18 july, 2014 0

Shraban 3, 1421 Ramadan 19, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 108

FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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14 | KROOS JOINS REAL MADRID

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RAB ADG Zia interrogated Probe body trying to find out if more RAB officials were involved in Narayanganj seven murders n Mohosinul Karim A government probe body yesterday interrogated RAB Additional Director General Col Ziaul Ahsan, following hints given by three arrested ex-RAB officials that a high up of the force named “Zia” had involvement with the Narayanganj seven murders.

Several weeks ago, the ex-RAB officials, who were dismissed from the elite force and later shown arrested for the sensational murders, confessed be-

‘I have given my statement to the committee. I should not make it public.’ fore a magistrate that they were carrying out orders from a “RAB high official named Zia.” Since then, there has been a lot of speculations about who could that Zia be.

However, a member of the seven-strong probe body formed to look into the murders told the Dhaka Tribune last night: “The probe body interrogated him [Col Ziaul Ahsan] about his alleged involvement with the seven murders based on the information that we got so far.”

“We have also asked whether any other RAB officials from the force’s

headquarters were involved or not.

We asked the RAB official everything...

The junior RAB boss was interrogated for around four hours. He was asked about all the issues that were found in investigation,” said AKM Mohiuddin, a deputy secretary of the Public Administration Ministry and also a part of the team that interrogated Zia yesterday.

Interestingly, Shahjahan Ali Mollah, an additional secretary of the same ministry and head of the probe body, said Col Zia was quizzed as the former chief of RAB’s intelligence wing, not as its ADG. “He was interrogated as an official, not as a person,” Shahjahan said.

As the Dhaka Tribune understands, Mollah’s claim does not make any sense because Col Zia was promoted to the post of the force’s ADG in December last year, about four months before the seven murders.

Therefore, there does not seem to be any reason why the probe committee, formed to look into the murders, has interrogated him right now as the force’s former intelligence chief. The committee could have grilled the current ADG and the intelligence chief of the force.

Col Zia told reporters yesterday: “I have given my verbal and written statements to the probe committee, which was formed following a court directive.

I told them everything I know. Now, the  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

A commuter is standing precariously balancing himself on his right leg on the footboard of an unfit bus in the middle of a busy road at Karwanbazar in the capital. People are to travel risking their lives due to shortage of public transport as all the offices end at the same time for Ramadan MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

BNP ditches Khoka in its ‘new’ Dhaka committee n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The BNP has finally got a move on with the long overdue reshuffling of its Dhaka city unit to intensify movement in the days ahead, leaving out the incumbent convener Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

Sources said former minister Mirza Abbas and former FBCCI president Abdul Awal Mintoo would be at the helm

of the new committee for the party’s Dhaka city unit.

The decision to form a 31-member convening committee, to be headed by Abbas and Mintoo, was made by party chairperson Khaleda Zia, in consultation with the senior leaders, late last night at her Gulshan office.

However, any official announcement in this regard was yet to come till filing of this report around 1am.

The convening committee will form the main working committee of the party’s city unit within a very short time by holding a council, party insiders have said.

A senior leader said BNP Standing Committee Member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy is the other member of the convening committee and Abdul Kayeum, Habib-un-Nabi Khan Sohel, Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, Abul

295 killed as Malaysian aircraft ‘shot down’ over Ukraine

Behind Chhatra League’s fury against journalists

n Reuters

n DU Correspondent

A Malaysian airliner was shot down over eastern Ukraine by militants yesterday, killing all 295 people aboard, a Ukrainian interior ministry official was quoted as saying by Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

The aircraft, which other sources said was a Boeing 777 flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, came down near the city of Donetsk – a stronghold of pro-Russian rebels, said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the country’s interior minister, adding that it was hit by a ground-to-air missile.

Malaysia Airlines said on its Twitter feed it had lost contact with its flight MH17 from Amsterdam. “The last known position was over Ukrainian airspace.”

Interior ministry official Anton Gerashchenko said on Facebook that it was “shot down with a Buk anti-aircraft system by terrorists” - a term the Kiev government uses for militants seeking to unite eastern Ukraine with Russia.

Gerashchenko was quoted as saying: “A civilian airliner travelling from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has just been shot down by a Buk anti-aircraft system... 280 passengers and 15 crew have been killed.”

Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein denied it on Twitter saying there had been no confirmation of the shooting.

Barack Obama, who has just landed in Delaware, has been briefed about the airliner crash. His spokesman, Josh Earnest, told reporters on board Air

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INSIDE B1 | Business

The microcredit regulator is set to launch a Credit Information Bureau service for bringing discipline in lending and borrowing.

5 | News

Urban planners, architects, environmentalists, academic and professionals emphasised the need for adopting a long-term plan and decentralisation of urbanisation.

6 | Nation

The two kilometres of the Arigaon-Rajganj road under Shariatpur Sadar upazila,

which was damaged from erosion by the Kirtinasha River last year, has yet to be repaired.

12 | Entertainment

Actor Sonakshi Sinha is the latest celebrity to own a team in the World Kabaddi League after Akshay Kumar, Honey Singh.

15 | Sport

Jean-Paul Duminy hit a superb unbeaten century to put South Africa in a position of strength on the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Force One that the president had instructed his staff to keep him updated and make contact with senior Ukrainian officials.

Interfax-Ukraine quoted another Ukrainian official as saying the plane disappeared from radar when it was flying at 10,000 metres (33,000 feet), a typical cruising altitude for airliners.

It came down at Torez, near Shakhtersk, some 40 km from the Russia border. The area has been the scene of fighting between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels.

However, Eastern Ukraine separatist leader Alexander Borodai denied the claim and said the airliner was shot down by Ukrainian government forces. Kiev denied involvement with the incident. l

The Dhaka University campus has recently become a hostile place for journalists, especially for those who are keen on reporting the ill-doings of the ruling Awami League’s student front Chhatra League leaders and activists.

It is not that the campus had ever been safe for them; just like many places else in the country, political activists attacking journalists is a common incident on the campus of what is said to be the best educational institution in the country.

Journalists say, because there is no effective opposition on campus who can stand or speak up against the “freereign” of the ruling party students, the journalists have virtually become the

opposition, resulting in the spike in hostility.

The latest incident was reported only on Monday when a group of Chhatra League men swooped on a group of journalists at Mall Chattar in the campus.

The reason: the journalists, who were playing a football match, did not want to accommodate the “political students.” At least 10 newsmen, who worked for various renowned media houses, were injured in the attack.

In the last one year alone, at least 20 journalists were assaulted and beaten

by Chhatra League men on the Dhaka University campus centring disagreements over trivial issues; sometimes because they reported on crimes

Khayer Bhuyan, Salahuddin Ahmed, SA Khalek, Mohammad Sahabuddin and Mohammad Anwar will be joint conveners.

The new convening committee will be assigned to form all thana and ward level committees and hold council of the Dhaka city unit in three months.

There are chances that the formation of the convening committee will  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

‘Shamim Osman violates electoral code’ n Mohammad Zakaria The electoral enquiry committee has found evidences of violation of the electoral code of conduct by four people including lawmaker Shamim Osman in the Narayanganj 5 by-election.

The commission secretariat received the probe report but it is yet to place it at the full commission meeting, a senior EC official yesterday told the Dhaka Tribune.

The official said the enquiry committee has sent the probe report to the commission this week.

“We will present the report before the commission soon,” a Senior Assistant Secretary of the law wing of the EC Mosharaf Hossain said.

The report was signed by committee

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Conflict resumes in Gaza after 5-hour ceasefire, no peace deal in sight n Tribune Desk Hostilities resumed in the Gaza, after a five-hour humanitarian truce on Thursday. Both Hamas and Israel denied that a ceasefire had been agreed upon.

The humanitarian truce, suggested by the UN and agreed by both Israel and Hamas, was largely observed despite an exchange of mortar fire. The Israeli military said it responded to an explosion near southern Gaza. Hamas denied IDF claims that it broke the ceasefire.

Rocket fire from Gaza and Israeli air strikes resumed after the five-hour pause in fighting.

Israeli president, Shimon Peres, issued a qualified apology for the death of four Palestinians boys killed in an Israeli raid on a beach.

Israel’s military said it repelled an attack by 13 Palestinian gunmen who tunnelled in from Gaza near an Israeli community. Israel’s foreign minister and Hamas have denied earlier reports  PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

SEHRI & IFTAR TIME Day Ramadan 19/July 18 Ramadan 20/July 19

Sehri – 3.52am

Iftar 6.52pm 6.51pm

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, July 18, 2014

Suranjit: Impeachment authority to make parliament sovereign JS body receives Law Commission’s proposal asking the government to restore article 96 of 1972 charter

n Kamran Reza Chowdhury The chief of the parliamentary watchdog on law yesterday said the government must amend the Constitution to restore Article 96 of the 1972 charter that authorised parliament to impeach Supreme Court judges for misconduct and violation of law to make parliament a sovereign entity.

Suranjit Sengupta, chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, made the comment following a meeting yesterday. The meeting received a proposal from the Law Commission asking the government to reintroduce the article of the original constitution.

The 10-member standing committee did not discuss the commission's report as the law minister, also a member of the committee, was absent.

On Wednesday, Law Minister Anisul Huq hinted that the government had been working on probable restoration of the legislature's authority over the Supreme Court.

On June 26, the Law Commission, the lone government body suggesting legal reform, submitted a report on the ways in which backlog of pending cases can be reduced, suggesting restoration of Article 96 of the 1972 constitution.

“A parliament is not sovereign unless all departments are accountable to

it. This is mandatory to amend Article 96 to guarantee the sovereignty of the parliament,” Suranjit told a press conference yesterday.

“This is a settled issue; there is no scope for debate it,” he said.

The parliamentary special committee tasked with reviewing the constitution discussed restoration of Article 96, but the Awami League government finally rejected the suggestion while passing the constitution amendment bill.

BNP founder Ziaur Rahman, after the assassination of Bangabandhu in 1975, unlawfully amended Article 96, curtailing the authority of the legislature over the judiciary.

Zia also introduced a new provision for the judiciary's accountability. The new mechanism, the Supreme Judicial Council, was put in place to punish judges for misconduct and violation of charter. The provision still exists in the constitution.

The Chief Justice is the head of the council, along with two other senior judges.

The proposal for restoration of the original article was raised in the parliament as High Court judge Shamsuddin Ahmed Manik termed a ruling of the then speaker and incumbent President Abdul Hamid “seditious offence” in violation of the constitution that strictly prohibits the judiciary to take parlia-

ment proceedings into cognisance.

“Every organ of the state is accountable to the parliament. It elects the president and the premier and is also authorised to impeach them. Likewise, the judiciary should be accountable to the parliament,” said Suranjit, who was the co-chair of the parliamentary committee suggesting amendment to the constitution in 2011.

He said it would be better if the original provision was restored in the 15th constitution amendment law.

“I tried my best to restore the original article and I had to face opposition inside and outside the parliament.

However, it is better late than never,” said the Awami League leader. l

'Shamim Osman violates electoral code'  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

Chairman Habiba Mandal, joint district judge of Narayanganj and member of the committee Assistant Judge Muhammad Mazharul Islam.

Those who violated the electoral code of conduct in the Narayanganj by-poll as per the report are Narayanganj 4 constituency MP Shamim Osman, Assistant Superintendent of police Bashir Uddin, Major Sohel from the Rab 11 and Madanpur Union Parishad Chairman Abdus Salam.

On June 26 allegations of threatening a police official by Shamim Osman during the poll was aired on different TV channels and published in newspapers.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said the electoral enquiry committee would investigate the matter and the commission would take action as per the report.

The committee investigated the allegation as per the television and newspaper reports as there was no specific allegation against the accused.

An election commissioner said the commission would decide on the matter after examining the report.

The Narayanganj 5 parliamentary constituency fell vacant following the death of MP Nasim Osman.

Nasim’s brother Selim Osman won the by-election on June 26 from the parliamentary seat. l

The Tongi-Gazipur highway lies in a shoddy condition, with makeshift repair of the road failing to fill up the potholes that cover most of the road. The photo was taken near Tongi bus stand yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

BNP ditches Khoka  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

be announce later today in the absence of incumbent convener Sadeque Hossain Khoka.

The new convening committee has no member secretary post unlike the current committee. Khoka is now in the USA for treatment.

Sources said Khoka, who had been at the helm of the Dhaka city unit BNP for the last 17 years, tried his best to cling to the post.

To this end, he even held a meeting with the BNP chairperson; but he failed to manage the party chief.

On March 12, Khoka at a sudden press conference said he did not want to stay in the committee and requested the BNP chairperson to reconstitute the city committee.

The city unit was formed on May 14, 2011 with Sadeque Hossain Khoka as its convener and Abdus Salam the member secretary.

Khaleda in a standing committee meeting on March 9 this year, decided to reorganise the city unit.

A month before, she slammed

the city unit leaders for failing to give momentum to the street movement that preceded the January 5 poll and threatened to form a new committee dissolving the existing one.

Admitting their failure, the city leaders said they had not been brave enough to face the law enforcers who “opened fire” on them.

Abdus Salam, member secretary of the unit, urged Khaleda to pardon them and form the new committee including the existing leaders.

This made Khaleda furious. She shot back at him saying: “[How dare] you dictate me! Do I have to ask you who I will keep in the committee? Shut up!”

Khaleda had repeatedly asked the city unit leaders to take to the streets but they did not pay any heed.

Rather they went into hiding to avert arrest.

After the January 5 election, she said the committees would be reformed before waging movement. l

RAB ADG Zia interrogated  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

probe body will submit its report to the court.”

Asked if he was involvement with the crime, the colonel said: “I do not want to make any comment in this regard. I have given my statement to the committee. I should not make it public.”

Probe body member Mohiuddin also said: “We are very close to ending the investigation. We may submit the probe report shortly after the Eid. But for now, we are waiting to quiz Nur Hossain, the prime accused. We will quiz him after his return to Bangladesh from India. We are also consulting officials about going to India to quiz him before placing our report.”

Probe body chief Shahjahan Ali said: “Three ex-RAB officials were shown arrested in this case. We have quizzed them already. We thought we needed to interrogate Col Zia for complete the probe. So, we have quizzed him.

“Zia has given us details about things he knows. Much information has come out from the interrogation.

However, keeping them secret for now

Top Bangladeshi UN official resigns n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman The UN Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Ameerah Haq, the highest ranked Bangladeshi official at the UN, has submitted her resignation.

The resignation was submitted on Tuesday and would be effective from October, said Bangladesh Permanent Representative to the UN, AK Abdul Momen.

“I talked to her and she told me that she wanted to enjoy her retirement,” he said, adding that the resignation of Ameerah was a great loss for Bangladesh.

“No other Bangladeshi holds such a senior rank in the UN system,” Momen told the Dhaka Tribune over telephone yesterday.

Ameerah was supposed to retire two years ago but stayed on after requests made by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

“At the time of her extension, she requested the secretary-general to extend her service for one year but Ban Ki-moon requested her to continue for a further more year,” Momen said.

Ameerah Haq became the head of the Department of Field Support on June 11, 2012, and has overall 37 years of United Nations career service, including 19 years in the field and 18 at headquarters, and is a seasoned and skilled negotiator as well as consensus-builder.

Since 2009, Ameerah was the special representative of the secretary-general for Timor-Leste and head of the United Nations Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT).

She has previously held the positions of deputy special representative of the secretary-general as well as United Nations resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for Sudan and before that as deputy special representative of the secretary-general and United Nations resident coordinator and humanitarian coordinator for Afghanistan.

Ameerah holds master’s degrees in community organisation and planning, and in business administration from Columbia University and New York University respectively. She completed a Bachelor of Arts at Western College in Oxford, Ohio. Ameerah has two children. l

Gaza conflict resumes

is important for the committee because it was formed following a court directive. We will submit the report to the court. The court will disclose the report publicly if it wants,” he said.

Asked whether they would interrogate Narayanganj MR Shamim Osman, Shahjahan said they were not yet sure about that; but they would try to grill everyone related to the incident if they needed.

Starting at 10am yesterday, RAB ADG Zia was interrogated for around four hours in Shahjahan Mollah’s office in the Secretariat. Zia handed over a six-page written statement to the probe committee, said a source.

On May 25, Shahjahan told reporters that they might grill ruling party lawmaker Shamim Osman if it was required to unearth facts.

After Nur Hossain was arrested in India on June 14, Shahjahan told media that it would not be possible for the Bangladesh government to bring Nur back because he had been detained in the neighbouring for illegal entrance.

Asked how long they might take to

complete the investigation, Shahjahan said he could not tell it right now.

“We are working sincerely. We have already quizzed around 350 people,” he said.

Narayanganj City Corporation panel mayor Nazrul Islam, lawyer Chandan Sarkar and five others were abducted on April 27. Their lifeless bodies were later recovered from the Shitalakkhya River adjacent to the city.

The murder took centre stage in discussions after allegations came up that some RAB officials had been used as a mercenary group in the crime.

On June 6, Lt Commander (retd) MM Rana, a former RAB 11 official from the Navy who lost his job after the seven murders, revealed in his confessional statement that the crime had been committed on the instruction of a high official of the force named Zia. Two other former RAB 11 officials Lt Col (retd) Tarek Sayeed Mohammad and Major (retd) Arif Hossain also mentioned the name Zia in their confessional statements. l

a reign of terror on the campus so that nobody dares speak against the Chhatra League.

“It [beating up journalists] has become a political culture... As freshers, we learned from our seniors how to show power, be reckless and beat people. A few years later, we taught the same thing to our juniors... That is why, the young ones sometimes misbehave even with teachers,” said Saddam Hossain, organising secretary of the FR Hall unit Chhatra League.

However, the political students are not the only one to be blamed. Even they have several complaints against the journalists.

A joint general secretary of Chhatra League central command told the Dhaka Tribune: “Not everyone is a good journalist. Sometimes they publish news on crime without even talking to us.”

“For example, one day, a journalist

called me up and sought my comment about my alleged involvement in a crime. I challenged him that if he could prove my involvement, I would formally apologise and give up my party post.

Surprisingly, the next day, I saw the news in a daily newspaper and it did not have my comment.

“Sometimes, after a news item is published in a newspaper, we issue rejoinders. In most cases, those rejoinders never get published because of some ill-trained journalists,” the central Chhatra League leader said.

Some student leaders have accused journalists of showing “attitude.” They said there were some journalists, who thought they had a lot of power because they could get published in top national news media whatever they wanted.

Siddique Nazmul Alam, general secretary of Chhatra League central command, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

of a truce deal to end fighting in Gaza between Israel and Palestinian militants, the BBC has reported.

Avigdor Lieberman said the reports were “as of now incorrect”, and Hamas, which controls Gaza, said talks in Egypt were ongoing.

Egypt has been mediating in negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

Earlier reports said a new truce deal had been agreed by Israeli negotiators but it had not yet been approved by the Israeli cabinet. However, Hamas spokesman in Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Agence France-Presse: “The news about a ceasefire is incorrect. There are continuing efforts but no agreement until now.”

Lieberman told Israeli media: “The reports of a ceasefire are far from representing reality. I spoke with the prime minister, and as of now they are incorrect.”

The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has warned that Hamas “shut the door to a diplomatic solution” to the crisis in Gaza as his government was set to authorise the call-up of another 8,000 reserve soldiers in the escalating conflict. l

Behind Chhatra League's fury against journalists  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

committed by Chhatra League men; and sometimes without any reason at all.

Although the university authority expelled 10 Chhatra League men in connection with the Mall Chattar incident, journalists say in most other cases in the past, the authority did not take any action against the attackers.

That, they say, encourage these political students to beat up journalists again and again.

Moreover, it is often said that the high command of the ruling party’s student affiliate considers battering journalists as an “act of valour” and hence sometimes reward such acts.

Masum Billah, Dhaka University correspondent of Bangla daily Samakal, told the Dhaka Tribune: “There is no political opposition of Chhatra League on the campus. Chhatra Dal, student front of the BNP, has been inac-

tive for years. Even the student wings of the leftist parties who once used to be vocal against Chhatra League, now remain silent because their mother organisations are allied at the national level of politics. As a result, the journalists have practically become the opposition. They report on the crimes committed by the Chhatra League men and get beaten up for that.”

On April 14 last year, five journalists were beaten up because they were collecting information on Chhatra League men from the SM Hall unit extorting vehicles and roadside vendors on the Fuller Road.

The university authority identified 21 of the attackers and six of them were arrested by the Shahbagh police. However, a few days later they got released and no case was filed in that connection.

On November 16 last year, some Chhatra League men from Fazlul Ho-

que Hall unit were trying to extort money from a film shooting team.

When Yamid Sajed, university correspondent of Bangla daily Amar Desh, tried to collect information, the extortionists beat him up.

After the incident, DU unit Chhatra League president and secretary apologised to journalists and promised to remove those responsible for the attack on Yamin. Even the DU proctor promised to take steps. Nearly a year have passed, but no action has yet been taken against the culprits.

Masum Billah said the administration had always tried to maintain peace with the Chhatra League. As a result, the culprits never get punished.

A student leader said the younger recruits – mostly freshers – were the most reckless. They are often told by their seniors to do whatever they want, beat whoever they want and establish

have always tried to maintain a good relation with the journalist because we are like brothers. But some people with ill motives use the name of our organisation to carry out such heinous activities like beating journalists. They do this only to tarnish the Chhatra League’s image.”

He expressed great resentment and contempt over the past incidents and vowed to work for avoiding such incidents in the future.

Shirajul Islam, OC of the Shahbagh police station, said: “We cannot take action against anyone unless there is a general diary or a case is filed. Whenever we get any allegation against anyone, we take appropriate actions.”

DU Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, who is also a teacher of the journalism department, claimed that the authorities had always taken steps against those who beat up journalists. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

3

Friday, July 18, 2014

Three policemen accused of custodial death flee Sarkar and Md Sanaul n Kailash Islam Tipu

Three policemen, accused of torturing a young trader to death in custody, have allegedly gone on the run the same day another officer was put on a 5-day remand in the same connection.

The Mirpur Division of police last night disclosed that the three accused policemen of the Mirpur Model Police Station — ASI Raj Kumer and constables Anwar and Rashedul – did not show up for work yesterday.

However, Imtiyaz Ahmed, deputy commissioner (DC) of the Mirpur Division, snuffed out allegations that the trio had been allowed to flee by police.

He also said they were set to arrest the three policemen in connection with the alleged custodial murder yesterday.

Salauddin Ahmed, OC of Mirpur Model Police Station, said they had already sent forces to the village homes of three absconding policemen.

“Drives are also on at other possible locations,” the OC said.

Meanwhile, Sub-Inspector Zahidur Rahman Khan, who was suspended on July 14 and arrested on Wednesday, was placed on a 5-day remand by a Dhaka court yesterday.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbubur Rahman granted the remand for Zahidur and one informant Nasim when Detective Branch inspector Nibarun Chandra Barman placed them before the court seeking 10 days’ remand. The case was shifted to the Detective Branch on Wednesday night.

On the night of July 12, a team, led

by SI Zahidur, picked up garments wastage trader Mahbubur Rahman Sujon and his wife Mamataj Sultana Lu-

chi along with their five-year-old son Mosharraf from their residence in capital’s Shankar area in Dhanmondi.

Sujon was allegedly tortured to death in custody in the early hours of July 13.

ASI Raj Kumer, constables Anwar and Rashedul and informants Nasim Sheikh, Palash, Faisal and Khokan accompanied Zahidur during the arrest and subsequent torture.

Sujon’s wife Luchi alleged that Zahidur had also beat her up and kept her detained for over 12 hours.

As family members of the victim alleged that Sujan was tortured to death, SI Jahid was closed and posted to Rajarbagh Police Lines later on July 13.

Mirpur police received the postmortem report of Sujan on Wednesday evening that said Sujon died of torture, prompting the authorities to arrest SI Jahid yesterday.

Earlier in the day, another sub-inspector of Mirpur Police Station filed a case against those four policemen and the four informants for the murder Sujon.

DC Imtiyaz said: “They might have fled immediate after the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital authorities served the forensic test report on Wednesday mentioning that trader Sujon’s death was caused by injuries to his head.”

Victim’s cousin Habibur Rahman Chaklader alleged that SI Zahidur had been pressing Sujon for Tk1 lakh monthly extortion for a long time.

He also alleged that Zahidur had been acting in favour of another garments waste fabric trader Mohan, who had a feud with Sujon over their business.

Sources in police said SI Zahidur had allegedly tortured three more people to death before. Nurul Islam, Zaved and Johnny were all traders as well. l

Without any protective measure, 9-year-old Afroza works in the capital’s Hazaribagh tannery area yesterday with leather materials that pose a threat to her health. Like Afroza, many children of school-going age are employed at the tanneries for a small wage RAJIB DHAR

ACC to charge 11 Prime Bank officials with graft n Tribune Report

The Anti-Corruption Commission is going to place a charge sheet against 30 people, including 11 Prime Bank officials on charges of embezzling around Tk93 crore.

The commission in a regular meeting yesterday approved the placing of the charge-sheet against those bank officials, among which seven were suspended for graft allegations, an ACC of-

ficial told the Dhaka Tribune.

During investigation, the ACC found that a group of bank officials scheming with each other had embezzled an amount of Tk92,65,31,000 crore from the bank through fake loan accounts and by misusing bank passwords.

The accused bank officials who are set to face charges are suspended Executive Officer Kamrul Ahmed Ferdous, Senior Officer Nurul Amin, Senior Executive Officer SMA Majid, Trainee Assistant

Muhammed Shamsul Alam, ex-manager Izbahul bar Chowdhury, temporarily suspended Senior Executive Officer Miran Hossain, First Assistant Vice-President Nasir uddin Bali, Senior Executive Officer Kamrul Islam, Senior Executive Officer Saleh Uddin, First Assistant Vice-President Motaher Hossain and Vice-President Jakir Hossain.

The other accused include owner of New SK Enterprise Sazedur Rahman, KS Enterprise owner M Shahadat Islam,

SK Enterprise owner Mahmudul Islam, SL Enterprise owner Kawser Ali, Tri Tech 69 owner Tasnim Alam, Branch Solutions directors Zahidul Islam and Amirul Islam, Bangladesh Water Development Board official Abul Hashem and Sub Valley Securities Limited Managing Director Mahbub-E-Elahi.

In March 2012, the Prime Bank filed a case against its official Kamrul Ahmed Ferdous on charge of Tk48.78 crore embezzlement from the bank. l

Protests held against Israeli attack on Gaza n Tribune Report

Sammilito Sangskritik Jote, a platform of cultural activists, holds a rally at Dhaka University’s TSC yesterday protesting the Israeli attack on Gaza MEHEDI HASAN

Teachers of Dhaka University yesterday made a human chain in front of the Aparajeyo Bangla protesting the recent Israeli air strikes on the Gaza Strip, Palestine.

Saying that Israeli forces had been killing Palestinians mercilessly and pounding the Palestine territory without legal grounds, they also alleged that the negligence of the United Nations (UN) had patronised the Israeli atrocities in Gaza to a large extent.

They, however, demanded immediate action by the global organisation to stop the massacre.

The teachers also urged Bangladesh government to send relief and doctors to help the battered people in Gaza.

The university’s former pro-vicechancellor AFM Yousuf Haider and

Teachers’ Association Vice President Dr Akhter Hossain Khan, among others, were present at the human chain.

Meanwhile in the afternoon, cultural organisation Sammilito Sangskritik Jote also brought out a separate rally for the same cause.

At the rally, the organisation’s President Nasiruddin Yusuf urged cultural activists across the world to unite and protest against such types of atrocities globally.

Later, cultural personalities brought out a black-flag procession on the campus to condemn the attack on Palestinians.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Peace Council yesterday condemned the Israeli attack on Palestinians and urged the global community and the United Nations to come forward and stop the massacre.

They made their demands while

Subhan trial adjourned until July 20 South Asia’s temperature n may rise by 5 degrees by the end of century Udisa Islam

The International Crimes Tribunal has adjourned until July 20 for the hearing on the war crimes cases against Jamaat leader Mawlana Abdus Subhan. The tribunal made the decision yesterday after accepting a time plea from the prosecution.

Yesterday was the day that had been fixed for the cross examination of 21st prosecution witness Md Shahidullah alias Shahid, who testified against the accused on Wednesday.

The witness claimed that Subhan was responsible for his father’s death.

27 BNP-Jamaat activists sent to jail n Our Correspondent, Bogra A Dhaka court yesterday sent 27 local activists of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami behind bars in a case of attacking the Shahjahanpur police station. They were accused of spreading rumour that the face of war crimes accused Delawar Hossain Sayedee appeared on the moon last year.

Tribunal 4 Judge Oadudur Rahman gave the order when the accused 27 appeared before it seeking bail.

On March 3 last year, Jamaat-Shibir activists set fire to 17 government offices of Nondigram upazila parishad, 15 establishments and seven police stations. Three people were also killed .l

He also claimed that Subhan had ordered the killing of one Samujuddin in Kulunia village in Pabna on May 11, 1971.

After his deposition, the tribunal on Wednesday adjourned the trial keeping the cross examination incomplete.

Yesterday morning, after the tribunal resumed proceedings, prosecutor Sultan Mahmud sought more time by saying the witness had suddenly fell ill and was in no condition to face the questionings.

Sixty-four-year old Md Shahidullah alias Shahid, son of Sheikh Kobad Ali from Sadhupara of Pabna district

township, said in his emotionally charged deposition on Wednesday that as a freedom fighter he had appeared before the tribunal.

He said his father was a very well behaved person and he had no enemy.

Subhan refused to see his father when his mother went to visit him.

After his deposition, defence counsel advocate Mizanul Islam questioned him briefly.

Accused Subhan, 77, was indicted on December 31, 2013 on nine counts of crimes against humanity. The case was transferred to the second tribunal on March 27 this year for quick disposal. l

Verdict on lethal medicine case postponed n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday postponed the delivery of the verdict in a case from the 1990s to July 22, where children had died from ingesting toxic medicines.

Judge Abdur Rashid of Dhaka Drug Court rescheduled the date following a time petition submitted by Ekramuddin Shyamol, counsel for two of the five accused in the case.

The defence counsel’s petition said his clients, Dr Helena Pasha, director of drug manufacturing company Adflame, and its manager, Mizanur Rahman, could not appear before the court because they were sick.

The court told the defence counsel to produce his clients on the rescheduled date. The other accused, who are absconding, are Adflame officials Azfar Pasha, Nrigendro Nath Bala, and Md Noman.

The court had fixed yesterday for the delivery of the verdict on July 10. Charges against the accused in the case were framed by the court on May 28, 1994.

On December 19, 1992, the case was filed against five officials of Adflame for producing Flammadol, a brand of paracetamol syrup, which tested positive for the toxic chemical Diethylene glycol, in tests conducted both at home and abroad. l

n Tribune Report The average temperature of South Asia may rise by about five degrees centigrade at the end of the century if the carbon emissions continue to increase at the rate that it has been, according to the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office launched a map on Wednesday, which shows the possible impact of climate change on the whole planet by the end of the century, read a press release of the British High Commission in Bangladesh.

It also claimed the average yields of wheat and maize were both projected to decrease, while for rice – the staple food for the region – there was a small increase.

The frequency of inland floods is projected to increase, and as the region is exposed to tropical cyclones, this along with rising sea levels could mean millions more people flooded per year along the coasts, the press release said.

British Foreign Office Minister Mark Simmonds said:“This map shows how the impacts of climate change on one part of the world will affect countries in other parts of the

world, particularly in the global trade in food.”

The minister said this reinforces the point that climate change was a global problem and no country was immune, and everyone needs to work together to reduce the risks for a shared prosperous and secure future.

British Met Office Chief Scientist Dame Julia Slingo said: “We have used the latest science to assess how potential changes in our climate will impact people around the world.”

The map presents the information of both positive and negative impacts, and the risks vastly outweigh any potential opportunities, she said. l

forming a human chain in front of the National Press Club.

The programme were also addressed

by Workers Party President and Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon, Communist Party President Mujahidul Islam Selim, former industries minister Dilip Barua, and columnist Syed Abul Moksud.

Several political and non-political organisation are set to observe protest programmes today in Dhaka, including a programme organised by Bangladesh Facebook Activists at 2:00pm in front of National Museum.

Meanwhile in Narayanganj, leaders and activists of Bangladesh Communist Party and Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (Basod) yesterday formed a human chain in front of the Narayanganj Press Club to condemn the Isreali attack on Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. l

PM hosts iftar for politicians n Tribune Report Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday hosted an iftar party for politicians at her official residence, Ganabhaban.

Leaders of the Awami League-led grand alliance and different political parties including HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party attended the programme.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia nor anyone representing her party attended the iftar although she had been invited.

Hasina exchanged greetings with guests.

Before the Iftar, a special prayer was offered, where divine blessings were sough for the nation and eternal peace for the national leaders, including Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Khatib of Baitul Mokarram National Mosque Moulana M Salauddin Ahmed conducted the prayer. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

IPPs to enjoy extended tax holiday till Dec 2018 n Aminur Rahman Rasel The tax holiday scheme for independent power producers – which was scheduled to end in June 2016 – is set to be extended till December 2018 under a second phase, in a bid to create investment-friendly atmosphere for installing privately-owned power plants and ensuring economic progress.

The government has taken the initiative in an attempt to implement power projects, according to the meeting minutes between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – also the minister-in-charge of the Power Ministry – and Power Division officials on February 6.

“We have decided to extend the tax holiday facility to independent power producers for implementing their projects. The Power Division will place a proposal to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) in this regard,” State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Nasrul Hamid told the Dhaka

Tribune recently.

As per an NBR Statuary Regulatory Order (SRO), issued on November 18, 2013, the private power generation company which would be able to meet the commercial operation date (COD) within June 2016 would get a total tax waiver for up to 15 years.

According to another SRO issued on the same date, the private power generation company which would be able to meet the COD after July 1, 2016, would get tax waiver on conditions that would see the waiver reducing gradually after five years.

Earlier, the government planned to introduce a 15-year tax holiday for privately-owned non-coal-based power plants after they start their commercial production. The scheme would also allow the foreign employees of private power plants a tax holiday for the first three years. They will also be relieved from paying taxes on the interest of foreign loans.

In addition, the government also relaxed taxes on royalties, technical knowhow and the technical assistance fees.

The government is planning to install 71 additional power plants capable of producing 10,970MW of electricity under the private and public sectors by 2018.

On the other hand, Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Limited (BIFPCL) recently sought nine fiscal benefits from the Power Division, demanding that a special SRO from the division allows them waiver from custom duties, VAT and other local taxes and duties for the company and its contractors.

The BIFPCL, a joint venture of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and National Thermal Power Company (NTPC) Ltd of India, will build a 1320MW coal-based power plant project at Rampal in Bagerhat.

These fiscal benefits were included in the project as per an implementation agreement signed on April 20, 2013. l

Friday, July 18, 2014

Rehabilitation of sex workers demanded before eviction n Tribune Report

Leaders of Sex Workers Network yesterday demanded that the government have a long-term plan to rehabilitate the sex workers before they are evicted from any brothel in the country.

They made their demand at a press conference organised by SWN in association with Manusher Jonno Foundation at Dhaka Reporters Unity.

Chumki Begum, vice-president of Sex Workers Network, alleged that local ruling party leaders planned to evict sex workers from a 200-year-old Tangail brothel.

She informed that a total of 950 sex workers along with 129 children were living in the brothel.

Chumki also claimed that local municipality mayor Shahidur Rahman Khan Mukti led the eviction drive to grab 350 decimals of land.

Many sex workers wanted to attend the press conference, but the people who evicted them from the brothel

barred them from joining the programme, she added.

Akhi Akhter, a sex worker of the brothel, told the Dhaka Tribune, “We live in an independent country. But we do not have the freedom to do just what we think.”

“Several days after eviction, we along with our children had to get involved with illegal activities juts to survive. Has the government come up with any solution to this problem?,” Parvin, another sex worker, said.

On July 14, a group of local religious leaders under the banner of ‘Anti-social Activities Resistance Committee’ evicted the sex workers from the Tangail brothel.

Earlier on July 6, the sex workers handed over a memorandum to the local mayor. Later, the committee held a meeting on July 11 and threatened to demolish the brothel if they did not leave the place willingly.

Representatives from ActionAid, ICDDRB, HASAB, UNAID, Save the Children, BLAST and ASK were present at the press conference. l

Government official caught red-handed taking bribe n Tribune Report An Anti-Corruption Commission team yesterday caught a government official red-handed while taking Tk20,000 in bribe from a contractor at his office in Rampal upazila of Bagerhat district.

ACC Deputy Director (public relations) Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya said, “An upazila engineer named Mohammed Nuruzzaman demanded Tk50,000 from contractor Golam Azam, owner of Rainbow Enterprise, against security money amounting to Tk2.5 lakh for a development project in the upazila.”

On completion of the project when Azam asked Nuruzzaman to pay back his security money, he demanded bribe.

Azam yesterday went to the upazila office to bribe him with Tk20,000. On information, the ACC members led by AKM Zayed Hossain Khan, director of Bagerhat district ACC, caught the official red-handed with the bribe.

Deputy Assistant Director SM Shamim Iqbal filed a case against the engineer with Rampal police station, said Pranab Kumar. l

Education boards consider HSC admission reform n Mushfique Wadud Education boards in the country are considering reforms in the process of admission in the higher secondary level exams following allegations of irregularities in some colleges.

Board officials said the new system would be based online completely and maintained centrally by the board to ensure smooth running of the process.

“We are working on how best to manage the admission process. We will take measures so that the deserving students are not deprived of an admission,” said Taslima Begum, chairman of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Dhaka, while talking to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

She said the board would sit with college principals after Eid and discuss the reform.

According to board officials, if the reform proposal is implemented, students will apply for admission once, in a combined system.

At present, students apply separately at different colleges. In the new system, students will mention their choices of colleges. The boards will centrally manage the admission process.

As colleges will no longer be directly involved in the admission process, student leaders will not be able to in-

DG of Foreign Ministry made new ambassador to Thailand

n Tribune Report The government has decided to appoint Saida Muna Tasneem, currently serving as the director general in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as the new ambassador of Bangladesh to Thailand.

A career diplomat, Tasneem belongs to the 11th batch of BCS (Foreign Affairs) Cadre. In her diplomatic career, she served in the Bangladesh Permanent Mission to the UN in New York and Bangladesh High Commission in London in various capacities.

Tasneem obtained her Bsc in Engineering degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). She also did her MSc in Public Policy and Management from School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. l

fluence the admission process.

The irregularities in the admission test include influential Bangladesh Chhatra League activists putting pressure on the authorities to admit students according to their choice in some colleges.

On June 26 this year, activist of Chhatra League’s unit in Dhaka College, vandalised the college premises when the authorities did not allow admission of the students of their choice.

There were also reports of clashes in Rajshahi College on June 23 and in Rajshahi New Government Degree College on Wednesday regarding HSC admission. Similar incidents reportedly took place in other colleges across the country as well.

In Narayanganj Government Mohila College, admission seekers confined the principal and staged demonstrations on the campus on July 15 in protest of what they said was the admission trade of Chhatra League activists.

The students of the college have been protesting admission irregularities since June 30 on the campus.

When asked about the accusation, Principal Gopal Chandra Saha denied the allegation of taking money in exchange of enrolments.

However, he admitted that he had been compelled to enrol some students because of political pressure. l

An Ansar member is seen announcing the decision of the Public Works Department to free Suhrawardy Udyan from illegal occupants as part of its eviction drive. The department asked people not to stay inside the park at night RAJIB DHAR

SC receives international accolade for standing up against gender-based violence n Moniruzzaman Uzzal The international organisation, Women’s Link Worldwide, awarded the Supreme Court of Bangladesh the Silver Gavel in recognition of its firm stand against gender-based violence and inequality in Bangladesh.

In October 2013, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh instructed all relevant government agencies, including the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Inspector General of Police, to justify the continuation of the draconian practice of the “two finger test”, which is an invasive, humiliating and unscientific medical procedure used in legal examination of rape survivors.

Icddr,b issued a media release on its website yesterday regarding this.

The groundwork for banning the two-finger test for medical evidence

collection in rape cases was undertaken by the icddr,b-led SAFE Project.

As a SAFE partner, the Bangladesh Legal AID and Services Trust (BLAST), conducted research on the two-finger test and led several consultations with various stakeholders.

As a result of these consultations, a memorandum was submitted to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Human Rights Commission demanding a ban on the test.

The BLAST and seven other human rights, women’s rights and legal services organisations and two individuals filed a public interest litigation on October 7, 2013 before the Supreme Court, seeking prohibition on the two-finger test.

In response to the litigation, the SC issued a ruling that asked the government to respond to it, and in turn, form a committee to create new guidelines, which

if implemented, would ban the practice. icddr,b’s Dr Ruchira Tabassum Naved, senior scientist and coordinator of the research group on Gender and Social Determinants of Health, and Shahanoor Akter Chowdhury, research investigator and SAFE Project Coordinator, are providing external support to the committee.

According to Dr Naved, the use of two-finger test in conducting examination of the vaginal canal is highly problematic, not only due to inherent inaccuracies associated with this test but also the manner in which such findings are used to discredit women’s testimonies.

It was an inspection which is physically invasive and legally unsound and a breach of the constitutional rights of girls and women in Bangladesh, added Naved.

Criminal law experts, lawyers, po-

lice and forensic scientists all over the world have concluded that this kind of test has no evidentiary value, no scientific merit and it breaches national and international human rights standards and compounds the victim’s trauma and paradoxically amounts to further sexual assault.

Funded by the Embassy of the Netherlands, the SAFE Project is implemented by a consortium of organisations including the icddr,b, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, Marie Stopes Clinic Society, Nari Maitree and The Population Council.

The project aims to raise awareness about gender, gender-based violence and women’s and girls’ rights, create an enabling environment for practising these rights, provide services and carry out advocacy in relevant areas including legal and policy reform. l

Medical admission test on Oct 3 Intra-party feud deepens over KHDC n Tribune Report The admission test for MBBS and BDS courses in both public and private medical colleges for the academic session 2014-15 will be held on October 3.

The test will be held centrally, under the supervision of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

The decision was made at a sub-committee meeting, chaired by Aiyubur Rahman, additional secretary at the Ministry of Heath and Family Welfare, in the Secretariat yesterday.

Professor Dr ABM Abdul Hannan, director of medical education at the directorate, confirmed the information.

Foreign applicants will have to submit their application via their respective embassies to the Foreign Ministry by November 15, and the admission pro-

cess must be finished by December 30.

The Bangladesh Private Medical College Association (BPMCA) leaders demanded to change the ministry’s decision of setting the pass mark of the admission test at 40%. Because of the minimum acceptable score of 40% in the test, only 78% of the private medical colleges and 21% of the dental colleges were able to have a full class last year, claimed the BPMCA leaders.

Aiyubur Rahman said this matter was beyond the sub-committee’s jurisdiction as the decision had come from the ministry’s main committee.

Dr Moazzem Hossain, president of BPMCA, told the Dhaka Tribune: “We fear that if the government does not change this decision, seats in more than 50% medical colleges and 100% dental colleges will remain vacant this session.” l

reconstitution Correspondent, n Our Khagrachhari Senior and junior leaders of the district unit of the ruling Awami League are in the middle of a bitter conflict over the reconstitution of Khagrachhari Hill District Council (KHDC).

In last couple of party meetings the leaders engaged in altercations and even scuffled with each other over the issue.

General Secretary of Khagrachhari district Awami League Md Jahidul Alam said KHDC is now running with only three members out of the five. As a result, activities of some 22 government offices have been handed over to the KHDC as per the CHT accord is being hampered.

Under the circumstances, the government on March 10 decided to reconstitute the council with 11 members to enhance developmental activities.

The government is also verifying the legal aspect of an 11-member council and hope to form the new council within a shortest possible time, added Jahidul Alam.

“We hope to evaluate dedicated party leaders, especially those who had to suffer and face hundreds of false cases during the BNP-led four-party alliance,” he said.

The proposed 11-member KHDC council might include Matiranga Upazila AL President Shamsul Hoque, Ex-Manikchhari Upazila AL President

Abdul Jabbar, Dighinala Upazila AL President Md Abul Kashem and District AL Vice-President Rono Bikrom Tripura, among others.

But former district President of Bangladesh Chhatra League Mongsuiprue Chowdhury Apu and other Awami League affiliated front organisations leaders rejected the proposal of senior AL leaders. On July 4, 7 and 15 junior leaders and activists of some seven front organisations engaged in scuffles with senior party leaders over the reconstitution of the council.

District AL President and lawmaker from Khagrachhari constituency Kujendra Lal Tripura said: “I will sit with all party leaders to settle the issue.” l

Bangladeshis stranded in ISIS stronghold coming home on Saturday n Tribune Report Fifteen Bangladeshis stranded in northern Iraq are expected to return home tomorrow.

They will arrive at Dhaka airport on Saturday morning, a Foreign Ministry press release said.

The returning Bangladeshis will be flying home from Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region, where they have been taken from Mosul city, which was taken over by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) on June 10.

The Bangladesh embassies in Iraq and Turkey coordinated the repatriation effort. l

Award for bravery launched n Tribune Report Mutual Trust Bank yesterday launched an award at its corporate head office in capital’s Gulshan area.

MTB Bravery Award, is an award aimed at honouring those people who have shown great courage to save the lives of others.

The award aims to honour those who put their own lives at risk to protect humanity.

At the ceremony, Anis A Khan, managing director and CEO of the bank, handed over a cheque of Tk2 lakh, a certificate and a plaque to the widow of Liakot Ali who lost his life while trying to save a lady from miscreants in capital’s Uttara area on July 3.

MTB will bear all educational expenses of two sons of the deceased up to HSC level. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, July 18, 2014

Experts for long term urbanisation plan Government urged to form an independent ministry which will be dedicated to urbanisation n Abu Hayat Mahmud Urban planners, architects, environmentalists, academic and other professionals yesterday emphasised the need for adopting a long-term plan and decentralisation of urbanisation to build a planned Bangladesh.

They also urged the government to take immediate step to form an independent ministry which will be dedicated to urbanisation and town development across the country.

They made the observations at a roundtable discussion – Role of Urban Development Directorate to build a planned Bangladesh – at the directorate's headquarters in the capital.

Chaired by Housing and Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain, the roundtable was also addressed by Prime Minister's Economic Affairs Adviser Dr Moshiur Rahman, Professor Sarwar Jahan, Professor Dr Jamilur Reza Choudhury, Dr Hossain

Zillur Rahman, Architect Iqbal Habib, among others.

“We are now busy tackling the present crisis, but we have no longterm future plan to develop planned urbanisation. So, the tradition and mentality in this regard should also be changed in order to build a planned Bangladesh,” said Moshiur Rahman, who was also the chief guest of the programme.

Saying that the Planning Commission had not properly passed plans for all sectors, he also noted: “There is no profound knowledge or provision in the commission regarding environmental and climate change sectors.”

“The population is rising rapidly in our country, but have no future plans for dealing with this. Besides, there is no focus on urbanisation and industrialisation. So, the government and the authorities concerned should concentrate on three major sectors, namely land, water and population to build

planned Bangladesh.”

Moshiur further pointed out that in such a situation, there was no alternative but to decentralise administrative and industrial operation.

'There had many government instructions for rural development, but such instructions have performed poorly in developing all cities and towns' Speaking at the roundtable, Professor Sarwar Jahan said: “The government should form an independent ministry, namely Ministry of Housing and Urban Development, for a planned urbanisation in the country.”

“There had many government in-

structions for rural development, but such instructions have performed poorly in developing all cities and towns,” he added.

He said the dedicated ministry will be helpful in rapid urban development and would be helpful to formulate and implement new policies for long-term plans regarding planned urbanisation, town development and regional development.

Jamilur Reza Choudhury said: “To develop a planned Dhaka, the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) has to be implemented by any means. Besides, the government should take long-term plans to develop urban area in the country. Otherwise, disasters in Dhaka city will rise day-by-day.”

Referring to various developed cities across the globe, he further pointed out that governments of first world countries had adopted long-term project for planned urbanisation.

He also urged the government to

formulate a plan on population, urbanisation, transportation, industrialisation and others up to 2080.

Hossain Zillur Rahman said the population of Dhaka city had been growing fast as a large number of people were migrating to the city every day for different purposes, and the industries in the capital and also in Chittagong were also increasing rapidly in an unplanned way.

Iqbal Habib said the government should first decide on which system they will use to facilitate urban development.

“The government has formulated DAP, but had not been able to properly implement it. Different housing projects have already been built inside the DAP area.”

In the round table, Minister Mosharraf Hossain agreed on the opinions of the participants and said: “The government should pass a bill only for urban development.” l

Muggers shoot two in city n Afrose Jahan Chaity Muggers shot two men and stabbed another in the capital yesterday.

They are Mizanur Rahman Helal, a school teacher, and Rana, a van driver.

Helal's wife Monija Akter said: “We came under attack by four to five muggers in front of Noyatola Bank Colony at around 3pm. They held me hostage at gun point and fired at my husband after snatching his bag.”

She said her husband was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with 3 bullets lodged in the leg.

Confirming this, Assistant Commissioner of Police Mizanur Rahman (Ramna Zone) SM Shiblee Noman said they were yet to arrest any person in this regard.

In another incident, muggers also shot a van driver while snatching fruits worth Tk 60,000 from him at Palashi near Dhaka University.

Victim Rana, a Lalbagh resident, was also admitted to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

In yet another incident, muggers stabbed a businessman while robbing him of Tk 80,000 at Balurmath in Shekhertek at around 4:00pm yesterday.

Victim Sheru Mia, 38, was also admitted to the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital. l

Eid vacation at DU starts on July 20 n Du Correspondent On the occassion of Eid-ul-Fitr, the Univeristy of Dhaka will remain closed form July 20 to August 5, DU Public Relations Director Ashraf Khan said in a press release.

However, the administrative activities of the university will discontinue form July 27 and resume on August 4. l

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The Human Rights for Bangladesh Christians and Minorities forms a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday, protesting an attack on Boldipukur cathlic church at Mithapukur uapzial in Rangpur DHAKA TRIBUNE

Tree felling rampant in Barisal on pretext of safety n Our Correspondent, Barisal Over 100 trees are being felled on the Dhaka-Barisal Highway at Bhurghata under the pretext of ensuring safety of home-bound passengers ahead of Eid. Although officials of Roads and Highway department claimed that they were only trimming branches of trees to avoid road accident, in reality workers were appointed by them are actually cutting down entire trees.

During a visit on the spot yesterday, this correspondent found that workers were seen cutting trees and logs as well as branches of trees were being piled up.

When contacted, Mizanur Rahman, work assistant of roads and highway department, said only branches of

some Korai, Shishu, Mehagani, Chambol, Rain trees were cut down on Barisal-Bhurghata portion of the highway for the safety of passengers ahead of Eid. He said in the recent years they had observed that people, who travel on bus roofs, become victims of road accident.

“To avoid further road accident on the highway, we have taken decision to cut some branches of trees,” he said.

Md Nasiruddin, sub-assistant engineer of Roads and Highway department acknowledged that some trees were totally cut down and the branches of some others have been cut down for ensuring safe journey of the Eid passengers.

The official, however, acknowledged that no prior tenders were called for the work because of a shortage of time.

Sukumar Biswas, director of department of environment, Barisal office, said cutting of trees without a coordinated decision by departments concerned was prohibited under existing laws.

He said the departments concerned must consider the risk of cutting trees before taking any decision to do so.

Divisional Forest Officer Abdul Kuddus Bhuiya said he was not aware of the tree felling.

Md Khaled Shahed, executive engineer, Roads and Highway department, Barisal said the work of trimming branches of trees for safety of the road passengers and transports were done without any tender by the order of Dhaka head office. He said he has not been informed about the entire tree being felled. l

24.5ºC Rangamati

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PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

3:56am 5:20am 12:05am 4:45pm 6:48pm 8:13pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Two held for raping RMG worker in Ctg n FM Mizanur Rahaman Police arrested two people for raping a readymade garments (RMG) worker at Central Railway Building (CRB) area in Chittagong city on Wednesday night.

The arrestees are Md Ismail (23) and Md Mamun (25) of the area, said police sources.

Meanwhile, the two were sent to jail as a Chittagong court, where they were produced, the next working-day was fixed for the hearing of a seven-day remand that police sought yesterday.

Nezam Uddin, officer-in-charge (OC) (investigation) of Kotwali Police Station said three people including the duo forcibly picked up the 15-year girl, who was on a date with her boyfriend at the hilly CRB premises in the city, atop a hillock in the area at around 1:00pm.

Taking the teenager in their captivity, the trio asked the victim’s boyfriend to bring Tk 10,000 as ransom and duly the latter left the scene, and brought some of his friends there. But, in the meantime, Islmail and Mamun raped her.

Though the boyfriend and his fellows caught the accused red handed while the other managed to escape the scene, added the OC. The mob delayed in handing over the two alleged rapists to law enforcers as locals tried to save them by negotiation between the victim’s family and the accused.

A case was lodged in this connection yesterday morning. l

CU presents maritime border map to water resources minister n CU Correspondent

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

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Labourers are seen cutting a raintree at Bhurgahata in Barisal yesterday

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Chittagong University (CU) handed over the country’s first integrated maritime border map to the water resources minister yesterday.

Professor Dr Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury, pro vice-chancellor of CU, handed over the map titled “Maritime Province of Bangladesh” (Bangladesher Shomuddro Prodesh) to barrister Anisul Islam Mahmud, MP, on behalf of the Institute of Marine Science and Fisheries at CU, at the office of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Hathazari upazila.

Dr Shahadat Hossen, director of the Institute of Marine Science and Fisheries, Professor Sayedur Rahman Chowdhury, head of the map team and a teacher at the institute, Dr SM Sarifuzzaman and Israt Jahan Panna, UNO of Hathazari upazila, were present during the programme. l

Blood bank sealed-off, six owners-employees jailed in capital n Kailash Sarkar A mobile court conducted a drive at Rogi Kolyan Blood Bank in the capital yesterday and closed it on the grounds of hazard posed to patients, sentencing six persons to prison.

The court, led by Executive Magistrate AHM Anwar Pasha, raided the blood bank, located on the first floor of a building at Amtoli in Mohakhali area, and found its employees giving blood transfusions to patients without running the appropriate tests.

With the support of Rapid Action Battalion 1 personnel, the court seized 32 bags of poisonous blood and sealed off the blood bank.

The four owners of the blood bank, Robiul Islam, 40, his younger brother Ripon Uddin, 35, and their partners Saidul Islam 35, and Abdul Aziz, and one of employees, Anwar Hossain Kalu, 42, were sentenced to jail for two years, while Iqbal Kabir, another employee, was sentenced to jail for a year.

Dr Jogesh Chandra Roy of the Directorate General of Health Services and Assistant Superintendent of Police Jahangir Alam were also present during the raid.

During the drive the court found a cancer patient named Md Tajul Islam, 65, receiving transfusion of untested blood. In another room, Kalu was found collecting blood from Mahbubur Rahman, 25, a drug addict.

Another employee, Saiful Islam, was found selling blood to a patient’s relative for Tk1,500. The test report that the buyer was given with the blood was found to be signed by Iqbal instead of a doctor.

Iqbal admitted that he had been

forging blood reports without any tests following the directives given by the owners of the blood bank, said Anwar Pasha.

Abdul Aziz admitted to changing the labels on the bags of expired blood.

“Employees at the blood bank prepare two bags of blood by mixing saline water with a single bag of blood,” the magistrate said.

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune, he said the blood bank’s employees were not educated enough and had been running its operations in an unhygienic environment, despite having doctors and nurses, without testing the blood.

Five tests – HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Syphilis and Malaria – are mandatory before giving or selling a bag of blood to a patient.

The staff have been collecting blood from frequent donors, some of whom were found to be addicts, at the rate of Tk250-300, and they have been selling the blood at Tk1,500-3,000, the magistrate said.

The mobile courts, along with the Rab, have raided and sealed off 28 such blood banks so far and sentenced 54 to prison for various terms as well as charged them with large fines, sources said.

There are a total of 77 licensed blood banks, according to sources, who said a large number of these blood banks run business in various illicit ways.

Anwar Pasha, the executive magistrate of the mobile court, also said the huge demand for blood is largely met with the blood supplied by professional donors in association with a section of corrupt and ruthless people involved in the blood bank business. l

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Friday, July 18, 2014

Sorry state of roads in Mirsarai leads to locals' sufferings n Tribune Report

Lack of repair and maintenance of a large number of decrepit roads at Mirsarai upazila has led to immense sufferings to local people.

Talking to locals and officials while visiting different areas, the UNB correspondent found that a good number of roads are in very bad shape and those need urgent repair works.

The most decrepit roads include Obaidul Haque Khandaker Sarak and Dakkhin Alinagar Golam Akbar Khandaker Sarak at Karerhat union, Baroigram Sarak and Badamtoli Kalibari Sarak at Hinguli union, Uzir Ali Sarak and Mubbe Ali Sarak at Zorarganj

Union, Bosrat Ali Chowdhury Sarak at Dhum Union, Jhulonpol-Luddakhali Bhuiyan Sarak and Companynagar Sarak at Ichchakhali Union and Eastern Circular Sarak and Aburhat Bazar-Chhattar Bhuiyerhat-Bishumiarhat Sarak at Katachhara Union.

Deputy assistant engineer of the Local Government and Engineering Division (LGED) Abdul Latif said the upazila has a 1,261-km road network, of which 923 km is unpaved roads and 338 km paved roads, reports UNB. Over 147 km of paved roads were constructed over the last five years, he said, adding that some 53 km of the 147 km roads have been repaired till now.

Among the important roads, 5 km-

long Bosrat Ali Chowdhury road at Dhum union has become unfit even for walking as the paved road has not been repaired over the last 10 years. Built 50 years back, the road links the upazila with other districts, including adjacent Feni.

Locals said carpeting was done on Jhulonpol-Luddakhali Bhuiyan Sarak at Ichchakhali union in 2002 and added that the 4 km-long road now is now in an awful condition as crates and potholes developed on it for lack of repair.

Besides, pedestrians as well as commuters on vehicles have to undergo immense sufferings while going through the battered brick soling of the Companynagar road.

In last 10 years or more, the author-

ities did not take any step to repair the road near the four kilometers stretch of the road around Madbarhat area which remains in a run-down condition.

Sources concerned said the repair work on 4.5 km-long Eastern Circular Road at Katachhara union is yet to begin despite allocation of funds and floating of tender.

Local people at Zorarganj said about 2 km unpaved portion of Uzir Ali Sarak at the union is in sorry state and they added that they are suffering a lot as the widely used road has not been repaired.

Mirsarai upazila falls under Chittagong-1 electoral constituency and has an area of 3,000 square kilometres. l

500 houses submerged as dam collapses n Our Correspondent, Lakshmipur Around 500 houses in Purba Char Ramoni area under Lakshmipur Sadar upazila have been inundated as a portion of an embankment has collapsed because of a tidal surge in the Meghna River.

Consequently, thousands of people and their livestock have been marooned.

Md Khorshed Alam, union parishad member of ward no 8, told the Dhaka Tribune that seedbed of Aman paddy on hundreds of acres of land have been damaged because of the flood.

Locals said the embankment began to collapse two days ago, but officials from the Water Development Board did not initiate repairing the dam in time.

As a result, the embankment at Purba Char Ramoni point collapsed on

Wednesday night.

Jahangir Alam, a vegetable grower of the village, said cucumbers on his 60 decimals of land have gone under water.

Rashida Begum, a housewife, said she could not prepare Sehri and Iftar last night as her house has been inundated.

Rafiqul Islam, a schoolteacher, said people in the village could not offer prayers at mosques as thwy have gone under 2 to 3 feet of water.

Abdul Aziz, sadar upazila nirbahi officer, said he had visited the affected area yesterday morning.

He said he had talked with the executive engineer of the WDB in the morning and requested him to take immediate measures in this regard.

“The upazila nirbahi officer has assured me of taking immediate measures to repair the dam,” he said. l

Damaged road yet to be repaired in Shariatpur n Our Correspondent, Shariatpur The two kilometres of the Arigaon-Rajganj road under Shariatpur Sadar upazila, which was damaged from erosion by the Kirtinasha River last year, has yet to be repaired.

According to sources, about two lakh people from the surrounding areas use this link road to get to Shariatpur district headquarters and other parts of the district.

They are facing much hardship due to the inability of any and all vehicles to operate on the road and since necessary commodities are therefore not being brought into the locality.

In the absence of road reconstruction and repairs, the people of these areas are now using another road to get to the district town, but need to travel an increased distance of 10 to 15km.

Transporting essential commodities to the haats and bazars in the area has become more costly, causing the prices

Two Bangladeshis held by BSF n Our Corresondent, Thakurgaon Border Security Force of India (BSF) has detained two Bangladeshis at Dharmagarh border under Ranishangkoil upazila of Thakurgaon district. The detainees are Johurul, 25 and Jewel, 16.

Confirming the incident, Intelligence Officer of 30-Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) Major Towhid said yesterday around 10:30 pm, a petrol team of 121 BSF battalion of Sreepur camp in India arrested the two from the border near sub-pillar no 327/7-S inside the Indian territory at Dangripara village.

He said three months before the duo had gone to India illegally in search of work. They were returning to Bangladesh yesterday. BGB had conveyed a letter to BSF for returning the detained.

A flag meeting between the border guarding forces of the two countries was scheduled to be held yesterday in this regard, said the intelligence officer. l

to rise.

Mostofa Mia, a truck driver from Rajgonj area told this correspondent that vehicles could not move on the road due to its deplorable condition.

“We have asked the authorities concerned to repair the road immediately,” he said. He also said they face difficulties in transporting agri-produces as they could not use the road.

Bus driver Rajob Ali said: “People of these areas have been suffering for the lack of proper repairmen for this road.”

Sujon Mia, a trader from Arigaon Bazar said: “We cannot carry our commodities from one place to another because of the high cost of vehicles.”

When contacted, Tipu Madbor, chairman of Tulasar union council, said, “We have no allocation from the government to repair the road.”

Md Rejaul Karim, executive engineer of LGED, Shariatpur concurred with Tipu. l

A portion of Arigaon-Rajganj road has been damaged by erosion of the Kirtinasha River last year, but local authorities are yet to repair the road

ONE YEAR ON

None arrested in Pirojpur BCL leader murder case n Our Correspondent, Pirojpur Police have not been able to arrest any accused named in Chhatra League leader Khalequzzaman Riaz murder case though a year went by yesterday since he was murdered at Sadar upazila in Pirojpur.

According to the case, Riaz, a final year student of Barisal Poly-technique Institute, had an affair with a girl whom his friend Asaduzzaman Rigan tried to entice, resulting in an altercation between them.

Angry with this, Rigan and his accomplices - Nibir, Mamun and Ali Ahmed and some others called out Riaz from his home and hacked him. He died soon after being taken to the Pirojpur General Hospital on

July last year.

Riaz, son of Abul Bashar Howlader hailed from Ikra village at Bhandaria upazila in the district.

'We are upset as no accused has been arrested in the last one year. My sister, who is Riaz’s mother, has almost gone mad' His maternal uncle, Masum Billah, who filed the case, said: “We are upset as no accused has been arrested in the last one year. My

NEWS IN BRIEF Night guard killed

A security guard was hacked to death yesterday by miscreants at Amtoli Bazar in the district. Local sources said a group of unidentified miscreants hacked Joynal Miah, 55, son of Lail Miah, a resident of Rajghor village in the upazila. He died on the spot. On information, police recovered the body and sent it to Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy. The reason behind the killing could not be known.

– Our Correspondent, Brahmanbaria

Woman crushed under train in Habiganj A woman was crushed under the wheels of a train in Suraboi area under Habiganj Sadar upazila yesterday morning.

Quoting locals, police said a Dhaka-bound train crushed Jamila Khatun, 35, wife of Barkat Ali of Sanaboi area of the upazila, while she was crossing the rail line at about 10 am, leaving her dead on the spot. An unnatural death (UD) case was filed with the concerned thana in this connection.

– Our Correspondent, Habiganj

Nepali student found dead Police recovered the body of a Nepali student from a lake at Bazitpur Zahurul Islam Medical College in Kishoreganj district yesterday. The deseased was identified as Rajon Para Juli, 25, was the fifth year student of MBBS of the college and son of Krishna Prasad Para Juli. SI Shahjahan of Bajitpur police station said students of the college found the body floating on the lake around 6am and informed the police. Subrata Kumar Saha, officer-in-charge of Bazitpur police station said the body had been sent to Kishoreganj Adhunik Sadar Hospital morgue for autopsy.

The police are pursing the reasons behind the killing, he added.

– Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj

Two pirates held with firearms in Sundarban Members of Bangladesh Coast Guard in a drive arrested two pirates along with firearms from Pashchim Dhangmari area of Dakope upazila of Khulna district near Sundarban yesterday.

The arrestees were identified as Mamun, 28, son of Mahbub Ali, and Abdul Mannan, 30, son of Mujibur Rahman of Foyla village in Rampal upazila of Bagerhat district. Operational officer of Coast Guard (Mongla- west zone) Lt Mozahidur Rahman said a team of coast guard launched a drive in Pashshim Dhangmari area in the morning as their regular drive to arrest pirates and forests robbers. During the drive, the coast guard team arrested two pirates, also members of notorious Ranga Bahini, from there after a hot chase.

– UNB

24 shops gutted in Chandpur At least 24 shops were gutted by a fire that broke out at a market in Faridganj upazila early yesterday. Fire service officials said the fire originated from an electric short circuit at a cloth shop named Babul Cloth Store at Kalir Bazar at around 2:30am and it spread rapidly around engulfing 23 other adjacent shops. On information, a firefighting unit from Chandpur town rushed to the spot and doused the blaze after one hour of frantic efforts. The burnt structures included groceries, libraries, restaurants, jewellers, variety stores, confectionaries, tailoring shops, salons and garment and cloth stores. At least 10 people received burn injuries while extinguishing the blaze.

They took treatment from the local health complex and different clinics. The extent of losses from the fire was assessed at Tk2 crore.

– UNB

sister, who is Riaz’s mother, has almost gone mad.”

Pirojpur District Chhatra League general secretary Khairul Islam Mithu said: “Riaz was the president of the proposed Chhatra League committee, at Barisal Poly-Technique Institute. We demanded arrest and trial of those involved in murdering him.”

Pirojpur Sadar police station Sub-Inspector Moniruzzaman, who is investigating the case, said: “We have arrested two unnamed accused in the murder case. They confessed to have been present during the murder.”

“We are trying to arrest Rigan and others by running drives at various places. Hopefully, they will be arrested very soon.” l

Jamuna devours vast areas in Manikganj n Tribune Desk The Jamuna riverbank erosion has taken serious turn as vast areas of Daulatpur and Shibalaya upazilas of the district have been eroded during the last one month.

Around 3,000 families of the two upazilas are passing miserable days losing their houses and properties.

The most affected areas are: Bachamara, Baghutia and Charkatari unions of Daulatpur upazila and Teota union of Shibalaya upazila.

Charkatari union parisad chairman Abul Kalam Azad said about 1,000 dwelling houses of ten villages under the union have been grabbed by the Jamuna River bank erosion.

Chairman of Baghutia union parisad Akhter Hossain said the erosion of Jamuna has taken serious turn as vast areas of Basail, Islampur, Rahatpur, Jotkashi and Ghosherpara villages under the union are being eroded.

Deputy Commissioner Rashida Ferduose along with other district level high officials have visited the erosion-hit areas and talked to the victims. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

Friday, July 18, 2014

7

Judgement at the Hague and future prospects The country’s victory over its maritime boundary dispute with two neighbouring countries has widened the door of good prospects

T

n Sharif Hasan, Lam-ya Mostaque he landmark judgement at The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) at The Hague, has gifted Bangladesh with over 19,467 square kilometres out of 25,000 square kilometres of maritime areas.

It was in March 2012 that the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (Itlos) settled a similar case between Bangladesh and Myanmar and Bangladesh got its right over 1,11,631 square kilometres area for which there was conflict with Myanmar. Through this verdict, justice has been done to both sides truly marking a triumph for international legal instruments.

The country’s victory over its dispute with two neighbouring countries has widened the door of good prospects. Delimitation of the country’s maritime boundary with two next-door neighbours has removed all encumbrances to go ahead with exploration of oil and gas in the blocks therein.

Besides, the country achieved its right to collect unlimited mineral resources in the seabed. As the maritime boundary of Bangladesh was specified, it has created a scope for local and foreign ships to sail safely for the purpose of business and international waterways communication. The country will be able to earn huge foreign exchange by exporting fish.

What is discouraging is that authorities are yet to conduct surveys to determine the volume of the sea resources and the sea lanes are the lifelines of all economies. Bangladesh’s development will depend on the successful exploitation of maritime resources in the near future of energy resources.

Significance of sea has been increasing day by day because of the exploitation of fishery resources and offshore mineral reserves. Bangldesh’s maritime interests include a coastline of 700km extending deep into the Bay of Bengal and 166,000 square kilometres of Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), augmented by numerous islands of 16 coastal districts.

More than 32 million people live in these coastal districts and another four million are directly involved with the sea fishing trawlers. 90% of our foreign trade is transported over the seas. The biological, chemical and geological marine resources contribute a lot to a country’s economy.

Living resources

With the PCA verdict Bangladesh can now take full fledged initiatives to harvest its sea resources, which promise the country a far greater prospect of resolving resource crises

With the PCA verdict Bangladesh can now take full-fledged initiatives to harvest its sea resources, which promise the country a far greater prospect of resolving resource crises, especially one of hydrocarbons. This new achievement will accelerate the country’s economic development at a faster pace.

With the tribunal clearly delineating which part of the Bay belongs to which country, the stage is now set for Bangladesh to explore potential hydrocarbon resources that are thought to exist offshore.

Bangladesh as a maritime state Resources are the driving force of any country’s development. Bangladesh is a small country with a huge population. Oceans have a great potential for resources like food, mineral and energy which are yet to be explored and exploited. Bangladesh is an important maritime state with more than 700km coastline and sea lanes of communication.

Bangladesh is not rich in the mineral resources. Her needs for energy resources compel her to look forward to the vast maritime area more than 207,000 square miles according to the United Nations Convention of the Law of Sea (UNCLOS).

After the WWII, the law of sea gives the states more jurisdictions over its sea area. She has the commercial and strategic significance which can’t be ignored. The sea is one of the major sources of protein, mineral resources

In Bangladesh, narrow coastal belts are the main sources of sea fish. In recent years, it has been discovered that about one million tons of fish can be achieved from Bangladesh’s area of sea including the continental shelf.

Coastal aquaculture includes artificial propagation of different organisms living in the sea, like oysters, crabs, shrimps and sea woods. It is a very important sector for Bangladesh which is being practised in the enclosed backwaters and estuarine areas of Bagerhat, Khulna, Sathkhira, Faridpur, Barisal and Cox’s Bazar.

The EEZ can provide substantial contribution to the food supplies, especially the protein supply. Sea weeds are exploited by men for food, animal feed, energy, fertilisers and for chemical and pharmaceuticals purposes.

It is one of the world’s major living resources about which Bangladesh is not enough concerned.

Non-living resources There is a possibility of exploring the following mineral resources – hornblende, tremolite actinolite, opaque, zircon, pyroxene, garnet, epidote, monazite, kyanite. Of the 60 elements present in sea water, only six are recovered commercially – sodium, chlorine, magnesium, bromine, calcium and sulfur. There are possibilities to derive potassium, iodine, uranium and gold from the sea water in the future.

At the 10th World Energy Conference, the delegates also forecasted that 45% of the total world oil and gas reserves would come from offshore.

Heavy minerals were discovered in the beach sands of the coastal region of Bangladesh in 1961 which are yet to be extracted.

The 1961 US Geological Survey reported that there are abundant resources in beach sands along the country’s coastline and some 17 separate areas have been identified to contain ilmenite, zircon, rutile and

magnetite. Recently, an Australian survey said that some of the minerals like rutile and zircon are world class.

At present, the proven gas reserve is about 11Tcf. According to USCG and joint Petrobangla report the possibility of getting 60/70Tcf in Bangladesh is only about 5%, possibility of 32Tcf is about 59% and there is a 95% possibility of getting 8Tcf. In that case, it is very important to find new sources of energy resources.

Manganese nodules are widespread in the ocean depths beyond the continental shelf. These are the most important resources of deep sea deposit. The nodules contain 40 different materials including copper, aluminium, nickel, iron, cobalt and manganese. The most important component is manganese (29%), iron (6.3%), nickel (1.28%), copper (1.07%) and cobalt (0.25%).

Bangladesh now has 118,813 square kilometres of territorial sea and the size of the country is 147,570 square kilometres. Our rights have been established over a 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone and a substantial share of the extended continental shelf vis-a-vis Myanmar and India.

Thus, we have maritime zone almost the size of the country itself.

Potentials of hydrocarbon The judgment allows Bangladesh a 200 mile exclusive economic zone, continental shelf beyond the 200 mile economic zone and to have an access for Bangladesh to the open sea, not turning it into a “sea-locked country.”

Bangladesh’s awarded area reportedly includes 10 off-shore blocs in the west which were in dispute with India.

Bangladesh will now have not only 19,467 square kilometres in the west but also 111,631 square kilometres in the east (Itlos verdict) in the Bay of Bengal for exploration and exploitation of its resources.

The country is allegedly not prepared to exploit this bounteous gift of nature, this marine treasure trove. The country falls short of skilled manpower and experts in the relevant fields

bons” are basically the same, and can serve the same purposes.

Wherever there is natural gas, there must also be oil in the lower stratum, provided some geological conditions prevail to allow accumulation. Since gas is lighter than oil, it floats in the upper stratum. Geologists believe that the Bangladeshi territory in the Bay holds the biggest oil and gas prospect.

There is a high probability that some other marine minerals such as copper, cobalt, manganese, tin, zinc, silver and nickel can be found in the continental shelf. Petrobangla sources said, foreign companies lost their interest to investigate oil and gas in the sea due to disputes with India and Myanmar.

Petrobangla, a state-owned national oil company, was facing difficulties to invite tender because Myanmar demanded three deep sea blocks of their own while India demanded some more. Now there is no barrier to investigate oil and gas in those blocks after the verdict made by the PCA because Bangladesh has achieved the ownership of those blocks, according to the verdict.

Policy recommendation The maritime boundary of Bangladesh is full of sea resources, but there are no governmental steps to preserve

The country should adopt a strategic plan to overcome these hurdles in earnest; otherwise the momentary euphoria around the victory will fizzle out soon

One of the sources of food as well as oil and gas could be found from marine resources. As land resources deplete, more attention falls on the marine resources. As there is a huge potential of having hydrocarbon in the offshore areas of Bangladesh, exploration should be done in those areas as soon as possible to meet the energy crisis in the near future. There is every possibility of the presence of hydrocarbon in the sea areas of Bangladesh.

Natural gas and oil, called “hydrocar-

WIKIMEDIA

these resources. Experts demanded some rapid initiatives from the government to preserve the sea resources. They said a bright future for the country lies in the sea which is full of natural and mineral resources.

They, however, said the country has no preparation to utilise the opportunity. Bangladesh falls short of efficient manpower and experts in this regard. The country has no modern equipment for fishing and exploring mineral and natural resources. The

experts suggested that the country should create efficient manpower, adapt with modern technologies and procure equipment. They spoke on the need for holding a quick survey to determine the quantity of the resources preserved in the sea.

Professor Kausar Ahmed of oceanography department of Dhaka University said that winning the maritime dispute is not the ultimate solution to the problem. Rather, the country needs a coordinated effort and expertise to utilise the sea resources.

He said it is good that the country won its sea boundary dispute with India and Myanmar. But the country will have to make a quick survey to know as to how much resources are reserved in the sea. He regretted that such a survey was not held in the past.

He said this position is very important to Bangladesh. Despite demands made by India and Myanmar, a small country like Bangladesh has become shrinkage.

It is good news for us. But Bangladesh should collect the wealth from the new sea boundary and it will contribute to the economic growth of the country. Mentioning great achievement in the country’s gas sector, he said, “Bangladesh has a limited amount of gas reserves.”

The Itlos verdict ends the long and complex process and paves the way for the exploitation of vast offshore resources. It provides the nation with a wider scope of exploring and exploiting the potential. However, this verdict has opened new horizons of possibilities for the extraction of immense sea resources.

But the country is allegedly not prepared to exploit this bounteous gift of nature, this marine treasure trove.

The country falls short of skilled manpower and experts in the relevant fields. It has no modern equipment for fishing and exploring mineral resources. But what is even more discouraging is that authorities are yet to conduct surveys to determine the volume of the sea resources.

The country should adopt a strategic plan to overcome these hurdles in earnest; otherwise the momentary euphoria around the victory will fizzle out soon.

Sharif Hasan is a journalist. Lam-ya Mostaque is a research assistant at Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU).

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Friday, July 18, 2014

Gaza humanitarian truce takes effect hours after tunnel clash n Reuters, Gaza/Jerusalem Palestinians rushed to shops and banks yesterday during a five-hour humanitarian ceasefire that largely held and an Israeli official said Egypt has proposed a permanent truce that would start on Friday.

The official said senior Israeli negotiators had approved in talks in Cairo the comprehensive truce aimed at ending 10 days of warfare but the final decision rested with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet.

A spokesman for the Islamist Hamas rulers of Gaza denied initial comments by the Israeli official that a full ceasefire was slated to start at 6 a.m. (0300 GMT) on Friday.

Sirens sounded in southern Israel at 3 p.m. (1200 GMT), exactly at the end of the five-hour ceasefire, and the military said a rocket had been fired at the coastal city of Ashkelon.

During Thursday’s period of relative calm, the Israeli military said three mortar bombs were launched into Israel from the Gaza Strip, landing in open areas. Israeli forces, the military added, fired mortar rounds into the Palestinian territory during the truce period after a soldier was slightly wounded by a blast near the frontier.

Hours before the humanitarian ceasefire began, about a dozen Palestinian fighters tunnelled under the border, emerging near an Israeli community. At least one was killed when Israeli aircraft bombed the group.

The break in 10 days of fighting was requested by the United Nations to allow residents of the tiny, densely populated and impoverished Gaza Strip to gather supplies and repair damage to infrastructure such as water mains and power.

Gaza health officials say at least 224 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have

NEWS BITES

At least 14 Tunisian troops killed in mountain ambushes

tunnel, and before the five-hour ceasefire began, sirens sounded across Israel, including in the Tel Aviv area, the country›s heartland, warning of a heavy barrage of incoming rockets.

Ceasefire efforts

An Israeli tank, positioned near the Israeli border with the Gaza Strip, fires a 155mm projectile towards targets in the Palestinian enclave. Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement have agreed on a ceasefire that will begin at 0300 GMT today, an Israeli official said AFP been killed. In Israel, one civilian has been killed by fire from Gaza, where the Israeli militarysays more than 1,300 rockets have been launched into the Jewish state. The rocket salvoes have made a race to shelters a daily routine for hundreds of thousands of people.

Israel’s military, which government officials said was poised to expand its

air and naval bombardments into possible ground operations, said it would respond “firmly and decisively” if militants launched attacks during the truce.

In Gaza City, hundreds of Palestinian lined up outside banks to collect salaries paid directly into their accounts, while others went food shopping. Gaza roads almost deserted over days of conflict

were filled again with traffic.

“We are here to get paid. Thank God for the calm and we hope it lasts,” said Zakaria Ahmed, 35. “We hope Egypt brings a good truce, we hope the killing will stop and (Gaza’s border) crossings will open.”

There was also relief in Israel.

In Ashkelon, which has been under

US slaps toughest sanctions yet on Russia, targets Putin allies

n Reuters, Tunis

n Reuters, Washington/Moscow

At least 14 Tunisian troops were killed when gunmen attacked checkpoints in the remote Chaambi mountains, the deadliest militant strike on the North African country’s armed forces. Since April, thousands of Tunisian soldiers have been deployed to the Chaambi range bordering Algeria in an operation to flush out al Qaeda-linked militants seeking refuge there, some since fleeing French intervention in Mali last year.

During the attack on Wednesday night, militants with rocket-propelled grenades and rifles ambushed checkpoints the military had set up to try to control the Chaambi region.

The gunmen attacked as the soldiers were breaking their fast for the evening during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, the Defence Ministry said. More than 20 soldiers were wounded.

Tunisia has struggled with the rise of radical Islamist militants since the 2011 popular revolt ended the rule of autocrat Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali and began its fragile steps towards democracy. Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, al Qaeda’s North Africa branch, has claimed attacks in Tunisia in the past, but another militant group, Ansar al Sharia, which is listed as a terrorist organization by Washington, has also been blamed. The mountain range is tough terrain with access into Algeria. Tunisian forces conducted several raids there and have bombarded caves after eight soldiers were captured and killed last year. l

President Barack Obama imposed the toughest US sanctions yet on Russia, striking at the heart of Vladimir Putin’s powerbase by targeting companies closest to him over what Washington says is Moscow’s failure to curb violence in Ukraine.

By imposing penalties on Russia’s largest oil producer Rosneft, its second largest gas producer Novatek and its third largest bank Gazprombank, Washington targeted Putin’s allies, many of whom have become wealthy during his tenure.

Moscow denounced what it called “primitive” revenge for events in Ukraine, and pledged to retaliate with sanctions of its own. Putin said the US sanctions would damage American energy companies and bring relations to a “dead end.”

The sanctions, which in effect close medium- and long-term dollar funding, were also put on Vnesheconombank, VEB, which acts as payment agent for the government, and eight arms firms, including the producer of the Kalashnikov assault rifle.

However, the sanctions did not freeze the big companies’ assets, close off the short-term funding they need for day-to-day operations, or stop US firms doing business with them. Several were quick to say it was business as usual. But Russia’s rouble-traded stock market and the

Ukraine prime minister says Russia unable to split EU, US

Actress who posted ricin jailed

n Reuters, Kiev

Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said yesterday new sanctions imposed on Moscow by the United States and the European Union showed Russian attempts to split Washington and Brussels were not working.

Speaking to his government, Yatseniuk also told Russia to stop supplying weapons to rebels in eastern Ukraine, who have been forced to retreat into the region’s two main cities after Kiev stepped up what it calls its “antiterrorist operation.”

“All attempts by Russia to split the European Union, and to stop the European Union and the United States from agreeing, were doomed to failure,” he said, accusing Moscow of sending dozens of tanks, shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles and agents into eastern Ukraine. “Enough Vladimir Vladimirovich (Putin). It’s time to end the war, to stop support for the bandits and separatists, and the creation of Great Russia at Ukraine’s expense.” l

frequent rocket fire, families strolled through the streets after remaining at home for the past week.

“They finally decided, for at least a short time, on a ceasefire ... so we can have some fun now during summer break,” youngster Netanel Moshe Popesmedo said on Channel 10 television.

After the early morning clash over the

President Barack Obama said on Wednesday he supported Egyptian efforts to agree a ceasefire that would end the worst flare-up of Israeli-Palestinian hostilities in two years. US officials would use their diplomatic resources over the next 24 hours to pursue closing a deal, he said.

Egypt had proposed a permanent ceasefire plan on Tuesday, which Israel accepted. But Hamas, saying its terms had been ignored, rejected it.

Hamas wants Israel and Egypt, whose military-backed government is at odds with the Islamist group, to lift border restrictions that have deepened economic hardship among Gaza’s 1.8m populace and caused a cash crunch in the movement, which has been unable to pay its employees for months.

On Wednesday, an Israeli gunboat off Gaza’s Mediterranean coast shelled a beach, killing four boys - two aged 10 and the others 9 and 11 - from one family and critically wounding another youngster, witnesses and Ashraf alQidra of the Gaza Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military said the reported civilian casualties were unintended and tragic and it was investigating what happened. «Based on preliminary results, the target of this strike was Hamas terrorist operatives,» it said in a statement.

The current conflict was largely triggered by the killing of three Israeli teens in the occupied West Bank last month and the death on July 2 of a Palestinian youth in a suspected revenge murder. l

rouble tumbled on opening.

After stabilising, Rosneft and Novatek were still each down around 5%. The MICEX index was off more than 2%.

The measures mean that Washington has moved far further to punish Russia than its EU allies, who collectively do 10 times as much trade with Russia as the United States and depend on Moscow for natural gas.

Moscow denounced what it called ‘primitive’ revenge for events in Ukraine, and pledged to retaliate with sanctions of its own Nevertheless, the European Union also said it was imposing new sanctions and would draw up a list of targets by the end of the month. It will block new loans to Russia through two development banks.

Moscow said the European Union had “succumbed to the blackmail of the US administration” to follow Washington in imposing sanctions.

The sanctions show a new willingness to act by Western countries over a crisis that has escalated in re-

cent weeks. Hundreds of people have died in fighting between Ukrainian troops and heavily armed pro-Russian separatists who have declared independent “People’s Republics” in two provinces.

Moscow denies supporting the rebellion, but many of the separatist fighters and their main leaders are from Russia. Kiev says they have been bringing heavy weapons across the border and that Russia shot down one of its planes on Monday.

Putin, who annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in March and has referred to southern and eastern Ukraine as “new Russia,” had appeared keen in recent weeks to tamp down the worst confrontation with the West since the Cold War, pulling back tens of thousands of troops from the frontier.

But in recent days, Washington and Brussels say, he has again sent some 12,000 troops to the frontier and kept the border open for rebel fighters and arms.

Obama, who warned of more sanctions if Russia did not take concrete steps to ease the conflict, said Putin had so far failed to take steps needed to resolve the crisis peacefully.

“We have emphasized our preference to resolve this issue diplomatically, but that we have to see concrete actions and not just words that Russia, in fact, is committed to trying to end this conflict along the Russia- Ukraine border,” he said. l

n BBC

An actress who posted ricin-laced letters to US President Barack Obama and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been given an 18-year prison term.

Shannon Richardson, 36, from Texas, had accused her estranged husband Nathaniel of sending the three poisoned letters in an apparent attempt to frame him.

“I never intended for anybody to be hurt,” she told the court. She pleaded guilty in December to the charge of possessing and producing a biological toxin. A federal judge gave her the maximum sentence under that plea deal and ordered her to pay restitution of about $367,000 (£214,000).

Richardson, a mother of six, has played small roles in The Vampire Diaries and The Walking Dead, according to IMDB. Prosecutors say that after ordering the ingredients online, she made the ricin and then posted three letters before going to police and claiming her estranged husband was to blame.

Shannon Richardson According to a federal indictment, one letter to Mr Obama read, exactly as she wrote it: “What’s in this letter is nothing compared to what ive got in store for you mr president.” Another letter received by Mr Bloomberg, a gun control advocate, contained a threat to “shoot in the face” anyone who came

for the sender’s guns.

A third ricin-laced letter was opened

by Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a gun control advocacy group founded by Mr Bloomberg.

In asking the judge for leniency on Wednesday, Richardson apologised and said: “I’m not a bad person.” l

The rise of Hitler hashtags n BBC A crop of Hitler-related hashtags has emerged on social media in the past week or so - what and who is behind this? #HitlerWasRight, #HitlerDidNothingWrong, and - most recently - #IfHitlerWasAlive have all been doing the rounds on Twitter and Facebook over the past few days.

References to Hitler on social media are, of course, nothing new - in the past 12 months, “Hitler” has been used more than 10m times on Twitter. But there’s been a clear upsurge recently - related to both Germany’s performances in the World Cup, and the Israel-Gaza conflict.

Taken together, these three hashtags have been used more than 15,000 times in the past week. As their titles would suggest, they include all manner of anti-Semitic vitriol. But a large chunk of the discussion is critics pushing back, and condemning those who’ve used it.

The hashtags seem to have begun to pick up during Germany’s key games in the World Cup. For example: “I think the last time the Germans destroyed someone like that was WW2. #HitlerDidNothingWrong.” Though he didn’t use one of these hashtags, a Malaysian MP caused outrage when - in reference to Germany’s 7-1 thrashing of Brazil - he tweeted: “WELL DONE..BRAVO...LONG LIVE HITLER...”

Some of the World Cup-related references to Hitler were probably intended as jokes - albeit bad ones. But the use of the hashtags soon took on an anti-Semitic turn.

As the Israel-Gaza conflict gathered pace, the hashtags then got picked up by some pro-Palestinians - though not, it should be stressed - among many Palestinians themselves. Indeed many Palestinians were vocal in urging people to stop. “Reprehensible” “bigoted” and “hateful” is how Yasmeen Serhan, a Palestinian-American student describes the #HitlerWasRight hashtag. “Such a trend has no place in Palestinian activism,” she says.

The #HitlerWasRight and #HitlerDidNothingWrong hashtags have been used intermittently and it’s hard to trace their origin. But with #IfHitlerWasAlive it’s much easier to identify the source - it began trending as a result of a number of individuals in Pakistan.

As with the other hashtags, the condemnation was robust. “My guess is these are uneducated people,” says Zohaib Nawaz Tarar, a Pakistani student and computer programmer now living in Spain who was one of many who tweeted his condemnation. “There is a group of people starting hashtags just to get them to trend. These are stupid people who don’t know real facts.”

“It’s intended to inflame - to be grossly offensive,” says Rabbi Kenneth Cohen who also stepped into the Twitter conversation to condemn the comments being made.

“It’s also counter-productive - it reflects baldy on the people using that hashtag.

It’s not very bright.”

“At a time when we should labouring to defuse the tensions, there are some people going out of their way to inflame them,” he adds. Cohen believes the relative anonymity of social media means people feel free to say things that would be completely socially unacceptable in person.

That people make often entirely spurious comparisons to Hitler should not come as a surprise, says Mike Godwin, who back in 1990 researched what is known as Godwins Law of Nazi Analogies.

In its simplest form, Godwins Law states that in any online discussion or forum, someone will - if it’s left there long enough - eventually bring up Hitler or the Nazis.

“It’s the model of evil,” in the Western world he says. If you want to escalate a debate “this is where you’ll go.”

Such references to Hitler have probably existed since before the internet, says Godwin. But the internet - and now social media - has magnified the phenomenon, making it much more visible. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Crucial Afghan poll audit starts n AFP, Kabul

Afghanistan yesterday began a massive audit of 8.1m ballots cast in the run-off round of its controversial presidential vote, hours after a brazen Taliban raid on Kabul’s airport.

The audit is aimed at reversing a destabilising political crisis that has threatened to widen the country’s ethnic fissures as foreign troops prepare to withdraw after more than a decade of war. Some 23,000 ballot boxes are being transported by the Afghan army and Nato forces to the capital, where they will be examined at 100 verification stations.

“The audit will take two to three weeks, we are planning to form hundreds of teams for this audit,” Ahmad Yousuf Nuristani, chief of the Independent Election Commission told a press conference.

“I hope both candidates accept the results this time after the overall audit,” he added.

The move was agreed upon by the two rival presidential contenders, Abdullah Abdullah and Ashraf Ghani, following a deal brokered by US Secretary of State John Kerry.

US President Barack Obama yesterday hailed the “courage” of the two candidates, as well as Kerry’s efforts in breaking the deadlock.

“This progress will honour both candidates who have put the interests of a united Afghanistan first, the millions of Afghans who defied threats in order to vote, and the service of our

Militants killed after audacious attack on Kabul airport n Reuters, Kabul

An Afghan election commission worker sorts ballot papers for an audit of the presidential run-off votes at a counting centre in Kabul.

Afghanistan yesterday began a massive audit of 8.1m ballots cast in the run-off round of its controversial presidential vote AFP troops and civilians who have sacrificed so much,” he said in a statement from the White House.

Former foreign minister Abdullah, who blamed fraud for putting him behind Ghani in preliminary results, added his team would be following the process carefully.

“Both teams have agreed for the thorough and serious audit of the votes, and we firmly stand on our commitment to the people that the clean votes will be separated from the unclean ones,” he said.

The impasse over the vote to succeed President Hamid Karzai has raised

9

Friday, July 18, 2014

fears of a return to the ethnic violence of the 1990s.

Every one of the 8.1m votes cast in the run-off election will be checked for signs of fraud in a painstaking process in Kabul.

Nato is providing air transport for some 40% of the votes. l

Militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades attacked Kabul International Airport in the Afghan capital yesterday in one of the most audacious assaults on the facility, used by both civilians and the military, in a year.

The attack on the airport comes at a time of great uncertainty for Afghanistan as votes from the second round of a disputed presidential election are to be recounted. The poll is meant to mark Afghanistan’s first democratic transfer of power.

The attack lasted about four hours after four unidentified militants armed with automatic rifles and rocket-propelled grenades opened fire on the airport from the roof of a building just to its north.

“Four terrorists were killed by police special forces. The area is being cleared now, there are no casualties to our forces,” said Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi.

The airport is home to a major operational base for Nato-led forces that have been fighting Taliban and other insurgents for 12 years and is bristling with soldiers and police, guard towers and several lines of security checkpoints.

Militants fire rockets into the airport

almost every week, causing little damage, but frontal attacks on the heavily guarded facility are rare and represent an ambitious target for insurgents.

The attack was similar in tactics to last year’s assault on the airport, when seven Taliban insurgents including suicide bombers attacked after taking up positions inside a partially constructed building nearby.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack.

A Kabul airport official told Reuters all flights had been diverted to other cities. In such circumstances, passenger planes are immediately diverted to other Afghan cities such as Mazar-i-Sharif in the north or Herat in the west.

“Due to the closeness of the attack to the runway, Kabul airport is now closed to all flights,” the official said.

Planes could be heard circling above Kabul as the attack unfolded.

A Reuters witness near the scene earlier saw black smoke billowing above the airport and heard several explosions. A car had been set on fire not far from the scene.

On Tuesday, a car bomb detonated in a crowded market killed 43 people and wounded at least 74 in the eastern province of Paktika, close to Afghanistan’s porous border with Pakistan. l

Thai junta allows Yingluck to leave country n Reuters, Bangkok

Kerry, Hagel to visit India Six-year-old raped in Bangalore to push strategic ties school by staff members

Thailand’s military rulers have given permission to former Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to travel to Europe where she is expected to attend the birthday party of her brother Thaksin, also a deposed former premier, officers said yesterday.

A military spokesman said Yingluck, forced from office by a court ruling days before the military seized power in May, was permitted to leave provided she stayed out of politics. He said she would be allowed back into Thailand at the end of her trip.

The military briefly detained Yingluck and hundreds of other politicians, activists, academics and journalists after the May 22 coup, which it says it staged to restore order after months of sometimes violent protests against her government.

Some of those detained remain in custody under martial law.

Since taking power, the military’s National Council for Peace and Order has banned hundreds of activists and politicians from leaving the country. It has also stifled dissent and dispersed anti-coup protests.

“Yingluck has not done anything that violates our orders so her personal trip to Europe has been approved,” said army spokesman Colonel Winthai Suvaree. l

America’s top diplomat and the head of its Defence Department will visit India in coming weeks seeking to revitalise a relationship the United States sees as a crucial counterbalance in Asia to an increasingly assertive China.

Secretary of State John Kerry will represent the United States in an annual session of Strategic Dialogue with India scheduled for July 31, and he will be followed to New Delhi by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in early August, US officials said on Wednesday.

They will be the most senior US officials to visit India for talks with the new government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi since his May election.

Modi is expected to visit the United States in September.

In testimony for a hearing of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Nisha Biswal, the US assistant secretary of state for South Asia, noted that President Barack Obama had said the US-India relationship would be “one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.”

She also said Modi had told US Deputy Secretary of State Bill Burns in India last week that the world would benefit from closer US-India ties.

“Across the board ... we have an opportunity here to engage more robustly with in India in how the Asian landscape unfolds,” she said. “And we

n Reuters, Washington

Archie comic banned in Singapore as censorship row escalates n Reuters, Singapore Singapore has banned a volume of the “Archie” comic book that featured a same-sex marriage, adding fuel to a censorship row that erupted over a children’s story about two male penguins hatching an egg.

“Archie: The Married Life Book Three” was taken off book shop shelves following a complaint to Singapore’s Media Development Authority which found it was not in line with social norms and breached their content guidelines.

News of the ban, which was imposed earlier this year but came to light late on Wednesday, comes a week after Singapore’s National Library Board said it was to destroy three children’s books seen as being pro-homosexual, including penguin story “And Tango Makes Three.”

That prompted about 400 people to turn out on Sunday for a “read in” of the books in the national library’s atrium, while on Wednesday, three authors resigned as judges from Singapore’s main literature prize in protest against the move.

Singapore has tight rules on censorship, banning Playboy magazine and blocking dozens of websites in what it has

described as “a symbolic statement of the types of content which the community is opposed to.” However, whether homosexual content falls into that category is a thorny issue. A growing groundswell of support for gay rights is being met with noisy protests from religious groups, keen to maintain the status quo of sex between two men being illegal.

Last month, a record crowd turned out for a gay-rights rally called “Pink Dot” while several Christian and Muslim groups protested against it by wearing white. Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim has said he supports the library’s stand, although unusually not all members of the governing People’s Action Party (PAP) share that view.

“I do not believe homosexuality falls in the category of issues which should be excluded,” said Hri Kumar Nair, a PAP member of Parliament in a Facebook post titled Pulp Friction.

“But I think most neutrals would agree that children should read books with controversial themes supervised.”

For Archie, the volume’s removal from book shelves in Singapore comes as the redheaded American teenager is due to exit the comic world altogether. l

look forward to engaging with the new government in that agenda.”

Biswal referred to planned joint military exercises involving India, the United States and Japan, a country with a growing strategic rivalry with China in East Asia. “We see opportunities for increasing the collaboration across Southeast Asia,” she said.

“We are engaging more frequently in consultations and dialogue with India on ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and look forward to increased and more frequent consultations across the East Asian sphere,” Biswal said, adding: “A rising India is in some ways going to be an ameliorating influence on China, in China’s own growth and China’s own behavior in the region.”

Amy Searight, the US deputy assistant secretary of defense for South and Southeast Asia, said there was “a real strategic convergence” as India looked east in Asia and the United States pursued its “rebalance” to the continent.

“We both are looking to the challenges in East Asia today, of which a rising China is certainly a major part,” she said. Searight said there were growing relationships between India and Japan and India and the ASEAN countries, including Vietnam, a country which has been playing out a bitter territorial rivalry with Beijing in the South China Sea. l

n BBC A six-year-old schoolgirl has allegedly been raped by two staff members at a prominent school in the southern Indian city of Bangalore, police say.

The alleged assault happened on 2 July but her parents discovered it only a few days ago after she complained of stomach ache and was taken to hospital.

Meanwhile, hundreds of parents have protested outside the school, pulling down its gates and shouting slogans. Police have registered a case, but they are yet to make any arrests.

The BBC’s Andrew North in Delhi says it’s the latest in a series of sexual assault cases that have made headlines in India.

Figures show more rapes are being reported in general, which is a sign that the crime is being taken more seriously, our correspondent reports. But India’s sluggish judicial system means it can take years for victims to get justice.

New Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised a zero tolerance approach on crimes against women, but violence and discrimination against women remain deeply entrenched in society.

The girl was allegedly raped by a security guard and a gym teacher, but as there are multiple guards and gym instructors in the school, police say they are trying to identify the guilty, BBC

This is the latest in a series of sexual assault cases that have made headlines in India Hindi’s Imran Qureshi reports from Bangalore.

As news of the incident became public, hundreds of parents gathered outside the school, protesting against the alleged insensitivity of the school management.

“They have handled it very shoddily,” said Vivek Sharma, parent of a boy studying in the school.

On Thursday, school chairman Rustom Kerawala addressed a meeting of the parents where he offered his “sincere apologies” and promised “full co-opera-

BBC

tion” with the police investigation.

Scrutiny of sexual violence in India has grown since the 2012 gang rape and murder of a student on a Delhi bus.

The brutal crime led to massive outrage in the country and forced the government to introduce tougher anti-rape laws, including the death penalty in rare cases.

But the law appears to have failed to act as a deterrent. Statistics from the National Crime Records Bureau for 2013 show one rape was reported every 21 minutes. l

S TA R T I N G A L L OV E R AG A I N

People help repair a house destroyed by Typhoon Rammasun in Batangas on Thursday, a day after the storm barreled over the region . Millions of people in the Philippines endured a second sweltering day without power yesterday, after a ferocious typhoon paralysed the capital and tore down flimsy rural homes, claiming at least 38 lives AFP

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Friday, July 18, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

End the grabbing of launch tickets

I

t is outrageous that the government has done little to stop the practice of confiscating launch tickets from the hands of the public.

Indeed, an illegal travel syndicate, looking to cash in on the approaching Eid holidays, has been allowed to grab hold of a large number of launch tickets, and the remainder was booked by government high-ups and relatives of parliamentarians, long before BIWA and launch owners ever agreed to a date for when the latter would begin selling tickets.

For the working poor, travelling by launch is the cheapest way of going home for the Eid holidays, and it is around this time when they queue up to buy tickets.

However, they can ill afford to do so if illegal syndicates scalp tickets to them at exorbitant prices.

While launch owners do have the right to sell tickets to whomever they will, there has to be better supervision over their activities, so as to prevent injustice from taking place.

This is where the government shares blame. It should break the power of the syndicate and bring it to book for its violations.

The government should step up its efforts to bring unscrupulous practices to an end. It should be working in the interest of the people, not against them.

The government should step up its efforts to bring unscrupulous practices to an end

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

Catholic Church takes interest in social business July 14

Vikram Khan The social business concept of Professor Yunus, to encourage people to start businesses with social goals, is nice in theory but is still not proved possible without a significant capital investment (something young entrepreneurs do not have).

Till now, all significant social business ventures had a starting capital donated by a multinational directly connected to the social business. This is jeopardising the concept of social business

Breakthrough in tourism by next year: Menon July 14

Our cities are everyone’s responsibility

T

he president of the Institution of Diploma Engineers, Bangladesh (IDEB) recently made comments during a seminar on water-logging, accusing every government in the history of our country of having failed in their duties regarding the management of our cities.

What might initially come off as yet another attempt at finger-pointing is actually a rather sobering admission of guilt. It is not only the government’s job to keep our cities clean and functional, but also a good part of that responsibility also falls on us as citizens.

Our cities have not been planned out to operate in the most optimised way possible.

Dangerously frequent instances of unplanned urbanisation result in natural water bodies being filled up, giving way to water-logging; canals and rivers are made vacant for housing projects which leave construction material lying on the ground, posing a serious hazard to passers-by.

These are everyday sights to the average city-dweller, but the ill effects they have on our metropolises are lasting.

For urban developers, it should be a point of reminder that being a deltaic country, our cities are already in a rather precarious geographical and topographical position. Careful planning is a necessity before further urbanisation can even be considered.

There is a very real, tangible toll being taken on our environment due to the haphazard way our cities are currently operating and expanding. Let us not make the same mistakes as our forebears, and move beyond political blame games to fix our cities.

Being a deltaic country, our cities are already in a precarious geographical and topographical position

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 17 represents H so fill H every time the figure 17 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.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

because the multinationals are using the social businesses as publicity stunts – they do not have to gain money, but they gain fame because they directly connect themselves to the “brand”: Yunus and Grameen). T Till now, not one entrepreneur could start a social business without the backup of a significant financial investment donated by a profit-making company with a record of questionable ethics towards poverty alleviation.

A farmer called Amjad and our football July 14

Jamal Haider Has this minister been to Malaysia and Maldives?

Is he comparing those nations to Bangladesh in terms of tourism? The basic job of a minister seems to be to insult the intelligence of the people he is there to serve. Shame.

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.

Fake note circulation escalates in Chittagong July 14

vihan How do fake notes end up in ATM booths? Do we have to conclude that bank employees are (1) too slow to see the difference between good and fake notes, (2) too lazy to do their jobs, (3) or are they also involved in the criminal business of counterfeit notes?

Political parties only go backwards July 14

Saddened Bangladeshi This refers to the various comments by readers on this matter related to BNP, correctly lambasting both the major political parties: The one in power, and the absent (in assembly) opposition.

These realities have resulted in what we see around us today.

From all we have seen in this nation, the major party activity seems to be financing the “activists” that are, in reality, professional goons and thugs.

This is how national wealth is wasted, for dubious and dicey ideas of “violence and elimination,” resulting in more blood and tears. That seems to be the name of the game of politics. Honesty and integrity, meanwhile, are dead from decades before.

Messi wins Golden Ball July 14

manik Messi please cheer up, cause your smile is what cheers up the millions of football fans all around the world.

VK It is folly for an “impoverished” farmer to spend more than Tk200,000 on a German flag. Just imagine what good he could have done for his own family with that money!?! manik I wish people would return to watch the local derby matches, so we can have the glory days of football back. If only the country took a similar interest of cricket in football. :(

Rockets fired towards Israel July 11

Ronnie The only language Israel has always understood best is the language of aggression and force. I’m aware that it’s somewhat irresponsible to be advocating rocket attacks from southern Lebanon that inevitably incite a disproportionately savage response from Israel upon innocent Lebanese civilians and infrastructure in that country.

However, it’s also true that Israel’s aggression has also been somewhat curbed and the colonialist, racist country chastened by the resolute resistance and fighting prowess of Hizb’Allah. I would, of course, prefer that rocket attacks be directed against the Israeli military and its assets, rather than ordinary Israeli civilians. In any case, Israel must be forced to realise that there can never be true peace and “quiet” (in Israel) without true justice in Palestine.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Female sheep (4) 4 Useful thing (5) 9 Annoy (3) 11 Unmixed (4) 12 Silly (5) 13 Part of the eye (4) 14 Impression left by blow (4) 15 Suspension of fighting (5) 19 Take unjustly (5) 21 Brick carriers (4) 25 Wading bird (4) 26 Adult insect (5) 28 Golfer’s warning (4) 29 Fresh (3) 30 Dentures (5) 31 Wagers (4)

DOWN 1 Wicked (4) 2 Lump on the skin (3) 3 Praise (5) 5 Arachnid (6) 6 Certain (4) 7 Ireland (poet) (4) 8 Irritable (5) 10 Planet (5) 16 Reddish brown (6) 17 Love god (5) 18 Move (5) 20 Carpentry tool (5) 22 Musical instrument (4) 23 Dreadful (4) 24 Farm animals (4) 27 Obtain (3)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

Yin and Yang July 14

PEANUTS

Ronnie Thanks to the author for giving the admirable Phillip Lahm his deserved due as a player and captain of the magnificent Mannschaft.

As a Germany fan since Mexico-’86, I’ve been through the obvious heartbreak (since 2002) of seeing Germany exit in three World Cup semi-finals, and the finals of WC-2002 & Euro-2008. So, I desperately, especially wanted Germany to win, for Lahm, and the terrific Joachim Low. It’s such a sweet thrill to see that it turned out that way.

Kudos to the entire Germany squad, and a big thank-you to both Lahm and Low. This triumph in Brazil is a tribute to them both. I’m already somewhat stoked about Euro 2016. :)

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Friday, July 18, 2014

Long-term quiet n Prince El Hassan bin Talal

W

Urban infrastructure costs money

SYED LATIF HOSSAIN

A city for our children

W n Raihan Hadi

hat drives a father to wake up every morning and push himself out in the world to work? What really drives a mother to go as far as finding a job that no one would imagine doing in their worst days? The thought that the outcome of that job would bring the food home that would light up their kids’ faces is enough I think.

I think of the future when I’ll be a father myself, and all I’d ever want is for my child to be happy, well-fed, and safe. I’m quite worried about whether all three of them will be possible in a few years’ time in our beloved city, or our beloved country. If not for me or you, for many others who cannot really find work – not because there is no work, but because there are too many for a few jobs.

I did talk briefly in a previous op-ed about the problems we are facing now, and the long term repercussions we face if we keep stretching it. Dhaka city has become so centralised over the years, that everyone in this country has to come here for something or the other, because most businesses and facilities are concentrated in Dhaka. Of course, there are state-owned facilities available in the other divisions, but how many of them have world class universities like there are in Dhaka?

How many of them have state of the art hospitals like there are in Dhaka? How many can really afford to pay for flights and other emergency transportations to come and avail

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up a chat with some stranger about anything. I can bet you that almost 90% of the time, if you’re into it, the conversation will end up on politics, what it has been doing to us, and how we are all doomed. Rarely will you find people coming forward with a solution, or people who are willing to get into politics because they want to do something good for the nation.

And we just let go, because most of the time, we don’t have time to care.

But, nonetheless, we need solutions, and we need more people who can actively provide them without hesitation.

The first step, I believe, would be to

these facilities in Dhaka? Above all, my question is: Having been a free country for so long, why would we have to anyways?

Every other day when I’m off work and looking for a means to get back home, I meet these men from Rangpur asking for ten bucks to get some food, because they came for work to Dhaka and didn’t get any. Despite having so many construction sites in this city, there is a saturation of men who provide labour for construction, ergo the men from poorer parts of the country coming over with the dream of earning and getting caught up in the web of nothingness.

All I’d ever want is for my child to be happy, wellfed, and safe. I’m quite worried

start working toward the decentralisation of our facilities from Dhaka, and spread them all around. Now, I don’t mean that you have to have this here and that there, that would be impractical. But what we can do is begin by planning out the other cities in the other divisions so that we can eliminate the mistakes from the system that have already taken place while building Dhaka.

I’m sure that if the whole nation tries to help our government sustain

And there is already a shortage of employment for even the educated lot here, compelling many to resort to the one thing that soothes the soul – drugs. Our problems are becoming more and more intertwined with each other and multiplying faster than cancer cells, and are making corruption look like the fountain of success into which you can dive and never get out.

We can all talk about problems any given time of the day – all you need to do is to go sit at a tea stall and start

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itself, even the government itself wouldn’t mind. We have somehow forgotten to be united for the benefit of ourselves, and have led ourselves to believe in separate entities so often, that we are always divided into at least two different parties, two different teams, two different values, while we have but one country.

I’m sure you’re realising that while my effort had started up talking about one city, it has now moved on to fixing our country. And when I’m talking about us helping our government in doing so, I need all of you to know that I am in no way affiliated with a party. I am a genuinely concerned citizen like most of you out there, and I, like all you out there, cannot do anything as an individual.

We are what runs the nation and the nation is what drives us, and we need to unite to solve our problems to build that shining future for our children, and ourselves, from this very moment.

We need to have more philanthropists in action. Each can push forth causes of their own, and finance them in their own way, because without the fuel called money, the engine called nation cannot run. The rich, influential, and famous can help us gather round and join hands with us to resolve issues hindering our development. We have all the resources we need; it’s time to get to work. Are you in? l Raihan Hadi is Founder, Ideas for Bangladesh, and Senior Executive, Korea-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

I

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Do we need a law for men? n Nadeem Qadir

I

have a question for my readers today: Do we need an “anti-repression” law for men in Bangladesh?

It may sound strange. But several incidents prompted me to write on this issue.

In the first case, a woman filed a case against her younger brother as an “instigator” in an incident of alleged assault. The matter was linked to property worth around Tk4cr. The court accepted her case as a “decent housewife,” and a daughter of a well-known “freedom fighter.” The two main accused in the case for assault were prominent businessman aged about 60. They had to surrender to the court while their brother was questioned by policemen.

The law used for filing the case was under the famous “Women and Children Repression Act of 2000.”

The real story is that the brother did not know about the incident and was far away from the place of the incident, which was triggered by the complainant herself to make a case.

The woman in question was not of

great repute, and neither was her husband, who himself abused his wife randomly. In some cases, she was hospitalised but somehow managed to keep it under the carpet.

In another incident, a young lady filed a case of cheating and dowry against her former boyfriend just days before he was getting married to another woman. A warrant of arrest was out, and the man only got bail “luckily” upon surrender to a court, which observed that the accused was a respected journalist, and that there was something not right with the complaint. She just wanted to spoil the marriage as a revenge act. The law used for filing the case was again under the famous “Women and Children Repression Act of 2000.”

Women’s rights have been an issue for decades. As of today, there are three laws that are set in place for women: Anti-Dowry Prohibition Act of 1980, Cruelty to Women Law of 1983, and the Women and Children Repression Act of 2000. These laws have helped women out.

I am no expert in law, but this law, which brought cheers at that time for

being a tough step in stopping such crimes as acid attacks, abuse, and dowry prevention cases, possibly needs some amendments and rethinking, considering many cases like the ones mentioned above.

In societies like Bangladesh, women’s rights may be a big issue as women still feel marginalised, even after being ruled by women since 1991.

But the two cases highlight its misuse under the garb of “sympathy for women.” Real sufferers are deprived by such misuse of the law.

In the first case, an out-of-court settlement was reached when “powerful” people got involved. In the second case, the battle has just begun, and the young journalist is not only worried about the safety of his wife and himself, but also about the finances needed to fight the case.

I want to refer to some clauses of the Women and Children Repression Act of 2000.

Clause 9 of the law refers to rape.

The maximum punishment is life imprisonment with additional fine. Now, it refers to consensual sex. But many women above or under 16 have had

sex, but have reported it as rape when a dispute arose.

In clause 11, sub-clause GA, it says there is a maximum of three years jail, or a minimum one-year jail term for abetting and inciting cases.

In most cases, the law does not give option for bail, thus taking away the immediate right to remain free and defend oneself. This is a violation of basic human rights. How do the men get redressed without fighting a fake case for ages? Where do the men go when women have mentally or physically assaulted them? However, it should be noted that men who torture should be severely punished for any wrongful doing against women.

Let us accept the reality that there is always good and bad amongst us, be it a man or a woman. I believe the law should be re-studied and corrected to safeguard all human being irrespective of their sex.

In a country where money speaks loud everywhere, such a “good intentioned” law is being misused, and that should be solved. l Nadeem Qadir is a senior journalist.

e might be in the Holy Land – home to the holiest site in Judaism, the healings of Jesus Christ, and the ascensions of the Isra and the Miraj. However, even as the Israeli military campaign enters its sixth day, the prospects of a ceasefire appear remote, even in this land that has borne witness to thousands of miracles.

As of today, over 172 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, of which 77% are civilians, according to the United Nations. One Israeli citizen has been seriously injured. Over 4,000 Palestinians have already sought refuge in shelters. Three Israeli teenagers and one Palestinian teenager have had their lives senselessly taken away before they even began. And even as the violence continues unabated, an Israeli official said the attacks will continue until there are prospects for a “long-term quiet.”

What’s as dispiriting as the violence has been the response of the international community, which has been muted and predictable. The UN Security Council has called for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. US President Barack Obama offered to broker a ceasefire between the warring parties.

While Arab countries and their leadership are caught between the anvil of domestic turmoil and the hammer of external intervention, there can be no vision of regional cooperation.

For a long-term peace to truly take hold, we need to make a clean break from the past in two important ways.

First, we need to recognise that there can be no peace without justice. And so before we do anything, we have to reaffirm our commitment to follow the letter of the law.

Article Four of the Geneva Convention guarantees protections to “those who at a given moment, and in any manner whatsoever, find themselves, in case of a conflict or occupation, in the hands of persons a party to the conflict or occupying power of which they are not nationals.” In addition, article 32 of the convention guarantees that protected persons shall not have anything done to them of such a character as to cause physical suffering or extermination.

As an occupying power, Israel needs to be reminded of its obligations to the protected persons among the Palestinian people. Indeed, the international community needs to adopt a zero tolerance policy to people who harm civilian populations – be they Hamas militants firing rockets into Israel, or Israeli airplanes targeting civilian pockets of Gaza.

In addition, we need to acknowledge that the current situation is being played out against the backdrop of a historical context – a context that is steeped in illegalities that need to be addressed before the goal of a longterm peace can become a reality.

The International Court of Justice has ruled that the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is occupied territory. Furthermore, the building of settlement colonies and of the wall has been declared by the court to be in direct breach of international law. In short, the name of Palestine cannot be effaced.

There’s also the matter of proportionality, which is a fundamental principle of the law. How can one speak of proportionality when one reads of so many children being injured in the recent bombings, while seeing pictures of people on the other side swimming under the auspices of the sun and the protection of the Iron Dome?

In addition to the letter of the law set out by our courts, there’s also a universal law we all instinctively follow as humans. Families in Gaza sometimes have less than a minute to respond to the warnings that are being touted by Israeli government officials.

At a moment’s notice, they often have to wake and escort children and elderly relatives out of a building that can be several stories high. How can one go to sleep in such a heightened state of anxiety, with airplane engines

Destruction is not the solution

roaring in the sky, and dream Benjamin Netanyahu’s dream of long-term quiet?

In addition to following the letter of the law, the international community has to make another clean break with the past. We have to stop focusing on bilateral agreements and focus on bringing about regional peace.

When I recently saw an article by Yuval Diskin, former head of the Shin Bet security service in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, it gave me some hope.

To deliver a lasting peace, we need to look beyond our national boundaries and focus on enabling regional solutions and sovereign intra-independence.

How can one speak of proportionality when one reads of so many children being injured in bombings?

There are too many wounds and grievances on either side to make bilateral negotiations between Israel and Palestine a success. By calling for a pact between Israel and Hamas, the United Nations is only postponing the next inevitable round of violence to another day.

Instead, the international community should clear the path for agreements that would involve not just the two warring factions, but Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and the Palestinian authority. The recent turmoil in Egypt, the regional economic situation, and shared energy and water challenges have created new opportunities for these key players to work together to find authentic regional voices for these uniquely regional challenges.

By leaving the Jordanians and the Palestinians out of the Camp David talks that brought about a peace treaty between Egypt and Israel in the 70s, President Jimmy Carter squandered a golden opportunity for peace.

Today, we have that opportunity for dialogue again. Let’s ignore the words of extremists on either side who seek mutual destruction and who want to hasten the end of our times. Instead, let’s finally begin listening to the voices who have a strong track record of moderation in the region. Listening to the Jordanian government and all those in Israel committed to waging comprehensive peace to stabilise our agonised region is as good a start as any.

When the Jordan-Israel peace treaty was signed in 1994, the Israeli media asked me: “What do you think of all this?” I said and it has since come back to haunt me: “With all due respect to the personalities involved, peace is not only about talking heads; unless this becomes a ‘warm’ peace, a people’s peace, it cannot last.”

However, for the sake of my children, and my children’s children, I would like to remain optimistic. I would like to believe in the possibility of a long-term peace. For this to happen we need to avoid reacting to the extremist elements of our society.

We need to start to listen to the more sensible voices like those of Leslie Gelb, former official at the US State and Defense Departments.

Recently, he spoke of the situation in Iraq. However, his comments are equally applicable to the conflict in Gaza. He said a profound upheaval cannot be reversed by drones or fighter planes. For the problem is on the ground. It cannot be found in the sky. In waging peace we surely move from the spectre of mutually assured destruction to the hope of mutually assured survival. l Prince El Hassan bin Talal is a member of the Hashemite Royal Family and is working to address issues such as regional integration, inter-faith dialogues, water, energy, the human environment, and human dignity.

This article was previously published in The Huffington Post.

REUTERS

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Friday, July 18, 2014

Bhabna as Bankim Chandra's Kapalkundala catch up with the actor on her recent ventures and much more.

How do you feel about portraying Kapalkundala?

Animesh Aich has done an outstanding job in adapting the character. I had a wonderful time working in the drama and enjoyed playing Kapalkundala. I had read the novel once but I never thought that I was capable of playing the role. However when the director selected me to play the role, I felt confident and motivated.

Tell us about your recent ventures.

I worked in five or six dramas which will be aired this Eid. In a drama titled “Red Carpet,” directed by Mahmud Didar, I portrayed a hearing-impaired girl and had to mime. In a telefilm titled “Protodin Shonibar,” directed

by Dipankar Dipon, I played the role of a sex worker. I also worked in another drama directed by Animesh Aich titled “Thrill.” I had the opportunity to play five different characters in the telefilm titled “Kobitar Jonne,” written by Bipasha Hayat and directed by Toukir Ahmed.

What inspired you to act?

My inspiration comes from the directors I worked with, my audience and co-artists.

When a director wants to cast me, it inspires me. I want to be a director’s choice not a producer’s choice.

Tell us about your Eid plans

n Hasan Mansoor Chatak Newbie of the entertainment industry, Ashna Habib Bhabna is taking up one after another challenging roles to break her “girl next door” image and to prove her versatility. She is now working in the dense jungle of the Sundarbans

for a single-episode TV drama titled “Kundale.”

Directed by Animesh Aich, the drama is an adaptation of a segment from Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s classic “Kapalkundala.” The story is of Nabakumar, Kapalik and Kapalkundala, where Bhabna will play Kapalkundala’s character. Dhaka Tribune got opportunity to

.I finished some of my shopping when I went abroad for shooting. I will do the rest when I am free. I don’t have any special plans yet, but I enjoy visiting my family and friends and hopefully it won’t be different this time around.

Born and raised in a cultural environment, she joined dance classes at a very early age and is a very good classical dancer. She will display her dancing skills in “Bhabnar Nil Akashe” which will be aired on the third day of Eid-ulFitr on Banglavision. l

New Beatles film in the making n Entertainment Desk The Beatles are getting a new documentary with American filmmaker Ron Howard as the director. Howard, a huge fan of the Fab Four said the documentary will focus on the band’s touring years.

Specifically, it will highlight the period between 1960 and 1966 when Beatlemania took over the world, and the band toured through Europe, North America and Asia, reported Ace Showbiz.

“I am excited and honoured to be working with Apple and the White Horse team on the astounding story of these four young men who stormed the world in 1964,” Howard said.

“Their impact on popular culture and the human experience cannot be exaggerated.”

The director is joined by Nigel Sinclair, the Grammy-winning producer behind the documentary “George Harrison: Living in the Material World.”

“The way the Beatles burst onto the scene in Britain was an overwhelming social, cultural and musical phenomenon, but was even then eclipsed by that extraordinary explosion on the American scene and then the world,” said Sinclair.

Interviews with surviving band members Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as with John Lennon’s and George Harrison’s widows, Yoko Ono and Olivia Harrison, will feature in the documentary, which has been tentatively slated for a release in late 2015.

Howard, a self-confessed fan, said he took on the project because it offered him a chance to genuinely understand the impact that these four musicians had on the world.

“That six-year period is such a dramatic transformation in terms of global culture and these four remarkable individuals, who were both geniuses and also entirely relatable. That duality is something that is going to be very interesting to explore,” Howard said. l

TODAY IN DHAKA Film

Jamuna Future Park

Noah 3D, Godzilla 3D Mr. Peabody and Sherman 3D Tarkaata Time: 12:30pm – 9:30pm Blockbuster Cinemas

Exhibition

Urban Experiences Time: 12pm – 8pm Bengal Art Lounge

Eid TVProgramme Kim Kardashian’s video game is a hit n Entertainment Desk

Amin Khan to rescue Shosi

The reality TV star whose empire has expanded to include clothing, jewellery and cosmetics, now has a video game and it’s a hit. Since its June 25 release, “Kim Kardashian: Hollywood” has risen as high as second among most downloaded free-toplay games at Apple Inc’s US App Store.

Its success has driven shares of creator, Glu Mobile Inc, up 42 per cent.

“It might be our biggest game of the year,” Chief Executive Officer, Niccolo de Masi said. “We’re not surprised. Kim is a one-of-a-kind.” The game takes users inside Hollywood, guided by a virtual Kim who offers advice on how to become an A-list celebrity, starting from the socalled E-list. “Dating famous people will get you more fans, too,” instructs Kim, who is married to rap singer Kanye West.

While the game is free to play, the goal is to get users hooked on in-app purchases such as clothing or a burst of energy needed for traipsing through Hollywood. l

n Entertainment Desk A special telefilm titled “Ocean Blue” will be aired on Maasranga TV on the seventh day of Eid at 11:20pm.

Written by Habib Zakaria Ullas, the telefilm is directed

by Anonno Emon. The story of the drama revolves around a couple, played by Amin Khan and Shosi. In order to avoid getting married to people chosen by their parents, Amin and Shoshi run away to Cox’s Bazaar to be together. But as fate would have it, Jessi, Amin’s fiance arrives at their hideout, at the same time Shoshi’s domineering beau shows up as well. An influential man, he threatens Amin Khan that if he refuses to leave Shoshi alone, he would have him arrested for kidnapping Shoshi. But the couple ignores his overbearing attitude and tries to flee once again only to get caught by the police.

Along with Amin Khan and Shosi, Zebin, Tanvir, Dukhu Sumon and others form the cast of the telefilm. l

Nostalgia presents recipes of Old Dhaka n Entertainment Desk

Talk Show Master on NTV today n Entertainment Desk A single episode drama “Talk Show Master” is going to air on NTV today at 2:35 pm. Written and directed by Animesh Aich, the show stars Shahidduzaman Selim, Eiresh Zakir, Faruk Ahmed, Farhana Mithu, Moushumi Ahmed, Bhabna, Sharmili Ahmed and Lutfur Rahman.

The story is about Mr Zaman, a teacher in a private university. From an early age he has been an outspoken

person who never shied away from expressing his opinions. As a result he is very popular in the talk show scene.

He is often found talking about the socio-ecomonic situation of the country in television and radio channels. There are a few more “talk show masters” like him, who like giving out opinions and advice, but personally do not believe in them. Zaman’s wife advices him against being part of this world but he does not pay heed to her advice. l

Cooking show “Nostalgia” is already a hit which is aired on ATN News every Friday at 9:30pm. This week fashion celebrated designer Emdad Haque and his wife Dipti haque visits another nted designer Chandrashekhar Saha's village home to prepare some traditional dishes of Old Dhaka.

It incorporates the cooking segment with stories that signifies the legacy of Old Dhaka and the unique lifestyle of the region.

Directed by media personality Afsana Mimi, “Nostalgia” aims at reconnecting people with the rich and diverse heritage of Bangladeshi cuisine.

The show is much more than a mere cooking show; it aims to turn the urban viewers nostalgic by presenting dishes that our grandmothers used to cook in traditional utensils and clay stoves. “‘Nostalgia’ aims to go to different parts of the country and rediscover the recipes that have been passed down through generations,” ensured the director. l

A moment of the launch of ‘Jani Na Kon Montore’

TAPAS ROY

Bappa's new solo album out in the market n Entertainment Desk Bappa Mazumder’s 10th solo album “Jani Na Kon Montore” was launched through a formal programme on Wednesday at a restaurant in Baily Road. A total of eleven songs and an instrumental track composed by the talented artist is featured in the album, released under the banner of Girona Bangladesh.

The programme was quite an affair with the presence of the leading stars of the music industry like Shankar Sawjal, Fahmida Nabi, Kona, Konal, Elita Karim and many others. Bappa and the invited guests repeatedly stressed on the issue of piracy and urged to the audience to buy original CDs.

Bappa, who is releasing his solo album after a hiatus of two years, told the Dhaka Tribune: “When I feel that I am done with several good pieces which are going to be loved by the audience, I put these in my album. I am very particular about my work, since my fans have a lot of expectations from me.”

A song written by Sanjeeb Choudhury, Dolchut’s deceased member is placed in the track list while other songwriters include Bappa Mazumder, Russell O Neel, Niaz Ahmed Angshu, Masum, Rana, Rabiul Islam Jibon, Shahan Kabondho and Joy Shahriar. The rock-melody numbers cover subjects like romance and social reality. l

Sonakshi Sinha owns team in World Kabaddi League n Entertainment Desk Actor Sonakshi Sinha is the latest celebrity to own a team in the World Kabaddi League after Akshay Kumar and Honey Singh.

“Dabangg” star Sonakshi has bought the United Singhs team along with The Hayre Group of UK in WKL, which will begin from August 9 in London.

“I am really excited to be part of World Kabaddi League. This is my first such endeavour. Kabaddi is a fast paced sport and I am looking forward to some adrenalin rush moments during the League,” Sonakshi told reporters.

Sonakshi is already making changes in her shooting dates so that her commitment to World Kabaddi League is intact. l

Sport DHAKA TRIBUNE Friday, July 18, 2014

13

England’s seamers on top as India struggle n AFP, London

England’s James Anderson (R) unsuccessfully appeals for the wicket of India’s Murali Vijay (L) during play on the first day of the second Test at Lord’s cricket ground in London yesterday

AFP

demands Super Cup pushed back Romario Brazil clearout n Shishir Hoque

The season ending professional football tournament Super Cup will not take place next month after the Eid ulFitr due to the Bangladesh U-23 team’s training camp for the Asian Games, confirmed Bangladesh Football Federation yesterday.

The Bangladesh football governing body had earlier pledged to hold the Super Cup after the end of the Nitol-Tata Bangladesh Premier Football League and the month of Ramadan. But the new decision put the possibility of holding the Super Cup in uncertainty because of the tight schedule BFF has after the Asian Games.

The decision came in an executive

Zia wins in fourth round n Tribune Desk Bangladesh Grand Master Ziaur Rahman defeated Russian Fide Master Kholopov Alexander in the 4th round of the 16th Obert International Sant Marti on Wednesday. In Barcelona, Spain, the Bnagladeshi now shares the second spot along with 12 other players. The fourth round win saw Zia gather a total three points in his tally.

Earlier, Zia took part in another chess tournament in Spain early this month where he finished 12th in the 34th Open International Villa De Benasque. l

committee meeting of Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) was held at the BFF House yesterday. The committee gave the U-23 training camp the highest priority ahead of the 17th Asian Games which is scheduled to take place in Incheon, South Korea in September.

Bangladesh men’s football team will take part there.

“Our main priority is the national team training camp. Then we will sit again and decide when to hold the Super Cup,” said BFF general secretary Abu Nayeem Shohag yesterday.

BFF is also planning to organise the Bangabandhu Gold Cup in October which leaves a very small window of free time to hold the Super Cup. “It

does not take much time to hold Super Cup. Around 10 or 12 days are enough for this. I think we will have this time after Asian Games. For now we just don’t want anything to hamper the camp,” added Shohag.

Although it is not yet confirmed when the Bangladesh’s Dutch head coach Lodewijk de Kruif will arrive in Dhaka, but Shohag said they sent some payment to the coach and expect him to arrive by the first week of August.

BFF, however, has not yet decided when will the training camp begin and there will be a meeting after the Eid to fix the date. BFF executive committee member Amirul Islam Babu will be the manager of the team. l

n AFP, Rio de Janeiro Brazilian footballing legend-turnedpolitician Romario on Wednesday stepped up criticism of Brazil’s Football Confederation (CBF), demanding a clear out at the top.

During a World Cup which saw the five-times champions crushed in the semi-finals by eventual champion Germany, 1994 champion Romario said the game’s rulers were corrupt. Now a lawmaker, he repeated his distaste for then in a speech to fellow lawmakers.

“Marco Polo del Nero is to lead the CBF for the next four years. Do you think this man is capable of overseeing change? I am sure he isn’t,” said Romario.

Del Nero will take over next year from Jose Maria Marin, but Romario thinks he is more of the same at the age of 73 - even if he is a decade younger than the incumbent.

“This obscure and clandestine election needs to be annulled,” said Romario of last year’s naming of De Nero as the new man in charge.

“Brazilian football doesn’t deserve to be run by a gang which already showed itself incompetent ... which rakes in money and does with it as it sees fit but not for the good of our football.”

And he warned without a CBF overhaul Brazil risked “a worse humiliation than the massacre at the Mineirao,” the Belo Horizonte stadium. l

England’s pacemen upped their game on a seaming pitch to leave India in trouble at 140 for six at tea on the first day of the second Test at Lord’s on Thursday.

After England captain Alastair Cook won the toss on a light-green pitch, his attack generally bowled too short, although they weren’t helped by wicketkeeper Matt Prior dropping two catches, as India reached lunch on 73 for two.

But the second session saw England’s pace quartet duly rewarded for pitching-up more often as four wickets fell for 67 runs in 28 overs after several India batsmen made starts but could not press on. Ajinkya Rahane was 26 not out and Stuart Binny one not out.

Virat Kohli, dropped off the last ball before lunch by Prior, had only added five runs to his interval score of 20 when he was drawn forward by James Anderson.

This time Prior, diving to his right, held the catch as Anderson took his 70th Test wicket at Lord’s, a new ground record that surpassed the mark he had shared with England great Ian Botham. All-rounder Ben Stokes then produced an excellent off-cutter to bowl Cheteshwar Pujara (28).

Before this match, India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni had spoken of wanting his side – without an away win in 15 Tests – to be exposed to typically English conditions. But he was unable to pass his own ‘exam’ when, to a fulllength delivery from Broad, he got an edge through to opposing ‘keeper Prior.

Dhoni was out for one, with Broad now having taken his 250th Test wicket. New batsman Ravindra Jadeja was, unusually for a crowd at Lord’s, booed as he walked out to the middle.

That reflected the all-rounder’s role in an alleged confrontation with Anderson during last week’s drawn first Test at Trent Bridge that led India to charge the Lancashire seamer under the International Cricket Council’s code of conduct. l

SCORECARD, DAY 1, TEA India 1st Innings M Vijay c Ballance b Plunkett 24 S Dhawan c Ballance b Anderson 7 C Pujara b Stokes 28 V Kohli c Prior b Anderson 25 A Rahane not out 26 MS Dhoni c Prior b Broad 1 R Jadeja lbw b Ali 3 S Binny not out 6 Extras (b9, lb10, nb1) 20 Total (6 wkts, 55 overs, 240 mins) 140 FoW 1-11 (Dhawan), 2-48 (Vijay), 3-86 (Kohli), 4-113 (Pujara), 5-123 (Dhoni), 6-128 (Jadeja) Bowling Anderson 14-7-19-2; Broad 14-5-35-1; Plunkett 10-4-26-1 (1nb); Stokes 10-224-1; Ali 7-2-17-1

Ozil donates World Cup winnings to Appeal will not guarantee immunity 23 children’s surgeries in Brazil n Internet After helping Germany lift the World Cup midfilder Mesut Ozil has captured the hearts of Brazilian youngsters, after revealing he has donated around £350,000 of his personal winnings to 23 children’s surgeries in the South American country.

The Arsenal playmaker, 25, confirmed the news on his Facebook page, and wrote: “Prior to the World Cup I supported the surgery of eleven sick

children. Since the victory of the World Cup is not only due to eleven players but to our whole team, I will now raise the number to 23. This is my personal thank-you for the hospitality of the people of Brazil.

His donation sparked confusion on social media sites, with many claiming that his earnings were to be sent to the children of Gaza to aid their recent plight.

The rumours, which started to circulate on Twitter on July 11, led to his represenative, Roland Eitel, to deny

them. “The claim that Mesut donated money to Gaza is not true,” he said.

“Maybe in the future, who knows? He donated money to causes in Brazil and he is now on holiday.”

Last month, after reaching the second round of the tournament in Brazil, Algeria donated their £5.25m prize money to the people of Gaza. Striker Islam Slimani revealed that the entire squad were planning to donate the money to the territory because “they need it more than us”, reported the Daily Mail. l

Sierra Leone suspends 15 in WC match-fixing probe

n AFP, Freetown

Germany’s Lukas Podolski (L) speaks with pupils on Wednesday in Cologne, Germany, upon the return of the team

AFP

Sierra Leone said on Wednesday it had suspended national football team captain Ibrahim Kargbo alongside 14 players and officials accused of match-fixing in a World Cup qualifier.

The sports ministry and Sierra Leone Football Association said the 15 are alleged to have fixed the outcome of a 0-0 draw against South Africa in the second round of regional qualifiers for the 2010 tournament.

They said in a joint statement they had received “credible and tangible information” on the alleged involvement of the group in “this unsporting and unpatriotic exercise” during the 2008 fixture.l

n Minhaz Uddin Khan An appeal will not necessarily mean exemption from punishment for suspended national all-rounder Shakib al Hasan. Though it was widely reported in the media that cricket’s governing body is thinking about reducing the punishment once Shakib appeals, Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) media committee chairman Jalal Yunus refused to term it as a ‘foregone conclusion’.

“I cannot say right now if his (Shakib) punishment will be minimised or it will remain the same. His appeal will first have to be made to the board after which the president (Nazmul Hasan) can call for a board meeting,” Jalal told the media at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

“The board president also has the option of referring his appeal to the disciplinary committee and the committee will then decide what to do and what not to,” the BCB director added.

Jalal informed that Shakib, as a contracted player of the board, has the right to appeal against his punishment anytime.

“I was informed that he met the board president yesterday (Wednesday) and that he has pledged the president to exempt his punishment. Now the issue here is if the punishment should be reconsidered,” said Jalal.

Jalal also ruled out the involvement of national head coach Chandika Hathurusingha in the issue.

“I do not understand why he (Chandika) is being involved in this issue.

The board has punished Shakib due to disciplinary issues so the coach has nothing to do here and I do not see any scope for him to get involved here,” said Jalal.

The BCB president had reasoned Shakib’s ‘severe attitude problem’ as one of the reasons behind the punishment. The BCB chief also informed that the star cricketer had violated the board’s marketing rights.

“Sahara (title sponsor of Bangladesh cricket) once querried why Shakib had used the national jersey in one of his endorsements. Later they wrote the issue to the board as a complaint,” he added.

Jalal confirmed that Shakib had indeed breached the board’s regulations and that he had not taken any permission before using the national jersey. l

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Sport DHAKA TRIBUNE Friday, July 18, 2014

Kroos joins Real Madrid

Real Madrid still world’s most valuable team n Reuters Spanish soccer club Real Madrid retained their title as the world’s most valuable sports franchise, according to a poll released by Forbes on Wednesday that was again dominated by National Football League teams.

Soccer clubs held the top three positions with the European champions valued at $3.44 billion, topping the list for the second consecutive year. They were followed by La Liga rivals Barcelona at $3.2 billion and Premier League club Manchester United at number three at $2.81 billion, Forbes said in a statement.

Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees occupy the number four spot valued at $2.5 billion while the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys are worth $2.3 billion.

Rounding out the top 10 were MLB’s Los Angeles Dodgers ($2.0 billion), soccer’s Bayern Munich ($1.85 billion), NFL’s New England Patriots ($1.8 billion), NFL’s Washington Redskins ($1.7 billion) and NFL’s New York Giants ($1.55 billion).

With 30 teams in the top 50, for the second consecutive year, the NFL occupies 60 percent of this year’s list.

The average value of the top 50 teams is $1.34 billion, an eight percent increase from last year.

Four National Basketball Association franchises made the Forbes list with the New York Knicks coming in 13th with a value of $1.4 billion while the Toronto Maple Leafs were the only National Hockey League team to make the cut at number 26 with a value of $1.15 billion.

Ferrari are the only Formula One team on the list coming in 21st with a worth of $1.2 billion while McLaren, Oakland Raiders (NFL) and New York Mets (MLB) dropped from the top 50 this year l

n AFP, Madrid

Toni Kroos on Thursday became Real Madrid’s first high profile signing for the new season, moving from Bayern Munich on a six-year deal just days after winning the World Cup with Germany.

The 24-year-old playmaker had an outstanding World Cup, scoring two goals in two minutes in the 7-1 semi-final rout of Brazil, en route to overcoming Argentina 1-0 in Sunday’s final.

Spanish media said Real and Bayern agreed a deal worth between EUR25 million and EUR30 million ($33-$40 million). The two clubs said the transfer fee would remain secret.

Kroos is due to be unveiled by his new employers at a press conference on Thursday. His arrival could hasten the departure of fellow German Sami Khedira who risks losing his midfield place.

Real hailed their latest catch as “one of the most important players of the moment.”

A Real statement described Kroos as “a playmaker capable of finding the best option in any situation, with a vision of the game enabling him to help his teammates, as well as an impressive kick.”

Kroos, whose contract with Bayern

expired next season, sided with Real over alternatives such as Manchester United or Chelsea.

A Bayern statement confirmed it had made a deal with Real and that Kroos had signed a six year contract.

“The two clubs have agreed to remain silent about the transfer fee,” it said.

“We thank Toni Kross for his time at Munich,” said Bayern chief executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge. “We have experienced great successes with him.”

Kroos arrives at the Santiago Bernabeu with 11 trophies already on his cv, the World Cup the jewel in a collection including the 2013 Champions League, Bundesliga titles and the Club World Cup. He joined Bayern as a teenager in 2007, making his first team appearance at the age of 17. He became a regular after an 18-month loan spell at Bundesliga rivals Bayern Leverkusen.

This is the second high profile World Cup player to move to La Liga this month, following Luis Suarez’s reported EUR95 million ($128 million) transfer from Manchester City to Real’s arch rivals Barcelona. The path from the World Cup to Spain could also see Monaco’s Colombia hotshot James Rodriguez join Kroos at Real.

The World Cup’s top scorer with six goals told Spanish sports daily Marca on Monday: “I’d jump at the chance of going to Real Madrid.”

Real have also been linked with a move for Keylor Navas, the goalkeeper whose heroics helped Costa Rica reach the World Cup quarter finals. Navas plays with Levante in the Spanish first division and his arrival would increase pressure on Iker Casillas already criticised for his role in Spain’s World Cup collapse. l

Argentina give pope signed jersey n AFP, Buenos Aires World Cup runners-up Argentina have sent their compatriot Pope Francis, a die-hard football fan, a jersey signed by the team, midfielder Maximiliano Rodriguez said Wednesday on Twitter.

The player posted a picture of himself holding up the sky blue and white jersey alongside national hero Lionel Messi, winner of the Golden Ball award for best player at the World Cup. “This is the present the team sent to our Pope Francis!” Rodriguez wrote.

Francis is known as a lifelong football fan and card-carrying member of Argentine club San Lorenzo.

But the Vatican’s chief of ceremonies, Guillermo Karcher, said the pope had refrained from watching Sunday’s World Cup final as “a matter of neutrality.” l

Iturbe completes €22m Roma switch n AFP, Paris Argentina striker Juan Manuel Iturbe left Verona for Serie A rivals Roma in a deal worth 22 million euros, the capital city club announced.

The transfer also includes performance-related bonuses worth up to 2.5 million euros. The 20-year-old spent last season at Porto in Portugal, scoring eight goals in 33 games.

Iturbe is the second signing made by Roma this summer after last season’s runners-up won the race to sign former England international left back Ashley Cole from Chelsea. l

Maradona former girlfriend arrested n AFP, Buenos Aires

Liverpool start life after Pakistan footballers to tour India n Suarez with defeat

An ex-girlfriend of legendary footballer Diego Maradona was arrested Wednesday at a Buenos Aires airport for allegedly stealing from him in Dubai, police said.

“Rocio Oliva was arrested by Interpol agents when she arrived at the (Ezeiza International) terminal around 7:20 pm (2220 GMT) on a flight,” a federal police source said.

The Argentine footballer, 53, charges that Oliva, 22, made off with items including watches and diamond earrings from their former home. The footballer traveled to Dubai, where he lived with Oliva, to file the suit in the country where he was hired as a sports promoter.

The UAE then issued an international arrest warrant for her. l

n AFP, London

Dhaka Tribune’s writers share their best and worst memories of the World Cup 2014 MINHAZ UDDIN KHAN Match of the tournament Costa Rica’s victory over Italy in Group D was sweeter than their win against Uruguay, as the 1-0 scoreline put the much-fancied Italians on the brink of elimination. Costa Rican captain Bryan Ruiz’s header a minute before the end of the first half hammered the final nail on the Azzurris’ coffin. The Central American were supposed to be no match for Italy, however, the underdogs made it through the Group of Death in emphatic style.

Player of the tournament Colombian forward James Rodriguez stunned all and sundry with the sumptuous goal against Uruguay, courtesy some brilliant chest control and a thunderous volley to go with it. Eight days into the World Cup, Colombia were thrown out of the tournament by hosts Brazil in the quarterfinals ending James’ dreamy run but still, he ended the tournament as the top scorer. His performance, endurance and commitment for his country proved that Monaco’s 45m Euros purchase had total value.

AFP, Karachi

Liverpool started life without Luis Suarez on Wednesday with a 2-1 defeat against Danish side Brondby in the club’s opening pre-season friendly.

Christian Norgaard gave the home side the lead from a free-kick midway through the first half before Liverpool’s Swedish international winger Kristoffer Peterson levelled early in the second half.

But Ferhan Hasani hit the Brondby winner in stoppage time.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers shrugged off the loss in the team’s first game since Suarez’s EUR95 million ($128 million) move to Barcelona, preferring to concentrate on the challeng-

es of the new Premier League season which starts on August 16.

“This year, we know it’s going to be extremely competitive. Every team will strengthen and we’ll be exactly the same. But the beauty for us is that we’re a young group and we’re bringing in young players that are hungry,” said Rodgers.

“We will progress again from last season. It’s going to be a really exciting season. I’ve seen development in the players already in the short period of time that we’ve been back. This season we have the belief to go along with the quality.

“We want to improve and continually improve. We’re working very hard behind the scenes, as we always do, in terms of getting the best quality players into the club.”l

We have been making all-out efforts to revive football ties with India and hope that these matches will prove to be a landmark in the sports relations of the two countries The PFF attempted to play against India in England in 2011 but the plan was shelved after sponsors backed out.

A triangular series in England, involving India, Pakistan and Bangladesh was also cancelled last year due to lack

of funds.

When India toured Pakistan the first match at Quetta ended in a 1-1 draw while India went in front with a 1-0 victory in Peshawar.

Pakistan won the third and final match Lahore 3-0, taking the series on better goal average.

India, a cricket mad country, has shown greater interest in football after introducing the Super Football League to be held in September this year.

They will also hold the Under-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017, targeting a big youth population to get inspired from the world event.

But both India and Pakistan lag at the bottom of the FIFA team rankings released after the World Cup in Brazil this week.

India are 151 in the world while Pakistan languishes at 165. l

It’s pronounced Ha-mez, not James of the tournament, his volley against Uruguay is my goal of the tournament from the 171 goals the tournament witnessed. His technique and touch was perfect and it was simply amazing how he executed that volley. The goal was picture perfect - Rodriguez’s balance and the way he unleashed that shot was absolutely breathtaking, to put it mildly.

Biggest disappointment 2010 world champions Spain’s departure from the group stage had left the jaws open of the majority of supporters. The defending champions were terrible in Brazil in spite of the fact that their roaster boasted some of the same players that led

the La Furia Roja to victory at the 2010 World Cup. Defeats to the Netherlands and Chile meant that Spain were thrown out of the competition.

The 5-1 defeat against the Dutch was the Spaniards’ lowest point of the campaign.

Team of the tournament Manuel Neuer (Germany), Cristian Gamboa (Costa Rica), Mats Hummels (Germany), Gary Medel (Chile), Daley Blind (Netherlands), Javier Mascherano (Argentina), Toni Kroos (Germany), Arjen Robben (Netherlands), Lionel Messi (Argentina), James Rodriguez (Colombia), Thomas Muller (Germany)

Goal of the tournament I will not be offended if I am labeled biased or simply a ‘fan’ for mentioning James Rodriguez twice in my take of the World Cup 2014. With all honesty, the 23-yearold Colombian starlet has fully deserved it! Following the selection of the player

Pakistan’s football team are set to tour India for a two-match series, officials said Thursday, as the two nations resume their rivalry after a nine-year hiatus.

The last time the two sides met was in 2005 when India toured Pakistan for a three-match series which ended with one match apiece and a draw, though the hosts scored more goals.

Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) secretary Ahmed Yar Khan Lodhi said the team will play both matches in the southern Indian city of Bangalore.

“We have been making all-out efforts to revive football ties with India and hope that these matches will prove to be a landmark in the sports relations of the two countries,” Lodhi told AFP. Pakistan team will visit India from

August 16 to 21 and play matches on August 17 and 20 in Bangalore.

India cut all bilateral sporting ties with Pakistan in the wake of 2008 Mumbai attacks, which were carried out by Pakistan-based militants.

Surprise package of the tournament Algeria have been one of the surprise packages of World Cup 2014. The Desert Foxes were terrible in the last edition of the world championship but this time they surprised all with their discipline. Their objective was to attack and they had brought in a large number of rowdy fans. This worked brilliantly for them. In the final match of the group stage they locked horns with Fabio Capello’s Russia. The game ended 1-1, the Algerians progressed to the round of 16 and the rest, as they say, is history.

Most interesting off-field moment The war between the Brazilian and Argentinian supporters in Bangladesh is always a treat to watch. As the years passed, the war continued to rumble in the social networking sites. Being an Italy supporter and with the team failing to make it to the second round, all I could do was sit, watch and entertain myself with all the arguments and noises created by the Brazil-Argentina fans and entertainment duly reached its very peak – Brazil losing to Germany, 7-1. Oh, this reminds me of a chilled glass of 7UP!

Predictions for 2018

James Rodriguez of Colombia shoots to score a goal during their World Cup round of 16 match against Uruguay at Maracana on June 28 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

I am neither Paul, the psychic octopus, nor Shaheen, the camel, nor Nelly, the elephant! May we have an entertaining competition in Russia and may the best team win, Ameen! l

Ferran Soriano (R), CEO of City Football Group, gives a Manchester City shirt to Carlos Ghosn (L), CEO and president of Nissan Motor, during their joint press conference at Nissan’s headquarters in Yokohama yesterday AFP

Man City land five-year sponsor deal with Nissan n AFP, Tokyo English Premier League champions Manchester City have landed a fiveyear sponsorship deal with Japanese automaker Nissan, both parties said on Thursday.

Financial terms of the deal, announced at Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, were not disclosed, but City called it the “most significant of its type in the Premier League”.

Chevrolet, part of General Motors, sponsors City’s bitter cross-city rivals Manchester United, swelling the club’s coffers by an estimated $70m a season.

The partnership between Nissan,

which owns Japanese club Yokohama F-Marinos, and City follows an initial agreement in May in which Manchester City’s holding company City Football Group took a minority stake in Yokohama.

City, who pipped Liverpool to the Premier League title last season in a dramatic run-in, are currently ranked as the world’s seventh richest club by Forbes, with Spain’s Real Madrid and Barcelona topping the list.

City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak hailed the tie-up with Nissan.

Nissan’s chief executive Carlos Ghosn called the partnership a “key platform to further strengthen our brand globally”. l

Sport DHAKA TRIBUNE Friday, July 18, 2014

Ton-up Duminy lifts Proteas

QUICK BYTES

Ballance escapes sanction over shirtless photo England batsman Gary Ballance will not face any formal punishment by officials after being pictured shirtless in a Nottingham bar following last week’s drawn first Test against India.

However, England coach Peter Moores ha reminded his squad to “uphold the best possible image for England cricket”. Yorkshire batsman Ballance, who made 71 in the match, went out with several team-mates following the end of the series and was photographed by members of the public enjoying himself in a Nottingham bar in the early hours.

Although in the middle of back-to-back Tests, with the second Test at Lord’s starting on Thursday, Moores had given the England squad permission to go out ahead of a rest day on Monday. But the images of Ballance were not ones the England and Wales Cricket Board would like to see repeated.

–AFP

n AFP, Galle

Two Koreas hold talks on Asian Games participation Officials from the two Koreas met for rare talks Thursday to sort out the logistics of Pyongyang sending athletes and cheerleaders to the upcoming Asian Games in the South Korean port city of Incheon.

But they failed to reach any agreement as North Korean delegates left the border truce village of Panmunjom without setting the date for their next meeting.

South Korean officials indicated that discussion on the second meeting could be done indirectly through a border hotline if North Korea wants to continue talks. It was the first meeting between the two sides for five months and comes at a time of simmering tensions following an unusually extended series of North Korean rocket and missile tests. The talks also coincided with a joint South Korea-US naval drill off the eastern coast of the Korean peninsula that Pyongyang has condemned as a “reckless” act of provocation.

–AFP

Durant, Rousey win top athlete honors at ESPYs NBA forward Kevin Durant won two ESPY Awards, including male athlete of the year, and mixed martial arts star Ronda Rousey earned female athlete honors, becoming the first UFC fighter to claim a trophy in the biggest category at the show honoring the year’s best performances Wednesday. Durant also won best NBA player, ending LeBron James’ two-year reign in both categories. “Everybody helped me out along the way,” Durant said. “My beautiful mom watching at home who couldn’t be here. My favorite teammate, Russell Westbrook.” Durant beat out fellow male athlete nominees Miguel Cabrera of baseball team the Detroit Tigers, Peyton Manning of the NFL’s Denver Broncos and boxer Floyd Mayweather during the show hosted by rapper Drake at the Nokia Theatre.

–AP

McIlroy takes Open by storm Rory McIlroy went to five under after just 12 holes to share the lead in the first round of the British Open at Royal Liverpool Golf club on Thursday. The 25-year-old, two-time major winner went out in three-under 32 and birdies at 10 and 12 nosed him ahead. The early clubhouse lead was set at five under 67 by rising Italian star Matteo Manassero. The Molinari brothers, Edoardo and Francesco, also of Italy and Brooks Koepka of the United States were a stroke further back after carding 68s. On three under 69 were Robert Karlsson of Sweden, Marc Leishman of Australia and Japan’s Koumei Oda. The low scoring was made possible by the picture-perfect playing conditions at Hoylake that greeted the early starters among the 156-strong field. The opportunity to go low was not lost either on Tiger Woods, playing in just his second tournament since undergoing back surgery in late March.

–AFP

South African Jean-Paul Duminy plays a shot during the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka yesterday

Buttler ‘Mankading’ fine by MCC n AFP, London Some of cricket’s greatest names insisted England’s Jos Buttler had only himself to blame for his ‘Mankad’ dismissal against Sri Lanka.

The issue of players being run out backing up was in the spotlight when Buttler was dismissed in such a fashion by bowler Sachithra Senanayake during Sri Lanka’s 3-2 series-clinching victory in the fifth and final one-day international at Edgbaston.

However, the world cricket committee of Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), whose chairman is former England captain Mike Brearley and whose members include Australia greats Rodney Marsh and Steve Waugh, as well as India’s Rahul Dravid and Pakistan’s Majid Khan, insisted Buttler, not Senanayake, was at fault.

MCC still retains worldwide responsibility for cricket’s rules, or Laws as they are known, and following their latest meeting at the club’s Lord’s headquarters in London, the committee issued a statement Wednesday saying: “The unanimous view of the committee was that if the non-striker is out of his ground earlier than allowed in either the Laws of Cricket or the International Playing Conditions, then he can have no complaints should he be dismissed in this manner.

“Furthermore, the committee believes it was not against the Spirit of Cricket to uphold such an appeal, and urges batsmen to ensure they do not try to gain an unfair advantage by moving out of their crease before the appropriate time.”

Even though ‘Mankading’, the term coined after India’s Vinoo Mankad ran out Australia non-striker Bill Brown during the 1947 Sydney Test, remains a valid dismissal, some regard it as underhand.

England captain Alastair Cook, speaking immediately after the Edgbaston match, said: “I was pretty disappointed with it to be honest with you. I hope I wouldn’t do it.”

However, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said afterwards: “We gave him (Buttler) two warnings, and I don’t know what else you can do to stop him doing that, so we had to go for it.”

During a wide-ranging meeting, the committee also backed the International Cricket Council’s crackdown on illegal bowling actions. Off-spinner Senanayake, coincidentally, was suspended by the ICC after being reported for a suspected illegal action during the same ODI series with England.

“The world cricket committee is supportive of the ICC’s continued efforts to deal with the issue of illegal bowling actions,” the statement said.l

Jean-Paul Duminy hit a superb unbeaten century to put South Africa in a position of strength on the second day of the first Test against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

The left-hander came in to bat with South Africa placed at a shaky 331-7 but he batted sensibly under pressure to help his side declare their first innings at 455-9.

In reply, Sri Lanka were 30-0 when stumps were drawn for the day with Kaushal Silva batting on eight and Upul Tharanga on 20.

Tharanga, playing his first Test in six years, showed little signs of nervousness, hitting four boundaries in his 40ball innings so far.

The Sri Lankan bowlers were made to toil in hot and humid conditions by the gritty rival batsmen who dug in to ensure their team did not lose the advantage of winning the toss and batting first on a placid track at the Galle International Stadium.

It was Duminy (100 not out) who stole the show with a superb rearguard action after opener Dean Elgar had laid the foundation for a good total with a 103-run knock on day one.

Duminy, 30, frustrated the bowlers to take South Africa past the 400-run mark.

His 206-ball effort contained 10 hits to the boundary including an exquisite cover drive off skipper Angelo Mathews.

Mathews had to give himself the ball in the absence of pace spearhead Shaminda Eranga who remained off the field with a split webbing in his bowling hand.

Duminy, dropped on 82 by Dilruwan Perera, was given a standing ovation from his mates in the dressing room after he completed his fourth Test century.

He shared valuable partnerships

with tailenders Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel (22) whose dismissal in the 167th over prompted new South African skipper Hashim Amla to declare the innings.

Philander (27) was adjudged leg before wicket off Mathews but the batsman asked for a review as he felt the ball had hit him high on the pads. However, Hawk Eye upheld the on-field umpire’s call.l

SCORECARD, DAY 2 South Africa 1st innings (overnight 268-5) A. Petersen lbw b Perera 34 D. Elgar c Chandimal b Lakmal 103 F. du Plessis c Silva b Perera 80 H. Amla c Perera b Herath 11 AB de Villiers b Lakmal 21 Q de Kock c Jayawardene b Perera 51 D. Steyn b Lakmal 3 JP Duminy not out 100 V. Philander lbw b Mathews 27 M. Morkel b Perera 22 Extras: (lb2, nb1) 3 Total: (for 9 wkts decl; 166.2 overs) 455 Fall of wickets 1-70 (Petersen), 2-195 (Elgar), 3-220 (Amla), 4-246 (du Plessis), 5-266 (de Villiers), 6-290 (Steyn), 7-314 (de Kock), 8-389 (Philander), 9-455 (Morkel) Bowling Lakmal 33-12-75-3 (1nb), Eranga 9-432-0, Herath 60-12-148-1, Mathews 11-1-36-1, Perera 53.2-8-162-4 Sri Lanka 1st innings K. Silva not out 8 U. Tharanga not out 20 Extras: (lb1, nb1) 2 Total: (for no loss; 12 overs) 30 Bowling Steyn 4-1-4-0, Philander 3-1-9-0 (1nb), Morkel 3-2-4-0, Tahir 2-0-12-0.

Mercedes braced for Rosberg, Hamilton dogfight n AFP, Hockenheim Mercedes team boss Niki Lauda is preparing for tough times ahead as he seeks to ensure fair play and good behaviour from Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in their world title scrap, starting with this weekend’s German Grand Prix.

Three times world champion Lauda, who is non-executive chairman of the Mercedes outfit, expects the competition between championship leader Rosberg and Hamilton to intensify.

The pair are separated by only four points following Hamilton’s win at his home British Grand Prix on July 5 when Rosberg suffered his first retirement of the season with mechanical problems.

Looking ahead at what is effectively the team’s home race, Lauda said: “Everything is reset like before Lewis had his second retirement (in Canada) and, now, they will fight to the end – like you would not believe – to be world champion. And, I will have a hard time.

“We will not interfere. This is very important. We didn’t interfere from the beginning, so why should we now? So it will be interesting to watch now, because they are exactly at the same level.”

The German contest marks the halfway mark to the season, the 10th race

Mercedes-AMG’s German driver Nico Rosberg holds up his helmet as he walks to a press conference at the Hockenheim circuit in Hockenheim, Germany yesterday AFP out of 19, and it will be fascinating to see how the pair react to the pressure of the title race as the final races unfold.

In the opening nine races, Hamilton had five wins and two retirements while Rosberg has had three wins and just one retirement, but proved himself to the more consistent race-finisher overall.

Lauda added that he does not fear for Hamilton’s consistency in any way.

“Everybody has highs and lows.

Look at (Sebastian) Vettel. Vettel is a four-time world champion and he moaned and bitched over the last eight races, so if there is one guy with more lows, then it is Vettel.

“These things happen, and I think too much is put in to this. Lewis was, from the beginning of the season on a good level, a stable level, and Nico I have to say has improved. l

Serena in ‘difficult period’: Mouratoglou n AFP, Paris

DAY’S WATCH Ten Cricket 10:30AM South Africa Tour of Sri Lanka 1st Test Day 3 Star Sports 1, 3, HD1 4:00PM India Tour of England Second Test, Day 2

15

Former India cricketer Rahul Dravid rings the five-minute bell prior to the start during play on the first day of the second cricket Test match between England and India at Lord’s cricket ground in London yesterday AFP

Serena Williams, whose Wimbledon campaign ended with her in tears and on the verge of fainting, is enduring a “difficult period” in her life, her French coach said Wednesday.

The world number one was knocked out in the third round of the singles at the All England Club before retiring from her doubles where she had to be led off the court by sister Venus with her problems attributed to a “viral illness”.

Although her coach, Patrick Mouratoglou refused to discuss the American’s current mood, he did admit that the 32-year-old was facing a series of challenges in a season where she has yet to get beyond the fourth round at any of the Grand Slams.

“Serena is clearly going through a difficult period. But since Wimbledon,

we have had long hours of talks and we are getting back to work,” Mouratoglou told tennismagazine.fr.

“Today she is in the mood to get back to training so she can return even stronger. At no time was there any question of us stopping our collaboration.”

Mouratoglou, who has long been romantically linked with Williams, refused to elaborate on any problems the American was suffering or if the two had split either personally or professionally.

“I have never discussed private matters and I am not going to talk about them now.

There have been difficult things. For sure, Serena is in a difficult phase but I will leave it there.”

Williams is due to return to action at the Stanford event in California from July 28. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE Friday, July 18, 2014 DHAKA TRIBUNE Monday, June 16, 2014

13 Appeal will not guarantee immunity

14 Kroos joins Real Madrid

Sport

15 Ton-up Duminy lifts Proteas

(L-R) Actress Jessica Alba with USA football team players DaMarcus Beasley, Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Kyle Beckerman, Nick Rimando, Jermaine Jones, Chris Wondolowski and DeAndre Yedlin onstage during the 2014 ESPYS at Nokia Theatre LA Live on Wednesday AFP

Van Gaal shies away from predictions n Reuters New Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal said he believes he can meet the expectations for success at “the biggest club in the world” but refused to indulge in predictions when he was introduced to the media at Old Trafford on Thursday.

The Dutchman, smiling and looking relaxed after arriving from his stint as Netherlands manager at the World Cup, also made it clear that the commercial demands at United would make his job harder.

“I’m now two days here,” Van Gaal, 62, told reporters. “I’ve met a lot of people, and when you see that kind of people loving the club they expect a lot of me.

“Can I fulfil that expectation? I think I can, but because of the greatness of this club it is much more difficult than in another club.

“This club is also guided in a commercial way and we have to fulfil that also, but it is not always possible to fulfil both.

“I will do my utmost best. That’s what I can give. I cannot give predictions.”

Van Gaal added: “I cannot give predictions because you never know. It’s the biggest club in the world. Within two days I know already how important Manchester United is but also how important the sponsors are.

“I have to adapt to this big club. It will not be easy but you can see what I have won.” l

Reformist Brazil unveil new backroom staff n AFP, Rio de Janeiro Putting a decision on the back burner as to who will succeed Luiz Felipe Scolari as national coach, Brazil on Thursday revealed a revamped technical commission.

Following their failure to win the World Cup on home soil, Scolari and his backroom staff resigned and the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) fired the team doctor and communications head.

The new technical coordinator will be Gilmar Rinaldi, replacing Carlos Alberto Parreira, the coach of the Brazil side that won the World Cup in 1994.

Outgoing CBF president Jose Maria

Marin, who will give way next year to septuagenarian lawyer Marco Polo Del Nero, said the federation would reflect further on the top job.

But he implied that the target had already been identified.

“If all goes as we expect I hope to be be back here in this same place” making a further announcement, Marin said at the CBF’s headquarters in western Rio de Janeiro.

Rinaldo, 55 and Brazil’s third-choice goalkeeper at the 1994 World Cup, which Brazil won in the United States, said: “Now we must listen a lot.”

He added: “We don’t have to copy anybody. The most important thing

Uefa halts European club matches in Israel n AFP, Nyon

Manchester United’s newly-appointed Dutch manager Louis van Gaal (L) poses for pictures with retired English footballer Sir Bobby Charlton during a photocall at Old Trafford in Manchester, north-west England yesterday AFP

now is to define what we want.”

A shattering 7-1 semi-final loss to eventual winners Germany, which was the Selecao’s worst ever World Cup reverse, was followed by a 3-0 third-place play-off humbling by the Netherlands.

Those two setbacks combined to transmit an urgent message to the CBF that top to bottom reform of the Brazilian game is required.

Although former Corinthians coach Tite is the name on most lips as favourite to succeed 2002 World Cup-winner Scolari, the CBF is holding back any appointment for now in order to build from lower down, putting in place a new backroom team. l

European football’s governing body UEFA announced on Thursday that no Champions League or Europa League matches could be played in Israel until further notice “for security reasons”.

“The UEFA Emergency Panel met on 16 July and decided that, due to the current security situation in Israel, no UEFA competition matches may be played in the country until further notice,” read a statement issued by UEFA. “Consequently, the Israeli clubs involved in forthcoming fixtures have been requested to propose alternative venues outside of Israel’s territory for their home legs in the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League.”

The decision, announced on the eve of Friday’s third qualifying round draw for both competitions, could affect a total of four Israeli clubs.

In the Champions League, Maccabi Tel Aviv beat Andorrans Santa Coloma 1-0 away in their first leg, second qualifying round tie on Tuesday.

They were to host Santa Coloma for the July 22 second leg in Israel, when

they aim to take their European campaign to the next level. In the Europa League, Hapoel Kiryat Shimona have already secured their berth, and so will also need to rethink their fixture.

Fellow Europa League hopefuls Hapoel Beer Sheva were meanwhile set to face Croatian club Split in an away game later Thursday, while Hapoel Tel Aviv were trailing to Astana in Kazakhstan.

The UEFA decision came amid the deadliest wave of violence between Israelis and Palestinians since 2012.

Fighting since Israel launched Operation Protective Shield on July 8 to stamp out rocket fire by militants in the Gaza Strip has killed 231 Palestinians and one Israeli.

Israel said Thursday it had agreed on a truce with Palestinian militants Hamas to end 10 days of violence in Gaza, although the reported deal was denied by the Islamist movement.

News of a fresh attempt to end the worst bloodshed in the Gaza Strip in five years came during a five-hour humanitarian truce, under which both Israel and Hamas militants had agreed to hold their fire. l

Fifa Rankings put Germany on top n Reuters Germany’s World Cup triumph has seen them rise to the top of the world rankings for the first time in 20 years, FIFA announced on Thursday.

The 1-0 victory in the final has taken them up one place to top spot, ahead of their opponents in the Brazil final, Argentina, who rise three to second.

The Netherlands move up a hefty 12 rungs on the ladder to third after their impressive World Cup third-place finish.l

FIFA rankings Released July 17

1

GERMANY +1

2

ARGENTINA +3

3

NETHERLANDS + 12

4

COLOMBIA +4

5

BELGIUM +6

6

URUGUAY +1

7

BRAZIL -4

8

SPAIN -7

9

SWITZERLAND -3

10

FRANCE +7

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FRIDAY, JULY 18, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

CIB service for microcredit in the offing n Kayes Sohel The microcredit regulator is set to launch a Credit Information Bureau (CIB) service for bringing more discipline in lending and borrowing process of the financial institutions.

The move comes as soon as the Micro-credit Regulatory Authority (MRA) has found recently loan overlapping by the lenders in absence of effective credit management.

“We are closely working with the central bank to set up the CIB by this year,” said an official. He said it will also help absorb shocks and prevent the dropout of borrowers.

CIB usually maintains records of an individual’s borrowing and payment records. These records are submitted to CIB of the central bank by the member banks and financial institutions, and this information is later on used to help evaluate and approve loan applications.

If CIB was established by the MRA, such records will be submitted by the MFIs including Grameen Bank and BRAC. The central bank had set up CIB on August 18, 1992 aiming to improve credit risks and reduce the extent of default loan in the country’s

banking system.

The Microcredit Regulatory Authority (MRA) plans to launch a Credit Information Bureau (CIB) soon to bring more discipline in lending and borrowing process of the micro-credit financial institutions.

Earlier in February this year, Bangladesh Bank governor and also the chairman of MRA Atiur Rahman disclosed for establishing CIB for MFIs at the ‘Dhaka Microcredit Conference 2014’.

He had said, “MRA has been working for introducing CIB services for the streamlining of the micro-financers.’’

Another MRA official said the CIB will be as like as the BB. It will reduce transaction cost for both borrowers and lenders and bring down the demand for funds.

Once it is established, it would provide information on the credit flow to poor people in different areas of the country. It will help the MFs expand operating areas and also help the government prepare its plan to reduce poverty in different zones.

Since its establishment in 2006, MRA gives licences to 732 MFIs with 1,900 branches across the country with about 20 lakh borrowers. l

EPZs export rise 13% in FY14 n Tribune Report

The newly imposed 5% regulatory duty on tyres sized between 15 to 16 inch rim sizes has made the product costly for the bus owners.

The photo taken at a city shop at Topkhana road shows a tyre vendor is passing idle time at his store RAJIB DHAR

Soil and sand export policy on cards Muhith to discuss on building international n convention centre Asif Showkat Kallol

The government will formulate a policy to facilitate export of soil and sands to enhance the country’s export earnings.

The commerce ministry will hold an inter-ministerial meeting on July 22 to formulate the policy on the potential export of soil and sands with its newly appointed secretary Hedayetullah Al Mamoon in the chair, said a senior official of the planning commission.

Officials from various ministries including land, environment, agriculture, finance and home affairs will attend the upcoming meeting.

The decision to export soil and sand from Bangladesh was made at the Executive Committee on National Economic Council (ECNEC) meeting held a couple of months ago.

According to sources, the several jubilant sand and soil exporters have already submitted their respective proposals to the commerce ministry for getting permission to export these new products to a country like Singapore or Maldives.

The Network and Infrastructure

Company has already applied to the commerce ministry, seeking approval for exporting over 1.5m tonnes of sands to Singapore. The proposal, however, still remains pending.

Earlier, the Maldivian government showed its interest to import sands from Bangladesh as the Maldives authority had requested Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for exporting sands and soil during her visit there. This move also could not yield any further progress due to bureaucratic complexities.

Apart from that firm and the Maldivian government, there were some other local private companies, who have applied to the land ministry, seeking to export sands.

Owners of those firms have claimed that it might be possible to earn Tk700 crore to 1200 crore each year by exporting sands.

As the existing Export Policy Order of the ministry of commerce does not prohibit sands export, it can be exported to different countries on permission from the government.

According to the Centre for Environmental and Geographic Information Services, an independent analysis

wing of the ministry of water resources, nearly 800 square kilometres of valuable floodplains have been lost due to erosion along the Brahmaputra and the Jamuna’s total length of 240km in Bangladesh.

As hydrologists often noted that the dredging results in lowering of the alluvial water table which, in turn, directly affects groundwater storage capacity.

Excessive dredging allows for saline intrusion into the groundwater.

The government will not make any decision on the export of soil and sands without conducting further accurate survey on the availability of sands and sediments on the river beds across the country, executive director of Center for global change Ashanuddin Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

He also noted that a total of 1.670bn metre tonnes of sand and sediment comes from the upstream of the Bangladeshi river and only 1% or 2% sands and sediments remain on the river bed.

Meanwhile, other experts have also opined that the Sand Quarry and Soil Management-2010 Act, has to be implemented fully before any decision on sands export. l

n

Tribune Report

Finance Minister AMA Muhith will hold an inter-ministerial meeting at the finance ministry on Sunday next to discuss about the construction of a proposed international convention centre on 50 bighas of land near Dhaka-Mawa or Dhaka-Dohar roadside.

The project will be implemented at a cost of US$300m or Tk2,400 crore with the financial and technical assistance from the Chinese government.

The finance division has sent its plan to 10 ministries concerned last week, asking the relevant secretaries to give their opinions on the planned project during the meeting, said an official of finance division.

As per the proposed infrastructure plan, the centre will house a large gallery with seating capacity of 5,000 spectators, two medium sized galleries, having 500 seats each, 10 seminar rooms, having seating capacity of 200

people each and several offices for the government. The centre will also have a parking lot for 500 cars.

The proposed convention centre, which will have an exclusive office for the Prime Minister and offices for some cabinet members, will be built by the next three years.

According to the draft plan, the estimated project cost worth Tk2,400 crore would be out sourcing from the public and private sectors.

A flyover will also be constructed from zero point of Dhaka to the proposed site of the international convention center.

The government has already undertaken a plan to construct a fly over initially from airport to Kamalapur Railway Station, which will be extended further up to Chittagong later on.

The proposal also noted that Chinese government has the expertise to build such a state-of-the-art convention centre. l

The export earnings by manufacturers in the eight export processing zones rose to $5.5bn posting more than 13% growth in the fiscal year 2013-14 compared to the previous year, according to Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) data.

In the FY2012-13, the export earning of the industries in the zones was $4.85bn.

The picture of Bangladesh’s EPZs is “shining despite having various adverse situations in the industrial sector last year,” said a BEPZA statement.

It said EPZs’ core strength is “peaceful production oriented industrial friendly atmosphere and Bangladesh EPZs have become a brand in the global market.”

In FY2013-14, the Chittagong EPZ contributed $2.26bn to the country’s total $30.17bn exports, while Dhaka EPZ $1.93bn, Karnaphuli EPZ $527m, Adamjee EPZ $386m, Comilla EPZ $209m, Mongla EPZ $77m, Ishwardi EPZ $93m and Uttara EPZ $33m.

Presently, a total of 428 enterprises are operational in the country’s eight EPZs with investments from 37 countries.

Among the operating units 239 are 100% foreign, 61 joint venture and 128 fully owned by Bangladeshi investors. l

Financial Intelligence Units of Bangladesh and Bhutan sign MoU n Tribune Report A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) and the Financial Intelligence Unit of Bhutan to exchange information relating to money laundering and terrorist financing.

The MoU was signed in Macau, China on Wednesday by Eden Dema, Deputy Governor, Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan and M Mahfuzur Rahman, Deputy Head, Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit and Executive Director, Bangladesh Bank, said a press release yesterday.

They are attending the 17th annual meeting of The Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering now being held in Macau.

Both the parties expressed satisfaction and hoped the countries could take action more actively and effectively against money laundering and terrorist financing in the days ahead through signing of the MoU. l

Banks to remain OK mobile launches two handsets Amu warns cancellation of open on July 26 n Jamdani plots if not used Tribune Report

n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Bank has asked the banks to keep open branches on July 26 (Saturday), located in apparel industrial areas to facilitate garment workers to get salary and allowances.

Banks has been advised to keep branches open on Saturday ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr in Dhaka City, Ashulia, Tongi, Gazipur, Savar, Narayanganj and Chittagong industrial area to facilitate the workers getting salary, said a circular issued yesterday.

The decision was taken in response to a request by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). l

OK mobile, a USA brand, has been launched in Bangladesh in collaboration with state-owned Telephone Shilpa Sangstha Ltd (TSS).

The brand has launched two different phone models – one with regular features and another smartphone priced Tk1,200 each and the 3G enabled handset priced Tk4,000 - at a function at a local hotel yesterday.

Ok mobile, a flagship company registered in USA, launched Bangladesh operation after China.

Khondoker Jamil Uddin, chairman of OK Mobile, said it is the first ever “locally-assembled” mobile handsets in Bangladesh.

He said they initially launched two

low-end mobile sets and are planning to launch three more models within a short time. They were currently operating on a limited scale while all equipments for assembling smartphones were expected to be set up by December.

“We will start our assembly process soon, but currently we brought it [phones] from China with our own specification, and did some other works at the TSS,” Jamil added.

Jasimul Haque, founder president of OK Mobile Global, said he is very much optimistic that their brand will play a significant role in building digital Bangladesh.

Md Abubakar Siddique, Post and Telecommunication secretary, with managing director of OK mobile Nahid

Nawrin Jahan, Chief Executive Director of OK mobile Md Mujibur Rahaman also spoke at the ceremony.

OK mobile informed that they are planning to introduce high-end handsets priced between Tk25,000 and Tk30,000 as well as of different price groups like Tk7,000-8,000, Tk14,00016,000 and Tk22,000-24,000.

Initially, they started with two sales and services centers which will reach to around 500 within a short time.

After 2010, the government tried different times to offload mobile assembling scopes, but no one could come up before OK mobile, which is using 14,923 square-feet office space of TSS and other infrastructures. They are paying Tk6 for each square foot of space. l

Imports rise 4% in June n Tribune Report The country’s import expenditure rose by 3.96% in June compared to 21.81% growth in the same month last year.

It, however, registered slow growth as it dropped 5.28% from the previous month, according to LC (letter of credit) settlement data

Bangladesh Bank released yesterday.

The value of total LC settlement and opening stood at $3.1bn and $3.5bn respectively in June this year compared to $2.9bn and $2.7bn in the same period of the last year.

The imports took an upturn in the recent months thanks to an increase in food and capital machin-

ery imports, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

But the capital machinery import decreased further, leading the import to grow slow, he said.

The value of LC against capital machinery import decreased by 20% to $192m in June compared to $240m in April.

The value of LC against import

of rice stood at $22.77m in June, wheat $71.72m, sugar $50.83m, edible oil (crude) $50.75m and pulses $30.86m.

The import against LC settlement, though, in slower growth but the LC opening increased by about 31% to $3.5bn in June compared to over 30% growth in the same month last year. l

n Tribune Report Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu warned entrepreneurs that if they failed to set up factories of Jamdani saris at the Jamdani industrial estate within specified time the allotment of plots for the purpose will be cancelled.

“Plots will be cancelled of those who will not utilise them within the deadline,” said minister while inaugurating a week-long Jamdani and Handicraft Exhibition yesterday at the National Museum in Dhaka.

The government has established a Jamdani estate on 20 acres of land in Narayanganj at a cost of Tk5.86

crore and allotted 399 plots out of 409 among Jamdani entrepreneurs, according to Bangladesh Small and Cottage Industries Corporation (BSCIC).

Industries Minister said the government is “aware of upholding heritage of Jamdani.” He asked the BSCIC to ensure maximum use of land for Jamdani saris and strengthen research activities for developing the sector further.

The country earns $15.8m annually exporting Jamdani saris, Amir Hossain Amu said. Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzzaman Noor also attended the inaugural function of the fair.

The Jamdani fair will remain open for all from 9am to 4pm every day. l

27.65

CSE key features July 17, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

226.53

Turnover (Volume)

6,612,703

Number of Contract

9,861

4392.15212

(+) 0.06%

▲

Traded Issues

208

998.87682

(-) 0.27%

▼

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

101

1602.93489

(-) 0.14%

▼

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

100

CSE All Share Index:

13491.83120

(-) 0.12%

▼

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

6

CSE - 30 Index :

11257.30810

(+) 0.01%

▲

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,185.88

8326.99040

(-) 0.07%

▼

DSE Shariah Index : DSE - 30 Index :

CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSERS

-2.67 -2.58

-1.86 -2.58

BGIC -A The Ibn SinaA

Latest PE

58.73 53.64 50.09 804.00 8.00 90.46 44.29 10.24

57.60 53.20 49.30 803.90 8.10 90.40 43.90 10.20

60.10 58.00 52.00 810.00 8.30 93.60 46.00 10.50

57.50 50.00 48.50 801.00 8.00 89.90 40.80 9.50

4.196 12.425 1.653 0.402 0.024 0.588 32.743 0.881

2.12 5.33 1.32 -71.72 -1.85 2.20 3.60 0.76

27.7 10.1 37.9 -ve -ve 41.1 12.3 13.5

18.46 68.00

18.20 68.00

19.00 68.00

16.90 68.00

6.247 0.034

1.36 7.96

13.6 8.5

DSE Million Taka 215.88 80.91 37.16 244.18 126.88 400.23 0.34 262.52 327.67 0.30 28.93 9.21 10.18 82.75 12.49 42.54 36.16 193.60 129.42 290.56 0.30

Daily high

Turnover in million

Daily low

Latest EPS

Latest PE

58.81 53.41 8.64 5.60 9.80 315.00 54.11 5.90

58.00 52.60 8.60 5.60 9.80 315.00 54.80 5.90

60.00 55.00 8.70 5.60 9.80 315.00 54.80 5.90

58.00 52.30 8.50 5.60 9.80 315.00 52.00 5.90

0.103 0.267 0.022 0.034 0.005 0.126 0.051 0.003

2.12 5.33 1.86 0.64 0.20 -11.44 0.95 0.99

27.7 10.0 4.6 8.8 49.0 -ve 57.0 6.0

21.31 99.00

21.30 99.00

21.40 99.00

21.20 99.00

0.038 0.020

1.36 3.12

15.7 31.7

Market absorbed slight impact of macroeconomic data like wane of current account surplus and declined remittance flow % change 8.53 3.20 1.47 9.64 5.01 15.81 0.01 10.37 12.94 1.14 0.36 0.40 3.27 0.49 1.68 1.43 7.65 5.11 11.47 0.01

Million Taka 11.76 8.52 1.95 23.94 35.81 42.48 48.94 35.55 64.94 1.69 66.25 0.50 5.49 1.65 0.43 1.47 12.19 24.12 33.67 0.00

% change 2.79 2.02 0.46 5.68 8.50 10.08 0.00 11.62 8.44 15.41 0.40 15.72 0.12 1.30 0.39 0.10 0.35 2.89 5.72 7.99 0.00

Million Taka 227.64 89.42 39.11 268.11 162.69 442.71 0.34 311.47 363.22 65.24 30.61 75.46 10.68 88.24 14.14 42.98 37.63 205.79 153.54 324.24 0.31

Total

% change 7.71 3.03 1.32 9.08 5.51 14.99 0.01 10.55 12.30 2.21 1.04 2.55 0.36 2.99 0.48 1.46 1.27 6.97 5.20 10.98 0.01

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

3.92 1.52 0.12 2.03 2.99 1.52 3.99 1.32 6.47 3.09

11.9 4.5 91.3 59.3 14.1 11.4 9.6 25.9 10.2 9.4

its total holding of 43,490,401 units of the Fund to its subsidiary Trust Bank Investment Ltd. outside the trading system of the Exchange under regulation 42(2)(b) of the Listing Regulations of the Dhaka Stock Exchange Limited.

DSE NEWS: Quarterly IPO Addition for DSE Broad Index (DSEX) and Semi-annually Rebalancing of DSE 30 Index (DS30): In accordance with the DSE Bangladesh Index Methodology, designed by S&P Dow Jones Indices and thorough supervision by Indices Committee of DSE, one (1) company, namely, Matin Spinning Mills Ltd. has met all the criteria of quarterly IPO addition and qualified as eligible constituent of DSEX which will be effective from July 20, 2014. After semi-annual rebalancing of DS30, as per criteria set

by S&P Dow Jones Indices, three (3) new companies, those were not constituents of existing DS30 Index, namely, 1) Bangladesh Export Import Company Ltd. 2) National Bank Ltd. and 3) Advance Chemical Industries Ltd. will be included in DS30 Index. Conversely, three (3) existing constituents of DS30 Index, namely, 1) United Airways (BD) Ltd. 2) Uttara Bank Ltd. and 3) R.N. Spinning Mills Ltd. will be excluded from the DS30 Index which will be effective from July 20, 2014.

DSE BroadIndex

1%

0%

-1%

-2%

-3%

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Shahjibazar Power-N Grameenphone-A The Peninsula CTG.-N FAR Chemical-N MJL BD Ltd.-A Square Pharma -A

CSE

11.429 0.068 0.937 0.024 1.530 0.009 0.897 13.956 0.066 0.096

2%

13

Closing

Company has also informed that the folio holders will get dividend warrants to their mailing address by "Padma Courier Service" and the BO holders will get dividend through BEFTN to their bank account which is mentioned in their BO account.

SUNLIFEINS: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on July 20, 2014 at 2:00 PM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

LRGLOBMF1: After getting consent from Bangladesh Securities & Exchange Commission (BSEC), Trust Bank Limited, one of the Sponsors of the Fund, has expressed its intention to sell 9,000,000 units out of its total holding of 15,554,016 units of the Fund to its subsidiary Trust Bank Investment Ltd. outside the trading system of the Exchange under regulation 42(2)(b) of the Listing Regulations of the Dhaka Stock Exchange Limited.

TRUSTB1MF: After getting consent from Bangladesh Securities & Exchange Commission (BSEC), Trust Bank Limited, Sponsor of the Fund, has expressed its intention to sell 39,490,401 units out of

FuelPowerIndex

6

-2.16 -2.92

Closing average

43.00 6.80 10.50 120.00 41.00 17.40 36.90 33.20 66.00 28.80

Latest PE

CHANGE OF DSE BROAD INDEX VS SECTORAL INDEX

0

-3.18 -3.13

Closing (% change)

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

Latest EPS

27

-22.97 -12.33 -8.51 -6.67 -5.77 -5.41 -3.52 -3.28

Average (% change) -21.69 -11.26 -8.09 -6.35 -6.04 -5.41 -4.79 -2.48

ANALYST

Sector

Turnover in million

Daily low

20

Sandhani Life -A Rupali Life Insur.-A Reliance1 M.F.-A LR Global BD MF1-A ISN Ltd. -Z Apex Footwear-A DESCO Ltd. -A AMCL 2nd MF-A

Daily high

3%

CSE LOSERS Company

Closing

13

Federal Insu.-A 8th ICB M F-A

-22.89 -11.33 -4.46 -4.23 -3.57 -3.42 -3.09 -2.86

Closing average

RUPALILIFE: The Board of Directors has recommended 5% stock dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013. Date of AGM: 21.08.2014, Time: 11:00 AM, Venue: Institute of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh, Muktijuddah Smriti Milanayatan, 160/A Kakrail, Dhaka-1000. Record Date: 04.08.2014.

STANDARINS: ARGUS Credit Rating Services Limited (ACRSL) has announced the CPA (Claim Paying Ability) Rating of the Company as "A" for long term and "ST-3" for short term in consideration of financials of the Company up to 31 December 2013 (audited), Q1FY14 (unaudited) and other relevant quantitative as well as qualitative information up to the date of rating declaration.

RUPALILIFE: (Q1): As per un-audited quarterly accounts for the 1st quarter ended on 31st March 2014 (Jan'14 to March'14), the Company has reported an increase in life revenue account of Tk. 79.69 million with total life insurance fund of Tk. 3,096.49 million as against Tk. 136.60 million and Tk. 2,892.14 million respectively for the same period of the previous year.

BATASHOE: The Company has informed that it has sent the final dividend warrants for the year 2013 on 15 July 2014. The

6

Sandhani Life -A Rupali Life Insur.-A Standard Ceramic -A National Tea -A Imam Button -Z Samorita Hospital -A Beximco Pharma -A Beximco Syn.-Z

Average (% change) -21.60 -11.41 -3.32 -4.29 -5.33 -2.18 -2.85 -4.03

Closing (% change)

26.50

47.60 6.80 11.10 120.60 42.90 17.40 38.70 34.80 66.00 29.50

Latest EPS

14.3 11.8 10.4 14.1 9.4 14.1 9.6 26.0 10.9 9.8

News, analysis and recent disclosers

0

Company

26.48

47.60 6.80 11.10 120.30 42.40 17.40 38.40 34.30 66.00 29.00

Turnover in million

Daily low

3.04 3.92 5.84 0.56 3.09 2.99 3.99 1.32 3.00 3.44

17

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

46.46 6.80 10.96 120.30 42.04 17.40 38.15 34.19 66.00 29.04

Daily high

Latest PE

10

2,280.74

9.93 6.25 5.71 4.61 4.43 4.19 4.07 3.94 3.61 3.57

Closing

Latest EPS

03

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

FAR Chemical-N NCCBL Mutual Fund-1-A Fareast Finance-Z Eastern Cables-A Matin Spinning-N SonarBangla Insu. -A Hwa Well Textiles-N The Peninsula CTG.-N 6th ICB M F-A Saiham Tex.A

Closing average

26

9

Average (% change) 6.19 6.25 5.79 4.61 3.17 7.21 3.05 3.20 3.61 3.09

19

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

Closing (% change)

Company

171.489 79.018 0.223 0.318 7.168 36.296 17.891 92.550 3.082 0.128

12

146

5

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

CSE GAINERS

0

147

40.00 43.60 52.30 7.10 28.50 41.00 37.20 33.00 30.00 32.50

29

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

Turnover in million

Daily low

46.70 47.60 61.90 8.10 29.90 43.10 39.10 35.00 32.70 34.80

22

302

44.80 47.50 61.90 7.90 29.40 42.70 38.70 34.30 32.50 33.70

15

Traded Issues

43.53 46.44 61.00 7.92 29.19 42.27 38.39 34.26 32.56 33.68

Daily high

0 8

64,839

11.44 9.70 6.72 5.33 5.00 4.66 4.03 3.94 3.83 3.69

Closing

0 1

Number of Contract

Daily capital market highlights DSE Broad Index :

65,985,712

Shahjibazar Power-N FAR Chemical-N Reliance Insur -A BD Fixed Income MF-A Saiham Tex.A Matin Spinning-N Hwa Well Textiles-N The Peninsula CTG.-N Phoenix Insur -A Eastern InsurA

Closing average

24

Stocks finished flat amid choppy trading yesterday, after modest rally in the previous session.

The market opened higher but failed to sustain as indices dipped before recovering some points at close. The benchmark DSEX gained marginally almost 3 points to end at 4,392, recovering highest 4,403 in the morning and lowest 4,389.

However, the Shariah index inched down 2.7 points or 0.3% to 998. The comprising blue chips DS30 closed at 1,602, shedding 2 points or 0.2%.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, fell 5 points to 8,326.

Except telecommunication that declined 1.8%, all the major sectors, including banks, power, food and allied, pharmaceuticals and financial institutions edged higher.

Turnover at DSE remained still dry standing at Tk250 crore, up 2.8% from previous session’s value. Out of 299 issues traded, 175 advanced, 87 declined and 37 remained unchanged.

IDLC Investments said increased supply pressure at the later part of trade netted opening upbeat vibe

2,532.19

Average (% change) 11.36 6.12 5.61 4.21 3.92 3.27 3.39 3.16 3.89 3.50

17

Turnover (Million Taka)

and left the bourse in flat territory.

Though, the market rode on the better performance of non-life insurance, textile and power in the opening, late hour selling pressure re-balanced the prime index to close at 4,392, it said.

“Market absorbed slight impact of macroeconomic data like wane of current account surplus and declined remittance flow.”

Zenith Investments said market got closed to another consolidation, but advanced in the late afternoon converting modest losses into modest gains.

Concentration was mainly centered in the stocks belonging to the main index, whereas stocks belonging to other two indexes took a plunge due to lower demand of the investors, it said.

Like previous session, top five scrips in turnover chart captured lion’s share of over 29% of total trade.

Beximco Ltd continued leading the chart for the fifth consecutive session with Tk23 crore changing hands, followed by Shahjibazar Power Company Ltd, Grameenphone, Peninsula, Mobil Jamuna, FAR Chemical and Square Pharmaceuticals. l

Closing (% change)

Company

10

n Tribune Report

DSE GAINERS

DSE key features July 17, 2014

Turnover (Volume)

Friday, July 18, 2014

03

Stocks end flat amid choppy trading

Stock

27

DHAKA TRIBUNE

20

B2

Envoy Textiles Ltd-N BSRM Steels-A Olympic Ind. -A

Appollo Ispat CL -N BSC-A LafargeS Cement-Z Prime Bank-A Matin Spinning-N

CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BEXIMCO Ltd. -A

The Peninsula CTG.-N FAR Chemical-N Square Pharma -A UNITED AIR-A Appollo Ispat CL -N Grameenphone-A BD Submarine Cable-A BSC-A Golden Son -A Beximco Pharma -A BSRM Steels-A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-A Aftab Auto.-A Envoy Textiles Ltd-N

Volume shares 6,719,039 3,940,000 554,844 2,701,200 1,701,500 925,774 271,157 1,279,427 806,349 271,062

1,732,000 94,090 539,000 1,680,563 858,600

Volume shares

804,829 408,200 246,000 40,616 784,680 264,600 21,600 33,520 10,090 108,144 99,334 49,910 163,000 46,501 64,840

Value in million 235.25 171.49 159.02 92.55 79.02 78.51 74.08 67.48 66.59 63.38

49.72 49.61 45.04 39.74 36.30

Value in million

28.15 13.96 11.43 11.13 9.67 7.63 6.19 6.00 5.30 4.61 4.41 4.12 3.79 3.54 3.38

% of total turnover 9.29 6.77 6.28 3.65 3.12 3.10 2.93 2.66 2.63 2.50

1.96 1.96 1.78 1.57 1.43

% of total turnover

14.51 7.19 5.89 5.73 4.98 3.93 3.19 3.09 2.73 2.38 2.27 2.13 1.95 1.82 1.74

Daily closing 35.20 44.80 285.10 34.30 47.50 85.50 274.60 52.80 81.90 233.70

28.60 528.25 83.10 24.00 42.70

Daily closing

35.20 34.30 47.60 275.00 12.30 28.90 285.70 179.10 527.30 42.80 44.20 82.10 23.30 76.00 52.40

Price change 0.57 11.44 -1.93 3.94 9.70 3.51 0.84 1.93 0.37 -0.13

Daily opening 35.00 40.20 290.70 33.00 43.30 82.60 272.30 51.80 81.60 234.00

Price change

Daily opening

0.35 1.78 -0.72 3.00 4.66

0.86 3.94 9.93 0.92 -0.81 1.05 -1.82 0.39 1.93 1.42 -2.21 0.12 0.87 -1.17 1.16

28.50 519.00 83.70 23.30 40.80

34.90 33.00 43.30 272.50 12.40 28.60 291.00 178.40 517.30 42.20 45.20 82.00 23.10 76.90 51.80

Daily high 35.80 46.70 290.10 35.00 47.60 86.00 279.00 53.40 83.70 235.50

Daily low 31.50 40.00 280.00 33.00 43.60 74.40 260.00 48.00 80.00 225.00

Daily average 35.01 43.53 286.61 34.26 46.44 84.80 273.21 52.74 82.58 233.83

Daily high

Daily low

Daily average

29.20 530.50 84.80 24.20 43.10

35.90 34.80 47.60 277.00 12.50 29.20 290.00 180.90 530.80 43.10 45.40 83.50 23.40 77.00 53.00

28.40 518.00 82.40 21.00 41.00

34.20 33.20 43.00 271.50 12.20 28.50 285.40 173.00 516.00 41.90 43.80 80.80 23.00 75.90 51.90

28.70 527.29 83.55 23.65 42.27

34.98 34.19 46.46 273.92 12.33 28.82 286.54 179.10 525.69 42.65 44.43 82.64 23.24 76.08 52.14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

Friday, July 18, 2014

B3

congratulates New social network gives a penny for your thoughts IMF BRICS for new fund, offers help n Reuters, Brasilia

n AFP, Washington A new social network says its goal is sharing among its users - including some of the profits.

Bubblews, which is launching a new platform Wednesday, aims to bring together people by giving a small slice of ad revenues to users for each time they post or share.

Founders Arvind Dixit and Jason Zuccari say bubblews.com will deliver advertising related to the content posted on the site - but contend that they are up front about this business model.

“We’re a business so we will have to monetize this, but we are willing to compensate you for your social interactions,” Dixit told AFP. While other social networks promote themselves as a free place to mingle and share, they end up making money in “intrusive ways,” such as tracking users’ browsing histories, said Dixit.

Dixit and Zuccari said Bubblews will not “mine” data from users’ browsing history through files known as “cookies.” Instead, it will glean information from the postings themselves, which will have a minimum of 400 characters.

“Because people are writing at least 400 characters, through the posts we can understand their personality,” Dixit said.

“Now each person becomes an identity, not a cookie, or something you spy on.”

The name merges the word “bubble” to symbolize one’s thinking and “news,” the founders say.

The first version of Bubblews launched in 2012 in beta or test mode, and the founders say it drew tens of thousands of people posting and as many as 20 million visitors from around the world.

The company raised $3m in venture capital and is launching a newly designed platform this week.

All posts on Bubblews are public, and anyone may follow a topic tagged with a plus sign.

This leads to more transparency and

The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday congratulated the five BRICS countries for creating a new reserves fund that intends to challenge Western dominance in the global lender.

The IMF’s managing director, Christine Lagarde, said the lender would like to work with the BRICS in the new fund, which pools together $100bn in reserves from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

BRICS leaders on Tuesday launched the fund and a joint bank of the same size in a bold step to press for a bigger say in the global financial order centered on the IMF and the World Bank.

The fund, known as Contingent Reserve Arrangement, aims to help BRICS countries with balance of payment difficulties.

“IMF staff would be delighted to work with the BRICS team dedicated to this project with a view to reinforcing the cooperation among all parts of the international safety net,” Lagarde said in a statement.

China, holder of the world’s largest foreign exchange reserves, will contribute the bulk of the reserves pool, or $41bn. Brazil, India and Russia will chip in $18bn each and South Africa $5bn. l

Oil prices up on US demand hopes n AFP, Singapore enables users without large groups of friends or followers to participate in conversations on topics ranging from the World Cup to world peace.

The site operates in English only, but other languages are in the works. Dixit and Zuccari said about half of those using the beta site are in the United States, with significant participation from Canada, Britain, India, the Philippines and Brazil.

China picks site for BRICS bank n AFP, Shanghai China has already chosen a site for the future Shanghai headquarters of the BRICS development bank, state media said Thursday just two days after its creation.

At a summit in Brazil, the BRICS group of emerging economic powers - which also includes Russia, India, China and South Africa - on Tuesday created the New Development Bank to finance infrastructure projects.

After drawn-out negotiations over the bank’s location, BRICS leaders agreed to put its headquarters in China’s commercial hub of Shanghai, which is seeking to become an international financial centre.

Shanghai will place the headquarters in the former site of the 2010 World Expo in the city’s premier Pudong de-

velopment zone, in the section where the old China Pavilion - now an art museum - was located, along with those of several Asian and Middle Eastern countries, local television reported.

The city cleared a five-square-kilometre (two-square-mile) site for the six-month expo and large plots are now unused, though some of the area has been redeveloped.

Chinese state media said the BRICS bank aims to reduce Western dominance of the global financial system, while criticising multi-lateral agencies like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

“The old pattern in which the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund dominated the field will face competition from now on,” the Global Times newspaper said in an editorial on Thursday. l

‘Pouring their hearts out’

While the site will offer payouts, users are unlikely to get rich. People may earn about one cent per social interaction and can cash out when they have $50 in credits. “If people were only coming for the money people would ask for payment, and they’re not doing that,” Zuccari said. “People are really pouring their hearts out.”

He added that many users are not

merely interested in cashing in: “We have single mothers using Bubblews to purchase their children birthday gifts, college kids buying textbooks and volunteer groups sending supplies to third-world countries,” he noted.

A Harris survey of US Internet users commissioned by the company found 62% of respondents are willing to try a new social media website.

Forty percent said they would try a

new social media website if the content was relevant to them and one in four said they would do so if they were paid.

The site has won a fan in Silicon Valley analyst and blogger Rob Enderle, who says it is a good concept.

“I’d like to see this countertrend,” Enderle told AFP. “If people who are now writing for free start gravitating toward sites that are paying them, that will change the model.” l

Dollar recedes in Asia after recent pick-up n AFP, Tokyo The dollar retreated in Asia yesterday after rallying in the previous session in response to an upbeat US Federal Reserve economic report and betterthan-expected Chinese growth figures.

In afternoon Tokyo trading, the greenback fetched 101.51 yen, against 101.69 yen in New York Wednesday.

The euro bought $1.3523 against $1.3524, while the single currency slipped to 137.29 yen from 137.55 yen in US trade.

The greenback had been enjoying some buying in recent days thanks to a generally upbeat outlook and healthy earnings reports that had also helped push stock markets higher.

On Wednesday, the Fed’s regional Beige Book report said the US economy

continued to pick up steam, with all 12 economic regions of the country showing growth in the six weeks to July 7 marking the second report in a row to do so. It is also the latest evidence the US economy is gathering pace after unusually cold weather depressed activity in the first quarter.

A day earlier Fed chief Janet Yellen suggested interest rates could rise earlier than expected if the economy continues to improve.

In China official data showed the world’s number two economy expanded 7.5% year on year in the April-June quarter, better than the 7.4% in the previous three months and beating forecasts of 7.4%.

Attention will now turn to the release of US data, including on jobless claims and housing starts.

“It is mainly a US data focus tonight, but fairly steady outcomes are anticipated,” National Australia Bank said in a research note.

The dollar was mostly lower against other Asia-Pacific currencies.

It fell to Sg$1.2416 from Sg$1.2436 on Wednesday, to 60.16 Indian rupees from 60.21 rupees, and to 1,031.10 South Korean won from 1,032.70 won.

The US unit also dropped to 43.56 Philippine pesos from 43.61 pesos, and to 11,662.50 Indonesian rupiah from 11,758.80 rupiah.

The dollar bought 32.16 Thai baht against 32.17 baht and Tw$30.00 against Tw$30.01.

The Australian dollar rose to 93.65 US cents from 93.38 cents, while the Chinese yuan fetched 16.33 yen against 16.38 yen. l

Oil prices extended gains in Asia yesterday after a bullish US stockpiles report raised hopes of resurgent demand in the world’s top crude consumer, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for August delivery rose 24 cents to $101.44 while Brent crude for September gained two cents to $107.19 in afternoon trade.

WTI surged $1.25 in New York Wednesday after the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said reserves fell 7.5 million barrels in the week to July 11.

The drop outstripped analysts’ expectations of a 2.6 million barrel decline.

“The strong, better-than-expected US stockpiles data is giving significant help to oil prices at the moment,” David Lennox, resource analyst at Fat Prophets in Sydney, told AFP. The EIA’s inventory report also showed a rise in refinery utilisation in the United States, indicating plants are using more crude to increase gasoline production to keep up with the summer driving season.

Investors are also keeping a close watch on crisis-stricken crude producers in the Middle East, analysts said.

Libyan exports are expected to return to global markets after the government earlier this month announced that it had regained control of two ports previously blockaded by rebels demanding autonomy in the country’s east.

The ports at Ras Lanuf and Al-Sidra could add about 500,000 barrels of crude per day to global markets, analysts say. l

Japan government raises economy view as sales tax hangover fades n Reuters, Tokyo

Chittagong Zone of Jamuna Bank Limited has recently held its half yearly business conference at a hotel in Chittagong. The bank’s managing director and CEO Shafiqul Alam inaugurated the conference as chief guest

Bangladesh Commerce Bank’s training institute has recently organised a workshop on risk based auditing and inspection. The bank’s managing director and CEO Abu Sadek Md Sohel, inaugurated the course as chief guest

Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh has recently raised $190m for Summit Power Plant Company limited to finance its 335MW dual fuel fired power plant. The photo shows chairperson of Summit Group Muhammed Aziz Khan and Abrar A Anwar, the bank’s acting chief executive officer among other

DS Faisal Hyder, CEO of Qubee has recently handed over a new SMART TV to Sabbir Ahmed, the winner of a Facebook game organised by Qubee, titled 'KICK, SCORE, WIN!'

Japan’s government raised its assessment of the economy yesterday because a decline in consumer spending after a sales tax increase is starting to fade due to improving consumer sentiment and a tight labour market.

It was the first time in six months that the government has upgraded its overall assessment.

The government said personal spending was showing signs of recovery, an upgrade from last month, as an increase in the nationwide sales tax to 8% from 5% on April 1 was having only a temporary impact on consumption.

“There are still some weak points, but there are signs that consumption is recovering,” the Cabinet Office said in its monthly economic report. “We expect the recovery to continue as the jobs market and wages improve.”

Personal consumption accounts for about 60% of the economy.

Sales of electronics and home appliances are recovering, while sales of cars are showing signs of bottoming out, a Cabinet Office official said.

Bank of Japan Governor Haruhiko Kuroda expressed a similar view to the government on Tuesday, when he said

he expected strong demand for labour and upward pressure on wages to bolster consumer spending.

However, the Cabinet Office lowered its assessment of capital expenditure for the first time in more than a year and a half due to a drop in capital goods shipments and machinery orders.

'There are still some weak points, but there are signs that consumption is recovering' Capital expenditure had been rising but is starting to weaken, the report said.

The government maintained its view on exports, saying they were flat.

It also still viewed industrial output as weak after the sales tax rise.

Policymakers and private-sector analysts expect the economy to have contracted in the April-June quarter due to the sales tax increase, but growth is expected to resume in the current quarter as domestic demand remains strong. l

B4

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Back Page

Friday, July 18, 2014

Really smart cars are ready to take the wheel Brazil says new n bank not threat to IMF relationship AFP, Paris

n AFP, Brasilia Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff said Wednesday a decision by BRICS emerging powers to create a development bank did not mean Brasilia was moving away from the IMF. The move by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to create the bank along with a crisis reserve fund has been seen in some quarters as designed to rival Western-dominated financial institutions.

Rousseff stressed that following the BRICS bank creation she would like to see some changes in IMF structures.

“We have not the least interest in distancing ourselves from the IMF. On the contrary, we wish to democratize it and make it as representative as possible,” she told reporters following talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The distribution of quotas at the IMF neither reflects the power nor the correlation of economic strengths” of countries operating within it, Rousseff complained.

Her comments came ahead of discussions in Brasilia between BRIC leaders and counterparts from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela and other Latin American nations.

“Our relationship with the IMF has gone from one of debtor to creditor,” she said.

“During the (global economic) problems of the euro crisis we contributed a ‘firewall’ to ensure things did not worsen still further,” said Rousseff.

Rousseff added that the new bank would take a different stance from that

of the IMF towards emerging nations.

She said the bank would look on loan requests “very generously” although they would not be granted without proper prior assessment and would always be properly evaluated.

The New Development Bank, which mirrors the Washington-based World Bank while the reserve is seen as a “mini-IMF,” will be created with initial capital of $50bn though that could rise to $100bn.

'We have not the least interest in distancing ourselves from the IMF. On the contrary, we wish to democratize it and make it as representative as possible' The funds will be provided in equal measure by each nation to avoid concerns that one country has more power than the other and provide an opportunity for developing nations to fund vital infrastructure projects.

A Contingent Reserve Arrangement will have $100bn at its disposal to head off potential economic volatility linked to the United States exiting its stimulus policy. l

Why waste your time looking for a place to park when your car can do it for you? An idea that was pure science fiction only a few years ago is becoming reality thanks to automatic robot cars.

A car with no one on board drives into a car park at walking pace, lets a pedestrian pass, and then backs into a narrow parking space without the merest bump or scrape.

The technology that makes this possible has been developed by the Swedish car company Volvo and the French parts maker Valeo. It is still at the prototype stage but could be widely available within six years.

Some cars are already able to drive themselves in certain circumstances.

The Mercedes CLS coupé brakes by itself when the driver fails to react to the risk of an accident. Some BMW models also warn drivers they are about to go over the white line and they can go onto automatic pilot in traffic jams.

“Lots of the technology is already out there,” said Guillaume Devauchelle, director of R&D at Valeo. “But now we are at a turning point.” Rapid progress in radar and detection camera technology now allows cars to “see” things going on around them. Onboard computers analyse road conditions and make the car react accordingly.

Which means that car makers believe that they will have models on the market capable of driving by themselves by 2020, and utterly autonomous robot cars by 2030. This could radically cut mortality, said Franck Cazenave, marketing director at the parts maker Bosch, since “90 percent of accidents are caused by human error”.

Who to blame for an accident?

There are other benefits too. As soon as cars begin to talk to one another, and with the computers running the road system, traffic will run more smoothly

A file photo taken on January 8 shows a Valeo representative swiping his finger across an iPhone to initiate a self-parking demonstration during a driverless car demo at the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas, Nevada. Why waste your time looking for a place to park when your car can do it for you? An idea that was pure science fiction only a few years ago is becoming reality thanks to automatic robot cars AFP with huge savings on fuel.

According to Sébastien Amichi, an expert at consultants Roland Berger, after 2030 there could be “fleets of vehicles available 24/7 that will come to pick you up where ever you want, and do so with amazing efficiency”.

These really smart cars will also make travel that much more comfortable, their supporters claim. “Drivers won’t have to drive so they will have that time for themselves,” says Cazenave. They will be able to read, surf the net, or even have a nap - which is why not only car markers have been attracted by the possibilities this offers.

Google has been testing fully automatic Japanese cars for the last five

years and is even making its own electric driverless cars that make us of its Internet and mapping expertise.

Even so, others in the industry such as Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Renault and Nissan, argue that car-marking is an art not everyone could pull off.

And, of course, there is the prohibitive cost of the technology. The radar system alone on a Google car is said to cost 60,000 euros ($82,000), without counting existing auto-pilot technology that costs thousands of euros.

“What is still holding us up is the quality of the sensors and of artificial intelligence,” Ford has admitted. And though everyone thinks that the next decade will see automatic robot cars

driving on their own on motorways and in car parks, having them in the middle of urban traffic with pedestrians and cyclists, is another question. The big issue is who is to blame if there is an accident.

Before tackling this thorny question, governments will have to change road safety laws which demand that every driver “must be in control of their vehicle”.

As for the drivers themselves, some will undoubtedly be happy to hand over the wheel. Others though will be reluctant to put their lives in the hands of a computer -- not to mention foreswearing for ever the pleasure of putting their foot to the floor. l

Analyst: CNN could be worth $5bn Murdoch tells G20 governments to take a if it is put up for sale n Reuters If Rupert Murdoch succeeds in buying Time Warner Inc and CNN is put up for sale, the 24-hour cable news network could be worth $5bn, according to one analyst’s estimate.

Gabelli & Co’s Brett Harriss said CNN is worth about 11 times annual estimated earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of $450m.

He based the valuation on recent media deals such as Discovery Communications Inc’s purchase of a controlling interest in Eurosport International and AMC Networks Inc’s acquisition of Chellomedia. Both transactions were valued at 10.5 times to 11 times EBITDA, Harriss said.

Murdoch’s Twenty-First Century Fox Inc said on Wednesday it made an offer to buy Time Warner for about $80bn. Fox has indicated it would sell Time Warner’s CNN, a direct competitor of Fox News, to clear any regulatory hurdles, according to people familiar with the situation.

While Time Warner rebuffed Fox’s offer, the 83-year-old Murdoch is un-

likely to abandon his pursuit, the sources said.

Time Warner, which also owns payTV channel HBO and the Warner Bros movie studio, does not break out financial data for CNN. Time Warner did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Harriss said that Walt Disney Co’s ABC network, which does not have a cable news channel, could be a potential bidder for CNN. Disney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

CBS Corp is another possible suitor, according to people familiar with the broadcast network. Over the years, CNN and CBS have mulled some type of merger though the issue of control was always a sticking point, these people said. A CBS spokesman declined to comment.

Founded in 1980 by media mogul Ted Turner, CNN was the first cable news network in the United States and now has more than 40 news bureaus across the globe, with distribution in more than 200 countries.

But CNN is struggling with declining ratings and advertising revenue as competition - especially from Fox

News and Comcast Corp’s MSNBC gained ground.

Jeff Zucker, the former CEO of NBC Universal, was tapped in 2012 to try to turn around CNN. He has focused the network on developing original programming, such as celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” series, in addition to covering major breaking news events, such as the missing Malaysian Air plane.

Still, CNN continues to lag both Fox News and MSNBC with prime time audiences, according to the latest ratings from Nielsen. CNN averaged 493,000 total viewers during the hours of 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM, while Fox News averaged 1.7 million and MSNBC had 621,000. A decade ago, CNN’s average total viewers was 802,000 during prime time.

CNN’s advertising revenue, which is based on the number of viewers watching a show, fell to $319.8m in 2013 from $327.7m in 2012, according to data from SNL Kagan.

Though the price per subscriber a cable distributor pays CNN to carry the channel climbed to 60 cents per subscriber per month in 2013 from 58 cents in 2012, according to SNL Kagan. l

back seat for growth n Reuters, Sydney Media mogul Rupert Murdoch yesterday criticised excessive financial regulation as stymieing free markets and urged Group of 20 governments to “take a back seat” to allow businesses to drive economic growth.

Murdoch also said US President Barack Obama was penalizing businesses by cracking down on so-called “profit shifting” by major corporations to countries with lighter tax regimes, a technique that is also in the sights of the G20.

“My blood pressure goes up when I think of the number of local, state and federal regulations we have in our lives today,” Murdoch told a meeting of the Business 20 leaders in Sydney, a day after his Twenty-First Century Fox Inc made an audacious $80bn offer for Time Warner Inc. “That is just in America. Don’t even get me started on the European Union.”

The B20 was set up in 2010 to give policy recommendations on behalf of the international business community to the G20. Business leaders meeting

here are looking to influence the outcome of the G20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane in November.

“I believe that business does have a role in shaping public policy, mainly in helping limit the size and scope of government,” Murdoch said.

“For businesses large and small, there’s simply too much red tape, too many subservient politicians stifling economic growth and entrepreneurism.”

Along with targeting growth of 2% above trend over the next 5 years, the G20 is tackling corporate “profit shifting”, which has allowed multinationals such as Starbucks Corp, Google Inc, Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc to avoid paying taxes.

G20 finance ministers in February endorsed a set of common standards for sharing bank account information across borders, with automatic exchange of information among G20 members to take effect by the end of 2015.

Obama, meanwhile, earlier this year proposed tightening restrictions on US multinationals that shift their tax domiciles abroad in his 2015 budget. l

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

Microsoft to cut up to 18,000 jobs n Reuters, Seattle Microsoft Corp said yesterday it would cut up to 18,000 jobs, or about 14% of its workforce, as it halves the size of its recent Nokia acquisition and trims down other operations.

As for the timing of the cuts, the company's CEO Satya Nadella said, "We are moving now to start reducing the first 13,000 positions, and the vast majority of employees whose jobs will be eliminated will be notified over the next six months."

In a memo to employees Nadella, said the majority of the cuts — 12,500 — will come from newly acquired Nokia.

The company said it will take pretax charges of $1.1bn to $1.6bn for the costs of the layoffs over the next four quarters. l

Bing offers to ‘forget’ links in Europe searches n AFP, San Francisco Microsoft on Wednesday followed in Google’s footsteps by letting people in Europe ask to have links related to them ‘forgotten’ on its search engine Bing, under the auspices of a court ruling.

An online request form allowed people to identify specific web pages they thought should be omitted from results served up in response to Bing queries on their names.

“This information will help us to consider the balance between your individual privacy interest and the public interest in protecting free expression and the free availability of information, consistent with European law,” the Bing form stated.

DILBERT

Models pose with the new Lamborghini Huracan LP 610-4 during a press briefing in Tokyo on July 17, The luxury super sports car was unveiled July 17 for its debut in Japan, with a price of 27,500,000 yen (275,000 USD) excluding tax AFP

“As a result, making a request does not guarantee that a particular search result will be blocked.”

People submitting requests are required to prove who they are and whether they are a public figure such as a politician or celebrity. They are also asked to indicate whether they believe the information at issue is out-of-date, false, incomplete or inappropriate.

Google said it has received more than 70,000 requests since it put a form online on May 30 as a result of the ruling by the European Court of Justice.

The court said that individuals have the right to have links to information about them deleted from searches in certain circumstances, such as if the data is outdated or inaccurate. l