

ing Lichtsteiner, Fabian Schaer, Johan Djourou and Ricardo Rodriguez was compact and picked out the short passing strategy of their fancied opponents by closing the spaces and the gaps.

The best chance of the first half of normal time was squandered by Switzerland forward Josip Drmic. Picking up possession in the opposition half, Drmic sailed towards Argentine cus-

Muhith blasts media for ‘misreporting’ Khaleda: Not India, on black money amnesty AL responsible for n unresolved issues Asif Showkat Kallol and Syed Samiul Basher Anik

n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

RAJIB DHAR

Ruling out the scope to legalise black money, Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday blamed the media for reports on the scope of black money whitening.

Terming all the news reports on the provision utterly ‘nonsense’ and ‘meaningless’, he said the black money holders have to pay 10% penalty as per the law.

“I have kept my word on the black money whitening issue as no provision has been included in this fiscal year.

So, there is no scope to legalise black money in the new budget,” the minister told reporters after a meeting with Deputy Managing Director of International Monetary Fund Naoyuki Shinohara at Economic Relations Division at Sher-e-Banglanagar.

In his concluding speech with the passage of Finance Bill 2014, Muhith on Saturday said the black money could be invested in the purchase of flats by paying a certain amount of tax for per square metre.

“If any taxpayer has not paid tax properly in the past, he/she can pay the due tax by paying the penal tax along with regular tax,” he said just before

the passage of the bill on June 29 at the parliament.

The minister proposed the withdrawal of the provision of legalising black money through investments in treasury bonds.

According to the bill, anyone can regularise untaxed money by paying 10% tax along with regular tax under different slabs ranging from 10% to 25% in productive and income-generating sectors. The money can also be used

to purchase land and residential apartments during FY2014-15.

Under the provision 19E of Income Tax Ordinance 1984, which is ‘voluntary disclosure of income’, people can legalise only their undeclared or untaxed, but legally earned money and taxmen will not raise questions on the sources of money if the taxpayers take advantage of the provision.

The section also allows people to  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia who have criticised the Indian government on almost all the occasions publicly now blamed the Awami League, not the Indian government, for the longstanding unresolved bilateral issues.

The former premier in an interview with an Indian newspaper The Indian Express said: “People of Bangladesh sincerely desire good relations with India.”

Khaleda in her interview talked about a host of other issues between India and Bangladesh, Khaleda told the External Affairs Minister of India Sushma Swaraj during her three-day visit to Bangladesh that India tried to convince the BNP to participate in the January 5 general election.

The BNP chief spoke of her expectations of the Narendra Modi government, her thoughts on the previous UPA government led by Congress party and politics in Bangladesh.

The people’s perception is that the Congress-led government did not keep

its promise to Bangladesh, she said responding to a question adding: “Actually it was the failure or lack of will of the Bangladeshi government to protect the interests of the people about unresolved issues that turned out to be bigger problem.”

Khaleda also said it was also a public perception that the Awami League government did not argue well for Bangladesh.

“The people of Bangladesh sincerely desire good relations with India. This relationship should address the interests of the people of the two countries, not any particular political party or individual… I don’t want to hold anybody responsible but Awami League forced them to do this.

“And the Indian government gave its support… Ershad talks about it even now, that he had not gone for the elections, that he was forced to go for it, that he had sent his withdrawal letter, that it was not accepted. So, the perception is that the Indian government played a role.”  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

INSIDE 3 | News

A Dhaka court has recently suggested the government take steps to bring Qawmi madrasas into mainstream education to prevent its students from getting involved in militancy.

4 | News

AP

Eighteen people were killed and 30 more injured in road accidents in different parts of the country yesterday.

9 | World

Baby-faced teenagers in army uniforms practice drills in locked dormitories in China closely supervised by former soldiers.

5 | News

The BRTC took no apparent steps to repair over 300 buses lying idle in various depots in city as it seems to be more occupied with in procuring new buses on loans.

6 | Nation

Around half lakh people living in Adiabad union parishad under Raipura upazila in Narsingdi have been suffering for a long time as they are yet to get a bridge over the Arialkhan River.

14 | Sport

While most people are talking about James, Messi and Robben, on Monday Germany’s ‘keeper, Manuel Neuer gave one of the performances of the World Cup.

todian Sergio Romero and found himself in an one-on-one situation. The Nuremberg forward tried to chip the ball over but instead shot tamely into the gloves of a trembling Romero.

After resumption Argentina came out firing from all cylinders but it was the same old story of near misses as Benaglio thwarted a flurry of flicks and shots. It seemed like Argentina would break the deadlock any time but the much-coveted goal did not arrive.

Argentina continued to pile up the pressure on their opponents confining all the Swiss players to their own half apart from Shaqiri. The stiff resistance though put up by the Swiss eventually ended as Di Maria placed home from Messi’s assist. One negative for Argentina though is that of left-back Marcos Rojo, who will be suspended for the quarterfinal due to a yellow card received in the 90th minute. l

HEALTH SECTOR IRREGULARITIES

WB asks Tk4 crore in refund n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

The World Bank has asked the Health Ministry to return Tk4 crore of allotted funds, after finding evidence of irregularities in procurement practices and financial management activities at three operation plans under the ministry.

A special review by the bank raised allegations against former line directors of National Nutrition Services (NNS) Dr Eklasur Rahman, Dr Khondokar Md Sifayetullah of Non Communicable Diseases (NCD) and incumbent line director Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed of Communicable Diseases Control (CDC). The three operation plans have been running under the Health Population Nutrition Sector Development Programme (HPNSDP) of the Health Ministry.

World Bank Country Director Johannes Zutt wrote a letter on this  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

SEHRI & IFTAR TIME Day Ramadan 3/July 2 Ramadan 4/July 3

Sehri – 3.43am

Iftar 6.54pm 6.54pm

** For Barisal, deduct one minute, and for Sylhet and Chittagong deduct six minutes; for Khulna add four minutes, for Rangpur five minutes, and for Rajshahi seven minutes.

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Amendments to CHT district council laws tabled n Kamran Reza Chowdhury The government yesterday tabled amendment proposals for the laws governing the district councils in the three hilly districts.

The amendments propose increasing the members of the interim councils tasked with supervising the activities of 23 agencies transferred in line with the 1997 peace accord.

Hill people alleged that the government had been amending the laws to nominate its own people to the district councils bypassing the long due elections.

According to the proposals made in three separate bills, the government will form three 11-member interim councils for each of the districts instead of present five-member bodies.

Bir Bahadur U Shei Ching, state minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs, tabled in parliament the three proposed laws: Rangamati Parbatya Zilla Parishad (amendment) Bill, Khagrachhari Parbatya Zilla Parishad (amendment) Bill and Banderban Parbatya Zilla Parishad (amendment) Bill.

The bills went to the parliamentary standing committee on the Chittagong

Hill Tracts Affairs for further scrutiny before passage in the legislature.

The original laws passed in 1989 had provisions for electing members of the district councils by direct popular votes. Since then, only one election took place in 1989.

On May 24, 2009, the government annulled the 10-year-old district councils, inserting a section into the original laws. The section authorised the government to form five-member unelected interim district councils.

While defending the bills, the state minister told parliament that the district councils had the provision for ensuring representation of small ethnic groups. But accommodating all groups in the five-member councils was not possible and the number must therefore be increased to ensure comprehensive representation.

He said supervising the activities of the 23 agencies was not possible with only five members.

Ushatan Talukder, independent MP from Rangamati, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We strongly oppose these bills.

Increasing the number of interim councils means that the there will be no election to the local government bodies.”

He, however, skipped Monday’s sitting of the House.

Ushatan said the peace treaty between the government and the Parbatya Chattagram Jono Samhati Samity stipulated that the government must consult the district councils and the regional council to bring any change to the laws relating to the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

“But the councils were not consulted,” he said.

Rangamati District Council will consist of a chairman and 10 other members: three from Chakma and three from non-tribal people, one from Marama, one from Kheyang and or Lusai, one from Tanchangya, and one from Tripura.

Khagrachhari district council will have one chairman, three members from Chakma and three from non-tribal people, two from Marma and two from Tripura.

One chairman, three members from non-tribal members, two members from Marma, one from Tanchangya or Chakma, one from Mro, one from Tripura, one from Chak, Kheyang or Khumi, and one from Bom, Lusai or Pankhu will constitute the Banderban district council. l

People take the risk of their lives to reach home before the iftar time. The photo was taken from Manik Mia Avenue in the capital yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Arif confesses involvement to government probe body Education Ministry, UGC n Tribune Report

Sacked RAB official Arif Hossain yesterday once again admitted to his involvement in the seven murders of Narayanganj as a government committee questioned him at the Dhaka Central Jail gate.

The seven-member committee led

by Shahjahan Ali Molla, additional secretary of public administration, went to the jail gate around 10am to interrogate all three sacked RAB 11 officials – com-

manding officer Lt Col (retd) Tarek Sayeed Mohammad, Lt Commander (retd) SM Masud Rana and Maj (retd) Arif.

However, the probe committee could not finish talking to them because of time constraints. Seeking anonymity, a member of the committee told the Dhaka Tribune that they had talked only to Arif until 2pm and recorded his statement.

When contacted, AKM Mohiuddin, member secretary of the committee, said they would start the next session

of recording depositions of the remaining two at 10am today. He said Arif had admitted his involvement in the murder narrating in detail the whole incident. Mohiuddin, however, refused to give any details of Arif’s statement.

A member of the committee seeking anonymity said Arif’s statement matched his confessional statement given to a Narayanganj court on June 4.

“The media published a portion of his confessional statement at that time and the one he gave us is almost the

Six IGWs plan to monopolise the market  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

think-tank LIRNEasia, termed the IOF proposal “a syndication of corruption.”

He said: “Such a move directly contradicts the competition law of Bangladesh. Therefore any attempt to establish a syndicate of IGW operators is absolutely illegal.”

He also referred to the example of Pakistan where such a proposal had already been banned by the country’s highest court.

According to the IOF proposal, only a single tier (tier-2) containing six IGW operators would be able to terminate calls as they alone would stay connected with the Interconnection Exchange (ICX) and mobile and land-phone operators.

The Bangladesh Telecommunica-

tion Regulatory Commission (BTRC) would choose the six IGW operators, the proposal reads.

A separate tier (tier-1) containing the rest of the operators will only be able to bring incoming international calls and give that to the tier-2 to terminate.

Except for the six operators in tier2, the rest will be in tier-1 and they will never allowed to handle outbound calls, the proposal of IOF said.

According to the proposal, the revenue sharing ratio between tier-1 and tier-2 operators will be 1:2.05. A market development fund would also be created as per the proposal, where each IGW operators will have to contribute around Tk3 crore every month.

The proposal also reads that the IGW operators will have a guaranteed quota

WB asks Tk4 crore in refund  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

regard to Mohammad Mejbahuddin, secretary of the Economic Relations Divisions (ERD), on April 30; while the ERD then issued a letter to the health secretary on May 6 directing the ministry to return more than $500,000 to the global lender and inform the ERD about this by May 31.

Source said the funds have not reportedly been returned so far.

Health Secretary MM Niazuddin, however, told the Dhaka Tribune that the ministry had already settled the problem and collected the refunded money; but added that he did not know whether all of the money had been returned.

On the other hand, an incumbent line director of one the three operation plans, seeking anonymity, said they received information about the World Bank’s directive to return the funds only a couple of days ago.

Sources said observations about questionable programme expenditures by the operation plans were mentioned in an audit report by the Foreign Aided

Project Audit Directorate in 2012.

Based on those findings, the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank carried out a special financial management review last year, finding strong indication of inappropriate procurement practices and fraudulent activities in the performance of procurement and financial management activities.

Inappropriate procurement practices were identified at the NNS including procurement of items through the request for quotation method and beyond the scope of the procurement plan approved by the World Bank in November 2011. Packages were also reportedly split to avoid competitive procedures, while bids had similar handwritten dates, spelling mistakes, fonts, styles and descriptions, bid prices were in arithmetical sequence and there was similar handwriting on the document of the procuring entity and the vendors’ document.

The IDA review also found that honorarium were paid to line directors for

same,” the member said.

According to media reports, Arif had told the court that at least one of the other members of Rapid Action Battalion was from a Dhaka-based unit of the elite force.

Arif delivered two statements in separate cases filed by the families of slain Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam and senior lawyer Chandan Sarkar.

Arif also reportedly revealed that an influential family from the port city had an indirect involvement with the crime. l

of incoming international traffic as per their existing market share, which will help to curb illegal traffic.

“The big ones [operators] see big profit in the formation of IOF in two tiers. The small ones are quiet as the big ones assured them of providing a handsome guaranteed revenue,” a senior BTRC official told the Dhaka Tribune.

However, IGW operators that decided not to join the consortium protested the proposal. They have also sent a letter to the BTRC countering the IOF proposal.

Zahir Ahmed, managing director and CEO of Bangla Tel, an IGW operator that chose not to join the IOF, said: “There is no need to create another platform for IGW; only the BTRC can

control the market if they are given the power to control it.”

Preferring to stay unnamed, a member of the BTRC committee on the issue told the Dhaka Tribune that the proposed policy was against the telecom act and the international long distance telecommunications services (ILDTS) policy, as the commission was responsible for ensuring fair competition in the telecom sector.

Currently, around six crore minutes of international incoming calls are terminated every day and IOF claims the number would jump if their proposal is accepted.

In 2008, the BTRC awarded four IGW licenses in a public auction, while later in 2012, the Awami League-led government awarded 25 more licenses. l

several training programmes which they never attended, as well finding evidence of forged signatures in the list of training participants who were said to have been given honorarium.

The combined amount of these fraudulent honorarium practices amounted to around Tk95 lakh, while total amount of malpractices in the three line directorates was around Tk11 crore.

After receiving the IDA review report, the Health Ministry took departmental actions against the line directors concerned and managed to recover some funds that were misappropriated through payment of honorariums.

Asked about the allegations, Dr Eklasur Rahman, former line director of the NNS, admitted that there could have been procedural mistakes, but claimed that no money was misappropriated. He added that the NNS received instalment of the funds in April 2012 and were forced to go for spot quotation instead of open tender – which was a four-month-long process – as the fiscal year ended in June.

Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, director of the CDC, told the Dhaka Tribune there were audit objection of Tk31 lakhs against the CDC. Because of delayed release of fund, the operation plan had to go for procurement on spot quotation and by voucher, he said, claiming that it was a negotiable audit objection.

Both of them, however, claimed that they did not receive any letter from the World Bank or any other authorities.

Despite repeated attempts to get comments, former NCD line director Dr Khondokar Md Sifayetullah, who was also the ex-DG of the health directorate, did not receive any phone call.

Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub, president of Health Rights Movement Bangladesh and also an ex-president of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA), said most line directors were political appointees who lacked the required qualification and stayed busy with misappropriating money. He also recommended that the operation plans be run on contract basis and monitored by senior health officials. l

Muhith blasts media for ‘misreporting’ on black money amnesty  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

invest money in any sector as the provision reads “the money could be invested in industrial undertakings, including its expansion; balancing, modernisation, renovation and extension of an existing industry; building or apartment or land; securities listed with a domestic stock exchange; and in any trade, commercial or industrial venture engaged in production of goods and services”.

However, the law said the provision will not be applied for the legalisation of money derived from any illegitimate source of income or from any criminal activities.

The National Board of Revenue officials have said there is no mechanism to properly detect what kind the money is, as the law does not clearly define what is black money and what is undisclosed money.

“In general terms, untaxed money is known as undisclosed money. Once you fail to disclose your income in the tax returns, the money becomes illegal.

In addition, the income tax law allows people to invest their money in any sector and we cannot raise any questions,” a NBR high official said.

As the law does not have any time frame for legalising undisclosed money, people can take advantage at any

time. So, no one is willing to legalise the money as they can take advantage even after two or three years, he added.

He also said if the NBR finds any illegal money, it can do nothing as there is no specific provision in the law on what to do if illegal money is found and therefore officials sometimes adjust the money with the returns.

According to a 2011 study endorsed by the Finance Ministry, black money accounted for 62.75% of the total GDP in 2009, while it accounted for only 7% of the GDP in 1973.

Between the fiscal years 1971-72 and 2012-13, nearly Tk13,808 crore was whitened. During the period, the

NBR received taxes of Tk1,455 crore, which is less than 1% of the revenue collection target set for the fiscal year 2014-15.

Former NBR Chairman Muhammad Abdul Majid told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the money generated from any income becomes illegal money once it becomes untaxed, regardless of whether it is derived from legal or illegal sources.

“Black money is usually the money on which tax was not paid and for which the sources of income was undisclosed, but there is no clear definition on black money in the law, which creates the confusion. If any taxpayer

protest TIB claim n Mushfique Wadud

The Education Ministry yesterday reacted over a Transparency International Bangladesh study which alleged financial irregularities in giving approval to private universities and recruitment of their vice chancellors, pro-vice chancellors and other senior officials.

A press release of the ministry is-

sued yesterday termed the claim untrue and said that the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) failed to place any proof.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) also strongly protested the TIB claim of illegal exchange of money.

It termed the report immoral and illogical and said that it was an attempt to tarnish the image of higher education. l

Khaleda: Not India, AL responsible  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

On a question whether she feels disappointed with the role of the previous Indian government during the elections, Khaleda said: “She (Sujatha Singh) tried to convince us also but could not. We told her why we could not participate in the elections. We are a political party, not an underground outfit, but if elections are not fair, there is no point in taking part.

Later, Ershad said openly that he will not contest. But later, through some way… I don’t know whether the Congress-led government played a role; many believe that (it did), since the foreign secretary said such things… In fact Ershad later said the foreign secretary put pressure on him. And they [India] are the only ones to give recognition to the polls. Even the Commonwealth and the UN said that they don’t support a one-party election…

There were no election observers, so they have not accepted that. And people of this country have not accepted that.

Therefore, it is an illegal government. The international community is asking them to have elections soon.”

Khaleda also told Sushma: “Awami League understands that they don’t have legitimacy in the country or outside. Awami League is telling us that you first recognise us as a legitimate government, then we will enter into a dialogue.

So, their illegitimacy has been exposed…

I told Sushma that no country has witnessed an election in which 154 candidates have been elected unopposed out of 300 in parliament. There could be 2, 4, 5… but 154? All the cabinet ministers have been elected unopposed. In Sheikh Hasina’s case, there was no contest, but they put up dummy candidates to show that there was a contest.”

Khaleda said the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited her when she congratulated him over the assumption to office in New Delhi in late May and also said she sent two letters to Modi.

“Yes, we had conversation when I con-

gratulated him. He invited me,” she said.

In response to a follow up question whether she planned to visit New Delhi, the former prime minister said, “You know what the situation in the country is now, I am quite busy. There is no democracy in this country. Ninety-five per cent of people are with us and they want free, fair, impartial and inclusive elections.”

Khaleda, however, refrained from making any comment on the difference between the Congress-led and BJP-led governments in India saying it was too early to make any definite judgment.

On West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s last minute blockade on a deal proposed for sharing Teesta river’s waters, the former Bangladesh Prime Minister said she knows nothing about it as she did not met Mamata yet.

“The people of Bangladesh don’t know what really happened… I have not met Mamata, and I don’t know who blocked it. Our government says so.

Hasina says so.”

On Indian concern on terrorism with BNP’s previous regime in Bangladesh, the BNP chief said: “It is a misplaced concern. This is a motivated propaganda to create a wrong view of the BNP. We are committed to never allowing the territory of Bangladesh to be used against India or any of our neighbours. We have also proven this on the ground.”

Replying to a question if the domination of the two families will continue in the years to come Khaleda said: “This is not correct. Families are respected because Mujibur Rahman had a contribution, Ziaur Rahman had a contribution.

From there, people have faith in them…

Look, this is not just about politics — a barrister’s son becomes a barrister, a doctor’s son becomes a doctor, a businessman’s son becomes a businessman. So, politicians generate that interest in their family members. And then, it comes to the people — whom do they accept, that is the key.

If they don’t accept, they will be out.” l

does not pay taxes, he conceals information and evades tax,” he said.

During the 2007-08 period, when many people legalised their money, the government had made it permanent as the law did not have any time frame on when the deadline for such amnesty would expire, he added.

In response to a question on the size of such money in the economy, he said there is a parallel economy ongoing with such money which is reflected with people’s deposits in international banks like Swiss Bank and Singapore and people are now leading lavish lifestyles in Dubai or making second homes in Malaysia.

The government can easily scrap the provision by amending the law as the finance minister had already withdrawn the provision for investments in treasury bonds, the NBR official said.

“The government can amend the law any time, but the government’s will is a must for it, which seems insignificant,” he said.

Echoing the same, Majid said: “The provision should not continue as it offended the honest taxpayers and did not attract investments.”

If the government wants the discontinuation of the facility, it should make changes in the law by amending the provision, he added. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Court: Mainstream Qawmi to curb militancy Madrasa graduates cannot apply for mainstream jobs as parallel education system is not recognised “Probably, many students, who Hafez Mawlana [graduates of religious The students are given elementary tions in the capital’s Ramna Park in n Ashif Islam Shaon and Md lessons on English, Bangla and math- institutions] titles. That means they have degrees from the Qawmi madra2001. Six others were given life term Sanaul Islam Tipu

A Dhaka court has recently suggested that the government should take steps to bring the Qawmi madrasas into the education mainstream to prevent its graduates and students from getting involved in militancy.

The view came from Second Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge Ruhul Amin of Dhaka as part of the much-awaited verdict delivered on June 23 in the 13-year-old Ramna Batamul blast case.

Eight leaders of the banned militant outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami (Huji) were sentenced to death for killing 10 people by blasting bombs in middle of traditional Bangla new year celebra-

jail.

Many of those 14 Huji men have attained the highest of Qawmi education degrees.

Since the parallel system of education is not recognised by the government, its graduates cannot apply for mainstream jobs. This, according to the court, is one of the main reasons why they get involved in militancy.

The Qawmi madrasas have always said their way of teaching would lose its “uniqueness” if it was merged with the mainstream government-regulated system.

Their textbooks are mostly written in Urdu which mainly teach religious conducts, rules, regulations and laws.

ematics.

Although there is no provision for girls to pursue higher studies in the Qawmi system, in some places, girls are allowed to attend the primary classes.

It is often said as the curricula lack elaboration in social sciences and culture, militant groups can easily misguide the Qawmi graduates and students, saying the traditional national cultures are against Islamic values.

The Dhaka Tribune has obtained an unsigned copy of the much-talkedabout verdict. “...the convicts used Mufti [an Islamic scholar who interprets or expounds Islamic laws), Hafez [who has fully memorized the Qur’an], and

3

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

are highly educated in Islamic education,” the court observed.

“Islamic clerics spread the spirit of Islam, interpret Hadith and Qur’an, try to lead life as per Islamic spirits and laws and advice the Muslims to do so.

The clerics claim themselves as successors of the Prophet,” the court said.

“But recently we have seen that a group of men, trained in Islamic education, has been creating panic by blasting bombs in crowded places.

They have attacked lawyers, courts and judges,” the court said.

The court said this had shocked many people, who have positive views about and respect for the Islamic scholars.

sas, are getting involved in subversive activities like the convicts because they cannot get jobs and hence get frustrated,” the court observed.

In the Ramna Batamul blast case, the court found that some of the convicts were Afghan veterans and were trained in making bombs.

According to the Qawmi Madrasa Education Board, at present it has 2.8 million students in the country. However, there is no definitive count of the number of such madrasas in Bangladesh.

It is also said the Qawmi education is funded mainly by the Middle Eastern countries, especially Saudi Arabia.

Qawmi education systems are also found in Pakistan and India. l

SC stays bail for Twoki murder accused n Nazmus Sakib The Supreme Court yesterday stayed for two weeks a High Court order that granted ad-interim bail for Saleh Rahman Sheemanto, one of the key accused in the Twoki murder case.

Chamber judge of the court’s Appellate Division Justice Hasan Foez Siddique gave the order.

Assistant Attorney General SK Shaifuzzaman said: “We asked the court not to grant bail to the accused as it would hinder the ongoing murder investigation. A co-accused confessed that Twoki had been killed in Sheemanto’s house.”

On June 24, the High Court granted the ad-interim bail for Sheemanto, who was arrested on April this year for his involvement in killing Twoki, a school student of Narayanganj, in March last year. l

ICT 1 unhappy with Azhar’s defence n Udisa Islam The International Crimes Tribunal 1 yesterday expressed its dissatisfaction towards the defence counsel of war crimes accused ATM Azhar, after it had to adjourn proceedings within only half an hour as the lawyer claimed he had to attend the hearing of another war crimes case against Syed Mohammad Qaisar at the ICT 2.

The ICT 1 began its morning session with the cross-examination of Idris Ali, the investigation officer (IO) of the case against Azhar, by defence counsel Abdus Sobhan Tarafder. However, after around half an hour of cross-examination, Tarafder said he had to attend the deposition of the IO at the hearing of the case against Qaisar, for which he was also the conducting counsel.

The tribunal expressed its dissatisfaction and adjourned the day’s proceedings saying the defence might not be allowed to cross-examine Idris Ali any more if it did not finish grilling the IO by Wednesday.

However, at the ICT 2, the IO of the case against Qaisar, Monowara Begum, was not present for her deposition yesterday. Tarafder, who left the ICT 1 early claiming he had to stand for Qaisar, also did not have to conduct the case as another senior counsel represented the war crimes accused.

Move to curtail press freedom slammed n Tribune Report A government plan to restore local government powers affecting press freedom has met with bitter criticism from an opposition lawmaker.

Jatiya Party member of parliament Pir Fajlur Rahman said the restoration of district commissioners’ authority to cancel a newspaper’s right to publish would not be a good decision. He said that it could open the door to citizens losing their fundamental constitutional rights.

District commissioners’ authority to cancel a newspaper’s right to publish had previously been rescinded. The government is considering restoring this authority. Rahman said if this authority was restored it would be used for political purposes. ‘’If the authority to cancel is restored to district commissioners it will used for political purposes and people will be deprived of their fundamental rights under the constitution,’’ the lawmaker said in parliament. ‘’It is true many newspapers have tried to foster militancy through communal provocation but it will not be a good decision to restore this authority,’’ he said in reference to discussions about the issue in the media on Tuesday.

“As a lawmaker I bitterly protest this government initiative,” he said to the information minister. The lawmaker urged the information minister to intervene in the matter to protect the freedom of the press. l

In its hearing yesterday, the ICT 2 rejected a petition by the prosecution pleading to accept the statements of five prosecution witnesses – recorded by the investigation officer – as evidence against Qaiser.

In their petition, the prosecution mentioned that three of the five witnesses had died and the rest, including former social welfare minister Enamul Haq Mostafa Shahid, were bedridden.

So, the prosecution failed to present them before the tribunal and pleaded for their statements to be accepted as evidence.

Prosecutor Rana Dasgupta placed his argument on the petition, while defence counsel SM Shahjahan placed his argument opposing the plea.

After hearing both sides, the tribunal observed that IO Monowara Begum had included the names of three deceased people as prosecution witnesses, even after knowing that they had died. The prosecutor apologised after the loopholes of the petition were pointed out by the tribunal, which also asked both the sides to be more helpful.

The ICT 2 then rejected the petition and set today for the IO to be presented before the tribunal and hold hearing on another petition by the prosecution seeking permission for submitting some additional documents. l

A part of the Hatirjheel is littered with non-perishable objects like plastic though a management of the project is in place to remove waste materials from the canal. The photo was taken yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Unsolicited PPP proposals likely to 11 gold bars, 128 iPhones go to cabinet committee next week seized at Dhaka airport n Asif Showkat Kallol

The Prime Minister’s Office is likely to place the policy on unsolicited proposals under Public Private Partnership (PPP) before a meeting of the cabinet committee on economic affairs amid slow progress in the PPP projects, including the Dhaka elevated expressway, official sources said.

Without making the policy on unsolicited proposals, the government cannot prepare and finance these infrastructure projects, said a senior official of the PPP office.

The official said unsolicited proposals are coming from innovative ideas through new technology and management projects which help develop the local infrastructure projects.

Principal Secretary of Prime Minister’s Office Abdus Sobhan Sikder sent a proposal titled “The procedures for implementation of PPP policy and strategy for unsolicited proposals 2014” to the cabinet committee on economic affairs which is likely to be placed before the meeting of the cabinet committee on economic affairs next week.

Private innovators or creative entrepreneurs will get the benefits of tariff and project duration, he said.

As per the unsolicited proposal policy of the PPP projects, bonus and Swiss challenge of benefits will be given to the private innovators and creative entrepreneurs for the development of the

country’s infrastructures.

According to the proposal, 5-10% bonus will be given to new or original entrepreneurs, but it also said other tender bidders will be discouraged from participating in the tender if more bonus is given to new entrepreneurs.

‘Unsolicited proposals are coming from innovative ideas through new technology and management projects which help develop local infrastructure projects’ Under the policy on unsolicited proposals, there are a total of 19 determining factors in three schedules, including two types of bonus and Swiss challenge.

The government had allocated Tk257 crore for the project to be implemented under PPP in the fiscal year 2015. The PPP budget is 3.4% of the total allocations of physical infrastructure that is set to get Tk7550 crore.

The project was awarded to an Italian-Thai joint venture in 2010. The construction of the 21km expressway involving Tk8,703 crore was scheduled to start in July 2011, with 42 months

time to complete. But the joint venture failed to secure the initial investment and the fate of the project hangs in the balance. New problems emerged over partial land acquisition as well.

In his budget speech the finance minister said, “In order to attract private investment for infrastructure development, we will encourage implementation of projects through PPP.” He said 34 projects under six sectors had already been approved in principle and advisers or consultants had also been engaged in the 33 projects.

The minister said this is the first step toward the implementation of the projects and it is expected that the PPP legislation would be placed at the parliament shortly.

The costs of the approved PPP projects are estimated to be $1114 crore, mainly in transport, health, education and tourism sectors.

The construction of the Dhaka elevated expressway, jetties in Mongla Port, Hemodialysis Centre, a flyover from Shantinagar to Mawa Road via bridge over the Buriganga River and Dhaka-Ashulia elevated expressway are among the major PPP projects which have got approval.

The latest developments in the PPP are issuance of gazette notification of PPP policy and guidelines 2010, guidelines and scheme for using viability gap fund and establishment of PPP office under the Prime Minister’s Office. l

Ruhal, son questioned for amassing illegal wealth n Tribune Report The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday interrogated former Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque and his son Ziaul Haque on charges of amassing wealth illegally during the last five years of Awami League-led government.

Ruhal along with his son appeared

before the anti-graft body at its headquarters at 11:30am as per its instruction, said its Public Relations Officer Pranab Kumar Bhattacharjee at a press briefing in the city.

ACC Deputy Director Mirza Zahidul Alam questioned Ruhal and his son and recorded their statements for more than two hours, he said.

After the interrogation, former

minister Ruhal told reporters that he had no undeclared wealth.

The wealth of the former health minister has increased by Tk10 crore, according to his affidavit submitted to the Election Commission ahead of the recently-held 10th parliamentary polls.

Earlier, on January 22, the ACC appointed seven inquiry officials to

investigate into the allegations of amassing wealth illegally by seven politicians, including the former health minister.

On February 24, the anti-graft body interrogated Ruhal alone for recording his statement for allegedly accumulating “unusual wealth” during the last five years prior to the January 5 parliamentary election. l

n Tribune Report

The customs intelligence recovered 11 gold bars weighing around 1.2kg and 128 units of iPhones from the air freight area of Hazrat Shah Jalal International Airport in the capital yesterday.

Ayesha Akhter, assistant commissioner of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID), confirmed the news to the Dhaka Tribune.

The price of the seized gold was Tk1.5 crore, the official said. The parcels were booked in the names of Yasin of Dhaka and Ratan of Uttara respectively.

Director General of CIID Moinul Khan said: “The iPhones were recov-

ered from a parcel bag and the gold from video game packets transported

by DHL.” Acting on a tip-off, a team of customs officials seized the gold bars and the iPhone sets searching the area, Moinul told the Dhaka Tribune.

Ayesha Khatun said: “The goods reached the airport around 12:15am yesterday through an aircraft of Hong Kong Airways.”

Filing of a case in this regard is under process, Ayesha added.

Earlier, two Pakistani nationals had been arrested with 1.71 crore of fake Indian Rupees and huge contraband cigarettes at the Dhaka airport on Monday morning. l

SC resumes Kamaruzzaman’s appeal hearing n Nazmus Sakib The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday resumed hearing after 12 days on the war crimes appeal lodged by death row Jamaat leader Mohammad Kamaruzzamn.

The defence side yesterday read out the judgement of the International Crimes Tribunal for the second day.

Earlier, they completed reading out the testimonies of both prosecution

and defence witnesses.

Muzahedul Islam Shahin, a defence counsel, told the Dhaka Tribune that two days might be needed to complete reading out the 215-page verdict. Then the argument stage would start, he said.

A four-member Appellate Division bench led by Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha resumes hearing today.

The apex court of the country was in a vacation from June 19-30. l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Road accidents kill 18, injure 30 in the country n Tribune Report Eighteen people were killed and 30 more were injured in separate road accidents in different parts of the country yesterday, reported our correspondents.

In the capital, two people were killed in different accidents.

A pedestrian was run over by a Demu train at the Kuril crossing in Baridhara yesterday morning. Witnesses said he came under the train while crossing the line between 9:30am and 10am.

Md Nazrul Islam, OC of Khilkhet police station, said: “The victim could not be identified, and the body was handed over to the Railway Police around 11am.”

The other victim, Abdus Samad, was killed in Khilgaon around 8am.

Samad, 50, was a cleaning staff of Dhaka North City Corporation. He was on his motorbike when an easybike hit him, leaving him critically injured.

Locals rushed him to Khimah Hospital, where the on-duty doctors pronounced him dead.

Sub-inspector Sabbir Alam of Khilgaon police station said: “The victim's wife Jarina Begum, 38, has filed a case against the driver of the easybike, Md Shah Alam, 33. We arrested the driver and seized the vehicle. The driver has been sent to court.”

In Brahmanbaria, a frontal collision

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Parliament body asks government to stop job cuts n Kamran Reza Chowdhury

Relatives hold the picture of the deceased killed in a road accident in Jessore between a truck and a CNG-run auto rickshaw on Dhaka-Sylhet highway killed six people in Bertola area under Sarail upazila around 3:15pm yesterday.

Sergeant Abdun Nur of Highway Police confirmed the incident. The victims could not be identified until the filing of this report.

In Jessore, the driver of a Benapolebound bus lost control of the steering and collided with a tree on the Jessore-Banpole highway in Jhikargach-

ha upazila around 6:30am, killing six people instantly and severely injuring 34 others.

Hearing the cries, locals rushed to the spot and took the injured to different hospitals.

Mosharraf Hossain, OC of Jhikargaccha police station, confirmed the incident and said four others died at hospitals later – one at Jhikargaccha Upazila Health Complex and three at Jessore Medical College Hospital. l

A parliamentary watchdog yesterday asked the government to take immediate actions to stop the sudden job cuts at different industrial units.

The parliamentary standing committee on the Labour and Employment Ministry at its meeting recommended that the government should talk to factory owners for the payment of Eid bonuses in order to stop labour unrest.

“Retrenchment is allowed in the labour law. But job cut without notice is not acceptable. So, the committee has recommended taking action in this regard,” Mujibul Haque, the state minister for the Labour and Employment Ministry and member of the 10-member watchdog, told the Dhaka Tribune after the meeting at the parliament building.

He said the ministry had information that many factories had been planning job cuts over the last two months.

“According to the labour law, the companies must pay the due wages before retrenchment,” said the minister.

Mujibul said: “The authorities of the Beximco Industrial Park have retrenched over 2,800 workers over the last two months”.

Inspector General of the factories and establishments Syed Ahmed who attended the meeting, told the Dhaka Tribune that the Beximco authorities had paid all unpaid wages and facilities to the workers.

State minister for labour says job cut without notice is not acceptable. So, the committee has recommended taking action in this regard He said his department and the industrial police supervised the process of job cuts in Beximco.

Syed Ahmed said his directorate had reports of frequent job cuts by many factories but he could not figure it out.

Former state minister for labour and chairman of the standing committee Monnuzan Sufian, presided over the meeting attended by Israfil Alam, Anwarul Abedin Khan, Chhobi Biswas, Shirin Akhter, Md Ruhul Amin, Rezaul Haque Chowdhury and Roksna Yasmin Chhuti. l

Joint committee to monitor Rooppur nuclear plant work n Aminur Rahman Rasel The government is set to form a joint coordination committee (JCC) consisting six members from Bangladesh and Russia to monitor all works of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project (RNPP).

“To implement the project properly, the committee will be formed. We will visit Russia from July 21 to 23 to form the committee and will hold a meeting there,” State Minister for Science and Technology Yeafesh Osman told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The JCC’s main role would be to make all preparations regarding the procurement of the reactor, safety issues and supervision of general construction of the RNPP, he said.

The committee members would include the state minister or the secretary of Science and Technology Ministry, the chairman of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), and a ministry official. The other three committee members will include officials from the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom).

Rosatom will build, operate and provide fuel to the plant and take its waste back to Russia regularly. The total cost of the proposed plant has been estimated at between $5bn and $6bn.

Bangladesh expects to add 2,000MW of electricity to the national grid by 2021 from the nuclear plant at Rooppur with Russia’s support. l

Pass mark for MBBS, BDS written test set at 40 n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The Minsitry of Health and Family Welfare has set 40 (out of 100 marks) as the pass mark for the written exams of the MBBS and BDS course in the upcoming academic session (2014-2015) of public and private medical and dental college admission tests.

The required total pass mark will remain at 120, as in previous years, out of 200 marks which includes 100 marks from HSC and SSC results.

The decision was taken at a meeting, presided over by Health Minister Muhammad Nasim, regarding the admissions into MBBS/BDS course in the capital yesterday.

At the same time, the meeting also formed a committee, led by Additional Secretary Aiyubur Rahman, to fix an acceptable tuition fee rate for private medical and dental colleges.

Confirming the decision, Health Secretary MM Niazuddin told the Dhaka Tribune: “In order to get admitted in a medical or dental college, a student must obtain 40 marks out of 100

in the written admission test. This way, more meritorious students will get the chance to enroll themselves.”

However, Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA) has expressed its discontent with the ministry move saying the decision to keep 120 as the pass mark was correct but the cut-off 40 marks would put the future of the private sector in danger.

BPMCA Secretary General Shah Md Selim, who attended the meeting yesterday, told the Dhaka Tribune: “Most private medical and dental colleges will not get sufficient students to admit in their institutes. Admissions at public and private medical and dental colleges are not same. A student who is meritorious might have not the ability to get admission to a private medical college. ” Meanwhile, Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) President Professor Dr Mahmood Hasan, told the Dhaka Tribune: “It is now high time to upgrade the standard of medical education but not the number of it. So, we have unanimously proposed to set the cut-off mark at 40 for the admission test.” l

Jaago Bangladesh Garment Sramik Federation holds a human chain in front of the National Perss Club yesterday, demanding that their salaries, dues and bonuses be paid before Eid-ul-Fitr MEHEDI HASAN

Additional allocations sought after polls n Mohammad Zakaria

After holding the fourth upazila parishad elections as well as Narayanganj 5 and Barisal 5 by-polls, the officials concerned and law enforcement agencies have sought additional allocation of funds from the Election Commission.

Returning officers, district election officers and law enforcement agencies sent letters to the commission in this regard.

But the commission is allocating a little against the demands, a senior assistant secretary told the Dhaka Tribune.

The returning officers’ offices sought additional Tk49 lakh, while the district election offices sought Tk52 lakh.

In Narayanganj 5 by-polls, Tk4.10 lakh more had been sought on behalf of the law enforcement agencies. In Barisal 5 by-polls, the officials concerned sought extra allocations for the expenditure on the polls.

Election Commissioner Mohammad Abu Hafiz said the upazila parishad polls had already ended, but the commission received some letters seeking extra allocations. The commission had

allocated some money to them on logical grounds, he added.

EC’s Deputy Secretary Shahjahan Khan said necessary amount was allocated in all the upazilas. At present, additional allocations were sought from the district election offices, he added.

EC officials said the commission had decided to allocate Tk45,000-60,000 against over Tk1 lakh sought by each district election office. The commission also fixed Tk30,000 for the other districts.

Maximum Tk60,000 was allocated for Dinajpur, Rajshahi, Satkhira,

The biggest inter university entrepreneurship exhibition and marketing contest, the United International University and Computer Mania presented “Marketer’s Market 2014” raises its curtain recently.

Country Engineering Consultant of Google Bangladesh Dr Khan Md Anwarus Salam and CEO of parardokan.com M Saud Imran inaugurated the programme.

The fair, which is open for all uni-

versity students, has been organised by UIU Marketing Forum (UIUMF).

The competition is based on 4 criteria – stall decoration, marketing plan, presentation and utmost business profit throughout the competition.

A total of 26 participants from different public and private universities across Dhaka took part in the competition.

UIU BBA Team Fashion Crusher became the champion nad Brac University Dx Generation was the 1st Runner up. l

n Emran Hossain Shaikh Communications Minister Obaidul Quader set this December as the deadline to complete the Dhaka-Chittagong 4-lane highway project.

Responding to the ruling party lawmaker Kamal Ahmed Majumdar, he made comment at the parliament yesterday.

He said the construction would be completed according to approval DPP.

It started in January-2011 which was scheduled to finish in January-2013.

The minister claimed the project was delayed due to structures like mosques, temples and graveyards built near by the highway.

He said that the construction of 72.70 kilometres of 192.30 kilometres had been completed.

The minister said: “Cooperation of all parties is essential to complete the project.” l

Journalists’ Welfare Trust Bill passed

UIU arranges ‘Marketer’s Market 2014’ n Tribune Report

Tangail, Sunamganj, Sylhet and Chittagong. Besides, returning officers from 16 districts sought additional Tk4,947,300, but the commission allocated only Tk651,000.

Even though the Narayanganj 5 bypolls was held on June 26, the law enforcers sought additional Tk410,000 for maintaining the law and order by the magistrates. However, the commission had decided to allocate only Tk35,000. But the EC did not take any decision about the allocations for Barisal 5 by-elections. l

Dhaka-Ctg 4-lane highway to be completed by December

n Emran Hossain Shaikh

Md Sabur Khan, chairman of Daffodil Group and Daffodil International University Meets Aung San Suu Kyi, nobel laureate for peace and chairperson of National League for Democracy, Myanmar at her residence in Myanmar recently. Sabur invited her to visit Bangladesh and join any convocation of the university in future. She said as a neighboring country, Bangladesh and Myanmar should work together. Suu Kyi also showed her keen interest and willingness to join any DIU convocation in future

Bangladesh Journalists’ Welfare Trust Bill 2014 was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad yesterday to ensure financial assistance for the media personal during for unforeseen emergencies.

According to the bill, the poor, insolvent, sick and wounded journalists as well as the family members of journalists who died of natural or unnatural reasons, will get financial help from the fund.

In this regard, a 13-member board of trustees would be formed while the information minister would be the chairman of the board and secretary of the ministry is the vice chairman.

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu presented the bill in the Parliament and the legislators endorsed it by a voice vote with a minor amendment proposed by independent MP Rustum Ali Faraji.

Earlier on April 2, the minister placed the bill which was later sent to its Parliamentary Standing Committee for scrutiny.

The trust will have a statutory body and a government-appointed managing director who will act as member secretary, which fund would be divided into two parts, permanent fund and current fund, while the government is the main source of its funding.

The other office bearers are Principal Information Officer (PIO), a Prime Ministers’ Office nominated director general level official, a finance division officer whose rank not below a joint secretary, director general of Bangladesh Press Institute (PIB), joint secretary (Press) from the Ministry of Information, two BFUJ representatives and two government-nominated three journalists. l

Obituary Noted philanthropist and mother of AKM Zakaria, senior deputy editor of the daily Prothom Alo, Ayesha Khatun died due to old age complications at the Shomorita Hospital in the capital yesterday.

She was 89 and left behind six daughters and one son besides a host of friends and families. The deceased was the wife of late Alhaj Abdul Majid Molla and served until her demise as the president of Abdul Majid Foundation.

She will be buried at her family graveyard in Chandpur today. Her qulkhani will be held at the Malibagh Chowdhury Para Government Colony Masjid on July 4. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

5

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

BRTC forgets to repair more than 300 idle buses The state-run agency remains busy in purchasing new bus on loans every year n Abu Hayat Mahmud The Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) had taken no apparent steps to repair or renovate more than 300 buses laying idle in various depots in the capital as it seems to be more occupied in procuring new buses on loans.

Sources at the state-run agency said BRTC has already purchased some 958 buses, at an expense of Tk700 crores, and plans to purchase more buses in the coming years.

However, the BRTC authorities had not taken any measures to repair more than 300 buses, which were purchased at a cheap rate from Sweden, China and India years ago. These vehicles now lay idle at different depots in the capital, although a decision was taken last year to repair these run-down buses in phases.

The sources also informed that BRTC has sent a proposal to the Planning Commission to purchase more 200 double-decker buses and 100 articulated buses at an expenditure of Tk200 crores.

According to BRTC data, during the tenure Awami League government in 2010, BRTC had imported 275 single-decker buses from China using a loan provided by the Nordic Development Fund (NFD).

Later in 2011, some 100 air-conditioned and 155 non-AC buses were imported from Korea on a Korean government loan. In 2012 BRTC added 290 double-decker buses on an Indian government loan and in 2013, 50 articulated and 88 single-decker buses joined the BRTC service.

Out of these buses, the government donated 22 buses to different educational institutions. Of the remaining 936 buses, almost 600 buses were plying in different routes in and around Dhaka, and rests have been stationed in different BRTC depots in Mirpur, Kallayanpur, Motijheel, Joarshahara and Gazipur.

This correspondent yesterday visited several BRTC depots and found that

A good number of buses of the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation lie idle at Mirpur in the capital as the BRTC has not taken steps to repair the vehicles these old buses had better body fitness and internal conditions than most privately-run city bus service buses plying in the city.

Sources said these buses have been kept out of service as they need major repairs which were reportedly very costly.

Highly expensive Volvo buses, which were introduced by BRTC in the capital

in 2002, have almost disappeared from the city streets for an inexplicable flaw in maintenance of the vehicles by the authorities. A total of 50 double-decker Volvo buses have gone out of order and are left abandoned now.

The Volvo buses gained popularity among the city commuters because they were comfortable to cummute in.

When contacted at around 5pm yes-

terday, BRTC Chairman Jashim Uddin Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune: “As it is already time for Iftar, I cannot say anything new. If you need any information, you can come to my office next time.”

This correspondent repeatedly tried to contact BRTC Chairman Jashim Uddin and BRTC Director (Technical) Colonel Md Abdullahel Karim over the phone, but both of them did not re-

NASHIRUL ISLAM

ceived the calls.

Earlier, Jashim Uddin said many of leased buses under different educational institutions and public had broken down and is in bad shape, reasoning BRTC has decided to purchase the buses.

However, he has not said anything about the decision over the dumped vehicles. l

DU day celebrated amid protest, vandalism

Bank officer stabbed to death n DU Correspondent n Our Correspondent, Moulvibazar The Dhaka University Day was celeA senior officer of the Chawmuhana branch of Agrani Bank in Moulvibazar district town was stabbed to death on Monday night.

Local and family sources say that Pronojit Pal, the victim, left his rented house in the town’s Sayerpur area around 10pm on Monday. He was then attacked and stabbed in Chawmuhana area and left lying on the street. Locals later brought the wounded man to Moulvibazar sadar hospital where the on-duty physicians declared him dead.

The body was handed over to the victim’s family on Monday after an autopsy had been conducted.

The victim was the son of late Priyonath Pal of Monoharkuna village under Chadnighat union of Moulvibazar sadar upazila. l

WEATHER THUNDERSHOWER OR RAIN OR

WEDNESDAY, JUlY 2 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:50PM SUN RISES 5:15AM FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

33

27 26

Chittagong

30

Rajshahi

31

27

Rangpur

32

26

Khulna

32

26

Barisal

31

26

Sylhet

34

26

Cox’s Bazar

30

26

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

36.4ºC Sylhet

24.1ºC Chittagong

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

3:48am 5:14am 12:03am 4:43pm 6:54pm 8:18pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

brated amid festivity and some untoward incidents on the campus as residential students of Jasim Uddin Hall, AF Rahman Hall, Mohsin Hall and Jahurul Haque hall staged demonstrations and vandalised their respective provost offices yesterday, and confined their provosts over a quarrel regarding distribution of iftar.

The provosts – Dr Rahmatullah of Jasim Uddin Hall, Dr Azizur Rahman of AF Rahman Hall, Professor Ali Akkas of Mohsin Hall and Professor Abu Mohammad Delwar Hossain of Jahurul Haque Hall – were confined since they allegedly failed to provide sufficient and quality iftar to the students.

Upon receiving information, DU Proctor Amzad Ali rescued all the confined provosts around 6:45pm, amid severe protest of the students.

Agitated students alleged that the hall authorities could not provide sufficient iftar for the students as they often embezzled ration money allocated for the students.

On the other hand, the provosts claimed that iftar was arranged only for the students who had collected tokens earlier, adding that some unruly students, who did not collect tokens beforehand, tried to collect iftar, claiming to be Chhatra League activists. At one stage, the students started misbehaving with the teachers, they added.

Dr Azizur Rahman, AF Rahman Hall provost, said: “As we did not provide iftar to the students who had not collected tokens on the scheduled date, they started demonstrations claiming that the iftar was not sufficient and of low quality.”

Proctor Amzad Ali said the allegations from both sides would be

probed and actions would be taken in this regard.

Meanwhile, the 93rd founding anniversary of the university was celebrated with the slogan “Higher Education for Economic Development and Social Justice.”

In the morning, students from different residential halls assembled at Mall Chattar around 10am and brought out a colourful procession that marched to TSC led by DU Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique.

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chawdhury inaugurated the programme and later she addressed a seminar at TSC auditorium.

Former governor of Bangladesh Bank and chairman of the National Pay

Commission Prof Farash Uddin presented the keynote paper on “Higher Education for Economic Development and Social Justice.”

Speaking at the programme, Speaker Shirin Sharmin said: “The university played the most pivotal role in our country’s birth as well as our glorious movements, including the language movement, education movement, mass uprising and anti Pakistani ruler’s movement. We hope the highest educational institution of the country will produce the most intelligent students and contribute best to make a smart and stable nation.”

Stressing the need for IT, Prof Farashuddin in his key note paper said: “If the higher education is decorated

with IT, the doors of economic development will open smoothly.”

Citing the development of higher education in the country, he also said: “1.7% of the country’s total population are receiving higher education, 39% of the women are engaged in economic activities in the country, which is really amazing.”

VC Arefin Siddique said the university was walking to establish a non-communal Bangladesh which was the dream of our freedom fighters.

Among others, emeritus professors, former vice-chancellors, pro-vice-chancellors, provosts of halls, deans, teachers and representatives of staff and employees also attended the session. l

A procession is taken out on the Dhaka University campus yesterday, marking the 93rd founding anniversary of the university MEHEDI HASAN

Communication Ministry and DMP plan for Eid rush n Mohosinul Karim Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benazir Ahmed has suggested that the communications minister prioritise road repairs and work to complete the Moghbazar flyover, at a meeting about traffic control during Ramadan and Eid held at the communication ministry at the secretariat yesterday.

The DMP expressed concern about traffic congestion during Ramadan and Eid-ul-Fitr especially on damaged roads under the Jatrabari-Gulistan flyover and the Banglamotor-Moghbazar-Shantinagar flyover building site.

On learning about this suggestion, Communication Minister Obaidul Quader asked the Dhaka City Corporations (South and North) and Dhaka WASA to complete the ongoing repair work immediately. Obaidul Quader directed WASA and both the city corporations of Dhaka to repair roads damaged by development work.

He said, “No new roads will be excavated and damaged roads in Dhaka and other places will have to be repaired before Eid in order to tackle traffic congestion on the roads and highways.”

The minister ordered the Roads and Highway Division to halt ongoing development work for seven days before and three days after Eid on the Dhaka-Chittagong, Joydebpur-Mymensingh and Dhaka-Tangail roads.

The R&H Division was also instructed to complete construction work and repair the damaged roads before the said period.

The police and other authorities concerned will be asked to remove illegal occupants on the highways before Eid to ease the movement of vehicles and control traffic during the period.

The minister said, “Unfit vehicles will not be allowed to operate on the roads during Eid. These vehicles have to be repaired before Eid in order to run on the roads in Dhaka and around the country.”

He asked police to maintain order at Gabtoli and other entry and exit points of the capital. l

Jewellery worth Tk80 lakh seized at Chittagong airport n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong The customs authority at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong city seized about 2.08kg of jewellery yesterday morning from the hand luggage of a Dubai returned passenger.

The seized bars were in custody of Chittagong Customs House officials and the authorities let the passenger Parvin Akhter and her two children go, said airport sources.

Mashiur Rahman Mandal, assistant commissioner (AC) of Chittagong Customs House at Shah Amanat International Airport, told the Dhaka Tribune that Parvin had arrived at the port city from Dubai via a Bangladesh Biman flight (BG-048) which landed at the airport around 7:30am.

“She kept her bag and baggage at the customs checking panel and the customs authorities found the gold ornaments in some small bags in the luggage,” he said, adding that the seized jewellery was worth Tk80 lakh.

The existing law allows a person to carry a highest of 200g of gold from abroad after paying the necessary duty and a passenger can bring a highest of 2kg of gold after providing early notice to the authorities concerned and paying the duty according to the circular of Bangladesh Bank, added the AC. As Parvin had not provided any prior notice, the jewellery was seized and she can now release her ornaments after paying the necessary taxes and fines according to the Customs Act, added the AC. The customs sources said about 2,700 gold bars worth more than Tk100 crore were seized from the airport in 2014. l

Deep-sea fishing trawlers used for yaba smuggling n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Law enforcing agencies have recently seized a massive number of yaba pills from deep-sea fishing trawlers in a series of raids, as smugglers nowadays prefer the sea route to bring yaba pills into the country from Myanmar.

In the most recent drive, Bangladesh Coast Guard (East Zone) arrested a fisherman with 1,50,000 yaba pills at the outer anchorage area of the Bay of Bengal in Chittagong on Monday night.

Acting on a tip-off, the coast guard chased and nabbed Mohammad Aziz,

40, an alleged yaba smuggler, from a fishing trawler coming from Myanmar to the Sandwip channel around 11:30pm, said coast guard sources.

Earlier, on June 20, another coast guard team seized 30,000 yaba pills from a trawler on the Bay near Teknaf upazila, Cox’s Bazar.

On the same day, the Detective Branch of Chittagong Metropolitan Police nabbed two men with 30,000 yaba pills at a motor shop in Chittagong city.

Those pills had also been smuggled into the port city via a fishing trawler.

According to sources at different

law enforcing agencies, smugglers are bringing yaba into the country from Myanmar via fishing trawlers, labelling the yaba packages as “parts” so that no one would be able to detect them.

As the law enforcers focused more on the land routes, smugglers opted for the water routes on the Karnaphuli River and the Bay of Bengal, said Assistant Commissioner Md Anwar Hossain of Detective Branch (Port Zone).

Quoting the arrested, Babul Akhter, additional deputy commissioner of the Detective Branch, said there were three active smuggling syndicates.

The first syndicate is in Myanmar.

They hand over the yaba pills in a packet to the second syndicate, which is comprised of fishermen in Bangladesh. The fishermen then carry the pills via the Bay to land and supply the packets to the third syndicate, comprised of local mechanics, near the bank of Karnaphuli River. The mechanics then deliver the pills to the local dealers. Babul further explained that the smugglers now use the sea route as it is cheaper and safer.

Captain Shahidul Islam said the smugglers could easily convince the fishermen to carry the yaba packets,

saying they were medicine, in exchange for more money. Most of the times, they did not know they were carrying contraband items.

“It is hard for the coast guard to patrol the entire area with limited resources, as the sea territory is vast,” he said.

Mukul Jyoti Chakma, deputy director of the Department of Narcotics Control in Chittagong metro region, said the smugglers used the sea route for quick and risk-free peddling as only the coast guard and Bangladesh Navy look over the sea, whereas the land routes were under surveillance by many forces. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Adiabad union remains backward for want of a bridge n Our Correspondent, Narsingdi

Around half lakh people living in Adiabad union parishad under Raipura upazila in Narsingdi have been suffering for a long time as they have yet to get a bridge built over the Arialkhan River.

In the absence of a concrete bridge, the locals have made a bamboo bridge over the river and have been crossing the river amid much risk.

According to local sources, Radhaganj Bazar has been set up on the bank of the Arialkhan River. There were two educational institutions – Nayachar Ummul Kura Dakhil madrasa and Sirajnagar Bohumukhi High School on the other side of the river where children from Saikarchak, Jaankhartek, Mahala, Kamalpur, Tangirtek, Chitannya, Kaziara and Kulurtek villages under Adiabad union parishad went to study every day.

These villages are well-known for their agriculture products, especially rice and fish, but they have remained very backward for the lack of communication facilities, people said.

In the rainy season, the villages become virtually isolated and children suffer the most.

Masum Mia, a student of Sirajnagar Bohumukhi High School, said many students face accidents while crossing the river via the bamboo bridge.

He said he had been severely injured after falling off the bridge. “If the government builds a bridge over the river in Radhaganj area, our communication problem will be solved to a great extent,” he said.

Harun-or-Rashid, a trader at Radhaganj Bazar, said many students are reluctant to go to the school and the

Housewife killed for dowry n Our Correspondent, Tangail A housewife was allegedly killed yesterday by her husband for dowry in Kalihait upazila under Tangail district.

Md Monir Hossain, officer-in-charge of Kalihati police station, said Amena Begum, 18, the daughter of Motaleb Hossain in Joshihati village of Basail upaizla, had been married to Md Harun, the son of Fulchan at Palima village in Kalihati upazila, about one month back.

After the marriage Motaleb used to harass her physically, demanding the dowry. On the day, Motaleb and his family members tortured her since she had failed to bring the money demanded by her husband, leaving her dead on the spot.

Upon receiving information, police recovered the body and sent it to a hospital morgue. l

madrasa as they have to suffer a lot to get there.

In the rainy season, people cross the river by boat during the daytime, but at night they have no way to cross the river. People often suffer through the capsizing of boats in April and May every year, he added.

During the dry season, people build a bamboo bridge over the river that stretches about 250 feet. They then take their goods and cattle and cross the river, taking massive risks every time.

Amzad Hossain, a resident of Nayachar village, said although road communication on both sides of the river is good, for the village, it remains virtually useless due to the lack of a concrete bridge.

He said the local MP and upazila parishad chairman assured them several times that a bridge would be built, but they did not keep their words.

KM Sarowar Hossain, chairman of Adiabad union parishad, told the Dhaka Tribune that people of the locality had been demanding a bridge for a long time.

He said he had informed the concerned authority, including the local lawmaker as well as the deputy commissioner, about the demand of the locals but the bridge has yet to see the light of day.

When contacted, Raipur Upazila Engineer Mohammad Jamal Uddin, said he was aware of the demand.

“We have visited the area several times and it is definitely necessary to build a bridge over the river at that place,” he said.

He added that bridge construction would be possible if the local MP came forward to solve the crisis. l

People use a bamboo bridge to cross the Arialkhan river at Radhaganj village in Narsingdi

Train ticket touts of northern districts desperate n Our Correspondent, Sirajganj

A gang of train ticket forgers, in league with some corrupt employees of Bangladesh Railway, have long been pocketing huge amounts of money from the commuters who use the intercity trains in the northern districts of the country.

Consequently, both the intercity train commuters and the government have been deceived continuously and deprived of a big amount of their income.

Sources in the district said the gang is basically active in Sodanandaopur, Ullahpara, Ishwardi, Parbatipur, and Shantahar stations of Sirajganj as well as some stations of Natore and Soidpur upazila of Nilphamari.

Some contractual employees of Computer Networking System (CNS), a private company which had been assigned

by Bangladesh Railway on contract basis to maintain ticket selling across the country, stationed at the aforementioned locations, are also involved in

The gang is basically active in Sodanandaopur, Ullahpara, Ishwardi, Parbatipur, and Shantahar stations of Sirajganj as well as some stations of Natore the forgeries. They have been running the illegal business by stealing computer passwords and server readings.

By using such tactics, the gang has

been selling printed tickets, dating back about 10-20 years, to the commuters who use the Dhaka, Rajshahi, Khulna, Soidpur and Dinajpur intercity trains.

Some days ago, Sirajganj Ullahpara station booking assistant Rokanuzzaman was caught red handed with several fake tickets and was suspended.

When contacted, Rokanuzzaman said: “Not only us but also most of the CNS staff are involved in the ticket forgeries, and yet the railway authorities are not paying any heed. Ullahpara former ticket booking assistant Abdul Jobbar and Ridam are connected with the misdeed as well.”

However, the alleged railway officials could not be reached comments.

On the other hand, railway authorities have not been able to track down the gang because they do not have the

50 students fall sick after eating iftar n Our Correspondent, Madaripur At least 50 people fell sick yesterday after eating iftar at Khagdi Saleha Khankae Madrasa in the district's Salehia complex.

According to sources, 50 students, including Nabir, Sabir, Ramzan, Riazul, Mahfuj, Hasan and Al Amin, started falling ill after eating the iftari provided by the madrasa authority.

Later, they were sent to Madaripur Sadar Hospital. Nesaruddin, an official of the madrasa, said the students fell sick after eating the iftar and they were sent to the hospital.

“The hospital sources said their conditions are now better,” said Nesaruddin. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Teachers and students at a programme vow to read book every day. The programme was held at PTI auditorium in Rajshahi yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

MP'S NEPHEW MURDER

Prisoner dies n Our Correspondent, Jhenaidah

Pistol used in killing recovered

A prisoner of Jhenaidah jail has died at sadar hospital early Tuesday.

The deceased is Monirul Islam Sheikh, 28, son of Shirajul Islam Sheikh.

Jail Superintendent Iqbal Hossain said: “Monirul was arrested and sent to jail in a narcotic case on June 25.”

“He was attacked by anaemia last night [Monday] around 11pm. He was admitted to Jhenaidah sadar hospital where he died around 1am,” he said. l

n Our Correspondent, Comilla Police yesterday recovered the pistol of Chhatra League leader Saleh Ahmed Rasel, the key accused in the murder case of Comilla lawmaker AKM Bahauddin's nephew Ahsan Habib Sumu.

Investigation officer of the case and Kandir Par police outpost incharge Sub-Inspector Firoz Hossain

said the recovered pistol was a foreign revolver. He also said two rounds of bullets had also been recovered from Fuller Hostel in Comilla town.

Rasel and two others from Victoria College were taken into remand on June 29 in connection with the murder. The recovery was made based on information given by Rasel during the interrogation, the SI said.

According to the case statement, on May 29, two factions of Chhatra League led by Zahirul Islam Rintu, former vice-president of Comilla Polytechnic Institute, and Saleh Ahmed Rasel, former organising secretary of Victoria College, engaged in a clash over the establishment of supremacy in the HSC student admission process at Victoria College. l

necessary IT specialists, the sources stated.

Ajahar Uddin, former station master of Sodanandapur Station of Sirajganj, said some higher corrupt officials of Bangladesh Railway appointed Computer Network System (CNS) employees in exchange for a huge amount of bribe, implying that they too were involved in the ticket forgeries.

Abdul Awal Bhuiyan, general manager of Bangladesh Railway (West), said they suspended booking assistant Rokanuzzaman on charges of selling back dated tickets and necessary actions would be taken. A two-member probe committee has already been formed as well.

Besides, all station masters and ticket booking officers have already been cautioned about the forgeries, the manager continued. l

50 injured in clash n Our Correspondent, Habiganj At least 50 people, including local chairman, were injured in a clash over a land dispute between two rival groups yesterday at the district’s Bahubal area.

According to police sources, there had been a longstanding dispute between Latamashi uninon parisad chairman Habibur Rahman and its member Moina Mian over a piece of land.

On the day, the supporters of the two engaged in a clash over the issue, leaving 50, including the chairman, critically injuwred.

Upon receiving information, police went to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Of the injured, 22 were admitted to Habiganj Sadar Hospital.

When contacted, Bahubal police station Officer-in-Charge Ohidur Rahman confirmed the incident. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Sunnis, Kurds leave Iraq parliament after no replacement for Maliki named n Reuters, Baghdad Sunnis and Kurds abandoned the first meeting of Iraq’s new parliament on Tuesday after Shi’ites failed to name a prime minister to replace Nuri al-Maliki, wrecking hopes that a unity government would be swiftly built to save Iraq from collapse.

The United States, United Nations, Iran and Iraq’s own Shi’ite clergy have pushed hard for politicians to come up with an inclusive government to save the country as Sunni insurgents bear down on Baghdad.

But with Shi’ites failing to name a prime minister, Sunnis and Kurds refused to return from recess at the parliamentary chamber in the fortified “green zone” where they were meeting for the first time since an election in April.

Parliament is not likely to meet again for at least a week, leaving the country in a state of political limbo and Maliki clinging to power as a caretaker, rejected by Sunnis and Kurds.

Under Iraq’s governing system put in place after the fall of Saddam Hussein, the prime minister has always been a member of the Shi’ite majority, the speaker of parliament a Sunni and the largely ceremonial president a Kurd.

The Shi’ite bloc known as the National Alliance, in which Maliki’s State of Law coalition is the biggest group, has met repeatedly in recent days to bargain over the premiership but has so far failed either to endorse Maliki for

Members of the newly elected Iraqi parliament attend a session at the Parliament headquarters in Baghdad. The parliament’s acting speaker said no agreement had been reached on naming a new speaker and that the parliament now had no quorum REUTERS a third term or to name an alternative.

Fewer than a third of lawmakers returned from the recess. Sunni parties said they would not put forward their candidate for speaker until the Shi’ites pick a premier. The Kurds have also yet to nominate a president.

“If there is a new policy with a new prime minister, we will deal with them positively, otherwise the country will go from bad to worse,” said Osama al-Nujaifi, a leading Sunni politician, former speaker and strong foe of Maliki.

“We don’t have a candidate (for

speaker) so far. It will come after we hear the name of the candidate of the National Alliance for prime minister.”

Mehdi al-Hafidh, parliament’s oldest member who is tasked by the constitution with chairing the legislature’s meetings until a speaker is named, said the next session would be held in a week, if agreement were possible after discussions.

Baghdad can ill-afford further delays. Iraqi troops have been battling for three weeks against fighters led by the group formerly known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). This

week it shortened its name to the Islamic State and declared its leader “caliph” - historic title of successors of the Prophet Mohammad whole ruled the whole Muslim world.

Fighting has raged in recent days in former dictator Saddam Hussein’s home city, Tikrit, north of Baghdad.

ISIL also controls suburbs just west of the capital and fighting has broken out to the south, leaving the city of 7 million confronting threats from three sides.

The United Nations said on Tuesday more than 2,400 Iraqis had been killed in June alone, making the month by far the deadliest since the height of sectarian warfare during the US “surge” offensive in 2007.

In a reminder of that conflict, mortars fell near a Shi’ite holy shrine in Samarra which was bombed in 2006, unleashing the sectarian bloodshed that killed tens of thousands over the next two years. Samarra, north of Baghdad, is now held by Baghdad’s troops with ISIL in the surrounding countryside.

Parliament opened its first session with an orchestral rendition of the national anthem and a recitation of a Quranic verse emphasising unity. Hafidh called on lawmakers to confront the crisis.

“The security setback that has beset Iraq must be brought to a stop, and security and stability have to be regained all over Iraq, so that it can head down the path in the right way toward the future,” he said. l

French veil ban does not breach human rights, rules top European court n Agencies The European Court of Human Rights has upheld a French law banning the wearing of the full-face veil, the niqab, The Independent reported. The Strasbourg-based court was ruling on a case brought by a 24-yearold French woman, who argued that the ban on wearing the veil in public violated her freedom of religion and expression.

The woman also argued that the law gives rise to “discrimination based on gender, religion and ethnic origin, to the detriment of women who wear the full-face veil”.

The woman was not named in the complaint which was brought to the court in April 2011. The case potentially has important implications for the UK where the possibility of banning the veil has long been discussed.

Ukraine launches attack on separatists as ceasefire ends n Agencies Ukrainian forces have launched a fullscale military attack against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, just hours after a fragile truce officially ended, The Independent reported.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had earlier ended a unilateral ceasefire vowing: “We will attack, we will free our land.”

Government officials said rebel bases and strongholds were under attack from aircraft and artillery. In a website statement early this morning President Poroshenko, who had already extended the cease-fire from seven to 10 days, said his decision was “a response to terrorists, rebels, looters,” and all those he said are “paralyzing the economy of the region.”

The idea of the truce was to give rebels a chance to disarm and to start a broader peace process including an amnesty and new elections, but rebels did not disarm and the ceasefire was continually violated.

Both sides have accused the other of

violating the truce which only partially paused the fighting that has killed more than 400 people since April.

Later on this morning, in a televised address, Poroshenko reiterated that the truce had ended and warned that Ukrainian forces will go on the offensive against the rebels.

“The unique chance to put the peace plan into practice was not realised,” Mr Poroshenko said. “This happened because of the criminal actions of the fighters.”

Mr Poroshenko’s decision followed four-way talks in search of a solution with Russian president Vladimir Putin, German chancellor Angela Merkel and French president Francois Hollande as the deadline approached.

He issued a statement after the talks saying the key conditions needed to continue the ceasefire had not been met.

European leaders and the US have urged Russia to use its influence with the rebels to ease the bloodshed and have threatened to impose another round of economic sanctions against Moscow. l

NEWS BITES

More than 2,400 Iraqis killed in June

n Reuters, Baghdad

A pro-Russian fighter runs past a huge poster during fighting near a regional police department in Donetsk. Ukraine renewed its attacks against armed pro-Russian separatists yesterday after the president called off a unilateral cease-fire, carrying out air and artillery strikes against rebel positions in eastern Ukraine AP

Obama to reform immigration on his own, bypassing Congress n

Reuters, Washington

President Barack Obama said he would take executive action to revamp the US immigration system and move additional resources to protect the border after hopes of passing broad reform legislation in Congress officially died.

Republican John Boehner, speaker of the House of Representatives, told Obama last week that his chamber would not vote on immigration reform this year, killing chances that a wide-ranging bill passed by the Senate would become law.

The collapse of the legislative process delivers another in a series of blows to Obama’s domestic policy agenda and comes as he struggles to deal with a flood of unaccompanied

minors from Central America who have entered the United States.

It also sets up a new battle with congressional Republicans, who accuse Obama of going beyond his legal authority to take executive action on issues such as gay rights and equal pay for women and men.

Obama chided Republicans for refusing to bring immigration reform to a vote and said only legislation could provide a permanent fix to the problem.

“The failure of House Republicans to pass a darn bill is bad for our security, it’s bad for our economy, and it’s bad for our future,” Obama said in the White House Rose Garden.

The president directed Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder to move en-

forcement resources from the US interior to the border. A White House official said the administration would look at ways to ensure the deportation process was focused on national security priorities and that more investigative teams were available to prosecute smugglers bringing people across the border.

Obama asked his team to prepare recommendations on other actions he can take unilaterally by the end of the summer.

The president has pushed for reform that would create a path to citizenship for the 11 million undocumented immigrants within the United States. The Senate bill had such provisions, but Republicans in the House largely opposed them as amounting to amnesty for people who entered the country illegally. l

Sarkozy held over inquiry leaks n Reuters, Nanterre

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was held for questioning yesterday over suspicions that he received leaked details of an inquiry into alleged irregularities in his 2007 election campaign.

It was the first time a former head of state had been held for questioning in modern French history and is the latest blow to Sarkozy’s hopes of a come-back after his 2012 election defeat by Francois Hollande. The conservative politician denies all wrongdoing in a string of investigations involving him.

Sarkozy arrived early Tuesday to be

quizzed by investigators at their offices in Nanterre, west of Paris, after his lawyer was held for questioning on Monday. “Mr. Sarkozy has been summoned to Nanterre and is being held for questioning,” the source told Reuters.

Asked about the matter, government spokesman Stephane Le Foll said Sarkozy was “subject to justice like everyone else.” “Justice authorities are investigating and have to go all the way.”

Allies rushed to his support.

“Never has any former president been the victim of such treatment, such an outburst of hatred,” Christian Estrosi, the mayor of the southern city

The law, which was passed in 2010, and went into effect the following year, forbids anyone to hide his or her face in an array of places, including the street.

The court’s Grand Chamber, the highest forum, rejected the arguments of the French woman.

It ruled that the law’s bid to promote harmony in a diverse population is legitimate and doesn’t breach the European Convention on Human Rights.

The European Court’s Grand Chamber declared, by a majority, that there had been no violation of the Article 8 right to respect for private and family.

It also held there had been no violation of Article 9, which protects respect for freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the law was not discriminatory under Article 14. l

of Nice and a close Sarkozy ally, said on his Twitter account. The case is one of six legal cases involving Sarkozy either directly or indirectly, including more recent allegations of irregularities in his unsuccessful 2012 election campaign.

The current questioning relates to suspicions he used his influence to get information on an investigation into funding irregularities in his victorious 2007 election campaign. Sarkozy can be held in custody for up to 48 hours.

Sarkozy, 59, retired after his defeat

by Hollande, but has continued to snipe both at the Socialist president and rivals inside his own conservative camp. l

Israel launches Gaza air strike after bodies of teens found n Reuters, Jerusalem Israel bombed dozens of sites in the Gaza Strip yesterday, striking at Hamas after finding the bodies of three missing teenagers whose abduction and killing it blames on the Palestinian Islamist group.

Israel’s security cabinet, which held an emergency session late on Monday and was due to meet again on Tuesday, was split on the scope of any further action in the coastal enclave or in the occupied West Bank, officials said. The United States and regional power-broker Egypt urged restraint.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had promised Hamas would pay after the discovery of the three Jewish seminary students’ bodies under rocks near the West Bank city of Hebron on Monday.

The military said aircraft attacked 34 sites, mostly belonging to Hamas, though its statement did not link the strikes to the abductions. Palestinian medics said two people were slightly wounded. The military cited 18 Palestinian rockets launched against Israel from Gaza in the past two days.

The Islamist group has neither confirmed nor denied involvement in the disappearance of the students as they hitchhiked near a Jewish settlement on June 12 nor in the cross-border rocket salvoes from Gaza.

The funerals of Gil-Ad Shaer and US-Israeli national Naftali Fraenkel, both 16, and Eyal Yifrah, 19 were due to take place later on Tuesday in the Israeli city of Modi’in, where they were to be buried side-by-side. At the security cabinet meeting, the army proposed

“considered and moderate actions” against militants in the West Bank, officials said. Any sustained campaign there could undermine US-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

But the cabinet did not agree on a future course of action at that session, officials added. In Gaza, Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri warned Israel against going too far.

“The response of the resistance has been limited, and Netanyahu must not test Hamas’s patience,” said Abu Zuhri, whose group’s arsenal includes rockets that can reach Tel Aviv.

Status quo

Netanyahu seized on the abduction to demand Abbas annul a reconciliation deal he reached with Hamas, his longtime rival, in April that led to a unity Palestinian government on June 2.

An Arab diplomat familiar with Egyptian mediation between Israel and the Palestinians said that Cairo, echoing Washington, expected the Netanyahu government to tread carefully. “I don’t believe Israel is ready, just yet, to change the status quo,” he told Reuters on condition of anonymity. “It can punish those who did the crime, but should not get out of control with civilians who had nothing to do with the crime.”

In the West Bank on Tuesday, an Israeli military spokeswoman said troops opened fire at a man, identified

by Palestinian officials as Yousouf AlZagha, 19, who threw a grenade at soldiers attempting to arrest a militant in Jenin refugee camp. A Palestinian witness said Zagha was an innocent passerby. l

More than 2,400 Iraqis, most of them civilians, were killed in June as Sunni militants swept through the north triggering the country’s worst violence in years, the United Nations said yesterday. Sunni insurgents led by al Qaeda offshoot the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) have seized swathes of territory over the last three weeks, including northern Iraq’s largest city Mosul. The United Nations said “acts of violence and terrorism” killed at least 2,417 Iraqis and wounded 2,287 more in June. Of those killed, 1,531 were civilians, it added. “The staggering number of civilian casualties in one month points to the urgent need for all to ensure that civilians are protected,” the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General for Iraq Nickolay Mladenov said. l

Bomb hits Nigeria market, girls’ abduction suspect held

n Reuters, Maiduguri

A bomb blast hit a busy market in northeast Nigeria yesterday, killing at least eight people, and troops announced the arrest of a businessman suspected of helping Islamist militants to carry out attacks including the kidnap of over 200 schoolgirls. Witnesses said the explosion of a suspected vehicle bomb on a road adjoining the market in the Borno state capital of Maiduguri wrecked cars and taxis which were unloading passengers and wares. They said a suicide bomber carried out the attack. “I saw police and troops picking out victims,” said Alakija Olatunde, a student who rushed to the scene. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. l

No immediate new sanctions on Russia from EU

n Reuters, Brussels

European Union governments decided yesterday that they would not immediately impose new sanctions on Russia over the crisis in Ukraine because of a lack of clarity of events on the ground as fighting broke out in the east of the country.

Senior EU diplomats met in Brussels on Tuesday morning to consider whether new measures were needed after a summit of EU leaders on Friday warned Moscow that further sanctions were on the cards if peace talks did not produce results. So far, the EU has imposed measures targeting around 60 people in Russia and Ukraine with asset freezes and travel bans to punish Moscow. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

9

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Japan takes historic step from post-war pacifism, okays fighting for allies n Reuters, Tokyo Japan took a historic step away from its post-war pacifism yesterday by ending a ban that has kept the military from fighting abroad since 1945, a victory for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe but a move that has riled China and worries many Japanese voters.

The change, the most dramatic shift in policy since Japan set up its post-war armed forces 60 years ago, will widen Japan’s military options by ending the ban on exercising “collective self-defence”, or aiding a friendly country under attack.

Abe’s cabinet adopted a resolution outlining the shift, which also relaxes limits on activities in U.N.-led peace-keeping operations and “grey

zone” incidents short of full-scale war, Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera told reporters.

Long constrained by the post-war constitution, Japan’s armed forces will become more aligned with the militaries of other advanced nations , in terms of its options, but the government will be wary of putting boots on the ground in multilateral operations such as the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq.

Abe repeated that stance on Tuesday, while stressing Japan had to respond to an increasingly tough security environment.

“There is no change in the general principle that we cannot send troops overseas,” Abe told a televised news conference, flanked by a poster show-

ing Japanese mothers and infants fleeing a theoretical combat zone on a US vessel under attack.

The new policy has angered an increasingly assertive China, whose ties with Japan have frayed due to a maritime row, mistrust and the legacy of Japan’s past military aggression.

“China opposes the Japanese fabricating the China threat to promote its domestic political agenda,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei told a news conference in Beijing.

“We demand that Japan respect the reasonable security concerns of its Asian neighbors and prudently handle the relevant matter.”

South Korea, like Japan allied with the United States, but still aggrieved

about Tokyo’s 20th century colonisation of the Korean peninsula, said it would not accept any change in policy affecting its security unless it gave its agreement.

Abe’s advisers have said Tokyo should take no action involving a friendly country without that country’s consent. The shift, however, will be welcomed by Washington, which has long urged Tokyo to become a more equal alliance partner, and by Southeast Asia nations that also have rows with China Conservatives say the constitution’s war-renouncing Article 9 has limited Japan’s ability to defend itself and that a changing regional power balance, including a rising China, means policies must be more flexible. l

Key points of Japan resolution on security policy n Reuters, Tokyo uu The key paragraph noted that “However, in light of the situation in which the security environment surrounding Japan has been fundamentally transformed and continuously evolving by shifts in the global power balance ... even an armed attack occurring against a foreign country could actually threaten Japan’s survival, depending on its purpose, scale and manner.” uu According to the cabinet resolution, Japan could exercise force to the minimum degree necessary in cases where a country

with which it has close ties is attacked and the following conditions are met: there is a threat to the existence of the Japanese state, there is a clear danger that the people’s right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness could be subverted, and there is no appropriate alternative. uu The resolution also would relax limits on activities in U.N.-led peace-keeping operations and “grey zone” incidents that fall short of full-scale war, according to a draft of the resolution. uu The resolution leaves some ambiguity about whether Japan can engage in multilateral collective security operations,

BJP was on America’s watch-list in 2010! n Agencies America’s top spy agency was authorized by a US court in 2010 to carry out surveillance on the BJP along with five other political organizations across the globe, including Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood and Pakistan Peoples Party, according to a classified document.

BJP figures in the list of foreign political parties along with Lebanon’s Amal, the Bolivarian Continental Coordinator of Venezuela, Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, Egyptian National Salvation Front and the Pakistan Peoples Party for whom the National Security Agency (NSA) had sought permission to carry out surveillance, says the document made public

by The Washington Post on Monday.

The document lists the 193 foreign governments as well as foreign factions and other entities that were part of a 2010 certification approved by the foreign intelligence surveillance court.

“These are the entities about which the NSA may conduct surveillance, for the purpose of gathering foreign intelligence,” the paper said, citing documents provided to it by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

It said each year a new certification must be approved by the court to permit such surveillance under Section

702 of the FISA Amendments Act. “Virtually no foreign government is off-limits for the National Security Agency, which has been authorized to intercept information ‘concerning’ all but four countries, according to top-secret documents,” The Post reported.

The certification of surveillance also includes other international organisations like World Bank, IMF, the European Union and the International Atomic Energy Agency. “The NSA is not necessarily targeting all the countries or organizations identified in the certification, the affidavits and an accompanying exhibit; it has only been given authority to do so,” The Post said.

Without specifically responding to questions related to surveillance on India and the BJP in particular, NSA spokesperson Vanee’ Vines told PTI that the agency collects foreign intelligence based on specific intelligence requirements set by the President, the director of national intelligence, and departments and agencies through the National Intelligence Priorities Framework.

Snowden leaked thousands of classified documents to media uncovering the existence of numerous global surveillance programmes, many of them run by the NSA, triggering an outrage worldwide. l

such as the 1990-1991 Gulf War or the US-led war in Iraq, but Abe has said Japan will not take part in such operations. uu Parliament will now have to revise relevant laws, including the Self-Defense Forces Law, a law regarding the response to armed attacks, the law concerning situations in areas surrounding Japan, and the law on peace-keeping operations. Restrictions could be imposed in the legislative process. uu Examples floated by the government of what the change could allow Japan’s military to do range from defending a US ship evacuating Japanese nationals and aid-

Tapas apologises for ‘rape’ remark, claims he was provoked n Agencies Under fire for threatening to send his men to rape supporters of the opposition, Trinamool Congress parliamentarian Tapas Pal yesterday tendered an apology in a letter published on the party’s official website, the Hindustan Times reported. “Some remarks made by me in the heat and dust of the election campaign have caused dismay and consternation. I apologise unreservedly for them. Whatever the provocation – and there was an attempt at provocation – these comments should never have been made,” said Pal in the letter.

“In making them, I have let down my constituents and the people of Bengal, I have let down my party, the Trinamool Congress, and my political colleagues, I have let down my family, including my wife and children and my parents, and my friends,” he said.

As opposition parties came down heavily on the actor-turned-politician and asked Bengal’s ruling party to take strict action against him, senior leader Mukul Roy said earlier in the day that the party had asked Pal to tender unconditional apology for his controversial comment. l

ing a US ship under attack near Japan to shooting down a ballistic missile headed for US territory and taking part in international mine-sweeping operations when a conflict has closed vital sea lanes. uu Some of the scenarios, however, have been dismissed by experts as a public relations exercise to persuade voters of the need for the change, rather than real possibilities. Japan might, for example, be too busy coping with North Korean missiles headed for its territory to shoot down ones headed for America, some experts said. Unforeseen contingencies are also likely to arise.

A protester shouts anti-war slogans with a placard reading: ‘Follow the Article 9’ outside the Japanese prime minister’s office in Tokyo as the Cabinet approved reinterpreting the constitution on military affairs AP

Passions run high as Hong Kong marches for democracy n Reuters, Hong Kong

Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters marched in Hong Kong yesterday, many calling for the city’s leader to be sacked, in what could turn out to be the biggest and most passionate challenge to Chinese Communist Party rule in more than a decade.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said his government would do its “utmost” to move towards universal suffrage and stressed the need for stability after nearly 800,000 people voted for full democracy in an unofficial referendum.

Tempers flared amid Hong Kong’s heat, fierce humidity and heavy downpours as thousands found themselves trapped near the start of the march in the shopping hub of Causeway Bay even as the head of the march reached the Central business district.

Elaine Ng, 26, a theatre administrator, gave up after spending hours marching only a few hundred metres amid the crowds of Causeway Bay. “Hong Kong is changing... The government isn’t working for the Hong Kong people,” she said. “It is working for China.”

Police dragged away several protesters as crowds pushed against barricades and officers later criticised or-

ganisers of the usually peaceful annual procession, warning that legal action may follow after they ignored instructions to speed up.

Activists from the League of Social Democrats burned a copy of a “white paper” released by Beijing last month that reasserted its authority over the former British colony. The group also burned a portrait of Leung.

“This could be the last chance to make our voices heard,” said Lam Suipan, a 22-year-old human rights volunteer, at the end of the march. A veteran of the last five processions, he said he had never seen such a big turnout.

Security was tight with tension running high among activists after the referendum highlighted the deep divide in the city of more than seven million people. Aerial shots showed key arteries packed with marchers.

Roads were closed off around Victoria Park, a small, green oasis named after the former British queen, where the rally started as demonstrators marched to Central surrounded by police.

Organisers of the annual July 1 rally, marking the day the territory returned to China in 1997, were expecting the largest turnout since 2003, when half a million people demonstrated against proposed anti-subversion laws which were later scrapped. l

Real-life ‘Call of Duty’ for Chinese teens battling Internet addiction n Reuters, Beijing Baby-faced teenagers in army uniforms practice drills in locked dormitories in China, closely supervised by former soldiers, in a bid to inject discipline into lives disrupted by the Internet.

Welcome to the world of military-style boot camps designed to wean young people off their addiction to the Internet. There are as many as 250 camps in China alone.

Their methods are more aggressive than clinics elsewhere, such as some in the United States that offer website blocking and monitoring software, and enforce bans on Internet use for addicts among the 75 percent of US adults who are online.

As growing numbers of young Chinese turn to the cyber world, spending hours playing games online to escape the competitive pressures generated in a society of 1.3 billion people, worried parents increasingly turn to the boot camps to crush addiction.

“My parents wanted me to study at home all day, and I was not allowed to play outside,” said one teenager, who gave only his surname, Wang.

In response, he retreated to the Internet, devoting long stretches of time to his favourite online shooting game, in one instance even playing for three days straight, a period during which he slept for less than an hour, Wang said.

“As I became addicted to the game, my school grades tumbled. But I gained another feeling of achievement by advancing to the next level in the game,” Wang added.

Internet addicts like Wang lose confidence when they fall short of parents’ aspiration that

Students receive a group punishment during a military-style close-order drill class at the Qide Education Center in Beijing. The Qide Education Center is a military-style boot camp which offers treatment for Internet addiction REUTERS they attain perfection in every endeavour, leaving the children vulnerable to depression and anxiety, said Tao Ran, a psychologist who founded an “education centre”, as the boot camps are known.

That prompts the teenagers to withdraw from their family and friends and eventually leads to addiction to the Internet, said Tao, who has specialised in studying such addicted teens.

Wang struggled through two years of

increasingly serious problems at home and school before he was diagnosed with “Internet Addiction Disorder” and sent to the Qide Education Centre in the Chinese capital, Beijing.

Up to 70 percent of the 110 teenagers being

treated at the Beijing centre suffer from problems caused by the overuse of the Internet, mostly online games. Teachers and military instructors who pick up the troubled teenagers, at the request of their parents, aim to use military instruction to inculcate habits of discipline.

“Internet-addicted children are in very poor physical condition,” said Xing Liming, an official of the centre. “Their obsession with the Internet has harmed their health and they end up losing their ability to participate in a normal life.”

Students who formerly did nothing but move their fingers over a computer mouse and keyboard all day must now do cleaning and washing and take turns helping to cook meals.

“Education and living in a military environment makes them more disciplined and restores their ability to live a normal life,” said Xing.

“The training improves their physical strength and helps to develop good living habits.”

Besides the drill and physical exercises, the courses, which run between four and eight months, cover classes in music and Chinese lion dancing. Counselling sessions with psychologists aim to help victims rebuild self-confidence and their ties to family and friends.

“My dream job was to be a game designer, but I realised I could not achieve it because I am not good at math and English,” said He, 23, who went through a six-month course that uncovered his passion for baking. “I think learning baking will help me find a job.”

Yet the regimen may not succeed for all.

One Beijing education centre is being sued by a distraught mother who says her daughter’s addiction worsened after a course last year. l

NEWS BITES

US urges North Korea to release detained Americans

n Reuters, Washington

The US State Department, citing “humanitarian concerns,” asked North Korea to release two Americans who North Korean official media said would be put on trial for committing crimes against the state. North Korea’s official KCNA news agency, referring to the imprisoned men, Jeffrey Fowle and Matthew Miller, said “their hostile acts were confirmed by evidence and their own testimonies.”

Asked about the report, US State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters, “Out of humanitarian concern for Mr. Fowle and Mr. Miller and their families, we request North Korea release them so they may return home.” She also called on North Korea to pardon and release Kenneth Bae, a Christian missionary who was arrested in November 2012, convicted and sentenced by North Korea’s supreme court to 15 years hard labour last year.

“We request North Korea pardon Kenneth Bae and grant him special amnesty and immediate release so he may reunite with his family and seek medical care,” Psaki said. The United States has no diplomatic relations with North Korea and works through Swedish diplomats when US citizens are detained. l

Top Philippine court deals blow to president, throws out fund

n Reuters, Manila

The Philippine Supreme Court threw out as unconstitutional a fund overseen by President Benigno Aquino to stimulate the economy, dealing a setback to his bid to portray himself as a champion of the fight against corruption. In 2011, Aquino introduced his Disbursesment Acceleration Program (DAP), devised as a means to boost government spending. His critics derided it as a tool to control Congress by buying the loyalty of its members.

Three senators are on trial on charges of misusing a separate congressional fund to channel money back to themselves. Aquino abolished that fund, known as “pork barrel” last year, portraying his action as a key blow in the drive to root out graft. Theodore Te, a spokesman for the Supreme Court, said certain “acts and practices” under the president’s DAP were illegal and unconstitutional. The vote among 13 justices was unanimous. Te said the government had violated the constitution by allowing practices like cross-border transfers of government savings to increase funds available to other offices. It was also illegal, the court said, for the government to fund projects “not covered by any general appropriation act”. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Connect to flourish

S

eeking to boost trade and investment throughout South Asia and Southeast Asia, the Chinese and Japanese governments have asked the government of Bangladesh to join two separate mega connectivity initiatives.

We think it would be in the government’s best interest to make swift decisions on these proposals, as the initiatives – Japan’s Bay of Bengal Industrial Growth Belt (BIG-B) and China’s One Belt, One Corridor – are likely to make a sizeable positive impact on the economy of our country. The projects would pave the way for increased bilateral trade between Bangladesh and either of the Southeast Asian nations.

Taking down barriers to trade between countries is the way to boost the economies of the participating nations in this globalised world, and as a country that has been experiencing a steadily growing GDP, it would be unwise of us to pass up any chance of establishing new trade connections with global economic powerhouses such as China and Japan.

While it is commendable that the government did not blindly agree to the proposals before either China or Japan had shared the concept documents for the initiatives, we urge the government to seriously scrutinise the proposals, and pursue the governments of these two counties to get clarifications on the precise gains the initiatives would contribute to Bangladesh’s economy. As we recently joined the BCIM economic corridor, Bangladesh should not wait too long to reap the trade benefits of membership.

Bangladesh should not wait too long to reap the trade benefits of membership

Clout not a way out

T

he recent threats to volunteer organisation Jaago by a local AL leader in Madaripur are highly objectionable, and demonstrate the kind of arrogance and disrespect towards a good cause that we do not expect from our political leaders.

The government should treat the matter seriously and ensure that appropriate action is taken against the offenders.

Such incidents of political muscle-flexing are nothing new in Bangladesh. Our system has bred a culture of impunity within our government that has allowed the wealthy and connected to get away with crimes ranging from harassment to murder.

Jaago is an organisation that provides free education to underprivileged children. Anyone who disregards such an effort and tries to infiltrate it with corrupt practices deserves no protection or sympathy.

The whole incident smacks of abuse of power as local AL leader Rehana Parveen Lipa’s nephew Shobuj, who was denied the post of project officer at the organisation, allegedly forced his way into the school accompanied by other men to drive the new recruit off the premises. It is further shameful that the men threatened to shut down the place if Shobuj was denied the post.

A lot of good work has been initiated by our government in the education sector over the years, and leaders like these give them a bad name. We urge the government to shun all such politicians who abuse their public profile. Our country simply cannot continue to rely on politicians who seek to escape justice using political clout.

We urge the government to shun all politicians who abuse their public profile

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

18 hours on the road June 27

Kamal Siddiqui Absolute first-rate article. All those high-sounding articles about Bangladeshi tourism ignore hotels that are not clean, food that is unhygienic, basic amenities like alcohol disallowed in a Muslim culture when these are available for tourists in other Muslim countries, the worst roads possible, historic places that are ill-kept, dirty, smell of urine, and last but not least thousands of gawkers and beggars.

Cox’s Bazar has nothing to offer to the Western beach-goers: No martinis, no seclusion, harassment by touts, hotels with minimum sense of what a beach hotel should be, and zero nightlife.

For women, the Bengali male sexist harassment is objectionable. My English friends, two ladies, went to St Martin’s and came back shuddering. This is a land that will only attract hardy, low-end backpackers. And during the rainy season, not even that.

Rodders Kamal Siddiqui: Unless we change our policy on alcohol, we can’t even attract hardy backpackers, period. Thailand is a case in point. Their beach resorts are tacky, crowded, full of underage prostitutes, scammers and touts, and many of the hotels are of the most basic kind imaginable. And unless air travel is used, going to those beach resorts is a major pain. Yet people go there in droves, mostly because of the liberal alcohol policy they have there, and the subsequent vibrant nightlife. Let’s put in an example of a Muslim region, Bali.

Yet unfortunately, I don’t see us changing our policy in the near future mainly because it would be political suicide. The opposition, whoever it is, BNP or AL, would have a field day, and use it to score cheap political points, ie stating the government is trying to lead Muslims astray etc.

We need political maturity before we can think of competing with the outside world. Just putting in first-rate infrastructure is not enough, or Saudi Arabia would have been a bustling tourist hotspot.

Imzy Rodders: Why should we even have alcohol? Omg. Why are you so desperate for money? I’d rather have the clean, educated, civilised tourists come to Bangladesh, ones that can live without alcohol for a couple of weeks.

Fareed Wakil Imzy: All clean, educated, civilised tourists, if they are from the West, want Western-style amenities.

Clean hotels, good waiters, excellent food and wine dinners, no sexual harassment from Bengali men, clean historic sites, good infrastructure, no bribes and corruption, buses and coaches that run

Taking medicines in Ramadan June 28

Asif This discussion is moot as sick people are excused from fasting. Read the Qur’an; it’s quite clear about that.

CALVIN AND HOBBES

on time. None of these are available in Bangladesh. It has magnificent rivers, but no “clean, educated, civilised” tourist will ever want to get on the dangerous, filthy, ancient, hazardous, and all safety-violations-done river ships that ply them.

And that is one option. Yes, forget about tourism. Fine with me.

But then every minister and government official connected with tourism begins to shout about Bangladesh being some tourist heaven.

Long articles are written about how to promote tourism. It is this nonsense that needs to be refuted. If one speaks the truth, it is Western tourists who are the big spenders, not a middleclass family from Kolkata. If one accepts that, then yes, to extract money from them there should be Western-style resorts and amenities they are used to. They are not going to come to Cox’s Bazar for the sand. They will come to party.

Otherwise stop this useless talk about “tourism” in Bangladesh. kmak Rodders: Bali is a predominantly Hindu region.

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 6 represents S so fill S every time the figure 6 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.

Fareed Wakil Rodders: Good point. But it has to be noted that while it is true that some beaches like Pattaya are cheap, loud, and tacky, Thailand offers many, many family-oriented beaches away from that hustle, resorts that are world-class, and a tourism system geared towards all wallets.

It has stunning diversity, and food that anyone can eat, and a land where thousands of beggars won’t follow tourists everywhere, with historic sites that are clean and do not smell of urine or feces. In contrast, Bangladesh offers nothing but. One can also visit the rest of Southeast Asia, and find hikes, beaches, food, and wine that are inexpensive and clean.

Vikram Khan Did you ever consider how it is possible that a Surf Club can be constructed on top of the beach of Cox’s Bazar? Believe me, 90% of the hotels and guest houses constructed on the beach in Cox’s Bazar are illegal!

Fareed Wakil Vikram Khan: You are correct. The beach at Cox’s Bazar has been ruined by construction done right on it. Grotesque iron pillars stick out of the sand, a very sad sight. All beach constructions have to be done at a minimum limit away from the beach in order to protect its environmental purity. Yet, hideous structures are done right on the beach just dozens of yards away from the water.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Fuel cut from bogs (4) 4 Bestows excessive love (5) 8 Incentive (6) 9 Stopper (4) 11 Person under age (5) 12 Dash (4) 14 Insect (3) 15 Come forth (6) 19 Landed property (6) 21 Help (3) 22 Faucets (4) 24 Pulsate (5) 27 Important part (4) 29 Got up (6) 30 Argued (5) 31 Dexterous (4)

DOWN 1 Explode mildly (3) 2 Talisman (6) 3 Roman garment (4) 4 Obscure (3) 5 Sheeplike (5) 6 Perfect score (3) 7 Classified (6) 10 Liquor dregs (4) 13 Fish trap (3) 14 Preferable (6) 16 Encountered (3) 17 Plunder (6) 18 Essential part (4) 20 Worship (5) 23 Copied (4) 25 Uncooked (3) 26 Offer (3) 28 Pungent (3)

Poverty of on-air ideas

June 28 TJ There are so many Bangladeshi TV channels and yet so few good programs. They should start improving their programs, and of course, there should be less talk shows but of better quality.

Early childhood development June 28

PEANUTS

nirupoma I am sorry. As much as I admire the author’s talent, I wanted to read an article which was objective and humourous. But what I got is full of personal hurt and sounds like a temper tantrum. Why? Especially the last bit about their character ... main karu to sala character dhila hain. No. First of all, he should ask what starts it all. Any public figure paid millions (not you) is expected to behave in a certain sociallyacceptable way, whether a hero or a role model, or not. My point is none of them should do any such thing in the name of the greatest game of all, football, that is. We don’t like it when our love, belief, and ethics get played.

PS. Keep up the good work.

Bangladesh 3rd poorest country in South Asia June 27

vihan I’m sick of hearing and reading that Bangladesh is poor! No we are not poor! We have our natural resources, we have enough food, and plenty of smart people. But being poor sounds great, because then we will get foreign money and loans “to develop” our “poor country,” no?

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

If it’s football, it’s Brazil ould I be wrong to say “Brazil without football is lame and football without Brazil is blind?” I leave it up to you to decide.

The FIFA World Cup tournament is almost halfway through. The hardfought battles are being watched by billions scattered across the globe, for this event is the “greatest show on Earth.”

Who would like to be cast away from this historical celebration? No one. The starving in the shanties, the happy residents of the street, the rich in their calm terraces, the loner in his sanctuary, the uneasy head in the fortresss, and the princess in the palace – all are now glued to their TV sets or have booked their seats in the stands to watch the million dollar boys in action.

artful skill in sprinting and superb control over the ball, mesmerising magic of dribbling, the headers and swingers applied by the awesome players are all gradual innovations in the game.

Brazil has been the master of all these innovations. Now, football has turned into a global samba and the waves of this samba have reached all shores of the world.

Starting its journey in 1914, Brazil had to travel quite a bumpy road.

Initially, the national football teams did not fare well against the oppositions.

Gradually, stars began to be born in this land of poverty. God chose this land to be the land of football messiahs.

The king of football (Pele) was born there, legends like Zico, Socrates, Romario, Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, and many others have been the diamond studs of their national and global football.

Over the years, despite whatever stumbling blocks the team had to face

Brazil’s history in the World Cup, their dazzling, rhythmic performance, is nothing short of amazing

Imagine the run up to this stage! More than 100 countries from all corners of the globe play for the qualifying stages. The qualifying matches kick off almost two years before the finals.

Eventually, the finals begin with the top 32.

Among these 32, Brazil is the only team which deserves special mention. They deserve the adulation and respect they get. Brazil, ever since its inception in the football arena, has been the most illuminating of all sides taking part in international and regional tourneys.

Brazil’s history in the World Cup, their dazzling, rhythmic performance, is nothing short of amazing.

Football, basically a sport of might and crude skill, has turned into a soft, romantic, and light metal sport. With

due to its own faults and occasional poor performance, the art and science of the game began to emerge.

The rhythm was first discovered in their run, skills which are typical of their own, have won many games for the nation. Their beauty, ferocity, and commitment won them fans around the world.

The most successful team in football, in the history of the World Cup, Brazil, has won five championships – in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994, and 2002.

They are also the most successful team in the FIFA Confederations Cup with four titles.

Brazil are the current holders of the FIFA Confederations Cup after winning the tournament in 1997, 2005, 2009, and 2013. Brazil is the only national team to have played in all FIFA

World Cups without a single absence.

Brazil have also qualified for every World Cup without the need for playoffs. Brazil’s national football team has the all-time highest average Football Elo Ranking in the world with 2012.9, and the second all-time highest Football Elo Ranking in the world, with 2153 in 1962, only behind the Hungarian Golden Team of 1954.

Brazil has won a total of 72 official international titles throughout professional and grassroots level selections, setting a world record. Their achievements have led CONMEBOL to consider them “the most glorious and successful of all national teams from South America and the World.”

Brazil has turned into a global team for many years now. Brazil, for its style of football, has become a nation of the world. Wonderboys Neymar and Oscar, and also Luis, Fred, Caesar, and Hulk have become sons of the world. The world has become Brazil.

While we now watch the team coming out of the stands on to the ground, quiet and composed, adorning the yellow shirts, we feel their magical prowess.

The very presence of the team is felt all around the world, especially the team playing Brazil in any particular match. The commitment, the composed ferocity, inherent art of skill – all these dwarf any other team.

The opposition, in any tournament, takes on the “beauty giants” with only half a chance. The remaining 50% erodes well before the game has even started.

Imagine if Brazil had lost to Chile!

God saved the competition. Fortune favours the brave, as they say.

If Brazil takes early leave, will the sun shine in the landscape of the current competition? Just think of the crowd, FIFA, sponsors, TV channels, the print industry, food outlets, and most importantly, the billions of hearts and minds that cherish all of the team’s past glories.

Brazil’s departure would mean the ultimate defeat for football. World Cup deliberations will be in oblivion for the next four years. l

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

W

n Mohammad Ali Sattar

Mohammad Ali Sattar is a journalist and a DT columnist.

Our centre of inspiration

Money flies

n Rubaiya Murshed

n Faruque Hasan

W

hen an institution walks into its 93rd year of standing tall, you know it is a place that is special. The University of Dhaka, proudly called the “Oxford of the East” was established in 1921 and has played a big role in the history of this land.

It has been a title tagged at the end of many famous names that have shined bright for Bangladesh all around the globe. It has been the bridge to enlightenment for generation after generation, and is the largest public university in our nation. Many of our parents, and their parents before them, got their degrees here, and those of us who have followed in their footsteps have been given the important duty of carrying on the legacy of leadership, knowledge, and success.

For anyone who has studied here, the Dhaka University campus is a place we all carry around in our hearts wherever we go. It’s easy to fall in love with the greenery that shades the paths and the familiar faces of the bhelpuri/ photocopy mamas who are a big part of our four/five years of studying. It is where we all yearn to return again and again, where we celebrate all our colourful occasions like Boishakh and Falgun, and where we come to reminisce of the days that fly past us so fast.

93 proud years

Ninety-three years. Countless successes, and countless stories, have been etched into each classroom, corridor, and corner. Yes, Dhaka University has played a vital part in taking this country forward, and it has given each of us enough to help us spread our wings into bright futures.

But we must remember that we have to give something back to it. We owe both Dhaka University and our country the commitment of upholding the respect they deserve, and we uphold all that they stand for by being good human beings and good citizens – the kind of people we were groomed to be through our education.

DU has, over the last 43 years of the history of our country, been the centre of inspiration, spirit, and passion in all landmark events and movements, and it is up to us, the next generation, to make sure that this spirit and passion continues to be channeled for the betterment of our motherland, and also that this spirit is spread all around, to every corner of our country.

For school and college-going students, Dhaka University is a synonym for both hope and fear.

It is one of the institutions we all dream of being admitted into after our HSC/A level exams. But whether we get into the public universities we desire to get into or not, what our

society sadly fails to realise is that education is education, wherever it is found. There might be differences in faculty, in curriculum, but a student who has the fire inside to learn, will learn regardless of wherever he/she is studying. Therefore, although we can be proud of studying in Dhaka University, we must not get arrogant.

There is a fine line between the two, and crossing that line is bringing disgrace to the name of our university – a disgrace it does not deserve.

It is a shame that over the last couple of years, we have been driving our buses on the wrong sides of roads.

A common sight for the people of our city – sitting in relentless traffic jams as our red double-decker buses are being hauled through in the wrong side of the road. As a Dhaka University student, that is an utterly despicable and embarrassing thing for us to be engaged in, and it should be ceased immediately. If we are looked to as the most promising future leaders of this country, what sort of promises are we making if we ourselves are committing such wrongs?

This matters, and it has become an issue quite highlighted in the media.

Every wrong action matters just as much as the right ones, and as Dhaka University students, we should be more careful of how we are being portrayed in society.

Most importantly, we should be careful of the examples we are setting for the children who are to become the generation that follows us. For good examples are the best thing we can give them now, and the most hope we can have for the future of our country is that these children will one day follow the good examples and not the bad ones.

Let’s be the good examples. We owe that to this 93-year old institution that has become a home away from home for us. It deserves nothing but praise and it will surely continue to deserve that for many more years to come.

Happy Birthday, University of Dhaka! May your spirit live on forever. l Rubaiya Murshed is a student of the University of Dhaka.

O

nce I met a gentleman from Switzerland in Brussels. He introduced himself to me as a political adviser of the Swiss foreign minister, though he did not give me his business card. At one point of our talk, he said: “Your third world countries will never achieve economic development because of rampant corruption.”

I agreed and suggested: “Please ask your government to put a ban on the Swiss banks on taking deposits from the corrupt political leaders of the third world countries.” I could guess he did not like my suggestion.

Switzerland’s central bank has recently disclosed that Bangladeshi citizens’ deposits with different Swiss banks stood at Swiss francs 372m ($416.79m) at the end of 2013, equivalent to about Tk3,500 crore.

To our finance minister, the Hallmark money scam where Tk4,000 crore was embezzled was a meagre amount.

Echoing his comment, we may say that Tk3,500cr in deposits in Swiss banks

by Bangladeshis is a paltry sum.

Recently, the UNDP published a report on capital flight from Bangladesh. In this report, the paltry sum that found safe havens abroad from this country is almost double that of the Hallmark’s meager amount on a yearly basis. It means, during the last 40 years, $32bn illegally found its way out of Bangladesh.

According to our Government Economic Review, 2014, the amount of black money that found its way out of Bangladesh to foreign destinations was $977m in fiscal 2011-12, $764m in fiscal 2012-13, and $676m in the first six months of 2013-14. As mentioned earlier, Bangladeshi citizens’ deposits with different Swiss banks stood at $416.79m only at the end of 2013.

Where has the rest of the Bangladeshi black money gone? To the Cayman Islands? We may never know.

In a numbered bank account, the name of the account-holder is kept secret, and is identified through a code word. This system provides the account-holder with great privacy. Offshore banks, the safe havens of black

money mainly smuggled out of poor countries, do not reveal information to any government agency unless proof of deliberate fraud is established.

The onus of proof that depositors have not taken recourse to fraud needs to be shifted to offshore banks. Now, an international law is needed to make it mandatory for these offshore banks to reveal, every year, the names of the foreign account-holders.

Even a few decades back, corruption was not as rampant.

At present, the sky is the limit for corruption. Why? Bangladesh is one of the highest users of chemical pesticides in the world. Do toxic pesticides have any effect on the honesty of people?

Rampant corruption is a social vice in the undemocratic countries of the world. Look at Iraq – Baghdad is

Providing aid to poor countries will not help if their offshore banks lay out red carpets for ill-earned money from poor countries

There should be a law requiring offshore banks to ask their would-be clients to prove that the money they want to deposit has been earned in legal ways. Organisations like Transparency International may start campaigning in favour of such laws.

If offshore banks stop taking deposits of ill-earned money from people of poor countries, these people will be forced to keep their black money in their own countries, reducing corruption at home.

Merely providing aid to poor countries will not help poor countries break the shackle of poverty in the near future if their offshore banks lay out red carpets for ill-earned money from poor countries. A UNDP publication shows that for every dollar received

by Bangladesh in official development assistance, $1.4 goes out of the country in illicit flows.

We often say: “Money flies in the air of Bangladesh. Grab it, if you can.”

We can also say Bangladeshi money flies off abroad, offshore banks grab as much as they can. Bangladesh is a country where “money is no problem.”

According to Singapore government data, Bangladeshi tourists in Singapore are the highest spenders among the foreign tourists.

on the verge of falling to extremists, hundreds of people are dying in armed conflicts, and Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is wondering how to smuggle his wealth out of Baghdad.

Unpatriotic people are more prone to smuggling out their ill-earned money to other countries. A lot of people in Bangladesh lack patriotism. During the football World Cup, we hoist flags of foreign countries defying the National Flag Rules. People of no other country in the world hoist foreign flags in their country during the World Cup. During cricket games, many of our young men and women go to stadiums with flags of other countries, arguing that sports have nothing to do with politics. Who will make them understand that it is not politics, but patriotism that matters?

Before the colonisation of Bangladesh by the British East India Company, ours was literally the richest country in the world. Once again an independent country, we have every possibility to become one of the leading economies in the world. We are an intelligent nation, what we need most is not political rhetoric, but an honest and just society. l Faruque Hasan is a freelance contributor.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Jalaler Golpo wins Asian Cinema Fund n Entertainment Desk

An upcoming film titled “Jalaler Golpo” won the Asian Cinema Fund at the Busan International Film Festival, South Korea.

Written and directed by Abu Shahed Emon, the film got picked for the Asian Cinema Fund 2014 for its post production work.

Around five hundred and sixty five films from Asia were submitted for the award, while 29 films were selected in three categories: script development fund, post-production fund and documentary fund.

Filmmakers from Asia get the privilege of submitting their edited films for the post-production fund and 3-4 films get the fund every year. Made under the banner of Boutique Cinema Project, an initiative of Impress Telefilm, the cast of the film includes Mosharraf Karim, Moushumi Hamid, Toukir Ahmed, Shormi Mala, Nure-ealam Nayan, Mitali Das, Arafat Rahman and Mohammad Emon.

First look of Hrithik-Katrina’s Bang Bang out n

Entertainment Desk

The first look poster of “Bang Bang” is out. The film starring Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif has been directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Fox Star Studios.

The first look promises that the film will have

tremendous action and sizzling chemistry between Hrithik and Katrina.

The hugely anticipated film has been talked about for its scale as Siddharth has reportedly shot some breathtaking action sequences that has never been seen in Bollywood before. “Bang Bang” releases on October 2. l

A scene from Jalaler Golpo “Jalaler Golpo” portrays the story of a rootless child Jamal and his struggles throughout life to become a man with a standing in society.

Abu Shahed Emon told the Dhaka Tri-

bune: “During the shooting of the film, we faced many difficulties due to the political mayhem in the country and the actors’ schedules. But I am happy now as we have succeeded in completing the film.” l

TODAY IN DHAKA Film

Transformers: Age of Extinction3D X-Men: Days of Future Past 3D NonStop(2D) Walking with Dinosaurs Time: 10am – 10pm Star Cineplex, Level 8 Bashundhara City 13/3 Ka Panthopath

Noah 3D Tarkaata Godzilla 3D Ami Shudhu Cheyechi Tomay Mr Peabody & Sherman 3D Jamuna Future Park, Blockbuster Cinemas Ka- 244, Pragati Avenue Kuril

Exhibition

Second Sight Time: 12pm – 8pm The Daily Star Centre 64-65, Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue Artistic Musings of Great Collector Nasir Ali Mamun Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts,

Road No 16 Dhanmondi Shadow of Concave Time: 12pm – 8pm Gallery Shilpangon Sobhanbagh, Dhanmondi

FROM AKHARA TO FUSION: TRANSFORMATION OF BAUL MUSIC (PART-I)

Nisho and Tisha in single episode drama ‘Na Chahiley Pawa Jai Na’ which will air at 9pm on NTV tomorrow Female Baul perform at the Akhara of Fakir Lalon Shah in Seuria, Kushtia Ershadul Haque Tinku

Historical evolution of Baul music n Maqsoodul Haque

Baul music has come of age. It has been over 124 years since the transition of the Sage Fakir Lalon Shah (circa 17741890). If the 116 years he is thought to have lived and the 75 years timeframe in which the corpus of his works was composed are used as reference points, Baul music as we know it in Bangladesh is nearing 200 years as a musical art form.

While Lalon is considered central in the study of Baul music and its associated philosophies, Bauls however predate him by several centuries.

The word “Baul” first appeared in Bengali text around the 15th century, and over time became a recognised and popular musical genre. However in reality it remains a generic term that has often by default incorporated exponents of existing traditional forms like “Moromi Gaan” or “mystical music” such as Murshidi, Marefoti, Boyati, Jari, Shari and many others which continue to influence our culture and are easily identified by the masses. Nonetheless the power of poesy of the rustic bards set the art form as an epochal landmark in

the cultural heritage of Bangladesh.

It is the overall literary value of the works, the philosophy and spirituality in the unique music, together with the Baul’s emphasis on living life in closest proximity with nature’s climactic cycles, cosmology, their food habits, social rites and rituals, spirit of tolerance and secularism makes it one of our most phenomenal cultural component.

Bangladesh is a blessed land when it comes to musical forms.

It is estimated that until 200 years ago there were over 500 musical forms in circulation within our rural heritage, where the majority of our population then, as even today live and make their existence. With passage of time, prompted by increased urbanisation, economic and social changes and our steady disconnect with rural communities; today we have about 200 musical forms still in existence. Less known among them yet popular are the following gaans or musical forms: Panchali, Ashtok, Halue, Alkap, Ghetu, Royani, Vashan, Pot, Kobi, Torja, Korocha, Dhamail, Gombhira, Shong, Vadu and more. l

NTV celebrates 11th anniversary n Entertainment Desk To celebrate the 11th anniversary of NTV, the popular channel has arranged for an array of programmes which will begin airing from tomorrow, July 3. The celebration will commence by cutting a cake which will be shown live at 12am.

A musical programme, produced by Humayun Faridi and anchored by Mithila, “Same love Many Expressions” will be aired at 6:10am. Songs in several languages including Bangla, English, Spanish, Hindi and Nepali will be presented by Sabbir, Pulok, Meherab, Rituraj, Babu, Shithi, Putul, Kornia, Alif Aluddin and Pinky. Following the musical show, feature film “Projapoti,”

directed by Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Raz, starring Moushumi, Zahid Hasan, and Mosharraf Karim will be aired at 8:45am.

A special segment “12 years NTV” anchored by Abdun Nur Tushar will be aired at 2:35pm. The programme will highlight the history, success and the pace of NTV among other channels.

The show will features artists, playwrights, journalists who will analyse the contribution of the media in society and its new trend.

A single episode drama “Na Chahiley Pawa Jai Na” will air at 9pm on the same day. Written by Ratan Ripon, the drama features Nisho, Tisha, Mouri Selim, Shahnewaz Ripon and others. The plot of the drama revolves around the hype created by the social media at present. l

Beyonce tops Forbes celebrity power list n Entertainment Desk Beyonce has topped the Forbes celebrity power list for the first time since her debut on the list in 2004. The singer, who has earned an estimated $115m last year, was joined by her husband Jay-Z at number 6, who made $60m.

The pair are currently on a joint tour of the US. Last year, they were named the highest-earning celebrity couple by Forbes. In 2013, they jointly earned an estimated $95m.

Forbes’ Celebrity 100 also takes into account fame, which the magazine measures by counting the number of mentions in print, TV and radio. It also uses a score system that measures social media power across 11 platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. l

Maqsoodul Haque is a jazz-rock fusion musician and cultural researcher who is writing a series on the transformation of Baul music.

Lana Del Rey smokes while performing at Glastonbury n Entertainment Desk Lana Del Rey appeared to be back on form as she took to the iconic Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury on Saturday.

The 28-year-old performed a medley of her greatest hits to the crowd, taking a moment here and there to puff on a cigarette.

The singer took to the stage wearing a bright psychedelic dress and hoop earrings, in contrast to her customary white stage outfits as she performed a set that spanned her career. A crew member from the side of the stage then provided Del Rey with a cigarette for “Blue Jeans,” which the singer used as a prop during the performance, placing it in her mic stand and taking a single drag when the song was over.

Recently, the singer had cast bikers in the music video of her track “Ride,” and said: “The reason why bikers and biker culture is so important to me is that we have the same principle in mind, freedom and staying free.

For them that means being on two wheels on the road, which is why that’s a recurring motif for me.”

Del Ray, who is currently single, revealed she needs a more mature boyfriend to give her the intellectual stimulation. “Knowing what I’ve wanted to do for so long, and being tamed in my own way for so long, the person I’m looking for is a more serene, intelligent and probably an older figure,” she added. l

Meet the supernaturals in Teen Wolf n Entertainment Desk

Follow Scott and his friend in the interesting TV series “Teen Wolf,” which will be aired today at 2:30pm on AXN. Loosely based on the 1985 tremendously entertaining Michael J Fox film of the same name, “Teen Wolf” begins with Scott McCall, a wimpy high school student living in the town of Beacon Hills, settling himself to sleep when his sharp best friend, Stiles Stilinski, shows up outside his window. He brings shocking news to his pal’s notice. Apparently, his father, Sheriff Stilinski, was called to the woods, after someone found half a body.

For two pins, the adolescents go in quest of the rest of the victim’s remains. In their reckless pursuit of adventure, Scott is bitten by a werewolf, causing him to transform into one himself. The day after the attack, he tries out for the lacrosse team. Not only does he get over Jackson Whittemore, the captain of the squad and his rival, but he suddenly comes in for the supersonic hearing and lightning-fast reflexes of, well, a wolf.

As the series progresses, Scott learns to balance his wavering new identity with his day to day teenage life. As if things weren’t complicated enough, he loses his heart to Allison Argent, the beautiful new girl in town, who also happens to be

a descendent from a long line of werewolf hunters.

An agile, caring and sweet youngster with a natural talent for archery, Allison goes by the Argents’ hunting code, “Nous chassons ceux qui nous chassent,” which means “We hunt those who hunt us.” However, both her grandfather, Gerard, and aunt, Kate, slaughtered werewolves regardless of their innocence. On her first day at school, Allison befriends Lydia Martin, Beacon Hills High’s most popular female student and Stiles’ love interest.

The one who always goes to Scott’s rescue and tries to keep him and his friends out of harm’s way is Derek Hale, a mysterious alpha werewolf with a dark past. l

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Vincent gets life ban for fixing Disgraced former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent on Tuesday was banned for life from cricket for match-fixing, admitting he was a cheat who had shamed the sport and his country.

“My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat. I have abused my position as a professional sportsman on a number of occasions by choosing to accept money through fixing,” he said in a statement.

The punishment, which was confirmed by the England and Wales Cricket Board, stems from one-day matches that Vincent admitted he helped rig in English county cricket.

His former Sussex team mate, Naveed Arif, was also banned for life last month after admitting similar corruption offences.

The ECB said in a statement that Vincent pleaded guilty to 18 breaches of its anti-corruption regulations.

Four charges related to a Twenty20 match between Lancashire and Durham in June 2008. The remaining 14 concerned two fixtures played in August 2011 -- a Sussex v Lancashire Twenty20 and a Sussex v Kent CB40 match.

“We are extremely pleased that the matter has now been brought to a satisfactory conclusion and that an individual who repeatedly sought to involve others in corrupt activity for his own personal gain has accepted that his conduct warrants a lifetime ban from cricket,” said ECB chief David Collier.

Cricketers begin fitness training Bangladesh cricket team started their training camp yesterday ahead of the upcoming tour of the West Indies scheduled for next month as Mushfiqur Rahim and his charges reported to new strength and conditioning coach Mario Villavarayan at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.

With the exception of opening batsman Tamim Iqbal, all the other members of the squad were present at the training camp. The left-hander is currently in England to play the bicentenary celebration match between Marylebone Cricket Club and the Rest of the World slated for July 5.

Legends like Brian Lara, Shane Warne and Sachin Tendulkar among other renowned international cricketers will take part in the celebration match.

The training camp was scheduled to begin early in the morning but due to Ramadan it got underway from 1.30pm. The cricketers started the first day of training by giving a fitness test.

The cricketers will be working on their fitness in the next few days before starting the skill training session.

Bangladesh will play three oneday internationals, two Tests and a Twenty20 international against the West Indies. l

International Cricket Council chief executive David Richardson welcomed the ban by saying: “The ICC has a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption and these life bans, together with the life ban recently imposed by the ECB on Naveed Arif, should send out a loud and clear message to all those who indulge in corrupt practices and think they can get away with it.”

My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat. I have abused my position as a professional sportsman on a number of occasions by choosing to accept money through fixing Vincent, 35, has given additional evidence to ICC anti-corruption investigators about his involvement in fixing in five countries between 2008 and 2012.

Among his allegations were that a “world-famous international” dubbed “Player X” recruited him into the murky world of match-rigging.

New Zealand legend Chris Cairns has said he believes he is Player X but questioned Vincent’s credibility and vehemently denied any involvement.Vincent’s statement about his ban made no reference to Cairns or any other player.l

Officials of top-flight club Uttar Baridhara submitted a letter to the Bangladesh Football Federation yesterday requesting the football governing body to allot them three points against Team BJMC as the latter were not present in their Nitol-Tata Bangladesh Premier Football League encounter which was scheduled to begin at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday at 4:00pm DHAKA TRIBUNE

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Bangladesh cricketers Mahmudullah (L), Marshal Ayub (C) and Arafat Sunny share a light moment during a practice session at the Sahara-BCB National Cricket Academy yesterday MUMIT M

Kiwis win Windies series in thriller

CPL awaits as Shakib leaves Dhaka today

New Zealand’s perseverance with their frontline bowlers paid off eventually as the visitors completed a 53-run victory over the West Indies in the last hour of the third and final Test match at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Monday.

Despite being held up by a 77-run eighth-wicket partnership between debutant Jason Holder and Shane Shillingford, the Black Caps finished off the job with Trent Boult, who did the early damage in the morning, returning with the second new ball to trap last man Jerome Taylor leg-before and dismiss the home side for 254.

Boult, fellow-seamer Tim Southee and off-spinner Mark Craig took three wickets each to lead the New Zealand effort which gave them the match and the series 2-1, only their second Test win at Kensington Oval and second Test series triumph in the Caribbean. l

n Bangladesh all rounder Shakib al Hasan will leave Dhaka today for the West Indies to take part in the upcoming Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2014 season.

Shakib will play for Barbados Tridents in the second edition of the Caribbean domestic Twenty20 competition.

The CPL will get underway on July 11 featuring six sides – Antigua Hawksbills, Barbados Tridents, Guyana Amazon Warriors, Jamaica Tallawahs, Saint Lucia Zouks and Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel. Guyana and Antigua will face each other in the tournament opener at St George’s.

Shakib’s side, Barbados Tridents, will lock horns against Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel in their first game of the tournament on July 12 at National Cricket Stadium.

5 MEMORABLE WORLD CUP CHANTS

The debut season of the CPL T20 was a box-office hit and attracted huge interest in the cricketing world. The inaugural tournament was won by Jamaica Tallawahs under the leadership of West Indies opener Chris Gayle. Guyana Amazon Warriors were the losing side in the final in a lop-sided affair.

While playing for Barbados Tridents, Shakib’s crowning moment in the inaugural CPL T20 last year came on August 3 against Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel when he recorded the second best bowling figure in the history of T20 cricket, taking six wickets for just six runs in four overs.

Following the conclusion of the CPL T20 on August 16 through the final at St Kitts, Shakib will stay behind as Bangladesh are scheduled to tour the Caribbean next month for three ODIs, two Tests and a solitary T20 international. l

With “I believe that we will win!” American soccer fans finally have a World Cup chant that doesn’t just involve shouting their country’s name. In terms of creativity, though, it’s a notch below Argentina’s elaborate sing-alongs or even the boisterous chants of the English. All players can testify to the goose bump-inducing effect of thousands of fans joining together for a synchronized chant. While most fans simply spell out the name of their country, from Chile’s “Chi-chi-chi Le-le-le” to Germany’s “Deutschland, Deutschland,” some have developed more creative chants that celebrate their own teams while poking fun at their opponents. The trick is to be cheeky without being offensive; national team chants are usually less vulgar than those sung by fans of club teams around the world. Here’s a look at five prominent chants from supporters of World Cup teams in Brazil:

I AM BRAZILIAN

BRAZIL, HOW DOES IT FEEL?

MEXICO’S GOAL-KICK SLUR

TWO WORLD WARS AND ONE WORLD CUP

Besides their deafening rendition of the national anthem, Brazilian fans haven’t really used their home-ground advantage to out-sing the opposing fans. One exception is when they join together to sing “I am Brazilian, with a lot of pride and a lot of love.” The song was written 65 years ago by a Brazilian high school teacher for a match between his students and ones from Germany. But the chant has recently fallen into disgrace by fans who judge its lyrics outdated and lacking the rhythmic verve for which Brazilian music is known. At this World Cup, some determined fans handed out cheat sheets ahead of games containing lyrics to proposed alternatives. So far none have caught on.

Argentina, Brazil’s historical rival, clearly has the upper hand when it comes to vocal support from the fans. The Argentine fans have an impressive repertoire of chants and even came up with a new one specifically tailored for the World Cup in Brazil. To a tune that sounds like Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising,” the song asks Brazil how it feels “to have daddy in your house.” Something’s lost in the translation from Spanish, but it implies that Argentina is the greater of the two football powers. The song recalls Argentine high-points in its rivalry with Brazil, including the goal by Claudio Caniggia that kicked Brazil out of the 1990 World Cup. Like many Argentine chants, it ends with the claim that “Maradona is greater than Pele.”

The one-word chant that Mexican fans shout during goal kicks has just one purpose: to taunt the opposing goalkeeper.

The two-syllable word literally means male prostitute but has various interpretations in Spanish. After the chant was heard at Mexico’s games in Brazil, FIFA opened a disciplinary case against the Mexican federation, which is responsible for the behavior of its fans inside stadiums. However, the world football body didn’t take any action saying “it is not considered insulting in this specific context.” Annoyed that FIFA even investigated the matter, Mexican fans briefly changed the chant to “Pepsi,” the main competitor of a major World Cup sponsor.

Sung to the tune of “Camptown Races,” this English chant references England’s 20th century victories over Germany, and epitomizes the lager-lout chauvinism and cheeky sense of humor that are hallmarks of the country’s chants. It ignores the contributions of England’s allies in both world wars and the fact that England hasn’t won any major title since the 1966 World Cup, but English fans don’t care. Beer cup in hand, they belt out “Two world wars and one World Cup” as if Britannia still ruled the waves, the skies and everything in between. The irony of the song is that chief reason Germany cannot avenge its defeat in 1966 is that England keeps getting knocked out of World Cups early.

I BELIEVE THAT WE WILL WIN!

Shouted by fans in various sports in the US, this straightforward chant has become the anthem of Americans supporting the US team in Brazil. It’s been promoted by ESPN and the American Outlaws supporters group and has been very loud at the World Cup grounds when the U.S. is playing. The message may be a bit plain, but repeated over and over with a steady rhythm, the chant becomes infectious, particularly when accompanied by samba drums. And it’s given U.S. fans an alternative to the basic “U-S-A, U-S-A” chant.

Australia’s Nick Kyrgios celebrates winning his men’s singles fourth round match against Spain’s Rafael Nadal on day eight of the 2014 Wimbledon Championships at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, yesterday AFP

Teenage Kyrgios stuns Nadal n AFP, London Australia’s world number 144 Nick Kyrgios caused one of the greatest Wimbledon sensations on Tuesday when he sent world number one and 14-time Grand Slam title winner Rafael Nadal crashing to a shock fourth round defeat.

The 19-year-old Kyrgios, making his Wimbledon debut, clinched a fearless 7-6 (7/5), 5-7, 7-6 (7/5), 6-3 victory to become the first wildcard in 10 years to make the quarter-finals at the All England Club.

He is also the first player ranked outside the top 100 to defeat a world number one since Andrei Olhovskiy stunned Jim Courier in the Wimbledon third round in 1992.

It was a performance of brutal inventiveness and uninhibited bludgeoning from a man who had had to save nine match points in his second round win against Richard Gasquet and his reward is a clash with Canada’s Milos Raonic for a place in the semi-finals.

For Nadal, the 2008 and 2010 champion, it was a third successive disappointing Wimbledon with Tuesday’s fourth round loss following a first round exit last year and a second round defeat in 2012. l

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Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, July 2, 2014

The sweeper keeper While most people are talking about James, Messi and Robben, on Monday Germany’s ‘keeper, Manuel Neuer gave one of the performances of the World Cup. However as the song goes, it wasn’t what Neuer did, but the way that he did it. Making as many tackles against Algeria as he did saves, Neuer showed the watching world how vital a good ‘sweeper-keeper’ can be.

While others, like France’s Hugo Lloris, play in a similar way, Neuer is the first to showcase this modern style with such a game-changing performance and he did it on the grandest stage of all too.

Time and again he made up for his center-halves’ sluggishness, regularly sniffing out attacks with breath-taking bursts from his goal line.

Last night Neuer touched the ball 19 times outside of his own penalty area, an almost unfathomable stat for a goalkeeper. In the first half alone he touched the ball 24 total times.

Glancing at his heat map for the game, you’d be convinced he was a centre half if you didn’t know better.

But the numbers only tell half the story; just to witness his sheer athleticism and supreme poise was

an experience in itself.

In the early stages of the match, a long punt down the left flank by Algeria saw Per Mertesacker caught out badly. Islam Slimani looked to be bearing down on goal, before the Bayern goalkeeper came roaring out – about 25 metres from the safety of his line – to chase the striker out wide and away from his goal, before lunging to block Slimani’s attempted shot. It would have been an accomplished play for a right back.

For a keeper it was astounding.

Then on 71 minutes, center-half Jérôme Boateng found himself losing a foot-race with the tormenterin-chief, Slimani, only for Neuer to race out and head it clear.

Finally, with one of his final contributions of normal time, he again sprinted almost 30 metres to nick the ball away from the dangerous Sofiane Feghouli, who had made a menacing run. At the time the score was still 0-0. The clock showed 88 minutes. A mistake would have seen Germany crash out of the World Cup, but Neuer didn’t so much as flinch.

All this is impressive enough, but from a tactical perspective, Neuer’s performance takes on an even greater significance.

Playing a high defensive line is a real luxury for a team. It acts to squeeze the pitch, severely restricting the area in which the opponent can play the ball when in possession, potentially up to the halfway line. This makes it easy to win the ball high up the pitch (optimal for quick transitions into goal-scoring areas), while simultaneously limiting the number of chances on your own goal.

There’s usually a catch; the high line is vulnerable to balls played in behind, and thus requires quick centre-halves. Mertesacker, for all his on-pitch leadership and aerial prowess, at times looks like he’s running so slowly he could actually travel backwards in time.

But Neuer compensates for this, swiftly dealing with through-balls that breach the defence. He’s one of the few players both fast and intelligent enough to play as a ‘sweeper-keeper’, and without him Germany coach Joachim Löw would have to either ditch Mertesacker or the high line – quite the dilemma.

Oh and here’s something trivia fans will enjoy: the last German to play as a sweeper in a World Cup was Klaus Augenthaler. The year? 1990.

Perhaps Löw is a fan of history. l

A pitch map of Neuer’s touches

Disjointed Germany rely on fitness, brilliant Neuer Germany have only their superior fitness and world-class goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to thank for scraping past Algeria 2-1 in extra time to move into the World Cup quarter-finals after doing almost everything wrong over 90 minutes.

Coach Joachim Loew will no doubt be skipping any post-game celebrations as he rushes back to the drawing board to reshuffle his team ahead of their match against France if they are to confirm their status as genuine title contenders.

His experiment of playing with two centre backs as his full backs failed to reap any benefits, instead making his team slower against the Algerians, who pressed high from the start.

Benedikt Hoewedes and Jerome Boateng are central defenders for their clubs and, unsurprisingly, they did not have the pace to carve out chances from the wings. His other much-discussed experiment, launched back in March, was playing captain Philipp Lahm in a holding midfield position.

It may have worked in warm-up games against Cameroon and Poland but it was only after Lahm switched back to his traditional right back role in the second half against Algeria that the Germans could finally play their quick, flowing game.

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

Germany Algeria 2 1 29 11 22 7 10 4 4 4 11 20 1 1 0 0 70% 30%

“It doesn’t matter at all to me how we won,” said central defender Per Mertesacker, summing up a frustrating evening for the three-times champions.

“The main thing is we won and we’re in the final eight and that’s what counts. What do you want from me? Do you think that this is a circus band? We

fought to the end.”

The absence of a clear striker in the starting lineup could have also proved costly against the North Africans with neither Mario Goetze nor Mesut Ozil nor Thomas Mueller able to convert any of the several chances they carved out in normal time.

His best forward, Miroslav Klose, meanwhile, was languishing on the bench, no doubt asking himself why he was not on the pitch to add to his 15 World Cup goals.

France are not the World Cup winners of 1998 nor are they the strong 2006 finalists after coming agonisingly close to missing the tournament. Despite an unconvincing 2-0 win over Nigeria, they should provide the toughest test for Germany in the tournament.

It would come as no surprise if, among others, Ozil, who has never reclaimed the form for Germany he showed at the 2010 World Cup, was left on the bench.

The Germans’ superior fitness in extra time then carried them past opponents who were running on empty, scoring twice to seal their first win over Algeria.l

Scoring touch deserts Algeria at wrong time Algeria saw their dreams of a World Cup quarter-final disappear like a mirage on Monday after a 2-1 loss in extra time to Germany, leaving defender Madjid Bougherra to rue what might have been had the Desert Foxes’ scoring touch not deserted them.

Determined defending and the brilliant goalkeeping of Rais Mbolhi had kept Germany at bay in a scoreless 90 minutes, while Algeria had several chances to put the game away and claim the biggest upset of the tournament so far.

Despite their defensive heroics, Algeria looked lost for ideas in attack and the lack of a quality finisher left them lamenting a string of missed first-half chances.

“A goal in the first half would have helped us and we would have been more confident if we had scored because in the first half (we had) so many chances,” said Bougherra.

“We would have been more confident, we would have believed in ourselves even more and I think.

“We believed in ourselves right until the end. We scored in injury time and

showed when this team plays with its heart it can really succeed.”

Algeria arrived in Brazil having not scored at the World Cup since 1986 but ended that 28-year drought in a 2-1 loss to Belgium in their Group H opener.

The floodgates opened in the next game as Algeria scored four goals - the most by an African nation in a single World Cup game - in a 4-2 victory over South Korea. l

Loew demands Germans improve for quarter-final Joachim Loew insists Germany must improve for Friday’s World Cup quarter-final against France after a below-par performance in their 2-1 extra-time win over Algeria in the last 16.

Late goals by Andre Schuerrle and Mesut Ozil sealed victory in Porto Alegre on Monday to put three-time winners Germany into the last eight.

Didier Deschamps’ France lie in wait at Rio de Janeiro’s Maracana stadium, but Loew says his side must remedy their poor finishing and defensive errors against Algeria.

“We must be better for the match against the French,” admitted the 54-year-old Germany head coach.

“Today was a victory of the will.

“During the first half we were poor, we gave away a lot of ball, which invited Algeria to counter-attack us.”

Loew revealed Germany’s rightback Shkodran Mustafi is set to miss the rest of the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury.

But Germany’s midfield general Bastian Schweinsteiger should be fit despite limping off in extra-time. l

Algerians deny extra-time defeat due to Ramadan

German supporters celebrate at the end of their World Cup Round of 16 clash against Algeria that they watched on a giant screen in Rio de Janeiro on Monday AFP

Algeria goalkeeper Rais M’Bolhi insists his side’s 2-1 extra-time defeat to Germany was not down to his team-mates’ observance of Ramadan as the Desert Foxes bowed out of the World Cup. M’Bolhi’s man-of-the-match display between the sticks repeatedly thwarted the Germans in normal time before Andre Schuerrle and Mesut Ozil scored extra-time goals to decide the last 16 clash.

Algeria grabbed a deserved consolation in Porto Alegre right before the final whistle to offer brief hope through replacement Abdelmoumene Djabou.

Having counter-attacked the Germans with fierce determination during the goalless 90 minutes, Algeria tired in extra-time, but M’Bolhi says Ramadan was not to blame.

Most of the team are reported to be observing the Muslim month of fasting, which started on Saturday, and would

have only been able to drink water late in the first-half.

“No, I don’t think (it was a factor), we were ready to play for as long as we need to, nobody believed we were able to put in a performance like that,” insisted M’Bolhi.

“It didn’t come down to physicality, everyone was fit and ready to play, we just conceded two late goals.

“This is a personal question, it’s between us and God, I don’t think I have to answer you, Ramadan is a personal thing.”

Much of the pre-match talk had been of Algerian revenge more than three decades after the ‘Shame of Gijon’ when Germany’s mutually beneficial 1-0 win over Austria sent Algeria home from the 1982 World Cup. But Germany progress to the last eight to face France at the expense of the north Africans, who had reached the last 16 of a World Cup for the first time.

“We’re very disappointed, because we felt there was something to have been had from this match,” said M’Bolhi.

“We’re part of Algerian football history, no other team went so far before and we showed we can play on an equal footing at the highest level.

“We really want to build on this and push on.”

Algeria coach Vahid Halilhodzic failed to attend the post-match press conference amidst rumours he will step down after the World Cup. “There are rumours going around, but we need to thank him for all he has done,” said veteran defender Madjid Bouguerra.

“He took on the team when they were very low and has given us confidence, we all kissed him at the end and if he does leave, he needs to be rewarded. “Yes, we’re disappointed, but we’re proud of what we achieved at this World Cup.” l

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, July 2, 2014

15

Plan B a must for Brazil, says media The Brazilian media is asking Luiz Felipe Scolari to implement a Plan B ahead of their last eight duel against an in-form Colombia at Fortaleza on July 4. The Brazilian journalists were clearly worried over the performance of the Selecao in the high-voltage round of 16 clash with Chile where penalty shootout was required to separate the South American sides. Only some heroics from netminder Julio Cesar ensured the hosts’ passage to the quarterfinals.

Brazil began the second round tie against the Chileans on June 28 at Belo Horizonte with a 4-4-1-1 formation with Neymar roaming behind frontman Fred while Hulk and Oscar were stationed at the left and right flank respectively. Luiz Gustavo and Fernandinho, who replaced Paulinho in the lineup, were the holding men in front of the Brazilian backline.

Despite the home side initially making an electric start to the encounter, the Chileans with their quick running and high-tempo game gradually narrowed down the space of their opposition and grew in confidence as the match wore on. The Brazilians lost their authority in the middle of the park as Neymar was targeted several times. The Barcelona forward was fouled four times in the first half-anhour thus limiting Brazil’s enterprising attacking play.

Unexpectedly, the Brazilian midfield was disappointing. Gustavo showed some early promise with a couple of good runs but his midfield comrades Oscar and Fernandinho were not in their expected gears. Fernandinho just completed 12 passes in 70 minutes while Oscar failed to replicate his good

form that he had displayed against Croatia in the right flank position.

Forward Fred has perhaps been the biggest letdown in the Brazilian squad.

Many reporters are alleging that Spanish striker Diego Costa, who was born in Brazil but later switched nationalities, would have been a better partner to Neymar. In all the matches Neymar has showed that he loves to run in from a deep position but lacked a suitable partner upfront. The aptly-named Hulk worked considerably hard against Chile but his poor pass which led to the equalising goal was brilliantly intercepted

by Eduardo Vargas following a simple throw in. Vargas provided an excellent assist for Alexis Sanchez to finish.

So far, left-back Marcelo has been the most consistent player for Brazil.

He has made positive attacking runs and looked full of energy in all the four matches he played in. He swapped positions with Oscar against Chile after half time and did a fantastic job linking the defence with the offence. Another man who deserves full marks is ball-playing defender David Luiz. He is undoubtedly Brazil’s most consistent long-ball machine as almost all of his deliveries are precise and pin-pointed.

Right-back Dani Alves was terribly exposed by the Chileans on more than one occasion while skipper Thiago Silva was also a bit disappointing as per his high standards. Substitute forward Jo hardly fared any better than Fred as the former failed to tap in a neat Hulk cross from an advantageous position against Chile.

Lacking the cutting edge usually associated with Brazil, Luiz Felipe Scolari now has to pull out a new trick from his sleeve. Brazil’s over reliance on Neymar has clearly backfired and Big Phil now has to instigate a Plan B to avoid being eliminated against a spirited Colombian side. l

Brazilian painter Andre Borges smiles as he works on a spray painted mural of Brazil’s national team player Neymar on a wall at his workshop in Porto Seguro on Monday

Oranje expect tough match against Costa Rica

Keshi steps down as Nigeria coach Nigeria coach Stephen Keshi has stepped down from his post after the country’s elimination from the World Cup, FIFA said on Tuesday.

The Nigerian Football Federation have yet to confirm his resignation, however, and Keshi was evasive in answering a question on his future after Monday’s 2-0 loss to France in their last-16 round encounter in Brasilia.

FIFA.com quoted a tweet from Keshi, although earlier in the tournament Nigerian officials claimed the manager had no social media presence.

“Friends, it has been a good run and I have enjoyed every moment. It’s been an honour coaching the Super Eagles. It is however time to bow out,” the tweet said.

Asked what he planned to do after the World Cup, after being linked to the national team job in South Africa, Keshi told reporters on Monday: “I’m going home to visit my wife and kids. I’ve not seen them for a long time.”

The 52-year-old, whose nickname is “Big Boss”, coached the Super Eagles to last year’s African Nations Cup crown.

He had been in charge of the side since late 2011 after several previous stints as assistant.

Keshi was the captain of Nigeria for their maiden World Cup appearance in the United States in 1994 and also worked as national coach of Togo and Mali in the past. l

The Dutch earned the title “World Cup Comeback Kings” with a 2-1 win over Mexico, the third time in four matches they have come from behind to win in the tournament, and are now preparing for another tough battle against Costa Rica in the quarter-final.

The run started in their opening Group B match when they conceded first against world champions Spain in Salvador on June 13, and trailed for 17 minutes before winning 5-1.

They then trailed 2-1 to Australia four minutes midway through the second half in Porto Alegre on June 18 before turning that game around to win 3-2.

They had no such problems in their third group game seeing off Chile 2-0 in Sao Paulo on June 23, but reverted to type again on Sunday when two late goals gave them their dramatic last-16 win over Mexico in Fortaleza.

They trailed for 40 minutes to Mex-

ico after Giovani Dos Santos put El Tri ahead in the 48th minute before Wesley Sneijder equalised with a blistering shot after 88 minutes and KlaasJan Hunter converted the late penalty that put the Dutch into a quarter-final against Costa Rica.

Sneijder said their confidence and self-belief was a factor in overcoming the odds and winning from losing positions.

“Even when we are losing, we go for it,” said Sneijder, who has now scored five goals in his last five knockout round matches for the Dutch.

“We are full of confidence, we just keep going, we don’t know when we are beaten. Costa Rica are a very good team and they came through a difficult group with Italy, England and Uruguay which no-one expected them to do.

“Now they have come through and are very happy and it is going to be a very tough game for us to get through to the semi-finals.” l

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France win gives Deschamps attacking dilemma While Antoine Griezmann’s introduction gave France the edge in their World Cup last-16 tie against Nigeria, it left coach Didier Deschamps no closer to knowing his strongest attacking configuration.

With 28 minutes remaining in Monday’s game and the match goalless, Deschamps elected to send on Griezmann in place of Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud, and his impact was immediate.

The 23-year-old’s entrance allowed Karim Benzema to move into his preferred central role from the left and within minutes he had teed up the Real Madrid striker for a shot that Victor Moses had to hack off the line.

Benzema’s repositioning helped France gain a foothold in the final third and after weathering initial pressure, Nigeria finally cracked in the 79th minute when Paul Pogba headed in at a corner.

Cameroon to probe matchfixing claim Cameroon football chiefs said they are determined to root out the seven players they termed as ‘bad apples’ implicated in an alleged matchfixing scandal over their World Cup group game with Croatia.

“Recent allegations of fraud around Cameroon’s 2014 Fifa World Cup three preliminary games, especially Cameroon versus Croatia, as well of the ‘existence of seven bad apples [in our national team]’ do not reflect the values and principles promoted by our administration, in line with Fifa’s code of conduct and the ethics of our nation,” the Cameroon federation (FECAFOOT) said in a statement on its website.

“We are strongly committed to employ all means necessary to resolve this disruptive matter in the shortest delays.”

FECAFOOT added that in 55 years they had never before been punished for “match-fixing or any fraud of any kind.”

The launching of the investigation by the Ethics Committee followed a report in Germany in which a Singaporean match-fixer correctly forecast that Croatia would win 4-0 and that a player would be sent off in the first-half.

Football’s governing body FIFA said it could not comment on an ongoing investigation. l

Griezmann then forced Nigeria captain Joseph Yobo to divert a Mathieu Valbuena cross into his own net in injury time, and Benzema was quick to express his gratitude for the Real Sociedad forward’s contribution.

“Griezmann added something when he came on,” said the France number 10 after his side’s 2-0 win at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium.

“We found more space behind their defence, whereas in the first half, we weren’t able to.”

Giroud had largely toiled in attack, despite several accomplished lay-offs, but his display was applauded both by Deschamps and goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.

“Olivier tapped, tapped, tapped against the defenders, and then the players who came on did the rest,” said the France captain.

While Benzema and Valbuena are effectively guaranteed starting berths in the French attack, Deschamps’s exper-

REUTERS

iments with Griezmann and Giroud in the remaining role have so far yielded mixed results.

Deschamps echoed his players’ thoughts when asked if he regretted not starting Griezmann over Giroud.

“They have different profiles,” he said. “You don’t know and I don’t know if it would have worked if Griezmann had started the match. The match lasts 90 minutes.

“Olivier acted as a focal point, produced some useful lay-offs, and brought his strength in the air, both offensively and defensively.

“There were two options. I could have started as we finished, but the important thing is that it goes well at the end and it finishes well for us.”

Deschamps has a two very different forwards at his disposal, but with Friday’s quarter-final against Germany now looming into view, the composition of his attack remains a conundrum. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE Wednesday, July 2, 2014 DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, June 16, 2014

13 Vincent gets life ban for fixing

14 Manuel Neuer: The sweeper keeper

Sport

15 Plan B a must for Brazil, says media

Museum of Pele: Ticket to the legend’s glorious past

Bridging the gap between the past and the present while conveying a message to the future – this is what the Museum of Pele is all about. The museum, inaugurated three days after the kickoff the World Cup on June 15, has soon become a shrine of the football lovers from across the world. The shining trophies, the invaluable memorabilia and the amazing pieces of history take the visitor for a memorable trip down the history lane which evokes memories of Pele with a vibrant perception of why the name Pele is synonymous with the game of football across the world.

One of many pictures inside the museum shows former US president Ronald Reagan welcoming Pele in the White House with a caption quoting Reagan, “I am Ronald Reagan, the president of United States. You don’t have to introduce yourself as you are known everywhere where football is played.” This is just one of many instances which demonstrates how Pele’s name is the most common affiliation with regards to football as the museum displays around 2500 memorabilia Pele received during his playing career and beyond.

A major slice of history and attraction for visitors inside the museum is the video transmission of Pele elaborating what he said to his weeping father in 1950 when Uruguay beat Brazil in Maracana to win the World Cup. In fact, the video illustrates Pele promising his father that he would win the World Cup for him and he did keep his promise in 1958 as an 18 year old kid. His first iden-

tity card as a 16 year old player displays the innocent face of a young Pele.

The museum is located in a 4000 square meters area in a complex inside Santos’ old town in a renovated historic building known as Casarão do Valongo (the “Valongo Mansion”), an 1865 construction in Neoclassical style. It was used for executive administration till 1930 and the building is a historical attraction itself, with guided visits on the weekends. However, the renovation work is still going on as the interior decoration is yet to be completed.

The museum started with the theme of “Four Cups and a King”, focusing on the four World Cups Pele played in 1958, 1962, 1966 and 1970. Pele made an interesting statement when he said he would never return to the World Cup after being injured by a series of rough tackles by the opponents in the 1966 World Cup in England. However, the behind the scene stories of how Pele returned to the national team after being persuaded by the new coach Mario Zagalo, who took over from Joao Saldanha and built a formidable unit, are also elaborated in the museum. It was said Pele and Tostao could not play together, but Zagalo had his plans ready and presented such invincible players like Rivelino, Jairzinho alongside Pele which gave him enough confidence to announce his squad one month before the World Cup began. Pele duly found his form and lived up to everybody’s expectation by winning the World Cup, which also sealed his status as a living legend to win three World Cup titles.

There are three Guinness world record certificates for him, one each for being the first player to win three World Cup titles and scoring 1000 goals. The other one is for possessing the world record of scoring 1283 goals in 1366 matches.

The golden crown presented to him, the golden key of the state of Minas Gerais alongside a plethora of medals, crest and trophies make visitors feel overwhelmed of Pele’s achievements by recounting his trophy-laden glorious past. The ground floor of the museum contains the Pele Café where souvenirs and Almanacs of Santos club are displayed. The history of Santos city, the four World Cup memorabilia are kept in three other floors with numbers 1958, 62, 66 and 70.

The crown presented to him in his retirement match

Staring at the Jules Rimet Trophy that made him the legend in 70

The crown presented to him after his last match is an amazing piece of history and something worthy of a mention. The gold decorated hat he wore after the 1970 triumph can also take a football fan back to Pele’s glory days. There is a certificate also, written and signed by Queen Elizabeth for the

Take a hit of mutton and rice

It’s the only thing that will help It is likely that many experienced terrible withdrawals when the clock struck 10 last night. The more religiously inclined among us may still have been at Tarawi around that time, so their symptoms will kick in later. And last night won’t be the worst. Not by a long stretch of the imagination. The real trial shall commence on July 14, 2014, the day after the final.

Those of us that ardently follow league football, experience this kind of pain on an annual basis. Ironically, the World Cup, which will be the cause of withdrawals for so many, is what reduced our suffering this year.

But the hurt is always there. Every year when the league ends sometime in May, and the season ends for Liverpool much before that, we have to deal with the horror of living without (meaningful) football for three months. For people whose weekly schedule is centered around the game, this can be a very trying time. Once the euphoria of transfer talks dies down, we seek solace in biryani and/or drugs.

I should clarify that biriyani and narcotics work in pretty much the same way as a cure for boredom.

They provide a strong and temporary

feeling of high, which dissipates faster after each successive intake making it necessary for the user to consume more and more to achieve the same impact. Both have a negative effect on the user’s long- term health, though the extent of ill effects varies on an individual basis.

For someone like Keith Richards, the Rolling Stones guitarist, longterm usage of heroin and biriyani seems to have done very little harm. Some can argue that biyiani’s ills are worse than heroin’s since biriyani consumption is likely to make one fat, but I will not go into a debate about whether biriyani fat is uglier than heroin thin. Beauty is subjective and all judgments about it must be respected. All I can say is that there seem to be many more glamorous people taking heroin than eating biriyani.

I am far from being a teetotaler. Yet from a completely practical standpoint, if anyone sought my counsel regarding the choice of a palliative for the no world cup blues, I would have to advocate for biriyani over narcotics.

First of all, biriyani is much more easily available. One does not expose him or herself to legal hassle when procuring rice with ghee. It is also available in various forms. There is

Afghan biriyani, Hydrabadi biriyani, Sindhi biriyani, Kachchi biriyani, and Chicken biriyani. Even the taste of the more mundane Pakki biryani varies with individual vendors. I am not an expert on heroin, but from what I know the availability is so limited, the average heroin user does not have much say over the kind or grade that he or she is given. It is a connoisseur’s nightmare.

The biggest advantage of biryani over heroin is that it does not usually cause hallucinations. Sure if you fall asleep soon after eating particularly spicy variants of biryani, you can get some nasty nightmares but you are unlikely to see ghosts if you are awake. No such guarantee with heroin. A strong dose of the drug can have you imagining Neymar playing almost exclusively with his left foot or Chiellini coming to bite your puppy. It can also create paranoia.

A hit of heroin and you are likely to detect slights against Messi in almost everything your father says and may end up destroying your family.

So as 10 o’clock comes and goes and there is no World Cup football, do not panic. Go to the nearest Fakruddin or Star, get some rice soaked in oil and mutton fat and go to work. The pain won’t completely go away but you will be really really happy for 10 minutes or so. l

living legend of football.

The tour of the museum completes with pictures of Pele meeting many dignitaries of the world including former US presidents John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon and Jimmy Carter; South Africa’s anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela and boxing

The Ballon d’Or presented by Fifa on January 2014

The first registration card of Pele

king Mohammad Ali from the USA. It is actually hard to leave such a museum which is no less than a history itself. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Therefore, after crossing the exit door, everyone encounters a message embedded with the footprint of Pele which is about one

‘Team play key in Neymar-James show’ Brazilian star Neymar and Colombian rival James Rodriguez have put on a great World Cup show but team play will be the key to their quarter-final clash, Colombian defender Carlos Valdes said Tuesday.

“It’s no secret to anybody that Neymar is a great player and James Rodriguez is a very important player for us who has shown great quality,” Valdez told reporters at Colombia’s base camp in Cotia outside Sao Paulo.

“They are players who always bring a show, they always bring something to their teams, but today I think what’s most important is that we continue doing what we’ve been doing ... always prioritising the team, the group above all things,” he said.

Rodriguez, an attacking midfielder at French club Monaco, has been the revelation of the World Cup so far, netting five goals in four games.

His stunning volley in the 2-0 defeat of Uruguay in the last-16 game is likely a candidate for goal of the tournament.

Valdes, a backup defender, warned against overlooking the Selecao’s other players when they face off in the northeastern city of Fortaleza on Friday.

“Neymar is a great player with great football capacities, he’s a player that we have to watch without a doubt,” he said.

“They have very good players, who up to now have had a big role in the World Cup,” Valdes said. “We have to think about all of them, we have to think about the team and what they can do as a team.” l

PHOTOS: RAIHAN MAHMOOD

feet beneath the ground in a bronze plate. The message, which reads - “May the message of 1000 goals be eternalized, taking care of our children in Brazil”, serves as a gentle reminder of how Pele’s legacy inspires the Brazilians and still continues to do so without showing any sign of stoppage. l

WORLD CUP IN NUMBERS

7

Algeria (7) have scored more goals in this tournament than in their previous three World Cup finals combined (6)

5

Andre Scheurrle has scored five goals in his last five competitive matches for Germany

6

France have hit the woodwork (6) more often than any other team at World Cup 2014

12

France have not conceded a goal in the first half in their last 12 games

10

Didier Deschamps is unbeaten in his 10 games at the World Cup as player & manager (W8 D2)

5

Germany’s Miroslav Klose and Michael Ballack combined to score 5 WC goals, more than any other combination since ‘66

Suarez finally issues apology Uruguay striker Luis Suarez has finally apologised for biting Italy defender Giorgio Chiellini during a World Cup match and vowed there would never be a repeat of the incident.

After initially denying that he bit Chiellini, Suarez issued a carefully worded statement on Monday admitting his offence.

“The truth is that my colleague Giorgio Chiellini suffered the physical result of a bite in the collision he suffered with me,” Suarez said in a statement published on his Twitter account.

His admission came days after he

was expelled from the World Cup and banned for Uruguay’s next nine competitive international matches and from any involvement in football for four months by Fifa.

Suarez had steadfastly denied biting Chiellini and wrote a letter to world soccer’s governing body saying he had simply lost his balance and fallen on the Italian.

“After several days of being home with my family, I have had the opportunity to regain my calm and reflect on what occurred during the Italy-Uruguay match on 24 June,” Suarez said in his statement.

“For this: I deeply regret what happened; I apologise to Giorgio Chiellini

and the entire football family; I vow to the public that there will never again be another incident like (that).”

The Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) has notified Fifa that it intends to appeal against Suarez’s punishment.

Shortly after Suarez apologised, Chiellini replied: “It’s all forgotten. I hope Fifa will reduce your suspension.”

Uruguay now have until next Sunday to submit their written reasons for the appeal.

The appeal will be handled by Fifa’s Appeal Committee, which is chaired

by Larry Mussenden of Bermuda and which is a separate body to the Disciplinary Committee. l

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IMF happy with OECD ministers urge clothing chains to to Rana Plaza trust fund scam-hit banking contribute n sector reform Tribune Report

Muhith tells reporters after a meeting with visiting IMF deputy managing director

n Tribune Report Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is satisfied with the overall reform progress including the country’s banking sector under the ongoing Extended Credit Facility(ECF) programme, despite the sector faced credit scams and corruption.

The reform in the board of directors of the Basic Bank is being delayed under the reform in the banking sector just because of its reported scam, he told reporters, after a meeting held with the visiting deputy managing director of IMF Naoyuki Shinohara at Economic Relation Division (ERD) at Sher-e- Bangla Nagar in the capital yesterday.

Deputy Managing director of IMF Naoyuki Shinohara arrived in Dhaka yesterday for a two-day visit to Bangladesh. He had earlier canceled his scheduled visit to Bangladesh due to political unrest over 10th general polls in Bangladesh.

The IMF executive is scheduled to pay a courtesy call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today.

“The country’s revenue sector reform performance is also good despite huge revenue shortfall due to the indiscriminate killings during the political turmoil centering January 5 national polls,’’ said the minister.

Regarding the visit of the IMF executive, the minister said it is for the first time a high IMF official is visiting Ban-

gladesh to discuss about the reform progress in the country’s financial sector and macro-economy under the existing ECF. So far the conditions of the IMF credit programmes are not so strong as the global lender is not pressing the government to increase prices of fuel oil, electricity and natural gas under its credit programme, said Muhith.

Regarding World Bank’s observation, which stated it would send a wrong signal to the country’s banking sector if the chairman of Basic Bank Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu was not removed, the finance minister has said: “We are a bit delayed in the process, but we will definitely reform the board of director of Basic Bank shortly.”

He, however, said only two IMF credit programmes had successfully been completed in Bangladesh during the last decade and hoped that the ongoing ECF programme would be completed smoothly. “We are interested about the IMF credit because of minimum interest rate, which is like a budget support for us.”

In 2007-08, the IMF had provided Bangladesh with a fund support under its Poverty Reduction Growth Facility (PRGF) programme to help the export sector face the challenges of global recession. IMF had approved a three-year ECF loan of $975.9 in April 2012 now being disbursed in seven installments.

The fifth installment of US$141m was released last month. l

OECD ministers have called upon international textile firms to contribute to the compensation fund for victims of the Rana Plaza factory disaster in Bangladesh.

They also pledged to be engage with clothing chains in their own countries and urge them to contribute to the fund, said a statement adopted in Paris and signed by ministers from a number of major European countries.

The joint statement by the ministers of Foreign Trade of Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom was posted on the website of the government of the Netherlands on Monday.

They made the call in a joint ministerial statement at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct in Paris.

“This is a clear signal to international clothing brands that have not yet taken any responsibility for the victims of Rana Plaza. Many are now handicapped and will never be able to work again,” said Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen, who visited Bangladesh recently.

“There is no excuse for the fact that these people are still left empty-handed after a year,” said the minister.

A trust fund formed to compensate the victims of Rana Plaza needs $40 million. So far, only $17 million has been raised.

As far as is known, there were no Dutch companies that did business with Rana Plaza. Some 19 Dutch clothing chains have signed the safety accord for the textile industry in Bangladesh, which provides for safety inspections at the factories, Ploumen

The remaining standing part of the collapsed Rana Plaza building collapses during a rescue operation by the army in Savar last year NASHIRUL ISLAM

said adding that businesses are also working in other ways to improve working conditions.

At the Global Forum, Ploumen spoke with her Bangladeshi counterpart about the impasse that has arisen in relation to the closure of unsafe textile factories.

The cause is a disagreement about the required concrete strength of factory buildings between the three major parties that conduct inspections:

EC may ban agri- Economists: Big hole in income tax system products import n Tribune Report from Bangladesh n

Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

The European Commission could ban the import of Bangladeshi agricultural products by September 30.

In a letter from the EC sent to the Bangladesh mission in Brussels, it was stated that certain Bangladeshi agricultural products were contaminated with insects, fungi, bacteria and viruses.

The products in question include gourds, eggplants, citrus and amaranthus, Commercial Counsellor Tapan Kanti Ghosh of Bangladesh Embassy in Brussels told the Dhaka Tribune.

“I have been informed that the EC is considering import restrictions on vegetables and plant products if major improvements are not made by September 30,” he said.

The European Union is of the view that these products may pose a phytosanitary risk to the region, he added.

The EC has urged Bangladesh to formulate an action plan to remove the harmful contaminants by July and to show improvements by September to retain access to the market, Ghosh said.

The mission had notified the government, he added.

The European Commission has imposed a ban on the import of betel leaf, mango and several other Indian products, the Bangladeshi official said.

“If the EC imposes restrictions on Bangladeshi products, it will seriously damage our reputation,” he said.

The EC had banned the import of Bangladeshi shrimp in 2008 but withdrew the restrictions in 2011.

“Now we don’t have any problem with shrimp exports to the EU market,” Ghosh said. l

Bangladesh has a big hole in the income tax system, reflecting serious governance problems, experts said yesterday.

Appreciating the budget that aims to modernise the tax structure, they said reform is much needed in the tax system.

They suggested power decentralisation to the local government level and to make considerable background preparatory work to implement many policy and institutional reforms taken in the new budget.

They were speaking at a seminar on Implementation Challenges of the 201415 Budget, jointly organised by the Policy Research Institute (PRI) and DFID in the city, with former finance secretary Zakir Ahmed Khan in the chaired.

In Bangladesh, the top 10% of the population owns 35% of the national income while personal income taxes are a meager 1.5% of GDP, according to the keynote paper presented by PRI vice chairman Sadiq Ahmed.

“This is a serious governance problem. The government should look into it,” he said.

He said the government has taken many substantive policy and institutional reforms in the new budget. “But implementation requires considerable background preparatory work.”

Former finance secretary Siddiqur Rahman Chowdhury said the budget is simply not achievable. Many provisions were taken in tax reduction and also many measures taken for increasing revenue income, he said.

“But these are not enough to achieve revenue shortfall. Huge taxable income group is not within tax net yet.”

He was critical about legalising black money. “This should not be al-

lowed rather strong action should be taken against black money holders.”

World Bank lead economist Zahid Hussain said the country might achieve 6.5% economic growth in the ongoing fiscal year, not the 7.3% the government is aiming at, and that too will depend on the revival of the stagnating private investment.

He said the fiscal targets are appropriate, but the only question is whether it is appropriate relative to the country's ability to implement the budget.

‘We have identified three factors which probably inhibits our development: political will, capacity and incentive’ "If you look past experiences, then you have to say that it is probably ambitious relative to what we are able to collect and spend." As ADP projects taken in the new budget, he said 959 projects have been included in the Green page of the ADP, which means they are unapproved and have no allocation.

“But you can be rest assured that a lot of the projects will find their way into the list of the approved project or the While Page during the year.”

He said: “We have identified three factors which probably inhibits our development: political will, capacity and incentive." He agreed with Sadiq Ahmed's identification of decentralisation as the number one structural reform agenda.

"Through decentralisation, we can signal the political will for change, build capacity and solve the problem of aligning incentives with development performance." "If we want to improve service delivery on the ground both in urban

and rural areas, decentralisation is a key.

So, the government will have to something credible about decentralisation."

He said political buy-in is critical and will determine the success or failure of decentralisation.

On the social safety net programmes, he said it seems the country is moving in the opposite direction from what is envisaged in the draft National Social Protection Strategy. Hussain said he does not see any specific milestones in the budget speech which will be achieved in the current fiscal year.

Research Director at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Binayak Sen said the government has taken too many projects under ADP, which might lose their implementation quality.

“The projects should be taken on priority basis and enhancement of efficiency of IMED is also important,” he said.

He also put emphasis on decentralisation of power. “The government does not allow the local government to function properly.”

Public banks are also a threat to destabilise the financial sectors, he said the government should look into this seriously. “What did they do by default money and what is the reason of default.”

PRI executive director Ahsan H Mansur in his keynote paper said the main risk to the budget originates from its ambitious NBR revenue target.

Although, the budget has a number of fiscal measures on the VAT and direct tax fronts and imports are picking up, it will require close monitoring and expenditure control or adjustments to limit the overall deficit and domestic borrowing at the budget level.

He said large infrastructure projects need to be translated into real action on the ground through speedy implementation. l

Debapriya: LICs need more aid n Tribune Business Desk

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Distinguished Fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya has emphasised the need for mobilising additional public finance, particularly domestic revenue resources and concessional foreign assistance, to endow the ambitious goals of post-2015 international development agenda.

“Strengthened and effective global

development cooperation is needed for improving the global governance and institutions so that low income countries can accelerate their national efforts to reduce poverty, inequality and discrimination in their respective countries,” he said. He was addressing the opening plenary of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) at UN headquarters in New York yesterday.

He said the global development

community has to look beyond financial resources and generate efficiency gains by concluding international negotiations in a number of areas, including multilateral trade, climate change, technology transfer, international tax agenda and financial architecture.

The theme of the HLPF meeting was “Achieving the Millennium Development Goals and charting the way for an ambitious post-2015 de-

velopment agenda, including the Sustainable Development Goals.”

The High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development was created at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) in June 2012, to provide political leadership, technical guidance and policy recommendations towards adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a part of the post-2015 international development agenda. l

the Bangladeshi government, the members of the Accord of European textile businesses and the Alliance of American Textile Companies, said the minister.

Ploumen pressed for a swift resolution of the dispute and pledged the support of the Dutch embassy in Dhaka.

“In Bangladesh, major steps have been taken over the past year towards a fair and safe textile industry,” said the minister. “But there is still a long

way to go. We must not let our efforts flag or allow the process to get bogged down.”

The OECD Global Forum brings together businesses, policymakers, trade unions and civil society organisations to discuss ways of improving compliance with OECD guidelines on corporate social responsibility.

Keys sectors for this year’s meeting were raw materials, textiles, agriculture and financial services. l

ADB to fund riverbank protection project n Tribune Report Asian Development Bank (ADB) will fund state-of-the-art riverbank protection measures in Bangladesh to prevent land erosion, which is destroying livelihoods and costing the economy an estimated $250m a year.

An ADB multi-tranche loan financing facility of $255m will help put in place riverbank protection structures and embankments along vulnerable portions of the Jamuna, Padma, and Ganges rivers – the country’s main waterways.

Low-lying Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to floods and erosion, with up to 6,000 hectares of land swallowed up annually, says a press release yesterday.

About 100,000 mostly poor rural people lose land, crops and even homes each year as a result.

“Sand-filled geotextile bags piled in layers will help prevent riverbank erosion more cheaply and more effective-

ly than conventional structures using concrete or stones,” said Natsuko Totsuka, water specialist with ADB’s South Asia Department. “We have already tried out this technology with much success elsewhere in Bangladesh.”

The facility will also strengthen management of flood and erosion risks, and teach local communities to operate and maintain flood and riverbank protection infrastructure.

The first tranche loan of $65m will target badly needed structural and improvements in three high-priority areas. ADB will provide the remainder of the $255m in subsequent loan tranches.

On top of ADB’s funds, the government of the Netherlands will provide co-financing of $15.3m, with Bangladesh supplying counterpart funds of $103.4m for the investment program.

ADB also this week approved two separate loans to Bangladesh to modernize the country’s large irrigation  B3 COLUMN 1

BSEC okays rights issue n Tribune Report The securities regulator yesterday approved rights offer of a financial institution and non-convertible subordinate bond of a bank.

The commission has given nod to the Midas Financing Ltd for issuing rights offer to raise over Tk60 crore from the market, said Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) in a statement.

The company will issue over six

crore ordinary shares by offering one rights share against each existing share with a face value of Tk10 each.

The raised fund will be utilised for strengthening its capital base in line with the regulatory requirements, lease financing, house loan financing, SME financing and many others.

AB Bank also got permission to float non-convertible subordinate bond with maturity period of seven years to meet Basel-II requirements. The coupon rate ranges from 11% to 13%. l

B2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Google, Detroit diverge on road map for self-driving cars n Reuters, San Francisco In 2012, a small team of Google Inc engineers and business staffers met with several of the world's largest car makers, to discuss partnerships to build self-driving cars.

In one meeting, both sides were enthusiastic about the futuristic technology, yet it soon became clear that they would not be working together.

The Internet search company and the automaker disagreed on almost every point, from car capabilities and time needed to get it to market to extent of collaboration.

It was as if the two were "talking a different language," recalls one person who was present.

As Google expands beyond Web search and seeks a foothold in the automotive market, the company's eagerness has begun to reek of arrogance to some in Detroit, who see danger as well as promise in Silicon Valley.

For now Google is moving forward on its own, building prototypes of fully autonomous vehicles that reject car makers' plans to gradually enhance existing cars with self-driving features.

But Google's hopes of making autonomous cars a reality may eventually require working with Detroit, even the California company acknowledges.

The alternative is to spend potentially billions of dollars to try to break into a century-old industry in which it has no experience.

"The auto companies are watching Google closely and trying to understand what its intentions and ambitions are," said one person familiar with the auto industry, who asked to remain anonymous because of sensitive business relationships.

"Automakers are not sure if Google is their friend or their enemy, but they have a sneaking suspicion that whatever Google's going to do is going to cause upheaval in the industry."

No steering wheel

Analysts estimate Google has invested tens of millions of dollars in an effort that's ultimately a side project. But car companies, all too familiar with the devastating financial and brand damage of recalls, would see any hiccups with the self-driving car as a threat to their main business.

Nowhere is the disconnect more evident than in Google's latest prototype. Two people sit abreast in the tiny pod-shaped car, which has a flexible windshield for safety and is topped by a spinning cone that helps navigation.

Google co-founder Sergey Brin has described self-driving cars as an on-

A prototype of a driverless car is seen in a photograph provided

by Google in Mountain View, California May REUTERS demand service that consumers summon when needed. That would represent a seismic shift from a longstanding model based on individual ownership, an annual $375bn US market according to JD Power.

Moreover, a study by consulting firm KPMG last year found that American consumers would trust brands like Google and Apple more for self-driving cars than they would automakers.

General Motors' global product development chief Mark Reuss recently said Google could become a "very serious competitive threat."

Evolution versus revolution

Chris Urmson, director of Google's selfdriving car group, would not discuss any negotiations with automakers but argues that self-driving cars will benefit car companies and consumers by expanding the number of car users.

"I'm confident that when there is technology that makes sense, and when there is a business model that makes sense, that there will be interest and partnerships" with car makers, Ur-

mson told Reuters in an interview.

Self-driving cars can free people to do more of the things that earn Google money, such as Web search. But Urmson said Google is still figuring out how to make a profit from the technology.

"I would imagine that this is probably different than just making more time for people to click on web sites," he said. Car makers such as GM, Mercedes and Volvo have been developing their own autonomous vehicle technology for years.

But most favor an incremental approach to self-driving cars, in which features such as lane centering and parking assistance are gradually integrated into vehicles. Car makers are also hesitant to invest in new features until they are certain there is enough demand to pay for them.

That approach and car makers' long development process are at odds with Google's ambition to create a fully autonomous car in one swoop.

The Internet company seemed to have little patience for Detroit, according to people involved in the 2012 talks

with automakers. "There was a certain amount of arrogance on the Google side, in the sense of 'We know what we're doing, you just help us,'" said a second person, representing a major car maker, who was involved in discussions with Google.

"We'd say, 'Well you don't really know that much. And we're not going to put our name on a project like that because if something goes wrong, we have a lot more to lose.'"

Another potential sticking point is maps developed by Google and essential for its robo-cars to operate, says Sven Strohband, a robotics expert who worked at Volkswagen until 2006 and was not involved in the discussions.

That data, compiled by Google, can be extraordinarily detailed, down to the height of curbs or location of signs.

"The question is who owns the data," he said. "You need to have frequent map updates and your car can only go where you have really accurate map data."

Without a driver to blame when accidents happen, the vehicles could

bring greater liability for car makers.

Google's assurances to one car maker that it would take responsibility for accidents due to its technology, and that the data collected by the cars makes it easy to pinpoint fault, was dismissed, according to the first person involved in the 2012 discussions.

"I just couldn't believe my ears and was like 'Wow you live in a bubble,'" the person said. "Car makers never get to decide who is at fault. It's the lawyers, the judge and the jury."

Starting small

Whether Google opts to license its technology or seeks to build cars to its specifications, Google will need Detroit for the last mile, say industry experts and insiders.

Google has made headway in less sensitive areas such as entertainment and navigation. In January, Google teamed up with GM, Audi, Honda and Hyundai to form the Open Automotive Alliance to incorporate its Android operating system, the software for mobile phones and tablets, into cars.

Japan business confidence sags in June quarter n AFP, Tokyo

An employee counts US dollar banknotes at a branch of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China REUTERS

Dollar rises in Asia on upbeat sentiment n AFP, Tokyo The dollar edged up in Asia yesterday as gains in Tokyo stocks boosted sentiment, but lower US bond yields kept the unit under the 102-yen level, analysts said.

In Tokyo afternoon trade, the greenback climbed to 101.42 yen, up from 101.31 yen in New York Monday afternoon. The euro slipped to $1.3685 from $1.3694 while it bought 138.78 yen against 138.73 yen. The dollar's rise came as Tokyo's benchmark Nikkei stock index gained more than one percent in morning trade.

Investors were heartened by upbeat capital spending plans by Japanese companies seen in the Bank of Japan's quarterly Tankan survey - although overall sentiment sagged from a more than six-year high in the first quarter as an April sales tax hike weighed on activity. On Monday, the dollar fell as a better-than-expected surge in US pending home sales in May was offset by a slowdown in economic activity in the Chicago region, putting an end to two months of gains.

Daisuke Karakama, market econo-

mist at Mizuho Bank, said lower US bond yields held back the dollar's gains Tuesday. "The dollar may have edged up this morning but it's not bullish," he said.

"The basic trend is that recent poor US (economic) data led to bond buying, lowering yields."

Investors are closely monitoring US manufacturing data for June due out later Tuesday, Junichi Ishikawa, market analyst at IG Securities, told Dow Jones Newswires.

If the index shows improvement in economic fundamentals, the dollar is likely to gain although a weak report could help pull it below 101 yen, he said.

The euro was mixed as fresh data showed eurozone inflation was 0.5% in June - the same level as in May. That marked the lowest inflation level since the financial crisis of 2008-2009 nearly froze the market on which banks lend to each other and caused recession in several advanced economies.

The European Central Bank is so concerned that prices could start falling it has cut its interest rates into negative territory in the hope of boosting lending and pushing inflation back to the bank's target of nearly 2%. l

Japanese business confidence has sagged since an April sales tax hike came into force, pushing up prices, in the first deterioration in six quarters, a Bank of Japan report showed yesterday.

The Tankan survey for the AprilJune quarter showed confidence among large manufacturers stood at plus 12, well short of market expectations, after hitting a more than six-year high of plus 17 in the preceding quarter.

The latest reading marked the first decline since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office in late 2012 on a pledge to kick-start the world's number-three economy, and throws into question the strength of Japan's recovery.

The Tankan reading for large companies in the non-manufacturing sector tumbled to plus 19 from plus 24 in the March quarter, also the first downturn in six quarters.

The business sentiment index marks the difference between the percentage of firms that are upbeat and those that see conditions as unfavourable. A positive figure means there are more optimistic business managers than pessimistic ones.

The closely watched survey of more

than 10,000 companies is the most comprehensive indicator yet of how Japan is coping with the impact of the nation's first sales tax rise in 17 years.

Consumer spending turned down after Japan raised its sales tax from 5% to 8% on April 1, with millions of shoppers making a last-minute dash to stores ahead of the increase.

The rise was seen as crucial for shrinking Japan's mammoth national debt, one of the worst among wealthy nations. However there were fears it would slam the brakes on growth and possibly derail Abe's plan to turn around the economy.

The Tankan survey came a day after government data showed that Japan's factory output rose a smaller-thanexpected 0.5 percent in May from a month earlier.

Q3 recovery expected

Household spending and housing starts have also turned down as Japanese consumers face higher prices due to the tax rise and creeping inflation - the result of the central bank's efforts to conquer years of deflation and slow growth.

However, other recent data showed Japan's jobless rate edged down to 3.5% in May, the lowest level in nearly

17 years, with signs of a tightening labour market.

That will add pressure on firms to raise wages to attract workers, economists said, after major companies wrapped up spring labour negotiations with pay rises for the first time in years.

Also on a brighter note, the Tankan showed big firms' plans for capital spending were picking up since the last survey and many economists expect activity to recover in the third quarter.

"While today's Tankan points to a contraction in GDP of around 0.5% ... last quarter, the survey suggests that the recovery will resume in the second half of the year," said Marcel Thieliant of Capital Economics.

Abe swept to power on a ticket to nudge the economy out of a cycle of falling prices and lacklustre growth, which saw consumers put off purchases in the hopes of getting goods cheaper down the road.

That, in turn, hurt producers and held back their expansion and hiring plans.

The last time Japan brought in a higher sales levy, in 1997, it was followed by years of deflation and tepid economic growth that defined the country's protracted slump. l

And it has taken steps to understand regulations better, hiring Ron Medford, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's former Deputy Director, in November 2012.

"My view on this is both parties probably need each other," said Strohband, now Chief Technology Officer at venture capital firm Khosla Ventures.

A source at one automaker said the company talks to Google on a weekly basis about auto matters, though they have not partnered on self-driving cars.

Some in the industry predict fully automated cars will be available as soon as 2020, though research firm IHS Automotive does not expect the cars to be widely available until 2035. For now, Google is starting small with 100 to 200 prototype cars. It wouldn't identify manufacturing partners, though industry reports pinpoint Michigan-based Roush Enterprises, which assembles small volumes of custom vehicles such as race cars. Roush declined comment.

To build anything more than a couple thousand cars would likely require an automaker partner. Industry insiders point to critical systems such as steering and suspension, the intricacies of working with hundreds of suppliers and high-volume production at consistent levels of reliability as skills that cannot be learned overnight.

While Tesla Motors offers an example of an outsider breaking into the business, the electric car maker has benefited from a hefty government loan and from having access to the shuttered GM-Toyota NUMMI car manufacturing plant in Fremont, California.

The cost to launch a new car model, including costs of developing and tooling, is generally $1bn to $1.5bn. For a company starting from scratch, such as Google, that cost would likely be higher, say auto industry experts.

Some industry observers have suggested that Google should pair up with Tesla, which is also developing selfdriving technology and which shares Google's Silicon Valley mindset. With roughly $60bn in cash, Google could also acquire a smaller auto company, some speculate, though they note that such a move would involve more ongoing costs, liabilities and cultural challenges then Google may be willing to accept.

"Google is the 800-pound gorilla in the room and nobody wants to miss the boat," said Edwin Olson, assistant professor of computer science at the University of Michigan, who works with Ford on an automated vehicle project.

"But at the same time I don't think automakers want Google to be dictating terms if the time comes and Google is the only game in town." l

France proposes 1bn euro credit line for India projects n Reuters, New Delhi France has proposed to give India a 1bn euro ($1.4bn) credit line to fund sustainable infrastructure and urban development projects, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said yesterday.

The credit line would be available over three years and would be delivered through the French Development Agency, Fabius, who began his India visit on Monday, told reporters in New Delhi.

India, which has said it needs $1tn of investment by 2017 to upgrade its creaking infrastructure, is keen to attract foreign development agencies and companies to help finance new roads, railways and cities. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took office in May, has vowed to focus on infrastructure. “If you don’t have the share of technology and the share of finance, you can develop brilliant ideas, may be brilliant, but (you will have) nothing concrete,� Fabius said at an event about sustainable growth and climate change.

He is the first of a string of Western politicians due to visit India over the next few weeks for talks with Modi and his government, drawn in part by the prospect of lucrative defence deals that stalled under the last administration. l

Oil prices rise on weak dollar n AFP, Singapore

Oil prices rose in Asia yesterday as dealers made the most of a weakening dollar while keeping an eye on continuing fighting in Iraq, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for August delivery rose 35 cents to $105.72 while Brent crude gained 24 cents to $112.60 in afternoon trade.

"We are seeing oil prices gain a bit following the weakening of the US dollar from last week," Ric Spooner, chief

market analyst at CMC Markets in Sydney, told AFP. The dollar advanced against the yen and euro in Asian trade yesterday, but was still lower than levels seen last week before the release of weak US economic data.

US consumer spending rose only marginally, while jobless claims, another barometer for the world's biggest economy, decreased less than expected.

As oil is traded in the US currency,

a weaker dollar makes the commodity cheaper for global buyers, spurring demand and boosting prices.

Spooner said investors were continuing to keep a close watch on the security situation in major crude producer Iraq.

Islamist militants who have overrun swathes of territory in Iraq's north on Sunday declared a caliphate in the regions they control, as fighting with government forces continued unabated.

The militants, who began a lightning offensive on June 9, have yet to directly threaten the key oil-producing region in the country's south.

The violence in Iraq has a direct bearing on global crude prices because the country is the second-biggest oil exporter in the 12-nation Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) after Saudi Arabia.

It has more than 11% of the world's proven resources and produces 3.4 million barrels a day. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

B3

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Food makers feel their way towards online future n Reuters, Paris Grocery manufacturers are struggling to adapt to the online world and need to invest in smarter packaging, presentation and supply chains to reap the long term benefits.

E-commerce accounts for just 3.7% of sales for fast-moving items like food, drinks and personal care products, market researcher Kantar Worldpanel says, forecasting a rise to 5% by 2016 as supermarkets develop their web sites and online only retailers like Amazon and Ocado take them on.

Greater e-commerce could save money with more targeted marketing, including via social media, and lower product development costs, but industry insiders say manufacturers are put off innovation by the so-far small volumes of goods sold over the internet.

At a recent meeting of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) in Paris, Amazon Vice President of Consumables Doug Herrington berated them over the presentation of their goods, saying his firm had to photograph items to show their scale.

"This is a space you should have been a leader in and instead I find we have to innovate on your behalf," he said, noting items often arrived leaking or in unattractive bubble wrap. "The first moment of truth for the customer is not what's on the site, it's what arrives at their home."

Unprepared

niche areas, with firms like L'Oreal, Nestle and Procter & Gamble selling small amounts of cosmetics, coffee, chocolate and shampoo directly.

Nestle's Nespresso coffee brand is unusual in that it gets 60% of its sales from its own websites, but the company said the plan was not to bypass retailers.

The world's largest food maker, which gets about 3 to 4% of its sales online, says it has created ad hoc online product name and descriptions, advanced images and how-to videos that link to retailers' websites but was proceeding cautiously.

"We know that we have to engage with players that are going to set these platforms up," Nestle Chief Executive

A digital shelf is virtually infinite, so we will probably see more (product) complexity Paul Bulcke said in an interview. "Because of our success and history, that could be a liability - because you hold on to what you know."

Asked about bespoke products or packaging, Nestle cited its Gerber brand as an example of how "the online space requires ad hoc packaging" with an infant formula package available just on Amazon.

Most food makers remain "seriously unprepared for online retailing," said Rabobank analyst John David Roeg saying they would have to expand their product assortments, since online shoppers are more likely to use search terms like "organic yogurt" or "glutenfree bread".

Iglo Group, which hopes its Birds Eye frozen foods will generate 25% of sales online by 2017 from 10% now, said it was streamlining product names and information alongside testing promotions encouraging bulk purchases.

"If you have the wrong words at the beginning, someone who is accessing through a mobile (phone) might just see 'frozen pea' and have no idea what size pack it is, if it's peas and sweet corn, peas and carrots or just peas," general marketing manager Cheryl Calverley said.

"It's a really new market though, so everyone's trying new things," she told Reuters.

Some manufacturers are toying with their own ecommerce sites but only in

Winners and losers

ADB to fund

Gold hits three-month high on softer dollar

 B1 COLUMN 6

systems and to protect coastal towns from the ravages of natural disasters and climate change.

A loan of $46m will help Bangladesh realize the full potential and sustainability of its large-scale irrigation schemes by upgrading aging infrastructure and transferring management and operations to private operators.

Another loan of $52m – supported by combined co-financing of $42m from the Strategic Climate Fund and the Water Financing Partnership Facility – will help eight vulnerable secondary coastal towns build up their climate resilience and provide examples for improved urban disaster preparedness. l

An online migration would ultimately lead to better consumer data and therefore less product inventory throughout the supply chain, Roeg said, reducing working capital and new product development costs by allowing for small, targeted trials.

Fabio Vacirca, global managing director of Accenture's consumer goods & services practice, also said margins would improve, despite a wider offering. "A digital shelf is virtually infinite, so we will probably see more (product) complexity."

But cheaper digital marketing, unlimited shelf space and the elimination of slotting fees paid to retailers could narrow the gap between them and start-ups that appeal to younger consumers.

Analysts from Bernstein Research warn this could ultimately eat into the earnings power of companies like Campbell Soup and ConAgra Foods.

And while makers of frozen foods like Iglo, Nestle and Unilever could

n Reuters, Singapore Gold climbed to a three-month high yesterday as a softer dollar and escalating violence in Iraq increased the metal's appeal, boosting inflows into the top bullion-backed fund.

Spot gold climbed to $1,332.10 an ounce, its highest since March 24, and was flat at $1,327.41 by 0240 GMT. It gained nearly 1% in the previous session.

The metal posted its second straight quarterly gain for the quarter that ended on Monday, and June was also its best month since February.

"This quarter, we expect gold to remain elevated or even possibly climb

An Amazon delivery truck drives in down town Los Angeles gain from the convenience of home delivery, candy makers such as Mars and Mondelez International could suffer as online shoppers resist impulse buys.

High end vs mass market

L'Oreal, which has an e-shop, recently named a chief digital officer to help it grow online, especially in China where online could soon reach 10 percent of sales of its mass-market products.

Overall, online is still less than 2 percent, CEO Jean-Paul Agon told Reuters.

Heineken last year launched "the Sub," an at-home beer dispenser for which refill "torps" can be ordered from a Heineken website, and in January spirits company Pernod Ricard unveiled a concept called "Project Gutenberg" that would let consumers replenish their spirits online.

While such sites provide valuable data, the high cost of shipping is a deterrent for most packaged goods unless an air of exclusivity or community affords them higher prices. "Nespresso is an as-

REUTERS

pirational product. Whey protein is an aspirational product. Bananas are not," said Berenberg Bank analyst Fintan Ryan.

That does not mean inexpensive products cannot thrive online. According to CheckoutSmart, a provider of digital grocery rewards, Coca-Cola is the top online grocery brand in the UK, accounting for 97 pence of every 100 pounds spent in UK online groceries over the last year.

The world's top soft-drink maker has made a big digital push, including on Facebook, where its French unit last

year ran a campaign to lift sales that Facebook said earned it 2.74 euros for every 1 euro it spent. By targeting ads to big spenders, Facebook says an identical household reach would drive 2.3 times more sales than television.

Its global head of consumer packaged goods strategy, Erin Hunter, says online marketing driving both online and offline sales helps traditional companies make the transition to a new era.

"That change doesn't have to be as complex and scary," she said. l

denominated gold cheaper for holders of other currencies.

Gold was also supported by safehaven bids from geopolitical tensions.

Iraqi troops battled to dislodge an al Qaeda splinter group from the city of Tikrit on Monday after its leader was declared caliph of a new Islamic state in lands seized this month across a swath of Iraq and Syria.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said yesterday government forces would renew offensive operations against pro-Russian rebels and "free our lands", hours after a ceasefire to make way for peace talks with the rebels had expired. l

Chevron Bangladesh’s External Affairs Director, Naser Ahmed is flanked by Lt General Sudhir Sharma (retd), former Quarter Master General, Indian Army, and member of the International Advisory Panel for Enterprise Asia (left), and President, Enterprise Asia, William Ng. Ahmed was in Singapore to accept the “Asia Responsible Entrepreneurship Awards (AREA) 2014 – South Asia” for Social Empowerment, which was conferred upon Chevron Bangladesh

NCC Bank Ltd recently held a board meeting at its head office in Dhaka. The bank’s chair Md Nurun Newaz Salim presided over the meeting where the board approved a number of loan proposals and adopted necessary strategy to achieve the on-going year’s target

Carmudi Bangladesh has announced that Ashiqur Rahman, the company's new country manager, will join the company tomorrow. Ashiqur will help facilitate Carmudi’s aggressive expansion into more cities and solidify its status as the go-to online car marketplace all across Bangladesh. Prior to joining Carmudi, Ashiqur was the head of communications at Ericsson Bangladesh. Having been one of the key members at the launch of the “QUBEE” Internet brand in the country, Ashiqur will now channel his expertise into Carmudi Bangladesh, taking it forward at a fast pace

Bengal, a plastic manufacturer has recently opened its exclusive outlet at M Saifur Rahman Road in Paschim Bazaar, Moulvibazar. The company’s general manager of sales and marketing, ADM Azmul Faruquie inaugurated the outlet

Rotary International has spent more than a billion dollar all over the world to eradicate polio, said Safina Rahman, governor of Rotary International, Bangladesh at a press conference held recently in Dhaka. The conference was held on the occasion of year launching, where she announced yearly programmes of Rotary as well

due to multiple uncertainties," said Howie Lee, investment analyst at Phillip Futures, adding that uncertainties over the US economic recovery and geopolitical tensions would provide support for gold. Lee also expects the technical picture for gold in the third quarter to be positive. Resistance is expected at $1,365 and support at $1,189.

Yesterday, gold's appeal was burnished as the dollar languished at seven-week lows against a basket of major currencies, having extended a monthlong decline after a recent batch of mixed data cast doubts on the strength of the US economic recovery.

A weaker greenback makes dollar-

Modhumoti Bank Limited has recently opened its first ATM booth at Motijheel in Dhaka.

The bank's executive committee chair Barrister Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh inaugurated the booth as chief guest at the presence of the bank’s managing director and CEO Md Mizanur Rahman

Alhaj Akram Hussain has been recently elected the chairperson of Mercantile Bank Limited’s executive committee. Akram, who is also the bank’s sponsor director, has established himself as a successful businessman. He is the chairperson and managing director of Fars Group of Companies and founder president of Bangladesh Paper Importers’ Association

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A prime factor for a congenial work environment n Saleh Md Arman RMG workers who are directly engaging in producing readymade clothing are the main forces of the garments industry. Their endless efforts make the country successful, and make gaining foreign earnings possible. Their supervisors directly monitor these workers, since it is said that effective supervision will surely boost up workers’ performance.

In the inception of daily duty schedule, a worker starts his or her works by the instructions of their supervisor. However, factory managers or plant managers hold the supreme power in an RMG factory, but the authorities and responsibilities for managing workers goes to supervisors. From loggingin to logging-out, everything is closely monitored, scrutinised, and reviewed by the supervisors. It is to be noted that supervisors are the direct boss of workers. So the “bossworker” relationship is indeed important in ensuring a productive and congenial work environment in RMG plants.

Effective supervision will motivate workers at a great margin, because efficient and effective supervisors motivate their workers in ensuring targeted productions being met, be with the factories, reduces chance of workers being dissatisfied, and also reduces the chance of labour unrest.

Like human beings, workers have many justified demands; yet it is not always possible to meet their demands within shortened, stipulated times. In this case, workers often go on a rampage and create an uncongenial work environment, not only in the respective factories, but also within the area of operation. Often, it has been seen that, other factory workers come down, join in and participate in going berserk, which is not acceptable. Moreover, these rampages are often lead by Trade Union leaders. Despite constructive steps towards solutions being made, they often choose the destructive path, against the overall industry’s interest.

In this case, effective supervision is indeed necessary. Supervisors should play a vital role in ensuring a congenial environment in the workplace. They should take firm steps concerning these aspects.

Supervisors should listen to the problems that workers face in the workplace. They also make engage in consultation with Trade Union leaders about their role in reducing unrest. Before presenting demands to the top authority, supervisors should involve themselves in the overall grievance procedure of the factory.

Workers are seen busy at a garment factory It is not an easy task for a supervisor to mitigate demands or to motivate workers in an RMG factory. Thus, an effective supervision training and development program should be arranged. At present, many training and development programs offered by supreme bodies in the RMG sector in Bangladesh, ie BGMEA, BKMEA and other, private training institutes are mainly concentrated on the executive levels in an RMG company.

As workers are mainly engaging directly with the supervisors, it is imperative to put more emphasis on the development of RMG factory supervisors, so that they can efficiently and effectively handle workers.

It is high time we establish more training and development programs, to be highly

RAJIB DHAR

concentrated on supervisors. The following are possible areas on which supervisors can receive training on: Cost control in an RMG Factory: Supervisor Concerns How to increase production How to motivate your subordinates: From a supervisors’ context How to ensure good health and hygiene of subordinates: Supervisor concerns Effective communication skills for RMG supervisors Handling day-to-day grievance in an RMG factory Effective negotiations and collective bargaining Leadership and team-building skills for supervisors

Effective payroll and roster maintenance by supervisors Supreme bodies of the RMG sector of Bangladesh, or other training and development centres, should put their kind considerations in these aspects. Moreover, RMG companies should launch in-house training and development programs for supervisor concerns. It is not necessary to establish separate training centres but they should allocate rooms for conducting these training drills. Factories located in the same area could establish training and development centres on their own. Top management personnel, prominent scholars and researchers in the RMG sector, or even experienced supervisors within the factory could be the resource personnel.

It needs to be noted that training and development programs are a continuous process. Therefore, continuation of training and development programs should enhance their skills and morale.

In an RMG factory, supervisors play a pivotal role in ensuring a congenial and productive environment.

Training and development programs established for them should enhance their supervisory skills. In addition to enhancing skills, their motivation and loyalty will also increase, ultimately creating a solid, loyal, and devoted human resource for the organisation. l Saleh Md Arman is a lecturer at Manarat International University.

IBM's Watson app whips up Big Data in the kitchen n AFP, Washington Putting a chef's hat on its Watson supercomputer, IBM and the magazine Bon Appetit unveiled a new initiative Monday that seeks to use Big Data for gastronomy.

A new app unveiled in test version called "Chef Watson with Bon Appetit" aims at helping cooks "draw on Watson's advanced cognitive capabilities to create entirely new recipes and gastronomic combinations that have previously never been conceived," IBM said.

The kitchen becomes the new proving ground for Watson, which has been working on fighting cancer and other medical applications, after a successful challenge on the TV game show "Jeopardy."

The new app is part of the Chef Watson program introduced this year by IBM and the Institute of Culinary Education.

Mike Rhodin, senior vice president at IBM Watson Group said the goal "is to help people discover the potential of cognitive computing systems."

"These systems can understand vast amounts of data, compounds, and formulas as well as learn from interactions with people and information, in a far more intuitive way," Rhodin said in a statement.

Bon Appetit, which tested some recipes using Chef Watson, offered a few

DILBERT

Japanese pop singer Yuko Oshima poses with Yamaha Motor new three-wheel motorcycle, called the Tricity, during a press conference in Tokyo on July. Yamaha will release the automatic motorcycle with a 125cc engine onto the domestic market on September 10 AFP

examples of the recipes cooked up with the help of the supercomputer.

These include cabbage-tamarind cole slaw with fried onions, fennelspiced ribs with apple-mustard barbecue sauce, and grilled corn and nectarine salad with chili powder, coriander, basil and cumin.

We see the intersection of technology and food sparking new thinking and creativity not only in our own test kitchen, but in our reader's homes as well For dessert, Watson offered up a berry cobbler with lemon zest, sour cream, buttermilk and the unusual addition of marjoram, which according to the magazine was among the favourites of testers.

"At Bon Appetit, we were curious to see what Watson could discover that was never previously considered, helping unlock a chef's creativity," said editor-in-chief Adam Rapoport.

"We see the intersection of technology and food sparking new thinking and creativity not only in our own test kitchen, but in our reader's homes as well." l

Positive data boosts Indonesia's economic prospects n AFP, Jakarta Indonesia said yesterday its trade balance swung back to surplus in May and reported a flurry of other positive data, a boost for Southeast Asia's top economy after a recent slowdown.

The surplus was slightly higher than expected at $70m, according to the statistics agency, after a deficit of almost $2bn in April as exports were hit by a controversial mineral ore export ban.

Inflation slowed further to 6.70% year-on-year in June after spiking last year following a rise in fuel prices, the agency said, and a manufacturing activity survey hit a new record high.

Some good news will be a relief for policymakers after GDP growth in the first quarter slipped to an annualised 5.21%, its slowest pace since late 2009, due in large part to the ban on shipment of some unprocessed mineral ores.

The trade balance in particular is closely watched by investors, and economists said the surplus would be welcome at a time of high uncertainty before an increasingly tight presidential election next week.

"While $70m is not much of a surplus to write home about, the fact that exports managed to outdo imports this time round nonetheless comes at a very fortunate time," said Wellian Wiranto, an economist at Singapore's OCBC Bank.

He added that with the "increasingly thick atmosphere of uncertain anticipation" before the July 9 poll, the number will be seen as a "relative positive" by the markets.

Ex-general Prabowo Subianto has mounted a strong comeback against long-time favourite Joko Widodo, whose lead has dwindled to a few percentage points in many surveys.

Meanwhile manufacturing activity expanded, HSBC's manufacturing purchasing managers' index for Indonesia indicated.

It climbed to 52.7 in June from 52.4 in May, the highest reading since the survey started in April 2011. A reading above 50 indicates growth and below 50 contraction. l

World Cup breaks Facebook record for online chatter n AFP, San Francisco Facebook on Monday said that the World Cup has kicked up more action at the leading social network than any other event in history.

More than a billion comments, posts, and "likes" related to World Cup matches have been racked up since the tournament began on June 12, in a level of online conversation never seen before at Facebook, according to the California-based social network.

About 220 million people have taken part in the unprecedented online conversation. Knock-out matches that took place during the weekend pushed the overall number of "interactions" at Facebook past a billion.

"Facebook generally sees a large amount of conversation around sporting events, but the World Cup has proven to be a unique moment," the social network said in a blog post.

"Facebook's data editors have never measured an event - sports or otherwise - that has topped a billion interactions." More than 31 million people engaged in 75 million posts, comments, and "likes" related to Saturday's match pitting Brazil against Chile.

That level of World Cup online activity at the social network was second only to the 140 million interactions engaged in by 58 million people during the opening match between Brazil and Croatia on June 12, according to Facebook.

Brazilian players were also hot topics of World Cup talk at Facebook.

A posted photo playfully pairing comic character "Hulk" and Neymar da Silva Santos Junior, commonly known as Neymar, scored more than 2.5 million "likes" and was shared more than 70,000 times to become the most engaging post by any player during the World Cup, according to the social network. l