12 July, 2014

Ashar 28, 1421 Ramadan 13, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 102

SATURDAY, JULY 12, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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14 | RIO BRACES FOR ARGENTINA FANS 12 | I WOULD LOVE TO PLAY GABBAR SINGH: SHATABDI WADUD

9 | CHINESE WHISPERS AVENUE-T | TETE-A-TETE WITH SRIYA

DU seats wasted by second-time candidates 400 seats fall vacant every session as students switch departments dents took the opportunity to appear n Ahmed Zayeef twice in the admission tests – a chance Almost half of the students, who get admitted to Dhaka University every year, are the ones who take the admission test twice to pass, which denies the recently HSC-passed students their chances to get a spot at what is considered the most prestigious public university in the country.

These second-time candidates are either students who failed at their first attempt at getting into the university, or those who – after their successful

Many fresh admission seekers claimed that the second-time candidates managed to get better scores in the test as they got more time to prepare first attempt – got admitted to a department that they did not prefer.

Because of the practice of switching departments, around 400 seats are left vacant every session at the university.

The Dhaka Tribune found the information by analysing the last three year’s admission results provided by the Dhaka University central admission office.

In most of the public universities, students who fulfil admission requirements are able to sit for the exam twice.

University sources said many stu-

that is also available at most public universities – as it allows them more time to prepare to secure a seat in their desired department.

Many seats are also left vacant each year when a large number of previously admitted students leave the DU after failing to get into their desired departments even after their second attempt, while many others also leave during the middle of their first year of studies, the sources added.

Many fresh admission seekers claimed that the second-time candidates managed to get better scores in the test as they got more time to prepare.

Md Mamun-Or-Rashid, member of the Dhaka University central admission committee and a teacher of computer science and engineering department, told the Dhaka Tribune that seats at other public universities also become vacant when their students secure admission to Dhaka University on their second try.

Terming the situation a “circle,” Mamun claimed that thousands of seats at different public universities were left empty each year as a result.

“We only know the number of seats left vacant by students who changed departments after their second admission attempt. But we do not know how many students leave the university after attending their second admission test,” he added.

Sources said the business of coaching centres was flourishing as a result,  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Brazil’s national soccer team coach Luis Felipe Scolari, left, talks with his players during a training session in Teresopolis on Thursday

Brazil look to rescue pride in game nobody wants n AFP, Brasília Neymar has urged his Brazil teammates to rescue some of their battered pride after their humiliating World Cup semi-final defeat to Germany by beating the Netherlands in today’s thirdplace play-off in Brasilia.

It is the one game that no team ever wants to take part in, but the encounter at the Mane Garrincha National Stadium took on extra significance after the hosts’ dream of lifting the trophy at the Maracana 24 hours later was ended by their record 7-1 loss against the Germans.

Neymar missed that match after fracturing a bone in his back in the

Gaza toll tops 100, militants threaten Israeli airport n

n Mohammad Jamil Khan

A ball of fire is seen following an early morning Israeli air strike yesterday on Rafah in southern Gaza strip AFP for two weeks in early 2009.

“We are in the midst of an assault, and we are prepared to expand it as much as it is required, to wherever is required, with whatever force will be required and for as long as it will be required,” Gantz told reporters.

US President Barack Obama told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over telephone on Thursday that the US was willing to help negotiate a ceasefire, the White House said.

quarter-final win against Colombia, but the 22-year-old superstar faced the media on Thursday as he called for Brazil to bow out on a high.

“It was unbelievable, inexplicable.

We had the opportunity to write our names into history in a positive manner, and we failed,” he said of the Selecao’s embarrassing semi-final loss, their heaviest-ever defeat.

“We haven’t had a good campaign.

We were consistent, which is why we reached the semi-finals, but we didn’t play the kind of enchanting football associated with Brazil.

“Now we need to approach Saturday’s game as if it were the final and

finish the World Cup smiling, with a victory. It is not going to lessen the pain, but it is important.”

The match could prove to be Luiz Felipe Scolari’s last in charge, and the coach is likely to make changes to a team whose confidence has been so badly damaged.

Captain Thiago Silva will return after suspension, while his Paris Saint-Germain colleague Maxwell, the only outfield player yet to feature, may play a part.

Despite Neymar’s rallying cry, al-

Over 3 lakh unregistered vehicles active on streets

Agencies, Gaza/Jerusalem

The fourth day of Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip raised the death toll over 100, most of them civilians, Palestinian officials said.

Medical officials in Gaza said at least 74 civilians, including 23 children, were among those killed in the unrelenting aerial bombardments, which Israel began on Tuesday.

The Israeli military said some 550 projectiles have been fired at Israel since Tuesday, and it had targeted some 1,100 targets in the Gaza Strip.

Homes, mostly of militants, have been targeted frequently in attacks that have sent Palestinian families living nearby running into the streets in panic. Explosions echo constantly across the densely populated territory.

Facing a possible Israeli ground invasion, militants warned international airlines they would fire rockets at Tel Aviv’s main airport.

A rocket also caused the first serious Israeli casualty when a fuel tanker was hit at a service station in Ashdod, 30km north of Gaza.

Israel’s military commander, Lt Gen Benny Gantz, said his forces were ready to act when needed – an indication of a readiness to send in tanks and other ground troops, as Israel last did

A spokeswoman for US Secretary of State John Kerry said: “Nobody wants to see a ground invasion.”

However, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged the UN Security Council yesterday to order an immediate truce.

But Israel said it was determined to end cross-border rocket attacks which intensified last month after its forces arrested hundreds of activists from the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Around midnight on June 17, six motorcycles were seen parked in front of the Sutrapur police station. Of the lot, two had no registration number plates on them while three others had “Police” written on the backs.

On Dhaka University campus, two motorcycles were seen with “Chhatra League” written in place of the vehicles’ number plates. Two more without registration were seen parked in front of the ruling Awami League’s Bangabandhu Avenue office, both having “Jubo League South” stickers.

Although such unregistered vehicles are readily found almost everywhere in the country, the Traffic Department of Police or the Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) surprisingly have no data regarding how many vehicles roam the streets without proper registration or number plates.

According to a rough statistics of the BRTA, over three lakh vehicles are now plying the streets without proper registration or number plates, around 50,000 of them in the capital. Majority of these vehicles are motorcycles while others include CNG auto-rickshaws, private cars and other vehicles.

Sources in the police claimed that a section of corrupt officials from the traffic department and the BRTA had

been allowing these unregistered vehicles to roam freely in exchange for hefty bribes.

They further added that such practice not only deprived the government exchequer of a huge amount of revenues but also gave criminals scope to commit crimes using these illegal vehicles. While investigating the seven

Most offenders use identities of police, press and Chhatra League to evade the law murder case in Narayanganj, law enforcers recently found a CCTV footage showing that criminals were using a microbus with fake number plates.

According to a BRTA survey conducted in March this year, there were around 2,020,799 registered vehicles in the country. Of these, 1,083,237 were motorbikes and 256,100 private cars. There were around 797,148 registered vehicles in the capital – of them 195,031 private cars.

Also, 89,000 of these vehicles lack fitness.

When contacted, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) Iqbal Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE 3 | News

Around 50,000 people in eight villages of Bakshiganj have been using a 100ft long bamboo bridge for over two decades, virtually risking their lives.

4 | News

5 | News

The building of Barisal Shilpakala Academy, a 48-year-old cultural institute to aid local art and culture, is almost in ruins due to mismanagement and negligence.

most all of those involved in Brasilia would rather be elsewhere, with Daniel Alves having made clear his lack of appetite for the bronze-medal clash.

“The important thing is first place.

Nothing else matters,” said the rightback. “We represent millions of people, so we have to digest this defeat and go out onto the field on Saturday. But, for me, every game is about being first.”

The mood in the Dutch camp is the same. The Oranje have a day less to prepare for the match after their agonising defeat on penalties to Argentina in Wednesday’s second semi-final in Sao Paulo.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Now 32 sets of question papers to plug up leaks n Mushfique Wadud Education boards have planned to formulate 32 sets of question papers for each subject and select one set on the day of the examination in a bid to curb question paper leaks.

A top member of an education board said the initiative to stop the leakage of question papers in public examinations could come into effect by November.

Taslima Begum, chairperson of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the board had proposed this to the Education Ministry to combat question paper leaks.

She said the new system would be introduced in the upcoming Junior School Certificate examination scheduled in November.

Taslima said separate questions were prepared by every board so that incidences of leaking would not affect all students.

“We are taking every effort to eliminate question paper leaks at public exams,” she said.

There were allegations of leaked questions at some recent public examinations.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

SEHRI & IFTAR TIME Day Ramadan 13/July 12 Ramadan 14/July 13

6 | Nation

The government is now trying to identify the people and staff who were involved in the scam in BASIC Bank as well as various other financial and administrative irregularities.

Her sufferings did not come to an end with being raped because she is now being harassed by the rapists with police doing literally nothing to save her. The victim is a ready-made garment worker who was raped by three men a few days ago in Mirpur.

REUTERS

8 | Prescription

Some of the diseases associated with monsoon are dengue, malaria, hepatitis A and E (jaundice), gastro intestinal infections such as typhoid fever, diarrhea and cholera.

Sehri – 3.48am

Iftar 6.53pm 6.53pm

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Heavy vehicles on highways banned during Eid

Biman’s bid to appoint aircraft procurement agency hits a snag n UNB

Government cancels Eid vacation of railway staff, ministry officials n Rabiul Islam The Communications Ministry has imposed a ban on the movement of heavy vehicles during the upcoming Eid-ulFitr to facilitate smooth transportation of homebound passengers.

The announcement came at an inter-ministerial meeting at the Institution of Engineers in the capital yesterday.

A high official of the ministry, Shaikh Walid Faiej, said heavy vehicles would not be allowed on the roads three days before and two days after Eid. However, the vehicles carrying garments and perishable goods are outside the purview of the ban, he added.

The leave for railway staff and key officials at the ministry and relevant

departments had been cancelled, added the official.

Meanwhile, a coordination cell headed by the Local Government Ministry’s Additional Secretary Mozzammel Haque had been formed to look after the overall situation.

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader assured that all roads in the capital would be repaired before Eid. During the meeting, Dhaka Metropolitan Police showed a video reflecting the bad shape the roads in the city are that had caused difficulty for the transportation to exit and enter the capital.

DMP Commissioner Benazir Ahmed said the road from Gulistan to Sadarghat would be made hawker-free 10 days before Eid. l

Workers of Dhaka city corporation prepare the National Eidgah for the Eid-ul-Fitr prayers. The photo was taken yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

Bangladesh facing hurdles in importing electricity from Nepal n UNB

Bangladesh is facing hurdles in its move to import electricity from an Indian company’s power plant in Nepal.

According to official sources, the Indian company, GMR, has been engaged in setting up a 1,600MW hydro power plant in Nepal utilising the hydro potentials lying with the Himalayan basin.

The private company’s such huge power plant project will come into operation in 2019. Most of its power will be sold and supplied in the Indian market. If any potential buyer is found outside India, GMR has also a plan to expand its market elsewhere.

Officials at Bangladesh’s stateowned Power Development Board (PDB) said that having learned about the Indian company’s marketing policy, they contacted GMR and had discussions on power purchase from their Nepal project.

“We have proposed to import 500 MW of electricity from GMR’s Nepal plant. The company also agreed in principle to supply the electricity,” said a chief engineer of the PDB.

Over 3 lakh unregistered vehicles active on streets  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

that operating vehicles without registration is a complete violation of the country’s laws.

He said users could apply for the “On Test” sign in place of the number plate only while transporting vehicles from showrooms to their residences.

Asked about the use of the AFR sign, the police official said: “Users must register vehicles immediately after purchase.

“Police only allow the AFR sign on a vehicle for the first one and a half months of its purchase. After the deadline expires, police take action against such vehicles for having no legal documents.”

DC Iqbal further said police usually fined users for violating the vehicles act instead of sentencing them to jail terms.

“Sometimes, police seize such vehicles,” he added.

He admitted that sometimes vehicle-owners use influence to get back their vehicles.

According to section 33 of the Motor Vehicles Act, every motorised vehicle must be registered. The act mentions special registration processes for vehicles involved with diplomatic or defence activities. Section 152 of the law states that anyone using vehicles on the street without registration or fitness certificate would face a threemonth imprisonment and a fine of Tk2,000.

When contacted, BRTA Director Moshiur Rahman claimed that no vehicles had been allowed to ply the streets without registration.

He said such violations were concerns of the traffic department of police and the BRTA often conducted drives against unregistered and unfit vehicles through mobile courts. l

He also informed that the GMR’s offer is viable for Bangladesh. “But when Bangladesh started pursuing the issue with the Indian government, it is not getting any positive response from Indian side,” the official told UNB. Wishing anonymity, the official said that the big hurdles which Bangladesh face is the crossing of Indian corridor.

At present, Bangladesh has agreement to import electricity from Indian market under which it has been importing about 500 MW of electricity, half from public sector and half from private sector plants.

“But when Bangladesh would move to import electricity from any plant in Nepal, it has to cross the Indian corridor. At present, Bangladesh has no agreement with India to cross or utilize it’s corridor to import electricity,” the official noted.

He also informed that Bangladesh has been pursuing to obtain Indian consent to utilize its corridor.

On different occasions, Indian policymakers, particularly at the political level has showed positive outlook.

“But on the ground, the situation

is totally different. The Indian bureaucracy is always found to be very hard and reluctant to talk on the issue, which ultimately impede Bangladesh’s efforts to import electricity from Nepal,” said another official at the Power Division.

He said a Bangladesh delegation led by the Power Secretary visited Nepal few months back and discussed different issues including power and power plant set-up in joint venture in Nepal with their Nepalese counterpart.

“Nepalese policymakers are showing good gesture about Bangladesh’s intention,” said an official who was in the delegation.

The official, however, said Bangladesh will raise the issue in the Bangladesh-India Joint Steering Committee meeting which is expected to take place in New Delhi next September.

The last steering committee meeting was held in Dhaka in April as there is an understanding such meetings will be held twice a year after every six months at alternate venue in Dhaka and New Delhi. l

Joy: BNP out to mislead people over Talpatti n Emran Hossain Shaikh

Criticising different quarters, including the BNP, for making allegations that Bangladesh had lost South Talpatti Island as per the verdict on the maritime boundary dispute, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajeeb Wazed Joy said they were trying to mislead the people with lies.

Joy criticised some media for publishing 'negative' news about the maritime victory “I request those who are lying about Talpatti Island to go there and launch movement. I think you know how to swim,” Joy, also ICT adviser to the prime minister, said while addressing a seminar at a hotel in the city yesterday.

‘Suchinta Foundation’, an apolitical organisation, organised the seminar titled ‘Spirit of Liberation War, Democracy and Bangladesh’s Future’.

Joy said although Talpatti Island was visible in 1980, the Bangladesh’s map during the period showed that it

Gaza toll tops 100, militants threaten Israeli airport  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

Islamist Hamas movement in the occupied West Bank.

The arrest followed the abduction of three Jewish teenagers who were later found killed. A Palestinian youth was killed in Jerusalem in a suspected Israeli revenge attack.

Western-backed Abbas, who is based in the West Bank and agreed a power-sharing deal with Gaza’s dominant Hamas in April after years of feud, called for international help.

“The Palestinian leadership urges the Security Council to quickly issue a clear condemnation of this Israeli aggression and impose a commitment of a mutual ceasefire immediately,” he said.

After the failure of the latest USbrokered peace talks with Israel, Abbas’s accord with Hamas angered Israel.

The rocket salvoes by the hardline movement and its allies have killed no one so far, due in part to an interception by Israel’s partly-US funded Iron Dome aerial defence system, which shot down at least 110 incoming rockets.

But racing for shelter has become a routine for hundreds of thousands of Israelis, and their leaders have hinted they could order troops into the Gaza Strip, home to nearly 20 lakh people. Some 30,000 reservists have already been mobilised, the army says.

Hamas’s armed wing said it would fire rockets at Tel Aviv’s Ben-Gurion international airport and warned airlines not to fly to Israel’s main gateway to the world.

“The armed wing of Hamas has decided to respond to the Israeli aggression, and we warn you against carrying out flights to Ben-Gurion airport, which will be one of our targets today because it also hosts a military air base,” said a statement by Hamas’s Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades.

The airport is within an area covered

by Iron Dome.

An air strike on a house in the city of Gaza killed a man described by Palestinian officials as a doctor and pharmacist. Medics and residents said an aircraft also bombed a three-storey house in the southern town of Rafah,

DU seats wasted  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

killing five people.

Netanyahu told Israelis in a televised statement on Thursday: “So far the battle is progressing as planned, but we can expect further stages in future.

Up until now, we have hit Hamas and the terror organisations hard, and as the battle continues, we will increase strikes at them.”

Lebanese rockets

In northern Israel, rocket fire struck near the Lebanese border and the military responded with artillery fire toward the source in southern Lebanon, military spokesman Lt Col Peter Lerner said.

The Lebanese military said militants there fired three rockets toward Israel around 6am, local time, and the Israelis retaliated by firing about 25 artillery shells on the area.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said that one of the militants firing the rockets was wounded and rushed to a hospital.

The Lebanese military said troops found two rocket launchers and dismantled them. l

Brazil look to rescue pride in game nobody wants  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

However, in contrast to Brazil, Holland will be able to look back on a campaign which started with a 5-1 thumping of Spain as a success.

“We have had a fantastic tournament. Nobody expected us to get beyond the group stage,” said coach Louis van Gaal, who must motivate himself for his final match at the helm before he takes over at Manchester United.

“We have a day’s less rest, which is not very fair. The third-place play-off is pointless. I was saying that 15 years ago, because you can have a fantastic tournament and then finish with two

defeats,” he added.

Nevertheless, the way in which Van Gaal’s superbly organised side have performed throughout the competition suggests they are quite capable of inflicting more pain on Brazil.

“We were so close to reaching the final and I also had confidence that we could beat Germany,” said stalwart Dirk Kuyt.

“Now we have to focus on another game, but we have done so well and come so far that it would be a shame to go home with two defeats.”

With the sole exception of thirdchoice goalkeeper Michel Vorm, every

was not part of Bangladesh.

“It meant that Ziur Rahman gave the island to India,” he said, adding that the island went under water in 90s. “But now it is being used as political weapon.”

He also questioned the basic education of a section of the opposition politicians about the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration that settled the maritime boundary disputes between Bangladesh and India.

“According to the verdict delivered by the court, Bangladesh has got more than 19,000 square kilometres areas when India has got only 6,000 sq km.

They cannot understand the difference of achievements between Bangladesh and India,” he said.

Joy also criticised some media for publishing “negative” news about the maritime victory.

About comparison with BNP Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman, he said those who want to compare him with Tarique lack education.

University Grants Commission Chairman AK Azad Chowdhury and economist Dr Abul Bartat also addressed the programme moderated by Suchinta Foundation Executive Director Mohammad A Arafat. l

member of the Dutch squad has played some part at the tournament, but Van Gaal may choose to give younger players such as Jordy Clasie and Memphis Depay a run-out from the start here.

Meanwhile, Nigel de Jong could miss out after surprisingly featuring for an hour against Argentina, just 10 days after tearing a groin muscle in the last-16 win over Mexico.

The match will be the fifth meeting of the countries at the World Cup, with both sides having recorded two victories so far. The Netherlands emerged 2-1 winners in the last eight in South Africa four years ago. l

because the centres were able to attract second-time candidates to seek their service for longer periods of time.

In a bid to stop such practice among students, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet) stopped offering applicants the chance to sit twice for admission from the 2004-05 academic session. Engineering universities at Khulna, Chittagong and Rajshahi also followed Buet.

Buet Registrar AKM Masud told the Dhaka Tribune that only the students who passed the latest HSC exams are allowed to appear in the admission test only once.

“A large number of students change university after sitting for the second admission test, while some students also change departments because they fail to get admitted in their desired department. As a result, their previous seats remain vacant. On the other hand, the preparation level of the fresh high school graduates and the second-time students also have a huge difference. That is why we stopped offering the chance.

“Vacant seats mean that lots of students are failing to get the chance of acquiring higher education,” Masud added.

According to the Dhaka University central admission office, in the admission test for the 2013-14 session, 89,800 of the total 192,221 candidates were second-time applicants. In 2012-13 session the number of second-time applicants was 96,756 among a total 235,703 candidates; and in 2011-12 session it was 82,289 among a total 199,046 students.

On the other hand, among the 6,896 students who got admitted for the 201314 session, 3,683 had appeared in the

A move by the Biman Bangladesh Airlines to appoint a reputed international agency, for providing assistance in sourcing a variety of aircraft, faces a setback as the proposal found no acceptable response.

The last date for submission of the tender paper was April 24, 2014, however, sources confirmed that the response has not been satisfactory at all.

“Biman has floated the offer several times, but is yet to get a considerable response,” a well-placed source at Biman told the news agency.

Currently, the national flag carrier has no small aircraft for operating domestic flights.

In a bid to expand its fleet, Biman, now operating two domestic and 18 international destinations, had decided to appoint a reputed international agency for assistance in sourcing a variety of aircraft for both domestic and international routes. The aircraft procurement agency will be tasked to supply various aircraft to the national flag carrier from time to time.

Currently, Biman has four 777300ERs, two 737-800s, one 777-200ER and two A310-300s in its fleet.

Meanwhile, Biman has decided to resume its domestic flights on different routes by the end of this year by procuring or leasing smaller aircraft, such as turboprop, suitable for operating on domestic routes.

On several occasions, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon had expressed his ministry’s determination to resume Biman’s domestic operations.

According to sources, the government has already taken steps to renovate the country’s five airports – Dhaka-Rajshahi, Dhaka-Saidpur, Dhaka-Cox’s Bazar, Dhaka-Jessore and Dhaka-Barisal.

The national flag carrier suspended all of its domestic flights from 2002 to 2012 due to huge losses and lack of aircraft. Later, it resumed domestic flights on a limited number of routes, including Dhaka-Chittagong-Dhaka and Dhaka-Sylhet-Dhaka.

Biman is now operating about 30 flights a week on its domestic routes with wide-bodied aircraft through its connecting flights in operation on international routes. But such operation is reducing the lifetime of the big aircraft, according to aviation experts.

Biman now operates 11 flights on Dhaka-Chittagong route, 14 flights on Chittagong-Dhaka and 5 flights on Sylhet-Dhaka routes. l

admission test for their second attempt.

In 2012-13 session, the number was 3,283 among 6,617 students; and in 2011-12 session, it was 3,338 among 6,663 total admitted students.

During the 2013-14 academic session, 421 seats were left vacant by students who changed departments after sitting in their second admission test. For 201213 session, the number was 416; and for 2011-12 session, it was 429 seats.

Sources claimed that the Dhaka University authority was unwilling to stop offering students the chance to sit in admission tests twice, as such a move was likely to cause lower sale of admission forms and consequently lower income for the DU. Serajul Islam Choudhury, professor emeritus of Dhaka University, told the Dhaka Tribune that the system needs to be changed.

“Students who are changing their departments after attending in the second admission test are occupying two seats.

As a result, lots of students are failing to get admitted to the university. On the other hand, the preparation level of the fresher and second-time students are not the same. So, proper evaluation is not possible through this system,” he said.

Nasrin Ahmad, pro-vice-chancellor (education) of Dhaka university, also admitted about the problem. She told the Dhaka Tribune: “It is true that few seats are remaining vacant because of the second-time admission test chance. But every year we are taking more students than our capacity to fill the vacancy.

“Lots of teachers among us think this system should be changed. Maybe in future the system will be changed,” she added. l

32 sets of question papers  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Dhaka Education Board postponed its English Second Paper examination scheduled in April after allegations were made that question papers had been leaked ahead of the Higher Secondary Certificate examination.

Currently, four question sets are for-

mulated and one is selected for examinations. Board officials said that this increased the chances that question papers would be leaked. A committee was formed to investigate leaked exam papers and they recommended the preparation of a large number of question papers for each subject to prevent question leaks. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Government trying to identify BASIC Bank scammers Banking division submits eight-point suggestion to parliamentary standing committee on public undertakings Reza Chowdhury and n Kamran Asif Showkat Kallol The government is now trying to identify the people and staff who were involved in the scam in BASIC Bank as well as various other financial and administrative irregularities.

An official of the Bank and Financial Institutions Division confirmed by saying: “How will the banking division identify the political people involved in the BASIC Bank scam?”

He said financial irregularities involving Tk4,500 crore could not have taken place without some political backing.

Meanwhile, the banking division placed an eight-point suggestion before the parliamentary standing committee

on public undertakings on Thursday.

As per the recommendations, the division was preparing to carry out an investigation and trying to identify those allegedly involved in the big scam in BASIC Bank. If necessary, the division will file cases against these people with the help of the Anti-Corruption Commission.

It also asked the newly appointed BASIC Bank Chairman Alauddin A Majid to submit recommendations within a month after reviewing the present situation in the bank.

The Bangladesh Bank and the ACC had already started investigation into the BASIC Bank scam.

The banking division dissolved the board of directors of BASIC Bank and appointed four new directors to the

bank, according to recommendations of the central bank.

The Bangladesh Bank fired BASIC Bank Managing Director Kazi Faqurul Islam for his alleged involvement in financial irregularities and corruption and appointed the deputy managing director as its managing director.

As part of its rescue plan, the Bangladesh Bank on July 10 suspended fresh loan activities and disbursement of already sanctioned loans of Gulshan, Dilkusha and Shantinagar branches.

The Bangladesh Bank investigations detected massive financial irregularities involving around Tk4,500 crore of loans in the three branches between 2009 and 2013.

Bank and Financial Institutions Di-

vision Secretary Dr M Aslam Alam told the Dhaka Tribune that they had already started interrogating the people and the officials who were allegedly involved in the big scam in BASIC Bank.

He said Bangladesh Bank took action against the BASIC Bank management after the banking division had conducted functional audit on three branches of BASIC Bank.

The new board of directors of BASIC Bank would be responsible for recovering Tk4,500 crore, he added.

After accepting the resignation of BASIC Bank Chairman Sheikh Abdul Hye Bachchu on July 2, Bank and Financial Institutions Division on July 6 dissolved the bank’s board of directors and appointed Alauddin as its chairman. l

Kangali Zakir killed in shootout in capital n Kailash Sarkar Zakir Hossain alias Kangali Zakir, an accused in the killing of a traffic sergeant Ahad, was killed in a gunfight with police in the capital’s Khilgaon early yesterday, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police officials.

DMP officials said two policemen Alim and Jony Barua - also sustained bullet wounds in the shootout.

Inspector Sirajul Islam, officer-in-charge of Khilgaon police station, said they found bullet-hit Zakir, 40, near Khidmah Hospital around 3am and took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where doctors declared him dead.

A gun with three rounds of bullets was also recovered from him, he said, Masudur Rahman, deputy commissioner of police at DMP Media Centre, said a team from the detective branch of police were on duty near Bishwa Road as there had been complaints that passengers of Sohag Paribahan were frequently being mugged in the area.

Malaysian province to recruit 12,000 workers n Rabiul Islam Sarawak province in Malaysia will recruit 12,000 workers from Bangladesh for its plantation sector.

“We have agreed to send 12,000 workers to Sarawak province as Malaysia has placed a demand at the joint committee meeting,” Expatriates’ Welfare And Overseas Employment Secretary Khandakar Showkat Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The meeting was held in Putrajaya, Malaysia from July 7-8. The expat secretary who led an 11-member delegation in the meeting said a memorandum of understanding would be signed in this regard.

During the meeting, the Bangladesh side pressed for the recruitment of more workers in construction and service sectors.

“We have requested the Malaysian side to recruit workers in other sectors.

And they have assured us that they will consider recruiting workers from Bangladesh,” Showkat said.

The government of Bangladesh is sending workers to Malaysia for their plantation industry under the government-to-government arrangement.

After signing an agreement with Malaysia on November 26 in 2012, around 5,000 workers had gone to that country to work in plantation sector. l

Once the eleven-year-old garment worker Anna managed to escape death from the debris of Rana Plaza but it has always stalked her like a shadow.

When a girl of her age usually goes to school she with her two-year older sister, she came to Dhaka to help their six-member family. They joined a garment factory located on the sixth floor of the ill-fated Rana Plaza.

But their dream of living a decent life was shattered on April 24, 2013 when the Rana Plaza collapsed.

Like any other day the two sisters went to the factory in the morning. Her elder sister Banya managed to escape unscathed but a large beam came crashing down on Anna’s right hand. She was pinned to the ground unable to budge even an inch.

She had remained like that for two

“Police got into a gunfight with some armed men around 3am when the latter fired at law enforcers,” he said.

The hometown of Zakir, son of late Azizul Haque, is Kanchanghat, a village in Dinajpur. He would live at a house on Matuail High School road in Jatrabari with his second wife Parvin Akhter.

Parvin identified her husband’s body at Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue and claimed Zakir had no involvement in any criminal activity after he had served nine years in prison for the killing of sergeant Ahad.

“Although there were several cases against my husband in connection with mugging and possession of illegal arms, he was not involved in any criminal act,” she said.

Police, however, said Zakir was the leader of criminals involved in mugging in Khilgaon, Rampura, Malibagh, Ramna and several other areas.

He was also the accused in at least five cases lodged with different police stations, added police. l

BNP: Government reinstates wholesale arrest n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Eid shoppers take iftar under open sky inside New Market yesterday. With the festival approaching people especially from mid-income group pour into the market everyday to buy the dresses of their choice RAJIB DHAR

Rana Plaza victim fighting cancer n Nashirul Islam

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Saturday, July 12, 2014

days before rescuers pulled her out of the rubble by severing her right hand. After that she returned to her village home Komarpara of Narkili under Jamalpur with her sister Banya.

Banya got admitted into Class V in a school in the village. Anna too was spending her time playing with her toys and girls of her age. She even forgot that she lost one of her arms. But little did she know what was befalling her next.

One day she fell to the ground while playing and she received injury on her right knee. She had been on medicine for two months under a doctor in Jamalpur town but in vain. She was then taken to Dhaka on June 11 by the advice of her doctor.

Fate sent her to the Enam Medical College at Savar where she was first treated after the collapse of the Rana Plaza. After a few examinations she was diagnosed with cancer in her right leg and for better treat-

ment she was then taken to the Mohakhali Cancer Hospital.

As this correspondent went to the hospital to see Anna she let out a deep sigh of pain: “I would rather die. I cannot bear the pain any more.”

AFM Anwar Hossain, the on-duty doctor at the hospital, said the condition of Anna was not good. He said after proper examination and diagnosis they could say how much the cancer on her right thigh had spread.

But they have already decided to amputate her right thigh from down her waist and they have take permission from her mother.

Haziron, mother of Anna said she decided to do so to save her daughter’s life.

Anna’s life is now tied to the wheel of fate that she cannot escape. Hers is a life that was ruined in the bud with no fault of her own. l

Benapole open for business on holidays n Our Correspondent, Jessore Benapole, the country’s largest land port, was busy on Friday although it was a holiday. Customs house remained open on Friday after receiving a directive from the National Board of Revenue.

The directive came into effect July 11, said Mohammad Mahbub Hasan, assistant commissioner, Benapole customs.

The customs official told newsmen that the National Board of Revenue directed Benapole customs house to function on holidays to facilitate trade with India during Ramadan.

Loading and unloading at the land port operated normally yesterday.

Mofizur Rahman Sazan, president of the Benapole C&F Agents Association said the association received a letter from the customs department regarding normal operations at the land port on holidays. l

BGB detains 15 Bangladeshis on way to India n Our Correspondent, Jessore

Anna in despair at Mohakhali Cancer Hospital. The picture has been taken recently

NASHIRUL ISLAM

Border Guard Bangladesh yesterday detained 15 Bangladeshis including 10 men, four women and a child at the Putkhali frontier.

The detainees were held by 23 Border Guard Battalion men, because they were believed to be attempting to illegally cross into India. They were taken into custody at Balurmath along the Putkhali frontier under Benapole port police station, Benapole port police station Officer In-charge Apurba Hasan said.

The detainees are from Bagerhat, Narail and Gopalgonj districts.

BGB took 16 Bangladeshis into custody a day before from the same frontier. l

The BNP has alleged that the government has reinstated wholesale arrest of opposition leaders and activists fearing the party’s movement after Eid. Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, joint secretary general of the BNP, made the statement at a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan headquarters yesterday.

He said: “In the holy month of Ramadan, the government has started repressing opposition leaders and activists using the law enforcement agencies. The forces raided the houses of our leaders and activists at night and arrested many of our leaders illogically.”

The BNP leader also claimed that thousands of party leaders and activists could not stay in their homes just because of police harassment.

Rizvi alleged that cabinet members were making provocative statements to save their jobs.

“A cabinet minister has publicly issued life threat to the BNP chairperson.

The government’s ministers are now wishing to eradicate Khaleda Zia from the world,” he said.

Branding the incumbent parliament illegal, the BNP joint secretary general said parliament had turned into a centre of cultural programmes. l

Chhatra League fresh council yet to be held n Emran Hossain Shaikh The present committee of Chhatra League, student wing of Awami League, has completed three years yesterday but its validity expired a year ago. Despite the expiry, a fresh council is to hand over the leadership to the next committee.

Chhatra League General Secretary Siddique Nazmul Alam, who was elected on July 11, 2011, said no certain date for holding the council had been fixed.

“The council will be held when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will want to,” he said.

Hasina, once the Organising President of Chhatra League, resigned from the post on April 4, 2009, in the wake of controversial acts of the organisation’s previous committee led by Mahmud Hassan Ripon and Mahfuzul Haider Chowdhury Ratan.

There is also disputes over the number of posts in the central committee.

According to its charter, the number is 201 but around 500 people have already been appointed.

Awami League presidium member and Communication Minister Obaidul Quader, who was assigned to supervise Chhatra League in Awami League’s pre-

vious term, refused to make any comment in this regard.

“I do not supervise Chhatra League anymore,” Quader told the Dhaka Tribune.

“I stopped administering the organisation nearly 15 years ago. Better you ask its leaders who are now dealing with its activities,” he added.

A central Chhatra League leader said no Awami League leader was assigned specifically to oversee them.

“For any purpose, we contact the premier,” he said, requesting anonymity.

Nazmul Alam said councils of district committees were being held and that of the central unit would be held once the local ones ended.

“We cannot, however, set any specific date. It depends on the prime minister. If she wants that the council to be held today, we will arrange it,” he said.

Chhatra League President HM Bodiuzzaman Shohag told the Dhaka Tribune almost all previous councils were held following the expiry of the committees.

“It is not very important to hold the central council now. Our objective is to hold local councils before the central one and we are advancing accordingly,” he added. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Rape victim now facing threat, harassment n Tazlina Zamila Khan Her sufferings did not come to an end with being raped because she is now being harassed by the rapists with police doing literally nothing to save her.

The victim is a ready-made garment worker who was raped by three men a few days ago in Mirpur of the capital.

What added to her woes is that she was fired from the factory she used to work in.

The victim has complained about the threat she received for the last two days but police said they were clueless and could not find the trace of those involved in the rape.

Victim’s aunt Parul Akhter filed a general dairy with the Mirpur Police Station where she submitted the phone numbers from which the threats were being issued.

Expressing anger on the reluctance of police she said: “Farid verbally abused and threatened us and police are doing nothing. Farid seems to have links with the police and that is why police is protecting him.”

Parul said Farid phoned her yesterday but her niece received it. Farid apologised over phone and asked her to withdraw the case.

However, Officer-in-charge (OC) of Mirpur Police Station Md Salauddin refused to talk about the progress in the investigation.

Salauddin told the Dhaka Tribune: “Let us do our work in our way. Sometimes information is leaked out in the media which hampers our investigation.”

About the phone number the Sub-Inspector of Mirpur Police Station and also the Investigation Officer of the case Moinul Islam said: “That is not Farid’s number. The number is of someone else who had an affair with the victim.

I think the victim has had an affair with

the person who was threatening her.

The phone call has nothing to do with the case.”

The victim told the Dhaka Tribune that the garment authorities asked her to look for another job and leave the area as she should not show her face there after she was raped. They also said it would also bring disgrace on them.

Moinul said: “The victim could not provide the details about Farid and others. We doubt that the perpetrators gave fake names to the victim. We looked for Farid at different places in Mirpur along with the victim but we didn’t find him.”

He also said: “We advised the victim to join another garment in order to avoid harassment.”

The High Court yesterday summoned three people including Mirpur zone DC Imtiaz Ahmed and OC Md Salauddin to appear before the court on July 15 over the RMG worker rape case.

The other accused is the officer-in-charge of One Stop Crisis Centre of Dhaka Medical College.

On Sunday, the victim gave a deposition to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate court.

All the standard medical tests of the victim had been done, confirmed Dr Bilkis Begum, coordinator of the OneStop Crisis Centre.

The victim, who is an orphan and lives with her aunt, was kidnapped and raped on July 1 while on her way home to Paik Para after 10pm. She worked at Creative Garment in the Darus Salam area of Mirpur.

A case was filed against four people, including two named and two unnamed people. The names of the accused are Farid and Sumon, Sub-inspector of Mirpur police station Matiur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune. l

Eid shoppers risk their lives to cross the road by squeezing themselves through a gap in the iron grills on the central reservation in front of capital’s New Market yesterday. Although there are two foot-over bridges in the area , most shoppers ignore laws and choose the risky way MEHEDI HASAN

Child rape cover-up fails as pedophile held n Our Correspondent, Kurigram A cover-up of infant’s rape has failed as police arrested a 20-year-old man, who is alleged to have raped the child, prompting the child’s father to file a case yesterday.

Quoting the child’s family, police said pedophile Alamgir Hossain lured the child with chocolates and took her into an abandoned house on June 27.

He forced himself on the child, when she cried out, locals came forward only to find her bleeding.

She was soon taken to Bhurungamari Upazila Health Complex. After

her condition got worse, she was shifted to Kurigram General Hospital.

Locals Hobibor Rahman and Khokon said mason Mojibor Rahman, Hazrat Ali, Abul Hossain, Omed Ali and Abdur Razzak held a meeting at Hazrat Ali’s house on July 2.

The victim’s father Abu Bakar Siqqiq was then made to sign a deed in which it was said that he would not file any rape case in exchange for five decimals of land from the pedophile’s family.

Abu Bakar said: “Local elders had been pressuring him not to file a case and so I did not muster the courage to do so, but now that the police have ar-

rested the rapist, I, emboldened, filed this case.”

Residential doctor at Bhurungamari Upazila Health Complex Dr Abu Sayed confirmed the authenticity of the incident and said: “We have referred the child to the Sadar hospital as her condition was critical.”

Bhurungamari police station Officer-in-Charge Hasan Imam said: “Locally influential people had been trying to cover up this rape through a secret arbitration.”

As it came to light, we arrested the rapist, when the victim’s father filed the rape case.” l

One killed, three injured as car crashes into police patrol van n Afrose Jahan Chaity

Eid shoppers go through a catalogue at Shopura Silk Factory showroom in Rajshahi yesterday

Angry with wife, man kills son n Our Correspondent, Sylhet A man has allegedly killed his eightyear-old son after having been angry at the wife’s refusal to permit him for a second marriage at Beanibazar upazila in Sylhet.

Police arrested the man, Kutial Mia, 30, of Angura village, for the murder yesterday.

Locals said Kutial was on Monday preparing for marrying his wife’s sister, but his wife did not allow him for the second marriage, resulting in a quarrel between them. After the quarrel, he

picked up his son from home and threw him into the Kushiara river in a bid to avenge his wife’s refusal.

As the news spread around, locals caught and took Kutial to the spot of the river where he had dumped his son, but the eight-year-old chid could not be found even after a lot of searching.

On Thursday, the body was seen floating in the river. Police rushed to the scene hearing this and recovered it.

Beanibazar police station Officer-in-Charge Abul Kalam Azad confirmed the incident to the Dhaka Tribune. l

Four held with fake visas in Chuadanga n Our Correspondent, Chuadanga Immigration police arrested four people, who were trying to enter India with fake visas, at the Darshana checkpost in Chuadanga yesterday.

They are Shafiqul Khan, 32, son of Malek Khan from Sultanpur village in Manikganj’s Horiyanpur police station area, Babul Dewan, 24, son of Shafi Dewan, from Munshiganj sadar upazila’s Uttar Mohakhali, Mohammad Manik, 32, son of Abul Kalam, from Shibpur village at Noakhali’s Sudharam police station area, Mizan Hossain, 25, son of

Mofiz Ullah, from Pashchim Ershabila village in Noakhali Sadar upazila.

Dasrhana checkpost immigration police chief Sub-Inspector Sheikh Mahabubur Rahman said the foursome came to the checkpost around 10:30am yesterday to go to India.

Their visas were checked though machines and were found to be fake. The immigration police then handed over the fake visa holders to Damurhuda police.

Damurhuda police Sub-Inspector Imam Hossain said they had filed a fraud case against the four for possessing the fake visas. l

AZAHR UDDIN

At least one person was killed and three others injured when a car crashed into a police van at the capital’s Shahinbag on the eastern side of Mohakhali flyover on the early hours of Friday.

The deceased was identified as Mustakim Hussain, 28, who was riding on the front seat of the private car during the accident. Two Ansar members, Forkan and Razzak, and a policeman Abul Hossain also sustained injuries during the crash.

Police also detained the driver of the private car, Jannati Hossain, 22, who

was on her way to Dhanmondi from Uttara with her business partner Mustakim.

Tejgaon police station Office-inCharge Mahazaharul Islam, of said “She [Jannati] was driving her car recklessly.

On the eastern side of the Mohakhali flyover bridge, the car slammed into a police van which was patrolling the area.”

“Following the crash, police and locals rushed Mustakim to Aisha Memorial Hospital where on-duty doctor declared him dead. Jannati, also received injuries,” he added.

A case has been filed in this regard with Tejgaon police. l

Experts: Adopt marine policy n UNB

Bangladesh needs to be serious about preservation, exploration and optimum utilisation of marine resources through adopting a comprehensive policy as recent triumphs against India and Myanmar over maritime boundary disputes have opened up enormous opportunities for the country, say marine experts.

Today Bangladesh, according to the experts, cannot afford to turn away from the sea, the untapped frontier as the sea can only now provide the alternative to land resources which can help boost the economy and create huge employments.

Bangladesh needs to create marine scientists, develop capacity to explore resources with adequate skilled manpower and required tools and engage in extensive researches as the resources at the Bay of Bengal can play a massive role in changing the country’s economic scenario, they observe.

“Apart from gas, there are so much of other resources that remained unidentified because there has been no specific research, Prof Dr M Maruf Hossain of Institute of Marine Sciences and Fisheries, Chittagong University told UNB. He said the government will have to give the same priority to exploration of marine resources the way it had done in ending maritime disputes with India and Myanmar.

Responding to a question, Prof

Maruf said Bangladesh is not only a riverine country but also a maritime nation. “Unfortunately, we don’t have any maritime policy.”

The Bay of Bengal, the largest bay in the world, is bounded by eight countries – Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

“Each country except Bangladesh under the Bay of Bengal has such maritime policy,” Prof Maruf said adding that it will be easier to identify lacking if Bangladesh formulates a policy.

He laid emphasis on having the right person in the right position at the policy level, and mentioned that a national institute should be created to deal with the maritime resources.

“A technical committee will have to be formed to identify the lacking with necessary training. It’ll take time to have skilled manpower. So, we can take a long-term 10-year programme,” Prof Maruf suggested.

Secretary (Maritime Affairs Unit) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Rear Admiral (retd) M Khurshed Alam said: “We need a sea-based scientist community. We’ve the scope to enhance workforces and boost capacities.”

He said efforts are there over the issues including setting up National Oceanography Research Centre in Cox’s Bazar.

The total collection of fish from the Bay is around 6 million tonnes annually. “Of this, our share is only 0.29

million tonnes,” said Khurshed Alam adding that Bangladeshi fishermen can only fish within 50 nautical miles now due to limited facility.

Prof Dr M Shahidul Islam of Dhaka University’s Department of Geography and Environment said: “We can catch fishes within only 50-60 nautical miles.

We need to enhance capacity.”

He laid emphasis on university-level research as people’s awareness and interest have increased following the two consecutive verdicts that have come in favour of Bangladesh.

Responding to a question, he said it is not possible to get benefit fully from marine resources without technology.

“We’ve to make our efforts faster.”

Ayaj Hossain Chisty of the Fisheries and Marine Resource Technology Department, Khulna University said: “Like Thailand, we must adopt a proper policy for the management of fisheries resources. It’ll greatly help boost the economy.”

He stressed increasing manpower to protect sea resources. Responding to a question, he said nothing is visible in terms of progress after the victory against Myanmar.

“Things remain on papers only. We didn’t see anything tangible, fruitful. We need sustainable exploration policy.”

There are about 511 species of fish, including 36 of shrimps, in the marine fishing ground in the Bangladesh territory against some 260 species of sweet water fish. l

78 migrants return from Oman n Rabiul Islam Seventy-eight migrant workers, reportedly deported by the Omani authorities, returned home yesterday morning.

A Bangladesh Biman flight carrying the migrant workers, whose work visas had expired, landed at Dhaka Airport on Friday around 8am, authorities told the Dhaka Tribune.

The expatriate welfare director at the airport, Zahidul Islam, confirmed the arrival of the workers.

He said the workers had served 1520 days in jail before being deported to Bangladesh.

Zahidul said the workers had worked for about seven to eight years before their documentation expired.

Expatriates’ welfare secretary Khandaker Showkat Hossain said, in general, there were no problems with migrants in Oman. These migrants were returned from Oman because they had overstayed their visas, he added. l

Outlaws kill AL leader in Rajbari n Our Correspondent, Rajbari Criminals killed an Awami League (AL) leader at Dayalbondu village in Rajbari sadar upazila yesterday.

Abdus Sattar, 55, son of Abdus Sakur of the village, was a ward Awami League chief of Pantchuria Union Parishad.

Quoting his family, police said Abdus Satter was walking along the railway track on the way home after Jummah prayers at about 2:00pm.

At the time, some seven to eight criminals shot him and he fell to the ground. Later, they cut his neck and separated it from the body.

Confirming this to the Dhaka Tribune, Rajbari Sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Md Abdul Khaleque they sent the body for autopsy.

A case was filed. l

One beaten to death in Chittagong

n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong A man was beaten to death by his cousin following a family feud at Bihari Bari in Anwara upazila, Chittagong yesterday morning.

Police has yet to identify the killer when this report was filed.

Humayun Kabir, officer-in-charge of Anwara police station, told the Dhaka Tribune that the victim, Nepal Chandra Das, 57, got into an altercation with his cousin around 11:30am over the share of fish caught from their pond.

“At one point, the cousin started punching Nepal indiscriminately and injured him severely,” the OC said.

Nepal was rushed to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), where the on-duty doctor pronounced him dead, said Nayek Abul Bashar of CMCH police camp.

The OC said police were trying to arrest the killer, and filing of a case with Anwara police station in this regard was under process. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

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Saturday, July 12, 2014

RMG workers DSCC, DNCC demand reintroduction of octroi taxes 3killed, 3 injured They demand taxation system for utility service providers in the capital n Abu Hayat Mahmud The two city corporations of the capital have remained irrevocable on their demand over reintroducing octroi charges and urged the government to make it mandatory for all vehicles plying on city streets.

Octroi charges are taxes paid by the heavy vehicles, such as trucks carrying goods, to the city corporation exchequer while entering the city.

At the same time, authorities of the two city corporations – Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) – also urged the government to introduce a taxation system for all utility service providers in the capital for using lands owned by the local government bodies.

Already, the DNCC and DSCC have sent a proposal to the Local Government Division to form an “ideal schedule” to consider the introduction of the octroi charges and imposing city tax.

Several high officials from DSCC and DNCC also told the Dhaka Tribune that the proposal was under scrutiny and if accepted, the new tax system would increase their revenue seven folds than the present amount.

Earlier, both city corporations announced their budgets for fiscal year 2014-15 and placed a demand for a share of the road taxes collected by Bangladesh Road Transport Authority (BRTA) from city vehicles.

“The octroi system was in effect till the 80’s but was cancelled later. If we could restore it, we could earn over

a billion in taka per year,” said DNCC Administrator Md Firoz Jalil while defending his demand at the corporation's budget placement programme.

“Heavy vehicles enter the city everyday and put enormous pressure on our [city] roads. Huge sums are needed to repair roads every year. But, the BRTA does not share revenue collected from vehicle registration, licence issuance and others, with any of the city corporations,” he added.

Meanwhile, at DSCC budget placement programme, its Administrator Md Ibraheem Hosein Khan said: “The DSCC and DNCC should get 75% of the revenue collected, as they are the ones who construct and repair the roads on which these vehicles ply.”

He also proposed that the government

should make it obligatory for all vehicles, registered from outside the capital, to collect tax tokens worth Tk1,000.

“Both city corporations have to spend millions in constructing, repairing and maintaining all the roads in the capital for which these vehicles pay no charges. Whatever they pay ends in the BRTA exchequer,” he pointed out.

DNCC Administrator Firoz further urged the government to restore the octroi charges system and introduce a taxation schedule for utility service providers, such as Dhaka Water Supply and Sewerage Authority, Dhaka Power Distribution Company, Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited, Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, Titas Gas and others, for using city corporation-owned lands.

When contacted, BRTA Chairman Nazrul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “The issue is a matter of inter-ministerial decisions. The city corporations can make such demands but it is up to government high-ups to decide whether it is applicable or not. It is too early for me to make a comment in this regard.”

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, former LGD secretary Abu Alam, told the Dhaka Tribune that the government should take the decision after verifying the demands as revenues collected from vehicles go into the government fund.

“Every year, the DSCC and DNCC have enough income sources, and both corporations have more money coming from the national budget than BRTA. So, the government should follow its own course in this regard,” he added. l

10 injured in Ashulia factory fire

A majority of the workers living in Gazipur industrial area receive no benefit of family planning services offered by the Directorate General of Family Planning.

Mokhlesur Rahman, 42, lives in Sultan Market area of Gazipur Sadar upazila. A father of four, Mokhlesur works at GMS Knit Composite. He said no family planning worker approached him ever.

I realized the necessity of adopting birth control when my neighbours started talking about it, he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Azibur Rahman, a worker at The Civil Engineers Limited, resides in Tepirbari of Sreepur. Mariam Akhter, wife of the

'Native fish varieties disappearing fast' n UNB Drive of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police to evict illegal makeshift shops on pavements are still on but soon after eviction it comes back to square one. A few months into the destruction of this shop in the picture it was reinstalled. The picture was taken yesterday from the front gate of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital AZAHAR UDDIN

SATURDAY, JULY 12 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:49PM SUN RISES 5:19AM FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

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Rangpur

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Khulna

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Barisal

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Sylhet

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PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

nally from Netrakona, they now live in Joina Bazar of Sreepur and have been working at Tamishna Fashion Limited for one and a half years. They also said they were never approached by any private or government family planning staff.

Dr Abul Foyez, a family planning official at Sreepur Upazila Health Complex, said only a single family planning worker serves 500 able couples.

Family planning activities in Gazipur industrial zone suffer from shortage of manpower, he said.

Stating that there are over four lakh able couples in Gazipur, Laju Samsad Haque, deputy director at the Gazipur office of the Directorate General of Family Planning, said they were working those couples.

“Of the industrial workers able to reproduce, a large part has made Gazipur their home as the place boasts many industries. They, however, work at factories when family planning workers visit their homes,” explained Samsad.

“Another fact is that industrial workers frequently change their jobs as well as living places which is why catching up with them is a bit difficult,” he added.

There are, however, areas where birth control elements have been allocated inadequately. One of such areas is Mowchak of Kaliakoir upazila where industrial workers seeking access to the elements provided by the government have not had their names listed as fertile couples. The allocation thus fails to cater those.

There are some private family planning organisations operating in Gazipur, said Samsad.

“A separate policy in this regard is needed for workers living in the industrial area. Alternatively, the services could be offered inside factories with supervision by officials of respective firms,” he said.

Additional Secretary of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association Rafiqul Islam said about 10 lakh garment workers live in Gazipur but no step to offer family planning services by the factories in the area has yet been taken.

“However, we from the association offer the services in Chittagong, Mirpur, Malibagh and Narayanganj,” he added. l

n Our Correspondent, Barisal

PARTLY CLOUDY

36.4ºC Rajshahi

45-year-old, works at Badar Spinning Mills Limited. The couple have five children together, with the third being a boy.

“I was never offered family planning services by any government worker. I married off my elder daughter four years ago and she has a child.

I adopted birth control three months ago after learning about it from my daughter,” said Mariam.

Mariam's daughter Salma Akhter said she and her husband Alamgir Hossain work at Noman Textile Mills Limited.

“Alamgir was told about birth control by his friends earlier. After the birth of my daughter, I suggested it to my mom,” she added.

Safiqul Islam, 32, and Panna Akhter Ratna, 26, have three children. Origi-

Barisal Shilpakala Academy on the brink of destruction

WEATHER

3:52am 5:18am 12:04am 4:44pm 6:49pm 8:16pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

At least three ready-made garment workers were killed and three others injured in a head-on collision between a truck and a human haulier at Saltgola in Chittagong city yesterday morning.

Two of the deceased could be identified: Farida Begum, 35, and Kafil Uddin, 36. Police was yet to identify the third victim, a 26-year-old, said Sub-Inspector Abu Musa of Bandar police station.

He said the accident took place near a Chittagong Port gate around 8:30am, when a human haulier carrying the victims crashed with a parked truck, leaving one passenger dead on the spot and five others injured.

The injured were taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), where the Farida and Kafil died.

The other three – Rasfique, Ashish and Sumi – were under treatment at the CMCH, the sub-inspector added. l

A child drowned in a pond at Kalurghat Barua Para area in Boalkhali upazila, Chittagong yesterday afternoon.

The victim, Antor Barua, 11, son of Kamal Barua, drowned when he went to bathe in the pond aroound 1pm.

Locals found his body floating in the water around an hour later, said police sources.

Later, they rushed the boy to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), where the on-duty doctor pronounced him dead, said Nayek Abul Bashar of CMCH police camp. l

Gazipur industrial workers deprived of family planning services n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Child drowns in pond in Chittagong n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

n Our Correspondent, Savar 10 workers of a garment factory in Ashulia were injured yesterday while hurriedly trying to escape a fire.

The fire broke out at Arnima Exports Wear Limited located in Zirabo around 2:30pm.

Four firefighting units rushed to the scene and doused the flame.

Factory and fire service sources said some workers were using a welding machine on the eighth floor of the nine-storey building. Fire sparks from the machine caused some cartons on the floor to catch fire.

When the news of fire spread to other floors, workers ran to hastily get out of the factory and 10 of them were injured.

Senior Station Official of Ashulia DEPZ Fire Service Abdul Hamid said the fire was put out shortly after firefighters had reached the spot.

The extent of the damage was estimated to be around Tk1 lakh, he added. l

in road accident

The building of Barisal Shilpakala Academy, a 48-year-old cultural institute to aid local art and culture, is almost in ruins due to mismanagement and negligence.

The academy has had an inactive management committee since 1996. Its activities, if any, have been taking place in rented space around to city, said Harunor Rashid Maksud, cultural officer of the academy.

While visiting the academy, this reporter found the dilapidated building to have become a safe haven for drug addicts and dealers. The courtyard and surrounding area are now being used by the academy staff for fish farming.

The cultural officer also admitted that the staff had turned the area surrounding the academy into a fish farm due to a lack of activity on the premises.

Sultana Yasmin, computer in-charge of the academy, said the Cultural Ministry had sanctioned Tk4 crore in 2007 for the construction of a new academy building.

However, that project never took off and the fund remained unused following a dispute between the academy and the district council over the ownership of land, she said.

Advocate Manabendra Batobayal, central committee member of Bangladesh Shilpaka Academy, said the inactivity of management committee, negligence of bureaucrats in performing duties and the academy’s detachment

The indigenous fish species, particularly the small ones, are facing extinction on the basin of the Old Brahmaputra River due to rapid habitat loss, water scarcity, overfishing, unchecked use of agro chemicals and climate change, according to experts.

They said the local fish varieties that are facing extinction are mola, dhela, koi, napit koi, kajoli, baspata, chital, chanda, sarputhi, jat puthi, tit puthi, meni, bele, bain, taki, foli, boal, rani, chela, darkina, pathorchata, khalisha, lal khalisha, tara biam, bata, gutum and tengra.

The freshwater fishes in Bangladesh are comprised of 265 species and about 140 of them are the small indigenous ones, according to data of Wildfish Centre in Dhaka.

“Habitat destruction is a major reason behind the rapid loss of native fish species. Agro chemicals are destroying the breeding grounds of the fishes endangering their existence,” Prof Dr Mahmud Hasan, a teacher of Dhaka University’s Fisheries Department, told UNB. Farmers indiscriminately use agro chemicals and pesticides to boost their crop production and prevent pest attacks. After rains, the agricultural runoff containing pesticides and other chemicals come down to the water bodies, destroying the natural habitats of fish, he said.

Prof Mahmud said the pesticides used in agricultural land fall into water bodies and destroy zooplankton.

As there is no law to regulate the use of pesticides, farmers are using those in agriculture whimsically and thus are destroying the breeding grounds of fishes, said Prof Abdul Quader, a retired teacher of the Marine Science and Fisheries Institute at Chittagong University. l

Chittagong home catches fire n Tribune Report

Staff of the tumble-down Barisal Shilpakala Academy use its front part for fish farming. The picture has recently been taken DHAKA TRIBUNE from the local cultural arena have rendered the building almost abandoned and the organisation mostly inoperative.

Manabendra said a meeting in this regard was held at Shilpakala in the capital last week, where it was decided that a modern building of Shilpakala Academy at every divisional city would be constructed with two auditoriums, two rehearsal rooms, two green rooms, two

dressing rooms, guest houses, stage, modern lighting equipment and seating arrangement, offices and other facilities, at the estimated cost of Tk24 crore.

Dr Mokhlesur Rahman, administrator of Barisal District council and former district president of Awami League, said they also wanted the academy’s development to improve the local cultural environment.

The dispute over the ownership of land could be resolved only by inter-ministry coordination, not at district level, he added.

In 1966, the then Pakistan government founded the Art Council in Barisal in a one-storey building on 99 decimal of land near the bank of Kirtankhola River. It was renamed Barisal Shilpakala Academy after independence. l

A fire broke out at a two-storied residential building in the Bakalia area of Chittagong city yesterday.

There were no casualties, fire brigade sources said.

Reza-e-Rabbi, senior station officer of the Lama Bazar Fire Station, said the fire originated with an electrical short circuit in a semi-pucca structure on the roof of the building in the Maider Mil area of Mia Khan Bazar, Bakalia.

The fire is believed to have broken out at around 2:50 pm and soon spread to adjacent rooms.

It took fire fighters from Lama Bazar and Chandanpura fire stations one and half hours to extinguish the flames, the station officer said. The blaze gutted eight rooms causing losses estimated to be about Tk2 lakh, Reza-e-Rabbi said. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Saturday, July 12, 2014

50,000 people in Bakshiganj use risky bamboo bridge n Our Correspondent, Jamalpur Around 50,000 people in eight villages of Bakshiganj have been using a 100ft long bamboo bridge for over two decades, virtually risking their lives.

People, including school and college students, use the bridge on a regular basis where they have frequently faced accidents.

A concrete-made bridge built by LGED on a canal on Paglapara road in Nilakkhiya union in 1986 was destroyed in flood. Ever since then the from 1988 the bamboo bridge has been in continuous use.

Destruction of the bridge left people living in eight villages under Merurchar and Goalerchar unions isolated from the sadar upazila, prompting them to build the bridge themselves.

As the bridge is rickety, it often leads to accidents. A few years ago, Chamijal, son of Haidar Ali, Sorhab Ali, son of Amal Haque, and Ibrahim, son of Anar Ali, fell off the bridge and died. Many also were left injured on different occasions.

Local farmers are also suffering from the lack of a steady bridge are unable to take their products in the market.

The local chairman, lawmaker and minister all said a new bridge would be built but that is yet to happen.

Anarkali, a resident of Paglapara village, said his elder brother Sorhab Ali had

GOPRAN MURDER

died after falling off the bamboo bridge.

“He was a van driver. He is survived by his wife and two children. The children could not continue their studies because the family has insufficient income,” he said.

“It is very risky to walk on the bridge and cross it when I go to school,” said Nurnahar, a tenth grader at Jankipur High School.

During the monsoon season, many students even stop going to school, fearing that they could fall off the bridge.

Upazila parishad member of Paglapara village Rukon Uddin said many people were reluctant to cross the bridge on foot as they fear they could face accident.

Chairman of Nilakkhiya upazila Habibur Rahman said he had informed top officials of the misery that people have to live in but no action has been taken.

“Ministers and lawmakers keep assuring us that a new bridge would be constructed but we are yet to see their words in action,” he said.

Bakshiganj upazila engineer AKM Hedayet Ullah said a proposal for building a bridge on the canal had been sent to the high officials.

“It can be built if we get an allocation of finance but I cannot say exactly when we will be allocated the money,” he added. l

Bare hands, feet used to prepare vermicelli in unlicensed factories in Chandpur

Prime accused kills witness in Manikchhari n Our Correspondent, Chandpur n Our correspondent, Khagrachhari Vermicelli is being produced in the disA witness in the Gofran murder case was killed by the allegedly prime accused at Kalapani Achalong Para under Manikchhari upazila yesterday afternoon.

The victim was Mominul Hoque, 55, a resident of the same vicinity.

Superintendent of Police SK Mizanur Rahman said Ali Hossain, 48, was the prime accused in the village doctor Gofran killing case.

Ali Hossain and his two sons Abdul Malek, 23, and Abdul Khaleq, 21, attacked Mominul around 12:55pm yesterday afternoon with a knife, he added.

Locals rushed Mominul to Manikchhari upazila health complex where the on-duty doctor declared him dead.

The village doctor, Gofran, was killed in 2009.

Ali Hossain had been in jail till midJune of 2011 and later released on bail from the High Court.

Since then, he always threatened the witness, Mominul, with murder, said locals. l

Paddled vehicles and pedestrians cross a risky temporary bridge made of bamboo over a canal at Nilakkhiya union

trict factories under an appalling unhygienic condition, with the workers kneading the dough with their gloveless hands and feet under the very nose of the authorities concerned.

A good number of vermicelli workshops have mushroomed and their owners are doing brisk business ahead of the Eid, ignoring health and hygiene issues.

Almost all manufacturing factories are lacking in production licence and the unhygienic produce are taking a heavy toll on the consumers’ health.

The workers in the factories prefer moulding the dough manually to using the machines to do the job.

Locals said the factory owners bribed the lawmen to do the manufacturing at their own sweet will.

The district had 13 factories making the vermicelli, all lacking in health department approval.

Of the 13, there are six factories – Rupali Foods, New Hazi Foods, Alom Bakery and Foods, Five Star Foods and Meem Foods, Dhaka Bakery and Metro

Bakery – in the heart of the city while only Harun Bakery and Foods in Sadar upazila, two in Matlab upazila, two in Haziganj, one in Faridganj and one in Kachua.

Some of them are producing only vermicelli after just obtaining production licence for bread and biscuits.

A visit to the factories revealed that most of them had no moulding machines.

On the contrary the workshops having such machines also witness manual jobs of the workers using their hands and feet with no gloves to make the vermicelli compound while sweat was pouring down their body on the dough.

The utterly unhygienic manufacturing poses a serious risk to health, but the district administration turns a blind eye to the malpractice.

The vermicelli traders market their products in baskets instead of packaging them.

Asked about unapproved industries, the bakery owners said it took them four to five months to obtain permission from the authorities concerned.

They described the permission formalities as a real hassle and pretend-

Husband kills his two wives n Our Correspondent, Rangpur A man killed his two wives in Rangpur on Thursday.

The victims are Momena Begum, 40 and Maksuda Begum, 36.

Illias Miya, a rice trader, stabbed his two wives during the early hours of Thursday in Ruposhi Gachuapara village of Mithapukur upazila.

Rabiul Islam, officer-in-charge of Mithapukur police station, said ever since Illias married his second wife, there were frequent disputes between his two wives. So he decided to kill both of them.

On early Thursday, he first stabbed Momena with an axe while she was asleep. As Maksuda tried to escape, he stabbed her too near the entrance of the house. Hearing her scream, locals came and caught Illais. Later they handed over him to police. l

The proprietor of Alom Bakery and Foods told the Dhaka Tribune that these workshops produced vermicelli throughout the whole month of Ramadan and for 20-25 days ahead of Eid ul-Azha.

He said his factory produced 500kg of vermicelli everyday and sold for Tk70-Tk72 to wholesale traders.

But a local source suggested otherwise.

It was reported that every factory manufactured around 1,000kg vermi-

n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj

Our Correspondent, Sirajganj

300 metres of the 1.75km China crossbar dam in Malsapara of Sirajganj collapsed due to heavy storm yesterday afternoon.

The portion collapsed on Jamuna river around 1pm. Water Development Board placed sand-laden sacks to protect the remaining portion of the dam, with little success.

Deputy Divisional Engineer of the water development board Julfiqar Tarek said the dam was constructed by China Harbour Engineering Company in 201011 fiscal year but no measure was taken in the last three years to protect it. l

It was reported that every factory manufactured around 1,000kg vermicelli worth Tk3,960,000

celli worth Tk3,960,000.

Contacted, Chandpur Bakery Owners’ Association President SM Zainal Abedin said he closed down vermicelli production considering hygiene standard.

If anybody made the food stuff ignoring the hygiene issue, it would be completely up to him, added the leader.

Chandpur Municipality Sanitary Inspector Rafiqul Islam admitted that the market had been flooded with the adulterated vermicelli.

Asked what action they are going to take, he expressed his limitation, saying: “We have the authority to file cases only.”

He suggested drive of the mobile court that could award punishment to the manufacturers and sellers of these products.

But when questioned about this, the district Civil Surgeon Dr Rustom Ali said the sanitary inspector of Chandpur Municipality was solely tasked with looking into the matter.

He maintained that the inspector could exercise his authority to file cases if any food stuff was found to be adulterated. l

Erosion ravages 10 villages

Part of dam collapses in Sirajganj

n

ed that they did not know that they required approval from the health department.

The traders said the Chandpur-made vermicelli were selling in different regions of the country including Dhaka, Barisal, Shariatpur and other districts.

The 300-metre crossbar dam on the riverbank of Jamuna collapsed at Malshapara in Sirajganj yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Three killed, 3 injured in road accidents in Noakhali n Our Correspondent, Noakhali At least three people were killed while three others were injured in separate road accidents in Begumgonj upazila in Noakhali on Thursday.

The deceased are Afsar Ali, 25, Rokan Uddin, 40 and Liton, 28.The injured are Md Sahajahan, 30, Abdullah, 21, and Ruhul Amin, 40.

Mostafizur Rahman, officer-incharge of Begumganj Model police station, said a CNG-run auto-rickshaw carrying three passengers was on its way to Sonaimuri around 11pm.

As it reached in front of Dhopa Bari near Banglabajar, it collided head on with a Sonapur bound passenger bus

leaving the CNG driver Afsar Ali and one passenger Rokan Uddin dead on spot.

The other two passengers Md Sahajahan and Abdullah were severely injured.

Locals admitted the injured to the Sonaimuri Upazila Health Complex.

Upon information, police went to the spot and recovered the dead bodies and sent them to Noakhali Medical College Hospital for an autopsy.

Meanwhile on Laxmipur Chaumuhani Road, around 9pm, a pick up van hit a Chandragonj bound CNG-run auto-rickshaw from the opposite direction near Banglabajar.

CNG driver Liton, 28, died on spot while Ruhul Amin, a passenger was seriously injured. l

Erosion of Madhumati river has wreaked havoc in 10 villages of Alphadanga upazila in Faridpur district, destroying houses and farm lands.

Many people living in the erosion-prone areas have lost all their possessions and are forced to move elsewhere. Thousands of houses, 2,000 hectares of farm land, educational institutions and businesses remain vulnerable to erosion.

Abdullah Shamim Mallik, member of ward no 1 in Tagarbandh union, said tidal surges in Madhumati river caused erosion, destroying at least 200 houses in Amdanga, Fanail, Chapulia and several other villages in the last seven days.

“Many agricultural lands, mosques

and trees were also damaged. People in those areas are now in panic and are frantically trying to move to new places. Many have lost everything in the natural disaster,” he said.

Abul Hossain Molla of Krishnapur village said the erosion, stretching nearly a kilometre, ravaged 40 houses and a century-old mosque in the village.

“Many have been displaced while 300 houses, vast tracts of land and schools remain under threat. The water development board has begun river governance project here which is also responsible for erosion,” he said.

Golam Mostafa Khan, deputy divisional engineer of Faridpur Water Development Board, said construction of Amdanga-Krishnapur village protection embankment was underway. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Husband flees hospital leaving wife’s body n Our Correspondent, Madaripur A woman’s dead body was abandoned at the hospital by her husband and inlaws in Madaripur yesterday.

The deceased was Shipon Begum, 26.

Locals said a few days ago, Shipon’s husband Belayet Hossain Talukdar, resident of Raipur village in Palang upazila under Shariatpur district, married another woman.

Yesterday morning, the couple had a fight over the issue. At one stage during the altercation, Belayet started beating Shipon where she fainted.

Shipon’s in-laws admitted her to the Madaripur Sadar Hospital nearby where the doctors declared her dead.

Sources in the hospital said there were injury marks on Shipon’s body.

The on-duty doctor Altaf Hossain said the family members of the deceased were in a hurry to take the body back to Shariatpur, but the hospital authority denied handing it over without doing an autopsy.

Soon after, the hospital authority informed police and they fled from the hospital leaving the body here, he said.

The dead body has been kept in the hospital’s emergency unit. l

Son beats father to death n Our Correspondent, Tangail A father was allegedly beaten to death by his son in Gopalpur upazila, Tangail on Thursday night.

The deceased, Julhash Miah, 65, was from Habibpur village in the upazila.

Zahurul Islam, officer-in-charge at Gopalpur police station, said Julhash got into an altercation with his son Khokon Miah, 22, over iftar in the evening. At one point, Khokon beat him up with stick. Critically injured, Julhash died at midnight.

Upon receiving information, police went to the scene and recovered the body yesterday and sent it to Tangail Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem. l

NEWS IN BRIEF Mysterious death of girl in Brahmanbaria A 15-year-old girl died mysteriously in Bhudal village of Brahmanbaria yesterday but police in the primary examination report said she had committed suicide. Azima Akhter was the daughter of Rabiullah in the village. Police sent her body to the district sadar hospital yesterday morning.

Sub-inspector of Brahmanbaria Sadar police station Md Moniruzzaman said marks appearing in the girl’s neck indicated it had been fastened with rope. An unnatural death case was lodged in this connection, he added. – Our Correspondent

Housewife found hanging Police yesterday recovered a hanging body of a housewife from Jigatola village of the districts Bakshiganj. The body of Nureda

Begum, 35, was recovered around 11am from her own house. According to neighbours, Nureda had frequent altercations with her husband Abdur Rashid and his family members who are on the run since the incident. Bakshiganj police station Office-in-Charge Mostasinur Rahman said the body has been sent to Jamalpur General Hospital for autopsy. “Whether Nureda was murdered or she committed suicide can be confirmed after the report,” he added. – Our Correspondent

Man killed in Chandpur road crash An unidentified old man was killed in a road accident in Hajiganj of Chandpur yesterday noon. A microbus hit him in Dherra near Chandpur-Comilla highway. He was admitted to the upazila health complex where he died shortly. Sub-inspector of Hajiganj

police station Ershad said the body was taken to the police station. Officer-in-charge of the police station Shah Alam said they were trying to identify the dead man to hand the body over to relatives. – Our Correspondent

Two held with stolen gun in Brahmanbaria Police in Brahmanbaria yesterday arrested two people with a stolen gun and seven rounds of bullets. The arrestees were Md Tabarak Reza, 25, and Md Mujibur Rahman, 30. They were arrested from Alakpur in Burishwar union of the upazila. On December 6 last year, a gun, 12 rounds of bullets, a torch light, a cap and some cash were stolen from the house of Rafiqul Hasan, sub-inspector of Nasirnagar police station. A case was filed the following day in connection with the theft. – Our Correspondent

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Iraq conflict: Kurds ‘seize two oil fields’ in north n BBC Iraqi Kurds have taken over two oil fields, Iraq’s oil ministry says, amid a growing dispute with the government in Baghdad.

Kurdish peshmerga forces seized control of production facilities at Bai Hassan and the Kirkuk oil fields, in the north of Iraq, on Friday, the ministry adds.

Kurdish MPs have also withdrawn from Iraq’s central government.

They did so after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki accused the Kurds of harbouring extremists.

Kurdish forces have moved into areas of north-western Iraq abandoned by the Iraqi army during the advance of Islamist insurgents led by the Isis (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) group over the past month.

The Kurds have since declared plans to hold a referendum on independence in the areas seized, escalating tensions with Iraq’s central authorities.

Maliki ‘hysterical’ In a statement on Friday, the Iraqi oil ministry condemned the seizure of oil refineries, adding that they expected Kurdish fighters to “support security forces in confronting terrorist groups rather than using the conditions to raid and occupy oil fields.”

Kurdish officials have not yet commented on the allegations.

The two oil fields are said to have a combined daily output capacity of

Fleeing violence in Iraq Duhok Sinjar

Tal Afar

Kurdish Region of Iraq

SYRIA 58,000 people fled after a Sunni militant onslaught in June BAGHDAD

IRAQ some 400,000 barrels per day, AFP quotes a ministry spokesman as saying.

0Tensions came to a head when Prime Minister Maliki said on Wednesday that the Kurdish provincial capital Irbil was a haven for Isis fighters.

Soon after, a spokesman for Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani said Mr Maliki “had become hysterical” and urged him to step down.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari, who is himself a Kurdish politician, told Reuters news agency on Fri-

Human rights group sees proof of abductions, torture in Ukraine n Reuters, Berlin

80 km

day that the Kurdish political bloc had suspended all day-to-day government business after Mr Maliki’s remarks.

He said the country risked division if an inclusive government was not formed soon, adding: “The country is now divided literally into three states - Kurdish, a black state [Isis] and Baghdad.”

This row with the Kurds is the last thing Iraq needs because it is already facing a stunningly successful Islamist insurgency, says the BBC’s Mark Doyle in Baghdad. l

Armed separatist groups and pro-Kiev forces have abducted, then beaten and tortured activists, protesters and journalists in eastern Ukraine in the last three months, Amnesty International said in a report published yesterday.

No thorough or reliable data is available on the number of abductions, the rights group said. But figures from Ukraine’s interior ministry show there were almost 500 abductions between April and June, and the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission for Ukraine reported 222 cases in that time, it said.

“The bulk of the abductions are being perpetrated by armed separatists, with the victims often subjected to stomach-turning beatings and torture,” said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s deputy director of Europe and Central Asia.

“There is also evidence of a smaller number of abuses by pro-Kiev forces,” he added.

In the report Amnesty cites proUkraine activist Hanna, who was abducted by armed men in Donetsk in May, as saying: “At the end of the interrogation [he said] ‘Pray now - I’m going to kill you’, and then he slit [the back of] my neck with the knife.”

It also says an unnamed local government official in Mariupol reported having heard a captured separatist

fighter “wailing in pain at the hands of pro-Kiev forces who were seemingly trying to extract information about the separatists.”

Amnesty said a research team that went to Kiev and southeastern Ukraine and spoke with self-help groups had a list of more than 100 civilians who had been abducted and said in most of these instances allegations of torture had been made.

Amnesty said people including officials, the military, the police, politicians, electoral commission members and business people had been abducted in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

It said the majority of abductions were being carried out for political reasons, though some were intended to instil fear in the local population and others were for ransoms.

It cites one 19-year-old pro-Ukraine activist who was taken captive by separatists at gunpoint as saying: “They beat me with their fists, a chair, anything they could find. They stubbed out cigarettes on my leg and electrocuted me. It went on for so long I couldn’t feel anything anymore, I just passed out.”

Pro-Russian separatists have been fighting government forces in the Russian-speaking east since April. More than 200 Ukrainian troops have been killed as well as hundreds of civilians and rebels. l

Taliban debate merits of Kerry, other diplomats focus on audit Islamic state’s caliphate to resolve disputed Afghan vote n announcement Reuters, Kabul

n Reuters, Waziristan The Afghan Taliban have urged Muslims to avoid extremism and remain united, a message apparently aimed at the Islamic State (ISIL), which recently declared an Islamic caliphate in territory it controls in Iraq and Syria.

The Arabic message, posted on the Afghan Taliban’s website on Thursday and translated by SITE intelligence group, addressed fighters in Iraq and Syria whose announcement of a caliphate last month poses a direct challenge to al Qaeda’s dominance of global Islamist militancy.

“It is worthy for a shurah (consultation) council to be formed from the leaders of all the jihadi factions and the distinguished people among the experts and the scholars in Sham (Syria) in order to solve their conflicts,” the message said.

“Muslims also should avoid extremism in religion, and judging others without evidence, and distrusting one another,” it said. “They should avoid conflict and dispute, and not think their opinions are better than others.

Mercy and compassion should prevail.”

On June 29, an al Qaeda offshoot previously known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant announced that it had renamed itself Islamic State and proclaimed its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi as “Caliph” - the head of the state.

The group had fallen out with al Qaeda over its expansion into Syria,

where it has carried out beheadings, crucifixions, and mass executions.

In recent weeks, fighters from the Islamic State have overrun the Iraqi city of Mosul and advanced towards the capital of Baghdad. In Syria they have captured territory in the north and east, along the border with Iraq.

Taliban spokesmen in both Pakistan and Afghanistan declined to comment on al-Baghdadi’s claim to be the global leader of all Muslims. The Afghan and Pakistani Taliban are separate but allied.

Privately, some commanders said that they did not want to anger al Qaeda, who they considered a long-time ally in the fight against Nato troops in the region.

Some Taliban, including some of the younger commanders, were enthusiastic about ISIS. In small mud homes in Pakistan’s Waziristan, men eagerly debated the new movement.

Pakistan’s own insurgency is on the back foot after the military launched an offensive against the Taliban’s key stronghold last month.

Most senior commanders are in hiding. Drone strikes have depleted many of the Taliban’s and al Qaeda’s most experienced and charismatic commanders.

“We are happy with the great efforts of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Dozens of my colleagues from here are with them.

Soon Sham and Iraq will be Islamic states,” said one militant in his thirties who commanded 60 men. l

US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday Afghanistan’s transition to a self-reliant state hung in the balance after a contested presidential election and urged Afghan officials to focus on auditing the vote count to underpin its legitimacy.

Kerry arrived in the Afghan capital in the early hours of Friday in a hastily arranged visit for talks with the two presidential contenders, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, as well as incumbent Hamid Karzai and other senior officials.

Preliminary results from a June 14 run-off round put Ghani, a former World Bank official, in the lead with 56.4% of the vote, almost one million votes ahead of Abdullah.

Abdullah rejected the result, calling it a “coup” against the people and dismissing the vote as invalid because of widespread fraud. His aides have threatened to set up an alternative administration.

Kerry rushed to Kabul from meetings in Beijing to try to mediate between the camps and guard against any attempt at a power grab.

“The election legitimacy hangs in the balance, the future potential of the transition hangs in the balance, so we have a lot to do,” Kerry said as he began his first meeting of the day with UN special envoy to Afghanistan Jan Kubis.

“Our hopes are that there is a road that can be found that will provide that capacity for the questions to be answered, for people’s doubts to be satisfied, and hopefully for a future to be

SCARS UNHEALED

US Secretary of State John Kerry meets with Afghanistan’s incumbent President Hamid Karzai (R) at the presidential palace in Kabul yesterday REUTERS defined. But I can’t tell you that that’s going to be an automatic at this point.”

US officials Kerry would urge both contenders to agree on a review “of all reasonable allegations of fraud,” which would entail additional audits.

Kerry was also due to meet Afghan Interior Minister Mohammad Omar Daudzai, a man tipped as head of a possible interim government - a last-resort scenario possible if the current deadlock is not resolved promptly.

Legitimate vote

Ghani, speaking later, just before the start of his talks with Kerry, said he favoured a comprehensive audit.

“Our commitment is to ensure that the election process enjoys the integrity and the legitimacy that the people of

Afghanistan and the world will believe in,” he said.

“Therefore we believe in the most intensive and extensive audit possible to restore faith.”

Kerry replied: “No one is declaring victory at this time. The results have yet to be finalised and so those questions have to be resolved and I’m very appreciative that Dr Ghani respects that.”

State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told Reuters there an agreement on a broad review of the votes would be an initial step to enable the candidates to talk through their differences.

“Secretary Kerry’s goal is to help the parties find a way forward that ensures that the next president of Afghanistan has a credible mandate to lead a unified Afghanistan,” she said. l

Iran preparing to start plant needed for interim nuclear deal n Reuters, Vienna

A Bosnian Muslim woman, survivor of the Srebrenica 1995 massacre cries by the coffin of a relative, layed out among others at the memorial cemetery in the village of Potocari near the eastern-Bosnian town of Srebrenica, on July 11. Several thousand people gathered on July 11 in Srebrenica for the 19th anniversary of the massacre of some 8,000 Muslim males by ethnic Serbs forces, Europe’s worst atrocity since World War II AFP

7

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Iran has taken preparatory action to start a delayed uranium conversion plant it needs to fulfil an interim nuclear agreement reached with six world powers last year before the accord expires this month, diplomatic sources said.

The start-up of the facility would show Iran’s commitment to the landmark Nov. 24 deal as it holds talks with the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Britain and China on a longterm settlement of the dispute over its atomic aims.

But in view of still wide gaps in negotiating positions, some diplomats and experts believe the negotiations and the preliminary agreement - may need to be extended.

Under the accord that runs for six months until July 20, Iran is supposed to convert a large amount of low-en-

riched uranium gas into an oxide form that would be less suitable for processing into nuclear bomb material. It was one of the terms of the deal that won Tehran some easing of sanctions.

To be able to do that, it has been building a facility near the central city of Isfahan for turning the gas into powder.

After months of delays, the UN International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in May said the plant’s commissioning had begun, but it was still not operating.

Since then, however, the sources said practical steps had been taken indicating the work could start soon, if it had not already. They include removal of IAEA seals on a uranium gas cylinder, necessary before connecting it to the conversion line.

With time running short, the issue is closely watched by diplomats monitoring Iran’s compliance with the November accord. l

Thirty Ukrainian troops possibly killed in rebel missile attack n Reuters, Kiev/Donetsk A rocket attack by pro-Russian rebels on a border post on Ukraine’s border with Russia on Friday may have killed as many as 30 soldiers and border guards, an Interior Ministry adviser said, promising swift retribution from Kiev.

President Petro Poroshenko called an emergency meeting to discuss what could be the deadliest rebel attack on government forces since the Ukrainian military ended a unilateral ceasefire on June 30.

The pro-Russian separatists, who have added powerful weapons to their arsenal, launched a volley of Grad missiles at around 5 a.m. on the border post at Zelenopillya, in Ukraine’s easternmost Luhansk region, military sources said.

“Up to thirty (were killed). It is not excluded that the number of victims will rise because these bloodthirsty scum despicably shot from Grad systems and there is destruction,” Zoryan Shkyryak, an adviser to Interior Minister Arseny Avakov, told journalists.

“I think a response will not be slow in coming after this bloody terrorist act,” he said.

Kiev, which has been trying to take greater control of its border with Russia, blames Moscow for fanning the violence and allowing fighters and high-powered weaponry to cross the frontier from Russia to Ukraine. l

NEWS BITES

Germany says expulsion of US spy chief was inevitable

n Reuters, Berlin

Germany’s decision to ask the CIA station chief in Berlin to leave the country was an adequate, inevitable response following fresh allegations of US spying on Berlin, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said on Friday.

“Our decision to ask the current representative of the US intelligence services to leave Germany is the right decision, a necessary step and a fitting reaction to the break of trust which has occurred,” Steinmeier told reporters.

“Taking action was unavoidable, in my opinion. We need and expect a relationship based on trust.”

He added a strong transatlantic partnership was especially important now given international crises. He would tell US Secretary of State John Kerry when they meet in Vienna at the weekend for talks on Iran’s nuclear programme that Germany was eager to revive that partnership on the basis of mutual trust.

The scandal has chilled relations with Washington to levels not seen since Chancellor Angela Merkel’s predecessor opposed the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. It follows allegations that Merkel herself was among thousands of Germans whose mobile phones have been bugged by American agents. l

Van falls into pond, killing eight children in China

n AP, Beijing

Eight kindergarteners and three adults died in central China after the minivan they were in crashed into a pond, state media reported Friday.

The bus was returning the children home from school Thursday in a mountainous village near the capital city of Hunan province when it fell into a pond, the Xinhua News Agency said.

The minivan was pulled out of the pond early Friday with the children and a driver inside, while the bodies of two teachers were found an hour later, Xinhua said.

The minivan was carrying 11 passengers even though it had only seven seats, Xinhua reported, citing the father of one of the children who died as saying it was common for the van to be overloaded.

An investigation is under way, the agency said.

Overcrowding on buses is common in China, where two years ago, 19 children died when a makeshift school bus for a kindergarten collided head-on with a truck. The bus had been converted from a nine-seat freight van, but was carrying 64 people at the time of the accident.

The crash caused public uproar about school bus safety in rural China, where there is a shortage of education funds and children are often forced to travel far to get an education because of school closures. l

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Prescription

Saturday, July 12, 2014

Wipe out water-borne diseases in the monsoon Monsoon brings joyous relief from the scorching summer heat, yet it leaves behind a score of illnesses and diseases, some of which can be life threatening. Children are most vulnerable to these diseases.

Here is how to keep yourself and your family safe this monsoon season n Dr Mohammad Azizur Rahman

QUICK TIPS

How to measure body temperature

BIGSTOCK

Some of the diseases associated with monsoon are dengue, malaria, hepatitis A and E (jaundice), gastro intestinal infections such as HEALTH typhoid fever, diarrhea FLASH and cholera. Apart from these, viral infections such as cold and cough also make their presence felt.

Our body’s digestive system becomes weak during the rainy season, which makes us highly susceptible to all kinds of infections. So we should eat light and avoid spicy, greasy, fried, and fatty foods as they have a thermal effect on our body and make us feel sluggish. The changing weather causes allergies and acidity too.

Fever is a sign of a variety of medical conditions, including infection. Your normal temperature may differ slightly from the average body temperature of 98.6 F (37 C). For young children and infants – especially newborns – even slightly elevated temperatures may indicate a serious illness. For adults, a fever usually isn’t dangerous until it reaches 103 F (39.4 C) or higher.

How to take a temperature

Flaring of fungus

Importance of drinking boiled water, eating safe food and personal hygiene

Contamination of water and unhygienic conditions are very often the cause of many monsoon ailments. Sewage and drain pipes lie close to each other, and in the monsoon these pipes develop leaks - with the result that the sewage water comes into contact with regular water. It sounds sickening, but is a fact.

Many diseases like diarrhoea, cholera are spread through feces, which is why it is essential to drink boiled water in

Most thermometers have digital readouts. Some take the temperature quickly from the ear canal and can be especially useful for young children and older adults. Other thermometers can be used rectally, orally or under the arm (axillary). If you use a digital thermometer, be sure to read the instructions so that you know what the beeps mean and when to read the thermometer. Under normal circumstances, temperatures tend to be highest around 4 to 6 p.m. and lowest around 6 a.m.

Because of the potential for mercury exposure or ingestion, glass mercury thermometers have been phased out and are no longer recommended.

BIGSTOCK

the monsoon. Similarly, at a restaurant make it a point to drink bottled water or a soft drink instead of regular water.

Most restaurants here do not maintain the levels of hygiene you do at home.

In order to prevent water-borne diseases, do not drink water which is not properly boiled and stored. Drinking water should be boiled and properly filtered. Avoid consuming food that is exposed to the surroundings for quite a long time, since food that is exposed for a long time is contaminated by germs, which may cause various infections. Wash hands with soap after using the toilet and before and after eating.

Keep surroundings clean to prevent insects and rodents from breeding. Flies

HEALTH NEWS

Poor sleep tied to impotence Sleep problems are associated with erectile dysfunction according to the results of a new study.

The study examined the relationship between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and erectile dysfunction. OSA is a disorder that occurs during sleep, in which a person’s upper airway temporarBIGSTOCK ily collapses, causing them to stop breathing during sleep. After they adjusted for age and other health conditions, the researchers found that men with erectile dysfunction were more than twice as likely to have OSA as those without erectile dysfunction. And the more severe the erectile dysfunction, the greater the likelihood of having OSA, the investigators noted. The finding suggests that men with erectile dysfunction should be screened for OSA, said the researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

Let sleep for healthy heart

Lack of sleep can do more than make you cranky – it could shorten your lifespan. New research suggests that sleeping less than six to eight hours a night leads to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. The risk of heart disease can increase as much as 48% and the risk of stroke by 15% when BIGSTOCK a person regularly doesn’t get a minimum of six hours of sleep, scientists from the UK’s University of Warwick recently revealed. The researchers found that chronic sleep shortages produce hormones and chemicals in the body that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers studied 470,000 people from eight countries, including the US, UK, Japan, and Sweden, and found that the demands of the modern workplace and family are taking a toll. The study suggests that sleep deprivation also contributes to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, and obesity.

Sleep loss means loss of brain cells!

Sleep loss may be more serious than previously thought.

If may cause a permanent loss of brain cells. In mice, prolonged lack of sleep led to 25% of certain brain cells dying, according to a study in The Journal of Neuroscience. If the BIGSTOCK same is true in humans, it may be futile to try to catch up on missed sleep, say US scientists. They think it may one day be possible to develop a drug to protect the brain from the side-effects of lost sleep. The study, published in The Journal of Neuroscience, looked at lab mice that were kept awake to replicate the kind of sleep loss common in modern life, through night shifts or long hours in the office. In this study, researchers followed sleep patterns of night workers – three days of night shifts with only four to five hours sleep in 24 hours – the mice lost 25% of the brain cells, in part of the brain stem. But researchers add that more work needs to be done to find out if people who miss out on sleep might also be at risk of permanent damage.

| Compiled by Dr Israt Shormy

are the most common carriers of germs that mostly cause contamination.

Therefore remember to cook the vegetables well and steam them properly to kill the germ content in them, if any.

Alarm for diabetics

Diabetic patients need to take extra care of their feet during monsoon season. These patients should take specific care as not to walk bare-foot since the soil on which they walk is a reservoir of all types of germs.

Be aware of viral diseases

Rainy season plays a role in the rapid spread of viruses. Entry of influenza virus into the respiratory tract via drop-

lets from an infected person (coughing, talking or sneezing), or through contact with surfaces contaminated with discharges of an infected person, fever, headache, runny nose, sore throat, cough or other respiratory manifestations are the common features. Cover mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing to prevent the spread of the virus. Avoid crowded places. Wash hands frequently with soap and water.

Coping with Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes abound during the monsoon season, and cases of Malaria and Dengue are rising. Your best bet would be to keep your home mosquito-free. A mosquito net around the bed not only looks lovely

and Victorian, but also keeps mosquitoes away and is a better option than sleeping with a mosquito coil right next to you.

Regular inhalation of chemicals found in mosquito coils and mats is not too good for you, but is definitely a better option than getting bitten by a mosquito and risking Malaria or Dengue.

Do not take these diseases lightly.

Carry a mosquito repellent cream with you and give a small tube to your children. The cream should be applied to any exposed areas if there are mosquitoes around. l

Rectally (for infants) To take your child’s temperature rectally, Place a dab of petroleum jelly or other lubricant on the thermometer bulb. Lay your child on his or her stomach. Carefully insert the bulb onehalf inch to one inch into the rectum.

Hold the thermometer and child still for about one minute, until you hear a beep. To avoid injury, don’t let go of the thermometer while it’s inside your child. Remove the thermometer and read the temperature as recommended by the manufacturer. Taking a rectal temperature is also an option for older adults when taking an oral temperature is not possible. A rectal temperature reading is generally 1 degree Fahrenheit (about 0.5 degree Celsius) higher than an oral reading.

The writer is an Assistant Professor of Department of Respiratoty Medicine, MH Samorita Medical College, Dhaka.

Sudden infant death syndrome n Prescription Desk

Sudden infant death syndrome- SIDS is a term used to describe the sudden death of an infant under the age of one which remains HEALTH unexplained after inALERT vestigation. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is also known as cot death. It occurs when a baby dies suddenly and unexpectedly with no explanation for the cause of the death.

In Australia, deaths from SIDS have declined dramatically in the past 20 years with the decline being linked to public health campaigns promoting the importance of safe sleeping practices (such as placing babies to sleep on their backs). Currently about 88 babies each year die of SIDS in Australia.

Most babies die of SIDS between two and four months, although it can also happen to younger or older babies. It’s also more common in babies who are premature, were born with low birth weight, and are male.

While it usually occurs while babies are sleeping at night, it can also happen when your baby is sleeping in other places, like a pram, and can even

Orally

BIGSTOCK

Fungal infections of skin causing itching, asthma also get aggravated because of excess humidity. During the rains, humidity reaches its peak and has an adverse impact on hair health.

One should also ensure regular cleansing of scalp with shampoos followed by a conditioner, as there is high chance of dandruff due to dirt accumulated in scalp pores. Do not leave your clothes wet, and carry an umbrella.

BIGSTOCK

happen mid-feed. It’s still not known what causes SIDS and while research is ongoing, certain factors have been linked to increasing the risk of SIDS.

These include v

Placing your baby on its stomach

v v v v

or side to sleep.

Exposing your baby before and after birth to cigarette smoke.

Overheating/suffocation Bacterial or viral infections.

The baby having an irregular heartbeat. l

To take your temperature orally, Place the thermometer bulb under your tongue. Close your mouth for the recommended amount of time or until you hear a beep, usually one minute.

| Compiled by: Shirsho Saaeadat

Allergy medications during pregnancy n Prescription Desk Allergy medications are sometimes recommended during pregnancy.

Before you take any medication during pregnanWOMEN’S cy, it’s important to HEALTH weigh the severity of your symptoms against the possible risks to your baby.

For example, loratadine is considered a category B drug – which means that animal studies haven’t shown any risks to unborn babies whose mothers take the drug. Although there are no guarantees about safety during pregnancy, drugs in this class are often the best option when medication is needed during pregnancy.

If you’re struggling with allergy symptoms, it might help to:

v Avoid triggers. Limit your exposure to anything that triggers your allergy symptoms. v Try saline nasal spray. Over-the-

counter saline nasal spray can help ease nasal dryness, bleeding and congestion. Use the spray as often as needed. v Rinse your nasal cavity with a neti pot. Neti pots are available in most pharmacies. Once or twice a

day, fill the neti pot with an overthe-counter saline nasal solution.

Then tilt your head over the sink, place the spout of the neti pot in your upper nostril and gently pour in the saline solution. As you pour, the saline solution will flow

through your nasal cavity and out your lower nostril. Repeat on the other side. If you’d rather make your own irrigation solution, use water that’s distilled, sterile, previously boiled and cooled, or filtered using a filter with an absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller. Also be sure to rinse the neti pot after each use with similarly distilled, sterile, previously boiled and cooled, or filtered water. Leave the rinsed neti pot open to air-dry. v Include physical activity in your daily routine. Exercise helps reduce nasal inflammation. v Use nasal strips at night. Over-thecounter adhesive nasal strips – such as Breathe Right and Breathe Clear – can help keep your nasal passages open while you’re sleeping.

If these tips don’t relieve your allergy symptoms, remember that allergy medications aren’t necessarily off-limits during pregnancy. Work with your health care provider to choose the safest medication for you and your baby. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Heritage

Saturday, July 12, 2014

9

Chinese whispers

“S n Tim Steel

end three and four pence, we are going to a dance,” is a famous apocryphal message which is the the ultimate, distorted through whispered repetition by word of mouth, version of a message that originated as, “send reinforcements, we are going to advance.” This illustrates what we call “Chinese whispers.”

Chinese Whispers is a game, played around the world, in which a message is passed around a group of people by whispered word of mouth. The outcome is usually, either accidentally, more often deliberately, distorted, often beyond recognition.

giraffe in China, bears a remarkable resemblance to the mythical quinlin of Chinese mythology in Chinese heritage. The beast was held to be a good omen of prosperity.

It was said that the quinlin would manifest itself with, “the arrival of a wise man in a peaceful nation, symbolising a flourishing age.” It is not hard to imagine the public relations and propaganda use of the gift!

In fact, early 15th century China was already very familiar with the lands of the Indian subcontinent, especially those around the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers, and their delta.

It also seems reasonable to believe that the inhabitants of those lands were more than familiar with the lands known as Sinii, despite a description

‘Trade and people to people exchanges on the Southern Silk Road became even more active, and there were several routes available,’ almost all of which eventuated in, or around the Ganges delta

It seems a particularly appropriate title for a piece that aims to discuss a little of what the Chinese know about the history of Bangladesh. The interest of the Chinese has many motivations, but not least because of their historic trading contacts, and more recently political interests. However, it is knowledge about which most Bangladeshis seem either in complete ignorance, or in complete denial. The result is an often very distorted view,

Early 15th century China was already very familiar with the lands of the Indian subcontinent, especially those around the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers, and their delta

not only of those historic relations, but even of the history and heritage of Bangladesh itself.

China, in fact, both empirically, and in archaeological and documentary form, has learnt a great deal about the ancient history of Bangladesh. As close neighbours, they have shared a great deal of that history.

Take for example the sensation that was caused in the court of the Chinese emperor, Zhu Di, in 1414, by the arrival of a unique animal, sent as a gift by Saifuddin, sultan of Bengal. Its effect on courtiers, we can only imagine.

It was, in fact, a giraffe. And the very fact that Saifuddin had possession of one to gift to the emperor, raises all kinds of interesting questions about the direct trade linkages between early 15th century Bengal, mostly the lands that are now Bangladesh, and the African continent. That live animals should have formed a part of that trade, with all its inherent difficulties, seems to suggest strong, and regular ties.

We can only imagine the whispered comments from those who saw this strange animal; “is it a horse? What is it?,” but it seems the conclusion was rapidly reached that this was a “quilin.”

The first appearance of the African

Cowry shells being used as money by an Arab trader

in a mid first century Greco-Roman publication of the Common Era that describes the source of silk traded in the delta an, “an inland city, called Thina.”

Third century BCE tombs, two thousand two hundred years or so old, have, we are told, been found to contain Money shells of Indian Ocean origin. Such shells, still known as Money Cowries were a traditional currency throughout ancient Asia, and were still used in the lands of Bangladesh as recently as the nineteenth century.

Forms of money, are still interred with the deceased, in Chinese tradition, to finance their life in “otherworld.”

These whispers come from the modern historian, Bin Yang. There is even documentary evidence of the linkages, at least from the third century BCE, in the whispers from China.

Whispers that the academic world of Bangladesh have not heard, have misheard, not understood, or simply ignored.

The whispers come, not only from Bin Yang, in his seminal work on the history of Yunnan, published in 2008

by Columbia University, New York, but also from an earlier Chinese whisperer, the historian Sima Qian, the eminent historian of China’s second century BCE Western Han Dynasty.

He tells the story of the experiences of the Imperial envoy, Zhang Qian, and his travels to Bactria to establish the best route of trade with India.

On Zhang Qian’s advice, the emperor decided, “to rebuild the connection with the southwest region (India), and thus the Southern Silk Road, a road that had been there long ago, was restored.” (Hear that whisper? “Long ago,” long before the third century BCE!) The modern historian, Bin Yang, the ancient historian, Sima Qian, and the very ancient emissary, Zhang Qian, have all whispered of this ancient trade route, which they are unanimous in identifying as running from Yunnan, through upper Myanmar, either to Assam and the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra, or to other links, through Mandalay, to such coastal destinations as Chittagong, and Ramu.

The whispers resonate, still. In recent times; the United Nations World Tourism Organisation invited Bangladesh to join their Silk Road

WIKIMEDIA

project to promote tourism along the ancient trade routes. Even more recently, in the early June visit to Yunnan and China by Prime Minister Sheik Hasina, accords were reached to further research and promote the Silk Road heritage, for the development of tourism in the region.

In the Tang and Song dynasties, of seventh to 13th centuries, Chinese sources whisper to us, “trade and people to people exchanges on the Southern Silk Road became even more active, and there were several routes available,” almost all of which eventuated in, or around the Ganges delta.

These whispers, and many others, speaking of millennia of activity, it seems, have not been not so much misheard in Bangladesh. They appear, in fact, not to have been heard at all.

A pity, since the distorted view that so many in Bangladesh seem to have of their own history and heritage is certainly depriving them of much needed skilled and semi skilled jobs, and billions of dollars of the foreign exchange for which there is always some use.

Why, I often wonder, are today’s inhabitants of these lands, rich in such an extraordinary heritage, increasingly recognised around the world, but, particularly by one of the nation’s oldest, and still greatest, trading partner, so wilfully, or perversely, ignored or misheard? Especially when China itself, has, over the past two decades, developed a tourism industry worth millions of jobs and billions of dollars of income – an achievement which could probably be matched by Bangladesh with relatively little investment.

The most frequent explanation that has been whispered to me, which I admit to finding both hard to believe, and yet have no alternative explanation, is, “we are a predominantly Islamic people, and we don’t want to know.”

An interesting paradox, considering the Prophet’s reputed injunction, “seek ye knowledge, even unto China.”

In China, it seems, lies knowledge that could unleash social and economic development for Bangladesh, benefitting Muslim citizens as well as all others. If only the people of Bangladesh would listen, more carefully and closely, to Chinese Whispers; and pay more attention to the reputed injunction of the Prophet! l Tim Steel is a communications, marketing and tourism consultant.

An illustration of giraffes being transported,

A tribute from Saifuddin, sultan of Bengal to Emperor, Zhu Di, 1414.

WIKIMEDIA

WIKIMEDIA

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Saturday, July 12, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Banning marriage is not the solution

T

he ban on marriage between Bangladesh citizens and Rohingyas imposed by the government is not the answer to the refugee problem. This move, intended to solve the very real problem of a rapidly increasing population of illegal immigrants in our already overcrowded country, actually solves nothing.

The ban, which is applicable to both Rohingyas living within registered refugee camps and those living outside of camps as illegal immigrants, intends to serve as a deterrent for those using marriage as a strategy to become permanent residents of Bangladesh.

However, apart from being a terrible infringement on the rights on Rohingyas, this law is also an infringement on the rights of Bangladeshis.

Putting a ban on marriage as a disincentive is a shameful law which only makes Bangladesh and the government look bad.

We acknowledge the need to critically address the Rohingya problem – there may be up to 300,000 Rohingyas living illegally around Cox’s Bazar alone. However, our population problem needs to be addressed through workable policies in family planning and education, and with engaging diplomatically and smartly with the complex international problem of refugees.

Rohingyas are a highly persecuted minority of the world.

They come to Bangladesh to escape repressive policies of their government, sectarian violence, and dire poverty resulting from it, which is why we opened our doors to them in the past. Intruding on their or our basic right to marry any human being who consents to it flies in the face of any humanitarian progress we have made.

Our population problem needs to be addressed through workable policies in family planning and education

No winners in these strikes

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

Let’s build this city July 8

Adnan Wow, you’re actually able to say this. It’s as if our 400-year-old Dhaka will become like disposable tissue paper. You can’t fix anything in the world by hitting restart, you know.

F138 Adnan: It’s a tried and true solution.

Brazil’s capital moved from Rio de Janiero to Sao Paolo for similar reasons. The Russian capital switched from Moscow to St Petersburg, to Moscow again. Japan has switched capitals multiple times (Kyoto, Edo etc). 400 years of history will not go away, Dhaka will remain.

The problem is that there is no way the corrupt government could get such a project done. It’s never going to happen anyway.

Adnan F138: My comment wasn’t aimed at the theoretical appeal/utility of building new (capital) cities, but at this editorial piece.

It’s not too much to expect that policymakers and government agencies concentrate on the well-being of the 15 million people in Dhaka. It is clearly an urgent need, as the city sinks slowly into a puddle of waste, under the watchful eyes of two city corporations. It’s incumbent upon the media to constantly point this out.

Embarking upon yet another mammoth construction project – without having evaluated what went wrong originally – is quite likely a private-sector agenda. But it is an agenda that doesn’t serve Dhaka residents. And by extension, it should not serve society’s watchdogs either.

Building of a new city is no solution to the woes of an old one. It may well divert budget, attention, coverage and glamour elsewhere. But what happens when resources and attention

It is a matter of regret that no realistic steps towards a ceasefire have yet been taken

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

are diverted away from Dhaka to a new city?

Can Dhaka maintain even its current state of decrepitude? Can one really claim that Dhaka will still be Dhaka?

Rodders Adnan: As the capital city, Dhaka will retain most of its resources and attention. This new city may actually be a boon for Dhaka. Imagine some of the industries moving to this new city (which should hopefully be better designed and planned than Dhaka), as well as higher educational institutes and some of the tertiary sector. Or it could even work as a mere satellite town for Dhaka, connected by a good road and rail service. It will, for once, ease some of the pressure being exerted on this already creaking metropolis. I for one wouldn’t mind moving over to this new city, even if my work was to be based in Dhaka itself.

An hour-long, traffic-free commute over 70 miles is better than a one-and-half hour commute over just 5 miles or less.

The problems facing Dhaka are not new to most other major metropolises in the world. London and New York at one time faced the same problems Dhaka has, mainly overpopulation, horrendous traffic, and strained public services. Yet, through careful management, they managed to solve the issues facing their city. You will find that the majority of people, who work in the financial district of London, live in towns that may be up to 100 miles away. This decentralisation has allowed the authorities there to focus on improving what remained of the city, with impressive results. The same can work with Dhaka. You might be worried about the financial resources, but resources will always remain; it’s how those resources are managed, which matters.

A

ccording to Palestinian sources, the death toll in Gaza from Israeli air strikes has risen to 100. The death toll continues to rise as Israel keeps launching air strikes on Gaza in an operation that began on Tuesday. Israel has been claiming that the strikes are only intended to take out terrorists who threaten Israel. However, reports from the ground in Gaza show scores of innocent civilian casualties. Strikes have been launched on homes, not just Gazan rocket-launching sites.

Palestinian casualties have included a young girl in Rafah.

Palestine has launched retaliatory attacks, causing some fires and injuries.

Justified concerns of retaliation are causing distress and disrupting everyday life in Tel Aviv as well. It is a matter of regret that no realistic steps towards a ceasefire have yet been taken.

The goals in this conflict are fairly petty, and do not get us any closer to the heart of the long-term conflict between the two sides.

Israel wants to deal a blow towards Hamas’s fire power; Hamas wants the release of its operatives that had been rounded up by Israel, and the opening of its border with Egypt. These short-term goals from both sides do not in any way justify a death toll hitting three figures. The strikes need to stop, as they are unlikely to achieve anyone goals.

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 15 represents M so fill M every time the figure 15 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

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

CROSSWORD Act now to save us

July 8 sadi The Shia – Sunni conflict seems to have become the go-to reason, behind the violence seen now in the Middle East, for many logical, thinking Muslims. They are even being turned into scapegoats by outsiders. There seems to be no end of it, rather the story has become more critical. This conflict has caused many massacres as we have found in history, and currently the same issue is a large part of the ongoing violence in Iraq. It is a key reason behind the downfall of Islam, from the end of the Islamic golden age, when we Muslims feel proud to stand against, and strictly, against each other. Perhaps, being extremist, we have forgotten the basis of our religion. Or maybe, the underlying problem is we are not taking the right lessons from our sacred books.

BZ sadi: And I suppose this Shia-Sunni conflict is posing a grave threat to the climate?

Shagor Ajoj This is a good read!

Dubai plans to build a climate-controlled ‘city’ July 8

VK The majority of Muslim countries lack good governance, good education, and good health care. The rise of religious fundamentalism in Muslim countries is the direct result of frustration, poverty, and the feeling of insecurity.

Why do rich Muslim countries, like the United Arab Emirates, not invest their money to develop poor Muslim countries, to fight poverty, insecurity, and injustice, and to provide a secure future and jobs to millions of Muslim boys and girls (in their country of origin), instead of squandering billions of dollars on useless luxury projects just to show how rich they are? The perverted attitude of oil-rich Arabic countries is not my perception of Islam.

ACROSS 1 Indian ruler (5) 4 Decorative plant (4) 7 Face (6) 8 Well-founded (5) 10 Young horse (4) 11 Skilled (5) 12 Craft (3) 14 Satisfy fully (4) 17 Vegetable (4) 19 Vegetable (3) 20 Accustom (5) 23 Thin fog (4) 25 Agave fibre (5) 26 Oozed (6) 27 Church seats (4) 28 Reposes (5)

DOWN 1 Make known (6) 2 Greedy (4) 3 Conceal (4) 4 Truths (5) 5 Self (3) 6 Tell (6) 9 After due time (4) 13 Correct (6) 15 Monkeys (4) 16 Birds of prey (6) 18 Flying toys (5) 21 Consumer (4) 22 Be carried (4) 24 Ply the needle (3)

FMG VK: Because religion does not matter to them.

They only care about personal interests. Sometimes, faking religiousness allows them to control people and further their selfish gains.

Shakib slapped with ban

CALVIN AND HOBBES

July 8

Vikram Khan Arrogance doesn’t pay off.

Fuad Ahmed Shakib deserves some punishment, but it is too much from BCB. They can do everything, but can’t make the right decision. Who will benefit for this punishment? We have a number of series this year and the world cup in 2015.

Considering this, financial punishment would have been a better option.

Shakib needs counseling for his attitude, not punishment. To be a good man, he also needs to change his damn-care attitude and to be professional.

PEANUTS

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

Prescience in Oranje July 8

Touseef Hasan Never read anything more rubbish in my life.

Mahmud Wasif Nafee Gotta disagree with you.

Wow! Pure magic! I don’t think I have to go any further.

Rafath He’s Ireshional indeed! adam Such football knowledge. Much wow!

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Saturday, July 12, 2014

In a selfish state n Khawaza Main Uddin

E

vils are so powerful that we don’t need to search for a better example than the socio-political order today. The forces that use corruption as the means of livelihoods and growth look unstoppable, as impunity proves to be natural rights of the culprits.

But why are the gentlemen absconding from the protest rally, being staged in the hearts of millions? No, the privileged ones can’t take risks for altruistic purposes. “I am, at least, safe with my family. So, why should I be too concerned about the fates of others?”

The selfish orientation in both personal life and statecraft will not bring any solution

Research won’t stop

BIGSTOCK

Why tyrants fear social science

P

n Esam Sohail recisely 75 years ago, when Russian tanks rolled into Poland to claim their half of the hapless country after the infamous Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, the very first people rounded up to be shipped to the Siberian gulags were social scientists at the universities in Eastern Poland. That many of these historians, psychologists, and economists were socialist and communist themselves did not matter: Their potential danger was inherent in their craft of asking questions that went to the heart of a society’s dynamics.

This roundup of social scientists was a pattern repeated throughout the former USSR’s expansionist history as it sought to remove any alternative thought process in its conquered territories from the Urals to the Baltics to the doors of the Alps. Those who survived the ordeal of exile, forced labour, and eventual release – and few did – were often able to make it to the universities of the United Kingdom and the United States to resume their research and writing where, in their twilight years, I had the privilege of meeting a few such souls myself.

I bring this up because the current Awami League government has reminded us once again that even in 2014, the fear of tough questions and unapproved thought processes remain strong in those whose minds have never matched their words of pluralism.

In proposing a law that seeks to ban donor funded research by independent institutes unless such research is pre-approved by the government,

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the regime is simply following the thinking – if not the exact action – of many a tyrant through the pages of history: Social science research – based on approval by a government – is not considered valid in any legitimate scientific or professional society. The prime minister’s daughter, who herself is apparently a psychologist practicing in a civilised society, should have been able to inform the PM of this basic reality.

constructed and rigorously reviewed surveys, now they have turned to the heavy hand of legal sanctions against unpalatable truth.

Bangladesh, like most countries with a similar religious and socio-political background, has no tradition of social science research in the sense it is understood in the global academic community. This fact is underlined by the available data from Brookings Institute: On the average, the entire

The last thing Bangladesh needs is for its social scientists to move to those shores where their craft is respected rather than restrained

The irony is that the government itself funds many of its civil service training and research programs through donor dollars including millions from the World Bank, the British DFID, and Canadian CIDA among others. The government’s objective is clear: It is very embarrassed by the alternative narrative that is emerging from well-respected independent social research about public perceptions, a narrative that is increasingly at odds with the rosy scenario of peace, prosperity, and democracy being peddled by the ruling party’s spokesmen and sycophants.

Disappointed at being rebuffed when they tried the “such research is not valid” line to question solidly

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Muslim world produces less than 5% of the world’s peer-reviewed social science research output.

And given that this is social science (rather than capital-heavy physical science) we are talking about, the simplistic excuse of a paucity of financial resources doesn’t quite explain the wide disparity.

That revelation is hardly surprising considering that the crux of social science research involves asking often tough questions that can yield to discoveries that are devastating to deeply held views on society, culture, religion, and other social dynamics.

Just as with other sciences, social sciences also predicate themselves on the scientific method which, again, is

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premised on free inquiry, robust trial and error, and a wide berth of operation untrammeled by the agendas of those outside the realm of the scholarly or research community.

Those conditions simply do not exist in those parts of the world where ideology – either of an elite or of the majority – holds sway based on the concept of “we are always right and any evidence to the contrary is either wrong or conspiratorial or motivated by ill will.”

The end result is that simple things like GDP calculations or census estimates or even a nonpartisan version of national history remains a distant dream four decades into nationhood, even as uppity heirs apparent jet around the globe proclaiming a “Digital Bangladesh” to politely disbelieving audiences whose own research shows them better.

The last thing Bangladesh needs is for the remnants of its skeletal crew of social scientists to move to those shores where their craft is respected rather than restrained by the barely concealed agenda of a ruling party that is frightened to look at the mirror held up to its shortcomings.

It is a pity that this government is so ignorant of history: Social sciences will far outlast tyrants. If you don’t believe me, try to find the Soviet Union on the map, and then look up the roster of any social science faculty at a major American university and see how many Russian surnames you find. l Esam Sohail is an educational research analyst and college lecturer of social sciences. He writes from Kansas, USA.

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Modern civilisation has developed the concept of middle class, the character of which is like the colour of water.

Most of us are proud of being part of this class, a distinct position between upper and lower echelons.

Once boasting of its urge and endeavour to uphold moral values and sophisticated culture, this middle class is out to protect personal well-being and self-aggrandisement, more so in a consumer society, at a cost which is yet to be measured in financial terms and otherwise.

Still, trendy intellectuals overcome their shame to justify the opportunistic stance. The decline in quality of education, to them for example, is a matter of subjective judgment, not any quantifiable reality. If the degradation in values perturbs a few middle class sons of soil, certain escapist thoughts stop them from raising their voice.

As we are growing economically, we are increasingly distancing ourselves from two simple human qualities – the courage to think freely and act independently. Rather, we are being driven by dominant advertisements of the “free market” that are holding generations hostage to excessive needs and thoughtless aspirations.

Thus, we are losing self-belief while venturing on initiatives to bring the most needed changes – be it in personal habits or rules of the state. Many of us forget to speak out even to give relief to a repentant conscience, let alone fighting for the righteous cause for the salvation from the curses.

The talks of corrections may sound too ideal in the stark reality of life. A few, however, ventilate their disturbing feelings emanating from their convictions about the absurdity of the prevailing order. Pope Francis is one of them who recently criticised the capitalist spree of “idolatry of money” and foretold of a new form of “tyranny” for human society.

It is this capitalism which has taught us to live in an imaginary world where profit-making and personal gains dictate our dreams and activities every day. Placing all trust in the market forces, which may turn ferocious at times, has given rise to what economists

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coined “market fundamentalism.”

Everyone, however, agreed that the 2008 financial meltdown in the West was the result of unfettered greed of market players. But then the status quo is maintained, deliberately.

Some pundits are singing songs of the victory of the profiteering tendency with selfish motto. Soviet communism withered away after 70 years, and the welfare state is about to die.

Inwardly, how do they look at collaborative consumption or business clusters? Such models have effectively shown limits of “value addition,” which was assumed to have no end.

Selfish interests are not served either, when the social insurance of supporting each other is on the wane.

In the newly emerging markets, we are still running after growth, quite optimistically. Our friends in America or France commonly are anxious about the standards of living of their children.

In the quest for prosperity defined by wealth and consumption, we are moving fast to embrace similar consequences. The people, in a selfish world, are scared of losing self-interest: A minister hesitates to resign or a service-holder can’t leave his/her job, no matter how strong is the rationale for relinquishing a position.

Beyond the reach of helpless individuals, there are stronger players – predators, tormenters, or greedy eyes – who cleverly ignore humanitarian considerations. Money, power, ethos, and fame – all these have been the determining factors of our new social fabric devoid of space for promoting its intrinsic values.

The promise capitalism has made for emancipation of individuals is going to be a broken one as soon as development comes to a saturated point.

Human interests have already been sacrificed to the whims of a handful of individuals at the helm of institutions that possess money, power, intelligence, and terrorist forces. Yes, an outsider, say, Barack Obama, can go there by chance, to serve them offering oneself only as a tool.

Systems are built to ensure the people’s collective welfare and refinement, but we have failed so far to establish properly functional relations between man and the institution.

Historically, either our “superhuman” individuals have shattered the system, or the institution’s bureaucracy delivered disservices to the nation.

Capitalism has taught us to live in an imaginary world where profitmaking dictates our dreams and activities After decades of trial and error, many of us have gotten confused about whether we need a good system of governance, or pious souls in leadership position. I can humbly swear that the selfish orientation in both personal life and statecraft will not bring any solution to the current crisis. l Khawaza Main Uddin is Executive Editor at ICE Business Times.

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Business is the key n Ekram Kabir

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ometimes, it aches to see the global indexes about Bangladesh’s state of the economy.

Most of the assessments provide a dismal picture almost all the time.

Take a recent one for example. The Oxford University of UK, in a study, has recently placed Bangladesh as the third-poorest country in South Asia.

The study placed Afghanistan as the poorest country in South Asia, with 66% of its people being destitute, followed by India with 54%.

Another recent report, citing our own Planning Commission statistics, said a total of 1.75 crore people, which is 13% of the population, are ultra-poor. Their daily income is Tk32, which is less than the price of one kg of rice. This is certainly a poor picture of the lot. The ultimate responsibility to ensure people’s food, shelter, clothing, education, and health falls on the government’s shoulders. Our state tries to provide these to the poor through some social safety net programs. However, the question has always remained as to how beneficial our safety net programs for the poor really are.

We try to provide safety nets

through 102 projects. Of them, elderly allowance, widow allowance, food for work, vulnerable group feeding, and scholarships are prominent. The beneficiaries get monthly allowances of Tk300 to Tk500, which is equivalent to one agricultural labourer’s one-anda-half day’s remuneration.

We haven’t been trying hard enough to engage the private sector in resolving the poverty issue The big question is: How beneficial are these allowances for the people?

The beneficiaries have to bribe the officials for getting these measly amounts. Then again, 2.4 crore people don’t get any of these benefits. The Planning Commission statistics say a total of 3.75 crore people, which is 26% of the population, live under the poverty line.

Having said that, I feel our safety

net programs are in a pitiable state.

The measures can hardly provide any relief for the ultra-poor. Our economists and analysts have suggested that without any improvement of the overall economy, the poverty problems will never be solved. Keeping that in mind, we’ve been trying several methods in order to boost our economy and we’ve been successful, albeit slowly, to do that to a certain extent.

However, that hasn’t come as a relief for the ultra-poor. The benefits of economic development haven’t been reaching them. One reason for that is perhaps the lack of procedural maturity of our public sector. We haven’t been trying hard enough to engage the private sector in resolving the poverty issue.

To my mind, engaging the private sector means to increase local and international businesses in this country.

We haven’t been putting more emphasis in creating a business-friendly atmosphere here. The private sector has already shown that business is the key to development, but our state is falling short in creating an environment where Bangladeshis can become entrepreneurs.

Yes, Bangladesh has been making progress in global business compet-

itiveness, but corruption has been playing the role of the main deterrent to doing business. Ask any businessman in this country, and he or she will tell you their terrible experiences as to how, day in and day out, they have to comply with corruption.

I have seen several non-resident Bangladeshis to change their decisions, on the face of corruption and harassment, to invest in Bangladesh.

They all went back after their unfriendly experiences. In many cases, however, businessmen also provoke officials to pick up corrupt practices.

Business houses in the private sector are not too innocent. Many corrupt practices have crept in the business concerns that are leading to huge losses.

Inadequate supply of infrastructure, inefficient bureaucracy, access to financing, and government instability are other problematic factors that affect businesses in Bangladesh. The investors have been crying their hearts out for these facilities, but our government has been taking an unusually long time to make these facilities available.

We’re yet to recognise farmers as entrepreneurs, whereas many countries across the world have immensely

benefited by putting the emphasis on farmers. Small and medium enterprises have been getting little importance these days, but that doesn’t seem enough for a true boost to the economy. All the initiatives seem too slow.

Business is the key to development, but our state is falling short in creating an environment where Bangladeshis can become entrepreneurs

And indeed, in this slow pace, ubiquitous political instability strikes as another grave concern for turning Bangladesh into a business-friendly country. Our politicians seem very nonchalant about this aspect. They always turn a semi-blind eye to the fact that business is the key to that which they themselves are working for. It would be so nice to see them turning our country into a business-friendly country. l Ekram Kabir, a journalist, is a DT columnist.

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Saturday, July 12, 2014

I would love to play the role of Gabbar Singh: Shatabdi Wadud Tell us about your big screen struggle and the differences between acting in cinema, theatre and TV.

From theatre to the big screen is a big leap and the endeavour is equally intense. As a medium, film has more stability than TV, I prefer the big screen but I also love acting in TV because of my theatre background.

What is your dream role?

I would love to play the role of Gabbar Singh in “Sholay” or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s role in “Terminator 2.”

Your favourite co-artists.

Azad Abul Kalam on stage. On TV, Joya Ahsan, Nadia and Raisul Islam Asad.

Tell us about your recent ventures.

At present, I am working in a single episode drama titled “Ondore Alo” which will be aired on SA TV during Eid and my co-artists are Runa Khan, Mahmudul Islam Mithu, Nawshaba and Saju Khadem.

Another of my project titled “Chadni Chor” directed

by Kamruzzaman Pappu is also underway. For Eid, I have worked in 10 to 12 single episode plays.

Shotabdi Wadud in an upcoming TV drama Ondore Alo

Which one is your favourite among these?

n Hasan Mansoor Chatak This Eid, Shotabdi Wadud will be seen in two different attitude of a same character, a police officer, in a drama titled “Ondore Alo” directed by Wahid Anam.

Dhaka Tribune caught up with the actor about his work in “Jibondhuli,” recent ventures and more.

What was the audience response to “Jibondhuli”?

I think the film was not promoted properly. The audience knew that a film named “Jibondhuli” is out, but they didn’t get the opportunity to watch the film as they were unaware of the screening schedules.

I got both negative and positive response from the audience and I appreciate it. I like to be criticised for my work so that I can work on improving my acting.

After watching the film, I realised that I had the capability to do better.

In “Ondore Alo,” I have played the role of a corrupted police officer. When his daughter goes to comma for an accident, his wife and everyone else blame him and his wayward actions. He tries to atone as for his sins. I have played the character of a police officer before but this time, I feel different.

What are your plans for Eid?

On Eid day, my son and I will wear same punjabi and will visit my mother and then hangout with family and friends.

Shatabdi Wadud is famed for his multi-dimensional work. The actor is also known for his skilful work on TV as well as frequent performances in films.

His talents have been recognised by both fans and critics as he won a National Film Award for his role in the film “Guerrilla.” l

Documentary Adam Surat screens today n Entertainment Desk

“Adam Surat” (a documentary on S M Sultan) by Tarque Masud and a conversation “Prakriti o Purusha” on women and men in Sultan's artworks, will be held today from 3:30pm at the Daily Star-Bengal Arts Precinct.

Based on noted artist SM Sultan’s life, “Adam Surat,” subtitled “The Inner Strength,” was cinematographed by Mishuk Munir, who was also killed in that road crash that took away Tareque.

The new 47-minute remastered version is an intimate portrait of Sultan and the transition period of his style.

The documentary starts with a scenic portrayal of Chitra River that has always immensely influenced Sultan’s work. It highlights how the life and philosophy of Sultan were reflected in his creations.

A confirmed bachelor, Sultan lived in a house in Narail, his hometown, and showed children how to paint. With the talent that he had, he could have lived a life of extreme grandeur and acclaim in a developed country, but instead, he chose the life of solidarity in his small hometown because he was in love with the peasants of Bangladesh. l

Anita 2 hits the market today n Limana Solaiman Ishraque H Anita’s third solo album “Anita 2” hits the market today under the banner of Agniveena. Fans of the artiste will be able to enjoy the new songs on Radio G (radiogbd.com) from their smart phones only.

A versatile artiste, Anita’s new album is a consolidation of 9 tracks which is out to impress with a track list of semi-classical fusion, romantic ballads, western style music and contemporary numbers. The lyricists and composers are Sajjad Kabir of Re-dhun, Rajib Hossain of Obscure and Neepo Roz of K-Oz. Two of the duets, “Proshno” with Sajjad Kabir and “Chaini E Chawa” with Neepo Roz are enjoyable to say the least. A rock fusion track, “Proshno” is a surprisingly melodious with an equally interesting lyrics. “Chaini E Chawa” is a beautiful melodic number that will transport listeners to a romantic realm. The music video of the track “Srabono,” a semi-classical fusion, will

release soon and will be telecast on all TV channels. It is made by Luthful Plabon.

In conversation with the Dhaka Tribune, Anita said: “It took us one and half years to complete the album. I enjoyed a lot during the making, as the composers are wonderful people and I get along with them like a house on fire. On many occasions, we were at each other’s throat, the only target was to achieve perfection.”

Anita is a versatile artiste who enjoys singing rock, pop, latin, RnB as well as hip hop. She was trained as a classical and Nazrul Geeti singer from her childhood but pursued her career in music during her MBBS studies at Bangladesh Medical College. Her debut album “Chondraloke” came out in 2009 under the banner of Sangeeta and after two years, her second album titled “Anita” came out in 2012 under the banner of Agniveena.

The tracks of the new album will be available as caller tunes for Grameenphone, Airtel and Robi users. l

Malaika Arora Khan dated Arjun Kapoor? n Entertainment Desk

Now the news revolves around Malaika and Arjun. Malaika Arora Khan had an extra-marital short time relationship with Arjun Kapoor after Arjun broke up with Salman Khan’s younger sister Arpita Khan, as per reports.

Rumours are that the Khan family got to know about it all and Arjun was told to stay away. Arjun Kapoor when asked about this relationship said that Salman would have killed him if the rumour was true. Malaika spoke about her alleged link up with Arjun at an event lately. When she was asked about him, she denied the rumours completely and said it was just people’s imagination. l

Tom Cruise and Rebecca Ferguson in MI5 n Entertainment Desk Swedish newcomer Rebecca Ferguson has been tapped to star opposite Tom Cruise in “Mission: Impossible 5” after Jessica Chastain passed the part.

Ferguson made a name out of herself when she starred in the titular role of BBC’s “The White Queen,” reported Deadline.

She was nominated for a Golden Globe this year for her first English-language role.

She can be seen next in Brett Ratner’s “Hercules,” to be released on July 25.

Actor Alec Baldwin is in talks to join the

fifth instalment of the action franchise as the head of the CIA. Plot is still kept under wraps but reports say he will be a high-ranking CIA officer who oversees Cruise’s division, very much like Laurence Fishburne’s role in “Mission: Impossible 3.”

Chris McQuarrie will direct the film from the script penned by Drew Pearce. Paramount has slated it for release on December 25, 2015.

Cruise will reprise his role as Ethan Hunt.

Jeremy Renner and Simon Pegg also return to the franchise. l

Ek Villain enters 100 crore club Game of Thrones leads Emmy nominations n Entertainment Desk

Romatic thriller “Ek Villain” entered the “100 Crore Club” becoming actor Riteish Deshmukh’s third film to touch the magic figure after “Housefull 2” and “Grand Masti.”

Made on a budget of Rs 350m, the film has collected Rs.1013.2m net at the domestic box office.

Inspired by Korean film “I Saw The Devil,” “Ek Villain” opened on June 27, with positive review and general hype over it’s suspense and music. It crossed the 500m mark within three days of it’s release.

Sidharth Malhotra’s brooding looks, Shraddha Kapoor’s effervescence and Riteish Deshmukh’s excellent portrayal of a serial killer managed to pull crowd from all quarters.

“Ek Villain” is Sidharth Malhotra’s first, while director Mohit Suri and Shraddha Kapoor’s second 1000m movie, too. l

n Entertainment Desk Fantasy drama series “Games of Thrones” has topped the list of nominations for this year’s Primetime Emmy awards with a total of 19 nods.

The Northern Ireland filmed programme was recognised in a number of technical categories, including directing, casting, art direction and costumes, as well as the bigger awards, including Outstanding Drama Series.

Also hoping to collect an accolade during the Emmy ceremony in August are Peter Dinklage and Lena Headey, who are nominated in the Outstanding Actor/Actress in a Drama Series category.

Dinklage portrays the intelligent “imp” Tyrion Lanister in the HBO programme, while Headey plays his conniving sister Queen Cersei.

Northern Ireland’s Ronan Hill and his team have been nominated for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series. They won for season two of “Game of Thrones” in 2012 and were nominated again for season three in 2013.

Period drama “Downton Abbey” also received a number of nods, including Outstanding Drama

Series and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for Maggie Smith, who plays the Dowager Countess.

Michelle Dockery, who plays Lady Mary Crawley, Jim Carter, who plays Mr Carson and Joanne Froggart, who plays lady’s maid Anna, have also been recognised at this year’s awards.

“Downton Abbey,” which returns to UTV this autumn, received 12 nominations in total.

“Sherlock” star Martin Freeman has eclipsed his co-star Benedict Cumberbatch after he was nominated for two awards.

The actor, nominated for his role as Dr Watson and for his work in US mini-series “Fargo,” is one of a host of UK stars among the nominees announced on Thursday.

His performance as Lester Nygaard in “Fargo,” based on the hit film of the same name, sees him nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries or A Movie.

The other nominees include Benedict, nominated for “Sherlock,” Chiwetel Ejiofor who is nominated for the BBC drama “Dancing On The Edge” and Idris Elba for “Luther.”

Also in the running are Mark Ruffalo and Freeman’s “Fargo” co-star Billy Bob Thornton.

Martin’s performance as Watson sees him pick up another nomination - for Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries or A Movie where he faces competition from names including “Fargo’s” Colin Hanks and Alfred Molina.

The awards will be handed out at a Los Angeles ceremony on 25 August 2014. l

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, July 12, 2014

Want a ticket to Maracana?

from Sao Paulo, Brazil

No, its not the host Brazil in the 2014 World Cup final. Instead, their neighbors Argentina will launch an invasion of Rio on Sunday hoping to start their own party in its arch rival’s back yard, though it will cost the fans a pretty penny if they want to attend the game.

The tickets have been long sold out from Fifa for the final between Argentina and Germany at the Maracana Stadium, but fans are still bidding huge bucks in the secondary market.

The prices of any ticket, regardless of the category, has skyrocketed on the different web portals where only few are available.

A seller was seen asking 35 times greater the price than its original

Disciplined Klose sets eye on title

value. On the website “Free Market” in Argentina, the seller had a category 3 ticket and asked for 115,000 Argentine pesos or 31,330 Brazilian Reals or US$14400, an amount 35 times greater than officially sold by Fifa.

He even lured the buyers saying the ticket can be delivered to Sao Paulo or Rio de Janeiro and what a lifetime opportunity it is to be at the Maracana on Sunday. Interestingly, some potential buyers offered homes and property in exchange, but the person who probably bought the ticket had commented “let’s negotiate” after which the seller closed his blog saying “SOLD”.

It was also seen on the same website that tickets are sold at 89,000 pesos or R$24,250 or US$10900.

In another website “TicketBis” the prices were also 10 to 20 times higher than its usual value. The prices ranged from US$6,386.74 to US$18,282.44 for a category 3 ticket while a category 1 ticket was asked for R$40,618 or US$18,300 - 20 times higher than the normal value R$1,980 or US$592.

The prices however shouldn’t bother those passionate faces painted in blue and white and they’re probably still jumping up and down with joy of reaching the final after 24 years. Any price tag will be less, given the Albiceleste lift their third World Cup glory with the hands of Lionel Messi.l

n Raihan Mahmood from Brazil The record holder of highest goals scored in World Cup history, Germany’s Miroslav Klose said discipline is the key factor that has propelled him to the success.

In a news conference on Thursday the mercurial Germany forward revealed some facts that showed how discipline steers a player to the highest level. The 36-year-old striker, top scorer in World Cup history with 16 goals, opts to sleep early. He is accustomed to lull the children around 8:00pm and himself hits the sack at the same time.

He does not smoke and never accepts any invitation to a bar. Klose said he drinks, but it is a very rare case. “A life ruled by discipline, that’s what I like,” said the forward who scored Germany’s second goal in the 23rd minute in the 7-1 demolition of Brazil to break the the mark of 15 goals he shared with Brazilian great Ronaldo. His initial tap on a corner of Toni Kroos was parried away by Brazil goalkeeper Julio Cesar only to Klose again who calmly stroked the rebound home. Playing his fourth World Cup, he came off the bench to get Germany back into the contest against Ghana and scored the equaliser in the 2-2 draw.

Van Gaal Old Trafford bow set for August 12 n AFP, Manchester Louis van Gaal will get his first taste of Old Trafford as Manchester United boss when the English giants face Spain’s Valencia in a pre-season friendly on August 12, the club announced.

The game, with Ryan Giggs in the dugout for the first time as assistant manager, is also likely to see new signings Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw play in front of the Old Trafford crowd for the first time.

Before that, United will play four matches in the United States – on July 23 in Los Angeles against LA Galaxy, three days later in Den-

n AFP, Barcelona

ver against Roma, on July 29 in Washington against Inter Milan before a trip to Ann Arbour on August 2 to tackle Real Madrid. Giggs said he had been in contact with van Gaal even during the World Cup where the Dutch national team’s World Cup campaign ended in semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday.

“I flew out and spent a couple of hours with him. We went through players who were at the club -- ones who may be going, ones who may be coming in,” said Giggs.

Giggs added: “He’s not scared about the challenge, he’s not apprehensive -- he can’t wait. He has the experience to do it. It won’t be easy. It never is. l

Chile star Sanchez agrees Arsenal deal

n Reuters, Madrid

n AFP, London

Baridhara on brink of relegation n Tribune Desk

we were looking for to cover this position,” Atletico sports director Jose Luis Perez Caminero said on the club website.

“He’s a winner, a player used to winning titles. He’ll contribute very much.”

Mandzukic spent two years with the German champions, scoring 33 goals in 54 Bundesliga appearances. He netted the opener against Dortmund in the 2013 Champions League final, which Bayern won 2-1.

The striker has scored 15 goals in 52 appearances for Croatia, including two at the World Cup in Brazil where his team were eliminated in the group stages.

Atletico won their first La Liga title in 18 years and reached the final of the Champions League last season. l

Chile’s star World Cup striker Alexis Sanchez agreed to join Arsenal on Thursday on a longterm contract for a reported fee of around £35 million, the English Premier League side announced.

Sanchez, 25, joins Arsenal from Barcelona where he made a total of 88 appearances, scoring 39 goals during his three seasons with the Catalan side. Reports suggested the transfer was worth in the region of £35 million ($60million, 44 million euros), which would represent Arsenal’s second biggest outlay for a player behind the club-record £42.5 million spent on Germany international Mesut Ozil last summer. l

WORLD CUP IN BANGLADESH PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST

Send us your photographs to WorldCupBD@dhakatribune.com

Abahani Limited defeated Uttar Baridhara 2-0 in the Nitol-Tata Bangladesh Premier Football League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.

Osei Morrison put Abahani ahead in the 15th minute before Nasir Uddin doubled the lead in the 34th minute.

With the victory, Abahani remained at second position in the points table with 46 points from 24 matches while Baridhara are at the bottom with 12 points from the same number of matches. With just three games remaining to the end of the league campaign and with ninth-placed Feni Soccer Club two points ahead with a game in hand, Baridhara are all set for relegation.

Baridhara will be keenly watching today’s game at the Bangabandhu National Stadium between Soccer Club and Brothers Union which kicks off at 4pm.l

DAY’S WATCH BTV, Gazi TV, Maasranga TV Fifa World Cup 2014 3rd place play-off 2:00AM Brazil v Netherlands Star Sports 1, 3, HD1

BEST PHOTO OF JULY 11

4:00PM India tour of England 1st Test, Day 4

RAISA TAMANNA KHAN Communication Associate, Tejgaon, Dhaka

For more info visit our FB event page ‘World Cup in Bangladesh’ Photography Contest

When asked jokingly, if he will drink “about 12 beers or a caipirinha” if Germany becomes champion, Klose interrupted and said he never drank that much in his life.

“Almost never,” he pondered. Then responded with a curious phrase “I cannot guarantee anything. But if we win the trophy, so I can imagine that we will have a moment when, yes, I can really relax. The animal that likes to party is also inside me, but let’s see what will happen.”

Klose played his first World Cup in 2002 and since then the the 36-year-old featured for his country in all the next editions. The match on Sunday against Argentina will be his second World Cup final, the first been against Brazil in 2002, and likely to be his last World Cup match too. The record holder insisted he is focused on the best result possible at Maracana and surely it is not going to be a defeat.

“I savor every moment when I am in the middle of the park, I have gone through four different selection cycles, four national teams, I have controlled myself from being too much emotional, but emotions always appear. I have not celebrated my record yet as I am concentrating on it, I’ll enjoy it (the record) later. At the moment, I’m enjoying the World Cup and the duty is not finished yet,” Klose opined. l

Barcelona buy World Cup biter Suarez

Mandzukic signs four-year deal with Atletico Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic has signed a four-year deal with Atletico Madrid after joining from Bayern Munich, the La Liga club said on Thursday.

The Spanish champions have acted quickly to bring the 28-year-old target man on board after Spain forward Diego Costa sealed a move to English Premier League club Chelsea last week.

Mandzukic had become surplus to requirements at Bayern following the arrival of forward Robert Lewandowski from Bundesliga rivals Borussia Dortmund.

“The incorporation of Mario Mandzukic is great news because he has the features

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Banned Shakib considering appeal n Mazhar Uddin Suspended national all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan is likely to appeal to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) against his punishment. Shakib was recently banned by the BCB from all cricket activities for six months and barred from participating in overseas leagues till the end of next year due to indiscipline.

The punishment dished out to Shakib was quoted in many quarters as a result of his misbehaviour towards new head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and for his scuffle with a spectator during the first ODI against India at Mirpur last month.

Following a board meeting on July 7, board president Nazmul Hasan announced the decision against Shakib.

Five days have elapsed as the left-handed all-rounder is yet to comment publicly over the issue. But according to sources Shakib is thinking about appealing to the board and thus minimise his punishment.

Shakib is yet to receive the punishment officially as the board has not handed over the official letter to the ace all-rounder which is expected to be given in the next few days. Meanwhile the controversial cricketer is also waiting for his mentor Mohammad Salahuddin, the former fielding coach of Bangladesh, who is currently in Malaysia. Salahuddin is likely to arrive today and after consulting with his mentor, Shakib will take the next course of action. l

Barcelona struck a deal on Friday to buy Uruguayan star striker Luis Suarez from Liverpool, sealing the transfer despite an uproar over him biting a World Cup rival.

Despite the furore that saw him sent home from the World Cup, Barcelona pushed ahead to sign the 27-year-old goalscorer reportedly on condition he apologise for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini.

The Spanish club said in a statement on Friday they and Liverpool “have reached an agreement for the transfer of Luis Suarez”, but declined to say how much they paid.

Spanish newspapers reported that Barcelona paid 81 million euros ($110 million) for the player while British media put the sum at £75 million (94 million euros).

The player said a sad farewell to fans of the English club, whom he helped fire to second place in the Premier League last season, sending them into the Champions League.

“It is with a heavy heart that I leave Liverpool for a new life and new challenges in Spain,” he said in a statement published

by Liverpool.

“This club did all they could to get me to stay, but playing and living in Spain, where my wife’s family live, is a lifelong dream and ambition. I believe now the timing is right.”

Barca’s new coach Luis Enrique is overhauling the squad after a disappointing season in which they narrowly failed to defend their Spanish league title.

Barcelona were seduced by the

goalscoring record of Suarez, who was the top scorer in England’s Premier League last season with 31 goals.

“Luis Suarez is one of the most productive strikers in European football,” the club said.

“He also has a strong competitive spirit and a powerful figure, and he’s coming to Barca in search of even more.”

Suarez bit Chiellini on the shoulder on June 24 in a 1-0 win over Italy which took Uruguay into the World Cup last 16 before they were knocked out by Colombia.

He was handed a four-month ban from all football activities, suspended from nine international matches and fined 100,000 Swiss francs ($112,000). l

14

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, July 12, 2014

Argentina’s national team coach Alejandro Sabella stands next to player Lionel Messi (L) and his teammates during a training session ahead of their 2014 World Cup final against Germany in Vespasiano, on Thursday

Mascherano makes final dream reality n AFP, Rio de Janeiro

Argentina had to rely upon their leader and Barcelona star to squeeze past the Netherlands and reach their first World Cup final for 24 years, but it wasn’t the one they expected.

Javier Mascherano continued his fine World Cup with a last-ditch tackle deep into stoppage time to prevent Arjen Robben’s goalbound effort from breaking the deadlock before Argentina prevailed on penalties.

“It was more my job. When Robben took a heavy touch, he lost a second, and I was able to make the challenge.

I did what anyone would have

Di Maria trains in hope of making final n Reuters, Belo Horizonte Argentina winger Angel Di Maria trained lightly on Thursday in the hope of being able to play a part in the World Cup final against Germany on Sunday despite suffering a thigh injury just days ago.

Di Maria, the South Americans’ most creative player after Lionel Messi, hurt a muscle when shooting at goal during the quarter-final win over Belgium The speedy Real Madrid player, who links well with Messi in Argentina’s attack, jogged lightly in his first training since the injury at Argentina’s camp in Belo Horizonte.

Di Maria is racing against the clock to be ready for Sunday, though, and sources close to the Argentine squad said the best he could hope for would be a place on the substitutes’ bench with an outside chance of coming on. l

done,” Mascherano argued modestly afterwards.

Whilst four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi carries the armband and provides the stardust, Mascherano is the heart and soul of this Argentina side.

If Messi leads by his example, Mascherano is the vocal leader. The latest example of that coming before the penalty shootout against the Dutch when “the little chief” could be seen telling goalkeeper Sergio Romero, “tonight you become a hero in Argentina.”

Romero went onto make the two crucial saves in the shootout.

Mascherano had been captain at

the last World Cup under Diego Maradona, who claimed after taking the job his side would be “Mascherano and 10 more.”

And with the current Argentinian side on the verge of emulating his achievements of winning the World Cup in 1986, it was Mascherano not Messi who earned the plaudits of Maradona.

“When I said it was Mascherano and 10 more, they laughed,” he said on Wednesday.

“Now they can not laugh. The example on the pitch is Mascherano. Everyone follows his rhythm so they cannot score against us.”

Score against them is what no one has managed to do in the knockout phase and Argentina had battled their way to the final in a way no one expected.

Messi’s has been a World Cup of moments rather than spell-binding dominance, whilst the other three of the La Albicelceste’s fantastic four: Sergio Aguero, Gonzalo Higuain and Angel di Maria have all been affected by a lack of fitness or form.

Instead it is the work of Mascherano patrolling his backline that has contributed to four clean sheets in six games in Brazil.

His form is all the more amazing giv-

en he hasn’t played his preferred role at club level for four years since signing for Barcelona.

Converted into a central defender by Pep Guardiola, Mascherano has experienced highs and lows at Barca with his lack of height and pace often exploited in the last line of defence.

Yet, so beloved is he within the club that last month he was rewarded with a new contract until 2018.

“I would never, ever sell him and I wouldn’t swap him for anyone,” Guardiola said before his exit from the club in 2012.

That change of position has also had its benefits for Argentina. Playing at

REUTERS

Barca has greatly improved Mascherano’s distribution and he has played more passes at a higher success rate than any other player at the World Cup. The biggest test of his capabilities is yet to come, though, in denying a rampant German side that smashed hosts Brazil 7-1 in the other semi-final.

“We know that on Sunday we will play the game of our lives. We hope to crown this with the trophy, but either way I feel so proud of this squad,” he added.

“It is a dream for all of us to return Argentina to this possibility.”

A possibility that exists thanks to Mascherano’s sense of timing. l

Argentina, Brazil overcoming rivalry Underdog tag helps n Argentina, claims Aguero AFP, Buenos Aires

Argentina and Brazil, South America’s rival giants, have been getting over their mutual mistrust in recent years, but their newfound spirit of friendship definitely does not extend to football.

Fans from both sides had dreamed the World Cup would end with a mega-showdown against the team they most love to hate.

But Brazil’s humiliating exit from their own World Cup has forced the old enemies back to years gone by in their animosity.

Brazilian fans left their green and yellow jerseys in the closet Wednesday to put on Dutch orange as Argentina played the Netherlands in the semi-finals.

And the Brazilian press is predicting they will deck themselves out in German white for Sunday’s final, even though Germany are the team that crushed their hopes of winning the Cup

on home soil with a brutal 7-1 semi-final defeat Tuesday.

Argentine fans for their part have adopted a new anthem to goad the hosts: “Brazil, tell me what it feels like to have your daddy in your house!”

But off the pitch, relations between the two countries have never been better than in the past decade.

Ex-presidents Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Nestor Kirchner of Argentina, both leftists who came to power in 2003, sealed a political alliance and personal friendship that has continued under their hand-picked successors, Dilma Rousseff and the deceased Kirchner’s wife Cristina.

The rapprochement has boosted Mercosur, the customs union they belong to with Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela, and underpinned the 2008 launch of Unasur, a pan-South American political bloc.

“It’s phenomenal how relations have changed, seen from the perspec-

tive of the past 25 years,” Argentine sociologist Atilio Boron told AFP. But the relationship is not always simple, or balanced.

“The alliance between Brazil and Argentina is a little like a marriage of convenience,” added Boron.

“There’s convenience for the sake of (economic) integration. The most sophisticated Brazilian intellectuals say that Brazil, a leader in Latin America, can’t face today’s biggest global challenges alone.”

Brazil has the bigger economy -- the world’s seventh largest, with GDP of $2.4 trillion last year.

It also comes out ahead in trade ties.

In 2013, trade between the two countries topped $36 billion -- with a balance of $3.15 billion in favor of Brazil.

But despite the renewal of a bilateral auto trade deal last month, the tough global economy has hit car sales on both sides of the border, and two-way trade fell 20 percent in the first half of 2014. l

n AFP, Belo Horizonte Argentina striker Sergio Aguero believes his side will relish the tag of underdogs when they face Germany in the World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday.

The two sides’ contrasting routes to the final has made Joachim Loew’s men heavy favourites to win the World Cup for a fourth time as they smashed hosts Brazil 7-1 in their semi-final, whilst Argentina only squeezed past the Netherlands on a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.

“Germany were always the favourites, along with Brazil, to win the World Cup,” the Manchester City man said on Thursday.

“They continue to be so now. We need to play our own game and it suits us that all the pressure is on them.”

Aguero is aware they may have to withstand plenty of pressure from the Germans once more at the Maracana.

“We are in the final and we have to play it and win it in whatever way possible. We want to have control of the ball, but we know that Germany is a great team that know each other off by heart having played together for many years.

“It is clear that Argentina always go out to win, but sometimes during the game you have to be cautious.” l

Rio braces for Argentina’s fan frenzy n AFP, Rio De Janeiro

Argentine fans camp at Rio de Janeiro’s Terreirao do Samba, an open-air area designed for carnival events where the city government has organized a campsite for fans arriving for the Fifa World Cup Brazil 2014, on Thursday. Rio opened a second camping site at the Sambadrome on Thursday as the city gears up for up to 100,000 Argentine fans arriving by car, bus and motorhomes for the World Cup final against Germany at the iconic Maracana Stadium on July 13 AFP

Rio de Janeiro braced Thursday for up to 100,000 Argentine fans arriving by car, bus and motorhome for the World Cup final against Germany at the iconic Maracana Stadium.

Argentina had already sent the biggest contingent of fans to Brazil during the month-long tournament, flooding cities to follow their hero Lionel Messi’s team, even though many have not even had tickets to the games.

Tens of thousands who were in Sao Paulo for Wednesday’s semi-final triumph against the Netherlands hit the road the next day for the six-hour trek across the southeastern region ahead of Sunday’s final.

They were joining others who have been in Rio for days already, anticipating their team’s triumph while camping out at the Terreirao do Samba, an openair concert venue now packed with cars, minibuses and motorhomes.

Since that venue is full, authorities are offering to house the newcomers nearby at the Sambadrome, the arena that normally hosts Rio’s sensual and colorful Carnival parade. Police want to prevent a repeat of them setting up camp on Copacabana.

At the Terreirao do Samba, Brazilian beats were replaced by the taunting chants of Argentine fans who sang

“Brazil, tell me how you feel! Maradona is better than Pele!”

Alan Risso, a 22-year-old prison guard, said he had left the Argentine city of Santa Fe, 2,600 kilometers (1,600 miles) from Rio, with a friend on Saturday afternoon, and they hitchhiked their way north.

“We saw the Argentina-Belgium (quarter-final) on Saturday in a truck,” said Risso, who sleeps on the ground under the stars.

On Wednesday they were on Copacabana beach, watching the game against the Dutch on a giant screen with thousands of other football fans at the official “Fan Fest.”

For the final, they hope to find a location close to the Maracana, the home of Brazilian football.

Despite the age-old football rivalry between Brazil and Argentina, Rio’s tourism department said it would unfurl “a red carpet” for the 100,000 Argentines expected to arrive in the city.

Many will have to watch the game in bars or public screenings because the Maracana, which was originally built for 200,000 spectators, was reduced to a capacity of around 75,000 for the World Cup. Police will be watching out for any troublemakers. Before the World Cup, Brazil said it would prevent 2,100 known hooligans from entering the

country. More than 50 have been detained at the border or in stadiums.

Authorities will deploy some 11,500 police officers around the stadium for the final, twice as many as during the six other cup games played there, according to the G1 news website. The justice ministry said it would double the number of soldiers to 1,000.

When Argentina played Bosnia in Rio last month, some 30 Argentinian fans climbed a stadium fence and pushed through doors to enter the arena. Eight were detained but the rest apparently made it inside.

While Brazilians call Argentines “hermanos” (brothers), they have an intense football rivalry. Nevertheless, Brazil superstar Neymar said Thursday he wanted Barcelona teammate Messi to win the Cup, a choice that could anger his countrymen.

Many Brazilians were rooting for the Dutch to defeat Argentina on Wednesday. In turn, Argentines have taunted Brazilians about their team’s humiliating 7-1 semi-final defeat to Germany.

Three Argentines painted their bodies in the country’s white and blue colors. One inscribed the number “1” on his chest, another an “x” and the last one “7.”

Others have waved national flags with an image of Argentine Pope Francis and the words “How do you feel, Brazil, having your daddy at home?”l

Sp rt DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, July 12, 2014

15

Germany’s secret plan to stop Messi n AFP, Santo André Germany have a secret plan to shut Argentina superstar Lionel Messi out of Sunday’s World Cup final at Rio de Janeiro’s iconic Maracana Stadium.

Assistant coach Hansi Flick said Thursday there is a “special plan” to cope with the four-time Ballon d’Or winner but refused to give details.

Messi had a relatively quiet match against the Netherlands as Wednesday’s semi-final was settled by penalties.

The 27-year-old was often greeted by two Oranje shirts in Sao Paulo and the Germans are also getting organized.

“We saw how the Dutch managed to keep Messi out, but we too have a special plan for him -- although I won’t give that away,” said Flick.

“We’re looking forward to meeting a compact, organised team and in Messi, they have one the outstanding players of the tournament.

“We know plenty about Argentina, Germany has to accept the role of favourites, but the final will write it’s own script.”

Defender Benedikt Hoewedes said the Germany defence will pay Messi the same close attention Cristiano Ronaldo received in the 4-0 rout of Portugal in the group stages.

“Messi is one of the best players in the world, but just as I said before the Portugal game when we faced Ronaldo, we have to defend as a team,” said the left-back.

This is the sixth time Germany will meet Argentina at the World Cup and the second time in the final.

On their most recent meeting, Messi scored two years ago when Argentina enjoyed a 3-1 win over ten-man Germany in a Frankfurt friendly.

The Germans won the most recent World Cup meetings. They routed a Diego Maradona-coached Argentina 4-0 in Cape Town at South Africa 2010 after a quarter-final penalty shoot-out win in Berlin four years earlier.

Germany lost the Mexico 1986 final 3-2 to Argentina, then took revenge four years later by winning the Italia 1990 final 1-0 when Argentina finished with nine men in Rome.

Argentina legend Maradona played in both matches, but Germany’s veteran striker Miroslav Klose said neither match has any relevance now.

“You can’t really make comparisons, Maradona was one player, but Messi is just as fantastic and they are absolutely on par,” said Klose.

“We have to come up with a few surprises of our own and I am just looking forward to an exciting game, which will be marked by tactics and a bit of trickery.”

Flick warned Germany fans not to expect anything like Tuesday’s remarkable 7-1 semi-final rout of Brazil, especially after Argentina’s penalty shootout win against the Dutch.

“It’s going to be a completely different game to the semi-final,” said Flick.

The Argentina-Netherlands semi-final “was a tactical match, both teams neutralised each other.

“The theme of the game was two excellent defences and not every match can be as spectacular as Germany-Brazil,” said Flick.l

File photo of German Chancellor Angela Merkel posing with the German national squad following their victory over Portugal in their 2014 Brazil World Cup match in Fonte Nova arena in Salvador on June 16, 2014. Merkel will celebrate her 60th birthday on July 17, 2014 REUTERS

Scoring kings Klose, Mueller eye more German goals n Reuters, Berlin

Miroslav Klose and Thomas Mueller will bring a grand total of 26 World Cup goals to the final on Sunday, a staggering tally for two of the most prolific strikers in the tournament’s history.

Klose is the World Cup’s all-time record goal scorer with 16 in four tournaments, while Mueller has 10 in two editions.

But the German duo’s fearsome reputation on the field masks a good-natured and soft-spoken demeanour off it.

Both are consummate team players who altruistically express due appreciation to the fine assists they get from a superb pack of midfielders.

They might be famous around the world for their World Cup heroics but in Germany they’re just two ordinary guys on Joachim Loew’s team desper-

ate for a first World Cup title since 1990.

Klose moved past former Brazil striker Ronaldo on the World Cup’s alltime scorer’s list with his 16th goal on Tuesday in the 7-1 demolition of the hosts.

Ronaldo, who scored his 15th and last in the 2002 final against Klose’s Germany, watched on in Belo Horizonte as his record mark was surpassed.

Mueller, who is one shy of Colombian James Rodriguez’s mark of six in the top scorer charts in Brazil, is slightly taller than Klose at 1.86 meters and a renowned light-hearted prankster.

“He’s always fun to be around and always engaging the others in conversations,” Loew said of Mueller, who speaks with a thick Bavaria accent and has played at Bayern Munich since he was 18.

Even though he is only 24, Mueller

already has 22 goals in 55 caps for Germany and his 10 World Cup goals leave him well set to one day catch Klose’s mark.

“That’s not something I’m thinking about at all,” Mueller told reporters recently before repeating the mantra that every Germany player comes up with at news conference. “We’re here as a team to win the tournament. Every thing else is secondary.”

But after getting his latest goal in the huge win over Brazil on Tuesday, Mueller allowed himself to joke about the possible feat.

“I’m hot on his heels now but he’s got what feels like a 20-year head start on me,” Mueller said with a laugh before praising Klose. “He’s an indefatigable worker on the team, a real team player. There’s no one better than him.” l

Merkel, Putin may meet on sidelines of World Cup Final n Reuters, Berlin

‘Brazil’s Ronaldo the most complete player ever’

German Chancellor Angela Merkel may hold brief talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin when both attend the soccer World Cup final in Brazil on Sunday, Merkel’s spokesman said on Friday.

“It is certainly possible that there will be a meeting and a short conversation with President Putin, but due to the tight schedule it is unlikely this would be a comprehensive discussion.

We have to wait and see,” Steffen Seibert told a regular government press conference.

Merkel is travelling to Rio de Janeiro to see Germany play Argentina in the final, and Putin is attending because Russia will host the next World Cup in 2018. They have been in regular telephone contact over the Ukraine crisis.l

Germany striker Miroslav Klose described Ronaldo as “the most complete player ever” on Thursday after overtaking the former Brazil forward as the World Cup’s all-time record scorer with his 16th goal in the semi-final victory over the hosts.

“He was an outstanding soccer player,” Klose, now a striker for Lazio after earlier stints with Werder Bremen and Bayern Munich, told reporters at the Germany base camp in Northeastern Brazil.

“I play in Italy and everyone I’ve ever talked to there said that Ronaldo was the best player that ever played in Italy. For me he was the most complete player ever.”

Klose equalled Ronaldo’s record of 15 goals in Germany’s 2-2 draw against

n Reuters, Santo Andre

Ghana in a group match before overtaking him on Tuesday with the second in a 7-1 rout.

The 36-year-old acknowledged it must have been tough for Ronaldo, who was watching the match as a pundit, to lose the record and see Brazil suffer their biggest World Cup defeat.

“Obviously it must be bitter for him that he was in the stadium when I overtook him in the match against Brazil,” Klose said.

“Before he sent a message out ‘Klose - welcome in the club of 15’. I can now send out this message: ‘Miroslav Klose in the club of 16 and everyone’s welcome to join’.”

The German, who has played in 23 matches at four different World Cups, will have a chance to add to his tally in Sunday’s final against Argentina at the Maracana in Rio de Janeiro. l

The nine previous WC finals featuring Argentina and Germany n Reuters, Rio De Janeiro

sively crossed the line.

It put England 3-2 ahead before he completed his hat-trick with the last kick of the game. Helmut Haller and Wolfgang Weber scored for Germany, while Hurst’s West Ham United team mate Martin Peters scored England’s other goal and their club skipper Bobby Moore lifted the cup.

Argentina and Germany have appeared collectively in nine previous World Cup finals and two against each other. The South Americans beat West Germany to win the 1986 World Cup before the Europeans gained revenge in the final four years later.

Here is a look at their previous final appearances:

1930 MONTEVIDEO, July 30 URUGUAY 4 ARGENTINA 2

Pablo Dorado scored the first goal in a World Cup final when he put hosts Uruguay ahead after 12 minutes, but an upset looked possible as Carlos Peucelle and Guillermo Stabile replied to put Argentina ahead by halftime.

Most of the 93,000 crowd watching at the Centenario Stadium were willing Olympic champions Uruguay on and they duly got their wish as Pedro Cea, Victoriano Iriarte and Hector Castro scored three times in the second half as Uruguay were crowned the first world champions.

1954 BERNE, July 4 WEST GERMANY 3 HUNGARY 2 One of the greatest upsets in World Cup history ended the dominance of Hungary’s “Magnificent Magyars” team of the early 1950s. Hungary had seemed destined to win the 1954 World Cup with a team

including Ferenc Puskas, Nandor Hidegkuti and Jozsef Bozsik going on a 32-match unbeaten run.

They had beaten West Germany 8-3 in the group stage and led 2-0 in the final after only eight minutes thanks to goals from Puskas and Czibor.

But on a rainy day that became known in Germany as the “Miracle of Berne”, Max Morlock made it 2-1 before Helmut Rahn struck in the 18th and 84th minutes to seal a first World title for Germany.

1966 LONDON, July 30 ENGLAND 4 WEST GERMANY 2 (aet)

Geoff Hurst remains the only player to score a hat-trick in the World Cup final after his treble helped England win the title on their only appearance in the final.

Hurst’s second goal, which was allowed to stand after the ball hit the bar and bounced back down onto the Wembley pitch, is the most controversial goal in World Cup history as it has never been proved that it conclu-

1974 MUNICH, July 7 WEST GERMANY 2 NETHERLANDS 1

The Dutch had captured the world’s imagination with their brilliant forward Johann Cruyff inspiring their Total Football approach, but it was not enough as the more pragmatic Germans triumphed on home turf.

The Netherlands took the lead before a German player had even touched the ball when Johan Neeskens struck a second minute penalty. But the hosts levelled when Paul Breitner equalised with a second penalty after 25 minutes - the first two penalties awarded in a World Cup final.

Gerd Mueller scored what proved to be the winner two minutes before halftime, a then record 14th career World Cup goal, as West Germany became the first team to be European and world champions simultaneously.

1978 BUENOS AIRES, June 25 ARGENTINA 3 NETHERLANDS 1 (aet) The Dutch were beaten in the final by the

They met their match against the Italians in the final in the Spanish capital, though.

Paolo Rossi, with his sixth goal in three games, Marco Tardelli and Alessandro Altobelli put Italy 3-0 up before Paul Breitner added a late consolation.

1986 MEXICO CITY, June 29 ARGENTINA 3 WEST GERMANY 2 host nation for the second successive World Cup when Argentina, back in the final after a 48-year absence, became world champions for the first time.

Mario Kempes put Argentina ahead after 38 minutes before Dick Nanninga became the first substitute to score in the final with an equaliser eight minutes from the end of normal time.

But there was no stopping Argentina in extra time. Kempes scored his second before Daniel Bertoni made it 3-1 with five minutes to play on a pitch strewn with streamers and ticket-tape.

1982 MADRID, July 11 ITALY 3 WEST GERMANY 1

West Germany reached the final despite losing to Algeria in their opening match.

A “manufactured” 1-0 win over Austria allowed both European teams to advance instead of Algeria, with the Germans edging France in a penalty shootout in the semi-finals.

The first meeting between this year’s two finalists was a classic, with Argentina inspired to victory by the irrepressible Diego Maradona.

the final when he tried to take out Juergen Klinsmann in the 65th minute. Gustavo Dezotti was also sent off in the 87th minute, two minutes after a woeful spectacle had been decided by an 85th minute Andreas Brehme penalty.

2002 YOKOHAMA, June 30 BRAZIL 2 GERMANY 0

Jose Luis Brown and Jorge Valdano scored for Argentina, who were coasting to victory until the Germans rallied in the final stages with a 74th minute goal from KarlHeinz Rummenigge and an 80th minute equaliser from Rudi Voeller.

But just when the Germans thought they had done enough to force extra time, Maradona found the perfect pass for Jorge Burruchaga to run on and score the winner six minutes from time.

1990 ROME, July 8 WEST GERMANY 1 ARGENTINA 0 After the magnificent final in Mexico City, West Germany and Argentina met again four years later and produced arguably the worst.

Argentina substitute Pedro Monzon became the first player to be sent off in

The Germans reached their seventh final and lost for a record fourth time - when two goals from Ronaldo gave Brazil a 2-0 win in the first ever World Cup meeting between the two countries.

The final featured strongly in the build-up to this year’s last four clash between the two teams in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday which Germany won in astonishing fashion 7-1.

Miroslav Klose, Germany’s only survivor from the 2002 team, scored against Brazil on Tuesday, to take his tally to 16 World Cup goals, beating the record of Ronaldo set in the final in Japan.

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, July 12, 2014 DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, June 16, 2014

13 Barcelona buy WC biter Suarez

14 ‘Underdog tag helps Argentina’

Sport

15 Klose, Mueller eye more German goals

Neymar backs ‘friend’ Messi n AFP, Rio De Janeiro

Tearful Brazil star Neymar says he is prepared to set aside the historical rivalry between South America’s two footballing heavyweights as he wants four-time world footballer of the year Lionel Messi to win the World Cup when Argentina meets Germany in Sunday’s final.

At an emotional press conference Neymar, who missed Brazil’s 7-1 humiliation against Germany in the semi-finals because of a broken vertebrae, said his Barcelona clubmate Messi deserved to add World Cup winner to his honours.

“Messi’s history in the sport is so important, he has won a lot of trophies and I will be cheering for him,” said Neymar.

“He is a friend, he is my team-mate and I wish him luck.”

His own misfortune prompted Neymar to wipe away tears as he described his fears, immediately after the knee in the back from Colombian Juan Camil Zuniga in the quarter-final, that he would be paralysed.

“I was blessed in that situation because it wasn’t more serious. Two more centimetres up and, well, I could be in a wheelchair. So it is really difficult.

“It happened at such an important point in my career,” he said.

“It was something I cannot accept.

That challenge and what happened was unacceptable,” added the 22-year-old.

Neymar’s support of Messi, and by extension Argentina, is unlikely to be shared by many of his compatriots.

Brazilians are dreading the prospect of Argentina claiming their third world title in the Maracana Stadium in Rio de

No. 10 arrives to raise spirits at Brazil camp n AFP, Teresópolis

Janeiro on Sunday.

The South American nations are sworn footballing enemies, and Argentina’s advance to the final rubbed salt into Brazilian wounds still fresh from Tuesday’s record defeat to Germany.

“The nightmare continues,” O Dia newspaper commented glumly after Argentina booked their place in the final by beating the Netherlands on Wednesday.

As many as 100,000 Argentine fans are expected to descend on Rio for the final, the climax of a month-long footballing fiesta.

However, not among their number will be Argentinian president Christine Kirchner who despite going ahead with a meeting with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday says she is too ill to attend.

She wrote to Brazilian president Dilma Rousseff to say while she will attend a summit of emerging powers in Brasilia next week she cannot make the final because she has been battling pharyngolaryngitis -- inflammation of the pharynx and larynx.

Germany meanwhile said they had quickly wiped away the euphoria felt from their thrashing of Brazil.

Germany’s veteran striker Miroslav Klose, who became the World Cup’s all-time leading scorer with the second goal against Brazil, said his team had quickly forgotten the momentous win.

“We enjoyed the game against Brazil, but we ticked it off after 24 hours,” Klose said. “In the next game, we have to again play to the best of our abilities.”

Argentina’s players began plotting Germany’s downfall as they returned to Belo Horizonte. l

Injured star Neymar returned to Brazil’s training camp in Teresopolis on Thursday for the first time since breaking a vertebrae in his back which ended his

World Cup. Neymar was able to walk unaided to greet his teammates, who were training at the time of his arrival, and he will accompany the team to their third place playoff match against the Netherlands on Saturday.

Without their top goalscorer, the hosts’ hopes of winning the tournament for a sixth time on home soil were crushed as they were thrashed 7-1 by Germany on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old had been recovering at his home since suffering the injury in the latter stages of Brazil’s 2-1 quarter-final win over Colombia last Friday.

Neymar’s club side Spanish giants Barcelona confirmed that their medical staff had visited the player and remain hopeful he will be fit for the start of the new La Liga season on August 23.

“The player is recovering well and he’ll continue his recovery in Barcelona starting on August 5,” said a club statement. l

3RD PLACE PLAY-OFF

V Brazil Neymar (L) is greeted by Brazil’s captain Thiago Silva (C) and Hulk (R) as he arrives at a training session in Teresopolis on Thursday AFP

Netherlands

Estadio Nacional, Brasilia (BRA) 12 Jul 2014 - 17:00 Local (2:00 AM BST)

Where now? Brazil mull where future lies n AFP, Rio De Janeiro Brazil’s humiliating World Cup exit has left some commentators in the most successful football nation on earth thinking the unthinkable: is it time to hire a foreign manager?

Coach Luiz Felipe Scolari remains, for now, in his seat pending Saturday’s third place playoff against the Netherlands.

But Tuesday’s 7-1 mauling, the worst defeat in Brazil’s football history, has erased a lot of goodwill felt by many towards the coach who guided the country to their record fifth title in 2002.

With commentators having picked over the rubble of the stunning reverse in Belo Horizonte, Thursday saw the media gaze move on to who the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) will choose to ultimately replace the 65-year-old.

Scolari will not necessarily go when the tournament ends, though his contract will be up, but he did take full responsibility for the Germany meltdown.

“It is only after (Saturday’s) game we will talk with the direction of the CBF, that’s when we will decide,” he said. Respected sports commentator Juca Kfouri of Folha de Sao Paulo daily said “there won’t be a revolution” but gradual reform dealing with “structural problems” such as mounting club debts and young stars seeking stardom in Europe.

Sports daily Lance summarized the debate as comprising a choice between domestic candidates -with former Corinthians’ coach Tite at their head -- or a foreigner, an idea which repels some.

“Will they go for Tite or a gringo?

With Felipao ready to say goodbye Tite heads the list, but there are those in the CBF backing a foreign coach,” Lance commented.

“Tite is the favorite,” added Globo, pointing out that the 53-year-old, real name Adenor Leonardo Bacchi and a southerner like Scolari, had in 2012 lifted the Libertadores Cup and Club World Cup -- the latter at Chelsea’s expense.

Lance insisted “Felipao showed

he was incapable of knowing where he went wrong” by blaming everything on “six fatal minutes” in which

KEY STATS Brazil are taking part in their fourth third-place playoff at the World Cup. They beat Italy in 1978, lost to Poland in 1974 and scored a 4-2 victory over Sweden in 1938.

The Netherlands have taken part in the most unwanted game at the World Cup only once, losing 2-1 to Croatia in 1998.

Despite conceding seven goals against Germany in the semi-finals, Brazil have one of the best defences and have won the most tackles (91) of any team at the tournament, according to FIFA statistics.

No player has covered more ground in the World Cup than Dutch midfielder Wesley Sneijder. In six matches, Sneijder has run 69.6 kilometres, just ahead of Dutch team mate Arjen Robben with Germany forward Thomas Mueller third.

Germany added four goals to their opener.

Former Barcelona handler Pep Guardiola was a popular choice, reportedly stating: “the only team in the world I would coach tomorrow is Brazil’s Selecao.”

But Globo football blogger Alexandre Gontijo told AFP: “While Guardiola could be great, a foreign coach would be a real culture shock.”

Michel Castellar, a writer with Lance, told AFP the foreign option had to be on the table.

Some prefer the ‘devil they know’ and would like to see Scolari stay.

“They should stick with Scolari - the team will be fine in 2018,” insisted former skipper Cafu, although 1970 skipper Carlos Alberto Torres is leaning towards Tite.

CBF vice-chairman Delfim de Padua Peixoto said after the Germany loss - which he dubbed “much worse” than the shock defeat to Uruguay in 1950 - that he believed Scolari would go of his own volition.

“I like him personally but have the right to say I think he has had his day.”l

El Narigon inspires the Albiceleste Carlos Bilardo, aka El Narigon meaning big nose, is the go to person for Argentina as they near the end of their World Cup wait. Bilardo was the main man behind their last two World Cup finals in 1986 and 1990 and it was under his guidance the Albiceleste achieved glory in ‘86.

Argentina must have picked out the right man as Bilardo held the post of national coach from 1983 until the 1990 World Cup. Under his guidance, Diego Maradona flourished as the most dominant player while Argentina also enjoyed their best international harvest. They lifted the 1986 edition of the World Cup but failed to defend the glory in 1990 as they lost the final to the

Germans, same opponents of ‘86 final. It should also be mentionable that current coach Alejandro Sabella won the national league title as a player under Bilardo in Estudiantes in 1982.

“It’s a chance for revenge for both sides. For them and for us.

The fight is one on one, and now we will decide the winner. This is the third time Argentina and Germany will face each other in the final of the World Cup but this time it will belong to us,” said Bilardo who has inspired the side as an advisor for couple weeks now.

Bilardo was left angry after their defeat in the Italia ‘90 and he must still remember how ill-tempered the game was. Pedro Monzón had the distinction of being the first player in 14 World Cup final games to be sent off, after being shown a

straight red card for a harsh tackle on Jürgen Klinsmann, while Gustavo Dezotti received his second yellow card when he hauled down Jürgen Kohler as eventually Argentina were reduced to nine men and lost 1-0 off a 85th minute penalty.

Now, nearly three decades later, the former coach of the Argentina national team is closely following the effort of his country in Brazil, in search of the third title.

“It’s a big moment for Argentina.

The team is playing its fourth final of the World Cup and I am very happy to be with the team. Germany must be thinking the same - “Again we come to the final and rightly against Argentina.” Well, let’s see what can we do, surely Argentina will not leave any stone unturned,” warned the most influential coach of the Argentine football history.l

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