20 aug, 2014

Vadro 5, 1421 Shawal 23, 1435 Regd. No. DA 6238 Vol 2, No 138

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THE EFFECTIVE WAY FORWARD

PUBLIC, PRIVATE, AND SECRET

NEYMAR, MESSI ON TARGET AS SUAREZ MAKES DEBUT

Commission finds gross anomalies in judiciary Probe in adulterated paracetamol case reveals inefficiency, irregularities and deliberate obstruction n Ahmed Zayeef Labelling the current judicial system and the case disposal rate as “shameful” and “intolerable,” the Law Commission has suggested that initiatives be taken immediately to reform the whole system for the sake of the nation.

Commission Chairman and former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque and two other members – Justice ATM Fazle Kabir and Prof Dr M Shah Alam – made the observations in the report of an investigation which was conducted to look into the delay in the delivery of the verdict for the case of Adflame Pharmaceuticals, formally known as “State v Helena Pasha and others.”

‘With this judicial system, we have no option left but to hide our face in shame in front of people’ The commission submitted the report to the Law Ministry on Monday, mentioning 16 suggestions for both the trial court and the High Court with a view to ensure quick disposal of cases.

The Adflame Pharmaceuticals case was filed over the deaths of at least 76 children, mostly infants, after consuming adulterated paracetamol syrup in the 1990s. On July 23, the Dhaka Drug Court delivered a verdict in the case – more than 21 years after the case had been filed.

The court sentenced three officials of Adflame Pharmaceuticals to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment, the maximum punishment stipulated in the law. The three convicts are Adflame Di-

rector Helena Pasha, Manager Mizanur Rahman and Production Officer Nigendra Nath Bala.

The then drug superintendent Abul Khayer Chowdhury filed the case on December 19, 1992 against Helena and seven others under the Drugs (Control) Ordinance of 1982.

In the eight-page report, the commission has presented the case steps since it commenced in 1993.

To find the reasons behind the delay in the proceedings, the commission examined the main case documents at the chamber of the district drug court and divisional special judge’s court judge.

The investigation found that the case was delayed by 19 years and two months for no valid reason.

The charges were framed against five of the accused on May 28, 1994, one and a half years after the case was filed, “though it was not necessary to take such a long time for the indictment.”

It was also revealed that the High Court rule questioning the indictment order against three of the accused had not been found in the trial court. Rather only the order – delivered after 14 years – vacating the rule “for not having any substance” was found.

“Because of the rule that sought the main case documents, the hearing for the case was stalled for 14 years at the trial court. This incident reflects the seriously irresponsible attitude of the people concerned with the judicial system. It is a stark example of the wellknown proverb ‘Justice delayed, justice denied,’” stated the report.

The commission also questioned why the High Court order reached the trial court – situated only two miles  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Students of Mirpur’s Champa Parul Government Primary School place their benches on muddy ground surrounded by stagnant water as they sit for an exam under open sky yesterday. The students had no option but to make alternative sitting arrangements after a person recently demolished the school building claiming ownership of the school property MEHEDI HASAN

Bangladesh all set to join $50bn BRICS bank n Asif Showkat Kallol Bangladesh has made a final decision to join the $50bn development bank formed by the BRICS nations, Finance Minister AMA Muhith has said.

“We want to join the BRICS bank as more sources of credit other than the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund must be explored,” the finance minister told reporters after a meeting with ADB Vice-President Laksmi Venkatachalam at his secretariat office yesterday.

At present, Bangladesh was little

interested in joining the Chinese Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank because it had got delayed, “but when it is formed, we will join it,” he said.

Finance Ministry officials said the prime minister had already given her consent to the finance minister’s proposal for joining the BRICS bank named New Development Bank. The proposal would be placed before the Cabinet soon.

Officials also said the government had already sent letters to the relevant agencies, including the Dhaka embassies in the five BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The letters sought details on the framework and operation procedures of the New Development Bank.

Two months ago, Chinese ambassador in Dhaka conveyed an invitation to the Bangladesh government for join-

B1

IMPLICATIONS

ing the newly formed BRICS bank. After that, the finance minister held two meetings with the Chinese and Indian ambassadors regarding the issue.

The heads of governments of the five BRICS nations agreed on July 16 in Brazil on the structure of the $50bn de-

Political syndicates push ADB warns of 2% GDP loss by 2050 for cattle market re-tender CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT

n Tribune Report

Bangladesh could suffer annual economic losses of 2% of the annual gross domestic product by 2050, and over 9% by 2100, due to climate change, according to a new study.

However, if the global mitigation actions, including reductions in human emissions of greenhouse gases, are successfully implemented, those losses could be limited to just over 2% by 2100, it says.

The Maldives and Nepal would be the hardest hit, losing up to 12.6% and 9.9% of their economies, respectively, annually, by 2100. India would lose 8.7%, Bhutan 6.6%, and Sri Lanka 6.5%.

The study titled “Assessing the Costs of Climate Change and Adaptation in South Asia” conducted by the Asian Development Bank was released yesterday at a press conference in the capital.

The study assessed impacts of climate change and economic costs and benefits of climate change covering Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka.

The report predicts that the six countries would see an average eco-

Hayat Mahmud and n Abu Sulaiman Shaheed

nomic loss of around 1.8% of their collective GDP by 2050, rising sharply to 8.8% by 2100 if the world continues on its current fossil fuel-intensive path.

Without changes to current global behaviour, Bangladesh would see annual economic costs equivalent to 2% of its GDP by 2050, increasing to 9.4% by 2100, it says.

“The human and financial toll can be even higher if the damage from floods, droughts, and other extreme

weather events is included,” said Bindu Lohani, ADB vice-president for knowledge management and sustainable development.

While the needs and investments required for adaptation would depend on global mitigation efforts, early investment could help mitigate large economic damages in later decades, he said.

He said the expected rise in frequency and severity of extreme climate  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Several syndicates, mostly led by leaders of many of the ruling party’s associate bodies, had forced Dhaka South and North City Corporation to reissue tenders for setting up several temporary cattle markets ahead of the Eid-ulAzha by offering bids much lower than that of previous years.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, DNCC officials confirmed that invitations for tender for three specific temporary cattle markets will be reissued as the first tender did not receive any considerable offer. At the same time, DSCC sources said they will issue invitations for tender for five specific temporary cattle markets.

This year, the two city corporations plan to set up 19 temporary cattle markets in the capital where 11 of them will be under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) and eight under Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC).

The two city corporations started the tender procedures this month where DNCC and DSCC opened tender boxes on August 11 and August 12 respectively.

Sources at the two city corporations said as like previous years, a group of leaders and activists of the ruling party and its allied organisations had allegedly formed a syndicate to force the city corporations to award them with the work at a very low price.

They also added that several Jubo League, Swechchasebak League, Chhatra League and other wings of the ruling party formed syndicates and had been dominating the temporary cattle market business for several years.

At the same time, these syndicates also reportedly threatened general bidders and the city corporations’ officials concerned to secure their position over the tender, sources said.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, DSCC Chief Estate Officer Khalid Ahmed said: “According to the city corporation’s rule, a re-tender will be issued if any market tender receives a lower bid compared to the last three years. Several markets received poor bids.”

In DSCC, this year for a total of 11 makeshift cattle markets, 113 schedules were sold but only 39 bidders submitted their offers. The total bid received  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

INSIDE 3 | News

Everyone expected BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to attend the rally of the 20-party alliance at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital yesterday.

Even after the meeting had gone for over an hour, an official of the BNP chief’s press wing said she would reach the venue any moment.

4 | News

The Labour Ministry faced hard questions from MPs over its role in dealing with labour unrest at Tuba Garments, embarrassing the authorities in front of international buyers.

5 | News

The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council yesterday approved compact township project for rural people of seven divisions involving Tk424.34crore.

6 | Nation

Rampant corruption has allegedly plagued the Skills and Training Enhancement Project of Habiganj Technical School and College. The authority has been accused of embezzling money in the name of student enrollment, monthly allowance and study tours.

8 | World

Israel said militants fired rockets from Gaza yesterday in violation of a truce and that it struck back with attacks in the Palestinian enclave.

12 | Entertainment

Based on the Liberation War, ‘Meghmallar,’ a feature film adapted from Akhtaruzzaman Elias’ acclaimed work ‘Raincoat,’ is all set for release in December.

15 | Sport

Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher remain in place, but only time will tell if the appointment of Ravi Shastri as director of cricket is a temporary measure.

velopment bank by granting China its headquarters and India its first rotating presidency.

Brazil, Russia and South Africa were also granted posts or units in the bank, which aims to become an alternative source of development funding other than the World Bank, the IMF and the ADB. The new bank will have an initial authorised capital of $100bn, with $50bn in initial subscribed capital. The Contingent Reserve Agreement will have an initial size of $100bn.

The bank will have its headquarters  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Dhaka, Delhi to discuss Nur Hossain’s extradition further n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman and Kamran Reza Chowdhury

Dhaka will raise the issue of repatriating Nur Hossain, the alleged mastermind of the seven murders in Narayanganj, during upcoming home secretary and foreign minister-level talks between Bangladesh and India next month.

“It is a sensitive issue and we will discuss it all forums including foreign minister-level talks and home secretary-level talks,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

The foreign minister-level talks, known as Joint Consultative Commission (JCC), will be held in the third week of September; while Indian Home Secretary Anil Goswami is scheduled to come to Dhaka for a meeting with his Bangladeshi counterpart Mozammel Haque Khan on September 2.

The state minister said it is expected that India will repatriate Nur Hossain after completing their investigation and exhausting legal procedures.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Political syndicates push for cattle market re-tender  PAGE 1 COLUMN 5

Environment and Forest Minister Anwar Hossain Manju speaks at a report launching ceremony at a city hotel yesterday

RAJIB DHAR

Commission finds gross anomalies in judiciary  PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

away – after two months and said, “It seems that the delay was deliberate and was a result of a lack of necessary monitoring by the officials concerned.”

It is a matter of grave concern since a copy of the order was kept in an almirah of the judge’s chamber for over two years. “It cannot be said how long the document would have been left there, had the judge not noticed it. No doubt, it was also done deliberately,” said the commission.

Even though bench assistant Abdul Haque Sheikh was issued a show-cause notice for his acts, it could not be found whether any further measure had been taken against him and the commission said: “It seems that no departmental action was taken against him for committing such a massive offence.”

It also took three years to record testimonies of the three witnesses since they did not appear before the court, though several arrest warrants had been issued against them. Moreover, it took three months for the court to be informed that one of the four witnesses had died.

The commission said: “Deposition of the witnesses could be recorded in one working day.”

The report also states: “It is irrational and unacceptable that the closing arguments in the case were adjourned 10 times upon defence petitions.” This is why it took 11 months to complete the argument stage.

The probe body observed that had there been no delay in the case, it would have taken only two and a half years to deliver the verdict.

“The victims and their families were

deprived of justice for over one and a half decades only because of utter failure of our judicial system, especially case management at the High Court.”

Commenting on two other cases filed over deaths of children after taking adulterated paracetamol syrups, the commission said trials of those cases had been stalled for around 18 years.

Still, it took over one year for the High Court order to reach the trial court.

“Recording of testimonies began in August [this year], around 21 years after the cases had been filed.”

Regarding the Adflame case, the commission said: “The case has been disposed of only in the trial court. It may be taken to the High Court and even the Appellate Division. It is uncertain how much time it may take to finally dispose of the case – this is the naked truth. With this judicial system, we have no option but to hide our face in shame in front of the people, the owners of Bangladesh.”

The report says such an “intolerable” judicial system must change for the sake of the country and the nation.

“Though such reforms cannot be done overnight, it should begin now.”

Suggestions for trial courts

The police administration will have to take prompt initiatives to produce witnesses before the courts. They should also inform the court about the non-appearance of a witness. If needed, punishment should be given to anyone responsible for negligence.

The authorities should take steps if witnesses come to the court but are not produced before it. The depositions should be recorded with the highest

priority since the witnesses might not be able to go to the court repeatedly. To encourage them to testify, the witnesses need to be provided with benefits and facilities.

It is necessary to introduce an alternative and modern system for recording the testimonies of witnesses since the judges currently have to write those down.

The commission suggests continuing the trials without any adjournments, in line with the rules. If needed, adjournments can be made for special circumstances but should not be lengthy.

Suggestions for High Court

The High Court has to be more cautious while issuing rules and stay orders. The chief justice may strictly discourage this while administrative steps can be taken to dispose of the rule related to stay orders.

The commission also suggested a provision that if a rule was not disposed of within six months, it would be vacated automatically.

Analysing the 14 years’ statistics on the appointment of judges, the probe body found that even though the number of judges increased, the cases, instead of decreasing, were shooting up alarmingly.

As immediate measure, the commission suggested that a committee be formed led by the chief justice to appoint efficient and honest persons as judges.

Commission Chairman Justice Khairul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune: “We submitted the report to the Law Ministry yesterday [Monday]. We hope the government will take necessary steps to reduce the backlog of cases.” l

this year was at Tk2,93,56,884, which was around Tk6,10,00,000 last year.

This year, the highest bid of Tk1,01,01,100 was proposed for the Lalbagh Hazi Delwar Hossain playground by bidder Alamgir Hossain.

The Lalbagh market was arranged this year for the first time instead of the DSCC’s largest Armanitola market which received the highest bid of Tk4,01,11,507 last year, as proposed by Awami League President of the DSCC Ward 69 of Elias Rashid.

The DSCC high-ups informed the Dhaka Tribune that the communications minister earlier announced that any cattle market will not be allowed to be adjoining highways and main roads around the country, and thus the Armanitola market has been canceled this year.

Moreover, the alleged syndicates also brought down the bid for another of DSCC major cattle markets. This year, the Golapbagh market received the highest bid by one Hamidullah at Tk10,10,000, which was Tk61,66,000 last year.

The highest bid for Jigatola-Hazaribagh this year was Tk11,11,010, which is proposed by bidder Masud Rana. Last year, the highest bid was Tk55,34,020 proposed by Zahidul Islam, brother of local AL leader Toriqul Islam. Masud Rana was the sole bidder for the tender.

This year, no time schedule was giv-

en by DNCC for setting up a temporary cattle market at Dhaka Polytechnic Institute playground, while the Agargaon-Taltala cattle market will not be set up this year. On top of that, the largest permanent cattle market at Gabtoli was earlier leased out for one year.

Contacted, DNCC Chief Estate Officer Aminul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have a target to earn more money from the cattle markets. Though bidders of several cattle markets offered small amounts as tender, for which we have invited re-tender to obtain satisfactory amounts.”

Answering a question regarding the alleged illegal activities of ruling partymen in this regard, Aminul said he had no idea over the matter and he had not received any complains from any bidder over a bar in submitting their proposals.

He also added that the tender boxes have been kept in seven places – The Commissioner’s Office of Dhaka division, Chief Estate Officer’s office of the DNCC at Banani, and five zonal offices of the DNCC, to ensure participation from all.

In DNCC, this year for a total of 8 makeshift cattle markets, 60 schedules were sold where only 23 bidders submitted their offers. The total bid for this year was at Tk6,65,11,551, which was Tk1,29,66,404 more than last year.

The highest bid this year was Tk2,78,60,000, proposed by bidder AM Zahid for Agargaon cattle market.

Although the total bid had increased, two markets received abnormally low offers while the tender for Dhaka Poly Technique playground received no offers at all.

The highest bid for Uttara Azompur Government School playground and it’s adjoining area is Tk55,00,000, proposed by bidder Absar Uddin Khan, which was at Tk72,00,000 last year as proposed by Jubo League leader Mahbubur Rahman.

The highest bid for free space at Khilkhet Banarupa Housing is Tk62,00,000, which was proposed by M/S Mizan Enterprise. Last year, the market’s highest bid market was Tk1,07,00,000, proposed by a ruling party leader.

The commission for the cattle market leasers would remain at 5% as the previous years.

Meanwhile, an internal feud in the ruling party and rivalry over taking lease of the Agargaon cattle market might have been the reason behind the killing of Awami League leader Jahangir Alam on August 10, said police sources.

Jahangir, 45, a leader of ward no-28 unit of Awami League, was shot dead by some assailants in front of his West Agargaon residence.

A presidential candidate of Ward 28 unit of the party and the running president of Momota Bahumukhi Samabaya Samity, Jahangir wanted to buy the tender of Agargaon cattle market under the name of Chhatra Kalyan, a local welfare organisation. l

ADB warns of 2% GDP loss by 2050  PAGE 1 COLUMN 3

events “calls for wide-ranging action including stepped up safety net programs for the poor who are most at risk.”

By 2050, more than 64% of urban residents in Asia live in low-lying coastal zones of flood plains, including cities like Dhaka, the report states.

“Rapid urban growth has also caused other environmental problems due to industrial activity and waste generation, which must be tackled,” said Lohani.

A one-meter-level rise would cause permanent inundation of nearly 1% of the land area in Bangladesh, while it would affect as much as 36%.

The temperature is projected to rise from 0.9°C to 1.9°C by 2030, from 1.6°C to 2.5°C by 2050 and from 2.9°C to 4.2°C by 2080 in the country.

A temperature increase of 4°C would cause significant decrease in production – some 28% for rice and 68% for wheat.

The division with the largest area permanently affected by a one-meter sea level rise would be Khulna, while Dhaka could see up to 14% of its territory temporarily inundated with its large population facing the greatest risks.

More extreme weather events would also damage forests, wetlands and the world’s largest mangrove forest, the Sundarbans, which provides income and nutrition to millions of people and a cushion against rural poverty.

The report projected that the coastal population in Bangladesh could grow to about 4.39 crore in 2015 and 6.08 crore in 2050.

South Asia will need to spend at least $73bn, or an average of 0.86% of its GDP, every year between now and 2100 to adapt to the negative impacts.

On the other hand, if countries act together to keep the rise in global temperatures below 2.5°C, the cost of the region shielding itself from the worst of the impacts would be nearly halved to around 40.6bn, or 0.48% of GDP. The report does not provide detailed adaptation cost projections on a country or sector basis, although in the energy sector it notes that a rising gap between demand and supply could see Bangladesh face an annual adaptation bill of over $89m in the 2030s, rising to over $363m in the 2050s.

The study details adaptive measures that the country could take to protect

its sensitive agriculture sector, including the introduction of drought-, floodand saline-tolerant crops and crop and aquaculture diversification.

Annual rice production could increase by as much as 16% in Nepal’s hills and mountains by 2080, but drop as much as 23% in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, and Sri Lanka by that time.

Environment and Forests Minister Anwar Hossain Manju said climate change poses an urgent need for increased investment and multinational capacity, and stronger government and private sector policies, to manage the impending impacts and consequences of climate change.

He said currently about $1bn of climate funds were operational in the country, including $350m from its own resources.

Over the last 35 years, the government invested over $10m to make Bangladesh less vulnerable to natural disasters, he added.

ADB Country Director Kazuhiko Higuchi and Principle Climate Change Specialist of ADB Mafuzuddin Ahmed were present at the report launching ceremony. l

Dhaka, Delhi to discuss Nur Hossain’s extradition further  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

He, however, did not comment on how long the process might take as it was up to the West Bengal court to decide.

The repatriation issue was also discussed when Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj came to Dhaka in June, Shahriar Alam said.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry yesterday told a parliamentary watchdog that the Indian authorities have consented to send back Nur Hossain to Dhaka on “special consideration” for his trial in Bangladesh.

In a meeting at the parliament building, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Ministry discussed the level of implementation of its recommendation to bring Nur Hossain back for trial, and said Nur’s trial would demonstrate the government’s commitment to establish the rule of law.

“We asked [Home Ministry] about the progress in bringing back Nur Hossain. The ministry officials informed us that India has agreed to send him back to us on special consideration,” Tipu Munshi, the chairman of the 10-member standing committee, told the Dhaka Tribune after the meeting.

He said Delhi had sought many documents including warrant orders against Nur Hossain, who faces a red alert in the Interpol.

“The Home Ministry had sent the

papers to the Foreign Ministry that has been negotiating with the Indian authorities for his extradition... We hope that Nur Hossain will be sent back soon,” said the chairman.

This is, however, not the first time such an assurance has reportedly come from Delhi.

On July 2, Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali told parliament that the Indian government had agreed to hand over Nur Hossain. Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj had assured the extradition of Nur Hossain during her recent visit, he added.

Nur, who faces several murder charges, allegedly financed some RAB officials for the abduction and murder of seven of his rivals last April. The government later arrested the suspected RAB officials, but Nur fled to India, allegedly with the help of local MP Shamim Osman.

On June 15, the West Bengal police arrested him with some of his accomplices from Kolkata. He has been in Indian custody since then.

JCC meeting

On a separate note, State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam told the Dhaka Tribune that the upcoming Joint Consultative Commission – the third one since it was launched in 2012 – would discuss all issues of mutual interest.

“We have several important issues,

including land boundary agreement, Teesta water sharing and border management and border killing, and energy cooperation to be discussed in the forum,” he said.

The state minister said energy was a new area of cooperation and both the countries would discuss it at the JCC. It was politically decided that Bangladesh would get 100MW of electricity from Palatana power plant and the Power Ministry is now working on the technical aspects, he said.

Bangladesh currently imports 500MW of power from India.

Hasina-Modi meeting

The state minister also said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi would meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in September.

After assuming power Modi stressed on having good relations with neighbours and visited Bhutan and Nepal within the last two months. He also sent his Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj to Dhaka where she said New Delhi wanted to have good relations with its neighbours, including Bangladesh.

The Indian prime minister invited all heads of states of all South Asian countries to attend his swearing-in ceremony in May but Hasina could not attend it as she was in Japan at that time. l

Bangladesh all set to join $50bn BRICS bank  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

in Shanghai, China, and its first CEO will be an Indian, the first chairman of the board of governors will be a Russian, and Brazil will appoint the first chairman of the board of directors. South Africa will host an African regional centre.

Bangladesh now borrows from the World Bank, the IMF, the ADB, the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and other bilateral and multilateral lenders for bankrolling its development projects.

Bangladesh is one of the shareholders of the World Bank and the IDB and regional lender of the ADB. However, the shares are not significant.

According to sources, Bangladesh has 0.022% share in the 188-member World Bank, 1% in the 67-member Ma-

nila-based ADB and 1.01% stake in the 56-member IDB. World Bank lead economist Zahid Hussain told the Dhaka Tribune that the BRICS bank, along with the Chinese Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank would be complementary to Bangladesh’s present development partners.

The funds provided by the three top lenders are not even close to what Bangladesh or the Asian regions need for development, he said.

Zahid assured that the World Bank was not worried about the proposed institutions as they would compliment the development works of the Bretton Woods institution.

Member of the General Economics Division of the Planning Commission Pro-

fessor Shamsul Alam told the Dhaka Tribune that the government’s decision to join the BRICS bank was “really laudable.”

“By joining the New Development Bank, Bangladesh will stamp a strong footprint by having a new option for getting more concessional investments for developing the country’s infrastructure and for cutting high cost loan from multinational banks,” he said.

After the meeting with the Bangladesh finance minister yesterday, ADB VC Laksmi Venkatachalam said she had hoped that Bangladesh would become a middle-income country within a year.

She also said the ADB would give more fund for developing infrastructure, communication, agriculture and the ICT sectors in Bangladesh.l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Khaleda Zia skips protest rally due to ‘illness’ n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla Everyone expected BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to attend the rally of the 20-party alliance at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital yesterday afternoon.

Even after the meeting had gone one for one and a half hours, an official of the BNP chairperson’s press wing told the Dhaka Tribune that she would reach the venue at any moment. The main banner hung behind the stage said she was the chief guest.

Some members of Chairperson’s Security Force, assigned to ensure her security, were also on the stage.

Thousands of people, including many who came from other parts of the country, thronged the venue, hoping to see their leader and listen to her deliver a speech at the rally organised to protest against the national broadcast policy formulated by the government.

They gathered there with the hope that Khaleda Zia would announce the next course of action that the party and the alliance would adopt in the coming days.

But finally, the BNP chief did not attend the rally. BNP’s Dhaka City Unit Convener Mirza Abbas said she could not come due to an illness and said sorry on behalf of the chairperson. Later, party’s Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir addressed the rally as the chief guest.

The BNP-led 20-party alliance holds a rally at the capital’s Suhrawardy Udyan yesterday demanding the cancellation of the recently introduced National Broadcast Policy MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU Earlier on Monday night, Khaleda’s Press Secretary Maruf Kamal Khan told the Dhaka Tribune that the decision to join the programme was yet to be finalised.

Syrul Kabir Khan, an official of chairperson’s press wing, at 3.30pm yesterday said she would start towards the venue.

Nevertheless, the party apparently

‘Azhar responsible for Dakhiganj killings’ n Udisa Islam The prosecution in the trial against alleged al-Badr leader ATM Azharul Islam yesterday claimed that the accused had assisted the Pakistani occupation forces in the killing of 10 innocent civilians at Dakhignaj cremation ground in Mahiganj of Rangpur during the 1971 Liberation War. On the second day of closing arguments in the case, the prosecution argued on one of the six charges framed against the Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general. The International Crimes Tribunal 1 later adjourned the session until today.

The accused was present in the dock.

According to the charge, Azhar, then president of Rangpur unit Islami Chhatra Sangha, the student wing of Jamaat, had collaborated with the Pakistani Army in capturing 11 people. All but one were killed at Dakhiganj.

Prosecutor Tapos K Baul claimed that before they had been killed, the captured persons were tortured at Rangpur Cantonment. He added that the prosecution had proved the charge by placing sufficient evidence.

Mentioning the depositions of four prosecution witnesses, the junior prosecutor said Azhar used to visit Rangpur Cantonment with his 50cc motorcycle, hoisting a Pakistani flag.

Tapos said as a leader of Chhatra Sangha, the accused had facilitated the abduction, torture and killings that took place on April 3, 1971.

According to the prosecution, the nature of crime is abetting and facilitating the commission of offences of abduction, confinement, torture and murder as crimes against humanity as specified in section 3(2)(a)(g)(h) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973.

Azhar was indicted on November 12 last year. A total of 19 witnesses testified against the accused. l

succeeded in ensuring an impressive gathering which it badly needed. Because the party had to prove that it still had strong public support despite the failure of the January 5 election resistance movement.

Braving the rain, party leaders and activists started congregating at the venue from 2:00 pm. At around 3:30 pm, heavy downpour forced thelead-

ers and activists to leave the venue to take shelter in an adjacent building.

The activists were scattered till the last minute of the programme.

When the activists realised that Khaleda Zia would not attend the programme, the audience started leaving the venue.

Earlier this year, the BNP-led alliance staged a long march in the

country’s northern region, protesting against India’s move to hold back Teesta water. It was announced before the programme that BNP chief Khaleda Zia would not attend it.

This programme eventually saw very little participation and enthusiasm not only from the public, but also from the BNP’s grass-roots level leaders and activists.

Last year, the BNP-led alliance organised another political rally at the same venue. Khaleda Zia was supposed to attend the programme and it attracted an impressive gathering.

But she eventually did not turn up at that rally. However, she delivered a speech through video conference.

Jamaat-e-Islami, the second largest component of the BNP-led 20-party alliance, had a strong presence in yesterday’s gathering at Suhrawardy Udyan. The Jamaat and Shibir men carried large banners and posters, demanding the release of their detained leaders and activists.

When their leader Nayeb-e-Ameer Mojibur Rahman started delivering speech, the audience in the front row, who were mainly activists from Jamaat and Shibir, started clapping and chanting slogans “Naraye Takbir, Allahu Akbar”.

Chaired by Mirza Abbas, the rally was also addressed by senior leaders of the party and its alliance. l

Indictment hearing in blogger Rajib murder case on September 2 n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu A Dhaka court yesterday fixed September 2 for passing an order as to whether it would indict the eight accused, including militant outfit Ansarullah Bangla Team Chief Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani, in blogger Rajib’s murder case.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions judge Md Jahirul Haque set the date for the next hearing in the murder case.

Earlier, the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court (CMM) of Dhaka sent the case documents to the Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court for its disposal.

Ahmed Rajib Haider, also an activist of Shahbagh movement, was hacked to death in the capital’s Pallabi on February 15 last year.

On January 28, detectives submitted a charge sheet to the Dhaka CMM court against Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani and seven former students of North South University. The charge sheet mentioned Jasimuddin as the “instigator” and Redwanul Azad Rana, one of the seven accused, as the “planner”.

Rana is on the run while Jasimuddin and the other six - Md Faisal Bin Nayem, Maksudul Hasan, Md Ehsan Reza, Nayem Sikdar alias Iraj, Nafis Imtiaz and Sadman Yaseer Mahmud - are now behind bars. l

HEALTH SECTOR ACCREDITATION COUNCIL

Little progress in implementing PM’s pledge n Moniruzzaman Uzzal More than five months ago, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directed the health sector officials to form an accreditation council which would bring pace and transparency in the decision making process, monitoring and project implementation, especially in the private sector.

The proposed council is supposed to ensure standard medical education and health services in the private sector.

But in all these months, the Health Ministry have only managed to form a 14-member committee of experts tasked with forming the accreditation council. The committee is also supposed to prepare a draft of the necessary law and the rules and regulations that would govern the council.

Professionals however have questioned the necessity of such a council, saying there are enough authoritative bodies that could look after the standard of medical education and health

services in the private sector.

Over the last few years, private medical and dental colleges, nursing institutes, medical assistant training schools and health technology institutes have mushroomed around the country.

According to the Health Bulletin 2013 of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), at present there are a total of 53 medical colleges, 18 dental colleges, 74 nursing institutes, 200 other institutes in the private sector.

There are allegations that most of these organisations have been given permission on political considerations and many of them have started operations without fulfilling the minimum infrastructure requirements such as qualified teachers, enough teaching materials and laboratory facilities.

The existing regulatory bodies have been largely blamed for the malpractice in the private sector and failing to monitor the situation.

During a meeting of the National

Health Council five months ago, noted professionals such as national professors, head of medical colleges and universities and leaders of doctors’ associations, expressed concerns about the low quality of eduction in the private sector.

Upon hearing their concerns, the prime minister, who also attended that meeting, gave the directive for forming the accreditation council, sources who attended that meeting told the Dhaka Tribune.

Motiur Rahman, a joint secretary of the Health Ministry, told the Dhaka Tribune that the committee would sit in a meeting soon to discuss the formation of the accreditation council and promulgating the necessary law, rules and regulations.

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Health Minister Mohammed Nasim has also admitted that some of the important decisions in his sector could not be taken on time because of bureaucracy.

Asked why it took them five months

Qaisar’s trial likely to end today n Udisa Islam Claiming that the accused, Syed Mohammad Qaisar, had not been present at any of the crime scenes during the 1971 Liberation War, his defence yesterday ended the closing arguments for the case by demanding the acquittal of the former Jatiya Party state minister.

When the defence argued on hearsay witness, the tribunal said had they read the previous judgements, they would not have killed time by placing arguments on decided matters.

The defence claimed that the third prosecution witness had not been credible. The witness said as a member of “Qaisar Bahini,” he had gone to five villages to see the atrocities.

The tribunal said the witness claimed to be a member of the “Qaisar Bahini” but he was not with Qaisar when the collaborators’ force had committed atrocities at 22 villages in Nasirnagar. He had not even specified the number or names of dead bodies.

“What is your problem with that?” the tribunal questioned, to which the defence replied that the witness’ evidence was not acceptable.

The defence also questioned how the investigation officer had charged someone for atrocities in 22 villages while the officer had visited only eight of them.

When the defence questioned the validity of seeking compensation for three victims, the tribunal said: “Fines are also punishment since the ICT Act allows the tribunal to give death penalty or any other punishment.”

After the first half of the proceedings, the defence pleaded for more time to place arguments on the legal part.

It irked the tribunal, which said, “You have nothing to place on legal arguments. Just finish within 15 minutes.”

After lunch break, the defence took 25 minutes to conclude their session.

The tribunal then adjourned the hearing until today asking the prosecution to end the rebuttal within half an hour in the first session. l

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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

to just form the expert committee, the minister said: “Although it has been late but the ministry is working on it.”

A few days ago, former BMA president Dr Rashid-e-Mahbub got a letter from the ministry in which he was informed that he had been made a member of the 14-member experts’ committee.

He told the Dhaka Tribune: “It is not clear what the function of the accreditation council will be. There are several government bodies such as the BMDC [Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council], the DGHS and the universities that should be enough to regulate the medical education institutions. Then why do we need to form another separate council?”

He also said: “First of all, I would like to know who will conduct the council: will it be the government or any private body? As far as I know, in the developed countries, independent bodies conduct their accreditation councils. It will be clear only when the committee sits in a meeting.” l

Language hero Matin’s condition not critical n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

What looks like a pond is actually a field inundated by stagnant rainwater at Brahmanbaria Government College. Students had no option but to wade through ankle-deep water yesterday to get to their classes DHAKA TRIBUNE

The doctors of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) yesterday said although the physical condition of language movement hero Abdul Matin is serious, but not critical.

BSMMU Director brigadier general (retd) Abdul Mazid confirmed his condition, he is in the intensive care unit where Matin, 88, had been admitted on Monday following a stroke that partially paralysed him.

On the day, the hospital authorities formed an eight-member medical board headed by Medicine Faculty Dean ABM Abdullah to observe his condition.

After a review, the board suggested giving him medical treatment for heart and opined that If his condition did not improved in the meantime, he will have to undergo a neurosurgery to remove the haematoma developed in his brain.

Several board members told the Dhaka Tribune that Abdul Matin was breathing without the help of a ventilation support although his pulse rate was high, but his blood pressure and respiratory rate remained normal. l

How UK Chapter BNP leader Mujib was abducted n Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Abductors, disguised as law enforcers, kidnapped UK chapter BNP leader Mujibur Rahman Mujib and his driver Rezaul Karim Sohel, said his brother-inlaw Barrister Anwar Hossain yesterday.

Quoting the victim, Anwar said Mujib had attended a BNP programme in Sunamganj on May 4 and then headed to Sylhet around 4pm. On the way, his private car was intercepted at Tukerbazar by people who introduced themselves as law enforcers.

They had asked for the driver’s licence and the car’s documents. After

checking the licence, they said it was a fake.

They asked Mujib and his driver to get into their micro bus. When the latter refused and began scuffling with them, they threatened to fire at them.

After getting into the car, something was sprayed on them and neither Mujib nor his driver can remember anything after that.

Mujib even said that he could not member where he had been kept for the duration of the time that he had been missing.

Three and a half months after they were abducted, Mujib and his driver

Rezaul were finally rescued on Monday.

Mujib was admitted to the United Hospital and might be brought to Sunamganj today.

Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, ASP Hemayetul Islam, who coordinated the rescue operation, said they had reached Dhaka and were now interrogating Mujib at United Hospital.

He said they had so far failed to get detailed information about the abduction.

When Sumanganj Superintendent of police Harunur Rashid was asked about this, he said: “Mujib has been under-

taking medical treatment under our care.” He refused to make any further comment about this.

When Mujib went missing, a general diary was filed with Sadar police and was then received as a regular case.

Police had earlier raided various places in Sunamganj, Sylhet, Mymensingh and Tangail, but failed to trace him.

Mujib’s phone was found switched on in Mymensingh on May 5, a day after he went missing in Sunamganj.

Police conducted raids and arrested two persons, suspecting their involvement in the kidnapping.

His phone was then found switched

on in Madhupurgarh of Tangail.

Police arrested four more persons from Sunamganj and Habiganj in connection with the abduction.

All the arrested are now out on bail.

Finally, on May 26, police raided the house of a London expatriate with whom Mujib had a longstanding feud.

Two teams of UK police had been to Dhaka for the rescue mission.

Since then, reportedly no raid had been made in rescuing the BNP leader.

At 7am on Monday, Mujib and his driver were found veiled and blindfolded near Tongi Bridge on the outskirts of Dhaka city. l

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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

JS watchdog grills labour secretary over Tuba mayhem n Kamran Reza Chowdhury The labour and employment ministry on Tuesday faced hard questions from MPs over its role in dealing with labour unrest at Tuba Garments, embarrassing the authorities in front of international buyers.

Ever since the devastating fire at Tazreen Garments and the Rana Plaza collapse, ready-made garments (RMG) buyers have pressed the government to improve working conditions for Bangladeshi labour or face a boycott of products from the country.

In a discussion on the recent unrest at Tuba Garments over the non-payment of three-months wages and festival bonuses, the parliamentary standing committee on labour and employment said the ministry should sue the owners for violating labour laws.

According to the law, owners must pay the previous month's wages by the 10th day of the current month or face legal action from the labour directorate.

Mujibul Haque, the state minister for labour and employment, did not attend the meeting because he was unwell.

Mikail Shipar, the labour secretary, answered questions posed by members of the 10-person watchdog body whose job is to ensure the transparency and accountability of the ministry.

“Why did you not intervene before the situation got out of control? Why did workers have to take to the streets to get paid? Why did you negotiate with the owners?” committee member Rezaul Haque Chowdhury told the Dhaka Tribune members had asked at

the meeting in the parliament building.

Israfil Alam, another committee member, said if the ministry had intervened immediately, workers could have gotten their wages on time and the unrest could have been averted.

“Every one of the 3,500 factories in the country except for Tuba Garments paid their staff their wages on time. By going into negotiation with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the owners, you made it look like the government was too weak to protect the interests of the people,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Mikail Shipar said the workers would not have been paid if the government had opted for legal action.

“Therefore we preferred negotiation to cases,” he said.

Israfil said: “If you filed cases in May, the workers would have been paid for the months of June and July.”

Tuba Garments workers held a fastunto-death to get their overdue wages.

The company claimed it could not pay because its proprietor, Delwar Hossain, was in jail.

The BGMEA offered partial payment, but some workers rejected the offer.

Israfil Alam also raised a question on the activities of RMG buyer's group Accord and Alliance, which have been monitoring the conditions of the garment units.

“Under whose authority are Accord and Alliance interfering in our RMG sector? What is their legal status?” he asked.

Israfil said the watchdog body would discuss the issue at its next meeting. l

BGB personnel from Char Khanpur camp carry their furniture to a new location yesterday as their previous camp site is soon set to fall victim to the erosion of Padma River in Rajshahi AZAHAR UDDIN

Bay of Bengal survey awaits PM's green signal n Aminur Rahman Rasel

The Energy and Mineral Resources Division (EMRD) will be seeking the prime minister's permission today to appoint a consulting firm to perform a 2D survey of the country's underwater energy resources, an official said.

This will be the first meeting between EMRD and the premier, who holds the power and mineral resources portfolio, since the settlement of a maritime dispute with India to definitively set the extent of Bangladesh's maritime boundary.

“We will be placing a presentation on oil and gas exploration before the premier at her office,” EMRD Secretary Md Abubakar Siddique told the Dhaka Tribune.

Secretaries of different ministries and divisions will attend today’s meeting which will be presided over by the prime minister, officials said.

“The international oil companies will be interested if we complete a 2D seismic survey before inviting tenders for the new blocks,” Petrobangla Chairman Hossain Monsur told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“There are companies who will car-

at Hague, Netherlands recently awarded Bangladesh 19,467 square-kilometres, out of the total 25,602 square-kilometres disputed with India, in the Bay of Bengal.

Bangladesh won another case against Myanmar in 2012, following which it received over 111,000 square-kilometres of area, including the disputed 25,000 square-kilometres.

In 2011, a PSC was signed between ConocoPhillips and Petrobangla to explore two offshore blocks. That was the country’s first ever deep-water hydrocarbon hunt. l

BGB to seek progress report on Felani murder trial

Tofail: Sustainable development needs collaborative initiatives n Rabiul Islam Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said at the closing ceremony of Bangladesh Summit on Sustainable Development 2014 that Bangladesh faced big challenges in many areas, including limitation of resources, employment generation, infrastructure and climate change.

The four-day summit, organised by Dhaka-based Global Citizens’ Forum on Sustainable Development, came to an end yesterday in the capital.

Speaking as the chief guest, the minister said: “We have achieved much in many areas, including poverty reduction, gender equity and enrolment in primary school. We are even ahead of India and Pakistan in some areas.

“But we still have a long way to go, and collaborative initiatives are needed to attain sustainable development,” he said.

Addressing the event, Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed, convener of Global Citizens’ Forum on Sustainable Development, said: “We emit very little green house gas, but climate change is a big threat for us.”

Stating that food security, disaster management and climate change were big challenges, Kholiquzzaman said: “All of our activities centre human interest.”

The speakers also put emphasis on a few areas as imperative in sustainable development, including poverty reduction through social safety net, transparency and accountability in governance, productive employment, and conservation and sustainable use of the oceans, seas and marine resources. l

ry out the surveys and sell the data directly to the international oil firms. We won't have any expenses because the work will be done under production sharing contracts (PSC),” he said.

After a two year pause, the government will be formulating a fresh production sharing contract (PSC) model to award offshore hydrocarbon blocks in the Bay of Bengal.

The previous four rounds were floated in 1974, 1993, 2008 and 2012.

Bangladesh now has 23 hydrocarbon blocks in the bay.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration

n Rabiul Islam

Guests address the closing ceremony of the Bangladesh Summit on Sustainable Development at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban in Dhaka University yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Robbers loot Tk30 lakh by hurling bombs; seven injured n Mohammad Jamil Khan Armed robbers looted Tk30.60 lakh by hurling crude bombs in the capital’s Moghbazar area yesterday leaving at least seven people injured.

The incident took place near Dilu Road around 10am.

The injured are Managing Director of JR Corporation Harun-or-Rashid, Chief Financial Manager Nur Mohammad, Director (food) Kamal Hossain, Assistant Mechanical Engineer Monir Hossain, Guard Delowar Altaf, and two helpers Sohag and Jahirul.

“The injured are undergoing treatment at Al-Baraka Hospital, the condition of Altaf and Monir are critical.

The victims have splinter injuries,” said Ramna police station Officer-in-Charge Moshiur Rahman.

The muggers had opened five rounds of bullets in the air to create panic, the OC said.

Mohammad Jasimuddin, senior accountant of JR corporation, said eight officials including himself were on way to NCC Bank Moghbazar branch on two bicycles to deposit the corporation’s money.

They were carrying the money in two boxes – one had Tk23.10 lakh while the rest was stored inside the other one, he said.

As soon as they reached the main road in Moghbazar, at least eight armed robbers hurled bombs at them and a smoke covered the area, said Jasim.

The robbers took the money and fired some shots in the air and fled the spot on two motorbikes, he said.

Abul Kashem, owner of JR corporation which is a distributor of Akij Group, said he had been operating the business in the area for last 15 years, however, he had never faced any kind of threat from anyone before.

Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Ramna division) Mohammad Iqbal said police were trying to nab the criminals.

On Sunday, some assailants took Tk30 lakh after shooting a person in front of Mirpur police station in the capital. Police have yet to arrest anyone in this regard. l

Bangladesh will seek a progress report on the Felani murder case at a five day conference between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Border Security Force of India (BSF) scheduled to begin in New Delhi today.

Felani, a 15-year-old girl, was shot dead near the BSF Choudhuryhat Camp as she was trying to cross the barbed-wire fence at Anantapur border point in Kurigram’s Phulbarhi upazila in 2011.

Her body was left hanging from the fence for quite a while. The killing had provoked huge outrage in both Bangladesh and India.

“The issue of Felani's killing is on the agenda and we would want to know of the progress during the conference,” BGB chief Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday.

The BGB chief would lead a 22-member delegation from Bangladesh, a senior official of the home ministry said.

Last September, during a conference held in Dhaka, BSF officials said they would consider Dhaka's concern over the Felani issue.

In a letter issued last week, BSF wanted to know whether Felani's father and maternal uncle could be produced for a deposition.

“We have replied to the letter that we are ready to produce them and asked them to let us know when and where,” Ahmed said.

Seeking anonymity, a lawyer who is helping Felani's family, said her father Nur Islam appealed to the Indian Supreme Court, seeking compensation

and fair trial of her killing.

On September 6, 2013, a special court set up by BSF acquitted BSF Constable Amiya Ghosh from the charge of killing Felani Khatun at the Cooch Behar border.

BSF’s 181 Battalion Constable Amiya Ghosh, the prime accused, could not be found guilty because of “inconclusive and insufficient” evidence against him, the court said in its verdict.

‘The issue of Felani’s killing is on the agenda and we would want to know of the progress during the conference’ During a BGB-BSF conference held in September, 2013 in Dhaka, the Indian side promised to stop border killings by BSF, however, several incidents of border killings have taken place since then.

According to media reports, on June 28, 2014, BSF killed a Bangladeshi trader on the Putkhali border of Jessore Benapole.

On February 26, 2014, BSF shot dead a Bangladeshi cattle trader on Panchbibi frontier in Joypurhat.

“We would press the issue of border killing until it is brought down to zero,” BGB chief said.

Issues like curbing trans-border crimes, increasing coordinated patrolling to prevent criminals, smugglers and insurgents on the border would also be discussed, he said. l

US students complete Bangla course at IUB Seminar on student leadership devt at ULAB n Tribune Report

n Tribune Report

Under the Critical Language Scholarship Programme of the US government, thirteen students from that country have completed a nine-week Bangla language course at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB).

Upon completion of the course, IUB’s Bangla Language Institute organised a cultural programme titled “Banglai Bandhi Gaan” on Monday at its Bashundhara campus, says a media release.

The main motto of the course is to increase proficiency in the language so that the students would be able to use Bangla in their professional careers.

During the event, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Dan W Mozena, Korean

University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh (ULAB) arranged a seminar on Student Leadership Development Programme yesterday, says a press release.

This seminar generated discussions among the students and community change agents. ULAB Vice Chancellor Imran Rahman gave the welcome speech while the programme’s Assistant Director Meher Afroze presented a brief overview of the workshop.

In the event, the participants discussed how the spontaneous participation of the students led to enhancing their own skills and how leaders emerged from among them.

Director and CEO of BCCP Muham-

Ambassador Lee Young Young and IUB Vice Chancellor M Omar Rahman attended as guests.

In his speech, Mozena said Bangladesh would be the next Asian economic tiger. l

mad Shahjahan and former ambassador Muhammad Zamir and Psychologist

Mehtab Khanum were also present, among others. l

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Ecnec okays compact township project for rural people The government will provide 70% of the cost while the 30% will come from beneficiaries n BSS The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council yesterday approved compact township project for rural people of seven divisions involving Tk424.34crore.

The cooperatives based township project branding as "Palli Janapad" aiming to save arable land, ensure food security as well as improve their living standards.

The approval came from the 5th Ecnec meeting of the current fiscal held at the NEC conference room in city's Sher-e-Bangla Nagar with Ecnec chairperson and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

Planning Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal, after the meeting, told reporters that four-story buildings will be con-

structed in seven villages of the seven divisions accommodating some 272 families in each village.

He said the project has been undertaken as a pilot basis and based on its successes it might be extended in future.

The project sites would be selected prioritizing on the wage-earners remittance prone areas.

Under the project, there will be flats in four categories for the beneficiaries.

A-type flats would be sized of 915 square feet while B-type flats of 710 square feet, C-type flats of 460 square feet and D-type flats of 365 square feet with each square feet areas having a price of Taka 1603.

Of the total project cost, the government would initially provide 70 per cent of the cost while the remaining 30 per cent will come from the beneficia-

ries. The flat owners would repay the loan to the government in 15 years at a flat rate of 5 per cent interest.

The government will bear Taka 362.98 crore of the Palli Janapad project cost while the beneficiaries will contribute Taka 61.36 crore. The ECENC today approved a total of three uplift projects including the Palli Janapad with the outlay of Taka 829.85 crore.

"Of the total project cost, the government will provide Taka 520.03 crore from the national exchequer while Taka 87.41 crore will come from the organization's own fund and Taka 222.41 crore as project assistance," informed Planning Minister.

State Minister for Finance and Planning MA Mannan was also present at the briefing.

About the Palli Janapad project, planning ministry sources said the project has been re-designed that includes expansion of the project area from three divisions to seven divisions, downsizing the buildings' size from six-storey to four-storey and some increased amenities.

The Palli Janapad project is expected to complete by June, 2017. Center for Irrigation and Water Management (CIWM) and Rural Development Academy (RDA) will jointly implement the project under the Rural Development and Cooperatives Division.

The main project activities include construction of seven four-storey buildings, construction of another three-storey seven buildings for animal husbandry and marketing of agricultural

produces, setting up solar panels, ensuring safe water supply, rain water reservation tank construction as well as lake, construction of biogas plant, producing high-quality organic fertilizer and its marketing, operating various income generating training for the beneficiaries and operating RDA credit operations for entrepreneurship development.

The day's Ecnec meeting approved another project titled "Extended Cotton Cultivation (Phase-1)" project with TK 105 crore to be implemented by June 2018.

Cotton Development Board (CDB) under the Ministry of Agriculture will implement the project aiming to enhance the overall cotton production of the country.

The Planning Minister said the proj-

Six sentenced to death for murdering RAB, Coast Guard men

Man sentenced to death n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

A Chittagong court yesterday sentenced a man to death for murdering his colleague 10 years ago.

After examining 27 witnesses, Chittagong public security tribunal judge Mumin Ullah passed the verdict in absentia of the convict Ashraf Hossain.

n Our Correspondent, Khulna A court yesterday sentenced to death six robbers and seven others to life on charges of killing a member of the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and two others of the Coast Guard in Bagerhat.

District and Sessions Judge SM Solaiman handed down the verdict.

The death row convicts are Rafiqul Sheikh, Kuddus Sheikh, Idris Sheikh, Babul Sheikh, Alkach Fakir and Ilias Sheikh.

They are from Khalkulia village of Morelganj upazila in the district.

The life terms were handed to Reazul Sheikh, Akram Sheikh, Alam Sheikh, Badsha Sheikh, Jamal Sheikh, Kamal Sheikh and Aslam Sheikh.

They are from Gabgasia village of Morelganj upazila in Bagerhat and Hogoldanga village in Khulna’s Batighata upazila.

The court also acquitted two others of the murder charge -Nanna Sheikh and Mizanur Rahman.

The case in details was that Rab and Coast Guard members began a joint raid in the Sundarbans on December 1, 2006.

During the raid, they came under attack by the convicts, when they reached the Pashur river at East Sundarbans’ Chandpai range.

All of a sudden, they pounced on the law enforcerment members and jumped into the river along with them.

The bodies of Rab 6’s PC Md Kanchan and Coast Guard’s members AH Kabir and MA Islam were later recovered in the river.

Rab 6’s then Deputy Assistant Director Md Mohsin Ali filed a case with Mongla police station on December 2.

Mongla police station’s then Sub-Inspector Md Nasir Uddin pressed charges against 15 robbers on May 8, 2007. l

WEATHER THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 20 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:28PM SUN RISES 5:36AM FORECAST FOR TODAY Dhaka

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Rajshahi

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Rangpur

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Khulna

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Barisal

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34.5ºC Chuadanga

24.6ºC Rangamati

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha

4:17am 5:35am 12:02am 4:36pm 6:28pm 7:47pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

ect will be implemented in 35 upazilas of 10 districts and once the project is implemented it would be possible to raise the cotton production to 7-10 lakh bales per year.

According to the Ministry of Textiles and Jute, the country imports around 4 to 4.2 million bales cotton per year with a cost of Taka 21,000 crore.

The day's Ecnec meeting gave nod to another revised project titled "Siddhirganj-Maniknagar 230 KV Transmission Line (1st revised)" with downsizing the project cost to Taka 300.51 crore from Taka 391.70 crore. Of the total project cost, IDA of the World Bank will provide Taka 222.41 crore.

Ministers, State Ministers, Planning Commission members and other high officials were present in the meeting. l

Investigation revealed that Ashraf stabbed Nur to death as revenge for terminating his job on charges of corruption

Ignoring traffic signals and oblivious to traffic rules, vehicle drivers manoeuvre their way through jaywalking pedestrians at the Shahbagh intersection yesterday

Recovery of canals in Sylhet city faces obstacles

Two held with 1,000 yaba pills n Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

n Our correspondent, Sylhet

A team from the Department of Narcotics Control (DNC) arrested two people yesterday for possession of 1,000 pieces of yaba from Chittagong’s Muradpur area.

The arrested Mohammad Ramij, 23, and Mohammad Nurul Amin, 24, are both from Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar.

Police, disguised as yaba buyers, arrested the duo around 4:30pm from Zaman Hotel, an eatery situated in Muradpur area, said Superintendent Chowdhury Imrul Hasan of DNC Chittagong Metro Region police.

“We have been following them for the last three days. We managed to convince them to meet us to sell yaba pills,” said Hasan who had led the drive.

The seized yaba pills, worth Tk5 lakh, were handed over to Panchlaish police station in Chittagong and a case was filed in this connection, said DNC sources. l

The ongoing project of the Sylhet City Corporation to reclaim and revive the city’s canals is facing hurdles which are slowing down its progress, said city corporation officials.

Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Sylhet Mayor Ariful Haque Chowdhury claimed the major problem was that the space at the canals’ entry and exit points was inadequate for the excavators.

“Encroachers illegally occupy most of these canals and are hampering their natural flow,” he said. “Many of these canals used to be 60-feet wide, but now some of them are as narrow as three feet. A few have narrowed down to even half a foot. At several points, their courses have changed.

“The mechanised excavators cannot enter the canals; if they can, they cannot get out of them. It is a big problem as we need those machines to remove the illegal structure as well as dredge the canals in order to bring back their natural water flow,” the mayor said.

At present, there are nine canals with 16 streams in Sylhet city. The canals – Malonichhora, Goalichhora, Gabhiar Khal, Dhupachhora, Holdichhora, Kalibarichhora, Mongolichhora, Juginichhora and Bhubichhora – amount to a length of 32km. The city’s drainage system is entirely dependent on these canals.

Due to the insufficient water flow in these canals, Sylhet city often gets waterlogged when it rains, causing the immense suffering of the city-dwellers.

The city gets submerged in knee-deep water even in moderate rain.

Before this project, another plan to reclaim the canals was undertaken by the city corporation in 2010, when Sylhet City Awami League President Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran was mayor.

However, the plan did not come to fruition due to mismanagement as well as intervention by the local influentials.

The project was revived last year, when BNP-backed Ariful was elected as the city’s mayor. After taking charge of

office, he initiated massive drives to demolish illegal structures on the banks of these canals on October 24 last year.

“We have already reclaimed Goalichhora, Malonichhora, Dhupachhora, Gabhiar Khal and Holdichhora,” the mayor said. However, reviving Gabhiar Khal was tricky.

“The stretch of Gabhiar Khal between Sheikhghat and Laldighirpar areas was filled up and under personal ownership. But the owners, Akbul Hossain and Abul Hossain, residents of Laldighirpar, donated the land when they learned about the city corporation project,” the mayor said.

“We used 1,000 feet of the land to build an eight-foot wide canal to connect Gabhiar Khal to the Surma River,” he said.

“Similarly, to recover Holdichhora, we acquired land and built a 1,800-foot long, 15-foot wide connecting canal to link it with the Surma. We also constructed U-type reinforced cement concrete pillars to prevent illegal constructions from being built in the canal,” he said.

The UNDP funded the recovery of Holdichhora, the mayor added.

“Because of our initiative, there has been no waterlogging in the city this year,” he said, adding that no such initiative has been taken since 1956.

Noor Azizur Rahman, acting chief engineer at Sylhet City Corporation, said the drive to remove the illegal structures would continue, and they had plans in this regard.

However, the chief engineer also spoke about the obstacles hampering the project’s progress, specifically mentioning waste dumping in the drains.

“People dump waste in the drains, which clogs them up and disrupts the flow. It also creates problems in cleaning up the canals,” he said.

Dr Towfiq M Seraj, managing director of Sheltech (Pvt) Ltd, the urban design planner of the Sylhet City Corporation, said the local influential people also caused hindrances in the project.

“The authorities should handle it strictly,” he said. l

MEHEDI HASAN

On April 2, 2004, Ashraf stabbed the victim Nur Khalek Master, a senior officer of Golden Life Insurance Chittagong branch, in Karbala Tila area in Fatikchhari.

Investigation revealed that Ashraf stabbed Nur to death as revenge for terminating his job on charges of corruption.

Danesh Mia, father of the victim, filed a murder case with the Fatikchhari police station in this connection.

Police submitted the charge sheet against two – Golam Mostofa and Ashraf Hossain – on October 2, 2004.

The convict is now on the run while Golam Mostofa, another accused in the case, was acquitted as the charge against him was not proven, said Advocate Jahangir Alam, prosecutor of the tribunal. l

Four killed in separate accidents in Chittagong n FM Mizanur Rahaman Four persons, including a minor boy, died in separate accidents in Chittagong.

A worker, Amir Hossain, 40, sustained injuries yesterday morning when an iron sheet fell on his chest while working at an iron sheet factory of Aramit Group which is located in BISIC Industrial Area of Kalurghat.

He died an hour after being admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH), said Nayek Abul Bashar of CMCH police outpost.

In Fatikchhari, Bijoy Saotal, 35, a worker of Karnaphuli tea garden, was crushed under the wheels of a truck after he fell from the running truck inside the tea garden around 1:30pm.

Bijoy succumbed to his injuries after being taken to CMCH. A seven-year-old boy, Rabiul Alam Sakib, died in Chunnupara area of Anwara upazila when a tractor hit him while he was fishing in a paddy field around 3pm, said Nayek Abul Bashar.

In another incident on Monday at the outer anchorage of Chittagong Port, Pitul Gazi, the quartermaster of a lighter vessel ABM Absar Uddin-2 died around 10:30pm when he got thrown to the floor of a cabin.

Rezaul Karim, Pitul’s brother-in-law, said Pitul was severely injured when he fell in the cabin while the vessel was navigating through turbulent currents at sea.

He was taken to CMCH where the doctors declared him dead. l

Indiscriminate parking on the side of the road is one of the major reasons behind everyday traffic congestion in the capital. In utter disregard to pedestrians, drivers often use the footpaths as well for parking their vehicles. A pedestrian is seen squeezing through what little space is left after a car occupied almost all the footpath in Dhanmondi yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

6

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Nation

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Unbridled corruption at Habiganj School and College The authority has been accused of embezzling money in the name of student enrollment

n Our Correspondent, Habiganj Rampant corruption has allegedly plagued the Skills and Training Enhancement Project (STEP) of Habiganj Technical School and College. The authority has been accused of embezzling large chunks of money in the name of student enrollment, monthly allowance and study tours.

Principal Habibur Rahman and Hosainuzzaman Chowdhury, the teacher in charge of the project, have been accused for misappropriating funds, nepotism and irregularities.

The STEPS project, funded by the government and the World Bank, was launched to benefit underprivileged

and unemployed youths. Run under the Directorate of Technical Education Bangladesh, the project is supposed to provide training in four categories to 240 poor and undereducated individuals. It also has a monthly allowance provision of Tk700 for the youths.

However, many students alleged that they were never given the monthly allowance. The budget for 16 study tours each year has also been misappropriated.

Dhaka Tribune investigated the matter and found widespread corruption and nepotism in the admission process. The authority has also been involved in extortion in

the name of “form fees” by releasing more admission forms than the actual number of seats available in two academic sessions a year.

Sources said, activities of the STEP project were closely guarded, so nobody knew what was happening. Moreover, the absence of a local committee in the college helped the corruption to go on unabated.

When contacted, Principal Habibur Rahman denied all allegations of any wrongdoing and claimed that those were false. He did acknowledge taking “form fees” for the mosque fund, but could not give any satisfactory answer regarding the construction of the mosque. l

Jangalia Bus Stand set up three years back in Comilla Sadar upazila has developed several large potholes causing immense sufferings for both bus staff and passengers. The picture was taken yesterday

UP member allegedly misappropriates 6 tonnes of rice n Our Correspondent, Magura A Union Parishad (UP) member has allegedly embezzled six tonnes of rice which were allotted for an orphanage, a madrasa and a mosque at Sadar Union Parishad in Magura’s Mohammadpur upazila.

Ward No 1 member Sirajul Islam, also an Awami League leader, secured the allotment by showing Raipur Or-

phanage, Raipur Madrasa and Raipur Mosque on paper as the beneficiaries, but in reality, neither the orphanage nor the mosque exist.

According to the Mohammadpur Upazila Project Implementation Office, two tonnes of rice had been allotted for each of the three projects at Sadar Union’s Raipur village. Each project was presided over by Siraj.

Our correspondent visited Raipur

Erosion in Padma, newly built dam at danger Correspondent, n Our Chapainawabganj Fresh erosion in the unprotected part of the Padma River is threatening the recently finished left bank protection project of the river.

Residents of Goaldubi in Charbagdanga union of Sadar upazila are living in constant fear of losing their houses and mango orchards. According to them, if such erosion continues, Bangladesh will lose some landmass to India which situated on Padma’s right side.

600 metres, out of the 1500 metre river bank at Goaldubi, was brought under protection in the last fiscal year. Tk15 crore was spent in putting up the embankment. Then, erosion suddenly started occurring in 100 metres of the remaining 900 metre bank. Already the mighty Padma has penetrated 100 metres inward, devouring land and mango orchards.

Contractors of the left bank protection project, Mainul Islam and Abdur Rak-

in, said there had been no response from the authority despite their request to take up a new project to protect the rest of the left bank. Locals urged the authority to take quick measures to slow down the erosion.

Meanwhile, the water level of the Padma and Mahananda rivers are continuing to rise due to the torrential rainfall and the downhill floods which are inundating the low-lying areas.

According to the Water Development Board, the water level has risen 29cm in the Padma and 27cm in the Mahananda in the last 24 hours. If this continues, it would soon cross the danger mark.

Abus Sattar, an official of Chapainawabganj Water Development Board, said: “The erosion began along the newly built left embankment. If it is not checked immediately, it will damage the embankment and we will lose a huge chunk of the shoal to India. We have written to the authority and are waiting for their response.” l

Case filed against 220 Correspondent, n Our Lakshmipur Police filed a case against 220 persons on charges of helping a Juba League murder accused to escape and attacking police at Ramganj upazila in Lakshmipur on Monday.

Of the accused, 20 were named while 200 others were not identified, said Ramganj police station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Lokman Hossain.

Around noon, police arrested six persons, including Karpara Union Parishad

Chairman and Awami League President Mujibul Haq, and sent them to jail. However, they could not arrest the murder accused, Mithu.

OC Loman said efforts were on to arrest him.

Earlier on Sunday, police had arrested Mithu in connection with the murder of Juba League leader Saiful Islam in April.

Mujib and his followers had then launched an attack on police and had helped accused Mithu to escape.

Police were able to arrest Mujib and five others from the spot. l

Man held with touchstone statue Correspondent, n Our Joypurhat

Members of Rapid Action Battalion arrested an alleged smuggler with a touchstone statue from Rasulpur village in Khetlal upazila of Joypurhat district yesterday.

The arrested was identified as Nurul Amin, 50, of the same village.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of the elite force conducted a raid in the area around 3.30 pm and arrested him with the statue weighting around 71 kilograms worth about Tk2.84 crore from his possession.

The sources said the seized statue was supposed to be smuggled out to a neighbouring country. l

village and found that neither the orphanage nor the mosque exist in the village.

Villagers Ali Akbar, Shahabul and Md Fariduzzaman said these had never existed.

However, three other mosques were found in the village Imams Monnu Mian, Mushtafijur Rahman and Murad Hossen said they had not received any rice allotted for

their respective mosques this year.

Seeking anonymity, another UP member said: “The local market value of the rice which Siraj embezzled stands at Tk2 lakh.”

“Siraj had also misappropriated rice and wheat under different projects, most of which do not really exist. His unbridled corruption will come to light once the other projects, presided over by him, are investigated

thoroughly,” he added.

UP member Sirajul Islam, however, refused to make any comments on this issue and requested this correspondent to not publish this report in the newspaper.

When Mohammadpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Kamrul Hasan was asked about this, he said: “We shall take the necessary action after investigating this.” l

BNP leader held in Lakshmipur n Our Correspondent, Lakshmipur Police arrested Char Abdullahpur Union Parishad chairman and BNP President Md Billal Hossain on Monday night from Ramgati upazila in Lakshmipur.

Ramgati police station Officer-inCharge Abul Kalam Azad said they had arrested him from the municipality’s Shamol village. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

7

The effective way forward Is a race to the top underway? And if so, who will win?

An investor trip to Bangladesh

As consumers we believe that no one should die to make our clothes. As investors we believe this is an unprofitable way to operate an industry

I

n Neil Brown

n April 2013 the Rana Plaza complex collapsed in Bangladesh claiming more than 1,100 lives and leaving many more injured.

Many of those killed were employed in the garment industry, an industry that supplies the clothes that end up on our high street, to the brands whose shares end up in our pensions and ISAs. Our clothing supply chains have lengthened under a relentless pressure

The importance of this sector does nothing to diminish its responsibilities to provide safe and decent work

on costs. Emerging economies have offered lower wages, weaker labour laws and tax breaks to win these valuable contracts from brands competing in what has become known as the “race to the bottom.”

As consumers we believe that no one should die to make our clothes. As investors we believe this is an unacceptable and unprofitable way to operate an industry.

We want our investments in European and US retail brands to deliver the highest investment returns possible and believe this is best achieved through safe and decent supply chains.

We noted in the weeks following the tragedy that a landmark agreement had emerged uniting global retailers, unions, civil society and supplier factories in a commitment to reform building safety in Bangladesh.

We supported demands for the brands to sign this Accord on Fire and Building Safety which came into effect on May 15, 2013 with the support of 41 global retailers including H&M, Inditex, Marks and Spencer, Primark and PVH. Does the Accord mark a change in the “race to the bottom?” Are brands now beginning to move beyond simple cost measures to issues of safe and decent working conditions and long-

term sustainable productivity? Could the Accord signal the beginning of a global “race to the top” and, if so, who will win?

In its first year the Accord has gained many signatories and has achieved a great deal but there is still a long way to go. Compensation has still not been fully paid, the inspection and remediation process has suffered from a shortage of skills and materials and a competing code, the Alliance, has been set up which we consider to be both weaker and confusing for factory owners.

Reliable information on progress covering the two codes and third government programme across more than 5,000 factories is very hard to obtain.

Good investment requires accurate, timely and verifiable information and we simply could not get it using traditional investment research.

Investor visit As a response, on the first anniversary of the signing of the Accord we visited Bangladesh on a fact finding tour.

We worked with Morgan Stanley’s SRI equity research team and several European apparel brands to host eight global investors across a week of meetings and factory visits.

We tried to meet people from every aspect of the supply chain, from worker and union representatives to NGOs, representatives of the Accord, the Alliance, the ILO (International Labour Organization), worker training organisations, the British High Commission, the brands themselves and of course the factory owners. We conducted three factory visits hosted by the factory owners themselves and accompanied by brand representatives on two occasions.

A trip of this nature can only ever give a narrow indication of the reality of the garment industry across Bangladesh. Although we took care to meet with as full a range of stakeholders as possible a preannounced trip by a group of global investors, we know is not an audit and we didn’t intend it to be. But by visiting some of the best factories we knew we would get a very clear idea of what best practice looks like and how it is being delivered.

The garment industry This is a young industry playing a significant role in lifting a densely populated and rapidly growing economy out of poverty. It is an industry

that contributes to more than simple economic GDP growth by channelling that growth to historically disadvantaged women from rural areas. This has huge implications for their own personal freedoms and for the country’s economic development.

The importance of this sector does nothing to diminish its responsibilities to provide safe and decent work, but we were reminded frequently on the trip, that what is needed is support for a transition to best practice without jeopardising the industry itself.

The business case for change We were encouraged by the clear business cases underpinning the sustainability initiatives we saw. We could not verify pay, working hours or child labour, but we could observe working conditions, child care facilities, health clinics, canteens, worker transport, water fountains, effluent treatment plants etc.

Many of these admittedly seemed at their early stages but are clearly positive and the pride taken in them by the factory owners was evident; there is a clear model for other factories to move towards.

Staff turnover represents a good example of the change we saw, with it usually running as high as 10% to 15% a month in some factories. This has implications for training costs, accuracy of supervision, productivity and quality.

We spoke to factory owners and visited factories that had more than halved those rates through sustainability initiatives such as better pay, better training, attendance bonuses and subsidised food.

A living wage Gains are finally being made on both wage increases and working hours, but from a very low base with disagreement on who is to blame for overtime and ongoing concerns that rent and food inflation could wipe out wage gains. All factory owners we spoke to indicated that non cash remuneration may be key, ie, canteens, subsidised tiffins and potentially dormitory space.

Recent increases in the minimum wage seem significant following the 77% increase to Tk5,300 (£40) a month in place and proposals to raise that again above Tk8,000 (£60). We worked through an average family’s monthly expenditure with worker representa-

tives and concluded that wages need to continue to rise significantly.

We also assessed how small labour costs are, as a proportion of total end product costs and concluded that the supply chain can withstand ongoing significant wage price increases. Finally, we saw the potential for productivity gains through better treatment of workers, which could allow these costs to inflate profitably to the benefit of workers, factories, the brands and the economy.

We encountered very little resistance to continued wage inflation from those we met, provided they are accompanied by productivity gains and are not offset by food and rent inflation.

The concept of a good buyer We saw clear evidence of a best practice model emerging with progressive brands working with progressive factory owners and empowered workers to the benefit of all. There are many factors contributing to these success stories but above all we saw the need for a change in buying practices.

We saw great work from committed, long-term brands exercising responsible buying policies. We do not anticipate full vertical integration but we did note that the “good” brands are

NASHIRUL ISLAM

own staff in Bangladesh gaining a deep understanding of the risks and opportunities in these factories on a daily basis, is missing a material aspect of the investment case in our view.

Some companies are becoming better businesses by doing the right thing, as investors we need to identify them.

Opportunities and responsibilities It is clear to us that sustainable and responsible buying practices can provide a decent margin to factory owners allowing them to invest in the health, wealth and productivity of their workers. We believe this can create an extremely powerful, longterm and sustainable business model in Bangladesh.

The aim of our trip was to obtain detailed information that would allow us to engage directly with the brands and enhance the supply chain analysis in our investment decisions.

This is vital for our clients but also important steps in encouraging the right behaviour and channelling capital to brands that are adopting more sustainable business practices.

We have seen very encouraging pockets of good performance in Bangladesh which we believe need to be carefully supported and taken up glob-

We encountered very little resistance to continued wage inflation from those we met, provided they are accompanied by productivity gains and are not offset by food and rent inflation

increasingly taking an interest in their share of responsibility for everything from the cotton mills to the port.

We believe investment analysis must begin to differentiate between the very different buying practices of brands across their global supply chains.

To compare a brand that conducts a tick box audit and negotiates purely on price with one that has 400 of their

ally. We will now work with the brands and the research teams across the financial markets to identify, support and invest in those companies that we believe will win this race to the top. l Neil Brown has been a fund manager at Alliance Trust Investments based in London since August 2012. The views expressed are his own. This article was first published by Blue and Greeninvestor.com.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

New Gaza fighting erupts as negotiators seek truce n Reuters, Gaza/Jerusalem Israel said militants fired rockets from Gaza on Tuesday in violation of a truce and that it struck back with attacks in the Palestinian enclave, fighting that put talks in Cairo on a long-term ceasefire in jeopardy.

An Israeli official said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his negotiating team in Egypt to return home. But there was no word from Israel whether the move spelled the collapse of indirect talks with the Palestinians on ending the Gaza war and charting the territory’s future.

Three rockets struck southern Israel, near the city of Beersheba, the military said, nearly eight hours before a ceasefire - extended by a day on Monday - was due to expire.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which the military said caused no casualties or damage. Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, the dominant movement in the Gaza Strip, said it had no knowledge of any rockets being fired.

“This rocket attack was a grave and direct violation of the ceasefire,” said Mark Regev, a spokesman for Netanyahu. A military spokesman said that in response to the salvoes, “terror targets across the Gaza Strip” were attacked.

A Reuters correspondent saw an Israeli aircraft fire a missile east of Gaza City and smoke rising from the area.

Other witnesses said there were several air strikes in the area.

Two children were wounded, hospital officials said, and the Israeli attacks spurred a new exodus of dozens of Palestinian families who had fled previous

NEWS BITES

Community Health says data stolen in China cyber attack

n Reuters

Community Health Systems Inc (CYH.N), one of the biggest US hospital groups, said on Monday it was the victim of a cyber attack from China, resulting in the theft of Social Security numbers and other personal data belonging to 4.5 million patients.

Security experts said the hacking group, known as “APT 18,” may have links to the Chinese government.

“APT 18” typically targets companies in the aerospace and defense, construction and engineering, technology, financial services and healthcare industry, said Charles Carmakal, managing director with FireEye Inc’s (FEYE.O) Mandiant forensics unit, which led the investigation of the attack on Community Health in April and June.

“They have fairly advanced techniques for breaking into organisations as well as maintaining access for fairly long periods of times without getting detected,” he said.

The information stolen from Community Health included patient names, addresses, birth dates, telephone numbers and Social Security numbers of people who were referred or received services from doctors affiliated with the hospital group in the last five years, the company said in a regulatory filing. l

fighting and returned home only days ago.

Egyptian mediators have been struggling to end the five-week-old Gaza conflict and seal a deal that would open the way for reconstruction aid to flow to the territory of 1.8 million, where thousands of homes have been destroyed. The Palestinians want Egypt and Israel to lift their blockades of the economically-crippled Gaza Strip that predated the Israeli offensive launched on July 8 after a surge in cross-border rocket fire by Hamas.

The Palestinian Health Ministry put the Gaza death toll at 2,016 and said most were civilians in the small, densely populated coastal territory. Israel has said it killed hundreds of Gaza gunmen in the fighting. Sixty-four Israeli soldiers and three civilians in Israel have been killed.

Before the latest flareup, Azzam al-Ahmad, senior leader of President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah movement, said there had been “no progress on any point” in the negotiations, in which Israel has said ensuring its security was its paramount concern.

Earlier, in Cairo the chief Palestinian delegate to the indirect negotiations with Israel cautioned that violence could erupt anew if the talks failed.

Israel, like Egypt, views Hamas as a security threat and wants guarantees any removal of border restrictions will not result in militant groups obtaining weapons.

“We hope that every minute of the coming 24 hours will be used to reach an agreement, and if not (successful), the circle of violence will continue,” Ahmad said before hostilities resumed. l

A Palestinian fighter from the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas movement, gestures inside an underground tunnel in Gaza on Monday. A rare tour that Hamas granted to a Reuters reporter, photographer and cameraman appeared to be an attempt to dispute Israel’s claim that it had demolished all of the tunnels in the Gaza war REUTERS

Liberia fights Ebola in capital, West Africa toll tops 1,200 n Reuters

Liberia battled on Tuesday to halt the spread of the Ebola disease in its crowded, run-down oceanside capital Monrovia, recording the most new deaths as fatalities from the world’s worst outbreak of the deadly virus rose above 1,200.

The epidemic of the hemorrhagic disease, which can kill up to 90% of those it infects, is ravaging the three small West African states of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and also has a toehold in Nigeria, Africa’s biggest economy.

As the Geneva-based World Health Organisation rushed to ramp up the global response to the outbreak first detected in March, including emergency food deliveries to quarantined zones, it announced that deaths from it had risen to 1,299 as of Aug. 16, out of 2,240 cases. Between Aug. 14-16, Liberia recorded the most new deaths, 53, followed by Sierra Leone with 17, and Guinea with 14.

The WHO said it was working with the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) to ensure food delivery to 1 mil-

lion people living in Ebola quarantine zones cordoned off by local security forces in a border zone of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

“Food has been delivered to hospitalized patients and people under quarantine who are not able to leave their homes to purchase food. Providing regular food supplies is a potent means of limiting unnecessary movement,” it said in a statement.

Besides infection in border zones, Liberia is fighting to stop the spread of the virus in the poorest neighborhoods of its capital, such as the West Point slum where at the weekend a rock-throwing crowd attacked and looted a temporary holding center for suspected Ebola cases, 17 of whom fled.

As fears of wider contagion increased – Ebola is spread by contact with the bodily fluids of infected persons - Liberia sent police to track down the fugitive suspected cases.

“We are glad to confirm that all of the 17 individuals have been accounted for and have now been transferred to JFK Ebola specialist treatment center,” Liberia’s Information Minister Lewis Brown told Reuters on Tuesday. l

In Iraq, US spending millions to blow up captured American war machines n Reuters Last week was a weird one for American military hardware.

In the United States, Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles (MRAPs), AR15s and camouflage body armor all made an appearance on the streets of a suburb in the heartland, helping to give a tense situation the push needed to turn into a week of riots. American citizens in Ferguson, Missouri, feeling they were being occupied by a foreign army, rather than their friendly neighborhood cop on the beat.

Riot police stand guard as demonstrators protest the shooting death of teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri MRAPs didn’t get a better rap overseas, either. In what’s still being called Iraq — at least for the sake of convenience — the US Air Force has resumed bombing missions in the northern part of the “country.” The aim of the missions is stated as being the defense of a minority group known as the Yazidis, who practice a religion unique to themselves and are under threat by the Islamic State, a jihadi

Ukraine: Fighting halts recovery of refugees’ bodies

Egypt urges US restraint over Missouri unrest

n

Reuters

Egypt on Tuesday urged US authorities to exercise restraint in dealing with racially charged demonstrations in Ferguson, Missouri - echoing language Washington used to caution Egypt as it cracked down on Islamist protesters last year.

It is unusual for Egypt to criticise such a major donor, and it was not immediately clear why the government would have taken such a step.

Ties between Washington and Cairo were strained after Egyptian security forces killed hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters following the army’s ousting of freely elected President Mohamed Mursi in July 2013. Western allies have voiced concern about the democratic credentials of President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the army chief who toppled Mursi and went on to win elections. The United States has, however, continued to provide military and other support to Cairo.

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry’s statement on the unrest in Ferguson read similarly to one issued by US President Barack Obama’s administration in July 2013, when the White House “urged security forces to exercise maximum restraint and caution” in dealing with demonstrations by Mursi supporters. l

group that controls a large chunk of territory in Syria and Iraq.

The extremist cadre Islamic State — which has declared itself to be the new caliphate, representing God’s will on earth — has had an incredible string of military successes over the last few months. They’ve taken a lot of territory.

They’ve slaughtered a lot of people, including civilians. They’ve imposed what they say is Islamic law — though many Islamic scholars would beg to disagree.

And Islamic State’s captured an enormous amount of US weaponry, originally intended for the rebuilt Iraqi Army. You know — the one that collapsed in terror in front of the Islamic State, back when they were just ISIL? The ones who dropped their uniforms, and rifles and ran away?

They left behind the bigger equipment, too, including M1 Abrams tanks (about $6 million each), 52 M198 Howitzer cannons ($527,337), and MRAPs (about $1 million) similar to the ones in use in Ferguson.

Now, US warplanes are flying sorties, at a cost somewhere between $22,000

People stand inside a makeshift bomb shelter in the town of Makiyivka on August 19, 2014. Ukraine said that fighting had erupted in the heart of the major rebel stronghold of Lugansk as government forces pressed on with a punishing offensive to win back the war-torn east AFP

n Reuters Fifteen bodies have been recovered from the site of an artillery strike on a refugee bus convoy in east Ukraine, but further operations have been suspended due to renewed fighting in the area, a Ukrainian military spokesman said on Tuesday.

The Kiev military has said pro-Russian separatists attacked the convoy

on Monday, killing dozens of people including women and children, but it has yet to provide visual evidence. The separatists denied responsibility, and at least one of their leaders suggested no attack had occurred.

Ukrainian forces are tightening their squeeze on the rebels as they try to end a four-month conflict that has killed more than 2,000 people and raised

Western fears of Russian military intervention, despite denials from Moscow.

Military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said the 15 bodies had been recovered on Monday night from the charred wreckage of the convoy which included buses and cars, and operations had continued into Tuesday.

But he later said that further fighting in the area had brought this to a halt.

“Work has now been suspended because military activity has begun again in the area,” Lysenko told a news briefing.

Ukraine says the attack occurred near the city of Luhansk, close to the border with Russia, in an area where there were intense artillery exchanges between government forces and pro-Russian separatists.

The military said on Monday that many of those killed had been burned beyond recognition. Many bodies had been blown apart by the blast.

The US State Department condemned the attack but said it could not confirm who was responsible.

“We strongly condemn the shelling and rocketing of a convoy that was bearing internally displaced persons in Luhansk ... Sadly, they were trying to get away from the fighting and instead became victims of it,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told a news briefing in Washington.

Government forces, after faltering in their campaign early on, have been progressively encroaching into rebel-held territory and now say they encircle Donetsk as well as Luhansk, the two main cities controlled by the separatists. With victory potentially within reach, a ceasefire which Russia is pressing for does not seem to be to Kiev’s advantage.

Lysenko reported further progress on Tuesday, saying that government forces were now engaged with the rebels in the center of Luhansk. “One district of the town has been liberated.

Fighting is going on in the central part of the town,” he said. l

to 30,000 per hour for the F-16s, to drop bombs that cost at least $20,000 each, to destroy this captured equipment.

That means if an F-16 were to take off from Incirclik Air Force Base in Turkey and fly two hours to Erbil, Iraq, and successfully drop both of its bombs on one target each, it costs the United States somewhere between $84,000 to $104,000 for the sortie and destroys a minimum of $1 million and a maximum of $12 million in US-made equipment.

Of course we’re not alone in facing this kind of problem.

The Russians and Ukrainians are also facing off with tanks and guns and bombs and planes and uniforms all made in the same factories. They were the same country a mere 23 years ago. And even after they weren’t any more, they maintained close military ties until very recently.

Before Russia decided it couldn’t stand losing its friend in Kiev, Viktor Yanukovich, Russian President Vladimir Putin was happy to keep most of his navy in what was then Ukrainian territory: Crimea. l

Pentagon: US ship finishes neutralising Syria’s worst chemical arms n Reuters A specially equipped US ship has finished neutralising all 600 metric tons of the most dangerous of Syria’s chemical weapons components surrendered to the international community this year to avert threatened air strikes, the Pentagon said on Monday.

It said the Cape Ray, equipped with the US-developed Field Deployable Hydrolysis System, neutralized 581.5 metric tons of DF, a sarin precursor chemical, and 19.8 metric tonnes of HD, an ingredient of sulphur mustard, while afloat in the Mediterranean.

The vessel will travel to Finland and Germany in the next two weeks to unload the resulting effluent, which will undergo treatment as industrial waste to render it safer, a Pentagon spokeswoman said.

It was the first time chemical weapons components had been neutralised at sea, the Pentagon said.

Damascus agreed last September to a Russian proposal to give up its chemical weapons to avert threatened military strikes by the United States and France, which accused Syria of using the arms against opponents of President Bashar al-Assad. A number of countries are involved in eliminating the chemical stockpiles. The United States was selected to dispose of the worst of the chemical weapons components. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

IS fighters recapture Tikrit n Reuters, Baghdad Iraqi forces halted a short-lived offensive on Tuesday to recapture Tikrit, home town of executed dictator Saddam Hussein, due to fierce resistance from Islamic state fighters who have also threatened to attack Americans “in any place”.

In Geneva, the United Nations refugee agency announced a major aid operation to get supplies to more than half a million people displaced by fighting in northern Iraq.

Buoyed by an operation to recapture a strategic dam from the jihadists after two months of setbacks, Iraqi army units backed by Shi’ite militias launched their offensive shortly after dawn on Tikrit, a city 130 km (80 miles) north of Baghdad which is a stronghold of the Sunni Muslim minority.

But officers in the Iraqi forces’ operations room said by mid afternoon that the advance had stopped.

South of Tikrit, the government side came under heavy machinegun and mortar fire from the militants, a group of Arab and foreign fighters hardened by battle both in Iraq and over the border in Syria’s civil war, the officers told Reuters.

To the west, landmines and snipers frustrated efforts to get closer to the city centre in the latest in a series of attempts to drive out the militants.

Residents of central Tikrit said by tele-

phone that Islamic State fighters were firmly in control of their positions and patrolling the main streets.

Sunni Muslim fighters led by the Islamic State swept through much of northern and western Iraq in June, capturing the Sunni cities of Tikrit and Mosul as well as the Mosul dam, a fragile structure which controls water and power supplies to millions of people down the Tigris river valley.

However, on Monday fighters from Iraq’s Kurdish autonomous region said they had regained control of the hydro electric dam with the help of US air strikes. US President Barack Obama also announced that the dam had been retaken.

The Islamic State has concentrated on taking territory for its self-proclaimed caliphate both in Syria, where it is also fighting the forces of President Bashar al-Assad, and in Iraq. Unlike al Qaeda, the movement from which it split, it has so far steered clear of attacking Western targets in or outside the region.

However, a video posted on the Internet warned Americans, in English, that “we will drown all of you in blood” if US air strikes hit Islamic State fighters.

The video also showed a photograph of an American who was beheaded during the US occupation of Iraq that followed Saddam’s overthrow in 2003. l

World

One man’s defence of ancient faith triggers mass executions

‘We will drown all of you in blood’

n Reuters, Dohuk, Iraq

n Reuters, Baghdad

When Islamic State militants stormed into a northern Iraqi village and ordered everyone to convert to Islam or die only one person refused. But that did not satisfy the Sunni insurgents who are even more hardline than al Qaeda.

The militants, who have seized much of northern Iraq since arriving from Syria in June, wasted no time after the village’s leader, or sheikh, stood up for his ancient Yazidi faith.

Khalof Khodede, an unemployed father of three who escaped with his life, recalled how 80 men in the village of Kocho were killed and all the women and girls were kidnapped.

His account, one of the first eyewitness reports of last Friday’s killings, could not be independently verified but other Yazidis and Iraqi officials have given details of Islamic State’s attack on the village.

“First they wanted us all to convert to Islam and we said yes just to save our lives. We were all very afraid,” said Khodede from a hospital bed in the town of Dohuk in the semi-autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq.

Dohuk is now home to thousands of refugees from Iraq’s minority Yazidi community which has paid the heaviest price for Islamic State’s ambition to redraw the map of the Middle East.

“Then our sheikh said ‘I won’t convert to Islam’. And then they gathered us inside the village school,” he said.

The men were taken to the first floor and the women to the second after the villagers’ money and gold jewellery were seized, probably to fund the group made up of Iraqis and other Arabs as well as foreign fighters.

Then the Yazidis were loaded onto minibuses in groups of 10 to 20 and transported outside the village after being told they would be taken to Sinjar, the ancient homeland of the sect.

The vehicles stopped abruptly and the militants opened fire without warning. “They started shooting at us randomly. They had heavy guns like machine guns. I was hit in my leg and on my pelvis,” said Khodede, showing where he had been wounded.

The Yazidis, followers of an ancient religion derived from Zoroastrianism who are part of Iraq’s Kurdish community, are not strangers to oppression.

Many of their villages were destroyed when Saddam Hussein’s troops tried to crush the Kurds. Some were taken away by the executed former dictator’s intelligence agents.

But nothing could have prepared them for the wrath of the Islamic State, which has declared a caliphate in parts of Iraq and Syria it controls.

To survive, Khodede had to hide under the dead bodies of friends and neighbours, people who had practised the mysterious Yazidi faith with for a lifetime - beliefs that Islamic State fighters condemn as “devil worship”.

After trying to stay motionless for

about an hour, Khodede saw Kurdish fighters in the distance, peering through gaps in the bodies.

They were not Iraqi Kurdish fighters who had held towns and villages in the north for years after the fall of Saddam in 2003.

The Kurdish fighters had come from Syria after hearing that fellow Kurds were being routed in neighbouring Iraq

by Islamic State militants who seized several towns, a fifth oilfield, as well as the country’s dam for some time in recent weeks.

Like many Yazidis, Khodede felt abandoned by the Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters who acquired a reputation for being fierce warriors mainly because they challenged Saddam’s troops.

The Syrian Kurdish fighters cleaned up his wounds, took him to a hospital in Syria and then brought him back to Iraq.

Others were not so lucky.

“Islamic State kidnapped about 400 to 600 people in our village and the majority of those people are women and children. They killed most of the men,” said Khodede, in the emergency room of a teaching hospital where he arrived on Monday night.

His uncle and sister are by his side as blood drips into a bag hanging from his bed.

In the chaos and panic after the latest Islamic State offensive, rumours swirled about the fate of kidnapped Yazidi women, usually referred to as “slaves” for Islamic State. l

Defiant Kashmiri separatist leaders continued to meet Pakistan’s envoy to New Delhi on Tuesday, a day after India cancelled talks with its nuclear-armed neighbour that prompted a strong reaction from the Pakistani media and the United States to term the move “unfortunate.”

Syed Geelani, a senior leader of the 26-party Hurriyat Conference, and Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front chief Yasin Malik met Pakistani high commissioner to India Abdul Basit, but it was not immediately clear what they spoke about.

Basit met separatist leader Shabbir Shah on Monday, ignoring the Indian government’s warning that doing so could jeopardise the foreign secretary-level talks that were planned for August 25.

Speaking to reporters before his meeting with Basit, Geelani criticised India’s decision, saying it was undemocratic.

“We have been visiting Pakistan embassy several times to hold talks,”

he said, referring to an almost twodecades-old practice of Kashmiri separatists holding dialogue with Pakistani officials, including during the tenure of the previous BJP-led government of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

“The issue of Jammu and Kashmir is an international issue and it should be solved. As long as promises made to us are not fulfilled, this issue will remain unsolved,” Geelani said.

India’s move was seen as dampening expectations that the two countries would resume a tentative peace process under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who raised such hopes by inviting South Asian leaders, including his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, to his inauguration in May. Following Monday’s decision by New Delhi, that bonhomie is looking like a distant dream, prompting Washington to call the move “unfortunate.”

“It is unfortunate that planned talks between India and Pakistan have fallen through,” US state department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters after the cancelling of talks. l

Celebrities in firing line as China steps up drug war

n Reuters, Beijing China is turning up the heat in a high-profile crackdown on drugs that has ensnared a string of celebrities, including the son (pictured) of Hong Kong kungfu movie star Jackie Chan, as the government seeks to push forward a wider campaign against extravagance and decadence.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has vowed to go after corruption and excess among the elite, a prime source of public discontent as the gap between the poor and the wealthy continues to grow.

Actor and singer Jaycee Chan, 32, was arrested in Beijing after testing positive for marijuana, police said on Tuesday, and police found 100 grams of the drug at his home. Police also arrested Taiwan movie star Ko Chen-tung, 23, after a drug test found he used marijuana, Xinhua news agency said.

Chan and Ko were arrested in central Beijing after police received a tip-off from residents, the state-backed Global Times reported. The use of drugs in China, particularly synthetic drugs like methamphetamine, ketamine and ecstasy, has grown

along with the rise of a new urban class with greater disposable income.

Xi has called for a clean-up of the socalled “four practices” of formalism, bureaucracy, hedonism and extravagance. He said in June that China would “harshly crack down” on narcotics, state media reported.

Jackie Chan’s management company, M’Stones International Corp, issued a statement on behalf of Jaycee saying it was standing by him.

Drug-related crimes carry harsh penalties in China including death or life imprisonment in serious cases. Action and comedy star Jackie Chan, 60, served as a goodwill spokesman for the China National Anti-Drug Committee in 2009, state media reported, promoting anti-drug education. China has detained more than 7,800 suspects on drug-related charges this year, up 72% from a year earlier, Xinhua reported.

Foreign and Chinese patrons of Dos Kolegas, a popular Beijing bar inside a drive-in movie theatre, were spot-tested for drugs earlier this month, according to media reports, resulting in several being detained.

State media has frequently referred to drug use as a form of moral corruption damaging society. China had successfully quelled the spread of drugs, particularly opium, since the Communist Party took power in 1949. But the past several years have seen a resurgence in drug use.

Last week, a group of 42 entertainment management firms said they had signed a deal with Beijing police that they would not work with celebrities who used drugs, the state-owned Beijing News reported.

China has detained a string of other mostly B-list celebrities in recent months on drug-related charges, cases that have been publicised widely in both state and social media. l

NEWS BITES

The Islamic State militant group that has seized large parts of Iraq and drawn the first American air strikes since the end of the occupation in 2011 has warned the United States it will attack Americans “in any place” if the raids hit its militants.

The video, which shows a photograph of an American who was beheaded during the US occupation of Iraq and victims of snipers, featured a statement which said in English “we will drown all of you in blood”.

US airstrikes in northern Iraq have helped Kurdish fighters take back some territory captured by Islamic State militants, who have threatened to march on Baghdad.

The latest advance by the Islamic State, an al Qaeda offshoot, sent tens of thousands of members of the Yazidi ethnic minority and Christians fleeing for their lives and alarmed the Baghdad government and its Western allies.

Unlike al-Qaeda, Islamic State has so far focused on seizing land in Iraq and Syria for its self-proclaimed caliphate, not spectacular attacks on Western targets. l

Malaysia militants plotted ISIS-inspired attacks

n AFP, Kuala Lumpur Malaysian police have foiled plans for a wave of bombings drawn up by radical Islamic militants inspired by Iraq’s extremist jihad group ISIS, a top counter-terrorism official said Tuesday.

The 19 suspected militants arrested from April-June were formulating plans to bomb pubs, discos and a Malaysian brewery of Danish beer producer Carlsberg, said Ayob Khan Mydin, deputy chief of the Malaysian police counter-terrorism division.

Ayob Khan told AFP the group, all Malaysians, had visions of establishing a hardline Southeast Asian Islamic caliphate spanning Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Singapore, and planned to travel to Syria to learn from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).

The plotters included professionals and two housewives. l

Geelani, Yasin Malik meet Pak envoy after India calls off talks n Agencies

9

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Army chief denies Chinese incursion into India

n Agencies A supporter of Imran Khan, cricketer-turned-opposition politician and chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party, gestures holding a national flag while chant slogans during the Freedom March in Islamabad on Monday REUTERS

Pakistan prepares for showdown between protesters, police n Reuters, Islamabad Thousands of Pakistani riot police took up positions to defend a diplomatic and political zone of the capital on Tuesday after an opposition leader and cleric vowed to march on parliament to oust the prime minister.

Upping the stakes, the interior minister also announced that soldiers would be deployed to stop the protesters.

The announcement was intended to send a message to the coup-prone country that the protests do not have military backing. It also underscored how the domestic opposition has forced the fledgling civilian government to rely on the country’s powerful army, despite deep mistrust between the two institutions.

The protests have piled extra pressure on the 15-month-old government as it struggles to overcome high unemployment, daily power cuts and a Taliban insurgency. The showdown has also raised questions over the stability of Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 180 million people.

The protests are led by former international cricketer Imran Khan, head of the country’s third-largest political party, and cleric Tahir ul-Qadri, who controls a network of Islamic schools and charities.

Khan accuses Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif of rigging last year’s polls. Qadri accuses Sharif of corruption. Both want Sharif to resign.

Police estimate the two protest leaders have around 55,000 supporters between them.

Both Khan and Qadri have been holding protest rallies in the capital since Friday with government permission. But

they have been banned from the “Red Zone”, which houses many Western embassies, parliament and the office and home of Sharif.

Their protests have so far remained separate because the two have different supporters and plans for what should happen if Sharif steps down.

But on Tuesday, Qadri said his supporters would march on parliament, a day after Khan asked his supporters to do the same.

“The people’s parliament ... have decided to do their sit in in front of parliament,” Qadri announced on Tuesday evening, referring to his protesters, to approving roars from the crowd.

Most of Khan’s supporters are young men. Qadri’s supporters are seen as more disciplined and determined; there are many families among them. All the men have sticks; brigades of fluorescent youths also have goggles and masks to deal with teargas. The Red Zone is sealed off with shipping containers and barbed wire and flooded with riot police and paramilitaries.

At Khan’s rally, 20-year-old Shams Khan, who came from the northwestern region of Bannu with his friends, said the threat of violence would not deter him.

“My blood is boiling today and I want to be martyred,” he said. “If we don’t go into the Red Zone today, I will quit this party tomorrow.”

RED ZONE Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar announced the military would co-ordinate the defence of the Red Zone.

“The government has decided to handover the security of the Red Zone of Islamabad to the army,” he said in a

news conference. “The enforcement on this will start in next two, three hours.”

Three tiers of security had been put in place, he said, using police and government paramilitary forces.

“This challenge to the writ of the state will not be acceptable under any circumstances,” Marvi Memon, a legislator from Sharif’s party, told a news conference.

“By entering the Red Zone, what are you trying to prove?” she asked. “You cannot just go and sit on his chair and become prime minister.”

On Monday Khan also announced his party, the third largest in the country, would resign from their 34 seats in the National Assembly and in all provinces apart from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which his party controls.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, is the heartland of the Taliban insurgency.

Memon said no formal resignations had been received so far.

Some analysts say Khan and Qadri mounted their challenge because Sharif’s relationship with the military had deteriorated, appearing to leave the civilian government isolated.

Sharif angered the military by delaying an anti-Taliban operation by insisting on months of fruitless peace talks and putting the former chief of staff, Pervez Musharraf, on trial for treason.

Musharraf ousted Sharif during a coup in 1999.

Many officers are also suspicious of Sharif’s strategy to improve relations with archenemy India. However, over the past weeks, Musharraf’s trial has ground to a halt and talks with India have been cancelled. l

Army chief general Dalbir Singh Suhag on Tuesday denied any incursion by China into Indian territory.

Asked if Chinese troops came to the Indian boundary, the army chief said there is “nothing like that.”

Reports Tuesday said the Chinese troops entered 25 to 30 km into Indian territory in the Burtse area of north Ladakh, pitched tents and held up flags that read “this is Chinese territory, go back.” Reports said the Chinese troops were there for a day before returning. The area is at an altitude of 17,000 feet. l

Manipur court orders release of activist Irom Sharmila

n Tribune Online Report On Tuesday, a sessions court in Manipur, ordered the immediate release of civil rights activist Irom Sharmila, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike demanding repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act for the past 13 years, Reports, times of India.

The 42-year-old ‘Iron Lady’ of Manipur was kept under house arrest following fears that she wants to commit suicide. She is being nose-fed by the state government at a government hospital, which was converted into a jail for her.

The Manipuri government had slapped an attempt to suicide case on her.

Ordering her release, the court observed that the prosecution has failed to establish Sector 309 (Attempt to Suicide) case on Irom Sharmila.

The court said that it is just an allegation that she wants to commit suicide, hence she cannot be kept under arrest and should be released immediately.

Sharmila has been on indefinite hunger strike to demand repeal of the Armed forces (special powers) Act, in 1958 after 10 civilians allegedly killed by the Assam Rifles near Imphal airport in November 2000.

She wants the withdrawal of AFSPA “so that people could live without any fear in the state”. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

Match police transparency with action

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n the last month, Chittagong Metropolitan Police has disclosed detailed accounts of investigations by its Detective Branch (DB).

One of its DB reports lists 34 different people who have been identified by investigators as being implicated in the systematic theft of covered vans across the port city.

Cases have been filed in connection with alleged crime rings that steal covered vans and vehicle parts. The force is now seeking to gather evidence and arrest all the people suspected of involvement in these sophisticated and lucrative criminal operations.

As well as robbing van owners, these criminal networks also cause loss to the businesses who rely on the vans, many of which are carrying garment and textile goods.

Following a separate inquiry, the Chittagong police has also released names of 106 godfathers who control the sales of illegal drugs at 274 different locations in the city.

It is encouraging to see the police being pro-active by demonstrating transparency about their extensive investigations.

Their reporting shows accountability to the public.

However, unless due process takes place with charges being brought and tried before the courts, the disclosures will merely serve to confirm the scale of organised crime that worries the public.

The government and the justice system need to step up as well in tackling these activities. Improving the provision of mobile courts to disrupt criminal operations can help. The government must also assist in rooting out corrupt officials who protect such networks.

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

Samajik Shikkha Kendro Government Primary School students take exam on footpath

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ver 78% of entrants achieved pass rates in the recent HSC examinations.

While we recognise the hard work put in by students and teachers, it is important to bear in mind that improved pass rates do not automatically mean that the quality of our education has improved.

The education sector often suffers from unimaginative curricular and rote learning and as a nation we still fail to ensure adult literacy.

Rather than focusing solely on increasing exam scores, the government needs to ensure that all citizens have access to learning opportunities and skills that prepare them for the future.

A good education encompasses teaching students about the world, sparking curiosity and instilling skills to enable lifelong learning. The country especially needs young people to be trained to be more analytical and inventive so they can acquire and develop skills throughout their lives and careers, and make the most of their potential.

Currently Bangladesh spends less than 2.5% of its GDP on education. This is less than a third the proportion spent by Denmark and less than a quarter of the target set by Brazil to increase public education spending to 10% of GDP by 2020.

In order to compete effectively in the global economy, Bangladesh badly needs to increase both the availability and quality of education.

We must both bring literacy rates up, and improve higher education quality for graduates.

The government must prioritise improving education as it is the most important strategic investment we can make to build a better future.

The most important strategic investment we can make

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

August 13

The government needs to step up support to police in tackling organised crime

Improve quality of education

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. For example, today 5 represents C so fill C every time the figure 5 appears.

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

Faisal Ahmed Who has demolished the school?

Sheikh Jinat Mahmid Faisal Ahmed: Allegedly without any prior notice, the school building on Bailey Road was demolished on August 7.

Faisal Ahmed Thanks for your reply, but you didn’t mention who did it.

Chowdhury Aktaruzzaman There is no responsible governance. Thanks oh so much.

SUDOKU

Report on condensed milk August 15

SAM The long report on this topic is based on BSTI’s rather limited and possibly incomplete information about all the aspects involved in making condensed milk. As far as I know, in Bangladesh condensed milk is made with milk powder, raw sugar, palm oil, and a small quantity of food grade chemical additives to act as a preservative and stabiliser. Apart from milk powder, sugar is the next most important raw material used. The local raw sugar used was also certified by BSTI to the sugar mills that supplied the sugar.

All this is mixed with water and boiled down to the final consistency, then poured, cooled, and packed in sealed tin cans, about four inches high, and also four inches in diameter. However I am unaware of any jars being used for filling and packing condensed milk, as stated in the report.

Furthermore, the most important information that could interest consumers is that the license was cancelled by BSTI in 2003. I recollect there were some issues related to the ingredients being used, which BSTI later withdrew, when the Australian makers of condensed milk confirmed that the ingredients used were as recommended and also used by them and approved by their country’s official quality standard’s body, and also exported overseas.

78.33% students pass HSC August 13

Ekram Kabir Even if so many pass, then what will happen?

They’re all still going to be stuck in the same situation like cows in a barn.

Posh area businesses without licences busted

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.

August 14 Noor Kareem What can a fine of Tk10,000 do, really?

Md Muqeet Halim Agreed. The amount fined is too low – only Tk5,000 and Tk15,000. It should be in the hundreds of thousands to ensure that they do not do this again.

Asian women workers August 15

Dr Mohammad Rajja Though much has been attained over the decades, female workers across Asia have continued to fight for equal rights.

They have worked hard to make their voices heard, in appealing to the government and speaking at seminars. Their power comes from within.

Nonetheless, they continue to face problems.

In both the public and private sectors, men hold positions of power. Women, meanwhile have to scramble for scraps.

If things continue this way, women won’t make sufficient impact to climb into important government positions where they can make an impact in legislation.

This scenario occurs throughout the region.

In South Asia, women make up 18-19% of their respective parliament; this varies country by country with 32-33% women in Nepal’s parliament to 5-6% in Sri Lanka.

Despite countless improvements in earlier decades, numerous issues continue, such as discrimination, unequal incomes and wages, among others.

It is crucial for women to be knowledgeable and conscious of their rights. The education level of South Asian women is very low. This is why it’s important to educate women and prepare them for any fight they may encounter. Strong support for women is needed to enhance their lives, and they too must work towards this goal by supporting each other.

CROSSWORD ACROSS 1 Tall and tapering (6) 5 Hairpiece (3) 7 Tree (5) 8 Much ornamented (6) 10 Fresh (3) 12 Lyric poems (4) 13 Colour (3) 14 Catch sight of (4) 16 Eager (4) 17 Pouring edge (3) 18 Get on (4) 20 Japanese monetary unit (3) 23 Things to be done (6) 24 Mode of utterance (5) 25 Early freshness (3) 26 Reliable (6)

DOWN 1 Blemish (4) 2 Wilfully disregard (6) 3 Performed (5) 4 Liquor dregs (4) 5 Pale (3) 6 Choler (3) 9 Middle East port (4) 11 Distorted (3) 14 Irish republic (4) 15 Pays out (6) 16 Opener (3) 17 Light beer (5) 18 Truth (4) 19 Cautious (4) 21 First woman (3) 22 Present (3)

CALVIN AND HOBBES

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD In their right mind August 14 SSS

PEANUTS

I had no idea it was this bad! Happy LeftHanded Day to you – you, who with her left-handedness (and left-handed mouse which drove me crazy) makes so many rights. <3 SK When I was a kid, I used to try writing with my left hand. Mom had this cane especially to hit me every time I did it!!

Grandma said right-handed people have beautiful handwriting (I doubt it, seeing mine today), but the maulana said the left hand was evil’s hand!

But here is to all of my left-handed friends. It’s hard. But I salute you folks.

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Naming heroes and villains n Mohammad Ali Sattar

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Are you being watched?

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BIGSTOCK

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Public, private, and secret

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n Ikhtisad Ahmed he 19th and 20th centuries were stories of rights and civil liberties for the subject of human rights. They were not being invented, rather the Western world that insists on them being enforced today finally realised that they existed, and reluctantly relented to the demands of respecting them from those they claim to be superior to now.

The 21st century is about privacy.

True to form, the developed world is adamant about falling on the wrong side of the line between liberty and security. As with the struggles of the past, the movement to correct them has not hit critical mass since the egregious violations are simultaneously well concealed and spun as being paramount for the safety of the people.

In addition to being so kind to the citizens – a fallible argument that is accepted as the gospel truth by the vast majority, thus breeding apathy – they have not yet reached the tipping point of encroaching on privacy, as they did with slavery and women’s suffrage to name but two, at least not that the people are aware.

Article 12 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights expressly refers to privacy, alongside family, home, and correspondence. National laws, be they constitutions or statutes, largely interpret this narrowly, with the overriding view being that the right to privacy extends only in the service

of other rights, such as those stated in the aforesaid article.

Thus, the development of privacy laws with regards to data is a recent and subjective phenomenon. It was conceptualised in the US in the 1970s as the Fair Information Practices, aimed at ensuring that the sharing of information was ethical. The European Convention on Human Rights, originally drafted without protection for privacy, included it along the same lines as the Universal Declaration.

to know that this applies only to the developed world. The reason for this, of course, is that privacy as a doctrine is yet to exist anywhere else.

While privacy is not enshrined in the letter of domestic laws, it is stupidity of the highest order to suggest that its spirit does not instruct these laws, that the omission was nefariously planned, or that its absence is a signal of intent to keep it from ever being recognised as a right.

There is no hope for the world

The development of privacy laws with regards to data is a recent and subjective phenomenon

It has subsequently been further defined in the West by additional legal instruments. The trend to extend the limits of privacy, however, has been reversed. The circumstances under which it is acceptable to breach privacy – the fail-safe for extreme situations – became progressively broader, reaching a point where individuals are better off asking about the circumstances under which they have privacy rather than when they do not.

Those living elsewhere in the technology-reliant world will be relieved

if the leaders who abuse this legal oversight to wrestle privacy away from the populace are, indeed, that stupid.

If, on the other hand, they are fully aware of their unconscionable abuse, of very much doing to everyone else what they would not want done to themselves, then they are not worthy of being leaders, and should certainly not be trusted.

Frightening people allows governments to pass draconian laws that restrict civil liberties and violate human rights, all the while justifying it

as necessary, even as the only correct action. The anti-privacy laws – and they cannot be called anything but – are tantamount to legalising theft, robbery, and burglary.

Private citizens fall foul of the law when they indulge in such activities.

Governments, government instruments, and governmental organisations purport to be held to the same standard. In this instance, it is imperative that they are. Unless any individual grants the right of access to his or her property – physical or virtual – to another individual, it is illegal to forcibly access it.

A piece of paper saying otherwise does not change that fact. It is merely proof that governments are prone to acting unlawfully, or at the very least, endorsing such actions. Cloaking it in baseless hypotheses about it being essential for security, and invoking the dreaded terrorism argument, are unjust and unconscionable.

If they really wanted to keep the people safe, they would stop breeding terrorists – those worthy of the title and have either been labelled as such or not by virtue of having the blessings of the West – rather than showing a lack of respect for the rights and lives of their citizens. The hierarchy of the world is people, animals, and plants above governments, not the reverse. l Ikhtisad Ahmed is a writer and an erstwhile lawyer. He can be contacted on Twitter via @ Ikhtisad.

ehind the tragedy there lies a deep-rooted conspiracy. The conspiracy may have kicked off well before the liberation of the country, because there were many stakeholders, from Capitol Hill to the Great Wall. Local and global actors were dreaming of reaping the benefits of a newborn land. Some planned to thwart the struggle and keep Pakistan intact, and so there were multidimensional forces at work.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family were brutally killed in Dhanmondi, along with his relatives in other parts of the city, in the early hours of August 15, 1975.

But as time passes and new evidence emerges, we are taken over by disgust when we learn of the remarks (on his death) from those who were unsuspecting characters till yesterday. Not only did we honour them as heroes of the time, we castigated their opponents as enemies of the people.

If we go by the press reports, we can see the comments made by the prominent political, defence, and social actors of the time. Someone said the body of Sheikh Mujib should have been thrown in the Bay of Bengal instead of being buried. Another said this was the end of a pharaoh. While another remarked that God had saved the country, and so on.

The then diehard oppositions of Sheikh Mujib are still alive and well.

They are now enjoying power, position, and wealth. They speak differently though. They will make a U-turn tomorrow when things go wrong for them. Just trace the line to 1975 and the time prior to that, and recollect the faces that were in politics belonging to different parties.

They delivered fiery statements (during those times) that did not comply with the political realities. They threatened to carry out movements to establish a classless society and a master-less system. They had conspired to do things that weren’t only detrimental to the new Bangladesh, but also dangerous to the constitutional rule of the time. They took chances everywhere. The newborn state was in shambles. It was a war-ravaged country that we had in the winter of 1971.

Let the nation unmask those who now shed crocodile tears

It was the time of the gun-wielding Mukti Bahinis, with revenge running in the veins of Bengalis. It was the hiding time for the collaborators, and there were vultures in the skies of Bangladesh. Taking advantage of that situation, the so-called “communists,” the self-styled reds (leftists), the Naxal followers, the disciples of Marx,

Engels, and Lenin – all had suddenly emerged to share the spoils. They dreamt of a society that was a far cry from reality.

They wreaked havoc in the rural areas. Rampant killings of landlords or the well-to-do people in the villages and district towns were regular news.

The victims were painted as collaborators or semi-bourgeois.

A layman wants nothing but the truth.

We should know what transpired in the corridors of power Apart from this group of hypocrites and spineless parasites, we have another group talking big about the event and charging everyone for the happening, trying to shrug off the responsibility that they failed to carry out during those turbulent days.

A layman would ask, after the brutality carried out in the early hours: Why were the renegades allowed to picnic in Bangabhaban for days together? Why didn’t the army or the Rakkhi Bahini take on the killers? From what we understand, they were few in number, so what really stopped the force under the then chief of army staff from fighting the plotters?

The conspiracy theory apart, what answers do we have for these straight questions? The self-confessed killers came to light. Some of them have walked the gallows while some remain at large. Who acted behind the scenes?

Who remained silent, or gave tacit support to the changeover?

There ought to be a thorough investigation of the 1975 mutiny. A complete check should be made of the events right after January, 1972 (or even before that) to find out the acts of those who changed their hues over time. Let the people know more about the conspiracy, and let the nation unmask those who now shed crocodile tears.

New details of the involvement of Indian agents, the CIA, and local bodies will give us interesting breakthroughs. We know how the big agencies operate and their cunning ways to get things done.

The truth eventually surfaces.

When it does, the real man (or force) will come to the fore. A layman wants nothing but the truth. We should know what transpired in the corridors of power prior to and after the killings of the August dawn. We must not overlook the events that took place from August 1975 to 1978. There was a series of revolts and killings within the military, until Zia was killed in 1981.

All these should be made known to the nation, as the people have the right to know the heroes and villains of the time. l Mohammad Ali Sattar is a journalist and a DT columnist.

Beef across the border n Probir Kumar Sarker

J

ust before his retirement, the then BSF chief UK Bansal in November 2012 had made some observations about the Indian Border Security Force’s policies, and gave solution to the unabated killings and torture of Bangladeshi people along the border, especially of the large number of so-called cattle smugglers. The most important thing he said rationally was: “Legalise cattle trading!”

Hence, the BSF men every now and then opened fire on them – beyond international border laws that mention arresting first and then handing over the accused to a police station.

It’s also shameful that this proposal was made to stop the killing of “cattle smugglers” – under the circumstances that the victims of BSF’s extrajudicial killings were mainly the small traders for who it is a profession to only collect the cows from the Indian side, and transport them inside to reach the middlemen or wholesalers.

As per the ever-increasing local demand for beef, Bangladesh fails to meet the demand with domestic cows raised and sold round the year by farmers.

Even the butchers mix buffalo meat with the beef, since it’s been a profitable business. The price of beef has increased threefold in the past decade.

A remarkable trend of consuming more beef among both Muslim and the non-Muslim communities and the spread of diverse recipes are other reasons behind the rise in demand.

The demand rises to its peak during the Eid festivals, especially Eid-ulAzha, when hundreds of thousands of cows are sacrificed as part of the Muslim culture. Even though the local farmers raise an additional number of cows centring this Eid and feed them well to increase their weight faster – sometimes use steroids – the country still can’t meet the demand.

On the other hand, India has a huge population that raises cattle and sells them to Bangladeshi traders through the borders illegally, in relatively lower prices than Bangladeshi cows.

But it would have been a blessing for Bangladesh had the Indian side legalised cattle trading, which has been considered as a criminal offence for decades.

Killing of Bangladesh nationals along the 4,000km border with India has been a common phenomenon, as if the two countries are dire enemies, and that infiltration of Bangladeshis is alarming for the authoritative Indian administration.

The two countries have some common problems along the border, including insurgency, smuggling of

arms, gold and fake currency, illicit drug factories and smuggling, and human trafficking.

However, media reports suggest that incidents of arrest or unlawful shooting on the people involved in these serious crimes have been nominal.

Allegations say BSF men in patrol along the fence or at the camps allow all illegal acts in exchange for bribes.

Small cattle traders are subjected to shooting and torture mainly because of dodging the security forces.

Following every such incident, the Bangladesh Border Guard protests, holds flag meetings to claim bodies of the victims – whether the victim is a cattle trader, farmer, or trespasser, and in return, has always been assured of checking the deaths in future. BSF officers defend the shootings by saying that they just retaliate – a statement commonly given by elite force RAB in cases of “shootouts.”

The BGB personnel could be involved in irregularities too. But there is no record of BGB shootings and killings or torture of Indian nationals for illegal entry in Bangladesh, or for carrying out other illegal acts.

The Indian side in the last few years has several times assured that they would show restrain and use non-lethal weapons. It gives an impression that the Bangladesh side failed to

compel India to follow the international border laws. But still, the incidents of killings and torture by the BSF have not stopped.

It implies that the BSF has no system to convey the message of using non-lethal weapons to all the camps simultaneously. Or, they just do not bother following what they have pledged to the Bangladeshi ministers.

It would have been a blessing for Bangladesh had the Indian side legalised cattle trading

It’s also frustrating that Bangladesh government high-ups are reluctant over the deaths along border – mostly of the cattle smugglers, apparently because it is a crime in the first place to cross the border in an unauthorised way and bring something in without paying taxes. The most insensitive comment was made by Awami League General Secretary Syed Ashraful Islam:

“Border killing took place earlier, it is happening now, and will continue.”

Moreover, complacency of the Bangladesh government and the BGB over the “decreasing number of deaths” encourages the Indian BSF personnel and its government to continue the extrajudicial killings, torture, and abduction of people along the border.

There are also allegations that the BSF men often cross the borders to arrest alleged criminals, or to erect fences or establishments. It’s outrageous.

Even though deaths of Bangladeshis could number over 1,500 over the last 15 years, it should be mentioned that the Indian side has so far taken action against its unruly BSF men in one incident: Eight jawans were suspended for torturing a cattle trader at a camp in December 2011 allegedly for refusing to pay a bribe. Video footage of the incident was aired on Indian NDTV the following month. The 23-year-old victim was given Rs50,000 as compensation.

And in the much-hyped killing of Felani Khatun while crossing the barbed fence in January 2011, the BSF authorities arranged a trial – an unprecedented move – in August last year. But it failed, since the self-confessed constable had been acquitted last year because of “inconclusive and insufficient” evidence against him.

Both the governments in bilateral meetings devise plans and make decisions to demolish insurgents’ camps along border, bust phensidyl factories and heroine consignments, stop trafficking of women and children, and stop the smuggling of gold and arms.

Though the governments claim to be successful in checking these activities, it is worrying that top Bangladeshi criminals facing arrest warrants, or after getting bail, easily manage to reach India through the border.

Well, let’s focus on the topic: Legalise cattle smuggling.

We need more beef – apart from raising more cows and taking initiatives to improve local beef, we need to import more cows from neighbouring India by decriminalising the trading.

Bangladesh should bargain to keep the tax rate lower so that the small traders can continue business.

It’ll stop the arbitrary killings and torture of the so-called cattle smugglers, whereas both the governments would be able to earn a lot of money from taxes. And, if the cattle smuggling still continues, the BSF men must arrest the unauthorised traders or hand them over to the police station for action as per the law. l Probir Kumar Sarker is a journalist and blogger.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Who will be Shakib Khan’s heroine

New flick Meghmallar in pipeline n Hasan Mansoor Chatak

“M

eghmallar,” a feature film adapted from Akhtaruzzaman Elias’ acclaimed work “Raincoat,” is all set for release in December. Based on the Liberation War, the film won the National Filmmaking Grant 2013 and is currently being inspected by the Film Censor Board.

Director Zahidur Rahim Anjan is quite excited as it is his debut feature film and hopes for audience appreciation.

Shahiduzzaman Selim, Aparna, Jayanta Chattopadhyay, Mosharraf Karim, Aparna and Aditi played the vital roles of the film.

Winner of the National Film Award, Shahiduzzaman Selim who plays the character of Nurul Huda in the film said

to the Dhaka Tribune: “The character is the most multidimensional one among my current work list. I gave my best effort to give it an outstanding form.

The love of the audience will prove my success.” The director characterised Selim’s role by metaphysical themes, extremely long takes, and memorable images.

Aparna who never before acted in a film based on the Liberation War said: “I read the novel earlier and it was one of my favourites. When the director asked me to play the role, I did not think twice before agreeing.

“I think this role will be one of the stepping stones of my career and I feel privileged to be considered for such an important part.” In the film, Aparna will act as the female protagonist Asma.

The film shuns the violent picture of war and portrays the survival story of a middle-class family, quite an unconventional portrayal of the Liberation War. Usually, storytellers focus on the horrors, sufferings and upheaval which were an inherent part of the nine month long war.

Another interesting fact is that, the whole movie is set on the backdrop of just three days of monsoon in 1971.

Nurul Huda, a chemistry teacher lives with his wife Asma and five-year old daughter Sudha in a suburb. Mintu, Asma’s younger brother stays with them and one day he secretly leaves the house and joins the fight for freedom.

Because of his association with a freedom fighter, Nurul Huda is abducted by the Pakistani armed forces. l

n Entertainment Desk The rumour mills are alive with the gossip that Shakib Khan’s second production is facing difficulties deciding on the female cast.

After “Hero the Superstar,” Shakib Khan’s first film as a producer, that made good business outside Dhaka, the Superstar Khan is going to produce a joint venture between Bangladesh and West Bengal. Here, the leading lady will be a heroine from Kolkata and Shakib and one of the directors of the film, Rajib of Kolkata are having

a hard time agreeing on the female lead.

In Shakib’s official Facebook page, he declared: “In this movie, Srabanti will fit in the bill. However, Rajib deems Subhashree as a better co-actor. In a few days, we will decide whom I will be pairing up with.”

The director and producer are negotiating with the title of the film at present and arguing about their casting preferences. Rajib wants to cast the dusky beauty Subhashree Ganguly, whereas Shakib wants the attractive Srabanti to be his heroine, who happens to be the director’s ex-wife. l

Drama doyen Selim Al Deen commemorated n Entertainment Desk Progga Paromita ATN Bangla 8:00pm

Progga who is the science teacher of an English medium school.

She is an orphan who lives in an old house with her grandmother.

Progga is in love with Palash and their wedding is finalised. She is super excited about tying the knot and everyone else around her is weary of her behaviour.

Just before the wedding, Palash ditches her and, devastated of being dumped, Progga tries to commit suicide.

Late iconic playwright Selim Al Deen’s 65th birth anniversary was observed throughout the country by different theatre troupes and cultural organisations. Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy lead the list with a show of “Hargaj,” a popular work of the seasoned activist, while

n Entertainment Desk Bollywood’s favourite “jodi” Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol are likely to share screen space together once again. According to a report in Mid-Day.com, director Rohit Shetty has managed this casting coup for his next film.

The report further suggests that Rohit has already signed the “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge” actress Kajol,

This Is 40 Star Movies 4:30pm

Starring Paul Rudd, Leslie Mann, John Lithgow, Megan Fox, Albert Brooks, and Annie Mumolo, a story about a married couple who are about to turn 40.

Their kids hate each other, both of their businesses are failing, they’re on the verge of losing their house, and their relationship is threatening to fall apart.

World’s Weirdest Restaurants TLC 10:00pm

Eateries packed with crazy characters and extreme cuisine across US, Canada, Japan, Taiwan, Germany, Amsterdam, Czech Republic, England and many places in between – all served up with a side order of “weird.” Best known for his surreal gourmet creations, Bob hops over to the other side of the table and finds out what goes into creating an extraordinary odd dining environment, where food takes a back-seat to the strangeness of it all.

Shah Rukh and Kajol back together on screen?

theatre troupe Swapnadal staged the play as the beginning of its fiveday observance at Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka and Mymensingh.

Selim Al Deen Foundation in association with Dhaka Theatre observed the day with a list of programmes including theatre production, seminar and speeches at the theatre halls of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy on August 17 and 18.

Drama and Dramatics Department of Jahangirnagar University celebrated with a two-day programme including remembrance rally, seminar, theatre production, mask exhibition, arts exhibition and photography exhibition while the playwright’s wife Begumjadi Meherunnesa inaugurated the remembrance rally from the department to Selim Al Deen’s burial site in the Jahangirnagar premises. l

Artists express solidarity with Gaza n Entertainment Desk Drik is holding a fund-raising event “Appeal for Gaza” through the sale of paintings and photographs donated by artists from all over Bangladesh. The event was inaugurated on Monday evening and will continue till today 10am – 8pm.

The ceremony began with the performance of Gono Shongeet singer Kafil Ahmed who sang “Praan e Praan Melaboi Bole Rakhi.”

Ambassador of Palestine in Bangladesh, Shaher Mohammad, was present in the programme which was also attended by Saiful Islam, CEO of Drik, Shahidul Alam, managing director of Drik, artist Monirul Islam and students from Palestine living in Bangladesh.

Artists including Abdus Shakoor Shah, Abir Abdullah, Bishwajit Goswami, Jamal Ahmed, Jannatul Mawa, Kanak Chanpa Chakma, Mohammad Anisul Hoque, Monirul Islam, Nasir Ali Mamun, Rokeya Sulta-

na, Samarjit Roy Chowdhury, Saiful Huq Omi, Shahid Kabir, Shahidul Alam, Shishir Bhattachariya, Swapan Chowdhury, Taslima Akhter, Tapash Paul, Wakilur Rahman and many others have donated their artworks for this event. The event, a part of Drik’s “No more” public awareness campaign, is an appeal to all conscious citizens to stand in solidarity.

The event also includes cultural performances - play, poem recitations, music – every evening. Today performing artist Ritu Satter, recitation artistes Rafiqul Islam and Ajharunnobi Rana, flautist Pronob Das and singers Labik Kamal Gourab and Waqeel Ahad will express empathy through their performances.

Special contributions has been made by Bellissimo(Kazi Food Industries), Bengal Meat, Meena Bazar, Okapia Mobile and Samsung Electronics.

The amount collected from the event will be donated for the Palestinian victims in Gaza. l

who is yet to make her comeback in the film industry. The film’s pre-production work has already begun and an official announcement will be made soon.

Rohit Shetty is working on the final draft of the script and the film will go on floors in 2015. This will be Rohit’s second film with SRK after the superhit “Chennai Express.”

The website also reported that it

was easy for Rohit Shetty to convince Kajol for the film as he shares a good rapport with her husband Ajay Devgn.

Rohit was also the intermediary between Shah Rukh and Ajay.

Shah Rukh and Kajol, who are very good friends in real life, created magic with their brilliant on-screen chemistry in “Baazigar,” “Kuch Kuch Hota Hain” “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham” to name a few. l

Gisele Bundchen leads pack as world’s highest paid model: Forbes n Entertainment Desk With estimated earnings of $47m during the past year from lucrative contracts and other business ventures, Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen is the world’s highest paid model for the eighth consecutive year, Forbes.com said on Monday.

The 34-year-old wife of New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and mother of two young children easily outpaced her closest competition, Dutch Victoria’s Secret model Doutzen Kroes, 29, with earnings of $8m before taxes and fees, and fellow Brazilian Victoria’s Secret “angel” Adriana Lima, 33, with the same amount.

“The Brazilian icon pocketed $47m in the last 12 months before taxes and fees,” Forbes.com said about Bundchen, adding that she made $16m more than her football player husband.

The model has contracts with fashion retailer H&M, the French fashion house Chanel and designer Carolina Herrera, among others, and has design deals for lingerie and sandals.

“Bundchen, who boasts 2.7 million Instagram followers, has earned $386m from modeling since 2001,” according to Forbes.com. l

Did you know?

Branislav Ivanovic now has 17 Premier League goals, as many as Dan Petrescu and Frank Leboeuf managed for Chelsea

Sport

14 Neymar, Messi on

target as Suarez makes debut

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

DHAKA TRIBUNE

15 Upset India

15 Max set to

sidelines coach Fletcher

13

become youngest F1 driver

FIRST ODI TODAY AT 7:30PM (BDT)

Tigers look to roar back from woeful run

n Agencies

Visiting Bangladesh will commence their tour of the Caribbean when they will lock horns with West Indies in the first of the threematch ODI series at the Queen’s Park Stadium in Grenada today.

The hosts will be heavily favoured to extend the tourists’ miserable record in 2014 despite the latter’s several encouraging performances in a 95-run win in their lone warm-up game against Grenada XI. The Tigers will be tested against a Caribbean side which is brimming with stars from the international circuit, all of whom will be match-fit given their participation in the just-concluded second season of the Caribbean Premier League Twenty20.

This campaign, Bangladesh’s third tour of the region outside of involvement in the 2007 World Cup and 2010 World T20, is their first trip away from home this year and captain Mushfiqur Rahim will be hoping a return to the scene of the

side’s greatest triumphs can somehow inspire a transformation from the atrocious form displayed over the past eight months.

Facing a home team stripped of all its top players in the midst of a bitter dispute between the West Indies Cricket Board and the West Indies Players Association in 2009, Bangladesh swept the Test series 2-0 and the ODIs 3-0 with all-rounder Shakib al Hasan outstanding as both player and captain.

Now though, the West Indies are at full strength with the likes of devastating opener Chris Gayle and power-hitting middle-order player Kieron Pollard keen to help their team develop a winning momentum in the countdown to the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand in six months’ time.

Mystery spinner Sunil Narine appears to carry the greatest threat to Bangladesh in the limited-over formats but they may also find the pace of Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul, together with the awkward bounce extracted by gangling fast-medium bowler Jason

Holder to be more than a handful, even on batting-friendly surfaces.

Compounding the tourists’ challenge is the absence of Shakib, who is serving a six-month suspension from all cricket imposed by the Bangladesh Cricket Board last month over a disciplinary matter.

In their last 21 competitive international matches spread across the game’s three formats, Bangladesh’s only successes have come against Afghanistan and Nepal during the qualifying phase of the World T20 in Chittagong last March.

Their only meeting with the West Indies in 2014 before this series was at the same tournament with the side skippered by Darren Sammy romping to a 73-run win.

Sammy will again lead the team for the lone T20 fixture in St Kitts next week, but the responsibility of captaincy in the ODI campaign, which includes two matches in Grenada and a day/night encounter at the Warner Park venue in St Kitts, falls on the shoulders of Dwayne Bravo, the flamboyant all-rounder who has so far struggled to achieve consis-

tent success since replacing Sammy at the helm of the team in the 50-over format a year ago.

West Indies have won just eight of 20 completed ODI’s in the 14 months since Bravo succeeded Sammy as captain following the 2013 Champions Trophy in England.

Bangladesh will look to opener Tamim Iqbal and off-spinning all-rounder Mahmudullah, who had scores of 91 and 78 respectively in the match against Grenada to provide some batting solidity, while Mushfiqur will also be expected to contribute significantly in a side that has batting talent but often lacks the determination and application to build formidable totals.

In the bowling department, the experience of Mashrafa Mortaza’s medium pace and left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak will be essential to curbing the Caribbean batsmen’s pursuit of big scores. l

Nepal names squad for Bangladesh friendlies Nat’l youth women’s n Shishir Hoque The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has announced a 20-man squad for two friendly matches against Bangladesh as part of their preparation for the 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea next month.

Nepal will arrive in Dhaka on August 25 with the first friendly scheduled to be held a day later in the capital’s Army Stadium while the second and final match will take place on August 29 at Sylhet Zilla Stadium.

Nepal’s Polish head coach Jack Stefanowski named five senior players who are over 23 years old including captain Sagar Thapa. The compulso-

ry age limit for the men’s teams in the Asian Games should be under 23 years of age with only three overaged players allowed in each squad which means the ANFA had to pick three players in their final squad from the quintet of defenders Bikram Lama, Sandip Rai, Biraj Maharjan, Sagar Thapa and forward Bhola Nath Silwal.

Nepal’s rising stars Bharat Khawas, Bimal Gharti Magar and Rohit Chand will not be touring Bangladesh but they will be part of the Asiad squad.

Seven players from Nepal’s 2013 Saff Championship squad are in the 20-man squad for the friendlies against Bangladesh while notable exclusions from that squad include Anil Gurung, Ju

Manu Rai, Bharat and Rohit.

Nepal and Anderlecht Under-17 striker Bimal Magar will join the Asiad squad following the conclusion of the AFC U-16 Championship in Thailand.

Nepal goalkeeper Ritesh Thapa, who was in the Saff squad last year, will also travel with the squad as goalkeeping coach. Earlier, following the invitation of the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF), Nepal’s football governing body ANFA agreed to play two friendly matches in Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh skipper Mamunul Islam is hopeful of winning against Nepal in both the friendlies.

“Everyone is fit and raring to go. Nepal is undoubtedly a good team but they

are better when they play at their backyard. I hope it will be a good fight. We will get home advantage this time and hopefully we will beat them,” said the Sheikh Jamal midfielder yesterday. l

handball begins today n Shishir Hoque

Dhaka will take on Rangamati in the inaugural match of the Walton Air Conditioner National (Under-19) Youth Women’s Handball Tournament which gets underway at the M Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium today.

A total of 18 youth women’s handball team, split into six groups, are participating in the tournament. The first round matches will be held across two venues – Shaheed Suhrawordi Mirpur Indoor Stadium and M Mansur Ali National Handball Stadium – before the rest of the tournament (second round, semifinal

and final) moves to the latter venue.

Youth and Sports Minister Biren Sikder will inaugurate the tournament as chief guest while title sponsor Walton’s additional director, head of games and sports, FM Iqbal Bin Anwar will be present as the special guest.

The details of the tournament were revealed in a press conference at the Bangabandhu National Stadium conference room yesterday. The champions will receive Tk35000 while the runner-up will get Tk25000 as prize money in the Tk890000 (approximate budget) tournament. Sponsor organization Walton are providing Tk500000.l

Dunga rings changes in first squad

Bangladesh produce poor show in Summer Youth Olympic n Shishir Hoque Bangladesh youth hockey team lost for the third time in as many matches in the 2nd Summer Youth Olympic Games as they were beaten 4-1 by Canada at the Nanjing YOG Sports Park Hockey Field in Nanjing, China yesterday.

Bangladesh suffered from poor display in the shooting and swimming disciplines also as the only female representative of Bangladesh in the Games, shooter Sharmin Akter could score only 397 points to finish 19th among 20 participants in the qualifiers of the 10m Air Rifle event. Swimmer Md Asif Reza crashed out of the heat when he finished 4th out of eight in the 50m freestyle event. He clocked 24.98s to finish the touchline.

Meanwhile, in the five-a-side hockey match, Bangladesh lost again, this time against Canada which means they have lost three matches in a row. Md Naim Uddin scored the only goal for Bangladesh in the 36th minute which could not be anything more than a consolation. Brandon Pereira, Amrit Sidhu, Balraj Panesar, Braedon Muldoon netted one apiece for Canada.

Bangladesh had earlier lost to Spain and Australia in their first two matches and they will now play their last game against South Africa today at the same venue. A victory with a decent margin today will still be enough for Bangladesh to qualify for the next round of eight. l

NEPAL SQUAD Bharat Shah, Bhola Nath Silwal, Asim Jung, Amar Dangol, Jagjeet Shrestha, Prakash Bundhathoki, Sushil, Heman Gurung, Biraj Maharjan, Sandip Rai, Sagar Thapa, Aditya Chowdhury, Rabin Shrestha, Ajit Bhandari, Ranjit Dhimal, Bikram Lama, Alan Neupane, Bikesh Kuthu, Dinesh Thapa Magar and Shyam Nepali

n AFP, Rio De Janeiro

New Brazil coach Dunga announced the first squad of his second spell in charge of the Selecao on Tuesday, with only 10 of those who featured at the World Cup making the cut.

After the traumatic semi-final exit from the World Cup at the semi-final stage to Germany last month, Brazil parted company with Luiz Felipe Scolari and brought back Dunga, the coach of the team at the 2010 World Cup. He named a squad of 22 players for the friendlies against Colombia in Miami on September 5 and Ecuador in New Jersey four days later.

Neymar, who suffered a fractured vertebrae in the World Cup quarter-final defeat of Colombia but made his

comeback for Barcelona this week, is in the squad. Only six of those who started the 7-1 mauling against Germany, David Luiz, Fernandinho, Hulk, Oscar, Luiz Gustavo and Maicon, feature.

Chelsea duo Ramires and Willian and back-up goalkeeper Jefferson are

BRAZIL SQUAD Goalkeepers Jefferson (Botafogo), Rafael Cabral (Napoli/ITA) Defenders David Luiz, Marquinhos (both Paris Saint-Germain/FRA), Gil (Corinthians), Miranda (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Maicon (Roma/ITA), Filipe Luis (Chelsea/ENG), Alex Sandro, Danilo (FC Porto/POR)

Pujara granted to play in County championship n PTI

Maria Sharapova poses at a Q&A about being a SELF Made woman hosted by SELF Magazine September cover star Maria Sharapova at Sugarpova Pop Up Store in the Andaz 5th Avenue on Monday in New York City AFP

Cheteshwar Pujara, who was among the India batsmen who failed in the five-Test series against England, has sought permission to play in the remainder of England’s County Championship this season and will be allowed to do so by the BCCI. “Pujara is not part of the ODI or T20 team now and is free to play. He sought my permission to play in county cricket and I have asked him to send me the details. I have decided to allow him to

also maintained, but Marcelo, Dani Alves and Paulinho are among those dropped.

Captain Thiago Silva is missing after suffering a hamstring injury while playing for Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month. l

play,” BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel told PTI from Vadodara.

Pujara, considered a Test specialist, and Virat Kohli were expected to be the bulwarks of the young India batting line-up, but failed to live up to their reputations, in conditions conducive to swing bowling. The team suffered three massive defeats - two of them by an innings - and squandered the series after taking a 1-0 lead at Lord’s, which hosted the second Test. Pujara tallied 222 in 10 innings, with a high score of 55, averaging 22.20 in the series. l

Midfielders Luiz Gustavo (Wolfsburg/GER), Elias (Corinthians), Fernandinho (Manchester City/ ENG), Ramires (Chelsea/ENG), Everton Ribeiro (Cruzeiro), Oscar (Chelsea/ENG) Forwards Hulk (Zenit/RUS), Ricardo Goulart (Cruzeiro), Willian (Chelsea/ENG), Neymar (Barcelona/ESP), Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool/ ENG), Diego Tardelli (Atletico Mineiro)

Broad out of ODI squad to face India n Reuters Strike bowler Stuart Broad, one of the heroes of England’s 3-1 test series victory against India, was on Monday left out of a 15-man squad for the five one-day internationals between the two teams.

Broad, who played for England at The Oval despite having a broken nose and two black eyes following an injury suffered during the fourth test match in Manchester, will miss the series to have specialist examination and treatment of a chronic right knee injury.

Eleven of the 15 selected players were involved in the Test series. l

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Adler spares Hamburg blushes in German Cup n Reuters, Berlin Hamburg SV keeper Rene Adler saved two spot kicks in a shootout to help the Bundesliga club overcome third division Energie Cottbus 4-1 on penalties and advance into the German Cup second round on Monday.

Fellow Bundesliga club Schalke, however, crashed out in a 2-1 defeat to third-tier Dynamo Dresden.

Former Germany international Adler came to the rescue after Hamburg had failed to break the resistance of their lower-ranked opponents in a 2-2 draw after 120 minutes.

Schalke, who will play in the Champions League this season, tumbled out of the competition at the first hurdle against Dresden with a poor performance.

Julian Draxler tried to force the equaliser by dribbling past three players in stoppage time, but he saw his effort saved and Dresden celebrated a winning return to the competition. l

RESULTS Cottbus

2 2

Hamburg

2 1

Schalke 04

Zietz 2-P, Westermann 70, Michel 105 Van Der Vaart 96 Hamburg won 4-1 on penalties

Dynamo Dresden

Chelsea’s Diego Costa (L) scores past Burnley’s Tom Heaton during their English Premier League soccer match at Turf Moor in Burnley, northern England on Monday

Fabregas, Costa impress as Chelsea down Burnley n Reuters, Burnley New signings Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas made an instant impact for Chelsea as they launched their Premier League title bid with a confident 3-1 win at promoted Burnley on Monday.

Former Arsenal midfielder Fabregas, brought in from Barcelona during the close season, was influential throughout the game, having a hand in all three Chelsea goals and striking up an impressive midfield pairing with Eden Hazard.

Chelsea recovered from conceding a 14th minute goal, quickly turning on the style in an impressive half hour spell to go in 3-1 up at the break.

Jose Mourinho’s side were content to see out the game in the second half as Burnley, tipped by many for relegation, put in a creditable professional display after the Londoners had threatened to run away with the game.

RESULT

Burnley

Scott Arfield 14

1 3

Chelsea Costa 17, Schuerrle 21, Ivanovic 34

In a fiery atmosphere, the home side took a surprise lead in the with a superb drive from Scott Arfield after a fine run and pull back from Matt Taylor.

But any hopes the capacity home crowd at Turf Moor had of witnessing an upset were quickly dashed as Chelsea showed why so many bookmakers

Celtic look to seize second chance in CL n AFP, Paris Scottish champions Celtic will look to use their reprieve from Champions League oblivion and gain a positive result away at Slovenian titleholders Maribor on Wednesday in the first leg of their play-off.

Celtic were soundly beaten by Polish outfit Legia Warsaw in the third qualifying round only to regain their place in the competition thanks to an administrative error by their opponents.

Legia went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in a bid to overturn UEFA’s original decision to punish them for sending on substitute Bartosz Bereszynski at the end of the second leg - with Legia leading 6-1 on aggregate - when he was deemed as being ineligible to play as he should

still have been serving a suspension.

However, the CAS refused to make a quick ruling on the matter, leaving Celtic to focus their minds on the challenge of Maribor as they chase a place in the lucrative group stage.

FIXTURES Std Liege (BEL) Lille (FRA) Maribor (SLO) Aalborg (DEN) Bratislava (SVK)

v v v v v

Zenit (RUS) FC Porto (POR) Celtic (SCO) Apoel FC (CYP) BATE (BLR)

Another former winner of the competition, the 2004 champions Porto, are also in action away in the first leg at French side Lille, who enjoy a proud record when it comes to the play-offs having never lost in three previous appearances. l

have them as favourites to win the title this season.

Three minutes after Arfield’s strike, Brazilian-born Spain international Costa, a close season signing from Atletico Madrid, brought the Londoners level on his Premier League debut - firing in after a Branislav Ivanovic cross-shot, following a Fabregas back-heel, had come out off the post.

Four minutes later, Chelsea had the lead - Fabregas providing a beautiful first time pass to German World Cup winner Andre Schurrle who confidently drove home.

Burnley looked shell-shocked and their manager Sean Dyche will be disappointed with the slack defending for Chelsea’s third as an unchallenged Ivanovic slotted in a Fabregas corner in

Bayern Munich midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will be out for at least two weeks with a knee problem, chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said on Tuesday.

Schweinsteiger, who has been nursing a patella tendon injury in his left knee for months and needed treatment during Germany’s victorious World Cup campaign in June and July, has not yet played this season.

“Our doctor is confident this will not be a long-term issue,” Rummenigge told reporters at a club event in Munich.

“But obviously this is not an issue of one or two weeks. It may last a little more than that and we just have to be a bit patient.”

Schweinsteiger looks like missing Germany’s friendly against Argentina

Eilers 24, Teixeira 49

Matip 78

Neymar, Messi on target as Suarez makes debut n AFP, Barcelona Luis Suarez made his first appearance for Barcelona after his move from Liverpool for a reported 95 million euros as the Catalans hammered Mexican side Club Leon 6-0 in a friendly on Monday.

The Uruguayan striker, who won’t be able to play in a competitive game for Barca until October after his appeal against a fourth-month ban for biting Italian defender Giorgio Chiellini during the World Cup was rejected last week, replaced Rafinha Alcantara 14 minutes from time.

Barca were already leading 4-0 thanks to goals from Lionel Messi, Munir El Haddadi and a double from Neymar before Munir and Sandro rounded off the scoring.

Despite his controversial past, which includes two previous bans for biting as well as a suspension by the English FA for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, Suarez was

warmly received by the home fans.

Earlier, Neymar and Messi made a telling impact in their first outings since their World Cup ended in a devastating back injury and defeat in the final respectively. Messi headed the hosts in front inside three minutes from Neymar’s deflected cross.

The Brazilian striker then doubled Barca’s lead with a delightful chip from Andres Iniesta’s through ball before grabbing his second of the night when he backheeled into an empty net two minutes before half-time.

Munir replaced Neymar at half-time and he tapped home the fourth goal when Dani Alves knocked Ivan Rakitic’s ball over the top into the 19-year-old’s path.

And moments after Suarez had made his entrance, Munir smashed home his second goal of the game with a powerful low finish before Sandro put the seal on a fine Barca performance in similar fashion a minute from time. l

Chelsea’s Marko Marin joins Fiorentina on loan n Reuters, London Germany midfielder Marko Marin has joined Fiorentina on a season-long loan from Chelsea, the Premier League club announced on Monday.

Marin, 25, spent last season on loan in Spain with Europa League winners Sevilla and joins up with Serie A club Fiorentina ahead of their first game of the season against Roma on Aug. 30.

The Serbian-born German international, capped 16 times for the world champions, joined Chelsea in 2012 and made 16 appearances during his first season. Marin was once dubbed the “German Messi” by his fans.

Jose Mourinho’s side began their Premier League campaign with a visit to newly promoted Burnley on Monday. l

Schweinsteiger out for at least two weeks n Reuters, Berlin

the 34th minute.

Mourinho had raised some eyebrows by opting for Thibaut Courtois over Petr Cech in goal and the Belgian showed his quality shortly after the break to deny Arfield a second from a curling shot which he tipped wide.

Lancashire club Burnley, whose entire squad cost just a fraction of Costa’s reported 32 million pound transfer fee, will have taken some heart though from the way they applied themselves after the break, even if they rarely threatened to alter the scoreline.

Chelsea brought on Didier Drogba for his first official appearance of his second spell with the club as a late substitute to the delight of their travelling supporters. l

REUTERS

on Sept. 3 as well as the Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland a few days later.

He is not the only injury concern at Bayern with fellow midfielder Javi Martinez sidelined for the rest of the year with torn cruciate ligaments.

Defender Rafinha and midfielder Thiago Alcantara are also long-term injury victims while Franck Ribery missed last week’s German Super Cup final defeat by Borussia Dortmund and the 4-1 German Cup first-round win over Preussen Muenster.

Coach Pep Guardiola, who earlier this month ruled out any more incoming transfers, said last week the team needed a replacement for Martinez.

The Bundesliga starts on Friday with Bayern taking on VfL Wolfsburg.

“Whether or not we will be active in the transfer market depends on the quality on offer and the price,” said Rummenigge. l

Barcelona’s Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez (L), Spanish midfielder Sergio Busquets and Argentinian forward Lionel Messi clap during an official team presentation at the 49th Joan Gamper Trophy football match against Leon Club at the Camp Nou on Monday AFP

Suarez admits to seeking help after third biting incident n AFP, Barcelona Barcelona striker Luis Suarez said he has received professional help after receiving a four-month ban for biting an opponent for the third time in his career when he clashed with Italy’s Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup. Suarez made his debut for the Catalans in a 6-0 friendly win over Mexican side Club Leon on Monday, but will not be able to play a competitive game for Barca until late October after his appeal against the ban was thrown out by the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week.

“The suspension is what it is and I have to accept it. It is a personal matter but I have worked with the adequate professionals,” the Uruguayan said at his first press conference as a Barca player on Tuesday.

“I have tried to forget this game and this situation as well. It is a difficult moment for me and I would say to all the fans to not worry because I am not doing that anymore.”

Suarez was believed to have been a long-term target for Barca’s eternal rivals Real Madrid. However, Barca’s sporting vice-president Jordi Mestre said the player’s desire to come to Catalonia had allowed the club to negotiate a fee of 81 million euros (£65 million, $109 million) with Liverpool, £10 million less than the player’s £75 million release clause.

“There were options from other teams, but when the option of Barca became clear I didn’t have any doubts because it was a dream for me,” added Suarez.

“I still can’t believe it. It is something I have dreamed about but I nev-

er imagined such a beautiful dream would come true.”

Suarez could even make his competitive debut against Madrid should their first clash of the season be scheduled for Saturday, October 25 or the following day and he is determined to ensure he is as fit as possible when that game comes around in case coach Luis Enrique calls on him to start.

“It’s not the same but I had a similar situation last year at Liverpool, I started to play on September 20. It is a long time but if you keep focused with your teammates in training it helps.”

Barcelona already have a wealth of talent available in attacking areas with four-time World Player of the Year Lionel Messi and Brazilian star Neymar, meaning Suarez is likely to be forced into a role on the right side of the attack. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Upset India sidelines coach Fletcher

QUICK BYTES

Norway call up 15-year-old Odegaard At the tender age of just 15, Martin Odegaard, a talented midfielder with Stromsgodset, has been handed a maiden call-up to the Norwegian national squad. Norway coach Per-Mathias Hogmo on Tuesday named Odegaard in his squad for a friendly against the United Arab Emirates in the south-western city of Stavanger on August 27, describing the youngster as a “comet”. Born on December 17, 1998, Odegaard will be only 15 years and 253 days old come the day of the game.

“He has played so well in a number of league games that I wanted to see him in the national team,” said Hogmo in a statement. “I said before the season that he was going to be the comet of this season and that he could become the youngest player in the history of the national team. “I am not surprised that he has performed so well up to now. Now I can’t wait to see him in action,” added the coach.

–AFP

Ravi Shastri appointment ups pressure on Dhoni n Reuters, London Captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and coach Duncan Fletcher remain in place, but only time will tell if the appointment of Ravi Shastri as director of cricket is a temporary measure or a sign of deeper changes ahead in the Indian game.

Former captain Shastri was installed “overall in-charge of cricket affairs” for India’s upcoming five-match one-day series against England, following their embarrassing 3-1 Test series to defeat to the same opposition.

India claimed their first overseas win since 2011 when they won the second Test at Lord’s, but surrendered the final three matches meekly, the final indignity being their downfall at The Oval when they lost by an innings and 244 runs within three days.

Dhoni was one of the only players to show some fight as India’s batting lineup failed to pass 200 in their last five innings of the series, but has come under severe criticism from media back home for overseeing some desperate performances.

“He has well and truly outlived his

Owen sees good times ahead for United, Liverpool

Manchester United will return to the top four of the Premier League this season but it is only Liverpool that can challenge for the title, according to former England striker Michael Owen who played for both clubs. “I think United will have a decent season and get back into the top four, and into the Champions League next season,” said the former striker, who spent three injury-plagued years at United from 2009 until 2012. “I don’t think they have got the quality to dethrone Manchester City or finish above Chelsea but I do think they will have a good season.” “There is a lot to be interested in Liverpool this year. The question marks are with Suarez not being there and the added pressure of playing in the Champions League. “If they can combat them I think they’ll have a decent chance of challenging for the title again.”

–Reuters

Pekerman signs new four-year deal with Colombia

Jose Pekerman has signed a new four-year deal as coach of Colombia, the South American country’s football federation announced Tuesday. “We’ve been saying it since the start, for several months, that Pekerman was our plan A, B and C,” federation president Luis Bedoya told local radio. Pekerman’s initial contract expired on July 31, the 64-year-old Argentinian having taken over in January 2012. Under his guidance, Colombia not only qualified for the World Cup finals for the first time in 16 years, but also went on to record four victories and reach the quarter-finals where they were knocked out by hosts Brazil.

–AFP

Ravi Shastri

DAY’S WATCH BTV, Gazi Sports, Ten Cricket 7:00PM Bangladesh Tour of West Indies 1st ODI Star Sports 4 3:30PM AFC Champions League Western Sydney v Guangzhou Star Sports 1, 2 Pro Kabaddi League 2014 8:15AM Jaipur v Bengaluru UEFA Champions League, Qualifying Ten Sports 12:45AM Maribor v Celtic Ten Action 12:45AM Lille v Porto

usefulness as a captain in the long form of the game,” Nalin Mehta said in The Times of India on Tuesday.

“It is not so much the defeat, but the manner of the capitulation that rankles. India’s cricketers have not just been routed in a series they began well, under Dhoni they looked bereft of ideas and direction.”

Former captain Shastri was installed “overall in-charge of cricket affairs” for India’s upcoming five-match oneday series against England The sentiment was shared by Sanjeev K Samyal in the Hindustan Times, who recalled that former greats Kapil Dev, Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly had lost the captaincy during their careers.

“And they never led teams that have played as poorly as those MS Dhoni has captained,” he wrote.

“The humiliation at Old Trafford and The Oval is unacceptable. He has long since outlived his utility as Test captain.”

Fletcher, a former England coach, has arguably been placed under supervision following Shastri’s appointment.

He was not spared criticism either, apportioned blame for the way the likes of Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan, tipped as potential stars of the series, struggled on foreign pitches.

“Fletcher is aware of the conditions and should have developed ways to see that the boys improve and come out of lean patch,” former India captain GR Viswanath said in The New India Express.

“I think Fletcher has not been able to do the job.”

Bowling coach Joe Dawes and fielding mentor Trevor Penney have been given a “break” for the ODI series, with Sanjay Bangar and Bharat Arun made assistant coaches and R Sridhar named as fielding coach.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India said the changes were for the next five matches, but given India begin the defence of their World Cup title in Australia and New Zealand in February, more big decisions may be needed if India are to add a third 50-over trophy to their name. l

Supreme Serena targets 18th major at US Open n AFP, New York World number one Serena Williams is firing on all cylinders as she seeks to stretch her tally of Grand Slam singles titles to 18 at the US Open.

The familiar hardcourts of Flushing Meadows, where Williams has lifted the trophy the past two years and a total of five times, is just the place to end her 2014 Grand Slam drought.

The American superstar hasn’t made it past the fourth round of a major this year.

But she has won two of her five 2014 titles in the buildup to the Open, signalling she won’t surrender her crown without a fight.

Her straight-sets win over Ana Ivanovic in the final at Cincinnati showed Williams at her dominant best.

“At some point of the match, I actually felt quite embarrassed walking from one side to the other for returns,” Ivanovic said of the near-hopelessness of returning Williams’ serve.

It was a long way from Ivanovic’s

fourth-round victory over Williams at the Australian Open, where the American was hindered by back pain.

Back trouble, and the virus that left her weak and woozy in doubles after her shock third-round singles exit at Wimbledon, are all in the past, Williams said.

“I’m in some of the best shape I’ve been in,” she said. “I can play long points and be ready to go again. I feel really fit -- 32 is the new 22, right?”

An actual 22-year-old, Simona Halep, will be among those trying to topple Williams in New York.

The Romanian has been knocking at the door of a first Grand Slam title this year, finishing runner-up to Maria Sharapova at Roland Garros.

Halep also reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open and the semi-finals at Wimbledon as she climbed to number two in the world.

Williams will also be challenged by more familiar foes, including Sharapova.

Sharapova’s appetite is only greater

Hangeland quits Norway team Norway defender Brede Hangeland has quit the international stage, bringing the curtain down on a 12-year career during which he captained his country, won 91 caps and scored four goals.

“For many years I have had very high demands on my body and at the age of 33 it feels essential to make this decision,” the beanpole Crystal Palace centre half said in a statement released by the Norwegian FA on Tuesday.

“There is never a good time for this type of decision but before the start of a new qualification phase ... I am quite confident that it is the right decision.”

–Reuters

15

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

(L-R) South Africa’s Ryan McClaren, David Miller, Faf du Plessis and Wayne Parnell celebrate their second ODI victory against Zimbabwe at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo yesterday AFP

after she missed last year’s US Open with a shoulder injury that brought her season to a premature close.

She sealed yet another return from injury by capturing her fifth career Grand Slam in Paris, but she has never won two majors in the same year.

“I only have one more chance to do that this year,” she said, and admitted that such milestones matter.

“At this position, that’s where you showcase how strong you are and how much you really love it and (want) to show your legacy through the sport,” she said. Just who else might emerge to challenge Williams is unclear.

Australian Open champion Li Na of China is an injury absentee, while Czech Petra Kvitova has been an early casualty in the two tournaments she has played since winning Wimbledon.

Eugenie Bouchard, who reached the semi-finals at the Australian and French Opens before becoming the first Canadian woman to reach a Grand Slam final at Wimbledon, has failed to impress since her crushing loss to Kvi-

Sixteen-year-old Max Verstappen will become the youngest driver in Formula One history next season after being unveiled as Toro Rosso’s new signing.

The Dutch teenager, son of ex-F1 driver Jos Verstappen, currently races in Formula Three with the Van Amersfoort Racing team having cut his racing teeth on the karting circuit.

He will partner Russian Daniil Kvyat in the Red Bull feeder team with 24-yearold Frenchman Jean-Eric Vergne deemed surplus to requirements.

“Ever since I was seven years old, Formula One has been my career goal, so this opportunity is truly a dream come true,” Verstappen said on the team’s website.

Verstappen, who turns 17 next month, will beat by almost two years the age record currently held by Spain’s Jaime Alguersuari, who was 19 years and 125 days when he made his debut

at the Hungarian GP in 2009, also for Toro Rosso.

He won the world go-karting championship last year and has topped the podium in eight out of 27 races since graduating to the highly competitive Formula Three Championship.

“We’ve all worked tremendously hard to reach Formula One and I will give my absolute best to be successful in the pinnacle of motorsport,” Verstappen said, thanking his father for his support.

“With the return of the Verstappen name to Formula One, I hope we can relive old memories and I’m hoping to see many fans at all the Grand Prix circuits.”

Verstappen played down the step up to Formula One, saying that he thought he had already made the hardest transition.

“I think the biggest step I had was karting to F3. I think F3 to F1 will be a smaller step,” the teenager told BBC Radio 5 live.

tralian Open titles, has been limited to just six events in 2014.

She battled a foot injury for much of the year and withdrew from her title defence at Cincinnati with a right knee injury. l

Proteas beat Zimbabwe to take ODI series

Irfan to join for Sri Lanka ODIs n AFP, Lahore

n Reuters, Bulawayo

Fit-again paceman Mohammad Irfan will join the Pakistan squad for their one-day matches against Sri Lanka to reinforce the attack after their 2-0 Test series defeat, a board official said Tuesday.

The 32-year-old, who holds the record of being the tallest-ever cricketer at seven feet one inch (2.16 metres), will fly out in time for the first ODI in Hambantota on Saturday.

“The team management in Sri Lanka had asked for Irfan to join the squad considering the uncertainty over fast bowler Junaid Khan,” a Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman told AFP. Khan was hit on the head while hooking a delivery during Pakistan’s 105-run defeat in the second Test. l

Quinton de Kock tied a one-day international record as South Africa beat Zimbabwe by 61 runs on Tuesday to take a 2-0 lead in the three-match series.

The 21-year-old wicketkeeper-opening batsman made 38 to equal the mark of England’s Jonathan Trott in reaching the landmark of 1,000 runs in only 21 one-day games.

Faf du Plessis top-scored with 55 as South Africa were bowled out for 257 in 49.4 overs after being put in to bat.

It was only the third time in 34 ODI meetings that Zimbabwe had bowled out their southern African rivals.

Out-of-form South Africa captain

Max set to become youngest F1 driver n AFP, Milan

tova at the All England Club.

Victoria Azarenka, beaten by Williams in each of the past two US Open finals, goes into the fortnight under an injury cloud.

The Belarusian, owner of two Aus-

“I’m not that worried about it. The cars are really safe. I think it’s more dangerous to bike through a big city than race in an F1 car.”

Verstappen is following the path of four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, who were also members of the Red Bull Junior Team.

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost said that despite his youth, Verstappen’s skill levels and maturity indicated he could cut it in Formula One. “We consider Max to be one of the most skilled young drivers of the new generation and we believe he has the necessary maturity and mental strength to take on this challenge successfully,” he said.

“We are happy to welcome Max into the Toro Rosso family. It’s great to see how the Red Bull Junior Programme continues to find talented young drivers and gives them the opportunity to come into Formula 1.” l

AB de Villiers was involved in a bizarre dismissal.

He missed a delivery from spinner Prosper Utseya and, in the mistak-

BRIEF SCORE South Africa 257 all out in 49.4 overs (F du Plessis 55) Zimbabwe 196 all out in 49.1 overs (S Williams 55; R McLaren 3-21, W Parnell 3-28) South Africa won by 61 runs en belief that Richmond Mutumbami did the same, set off for a single only for the bemused wicketkeeper to run him out for one. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Only Promod Mankin goes by rules Ministers are not supposed to get apartment from JS if they are given it by government n Kamran Reza Chowdhury Five cabinet members have not responded to the request of the House Committee which asked the ministers either to vacate the apartments allotted to them as MPs or pay the house rent they get from the government.

The ministers have received accommodation facilities from the government.

The 10th Jatiya Sangsad’s House Committee, which was tasked to ensure accommodation for all MPs, decided that the ministers would not be eligible to get apartments from the

parliament authorities if they got such facilities from the government.

LGRD Minister Syed Ashraful Islam, Fisheries and Livestock Minister Sayedul Haque, Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan, Land Minister Shamsur Rahman Sharif and State Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Bir Bahadur U Shwe Sing, however, did not hand over the apartments to the authorities concerned.

Only Promod Mankin, the state minister for social welfare, informed the House Committee that he would pay the house allowance to the parliament secretariat and live in the apartment

(block 4, apartment 301).

He would therefore not get any house from the government.

Deputy Minister for Environment Abdullah Al Islam Jakob was living in apartment 903 (block 6) since he did not receive any house from the government. However, he did not clarify if he would deposit the house allowance to the parliament authorities or not.

Chief Whip ASM Feroz yesterday talked to Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi who suggested House Committee look into the matter. The chief whip is ex-officio head of the House Committee.

“He (chief whip) came to me and I saw the list of the ministers who were living in the apartments. I thought the honourable ministers would respect the rules,” Fazle Rabbi told the Dhaka Tribune at his office yesterday.

According to the report of the hostel wing, Sayedul Haque was given apartment 102 in block 4 at NAM village in front of the Jatiya Sangsad. But his apartment had been put under lock and key.

It was the same case for Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan whose apartment (block 4, apartment 404) had been unused for months.

One of Syed Ashraful Islam’s brothers lives in the apartment (block 4, apartment 402). Shamsur Rahman Sharif’s son lives in apartment 403 (block 403).

“The apartment given to me as MP is currently under lock and key. What I can assure you is that I will comply with the rules,” Shajahan Khan said.

The House Committee prepared a list in February this year. It showed that 30 ministers used to live in the apartments in NAM village.

Till August 19, only seven ministers live in NAM villages in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and Nakhalpara areas. l

Flood-affected people living in constant fear n Tribune Report The flood situation in many parts of the country has remained unchanged with many dams giving in to heavy river currents and people being evacuated from areas near embankments.

Flood-affected people said either they did not receive any relief materials or what they got was insufficient.

Our Kurigram correspondent reports: The overall flood situation remained unchanged in Kurigram district. More than one hundred chars and lowlands were inundated and nearly 70 thousand people were marooned.

At least 10,843 hectares of Aman and vegetable fields have gone under flood water. Some portions of two embankments were damaged too.

Executive Engineer of Kurighram Roads and Highways Department Hamidul Haque said flood water washed away 20 metres of the embankment.

More than 50 houses in Paramoula and Mondir area under Boddananda union of the upazila were lost to the river over the last three days. Chairman of Ulipur upazila said the water level of the river Brahmaputra increasd by 11cm yesterday.

Chairman of Jatrapur UP Abdul Gafur said a total of 18 chars including Pepulbari, Borura, Rolakata, Doikhawa and Airmari were submerged where flood victims are living in sub-human condition.

Kurigram Deputy Commissioner ABM Azad said he received Tk1,00000 and 100 metric tonnes of rice as aid yesterday.

Our correspondent from Gaibandha adds: Flood situation remained unchanged in Gaibandha too. Over 50,000 people of Gaibandha Sadar, Sundarganj and Fulchhari and Saghata upazila were marooned.

Water in the Ghaghot river is flowing over the danger level posing a serious threat to the dam. The Water Develop-

3 Bangladeshis killed in Malaysia n Tribune Report

Three Bangladeshi migrant workers were killed in an accident at a construction site in Malaysia on Monday, reports The Star, a Malaysian English daily.

The victims, Mohammad Elahi Hossain, Mohammad Faruk Khan, and Mohammad Alauddin Mallik, were killed after a 300-tonne concrete span collapsed on them at 8.30pm at the construction site of MRT Corp, a Malaysian government company, in Kota Damansara, a township at Petaling district in Selangor state.

Police have not ruled out negligence as the cause of the accident.

Supt Junaidi Bujang, officer-incharge of Sungai Buloh police station in Pataling, said although the case was classified as sudden death, police would also look into other causes, including negligence. Elahi, one of the victims, was supposed to end his shift at midnight, the police officer added.

‘It was an unfortunate accident. We are trying our best to bring the bodies home soon and ensure that the victims’ families get compensation’

In a frantic effort to save the embankment in Gaibandha, locals use sandbags and bamboo poles to protect the town from flooding yesterday. Increasing water level in Ghaghot River has given rise to concerns of flash floods in the areas near the riverbank FOCUS BANGLA ment Board (WDB) has announced an emergency in the areas.

The WDB sources said the water level in the Brahmaputra and Karotoa was continuously increasing and could cross the danger level at any moment.

Mir Abdur Razzak, assistant director of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, said 1,456 hectares of cultivated land went under water in four upazilas of the district.

Nazmul Huda, the deputy magistrate of Relief and Rehabilitation De-

partment in the district, said they had distributed 40 metric tonnes of rice and relief materials worth Tk40,000 among the flood-affected people while the government allotted another 100 metric tonnes of rice.

As a portion of the embankment near the North Sathalia point in the district was washed away yesterday scared people started to leave the area for safer shelters.

Our Jamalpur correspondent reports: Onrush of water from the up-

600 applicants denied police clearance for Hajj n Moniruzzaman Uzzal

Watchdog slams narcotics department

The Special Branch (SB) of police have decided not to give police clearance certificates – a prerequisite for Saudi Arabian visas – to 600 “unfit” applicants who planned on performing Hajj this year.

Most of the applicants identified as “unfit” allegedly had criminal cases filed against them with different police stations. Police officials expressed concerns that some of those applicants might not return to Bangladesh if they were allowed to go to Saudi Arabia in the name of performing Hajj.

Mizanur Rahman, director of Hajj office at Ashkona, said the SB police had identified 581 applicants as ineligible for clearance certificates. When asked for the reason, he said the police only provided a list of unfit applicants without explaining to the Hajj office why they were declined clearances.

“The applicants who were denied clearance could now submit applications to SB to find out reasons behind such decision.”

Meanwhile, police have also reportedly identified around 900 other applications to have faulty or misleading information. While verifying all submitted applications, the police found mistakes in names, addresses and other information provided by those applicants.

Hajj office Director Mizanur said those who made mistakes in their documents could be eligible for a visa only if they could get clearances by requesting the SB authorities to recheck their applications.

The Ministry of Religious Affairs sent a total of 37,000 applications from Hajj aspirants to the police for verification this year. l

Police and other law enforcers yesterday at a parliamentary watchdog meeting alleged that they had so far seized many contraband drugs such as heroin and yaba-making ingredients but after laboratory tests the results came otherwise.

For instance, a seized consignment of heroin becomes ordinary powder in the test in the laboratory of the Department of Narcotics that came into being in 1990 to prevent increasing misuse of drugs in Bangladesh.

Thus the drug smugglers escape punishment in court, they said.

The allegations was raised at yesterday’s meeting of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home at the Jatiya Sangsad building.

The high level officials of police, RAB and the Department of Narcotics attended the meeting with the JS body chairman Tipu Munshi in the chair.

“Only one officer has been working at the laboratory of the department of narcotics for 20 years. The drug smugglers are really powerful and moneyed men. They easily bribe the officials and manage test report in their favour,” the chairman said.

According to the complaints of the law enforcers, the chairman said, the standing committee recommended the samples of a seized article be sent to at least three laboratories to stop narcotics test manipulation.

The RAB has sophisticated laboratory.

“The department of narcotics has totally failed to contain spread of illegal drugs.

n

Kamran Reza Chowdhury

Our opinion is that the whole department should be reshuffled,” said Tipu.

One official of the Department of Narcotics, however, told the Dhaka Tribune that police and RAB had long been putting pressure on the department as most of the laboratory test results do not show consignments as drugs.

In many cases, the department shelves the samples for months so that the materials go out of date ultimately showing wrong result.

According to the working paper presented at the meeting show that the sex-stimulating yaba tablets come from Myanmar unhindered.

“Due to India’s strong vigilance in the bordering areas, the prevalence of Phensedyl (a codin phosphate-based cough syrup used for addiction) has come down. But Yaba’s onslaught is still on,” said the chairman.

The home ministry officials say, the officials of border guards of Bangladesh and Myanmar would meet soon to find out ways to stop misuse of Yaba. The home secretaries of the two neighbours would meet and discuss the cross-boundary smuggling of Yaba.

The parliamentary standing committee formed a three-member sub-committee to suggest the ways of eradicating the root of drug smuggling in Bangladesh.

Former state minister for industries Omor Faruk Chowdhury is the head of the three-member committee having Faridul Haque Khan and Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapon as members.

According to the rules of procedure, the recommendations of the 10-member watchdog are not mandatory for the ministry. l

stream and the incessant rain worsened the flood situation in Jamalpur.

The river Jamuna overflowed and submerged the houses and farmlands in 30 villages under the Patharshi, Kulkandi and Chinaduli unions.

More than 25,000 people bearing the brunt of the flood water. Many of them had to take shelter on the road embankments. The victims of flood from the Patharshi village said though they were struggling for two days nobody came to their help.

The district magistrate Md Shahabuddin Khan said 18 metric tonnes of rice were given for those areas and they would soon be distributed among the victims.

Our correspondent from Chapainawabganj reports: Fresh erosion by the Padma River is threatening the recently finished left bank protection project of the river.

Residents of Goaldubi in Charbagdanga union of Sadar upazila are living in constant fear of losing their houses and mango orchards. l

Datuk Azhar Abdul Hamid, CEO of MRT Corp, resigned over the accident.

“As of tomorrow, I am no longer the CEO,” he said while addressing a press conference yesterday.

“I have always been very strict over safety measures at the MRT sites, but such incidents have occurred over and over again,” he said. “I have done my best, but I have evidently failed and therefore will be handing over my duties.”

Azhar also said he had been told that some security measures had not been followed by the sub-contractors at the site. “If that really is the case, I will make sure MRT Corp never works with them again,” he said.

He also said despite his departure from the company, he would see the case through and ensure that the families of the deceased are given justice.

Khondaker Showkar Hossain, secretary at the Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment, said the ministry was trying to get the dead bodies home as soon as possible.

“It was an unfortunate accident. We are trying our best to bring the bodies home soon and ensure that the victims’ families get compensation,” he said.

“The Malaysian government is giving this incident high priority and will help us in this regard,” he added. l

National Guard called to avoid riots n AP, Ferguson, Missouri

An unarmed black 18-year-old whose fatal shooting by a white police officer has sparked a week of protests in suburban St Louis suffered a bullet wound to his right arm that may indicate his hands were up or his back was turned, a pathologist hired by his family said.

But the pathologist said the independent team that examined Michael Brown can’t be sure yet exactly how the wounds were inflicted, citing the need for more information.

The autopsy determined that he was shot at least six times, including twice in the head, according to the pathologists and the family’s attorneys. Another autopsy conducted by St. Louis County also found Brown was shot six to eight times, and that he was hit in the head and chest.

Brown’s death heightened racial tensions between the predominantly black community and the mostly white Ferguson Police Department.

Civil rights activists have compared the shooting to other racially charged cases, especially the 2012 death of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager shot by a Florida neighborhood watch organizer who was later acquitted of murder. Both cases have fueled nationwide debates on the treatment of young black men in America.

After nightfall, police and protesters were again in a tense standoff Monday as crowds filled the streets. Officers used bullhorns to order people out of the street and deployed noisemakers and armored vehicles to push demonstrators back. There were no immediate reports of violence.

US President Obama said in a news conference that Attorney General Eric

Police meet for a late afternoon roll call and briefing prior to the National Guard's arrival in Ferguson, Missouri, August 18, 2014. President Barack Obama said on Monday he was sending Attorney General Eric Holder to Ferguson on Wednesday to investigate the fatal shooting of a black teenager by a white policeman, and urged restraint on the part of both law enforcement and protesters REUTERS Holder would arrive Wednesday in Ferguson to meet with FBI and other officials carrying out an independent federal investigation into Brown’s death.

The Aug 9 shooting touched off rancorous protests in the St Louis suburb where police have used riot gear and tear gas. Governor Jay Nixon ordered the National Guard to Ferguson to restore order Monday, while lifting a midnight-to-5 am curfew that had been in place for two days.

Obama said he told Nixon he wanted to ensure the use of National Guard reservists to help calm tensions must be limited in scope, and said he would be monitoring that operation in the coming days to see whether the guard’s involvement was helping or hurting.

Guard units kept their distance from

the protests and protected a police staging area.

Police have said little about the encounter between Brown and the white officer, except to say that it involved a scuffle in which the officer was injured and Brown was shot. Witnesses say the teenager had his hands in the air as the officer fired multiple rounds.

Forensic pathologist Shawn Parcells, who assisted former New York City chief medical examiner Dr. Michael Baden during the independent autopsy, said a graze wound on Brown’s right arm could have occurred in several ways. The teen may have had his back to the shooter, or he could have been facing the shooter with his hands above his head or in a defensive position in front of his face. l

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207.

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BRICS, AIIB to be complimentary to WB’s role in Bangladesh

Rajuk advises central bank to apply

n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman

n Asif Showkat Kallol

Bangladesh would get two more big windows for financing development initiatives, including infrastructure, annually requiring US$7bn to US$10bn for a period of at least next 10 years.

The windows would be opened with the establishment of the proposed BRICS Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).

They would be complementary to existing development partners already contributing to the country’s development and poverty reduction, World Bank lead economist Zahid Hussain told the Dhaka Tribune. “Their operations will supplement the works of the World Bank.”

He said Bangladesh needs $7 to $10bn investment each year for the next 10 years for its infrastructure to reduce poverty and the whole South Asian region needs $2tn fund every year for the same purpose.

“The funds provided by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank altogether are not even close to that figure,” he said, adding there is ample scope where the proposed banks could operate.

The World Bank has made a commitment to provide $4.8bn during 2011-15 to Bangladesh and, in this fiscal year, it would provide $1.3bn in different projects.

“World Bank in the last fiscal disbursed $1.8bn credit to Bangladesh, the highest ever in the history of the country,” he added.

Replying to a question, Zahid said the World Bank is not worried about the proposed institutions as they will compliment the development works of

BB brings 3 new products under green financing scheme n Tribune Report Bangladesh Bank has included three more products under its green banking refinancing scheme, which was initiated five years back, in the wake of growing demand for renewable energy and environmentally-friendly activities in the country.

The products that will come under the scheme include supplying and purifying of surface water project, pumping through solar pumps, establishing green industry and ensuring work environment and safety in the textile and garment industries, said a central bank circular issued yesterday.

Earlier, in May this year, the central bank had included 26 more products under the scheme as a result, currently a total of 44 products are being facilitated in 9 sectors under the green financing programme.

The highest credit limit for supplying and purifying surface water project will be Tk3 crore, it will be Tk20 crore for establishing green industry while Tk1 crore for ensuring work environment and safety project in the apparel industry, according to the circular.

The central bank had launched green banking refinancing scheme at a cost of Tk200 crore in August 2009 to set up solar panels, bio-gas plants and industrial ETPs (Effluent Treatment Plants) under the scheme to help reduce industrial pollution and increase the power supply.

Under the scheme, Bangladesh Bank has provided loans to commercial banks at the interest rates ranging from 5% to 12% for direct refinancing and credit wholesale to the entrepreneurs. l

Padma Bridge

the Bretton Woods institution.

China has proposed to float AIIB with a capital of over $1 trillion to fund development projects in the Asian region and it invited Bangladesh to join the bank as a founder member.

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa [BRICS] – five emerging economies – in their summit meeting last month proposed to float BRICS Bank with a capital of $50bn to invest in the development projects.

World Bank wants the new banks to have strict procurement policies to be maintained by them so that no corruption could take place, Zahid said.

About financing in big projects, he said, the World Bank cannot finance big projects like deep sea port but these banks might have the capacity to do that.

“We are financing other projects like port development or roads infrastructure and our investment will be more effective if they invest in such big projects like deep sea port,” he said.

About 80 countries get soft loan from the World Bank and there is a fierce competition to get a pie of the fund, he added. World Bank provides loans for 40 years with a grace period of 10-year and 0.7% service charge.

The lead economist said it is not possible for the lending agency to be involved in the Padma bridge project again.

“The government went ahead with the project and some works had already been done. Now, if the World Bank wants to join, the government might have to undo all the works so far completed, and that is practically not possible,” he said.

Meanwhile, the country assistance strategy progress report for Bangladesh for 2011-15 admitted that they would not disengaged anymore with their clients the way they did with Bangladesh after the Padma bridge scam came to surface.

The Independent Evaluation Group of the World Bank referring to the Padma Bridge project said: “IEG found that decisions to disengage have affected Bank-client relationships, resulted in losses of knowledge and momentum, and left important development objectives unaddressed.”

The progress report said to correct deficiencies in its response, the World Bank has determined that, when evidence of corruption comes to light, its response should not be to disengage, but to engage differently.

The World Bank approved the Padma project in February 2011 and after that it received evidence of corruption involving senior public officials and requested that the government takes remedial measures to safeguard project integrity.

The negotiation between the government and the bank for financing the project failed and, in January 2013, the government withdrew its request for the bank’s financing of the project. l

BB'S LAND ACQUISITION

Rajuk has advised Bangladesh Bank to apply to its board of directors for purchasing the three acres of land, mostly wetland, located behind the central bank.

The three-acre plot belongs to Rajuk.

The advice came at a meeting held yesterday in the Ministry of Finance.

The Bank and Financial Institutions Division Additional Secretary, Amalendu Mukherjee, preseided over the meeting.

Following the approval of Bangladesh Bank proposal by the Rajuk Board of Directors, the central bank can go for the purchase of the aforesaid piece of land The banking Division called the meeting in a bid to end the tussle between BB and Rajuk over the buyout.

According to the meeting sources, the additional secretary requested Rajuk to settle the dispute.

Amalendu Mukherjee said the city development authority has enough land where it can construct its Planning and Research Centre instead of the land which is located behind Bangladesh Bank.

The Rajuk representative said Bangladesh Bank has to send a letter to the

Board of Directors of Rajuk for buying the space of three acres.

Following the approval of Bangladesh Bank proposal by the Rajuk Board of Directors, the central bank can go for the purchase of the aforesaid piece of land.

Rajuk had undertaken a plan 22 years back to construct its Planning and Research Institute on the wetland, but so far, it failed to carry out the implementation of the construction project.

Apart from that, the Land Ministry has a strict law, barring any new construction on any wetland.

Convener of Bangladesh Paribesh Andolon (BAPA) Atique Murshid told the Dhaka Tribune it is regrettable that while Bangladesh Bank issued directives to the commercial banks for giving environmentally-friendly loan for their clients, the central Bank authority itself now wants to buy the three-acre wetland, which is not at all environmentally-friendly.

“Even though Rajuk does not mention the piece of land as wetland, we will stand up to the matter,” Atique said.

In a recent move, Bangladesh Bank Deputy Governor Abul Kashem sent a letter to Finance Minister AMA Muhith to allocate required financial assistance from the ministry to purchase the land.

The central bank has reportedly allocated a huge amount of fund for purchasing the land behind its headquarters.

Besides, in a separate letter, the central bank also asked the Banking Division Secretary, M Aslam Alam, to lobby the Housing and Public Works Ministry in regard to construction of new buildings. l

BTRC set to collect Tk13,829cr in FY15

Goldman Sachs to talk about Padma bridge funding with Muhith

n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

n Asif Showkat Kallol

The government has set a huge target of Tk13,829 crore revenue collection for the telecom regulator in 201415 fiscal year, which is 38% higher than the previous collection of FY 2014.

Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has incorporated 700 band spectrum auction in this fiscal from which it wants to realise Tk9,300 crore for selling 80 Megahertz of spectrum, a senior official told the Dhaka Tribune.

The large target also crated anxiety among telecom operators as they said during the last fiscal the government collected more than Tk5,000 crore from the 3G spectrum auction and oneoff installment of 2G licence renewal.

How will the regulator reach the target if they fail to hold an auction for 700 band spectrum this year? the telecom operators posed the question.

Requesting not to be named, a senior executive of a telecom company said to meet the target the regulator may get tough on them and they are concerned about it.

The BTRC is likely to face a huge pressure in regard to their promised revenues collection before the end of this fiscal.

BTRC declared its target for this fiscal in a parliamentary standing committee meeting held on August 10, but it has not provided any details.

At that meeting, BTRC also claimed of the total revenues the government earns at least 10% from the telecom sector.

The BTRC mainly collects revenues from revenue sharing from the

operators, annual spectrum fees and annual licence fees along with other fees, according to the regulator sources.

Mobile operators deposited 5.5% of their gross revenues which is close to Tk1,500 crore with 1% for social obligation fund and this is the BTRC’s main source of revenues.

The regulator also collect around Tk2,000 crore annually from the International Gateway (IGW) and Interconnection (ICX) operators.

According to the working paper of the parliamentary standing committee meeting, the telecom watchdog also said its has so far collected Tk34,692.23 crore after BTRC started its journey in 2001.

Data shows the regulator collected Tk5,404 crore from the market in FY 2012-13.

It also collected Tk6,957 crore in FY 2011-12, Tk3,047 crore in FY 201011, Tk2,370 crore in FY 2009-10 and Tk3,195 crore in FY 2008-09.

A senior official of BTRC said as they received more money than their target in 2013-14 the government became more optimistic about the high revenues.

In the last fiscal, the target was Tk9,398 crore, but the actual collection was Tk10,016 crore and after deducting all other expenses BTRC deposited Tk9,722 crore to Bangladesh Bank, which was the highest non-tax revenues for the government.

The telecom regulator has also formed a special committee to prepare auction for 700 band spectrum to be made available for mobile phone operators within this fiscal.

Earlier they planned to hold auction for it by 2016. l

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High officials of US Investment Bank Goldman Sachs will meet Finance Minister AMA Muhith tomorrow to engage in a dialogue how the firm can best serve the financial needs of Bangladesh.

According to finance ministry sources, the meeting will discuss about financing of Padma bridge construction through issuing sovereign bonds and other financial options Goldman Sachs could offer for the Padma bridge and similar infrastructure projects.

They said the Padma funding issue will be discussed with the New York-based investment bank as it has significant experiences in assisting its sovereign bond clients in strategic and capital incentive projects.

The meeting will also talk about if Goldman Sachs will be adviser of sovereign bonds to be issued by Bangladesh, particularly for construction of the country's biggest ever project. Efforts to attracting foreign investment into the country's capital market will also be on the meeting agenda, officials said.

Besides, in the meeting finance minister will seek assistance from Goldman Sachs to improve local corporate houses to that of global standard.

The government asserted Bangladesh is a good performer in repaying its loans to foreign lenders and this comparative advantages will also be placed in the meeting.

Last month, Goldman Sachs sent a letter to finance minister expressing its interest for such a meeting with the government.

The much-talked-about Padma bridge construction needs a foreign funding of $1.8bn, according to the government.

In November 2013, Bangladesh was included by Goldman Sachs among the next eleven economies identified for having great opportunities for investment in foods and beverages, technology, textiles, leather tanning and real estate.

But Bangladesh has to take a lot of infrastructural development projects to achieve expected economic growth while there is a thirst for low-cost financing to implement such works.

The meeting will also be attended, among others, by Finance Secretary Mahbub Ahmed and Economic Relations Division Secretary Mohammad Mesbahuddin. l

Beach Hatchery rights offer rejected n Tribune Report

Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission has rejected rights offer proposal of Beach Hatchery, as the company did follow the country’s accounting standards in preparing its financial statements.

The company in a statement yesterday said BSEC is not in a position to consider the application of Beach Hatchery

for issuance of rights shares as the audited financial statements of the company for the period ended on May 31, 2014 have not been prepared as per Bangladesh Accounting Standards, which is a requirement under securities rules.

Earlier, its board had recommended increasing the authorised capital of the company from Tk100 crore to Tk200 crore and to raise paid up capital by issuing two rights shares for every share

of Tk10 each.

The raised fund through rights offer was supposed to be used for acquisition of two deep sea going steel bodied trawlers with modern equipment and facilities for optimisation of fish catching and also to be involved in exporting of shrimps and fish.

Yesterday, share prices of the company fell 1.7% to Tk24 a share at the Dhaka Stock Exchange. l

B2

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Stocks rally with higher turnover

DSE key features August 19-2014

n Tribune Report

Number of Contract

Stocks gained yesterday with increased participation, after profit-booking losses in the previous two sessions.

The benchmark DSEX rose 22 points or 0.5% to 4,576, lifted by mainly two heavyweights – Grameenphone (GP) and Square Pharmaceuticals – that rallied 0.8% and 1.9% respectively.

The Shariah index rose 7 points or 0.8% to 1,070. The comprising blue chips DS30 closed at 1,733 with a rise of over 21 points or 1%.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, was up by 40 points to 8,581.

Turnover improved by more than 20% over the previous session and stood at Tk742 crore. However, market breadth remained negative as out of 301 issues traded, 108 advanced, 171 declined and 22 remained unchanged.

Among the major sectors, cement, engineering, telecommunication and pharmaceuticals gained 3%, 1.4%, 1.3% and 1.2% respectively.

Textile sector was the worst sufferer shedding 1.6%, snapping its rally over the few sessions.

The financial sectors – non-bank-

ing financial institutions and banks – went down by 0.8% and 0.2% respectively. Food and allied lost 0.6%.

Khulna Paper and Packaging Ltd, in its second trading day, lost 1.9% to Tk36.4 a share. It rose 271% on its offer value in its debut day.

IDLC Investments said spurred buy last session’s cautious stance, investors moved ahead today with strong focus on June year-end companies.

It said in anticipation of better corporate declarations, investors re-balanced their positions amid stable macro-economic scenario.

“Market participants’ confidence is getting stronger and subsequently influencing investors return to market from side-line.”

Lanka Bangla Securities said after showing a strong move to the upside in early trading session, market has moved roughly sideways throughout the day hovering around the best level of the day at 4,576 points.

MJL Bangladesh Ltd has remained the most traded stock of the day with Tk52.8 crore worth of turnover.

It was followed by Beximco Ltd, ACI Ltd, Lafarge Surma Cement, GP, BSRM Steel, Square Pharmaceuticals and Appollo Ispat. l

Daily capital market highlights

160,804,507 149,428

Traded Issues

301

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

98

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

198

CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSER Company

Closing (% Change)

Shampur Sugar -Z AIMS First -A Zahintex Ind.-N Prime Textile -A Grameen M F One-A 1st ICB M F -A Delta SpinnersA 2nd ICB M F -A Trust Bank 1st MF-A Matin Spinning-N

-7.25 -5.98 -5.53 -5.49 -4.99 -4.96 -4.81 -4.77 -4.76 -4.68

CSE LOSER Company 6th ICB M F-A Prime Islami Life -A ICB AMCL 2nd NRB -A ICB AMCL 1st NRB -A IFIC 1st MF-A Grameen M F One-A AIMS First -A Samata LeatheR -Z Wata Chemicals -A Delta SpinnersA

Closing (% Change) -10.00 -9.07 -8.42 -8.21 -6.67 -6.14 -5.70 -5.50 -5.35 -5.26

Average (% Change) -7.25 -5.82 -1.17 -3.02 -5.34 -4.89 -4.77 -5.40 -3.71 -1.39 Average (% Change) -10.04 -8.99 -8.61 -8.21 -5.50 -4.21 -4.96 -5.50 -7.04 -4.60

ANALYST

(+) 0.49%

1733.90452

(+) 1.25%

14100.49050

(+) 0.45%

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 394.72 144.10 163.11 859.50 190.80 1152.81 0.82 827.25 1258.48 182.75 65.34 36.20 12.36 643.46 47.46 127.52 68.09 434.70 175.09 640.48 0.34

▲ ▲

11493.26970

(+) 1.46%

▲

8581.37420

(+) 0.47%

▲

ClosingAvg. 6.40 40.16 22.78 22.78 38.81 856.00 20.15 242.50 6.23 51.81

ClosingAvg. 59.40 78.27 8.70 25.70 5.67 39.11 40.39 27.50 262.80 20.13

Closing

DHIGH

6.40 39.30 22.20 22.40 38.10 855.40 19.80 241.70 6.00 50.90

Closing

6.80 41.60 23.50 23.70 40.50 865.00 21.00 242.10 6.50 53.60

DHIGH

59.40 78.20 8.70 25.70 5.60 38.20 39.70 27.50 269.00 19.80

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,421.13

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

29.35

CSE key features August 19-2014 547.47

59.40 80.00 8.70 25.70 5.90 41.20 41.30 27.50 273.00 21.00

14,389,670

Number of Contract

20,888

Traded Issues

233

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

76

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

150

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

7

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,314.26

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

28.05

Turnover in Million

DLOW 6.40 39.10 21.90 22.00 37.90 852.20 19.50 241.00 6.00 50.50

0.032 25.962 10.428 4.238 23.153 0.428 25.127 0.097 6.981 117.192

Turnover in Million

DLOW 59.40 78.20 8.70 25.70 5.60 38.00 39.50 27.50 258.00 19.00

10.00 7.80 7.70 7.37 7.37 6.46 6.08 5.63 4.45 4.27

Latest EPS -61.36 4.71 0.95 1.13 3.40 38.55 1.41 33.24 0.91 2.99

Latest EPS

0.006 0.016 0.009 0.026 0.357 1.076 2.050 0.028 0.788 2.449

6.47 4.95 1.40 4.57 0.72 3.40 4.71 0.09 6.20 1.41

Latest PE -ve 8.5 24.0 20.2 11.4 22.2 14.3 7.3 6.8 17.3

Latest PE 9.2 15.8 6.2 5.6 7.9 11.5 8.6 305.6 42.4 14.3

Company Samorita Hospital -A Continental Insur. -A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A ACI Limited- A MJL BD Ltd.-A Beximco Pharma -A Prime Insur -A Premier Cement-A Titas Gas TDCLA ISN Ltd. -Z

Closing (% Change) 9.92 8.10 7.80 7.58 7.41 6.90 5.88 5.77 4.74 4.55

Average (% Change) 10.00 4.94 6.18 4.85 5.15 6.68 (3.03) 4.74 3.76 2.54 Average (% Change) 9.92 8.10 5.06 3.85 6.01 5.24 5.88 6.92 3.07 5.10

ClosingAvg. 143.00 36.57 110.03 45.80 329.13 94.54 969.70 63.80 87.78 12.10

ClosingAvg. 97.50 22.70 36.55 324.31 109.46 45.79 19.80 94.99 80.70 11.53

Closing 143.00 37.30 111.90 46.60 335.00 95.60 960.00 63.80 89.10 12.20

Closing 97.50 22.70 37.30 335.00 111.60 46.50 19.80 95.30 81.70 11.50

DHIGH 143.00 37.50 114.00 47.20 339.00 97.80 961.00 63.80 89.60 12.40

DHIGH 97.50 23.00 37.50 338.60 113.90 47.10 19.80 97.00 82.00 11.90

DLOW 143.00 34.70 104.20 43.50 309.60 90.00 915.00 63.80 85.00 11.90

DLOW 97.50 21.70 32.00 290.00 93.60 42.00 19.80 91.90 70.30 10.80

Turnover in Million 0.029 490.499 529.310 148.289 383.227 47.987 0.032 0.006 53.211 1.026

Turnover in Million 0.049 0.114 76.301 11.591 17.723 6.926 0.005 3.097 2.151 0.017

Latest EPS -11.08 0.88 5.04 3.94 9.22 3.67 0.00 -43.81 4.23 0.50

Latest EPS 2.20 3.10 0.88 9.22 5.04 3.94 1.28 3.67 8.29 0.20

Latest PE -ve 41.6 21.8 11.6 35.7 25.8 -ve 20.8 24.2

Latest PE 44.3 7.3 41.5 35.2 21.7 11.6 15.5 25.9 9.7 57.7

News, analysis and recent disclosers GRAMEENS2: The Trustee Committee of the Fund has approved the audited accounts of the fund for the year ended on June 30, 2014. The Fund has reported net profit of Tk. 211,455,872.00 with earnings per unit of Tk. 1.54. Taking into consideration available fund from profit & distributable reserves, the Trustee Committee approved 15% reinvestment units as dividend for the year ended on 30th June 2014 to be issued at a valuation on the last published NAV per unit before the record date. Record date: 01.09.2014.

GRAMEEN1: The Trustee Committee of the Fund has approved the audited accounts of the fund for the year ended on June 30, 2014. The Fund has reported net profit of Tk. 86,982,148.00 with earnings per unit of Tk. 3.41. Taking into consideration available fund from profit & distributable reserves, the Trustee Committee approved 30% reinvestment units as dividend for the year ended on 30th June 2014 to be issued at a valuation on the last published NAV per unit before the record date. Record date: 01.09.2014.

DSE NEWS: Amendments of section 54 of Income Tax Ordinance, 1984 in connection with deduction of tax from dividends: This is for kind information of all concerned that section 54 of Income Tax Ordinance, 1984 in connection with deduction of tax from dividends has been amended through Finance Bill 2014-15 in the following manner: In the sub-clause (ii) of clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 54 of Ordinance No. XXXVI of 1984, "at the rate of ten per cent where the person receiving such dividend furnishes his twelve-digit Taxpayer's Identification Number (TIN) to the payer or fifteen per cent where the person

receiving such dividend fails to furnish his twelve-digit Taxpayer's Identification Number (TIN) to the payer" will be inserted instead of "at the rate of ten per cent".

GPHISPAT: As per Regulation 30 of DSE Listing Regulations, the Company has informed that a meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on August 23, 2014 at 10:30 AM to consider, among others, audited financial statements of the Company for the year ended on April 30, 2014.

IPO Subscription: Khan Brothers PP Woven Bag Industries Ltd. subscription date 24-28 August 2014, NRB upto 06 September 2014. @ taka 10, face value taka 10 and market lot 500. Western Marine Shipyard Limited subscription date 10-14 August 2014, NRB upto 23 August 2014. @ taka 35, face value taka 10 and market lot 100.

Right Share: MIDASFIN: Subscription period for rights issue will be from 01.09.2014 to 30.09.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 03.08.2014.

ICB: Subscription period for rights issue will be from 07.12.2014 to 30.12.2014. Record date for entitlement of rights share: 09.09.2014.

Dividend/AGM

Dividend of Mutual Funds: 1JANATAMF: 12.50% 'Re-Investment' Units. EXIM1STMF: 12% 'Re-Investment' Units. IFIC1STMF: 9% 'Re-Investment' Units. FBFIF: 10% 'Re-Investment' Units. TRUSTB1MF: 10% Re-Investment Units. EBL1STMF: 7% cash dividend. PHPMF1: 10% Re-Investment Units. EBLNRBMF: 10% Re-Investment Units. ABB1STMF: 10% Re-Investment Units. POPULAR1MF: 12% Re-Investment Units. DBH1STMF: 0.60% cash dividend.

GREENDELMF: No dividend. Record date.

Record date: 01.09.2014.

AIMS1STMF: 50% 'Re-Investment' Units as dividend, Record date: 01.09.2014.

RELIANCE1: 11% cash dividend, Record date: 01.09.2014.

APEXFOODS: 20% cash, AGM: 28.09.2014, Record date: 21.08.2014.

APEXTANRY: 45% cash, AGM: 23.09.2014, Record date: 27.08.2014.

NLI1STMF: 12% cash, Record date: 25.08.2014.

SEBL1STMF: 12% cash, Record date: 25.08.2014.

Dividend of ICB AMCL Managed MFs: ICBSONALI1 10% cash, IFILISLMF1 10% cash, ICB3RDNRB 5% cash, PF1STMF 5% cash, PRIME1ICBA 5% cash, ICBEPMF1S1 5% cash, ICBAMCL2ND 5% cash, ICB2NDNRB 10% cash, ICB1STNRB 30% cash, ICBISLAMIC 20% cash. Record Date: 20.08.2014.

DELTASPINN: 10% cash, AGM: 30.08.2014, Record date: 14.08.2014.

ICB MF Dividend: 8THICB: 120% cash, 7THICB: 130% cash, 12.08.2014, 6THICB: 110% cash, 5THICB: 225% cash , 4THICB: 250% cash, 3RDICB: 250% cash, 2NDICB: 400% cash, 1STICB: 800% cash. Record date: 12.08.2014.

NAVANACNG: 15% cash, AGM: 25.09.2014, Record Date: 10.08.2014.

SUNLIFEINS: 5% stock, AGM: 15.09.2014, Record Date: 07.08.2014.

SQURPHARMA: 30% cash and 15% stock, AGM: 25.09.2014, Record Date: 26.08.2014. NAV of Tk. 22,277.52 million, EPS of Tk. 8.36.

APEXSPINN: 20% cash, AGM: 28.09.2014, Record date: 07.08.2014. EPS Tk. 2.24, NAV per share of Tk. 49.75.

Market participants’ confidence is getting stronger and subsequently influencing investors return to market from side-line

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

▲

Northern Jute -Z BEXIMCO Ltd. -A MJL BD Ltd.-A Beximco Pharma -A ACI Limited- A Premier Cement-A ACI ZERO Bond-A Jute SpinnersA M.I. Cement-A Shinepukur Cera-Z

Closing (% Change)

CSE GAINER

Turnover (Million Taka) 4576.36771

DSE - 30 Index :

Company

7,425.34

Turnover (Volume)

DSE Broad Index :

DSE GAINER

Turnover (Million Taka) Turnover (Volume)

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

% change 5.32 1.94 2.20 11.58 2.57 15.53 0.01 11.14 16.95 0.88 0.49 0.17 8.67 0.64 1.72 0.92 5.85 2.36 8.63 0.00

Million Taka 23.50 9.39 12.43 52.54 11.05 53.08 66.24 62.84 53.31 1.48 11.63 1.67 45.83 46.04 5.42 3.27 39.29 31.49 89.97 0.01

CSE

% change 3.79 1.51 2.00 8.47 1.78 8.55 0.00 10.68 10.13 8.59 0.24 1.87 0.27 7.39 7.42 0.87 0.53 6.33 5.08 14.50 0.00

Million Taka 418.22 153.48 175.54 912.04 201.85 1205.89 0.82 893.49 1321.32 236.05 66.82 47.83 14.03 689.29 93.49 132.94 71.36 473.99 206.58 730.45 0.35

Total

% change 5.20 1.91 2.18 11.34 2.51 14.99 0.01 11.10 16.42 2.93 0.83 0.59 0.17 8.57 1.16 1.65 0.89 5.89 2.57 9.08 0.00

Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company MJL BD Ltd.-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A ACI Limited- A LafargeS Cement-Z Grameenphone-A BSRM Steels-A Square Pharma -A Appollo Ispat CL -N Khulna Printing-N Titas Gas TDCLA CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Khulna Printing-N Grameenphone-A LafargeS Cement-Z The Peninsula CTG.-N Appollo Ispat CL -N MJL BD Ltd.-A Square Pharma -A BD Submarine Cable-A BSC-A

VolumeShares 4,810,721 13,410,827 1,164,358 3,278,000 1,004,450 2,806,320 873,317 7,035,800 4,638,500 1,935,361

Value in Million 529.31 490.50 383.23 373.55 340.12 258.02 240.60 223.70 182.36 155.25

% of TotalTurnover 7.13 6.61 5.16 5.03 4.58 3.47 3.24 3.01 2.46 2.09

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

2,087,741 1,122,500 77,800 220,000 628,000 681,200 161,913 52,211 71,336 21,205

76.30 43.26 26.27 25.11 22.84 21.57 17.72 14.47 13.02 12.31

14.06 7.97 4.84 4.63 4.21 3.98 3.27 2.67 2.40 2.27

ClosingP 111.90 37.30 335.00 114.80 338.20 93.20 277.90 31.20 36.40 81.60

ClosingP

37.30 35.70 336.20 114.80 36.00 31.30 111.60 276.50 182.80 585.75

Change % 7.70 7.80 7.37 0.88 0.71 1.75 1.87 -3.70 -1.89 4.21

Change %

7.80 -2.46 0.00 0.44 1.98 -3.10 7.41 1.24 0.61 0.34

ClosingY 103.90 34.60 312.00 113.80 335.80 91.60 272.80 32.40 37.10 78.30

ClosingY

34.60 36.60 336.20 114.30 35.30 32.30 103.90 273.10 181.70 583.75

DHIGH

DLOW

114.00 37.50 339.00 117.00 344.00 94.00 280.00 33.10 41.60 82.00

104.20 34.70 309.60 109.30 334.00 89.20 272.80 31.10 35.50 77.70

DHIGH

DLOW

37.50 41.40 342.70 117.00 36.90 32.90 113.90 282.00 184.80 588.00

32.00 35.00 334.30 108.50 35.20 31.20 93.60 273.00 175.00 573.25

AvgPrice 110.03 36.57 329.13 113.96 338.62 91.94 275.50 31.79 39.31 80.22

AvgPrice

36.55 38.54 337.61 114.14 36.36 31.67 109.46 277.19 182.56 580.49

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

B3

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Global stocks head higher as risk appetite returns n Reuters, London Global stocks rose and core bonds barely moved on renewed investor appetite for risk yesterday, driven by a lack of escalation of the Ukraine crisis and upbeat US housing data that buoyed Asian and European markets.

"The situation in Ukraine is still very tense, but slowly investors are getting used to it and turning their focus back on the macro and micro data, and earnings have been quite good," said Arnaud Scarpaci, fund manager at Montaigne Capital Equities are still trading broadly near multi-year highs despite the past month's jitters over geopolitical risk, with investors keeping a close eye on economic data and central-banker com-

n AFP, Tokyo

Closely watched inflation data for July from the UK and US were due later on Tuesday ments for indications of interest-rate moves after years of crisis-era rock-bottom benchmark borrowing rates.

Closely watched inflation data for July from the UK and US were due later on Tuesday.

The MSCI World Index, which tracks stocks from developed economies, was up 0.17% at 1,730.33 points at 0437 EST, compared with its all-time high of 1,765.77 points reached in July.

The FTSEurofirst 300 index of top European shares was up 0.43%, led by gains in Germany, where the bluechip DAX index was up 1%. The index, which is traded as a proxy for the Ukraine crisis given Germany's strong trade ties with Russia, is down some 7 percent from its June highs.

Ukrainian government forces have been fighting separatists for four months in the Russian-speaking east of

Traders are pictured at their desks in front of the DAX board at the Frankfurt stock exchange Ukraine. A reported attack on a Russian convoy on Friday had sparked fears of Russian retaliation but the Kiev military has since reported new successes after raising the national flag in Luhansk, previously a stronghold of the rebels.

European trading followed on from gains in Asia and Wall Street, where US equities rose to their highest level since late July and the U.S. dollar index .DXY edged back toward an 11-month high after upbeat housing data.

Emerging markets also benefited,

with the MSCI Emerging Market index up 0.5%.

German 10-year bund yields DE10YT=TWEB were unchanged at 1.01%, just above record lows hit at the end of last week, while yields on lower rated bonds dipped.

Spanish and Italian equivalents dipped 2 basis points to 2.33 and 2.62%, respectively, while Portugal's dropped 4 bps to 3.47%. Greek equivalents were unchanged at 5.92%.

Later in the week, investors will be

Gold ticks up on fund inflows, safe-haven demand

n AFP, Singapore

A sales assistant arranges gold necklaces at a store in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province REUTERS

tralia & New Zealand operations at ETF Securities said in an email.

The firm's gold exchange-traded products saw $75.5m of inflows last week, bringing the trailing four-week total to $282.6m, the highest since Au-

keeping a close eye on today’s release of minutes from the Federal Reserve's July policy meeting as well as comments from the Fed's summit in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which starts on Thursday.

A rally in July spurred hopes the dollar was ready for a push higher, long predicted by many of the biggest investment houses, but on which it has consistently failed to deliver over the past year. That casts the steadying of the euro and other currencies so far

REUTERS

this month as just a hiccup, but opinion in the market is divided.

"We're back in this zone really where it could go either way," said a dealer with one London bank. "The data over the next couple of days, and (Fed Chair Janet) Yellen's appearance, could be the key to breaking us out of this range, but we have been here before. This year's model is range-trading."

US crude oil CLc1 and Brent crude futures LCOc1 were slightly higher, respectively up 0.4% and 0.1%. l

Oil prices rebound in Asia

n Reuters, Singapore Gold snapped a two-day losing streak yesterday as geopolitical tensions and fund inflows boosted the safe-haven metal, but gains were kept in check by strength in equities and the dollar.

Equity markets rose after Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said all issues around a humanitarian convoy sent by Moscow to relieve needy areas of eastern Ukraine had been resolved. Moscow said it would like a ceasefire to allow aid to get to people trapped by the fighting.

However, tensions remain high, with Ukraine saying that dozens of people, including women and children, were killed as they fled fighting in eastern Ukraine on Monday when their convoy of buses was hit by rocket fire.

Spot gold rose 0.2% to $1,299.35 an ounce by 0332 GMT, after dropping 0.6% in the previous session. US gold gained about $1 to $1,300.70.

"Investors appear to believe that a number of tail risks are becoming increasingly less remote and are seeking hedges," Danny Laidler, head of Aus-

Dollar firm in Asia as Ukraine tensions ease

gust 2012, Laidler said.

Meanwhile, SPDR Gold Trust, the world's largest gold-backed exchangetraded fund, said its holdings rose 2.09 tonnes to 797.69 tonnes on Monday, the first inflow in nearly four weeks. l

Oil prices rebounded in Asia yesterday on bargain-hunting after tumbling on easing concerns about conflicts in Ukraine and Iraq, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate (WTI) for September delivery rose 38 cents to $96.79, while Brent crude for October was up 23 cents to $101.83 in afternoon trade.

WTI fell 94 cents in New York trade Monday, while Brent sank $1.93 in London to hit its lowest level since June 2013.

"We are seeing a continued trend in the past few days of gains in Asia-Pacific trading after overnight falls," Michael McCarthy, chief market strategist at CMC Markets in Sydney, told AFP. "Oil prices generally are continuing to fall with the dying down of geopolitical tensions in Ukraine and Iraq," McCarthy said.

A declaration by Ukraine last week that it had destroyed some Russian armoured cars had sparked fears that the simmering tensions between the neighbours could escalate into a fullfledged war.

Such a development could cause

energy prices to surge as Russia is the world's number-two oil producer, and Ukraine is a key conduit for Moscow's gas exports to Europe.

But talks late Sunday that also involved the foreign ministers of Germany and France concluded with an agreement for the sides to meet again and continue trying to de-escalate the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War. Concerns over the ongoing Islamist insurgency in Iraq, the OPEC cartel's second biggest producer, have also eased, McCarthy said.

"The involvement of Western forces have caused significant setbacks for the jihadists," McCarthy said.

"Dealers are confident we won't see any major destabilising event in that conflict which could disrupt supply," he added.

Kurdish officials said their fighters, backed by US warplanes, have retaken the country's largest dam from the so-called Islamic State group, as the United States and Britain step up their military involvement.

The group controls large swathes of Iraq's north and west after a sweeping offensive that began on June 9. l

The dollar held steady in Asia yesterday as concerns over a Ukrainian clash with Russia eased, while investors looked to a speech by the US Federal Reserve chief this week.

In afternoon Tokyo trade, the greenback rose to 102.62 yen, from 102.57 yen in New York and 102.32 yen in Tokyo earlier Monday.

The euro was weaker at $1.3351 from $1.3363, while it bought 137.04 yen against 137.05 yen in US trade.

"There was a general easing of geopolitical tensions, with no new developments being good news in Ukraine and Gaza," National Australia Bank said in a note.

The Japanese yen and Swiss franc, considered safe-haven currencies in times of turmoil, notched up gains Friday after Ukraine said it had destroyed some Russian armoured cars, sparking fears of an escalation. Moscow dismissed the claim.

A weekend meeting of the two nations' foreign ministers, which also involved officials from France and Germany, concluded with an agreement for the sides to meet again and continue trying to de-escalate the worst EastWest crisis since the Cold War. In the Gaza Strip, a new 24-hour ceasefire came into effect yesterday after Israeli and Palestinian negotiators agreed to extend a five-day truce, minutes before a midnight deadline, to allow for further talks on a long-term deal.

Later Tuesday, investors were looking to US inflation data for July to get a snapshot of the state of the world's number one economy.

Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen is to deliver a keynote address at the central bank's annual economic conference this week, with investors eyeing any change in the timeline for raising interest rates. l

Goldman to face Libya’s sovereign wealth fund in court over trades n Reuters, London Goldman Sachs and Libya’s sovereign wealth fund are set to meet in a London court over claims the Wall Street bank exploited a position of trust by encouraging the fund to invest more than $1bn in trades that ended up worthless.

Goldman had filed a summary judgment application - a request to decide a claim without going to trial - in the case brought by the Libyan Investment Authority (LIA) in January, but has recently withdrawn it, the LIA said in a statement.

“Following the serving of the LIA’s reply evidence, Goldman Sachs has withdrawn its summary judgment application,” the LIA said.

A case management hearing has now been scheduled for early October.

Goldman did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A spokesperson previously described the claims as without merit and said the bank would defend them vigorously. l

Green Delta Insurance Company Limited has recently held its half yearly business conference for the on-going year. The company’s chair AQM Nurul Absar attended the conference as chief guest

Bangladesh Commerce Bank Limited recently opened its 44th branch at Kangshanagar Bazar in Burichong, Comilla. The bank’s chairperson, Md Yousuf Ali Howlader inaugurated the branch as chief guest

Bangladesh Development Bank Limited’s chairperson, Professor Santi Narayan Ghosh has recently handed over a dividend of Tk10 crore to Finance Minister AMA Muhith

Marico Bangladesh Limited, a leading FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) company in the beauty and wellness sector has held its 14th annual general meeting yesterday at a hotel in Dhaka. The company’s shareholders approved a final cash dividend of 50% of its face value at the meeting that was presided over by the company’s CEO, Saugata Gupta

Exim Bank has recently held a half yearly conference for its relationship managers at a hotel in Dhaka. The bank’s chairperson, Md Nazrul Islam Mazumder was present at the conference as chief guest while its managing director, Dr Mohammed Haider Ali Miah presided over the conference

First Security Islami Bank Limited has recently renewed its corporate agreement with Prime Islami Life Insurance Limited at the presence of the bank’s deputy managing director Syed Habib Hasnat and Md Rafiq Ahmed, the chief financial officer at the life insurance company

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Japan's Kewpie adapts menu to feed ageing nation n Reuters, Tokyo Back in 1960, Japan's Kewpie Corp began selling canned baby food, sensing a chance to catch a wave of young families raising kids in an economy roaring back to growth after the devastation of World War Two. Almost 55 years later, the Tokyobased company sees a new opportunity opening up in rapidly ageing Japan as parents who brought kids up on Kewpie approach their sunset years - what it calls "nursing care food" for the elderly.

Kewpie says it's on the brink of turning a profit on a range of stewed or pureed ready-to-eat meals called "Gentle Menu", currently sold in specialist sections of drugstores and a small number of supermarkets. Served in plastic pouches, they're aimed at the growing numbers of elderly Japanese who have difficulty chewing and swallowing, but crave the taste of favourites like beef sukiyaki.

Known for its signature baby mascot and mayonnaise, Kewpie estimates it now accounts for roughly 70% of sales in a niche food market in Japan worth nearly $30 million. That number is dwarfed by Kewpie's annual revenue of close to $5 billion, but growth is expected to be swift: the market nearly doubled in the last four years, according to market research firm Fuji Keizai, and official government estimates say it's potentially worth tens of billions of dollars.

With limited distribution and money being spent on advertising, "Gentle Menu" is unprofitable for now. But Tsutomu Morota, who heads Kewpie's healthcare food unit, says it will probably become profitable next year.

"What we need to do is to make it easier for consumers to access our goods by securing stores that sell our products. We need to work on direct marketing, which includes home deliveries," Morota told Reuters. "We want to strengthen our brand by introducing it into various places, like nursing homes and restaurants."

A staff arranges Kewpie Corp's nursing care food packages on a display shelf at an Ito-Yokado shopping centre in Tokyo With one in four in the country above the age of 65, Kewpie's gambit comes as Japanese consumer goods face growing pressure to find new products to stimulate domestic demand, or boost exports - or both. In 2012, Unicharm Corp, Japan's biggest diaper maker said its sales of diapers for adults topped those for babies for

the first time.

Kewpie and other makers of food for the elderly say they're concentrating on boosting the domestic market for now, and that variations in international food preferences make direct exports a limited prospect. But the expertise they're developing is attracting interest from overseas: Thai and South Korean

researchers, government officials and food makers have already visited Japan to find out more about the business of food for the elderly.

The company that built its fortune on selling jars of mayonnaise in 1920s Japan has learned from experience over the decades since it started selling baby food that it can take time to turn inno-

REUTERS

vation into a product people will buy.

Kewpie first tried selling food for the elderly to hospitals in the late 1980s, packaging the contents in the same bottles they used to sell baby food. The product flopped.

A decade later, Kewpie came back, this time marketing to consumers for use at home. It has also lowered prices,

increased the variety of food on offer and set out to build a more appetizing brand, naming the product line "Gentle Menu" and using the slogan "The joy of eating" in its advertising.

Each serving now costs 180 yen ($1.76), a sharp drop from 300 yen in 1999. It also offers more than 60 different products compared with just eight at the outset, although the company admits some have been slow to catch on, like its jellied scrambled eggs.

Japan's Ministry of Agriculture is bullish about prospects for a business it believes could help support the country's beleaguered farm sector. The ministry projects that if everyone in Japan above the age of 65 were to spend on average $13 a day on food - a projection food industry executives take with a hefty dose of salt the market would be worth $24bn.

Alongside questions about older people's food budgets, Kewpie is still grappling with problematic distribution. Japanese supermarkets experimented with stocking food for the elderly in their regular food sections more than a decade ago, but pulled the offerings when they failed to sell.

Supermarket chain Ito Yokado, owned by convenience store giant Seven & I Holdings Co Ltd, has seen its sales of food for the elderly rise consistently over the past decade. It attributes that success to a decision to devote a special corner of its stores - and dedicated staff - to selling nursing care products including special foods.

"There are still a lot of people who don't know what food for the elderly is," said Shogo Aoto, head of nursing goods at Seven & I. "We need our staff to be able to explain what it is."

Meanwhile, Japan's bureaucrats are also working to give "nursing care food" a makeover. The Ministry of Agriculture has been leading an effort to come up with a more appealing name for the category: candidates includes "active life support food", "lively, energetic food", "easy food" and "happy food". l

Britain's top bosses earn '143 times more' than staff n AFP, London

EU announces aid to growers hit by Russian embargo

The heads of Britain's largest companies earned 143 times as much as their average employee last year, a study said, exposing the growing pay gap between bosses and workers.

The wage divide has nearly tripled since 1998, when the average chief executive of firms in the FTSE 100 earned 47 times as much as staff, the report found.

The British government has brought in laws to curb executive pay and bonuses since the financial crisis, but a severe squeeze on wage growth has fuelled public anger about highly-paid senior executives.

"When bosses make hundreds of times as much money as the rest of the workforce, it creates a deep sense of unfairness," said Deborah Hargreaves, director of the High Pay Centre thinktank, which wrote the report.

The largest pay gap was at mining group Randgold Resources, where boss Mark Bristow was paid £4.4 million ($7.36 million, 5.5 million euros) last year – 1,500 as much as his average employee.

Martin Sorrell, who heads up marketing giant WPP, took home a pay package nearly 800 times bigger than his employees of £29.8m, the study found.

At retailer Next, boss Simon Wolfson earned almost 460 times as much as his average worker in 2013 - but then chose to distribute his bonus to staff.

The study comes after the Bank of England last week halved its pay growth forecast for this year to below the rate of inflation at 1.25%.

Governor Mark Carney said the figures reflected "relatively unprecedented weak wage growth" in Britain.

The gloomy forecast came after official data showed that annual pay fell by 0.2% in the second quarter of the year - the first decline since the height of the financial crisis in 2009.

The squeeze on people's spending power comes even as Britain's growth picked up pace, with the economy now bigger than before the start of the global financial meltdown in 2008. l

The European Commission on Monday announced a series of exceptional measures to help growers hit by a Russian ban on fruit and vegetable imports.

The products in question are in full harvesting season, with little hope of finding alternative markets to replace demand from Russia in time, the Commission said.

A European official said the primary recipients of the compensation will be Russian neighbours Poland and Lithuania as well as Belgium and the Netherlands.

The 125m euros ($170m) of measures cover tomatoes, carrots, white cabbage, peppers, cauliflowers, cucumbers, as well as mushrooms, apples, pears, berries, grapes and kiwis, the EU's executive arm said.

"All farmers of the concerned prod-

DILBERT

n AFP, Brussels

Customers enter and exit a Tesco shop in central London

REUTERS

UK inflation falls more than expected, reduces chance of 2014 rate rise n Reuters, London British inflation eased more than expected in July and the pace of house price growth slowed in June, according to data that underscored the Bank of England's message that it is in no rush to hike interest rates.

Consumer prices rose 1.6% on the year in July, the Office for National Statistics said on Tuesday, down from a five-month high of 1.9% in June.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast that inflation would fall to 1.8%. After the data's release, they said the figures reduced any remaining pressure on the BoE to raise interest rates this year.

Last week, some economists pushed back their expectations for the BoE's first rate increase, to February instead of November, after the central bank slashed its forecasts for wage growth this year.

Sterling fell to a four-month low against the dollar and British government bonds rose after the data.

Separate data showed annual house

prices grew 10.2% in June, down from 10.4% in May. The ONS said house prices rose 10.2 percent during the second quarter compared with a year ago, the biggest annual increase since the third quarter of 2007. But the first annual fall in factory-gate prices since 2009 underlined how weak inflation is by most measurements.

"This further eases the pressure on the BoE to consider near-term interest rate rises and pushes the balance more in favor of a delay to rate hikes versus our current November official view for the first policy tightening move," said James Knightley, an economist at ING. Until last December, annual inflation had exceeded the Bank of England's 2% target every month since December 2009, eroding the spending power of households and making the fall in living standards a political issue before next year's election.

The fall in inflation this year has helped the Bank of England to hold off on raising interest rates, despite Britain's surprisingly strong economic recovery. l

ucts - whether in producer organisations or not - will be eligible to take up these market support measures where they see fit," said Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos in a statement.

The Russian embargo, announced earlier this month, came in retaliation against US and European sanctions over Moscow's alleged role in separatist violence in eastern Ukraine.

Set to last for a year, the Russian ban covers imports of meats, fruits and vegetables, fish, and dairy products from the European Union, the United States, Australia, Canada and Norway.

The aid, effective from Monday until November, will mainly involve withdrawing products from the EU market in a bid to prop up prices.

For the move, the Commission will use a special emergency fund of 400 million euros that was already tapped into last week to intervene in the peach market.

Fruits are on display at a market

The European Commission said it will continue to follow developments "and will not hesitate to support further sectors heavily dependent on exports to Russia or to adapt the measures already announced, if necessary".

EU ministers have been putting pressure on Brussels to compensate farmers affected by the crisis, but the commission said it would remain cautious and act only on a case-by-case basis.

The EU estimates exports to Russia normally reach about 5.2bn euros a year.

EU officials argue that the worst effects of Moscow's embargo will be felt in Russia where about 60% of food needs are imported.

Speaking in Latvia on Monday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Western sanctions against Russia "must continue". l

AFP

Standard Chartered nears deal over compliance failure n Reuters, New York Standard Chartered Plc is close to a deal to pay between $200m and $300m to resolve allegations by New York’s banking regulator that it failed to review highrisk transactions, two years after agreeing to reform its practices, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday.

The announcement of the settlement could come this week, possibly as soon as Tuesday, according to the person, who was not authorized to speak about the talks and declined to be identified.

The penalty would be the second the British bank has paid to the New York Department of Financial Services

in two years. In August 2012, Standard Chartered agreed to a $340m settlement over allegations that it stripped identifying information from transactions linked to Iran, making it impossible for US banks to detect them.

A person familiar with the matter previously told Reuters that a

compliance monitor installed as part of the 2012 deal detected the latest problem. It is unclear precisely what transactions are at issue in the current probe.

A Standard Chartered spokeswoman declined to comment. A spokeswoman for the regulator did not immediately respond to a request for comment. l