26 sep, 2014

Ashwin 11, 1421 Zilqad 30, 1435 Regd No DA 6238 Vol 2, No 175

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

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WEEKEND

7 | LONG FORM

11 | OP-ED

B1 | BUSINESS

REACH FOR THE SKY

SIX YEARS LATER ...

ARE WE GOOD ENOUGH?

DHAKA-NEW YORK FLIGHT MAY FACE MORE DELAY

A Chhatra League vicepresident now controls the entire area where he once sold shoes along the roadside for a living

The last in a series looking at the sudden rise in wealth of BCL leaders, focuses on some of its vice-presidents

The veep stakes

Two JMB militants preparing to join Islamic State held

n Ahmed Zayeef

n Mohammad Jamil Khan

For many Chhatra League leaders who hold official posts, the student front of the ruling party has been a stepping stone for rising from decent lives to the ones of luxury, grandeur and power.

Even a footpath shoe seller has turned his fortune by rising through the ranks.

Chhatra League Vice-President Reaj Uddin Reaj was once a shoe vendor. He sold shoes in a roadside shop in front of Shundorbon Market in the capital’s Fulbaria area near Gulistan.

Two shoe vendors from the area narrated how Reaj became a central leader of the rulling party’s student front.

One of them said: “Reaj was one of us. At first he used to sell shoes along the roadside with us. Then he took up a job in a shop near the City Super Market.

“Suddenly, one day we came to know that he had managed a degree from a homeopathy college. Soon he inserted the ‘doctor’ tag before his name. He also maintained relations with some of the central leaders of Chhatra League,” he said.

A few days they learned that Reaj had got a post in the central committee.

“He then established his control over all the roadside shops in the Gulistan area. Now, he owns two flats in capital’s Narinda area.

“We [including Reaj] used to have chats after a long day at work. It now seems like a dream when we recall

Two alleged members of banned Islamist outfit Jamaat’ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were arrested in the capital early yesterday. The Detective Branch of Police claim that the duo was planning to go to Syria to receive training from terrorist group Islamic State.

In separate raids, detectives also arrested three members of another banned outfit Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami (Huji) from Rampura area on charges of working to organise Rohingyas to launch destructive activities in Myanmar.

Police arrested the JMB members – Md Asif Adnan, 26, and Md Fazle Elahi Tanzil, 24 – in Segunbagicha and Eskaton areas. Asif completed masters in economics from Dhaka University while Tanzil passed A levels from a renowned school.

They were assisted by a Bangladesh origin British citizen, police said.

A police official, on request of anonymity, said Asif is the son of retired Supreme Court judge while Tanzil’s mother is a senior bureaucrat.

Monirul Islam, joint commissioner of DB police, said the two youths had been working as active members of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) which presently works with the JMB. They were inspired by the recent video message of al-Qaeda chief Zawahiri about establishing the terrorist group’s wing in Indian sub-continent.

those days and how Reaj’s lifestyle has changed overnight.”

Phone call

When contacted, Reaj’s reaction was curtly: “If I say you are a fake journalist, will it be right?”

And then he threatened to file a case against this correspondent before

he slammed the phone down.

After a few minutes, as this reporter called Reaj again, he said: “Write that I have six flats in the capital and I am the owner of huge property. I do not want to talk to you anymore.”

Plastic fantastic

Reaj Uddin Chowdhury Shumon, an-

Former BNP partners launch new alliance NDF Al-Masum Molla n Mohammad and Manik Miazee A few leaders of the BNP-led 20-party alliance yesterday left the alliance and formed their own – the National Democratic Front – with 10 parties because of what they said grievances over the BNP’s attitude and behaviour.

Despite not having any ideological differences with the BNP-led alliance, the newly launched NDF blamed the BNP top brass for running the coalition in an autocratic manner.

‘We will wage peaceful movement to compel the government to meet our demands’ NDF Chairman Sheikh Shawkat Hossain Nilu said: “Many left the alliance because of BNP’s dominance, immoral and autocratic attitudes towards the alliance leaders.

“I did not leave the alliance; rather Khaleda Zia expelled me. Now my question is: does she has the right to expel me from the alliance?”

He said: “She did not give me any scope

for self-defence. But the additional acting secretary general told me that I had been expelled from the alliance as I had joined iftar hosted by the prime minister.”

Nilu was speaking at a press conference at the Institute of Diploma Engineers Bangladesh announcing the formation of the alliance. It is the same venue where BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia had announced the launching of the BNP-led 18-party alliance.

Before announcing the NDF, Nilu paid tribute to the country’s late leaders Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Ziaur Rahman.

Describing the NDF as an electoral alliance, he said they would compete for all the 300 constituencies in the next national election and would form the government.

Nilu, who hails from Gopalganj and formed the NPP after the army-backed caretaker government assumed office in 2007, claimed that BNP’s decision to boycott the January 5 election and not holding a meeting with visiting Indian President Pranab Mukherjee had pushed the BNP into a deep crisis.

“Out of frustrations, Khaleda Zia has been making unexpected decisions that are contradictory to her strategy,” he said.  PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

INSIDE 3 | News

The Finance Ministry has reportedly decided not to disburse any further funds to the BPC until a thorough probe on how it used two previous fund instalments from the Finance Division.

4 | News

Incidents of electrocution during the maintenance work of power lines in Dhaka has been on the rise, a consequence of the ignorance of Desco and power distribution company under the government’s Power Division.

5 | News

Rajuk has not been able to shift two religious establishment and a two-storey building from Hatirjheel-Begunbari lake area in the last few months although the Dhaka Deputy Commissioner’s Office had already arranged alternative lands for these infrastructures.

6 | Nation

It is 32 years, still the family of murdered freedom fighter and Awami League MP for the Natore 4 constituency Rafiq Sarker is crying for justice.

8 | World

Prime Minister David Cameron was preparing Thursday for a key vote on joining air strikes in Iraq as police arrested nine people, including a notorious radical preacher, accused of links to Islamist extremism.

12 | Entertainment

The Bangladesh Federation of Film Societies has selected Khalid Mahmud Mithu’s ‘Jonakir Alo’ as Bangladesh’s official entry to the Oscars 2014 in the ‘best foreign language film’ category.

13 | Sport

The Bangladesh women’s cricket team will be eyeing an improvement on their silver medal finish in the previous Asian Games in Guangzhou four years ago as they prepare to face holders Pakistan in the final after breezing to a 25-run win over Sri Lanka in the semi-final in Incheon yesterday.

other vice-president of Chhatra League, was originally a resident of Chittagong.

He is now the owner of a plastic factory in the capital’s Mugdapara.

A source from Chittagong said Shumon had earned Tk28-30 lakh by helping a Dhaka-based construction company get a food depot construction  PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

“Asif and Tanzil had plans to fly to Turkey first with the help of Tabligh Jamaat and later to Syria to get IS training with an aim to establish al-Qaeda in Myanmar,” the DB official told a press conference quoting two text messages Asif had sent to Tanzil.

At the primary interrogation, the youths confessed that a British citizen of Sylhet origin had been helping them to reach the IS militants, he added.

Three Huji members who were working to organise Rohingyas arrested with bombmaking materials Monirul also claimed that the UK citizen had been recruiting members for the IS in the sub-continent. “Police are working to trace and arrest him.”

Police also seized a computer, two pen drives and three compact discs from their procession which proved that they were preparing to join the IS, Monirul told the Dhaka Tribune after the briefing.

“Both the arrestees are known to Noki, who was arrested by the DB last week from Ashulia landing station.

They had regular communication with each other while actively working for Ansarullah Bangla Team at the time  PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

2

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, September 26, 2014

Dhaka to take position on IS and Syria cautiously n Sheikh Shahariar Zaman Bangladesh will cautiously take its position on Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and ongoing Syrian crisis against the backdrop of a resolution adopted by the UN Security Council on the issue last Wednesday.

“Terrorism and extreme violence are sensitive issues for Bangladesh. We will take position after analysing all the aspects,” said a senior official of the Foreign Ministry.

During a high-level UNSC summit chaired by US President Barack Obama, the 15-member body voted unanimously to adopt the text which called on member states to cooperate in efforts to address the threat posed by foreign terrorist fighters.

It was for the sixth time in 70 years that the Security Council had met at such a level. Kings and emirs, presidents, prime ministers and foreign ministers from about 50 countries took part in the meeting and about 40 of them spoke.

Bangladesh had sent State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam to the

ACC orders scrutiny of probe report on Petrobangla chairman n Adil Sakhawat

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday did not approve filing of a case against Petrobangla Chairman Hossain Monsur for his alleged involvement in the recruitment of 42 people violating rules, as suggested by the designated inquiry officer.

The commission ordered the inquiry officer to submit the report again after a scrutiny since it lacked sufficient evidence, said a competent source of the ACC. Last week, Inquiry Officer Assistant Director Sheikh Abdus Salam submitted the report recommending filing of a case against the Petrobangla chairman, and 10 other officials of the stateowned agency and the Karnaphuli Gas Distribution Company Limited.

The 10 people recruited the 42 persons in 13 companies under Petrobangla through bribery on the directives of the Petrobangla chairman, says the report.

The commission on March 9 appointed Deputy Director Ahsan Ali as inquiry officer to probe into the allegations of accumulating illegal wealth by the Petrobangla chairman. On April 13, the commission tasked Salam to complete the probe. l

UNSC summit to get an update on the situation, the official said.

About any military support to the coalition of about 50 countries fighting against the ISIL, he said: “Bangladesh is yet to take any position on that.”

About the UNSC resolution, he said it is binding all member countries and Bangladesh would do whatever necessary to implement it.

There is a national committee headed by the foreign secretary to implement the UNSC resolutions on combating and financing terrorism.

About the position of Iraq and Syria, he said Bangladesh supports territorial integrity and stability of both countries. “It is our main position and we made it public,” he said.

AKA Momen, permanent representative to UN, said: “Bangladesh is reviewing the resolution. We are trying to keep pace with the things moving so fast.”

More than 50 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Bahrain, Oman and Kuwait have joined the coalition to fight against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and ISIL. l

Huge amount of fake medicines are seized from a factory in Chittagong’s Khulshi area during a raid by district administration and RAB yesterday

MPs should play watchdog to end violence against woman n Afrose Jahan Chaity

Parliamentarians should play the role of watchdogs in society to prevent violence against women.

The observation came at the closing ceremony of the three-day-long regional seminar titled “Ending the cycle of violence against girls in Asia pacific” at the capital’s Pan Pacific Sonargaon Hotel yesterday.

Participated by MPs from 12 Asia Pacific countries, the seminar broadly discussed issues like child marriage, sexual abuse and domestic violence.

The discussants identified key factors to an effective legislation, its implementation and role of parliamentarians in that regard.

Whip Shahiduzzaman Sarker said parliamentarians should engage those concerned with the implementation of legislation, like law enforcers, health care professionals, social workers, civil society members, grassroots organisations, religious and community leaders.

He said these stakeholders must play role models and participate in awareness campaigns outside parlia-

ment to ensure that the knowledge over the legislation was spread properly and accessed and understood by general people.

He said: “Male parliamentarians and opinion leaders in particular should voice against gender inequality and violence against girls and women.”

Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury urged the participants to pass on the recommendations made in the seminar to their fellow parliamentarians and work together to prevent violence against women. l

Mozena’s kudos on potentials in Bangladesh n Our Correspondent, Chandpur

US Ambassador Dan Mozena has said he does not see potentials less than problems in Bangladesh.

There are many potentials as well as many problems and crises in Bangladesh, he said at a views exchange meeting at Chandpur Circuit House yesterday.

The problems and crises, like red-tapism, corruption and lack of good governance, however can be solved by its own people. It just requires them to come forward proac-

tively, he said.

Mozena praised Bangladesh for the enterprising approach of its people.

Disagreeing with others who brand Bangladesh as a poor country, he effusively said, he would like to put Bangladesh in the category of the rich countries rather than that of the poor ones given the enterprising approach of its people.

Saying that the garments industry needs to be built well and good governance established, he also said decisions, not money, matter for doing these things.

The US envoy opined that Bangladesh could soon become not only a middle income country but also a rich country if decisions were taken rightly at the right time.

Calling the developed education system the biggest challenge for Bangladesh, he said the US is a development partner of Bangladesh and for the development of education and health, the US is deeply working with Bangladesh.

Local MP and former home minister Dr Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir received the US ambassador in Chandpur. l

Former BNP partners

The veep stakes

The full-time politician who depends on donors to run his party vented anger at BNP leaders for abandoning Khaleda when she was confined on December 29 in her residence.

“I called many BNP leaders for at least 400 times but none received my calls.

Where were they on that day?” he said.

Asked why he did not take to the street, Nilu said: “We had been instructed to follow Mirza Fakhrul’s order but we did not get any; so, we could not take to the street.”

Asked about rumours of funding by intelligence agencies to split the alliance and to form a new one, he said: “I do not know anything about this.”

In his written statement, he mentioned that a few other political parties had been preparing to join the alliance. Asked if any party from the Awami League-led alliance was going to join them, Nilu said: “No, no!

Why will they join us?”

However, on the possibility of any party from the BNP alliance joining the NDF, Nilu said: “Let us hope for the best.”

On their movement strategy and programmes to oust the government, Nilu said: “We never said anything about ousting the government; we will rather wage peaceful movements to compel the government to meet our demands.”

Asked if they would ever re-join the BNP-led alliance or if they were an alternative to it, he said: “We do not believe this alliance is an alternative to the BNP alliance. We have left them.

So, for now we will not join them.”

Of the 10 parties in the NDF, five

work in Cox’s Bazar’s Jhilonjha. With the money, Shumon set up his own company.

Regarding this, Shumon said over phone: “Things are not like the way you are saying. Now I am in my hometown [Chittagong]. I will talk to you face to face and clarify everything.” But he has never rung back.

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 2

factions left the BNP-led 20-party combine. They are Nilu’s National People’s Party, National Democratic Party of Alamgir Majumdar, National Awami Party (NAP-Bhashani) of Anwarul Haq; Bangladesh Labour Party of Sekandar Ali Moni, and Bangladesh Islamic Party of MA Rashid Pradhan.

Interestingly, all the five name-only parties have factions in the BNP-led alliance.

Of the 10 parties, only the NPP is registered with the Election Commission.

The other alliance partners are Jatiyatabadi Ganatantrik Dal led by Abdul Malek Chowdhury, Bangladesh Muslim League led by Zobaiyda Quader Choudhury, Insaaf Party led by Shahid Chowdhury, Bhashani Front led by Mamtaz Chowdhury, and Trinamool NAP Bhashani led by Parveen Naser Sultana.

Nilu is the chief and Alamgir Majumdar is the secretary general of the alliance.

Alamgir read out a statement at the event, placing a nine-point demand including scrapping of the 10th parliament, holding of a new general election, and declaring February 25 as the national mourning day to mark the assassination of 57 army officials.

On the split, Khaleda at a public rally in Brahmanbaria said on Tuesday: “We are strong and will remain united. The 20-party alliance leaders are patriots. They cannot side with traitors and agents.”

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir at a programme claimed that the 20-party alliance had remained unchanged as no party had left the alliance. l

 PAGE 1 COLUMN 4

Bricking it

Another Vice-President Mukhlesur Rahman Shumon is the owner of a brick kiln in Madaripur. The kiln is located beside the Dhaka-Khulna highway in Pulia area of Vanga Upazila of Madaripur.

A number of people from the area said Shumon had grabbed the land to set up his kiln. Brick-loaded trucks have damaged the road leading to the area. “When we protested, he threatened us with dire consequences. After that, we filed a general diary with the Vanga police station.”

Shumon, however, denied the allegation, saying: “My father was a very rich man. He left huge property worth at least Tk150-200 crore. I have had money to burn. A piece of land for setting up a brick kiln is not a big deal.”

But Harun-Or-Rashid, chairman of Ajimnogor Union Parisad, where Mukhlesur lives told the Dhaka Tribune: “I have known Shumon and his family for a long time. They are well-off but not as rich as he claims. He set up the brick kiln after he became a central leader of Chhatra League.

“He also has a fuel station just opposite the brick field,” Harun said.

Banner year

Vice-President Masud Hasan Turno is the chairman of a digital banner company. His company’s office is located in Jhigatola in the capital.

“Turno comes from a very ordinary family. After he secured the post, Turno launched his business. He amassed money by lobbying for jobs and manipulating tenders,” said a Chhatra League central leader who has known Turno for a long time.

Turno, however, said his father had given him the money to start the business. “I do not have any involvement in any kind of lobbying.”

Feet of clay

Vice-President Shahinur Rashid Sohel has a ceramic shop in the capitals Monipuripara just near the Sangsad Bhaban.

He is also a director of a popular and well-known university admission test coaching centre in the capital’s Mirpur.

Sohel said: “As I am from a lower middle-class family, I had to ensure my livelihood. That is why, from the very beginning of my student life, I got involved with the coaching centre.”

Regarding the ceramic business, he said: “I had very little investment there.

But by now I have quit the business.”

According to some leaders and activists, there are many other leaders who have become rich overnight. Many of them own more assets than the two top leaders. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

3 held for cheating in JU admission test n JU Correspondent

Jahangirnagar University authorities yesterday held three youths for cheating in the first year honours admission test for 2014-15 academic sessions.

The arrestees were Aspar Sajid, a second year student of Institute of Education and Research under Dhaka University, Shakib Hasan, final year student of DU English department, and Kamal Hossain, BBA student of Royal University in Banani.

Sources said Sajid was held from the exam hall at the university’s gymnasium around 12 noon. He sat for the E unit admission test under the Faculty of Business Studies as a proxy for Anik Bhuiya, a cousin of Kamal Hossain.

Based on information given by Sajid, sources said the university’s proctorial team detained Shakib Hasan and Kamal Hossain from JU campus.

Kamal claimed that he had fixed a deal with Sajid to sit in the admission test in place of Anik and in return he would give Sajid around Tk80,000.

The university authorities had found some text messages in the detainees’ cell phones regarding their admission test contract. JU Proctor Tapan Kumar Saha told journalists that the three would be handed over to Ashulia police so that legal action can be taken against them. “We have collected the detainees’ contact addresses and their parents’ phone numbers to inform them about the incident,” JU proctor added. l

Eid-ul-Azha on October 6 n Tribune Report

Durga idols vandalised n Our Correspondent, Kishoreganj

The holy Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Muslims, will be celebrated across the country on October 6 as the moon of the month of Jilhajj was not sighted in the Bangladesh sky yesterday.

The decision was taken at the National Moon Sighting Committee’s meeting which was held at Islamic Foundation’s Baitul Mukarram conference room in the city yesterday evening. l

Unidentified miscreants badly damaged at least 10 Durga idols in Battrish area of Kishoreganj municipality early yesterday.

Sources said locals found the idols, making of which were almost finished ahead of the Hindus’ biggest festival Durga puja, crushed into pieces in Natun Palli Sangha, Onirban Sangha, Bakultola Sangha, Hiralal Pal and Gopal Roy temples in the morning. They then informed police of the matter. l

Two JMB militants preparing to join IS held  PAGE 1 COLUMN 6

of blogger Rajeeb Haider murder [on February 15 last year],” Monirul told reporters at the DMP office.

A case was filed with Shahbagh police against the duo. Later, police produced them before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court seeking 10 days’ remand. The judge granted the police two days to grill them.

Huji members

The three Huji members who were arrested yesterday are Saiful Islam, 24, Shafiqul Islam Shafiq, 35, and Mohammad Hasanullah, 24.

Monirul at the same briefing said police had recovered explosives, bomb-making materials, electronic circuits used to make remote-controlled bombs and a laptop.

“They confessed to their active link with Huji and said they were planning to organise the Rohingyas by giving them different kinds of supports including financial and other benefits,” the official said.

Of the three, Saiful made the electric circuits which can work from 200-metre distance. He is a final year student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at Islamic University of Technology in Gazipur. Monirul said they had recovered the main design of the circuit from his possession. “Saiful made the circuit under the advice of a senior and the supervision of one other.”

Identities of the two people were not disclosed. However, a top police official told the Dhaka Tribune that one of them was the chief of Huji who is now working as a principal of a madrasa.

After producing them before a Dhaka court, the police were given three days to question them.

On September 19, the DB personnel arrested seven members of the JMB including its acting chief. They are now on remand.

A top police official said one of the militants was the chief of Huji who is now a principal of a madrasa Interrogating the arrestees, the law enforcers have got some sensational information. They claim that the chiefs of Ansarullah Bangla Team, Huji and JMB held a meeting inside the high security jail in Kashimpur recently and agreed to work together by exchanging resources.

The JMB members arrested earlier over the snatching of convicted militants are also under interrogation.

Monirul claimed that the incidents of six murders in Gopibagh, and Rajeeb and Faruqi killings were secret murders carried out by the militants. All those happened due to conflict of religious strategies. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

BPC fails to explain its past spendings Finance Ministry to halt fuel subsidy until further probe

n

Asif Showkat Kallol

The Finance Ministry has reportedly decided not to disburse any further funds to the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) until carrying out a thorough investigation on how the BPC used two of its previous fund instalments from the Finance Division.

Seeking anonymity, an official of the Finance Division said, the BPC neither provided any information on how it spent the Tk2,031 crore that was disbursed to it between October last year and this June, nor did it clarify the progress on two conditions set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under its Extended Credit Facility (ECF).

In addition to the two previous instalments, the corporation last month sought a further Tk600 crore to cover its own losses. The BPC request is currently being scrutinised by the treasury management wing of the Finance Division.

Janata Bank – which opens most of

the letters of credit for the BPC – is now reportedly pressing the ministry concerned for the release of funds.

The BPC sought Tk600 crore as subsidy for July, while it received Tk581 crore from the Finance Division between April and June this year. Earlier, between October 2013 and March this year, the BPC also received Tk1,450 crore to cover the losses suffered for selling fuel oil to the local market at prices lower than international markets.

Finance Ministry sources said the BPC originally demanded an allocation of Tk7,000 crore from the government for the current fiscal year. However, it was only awarded an allocation of Tk2,400 crore this year.

Meanwhile, for the release of its sixth tranche under the $1bn ECF scheme, the IMF set two major conditions for the BPC: appointing an external auditor by September and adopting financial reporting software within December this year.

Finance Division sources, however, said there has been no progress in meeting either of the conditions.

The IMF also advised the government to not allocate any fuel oil subsidy for the next fiscal year claiming that the price of fuel oil would automatically adjust as per international market price.

The Finance Division official, who requested anonymity, also told the Dhaka Tribune that the BPC failed to keep its promise of submitting monthly corporation cash flow projection in the latest request for subsidy.

Asked about the issue, BPC Chairman Md Eunusur Rahman told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have already started the process of appointing external auditor and last month requested the Finance Ministry for its consent on the timely execution of the IMF condition.

“We have sought over Tk600 crore from the Finance Division to reduce the tariff gap as petroleum fuels are sold at a rate lower than the import cost... If

3

Friday, September 26, 2014

the Finance Division does not release the sought amount of fund, then the BPC may face serious problems in paying letter of credit for the import of fuel oil, cargo bills, ITFC loan and syndication loan,” the BPC chairman said.

“The BPC counts Tk6 to Tk7 loss for selling every litre of diesel or kerosene in the international market. Besides, the BPC gets profit by selling furnace oil, octane and jet fuel.”

Claiming it was not possible to reduce fuel oil prices in the local market at the moment because of loss, the BPC chairman said the corporation’s losses have been covered by the government subsidy fund .

“Local fuel oil price will be reduced next fiscal year if the price of per barrel continues to decline below $100 per barrel in the international market, which is currently $92 to $95,” he added.

The chairman also said: “The demand for diesel and kerosene is 70% of total 55 lakh tonnes petroleum consumption in a year.” l

Probe body on 7 murders to quiz RAB chief n Mohosinul Karim The high-powered government probe body on Narayanganj seven murders has decided to question RAB chief Mokhlesur Rahman and some other top officials for their alleged involvement in the sensational killings.

Mokhlesur might be quizzed next week. The date would be finalised by Sunday during a meeting of the probe body, its chief Shahjahan Ali Mollah, also additional secretary of the Public Administration Ministry, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

He said they would also take statements of some high officials whose name came in confessional statements of the accused during police interrogation.

Mollah denied disclosing the names.

Regarding submission of their probe report to the High Court, Mollah said: “We are trying to submit the report within the fixed date [October 2]. But, it may take some time more to finalise the report as the offices will remain off due to Eid and Durga Puja.”

A member of the body said they would submit to the court a progress report on the investigation on October 2 and seek more time.

The seven-member probe body has already quizzed Narayanganj City Corporation Mayor Selina Hayat Ivy, Awami League MP Shamim Osman, Dhaka Divisional Commissioner Zillar Rahman, Dhaka Range DIG of Police Mahfuzul Haq Nuruzzaman and Additional Director General of RAB Ziaul Ahsan and some other influential persons.

The team members earlier intended to quiz the key suspect, Nur Hossain, in Kolkata. But the plan was shelved after the government had moved strongly to bring him back.

On April 27, Narayanganj panel mayor Nazrul Islam, three of his aides and driver, and senior lawyer Chandan Sarker and his driver were kidnapped from the Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road. Three days later, six bodies were found floating in the River Shitalakkhya. The seventh body was recovered from the river the next day. l

Combined CSR rule to fight militancy Reza Chowdhury and n Kamran Asif Showkat Kallol The government has moved to frame a combined rule for corporate social responsibility (CSR), with the issue of militancy incorporated in it, in an apparent attempt to intensify its fights against terrorism and extremism.

The Banking Division of the Finance Ministry has already sent a proposal to the central bank to frame the comprehensive policy on the use of CSR money spent by private and multinational companies doing business in Bangladesh.

The new rule would also propose that all statutory bodies such as the Election Commission, the Public Service Commission, and the offices of the comptroller, the auditor general and the attorney general spend a portion of money for anti-militancy programmes.

All statutory bodies must spend a portion of money for antimilitancy drives “We have already sent the proposal to the Bangladesh Bank for a combined rule on CSR for inclusion of militancy in it,” Dr Aslam Alam, the secretary of the Finance Ministry’s Banking and Financial Institutions Division, told the Dhaka Tribune.

He said the proposed rule would ask the corporate bodies to spend a certain portion of money for anti-militancy drives of the government. However, the authorities are yet to fix the percentage.

On September 22, the division issued a circular asking banks to be careful about the use of their CSR fund. The Finance Ministry’s move came as the Home Ministry raised concerns about the alleged use of CSR money of the Islami Bank to give legal support to the persons arrested on charges of terrorism.

The CSR is a way for the corporate companies to spend money from their profit for supporting the people and the

state with people-oriented projects.

The companies get some privileges against the CSR initiatives.

At present, there is no combined CSR rule in the country, but only some guidelines scattered in different circulars issued by the central bank, said the secretary.

The Banking Division took the initiative for a combined CSR rule as the Home Ministry at a meeting on April 9 recommended incorporating militancy in the CSR rule.

The meeting, with State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal in the chair, decided that banks and different corporate bodies would assist to make anti-militancy films, commercial and books. The print and electronic media would also need to encourage the campaign against militancy.

All statutory bodies must also spend money against militancy, said the minutes of the meeting that the Dhaka Tribune has obtained.

The government move has created mixed reactions among businessmen.

Munir-Uz-Zaman Chowdhury, the managing director of the IT company Computer Network Systems, welcomed the proposed combined CSR rule.

“The corporate sector should assist the government to curb militancy; I do not see any problem in joining the fight against militancy and extremism that distorts the peaceful religion of Islam,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Mamunur Rashid, vice-chairman of BD Venture Limited, told the Dhaka Tribune that the current CSR practice was basically “charity” in nature, but the objective of the CSR must not be so. Rather, he said it was intended for building capacity of the people who would ultimately contribute to the society and the state.

“Frankly speaking, incorporating militancy in the CSR rule may not be effective. What we should do is the funds should go to the right group of people for right initiatives. If the governance of the CSR funds is ensured, its misuse will automatically stop,” he said. l

DB police presents two JMB activists and three Harkat-ul-Jihad members in front of the media at the capital’s DB Media Centre yesterday. Story on Page 1

ACC initiates probe against former SIBL chairman n Adil Sakhawat

The Anti-Corruption Commission has decided to launch an inquiry against Anwar Hossain Khan, a former chairman of Shahjalal Islami Bank Limited (SIBL), on allegations of embezzling Tk1,800 crore from six private banks.

The commission, in its regular meeting yesterday, appointed Deputy Director Abu Bakar Siddique to lead the inquiry, ACC PRO Pranab Kumer Bhattacharya said.

The commission also received allegations against Anwar of laundering the embezzled money abroad.

“The commission has received allegations that when he [Anwar] was chairman of SIBL, he also served as a director for six other banks at a time. Being a shareholder of six private bank at a time, he embezzled the amount and laundered it abroad,” Pranab told reporters.

Meanwhile, the ACC yesterday interrogated seven policemen for their alleged involvement in embezzling 165 gold bars, which were seized from a car in the capital earlier this year. ACC Deputy Director Jatan Kumer Roy interrogated the officials yesterday from 10:30am to 4pm.

The officials are Khilgoan Zone As-

sistant Commissioner Iqbal Hossain, sub-inspectors Abdul Mannan, ANS Nuruzzaman, Rashedul Islam and Masud Mia and constables Delwar Hossain and Mohammad Rahim.

So far, 23 poliecmen have been interrogated in connection with the case.

On September 28, the commission will question 10 more police officials including Motijheel zone Assistant Commissioner Jewel Rana and Demra Zone Assistant Commissioner Mainul Islam.

The gold bars were a part of a recovery on March 13, when Rampura police seized 235 gold bars in a private car in the capital’s Banasree area, with no arrest.

Felani’s father, uncle issued visa to testify in fresh trial

Witness: Jabbar ordered razakars to kill, loot

n Tribune Report

A new prosecution witness yesterday said war crimes accused Abdul Jabbar from Mothbaria of Pirojpur had been known as “Khuni Jabbar” and “Ghorpora Jabbar” in the area for his brutal role during the 1971 Liberation War. Tenth witness Bimol Chandra Bepari, then student of Tushkhali High School, told the International Crimes Tribunal 1 that he had known the accused since the latter’s house was at village Khetachhira of Mothbaria.

Jabbar later became chairman of the Peace Committee unit of Mothbaria.

Farmer Bimol, 60, said during a meeting at Tushkhali High School ground on May 16, 1971, Jabbar had formed razakar group and made relative Iskander Mridha his deputy.

The accused also asked his accomplices to loot the houses of Hindus, and kill the activists of Awami League and the freedom fighters.

On that day, the razakars attacked Kulapara village, and torched and looted at least 100 houses. The witness said

Father and maternal uncle of Felani Khatun are now ready to go to India and give deposition as witness in the murder trial that began afresh on September 22 at a special BSF court in West Bengal.

They came to Kurigram 45 BGB Battalion headquarters on Wednesday and told journalists that they had got their visas. Father Nurul Islam said he hoped that this time they would get justice for the killing of her daughter.

Nurul and Felani’s maternal uncle Abdul Hanif would be accompanied by Director of the battalion Lt Col Mofazzal Hossain Akhond and Kurigram public prosecutor SM Abraham Lincoln.

The trial began at a special court of the BSF sector headquarters in Cooch Behar amid tight security and secrecy.

The same court on September 5 last year acquitted self-confessed BSF constable Amiya Ghosh because of “inconclusive and insufficient” evidence against him. Unhappy with the

trial, the BSF headquarters announced to hold retrial following further probe into the murder incident.

On September 23, a day after the revision trial began, the court members visited the spot on the other side of Anantapur border point in Kurigram’s Phulbari upazila. BGB sources said they stayed at the spot for around an hour.

Fifteen-year-old Felani was shot dead on January 7, 2011 while crossing the barbed wire fences at Anantapur.

Nurul escaped death as he had already crossed the border and was waiting for his daughter. Hanif is another eyewitness of the murder.

They were returning to Kolonidari village under Nageshwari upazila in Kurigram as Felani’s wedding was set.

The teenager used to work as a domestic help at a house in New Delhi.

For the first time in history, India initiated the murder trial apparently in the face of massive criticisms from Bangladeshis and its government and rights bodies. But the self-confessed

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

killer was identified not guilty by the special court after 17 days of the trial.

“The court may call us any time soon to take the witnesses there. We are ready to go to Cooch Behar,” Lt Col Akhond said.

Abraham Lincoln said they were not clear about the fresh trial procedure since the BSF authorities had shared nominal information with them. “But we appreciate the fresh move and believe that justice will be done.”

Felani’s father Nurul told the Dhaka Tribune: “Although I was frustrated with the judgement last year, I did not give up the hope. Now I am ready to go to Cooch Behar to testify in the revision trial.

“The BSF personnel shot dead my beloved daughter in front of my eyes. I cannot forget the horrific incident. Her body was hung from the fence for several hours.”

Shocked by her death, Felani’s parents and five siblings now demand justice and compensation. Felani was buried in their family graveyard. l

n Udisa Islam

the collaborators had also looted 72 bundles of tin sheets from their house, for which, Jabbar was renowned as “Ghorpora Jabbar.”

Bimol said after around 10 days, Jabbar had ordered razakars to convert 200 Hindus of Paik Bari of Phuljhuri village into Islam. After that, they made a mosque at Paik Bari and forced the women to marry Muslim men.

After his deposition, state-appointed defence counsel MA Hasan cross examined the witness.

The prosecution then placed the 11th witness, Abdus Sattar Sharif, brother of martyr Motaleb Sharif, before the tribunal. Sharif gave deposition on his brother’s killing that had taken place on May 16 in Phuljhuri.

Later the tribunal adjourned the trial until October 15.

Earlier, the victim’s wife and another brother testified at the court as prosecution witnesses.

Former Jatiya party lawmaker Jabbar is facing five charges of crimes against humanity he had committed during the war in Pirojpur. He was indicted on August 14. l

Surprisingly, only 70 bars were recorded to have been recovered from the car by police.

However, the cat got out of the bag when police arrested the car’s driver Samir Biswas gold smuggler Jahid Hossain, who revealed that there were 235 gold bars in their confessional statement in front of the chief metropolitan magistrate court.

Then on March 31, the Detective Branch of Police arrested five persons, including three police members, in this regard. The commission filed a case against the arrested with Rampura police station on April 7. l

TIB: Proposed amendment may curtail ACC’s power n Tribune Report The Transparency International Bangladesh has voiced concern as the government recently took an initiative to amend the Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2013 with giving the police power to investigate money laundering and corruption cases alongside the ACC. It has also urged the government to amend the law after consulting stakeholders and experts.

Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman in a statement yesterday said the anti-graft watchdog was already facing trouble dealing with different cases and during investigation.

“If the police are given power to look into corruption and money laundering cases, the ACC will have to face more problems, ultimately resulting in more difficulties for them,” the statement says.

“If the ACC becomes weak, it will be difficult for the government to ensure rule of law and combat corruption. As a member of international anti-corruption convention, the government should take steps to make the ACC stronger and more active.” l

4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Friday, September 26, 2014

Desco’s ignorance hikes maintenance work hazards Rahman Rasel and Ashif n Aminur Islam Shaon Incidents of electrocution during the maintenance work of power lines in the capital has been on the rise, a consequence of the ignorance of Dhaka Electric Supply Company Ltd (Desco), and power distribution company under the government’s Power Division.

The company’s control rooms, which are supposed to supervise the maintenance work of power line and ensure the safety of the linemen, have been accused of negligence of duty on many occasions.

In the latest incident, two linemen died from electrocution yesterday, while two others sustained injuries in the capital’s Uttara area.

They victims were working to install a new capacitor bank on an overhead 11kV electric line when the control room switched on power through the line, which led to the accident. The area is under the jurisdiction of Desco’s Uttara (West) Sales and Distribution Division.

All four of them fell from the ladder when they were electrocuted. Of them, three were rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in critical condition, where two of them, Mohammad Al Mamun Sumon, 23, and Abu Bakar Rubel, 27, were pronounced dead.

The other two workers, Awlad Hossain, 26, and Torab Ali, 25, survived the incident. Awlad is admitted at DMCH’s Burn Unit, and Torab received primary treatment at a city hospital.

All four were from Sunrise International Limited, one of the companies from which Desco outsources workers for field work – repair old lines, provide new connections, etc. Sumon and Rubel were assistant linemen.

Sources at Desco said before the incident took place, the control room had

asked the linemen about how much time they would need to finish work, and they asked for 10 more minutes.

After around ten minutes, the control room switched on the power, but without checking in with the workers whether they were indeed finished.

Mizanur Rahman, an engineer at Desco, confirmed the information, but claimed he had no idea as to who had switched the power on and why.

“It is mandatory to contact the linemen before switching on the power.

They can do so only after the linemen give clearance,” said a Desco official, seeking anonymity.

“Desco does not inspect the outsourcing companies in this regard, nor does it pressure them into providing the safety equipments,” another Desco official said seeking anonymity.

Sunrise took advantage of the slack monitoring and sent their newly appointed linemen to work on a high-voltage transmission line, the official claimed.

BD Rahmatullah, former director general of Power Cell, claimed both the engineers and the linemen do not bother to take appropriate safety measures as they think they are invincible to accidents like this. “They are required to wear gumboots, gloves, etc to avoid getting electrocuted, but they never do so,” he told to the Dhaka Tribune.

“Besides, they are supposed to install shorting strip from the line to the ground as a precaution, but they do not do that. Also, the control room often switches off the wrong lines,” he said.

When contacted in this regard, Desco’s MD Md Arjad Hossain said a three-member committee had been formed, headed by Md Kamruzzaman, executive engineer at Desco’s Gulshan Division. The committee is scheduled to submit a report today.

Second death anniversary of Ataus Samad today n Tribune Report

Oli claims he refused to be a minister n Tribune Report

The second death anniversary of Ekushey Padak winner journalist Ataus Samad will be observed today.

Sangbadik Ataus Samad Smriti Parishad and his family have chalked out a day long programme starting with placing a wreath Samad’s grave at Azimpur.

The launching ceremony of a book Samad’s life, edited by Zakir Hossain and published by Bijoy Prakash, will take place at the National Press Club at 4pm.

Born on November 16, 1937 in Mymensingh, Ataus Samad died on September 26, 2012 at a hospital in the capital.

Alongside working for a number of English and Bangla dailies Samad worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation for over 12 years.

He was conferred the Ekushey Padak, the highest state honour, in 1992 for his contribution to journalism. l

Col (retd) Oli Ahmed, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), claimed that the Anti-Corruption Commission summoned him to submit his wealth statement because he refused to be a minister of the incumbent government.

“Since I refused to take up the government’s proposal to be a minister, I have appear before the commission to submit my wealth statement,” he told reporters while leaving the ACC headquarters yesterday. “Someone placed a complaint against me in 1996 claiming I have properties disproportionate to my known source of income, so I have come here to submit my wealth statement,” he said.

Oli submitted his wealth statement to ACC Secretary Maksudul Hassan Khan, following a notice served to him

by ACC Deputy Director Golam Faruq on September 10.

However, ACC Commissioner M Shahabuddin Chuppu, now the acting chairman, refuted Oli’s claim.

The commissioner said after the High Court gave ruling in ACC’s favour in 2007, it served Oli with the notice. l

Sale of advance train tickets starts today n Tribune Report

As rickshaws are restricted on some roads in the capital, rickshaw-pullers are forced to choose any alternative route they can find. Only rickshaws and a few vans form a long tailback yesterday at Dhanmondi Road 1, which is the only route rickshaws are allowed to travel from Dhanmondi to the New Market area NASHIRUL ISLAM

Hajj preparations successfully completed n Tribune Report The overall management of this year’s hajj has been successfully completed, according to sources at the Ministry of Religious Affairs.

Out of a total of 98,683 hajj aspirants, around 82,680 have already reached Saudi Arabia safely, travelling by more than 200 flights of Biman Bangladesh Airlines and Saudi Airlines, they said.

Mizanur Rahman, director of the Hajj Office at the ministry, said Biman’s last hajj flight is on September 28, and Saudi Airlines’ last flight is on September 30.

“We are about to complete the process on our (Bangladesh) end. A hajj delegation of 16 members led by Md Babul Hassan Chowdhury, secretary at the ministry, reached Saudi Arabia on September 24. Now, we will ensure proper management of the hajj pilgrims during and after hajj,” he told the Dhaka Tribune. The hajj is scheduled to begin on October 3.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, several high officials of the ministry as well as the Hajj Agencies Association of Bangladesh said there had been no complaints of flight delay and cancellation this year – something that has been common in the past years. l

BSF shoots dead cattle trader n Our Correspondent, Chuadanga Members of India’s Border Security Force shot dead a Bangladeshi cattle trader at Jibonnogor upazila in Chuadanga on Wednesday night.

Police have recovered the body of Ziarul Ahmed Raju, 24, son of Zakir Hossain from Dhankhola village, and sent it to hospital for autopsy.

Chuadanga 6 BGB Battalion Director Lieutenant Colonel SM Moniruzzaman said Raju had infiltrated into India through Main Pillar 61/18 to smuggle in cows around 9:30pm on Wednesday, when members of the BSF Battalion 173 opened fire on him.

He ran back shot into the territory of Bangladesh and fell into the Ichhamoti river. He died of injuries there, he said.

Lieutenant Colonel Monir also said that they had held a flag meeting with BSF regarding the incident. l

BNP leader Aman indicted in 2010 Dhaka airport case Another court defers deposition against 147 BNP-led alliance men forcers from discharging their duties. n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu Meanwhile, another court in the A Dhaka court yesterday indicted three BNP leaders, including its Joint Secretary General Amanullah Aman, in a case filed over vandalism and obstructing police from discharging duties at Dhaka airport in 2010.

Other leaders indicted were Swechchhasebak Dal President and Dhaka city unit BNP Member Secretary Habibun-Nabi Khan Sohel and BNP International Affairs Secretary Nazimuddin Alam.

Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ataul Haque indicted the leaders and fixed December 11 to start trial in the case.

The court also rejected a discharge petition filed by defence counsel Md Sanaullah Miah after the day’s hearing and framed charges against the BNP leaders.

According to the charge sheet filed on January 21, 2012, the accused tried to enter into the VIP Lounge of the Hazarat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka on December 18, 2010 to receive BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia. When they were barred them from entering the VIP Lounge, they allegedly attacked the police and obstructed the law en-

capital yesterday deferred the recording of deposition against 147 BNP-led alliance leaders and activists in a case filed against them for assaulting police, exploding cocktails and creating panic near BNP Nayapaltan headquarters on March 11 last year.

The accused in the case include BNP leader Joynal Abdin Farroque, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, Amanullah Aman and Jatiya Gonotantrik Party chief Shafiul Alam Pradhan.

Metropolitan Magistrate Tareq Moinul Islam Bhuiyan deferred the recording of deposition after defence counsel Md Sanaullah Miah filed a time petition and fixed November 10 for next hearing in the case. The trial in the case was scheduled to start yesterday.

Earlier on August 25, the same court indicted the 147 leaders and activists in the case filed with Paltan police station under the speedy trial act.

Law enforcers on March 11 last year detained 157 leaders and activists of the BNP-led alliance during a raid at the BNP headquarters after cocktails went off at a rally in front of the office. l

Bangladesh Railway will start selling advance tickets for trains from today ahead of Eid-ul Azha and Durga Puja.

The advance tickets will be available from 9am to 5pm everyday until October 5.

“Train tickets for departure dates October 1 to 5 will be made available chronologically from today. On October 3, people can collect return tickets for October 7,” said Bangladesh Railway Director General M Tofazzal Hossain.

He hoped that 18,000 to 20,000 advance tickets will be sold per day at the Kamalapur Railway Station.

Like every year, a person will be allowed to buy maximum four tickets at a time. Bijaya Dashami will be celebrated on October 4 while the Eid-ul-Azha will be celebrated on October 6. l

CU authorities expel 22 BCL men n CU Correspondent Chittagong University (CU) authorities yesterday expelled 22 students for different periods on charge of breaching university rules.

All of the students are known to be activists of CU unit Chhatra League.

The decision was taken at a meeting of CU Health and Disciplinary Committee chaired by CU VC Prof Anwarul Azim Arif.

Confirming the expulsion, CU Proctor Siraj Ud Dowla said the 22 students were expelled on charges of 11 different incidents including factional clashes, attacks on students and law enforcers and assault on journalists in the last eight months. They were expelled for maximum one year to minimum two months, the proctor added.

Of the expelled students, Partha Pratim of CSE and Towhidul Islam Jimel, student of History were expelled for two and three months respectively for harassing two newsmen - Shakirul Hoque Toru of Daily Inqilab and Sariful Islam of Daily Bhorer Kagoz.

Ahsan Habib Shopan of History and Nasir Uddin of IERT, both on second academic year, were expelled for six months on charge of attacking a police constable on August 21 on the campus.

Another student, Abdullah Al Faruk of Public Administration department was expelled for a year for making derogatory comment on Facebook against a female teacher. Razu Munsi from Accounting department and Saidul Islam of Public Administration department were expelled for stabbing another BCL men during a clash on the campus. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

News

Rajuk yet to shift structures from Hatirjheel Fate of BGMEA building located in the lake area lies on court's verdict The garment factory owners’ associn Abu Hayat Mahmud ation purchased the land for construct-

ing their building from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) for Tk5.17crore with government approval.

Many urban planners have alleged that the building does not follow the city development law of 1953. Allegations also had it that the garment factory owners’ headquarters violated the Building Construction Act 1952, because Dhaka’s real estate regulator, Rajuk, had not approved the building design.

1 held with 56 gold bars in Ctg airport n Tribune Report

Protest flares up over torture of teenage girl by boyfriend

The Chittagong Customs House authorities at Shah Amanat International Airport yesterday nabb¡ed a person with 56 gold bars worth Tk2.80 crore.

The arrestee, Shah Hossain, of Raozan upazila in Chittagong district, arrived at the port city in a FlyDubai flight, FZ589, around 3:30pm, said Assistant Commissioner (AC) Tapan Kumar Chakrabarty of Chittagong Customs House.

He said they found the bars after a body searching at the customs of the airport. The small bars were wrapped with black polythene and attached to Hossain’s legs by padded knee guards. l

WEATHER

DRIZZLE FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 5:52PM SUN RISES 5:48AM FORECAST FOR TODAY 31 30 31 29 32 30 30 29

Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Cox’s Bazar

25 25 24 24 24 24 23 25

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW

34.2ºC Jessore

23.6ºC Srimangal

Source: Accuweather/UNB

PRAYER TIMES Fajar Sunrise Jumma Asr Magrib Esha

4:32am 5:46am 11:51am 4:13pm 5:54pm 7:10pm SourceL IslamicFinder.org

Rajuk conducted several eviction drives on different occasions since 2007 when the Hatirjheel and Begunbari canal development project began

n

Our Correspondent, Barisal

Right activists yesterday formed a human chain and staged demonstration in Barisal city yesterday protesting torture on a teenage girl by her boyfriend and his fam¡ily members.

Barisal Sammilito Nari Nirjatan Protirodh Committee (Alliance for Preventing Torture against Women in Barisal) organised the agitation programmes in front of Ashwini Kumar Hall in the city.

They demanded immediate arrest of the all the people, who indiscriminately tortured Ripa Aktar, 18.

Police rescued Ripa on Tuesday morning after she endured 11 hours of torture in the hands of her beloved and his family in his house located at Rice

Application deadline of CU admission test extended n CU Correspondent

A religious establishment still exists in the Begunbari-Hatirjheel area in the city as the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha has not been able to shift the structure from there. The photo was taken yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Research Institute Road in the city.

Her boyfrienºd Shahadat Hossain Mithu, 20, son of Altaf Hossian of Kurulia village in Bakerganj upazila, tortured her to press her to withdrew a case which she filed against Mithu.

They also submitted a memorandum to deputy commissioner and demanded immediate arrest, speedy trial and exemplary punishment for the accused.

Rabeya Khatun, district president of Mohila Parishad, presided over the programme addressed by Nigar Sultana Hanufa, Fazilatunneasa Farid, Anowar Zahid, Protima Sarkar, Dr Syed Habibur Rahman, Prof M Moazzem Hussain, Jiban Krishna Dey, Shuvangkar Chakraborty, right activists.

Meanwhile, the victim was sent to shelter home after recording judicial statement yesterday afternoon.

Locals said they had been in a relationship for three years, but Mithu had no intention of marrying her.

Mithu also allegedly tried to pass her around among his friends and force her into prostitution.

Joydebpur police also arrested Mithu on charges of rape and anti-social activities on June 2.

After being released on bail on September 14, Mithu came home to Barisal and asked the victim to meet him at his house on Monday night.

As soon as she reached there, Mithu and his family fastened her with an electric pole and tortured her till Tuesday morning. l

The Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) unit went on an indefinite strike at the university yesterday, protesting attack on its central committee leader Uttam Kumar Das. BCL university unit Vice-President Anjan Roy announced the strike on the campus around 11pm on Wednesday.

He accused Shibir activists of caring out the attack on Uttam.

No classes and examinations were held during the strike. Moreover, no bus of the university plied city roads.

Campus sources said a group of unidentified miscreants stabbed Uttam at about 10:15 pm on Wednesday when he was chatting with some of his friends at Mamoni Restaurant in front of the university main gate, leaving him seriously injured.

He has been taken to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital in critical condition.

Later, he was sent to Dhaka for bet-

ter treatment as his condition deteriorated.

Protesting the attack, BCL activists blockaded the Sylhet-Sunamganj highway and vandalised vehicles yesterday morning that created traffic congestion on both sides of the road.

The agitators later withdrew the road blockade following assurance of district administration.

Akhter Hossain, officer-incharge of Airport police station, said additional police had been deployed on the campus to avoid any untoward incident.

Himadri Shekhor Ray, proctor of the university, said they had called an emergency meeting, but no decision was come from the meeting.

Ishfaqul Hossain, registrar of the university, filed a case in this connection.

Meanwhile, police arrested a Shibir man in possession of raw materials used in bomb making. The arrested was identified as Zabedur Rahman, a first year students of political science department. l

n Tribune Report Paddle rickshaw pullers and CNG-run auto-rickshaw drivers again staged a demonstration in front of the Chittagong Press Club yesterday demanding immediate ban on battery-run rickshaws.

They announced to hold a grand rally in city’s Laldighi Maidan on October 21 if the demand was not met by then.

They brought out a protest procession from Old Railway Station around 10am creating traffic congestion on a number of roads in the city.

Harun-ur-Rashid, general secretary of Chittagong Mahanagar Auto-rickshaw, Auto-tempo and CNG Sramik Kalyan Union, claimed that the owners of battery-run auto rickshaws got the approval of High Court by showing fake documents.

Strikes and blockades would be held if the battery run-rickshaws were not banned by October 20. In that case,

Application deadline of the admission tests for honours courses under academic session 2014-15 at the Chittagong University (CU) has been extended to 11:59pm on October 2, according to a press release issued by CU yesterday.

Call for application was made on September 4 which was supposed to end today.

SM Akbar Hossain, deputy register (academic) and secretary of the admission committee, said some changes had been made to the examination schedule as well. According to the new schedule, the admission test for the Faculty of Business Administration under C unit will be held on November 5 instead of October 31. l

Medicine factory sealed off in Chittagong n Tribune Report A mobile court yesterday sealed off a five-storey medicine factory at Khulshi of Chittagong city on charges of producing expired and substandard medicines in unhygienic environment. It also fined the factory owner with Tk2 lakh.

Executive Magistrate Rakib Hasan of Chittagong district led the mobile court from 11:00am to 4:00pm.

“We also seized all the machines of the factory. The workers were nabbed initially but later they were released.” he said. However, the court sent Plant Manager Shadhan Biswas of Pharmik Laboratories Limited behind the bars for two years.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) SM Mobashwer Hossain, also the second-in-command of RAB-7 Chand-

BCL enforces indefinite Immediate ban on strike at SUST battery-run rickshaws n demanded Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Five held with 5,102 yaba tablets n Tribune Report Police, in separate drives, nabbed five persons possessing 5,102 pieces of yaba pills from Chittagong city’s Bakalia area and the district’s Lohagara upazila yesterday morning and on Wednesday night.

Police sources said acting on a tipoff, Bakalia police held a truck driver Kabir Hossain, 30, and his helper Md Ibrahim, 25, from the city’s Kala Mia Bazar area around 8am yesterday..

Police found 5,000 pieces of yaba pills, kept in small packets, from the oil tank of the pickle-laden truck which was headed for the city’s Asadgonj area from Teknaf land port, said Officer-inCharge (OC) of Bakalia police station Mohammad Mohsin.

Earlier, Lohagara police nabbed three persons – Mohammad Mostafiz alias Dail Mostafiz, 48, Khane Alam, 46, and Alam, 35, from the upazila’s Amirabad area on Wednesday around 10pm.

OC Mohammad Shahjahan of Lohagara police station said they recovered 102 pieces of yaba along with Tk42,000, which they earned by selling yaba, from their possession.

Two cases were lodged with the respective police stations in these connections. l

Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (Rajuk) has not been able to shift two religious establishment and a two-storey building from Hatirjheel-Begunbari lake area in the last few months although the Dhaka Deputy Commissioner’s Office had already arranged alternative lands for these infrastructures.

Earlier, the city planned had announced eviction of these infrastructures to preserve the environment and beauty of the water body after the DC office manages alternative lands.

Rajuk conducted several eviction drives on different occasions since 2007 when the Hatirjheel and Begunbari canal development project began, however, could not move the respective structures elsewhere considering religious sentime¡nts.

One mosque, Masjide Baitul Mahfuz, was constructed in the Morolbari part of the lake. The other, Syed Abdul Kader Jilani Jame Masjid and Madrasa stands at Madhubagh Jhilpar part of the project area.

The only way to reach Masjide Baitul Mahfuj is by a bamboo bridge and people have to take a boat to visit Søyed Abdul Kader Jilani Jame Masjid and Madrasa.

Besides, Rajuk also failed to take action against the 15-storey building of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) because of legal complications.

In 1998, the BGMEA building was constructed on a filling-up portion of the Hatirjheel canal causing great damage to water body’s retention capacity and normal flow.

During the dry season, western part of the canal from the BGMEA building to Hotel Sonargaon goes dry.

In April 2013, a High Court bench declared that the construction of the BGMEA building was illegal and the court also directed the building authority to demolish, giving the occupants a 90day time to evacuate. Later, the BGMEA authority filed a petition in May 2013 with the appellate division against the HC ruling to demolish the multi-storey building, which is still pending in the apex court.

Rajuk Chief Engineer (implementation) Md Emdadul Islam told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday: “All the establishments in Hatirjheel lake will be will be removed soon.

“The district deputy commissioner’s office had already manage the land.

We will start the shifting process immediately.” he said.

However, not only Emdadul, another high-ups of the Rajuk had expressed the same vies after inauguration the project area to public in January 2013.

An official of Dhaka Deputy Commissioner’s Office, seeking anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that the lands for the mosques had ready before June this year, but Rajuk officials showed no interest in shifting the illegal structures.

Answering to queries about the BGMEA headquarters, Emdadul said: “As the case is under the Supreme Court, it will be not fair to comment about it.”

When contacted, BGMEA’s counsel Rafique-ul Haque told the Dhaka Tribune: “We have lodged an appeal with the appellate division against the HC order. So before the appeal court ruling, I am unable to say anything.” l

5

Friday, September 26, 2014

the authorities concerned would be responsible for any untoward situation, he said.

They would go to the Chamber Judge to protest the HC verdict announced on Tuesday that gave the battery-run rickshaws a six month time extension, added Harun.

Meanwhile, the drivers of paddle rickshaws and CNG-run auto-rickshaws have started overcharging commuters in the port city, alleged a number of commuters.

Earlier HC banned battery-run auto-rickshaws on September 1 however, the vehicles started hitting the roads after 18 days claiming that they had got a time extension from the High Court.

The leaders of Chittagong Mahanagar Rickshaw Malik Parishad, Chittagong CNG Baby-Taxi Malik Kalyan Samiti and Chittagong Metropolitan Rickshaw ChalakMalik Samannay Sangram Parishad addressed the rally. l

gaon Camp, said a team from his camp assisted the mobile court in the drive.

The ASP said about 150 employees worked at the factory owned by one Mirza Ahmed Robin Ispahani. Though the Pharmik Group claimed the factory to be “ISO 9001:2008” certified, they failed to show any document in support of their claim during the drive.

“The factory has permission to produce only a few types of medicines but they produce 15 to 16 types of substandard medicines, whose main ingredient is only wheat.” he said.

“Apart from a registration from The Directorate General of Drug Administration, the factory has no other legal document.” said Magistrate Rakib, adding that this was the first time that such a big scale of forgery in pharmaceuticals had been busted in Chittagong city. l

Three abducted fishermen rescued in Bhola n Our Correspondent, Bhola Bangladesh Coast Guard members in a drive rescued three kidnapped fishermen from the clutch of pirates on the Meghna River near Dhalchar area of Manpura upazila here yesterday.

The fishermen are Jahir, 27, Kabir, 30, and Atiqul, 33.

During the drive, the coast guard team also arrested eleven suspected pirates - Nur Nabi, Mostafiz, Dider, Sahabuddin, Saidul, Abul Kalam, Azmir, Bhuttu, Abul kalam, Mojibur and Karim along with one shooter gun, five rounds of bullet and four machetes.

Coast Guard (south zone) intelligence department Staff Officer Kamrul Islam said a team from the Noakhali Hatiya unit coast guard at noon, on a tip-off, searched an engine-run fishing boat which was carrying the pirates and they made the arrest.

The arrested were handed over to the Hatiya police station where a case was launched against them. The pirates had kidnapped the fishermen two days ago from deep sea at the time of catching fish, the staff officer continued. l

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DHAKA TRIBUNE

Jamaat leader held with 4,500 jihadi books n Our Correspondent, Thakurgaon Police in a drive arrested a local leader of Jamaat-e-Islami along with 4,500 pieces of jihadi books from Goalpara area of the district town on Wednesday.

The arrested is Mainul Hoque, 60, publicity secretary of Thakurgaon district unit Jamaat.

Being tipped-off, a team of police raided the house of Mainul in the afternoon and they arrested him along with the books. l

1 killed in Gazipur n Our Correspondent, Gazipur Miscreants hacked a man to death in Barboika area under Gazipur city yesterday.

Locals said a group of miscreants attacked the house of Sahabuddin, 40, and hacked him to death after at midnight. l

Nation

Friday, September 26, 2014

32 years later, family of murdered MP still looks forward to justice n Our Correspondent, Natore It is 32 years, still the family of murdered freedom fighter and Awami League MP for the Natore 4 constituency Rafiq Sarker is crying for justice.

Rafiq, 41, was murdered in front of Jonail High School while he was returning home in a motorcycle on the night of April 6, 1982.

Criminals intercepted and stabbed him and left the scene only after making it sure that he had died. His companion Prodip was injured.

His nephew (sister’s son) Sufiyan lodged a case with Baraigram police station against some unknown persons the next day. Then officer-in-charge Piyar Ali pressed charges against nine BNP and its youth wing Juba Dal men, including then Baraigram Jubo Dal president Sadek Ali.

Documents of the case go missing

Trial of any case would then be held at

Rajshahi Judges’ Court before Natore was declared as a district.

The murdered MP’s son Advocate Arif, also convener of the district Swechchhasebak League, said ‘After the declaration of Natore as district, the case documents were reportedly sent to Natore Judges’ Court.

Since then, the case documents could not be found.”

He said he had heard from people around him that the accused said the then judge had cancelled the case.

However, his family has never been informed of the repeal of the case, he added.

Advocate Arif said he tried to find out the case documents in 1999 after joining Natore Judges’ Court as a lawyer, but found no trace of any document related to it.

Public Prosecutor Sirajul Islam, also vice president of the district Awami League unit, also said there was no documents pertaining to the case at the court.

Government urged for taking steps about the case

The family of the murdered MP urged the government for taking steps in restarting the case ensuring justice in the murder case.

The late MP’s son said: “We can get justice in this case only after the government take steps about it. Otherwise, it is not possible for us alone.”

PM’s assurance for justice yet to be met

He recalled that he had met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the immediate past term of this government when she had assured him of taking steps in this regard, not steps were yet in sight.

Former state minister for youth and sports, also district Awami League’s acting general secretary Ahad Ali Sarker and President Advocate Sajedur Rahman Khan also called upon the government to take steps about the case.

They said it is the state’s duty now to start the case again and ensure the

Youth jailed for harassing girl n Our Correspondent, Narsingdi

exemplary punishment of those who had murdered him. It is unfortunate that his family has not got justice even in 32 years.

Profile of late MP Rafiq Sarker

Rafiq, who also served as general secretary of Natore district unit Awami League and president of Baraigram upazila unit Awami League, is survived by three sons and two daughters.

Bangabandhu had himselft inducted him into politics.

Late MP Rafiq had refused a gold medal from then Pakistani ruler Ayub Khan as a first class first in LLB, saying that he could not take any prize from a person who could implicate Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the Agartola “conspiracy” case.

He was then called up by Bangaganandhu and inducted into politics. He became MP after winning from Natore 4 constituency in the country’s first parliamentary elections in 1973. l

No-show teachers get paid in Brahmanbaria Correspondent, n Our Brahmanbaria Two sisters Armina Akter and Marjia Akter were appointed as assistant teachers at Telikandi Government Primary School in 2010 and 2013 respectively but the students say they have never met them.

Students of the school, located at Pakshimul union of Sarail upazila, even said they have never heard of the two teachers.

Armina and Marjia are the daughters of Monir Uddin Ahmed, a freedom fighter and an influential Awami League leader in the upazila. They are continuing their college studies instead of attending the workplace, which is taking a toll on the academic life of the students.

Acting headmistress of the school Kohinur Begum, however, denied any disruption in academic activities, saying the school authorities are aware of the continuous absence of the two.

“Even the upazila primary education officer and the assistant primary education officer know that the two teachers do not take classes,” she said, adding that she is helpless to act in this regard.

Helena Begum, a housewife in the village who studied up to the eighth grade, and Kazi Fakhrul Mobarak alias Nawab Mia, who lives in nearby Kachua village and did not study beyond the tenth grade, take proxy classes for a monthly payment of Tk2,000.

“I have been conducting proxy classes for four years.

I take the payment from Armina directly,” Helena said.

Mobarak also admitted that he is taking classes instead of Marjia for nearly one and a half years, and is getting paid Tk2,000 for his service.

“Besides, I have been privately tutoring students for the last 10-12 years,” he said.

The headmistress said the two sisters came to school on September 6 and

signed the attendance book for the whole month.

Seeking anonymity, a trader living nearby said nobody dares to raise voice against the irregularities of the two sisters as their father is an influential figure.

The school has four female teachers, including Armina and Marjia. Another assistant teacher Luvly Akter is now out to attend a training course.

Marjia Akter first denied her prolonged absence but later told the Dhaka Tribune she cannot take classes two to three days a week because of her own college studies.

“When I cannot make myself available at the school, I call them and have my leave approved. Besides, no one conducts proxy classes when I am on leave.

I do not pay anybody for such classes. The school’s management committee takes care of the issue,” she said.

Marjia also denied the signing of the attendance book to leave official proof that she discharged her duties.

President of the school’s management committee Helal Uddin said he cannot be present in school daily as he lives in a remote area.

Assistant Primary Education Officer of Sarail upazila Mostafa Kamal said he has no knowledge about this.

“I have not visited the school in the recent past but I met the two sisters the last time I was there,” he said.

Upazila Primary Education Officer Abul Khayer said he is not aware of this as he joined on August 21. He also said he would look into the matter and would take actions accordingly.

District Primary Education Officer Subrata Banik said any teacher, if found to have authorised others to take proxy classes, would be suspended.

“We will launch an investigation and would take action afterwards,” he added. l

A youth was imprisoned for two months yesterday for harassing a schoolgirl in Shibpur upazila of Narsingdi.

According to sources, Mithu Mian, son of Ratan Mian harassed the girl sexually in the upazila park while she was visiting the area. He also recorded the off scene and tried to release it.

On a tip-off, police arrested him and handed over to Upazila Nirbahi Officer and Executive Magistrate Ashraful Alam.

The youth was handed down two months of imprisonment on the spot. l

Juba League leader injured in attack n Our Correspondent, Chuadanga A local Juba League leader was injured in a gun attack at Natudah Bazar in Damurhuda upazila on Wednesday night.

Kamruzzaman, officer-in-charge of Damurhuda model police station, said a group of armed miscreants shot and hurled four crude bombs at Awami League leader Aser Halsana when he was gossiping with JL workers in the area at 8:30 pm.

Aser was sent to Dhaka in critical condition. A tense situation was prevailing in the area. A case was filed. l

One held with 5,900 yaba tablets n Our Correspondent, Comilla

Dalit Parishad, an organisation of horijon community form a human chain yesterday in Khulna city pressing for their rights

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Members of Rapid Action Battalion and Crime Prevention Company in a drive jointly arrested an alleged Yaba trader in possession of 5,900 pieces of yaba tablet from Kongsanagar Bazar in Burichong upazila on Wednesday night.

RAB sources said on a tip-off, a special team led by Lieutenant Commander Goljar Hossain BN of RAB-11, conducted a drive in the area and arrested Abul Kalam Azad, son of Abdul Malek, a resident of Phultali Dakkhinpara village in Debidar upazila of the district around 9pm when he was waiting for bus. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Long Form

7

Friday, September 26, 2014

Six years later ...

A retrospective glance at the crux of the most recent economic meltdown – after the sixth anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Is the world closing in on another recession?

n Sushovan Dhar ‘He was still too young to know that the heart’s memory eliminates the bad and magnifies the good, and that thanks to this artifice we manage to endure the burden of the past.’

Gabriel García Márquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

T

here was neither remembrance nor anamnesis of that horrible day which shook the financial world and brought it to its knees six years ago. On September 15, 2008, the world witnessed the collapse of Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. We vividly remember how the collapse of Lehman Brothers almost destroyed the world financial system.

Many would feel happy to assume that the incident is passé and we have left the worst of the times behind us.

However, closer looks at each of the following area – housing bubble, the public debt, economic recovery and financial markets - reveal the chinks in the armour. The vulnerabilities are more prominent than ever.

Housing bubble We are deluded by the rising asset prices in recent times. Last June, the IMF in its Global Housing Watch website, announced that the global index for house

development of another unsustainable global housing bubble. The report categorically indicated that the following countries – Australia, Belgium , Canada, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and possibly Austria – are running the risk of home prices, considerably above the trend. The house price vis-a-vis both the income ratios and the rent ratios are substantially above trend. These indicators imply that the purchasing power of common citizens – both wage earners and otherwise - is not catching up with house price and rent increases.

Public Debt The current conjuncture also witnesses a huge debt pile-up in government balance sheets. Public debt to GDP ratio has reached levels last seen in 1948-50, following the two world wars. Although public debt ratios had grown from the 1970s to the mid1990s, they had declined before the 2008 financial crisis. They are northbound once again.

Speaking of debt, we need to mention its two major dimensions. Firstly, the possible impact of this debt on the national economies and on peoples’ lives and livelihoods. Secondly, the question of the merit of the debt, or in other words the social desirability of the loans contracted.

The debt relief initiatives of past years have been plain travesty, as the stringent conditions attached to the ‘relief harm more than the good done to the ‘beneficiary’ countries

The Lehman Brothers office at times square , New York prices is on the rise on a GDP-weighted basis. The momentum is as high and comparable to the period preceding that of the 2008 crisis. Swayed by the asset bubble, instead of tightening our seat belts we think that the economy is at last on the right track.

However, a housing bubble doesn’t only imply high prices; prices can also soar as a result of demand and supply.

Housing bubbles mostly appear when speculators enter a market where demand is already high and try to profit by short-term buying and selling. This further drives the demand and pushes prices up.

The euphoria attached to this phenomenon leads us to assume that the world economy has moved on. The governor of the Reserve Bank of India, Raghuram Rajan, has recently warned us about the global inflation of the asset prices and how it could trigger a major crash if investors stampeded to the exit all at once.

In fact, this whole show is based on speculation and corresponds very little with the pick-up in real economic activity. Speculation in real-estate makes housing prices disconnected with the real economy.

The real estate market sharply corrected following the crisis of 2008.

However, after a brief period, it started heating up. Housing prices around the world have gained continuously for seven straight quarters. If we recall the events leading to the sub-prime crisis, there are plenty of parallels visible and this should serve as a caution since the roots of the Great Recession lay in the housing bubble burst.

In mid-June, the IMF’s Global Housing Watch warned about a possible

This includes a number of issues, viz the good reasons beyond the debt, issues of genuine and informed public interest, the improvement or the betterment of peoples’ standard of living or the social infrastructure of the country, reasons of greater common good and social justice.

In most of the cases, the merit is low as loans are contracted to benefit private capital, or perhaps those of the bankers themselves who lend money to the state, or political parties or leaders who have both direct and indirect, financial or others, interests in major infrastructure projects like highway or airport or big dams that cost astronomical sums and thus have to be financed by means of public debt.

Any financial crisis creates sizable strain on a government’s budget.

Getting caught in a crisis with a high public debt may restrict its capacity to respond and can result in a substantially laggard recovery. Besides, mostly in cases of countries outside the advanced industrial nations, the public debt hinders countries from doing investments in infrastructure, education, health, and other development-oriented social policies. The problem is of course not restricted to just debt itself, but the global capitalist economic system that creates it.

This process leads to an endless cycle of poverty and human suffering.

Public debt (external and internal) paves the way for a huge transfer of wealth from the ordinary peoples of the southern countries to the creditors. The local dominant classes who act as middlemen, in the process, skim off their commission during the transfer.

Around the world, debt is a mechanism used to transfer wealth created by toilers and other working people for the benefit of the elite and the powerful. The lenders use debt as an instrument of political and economic domination which set up a new hegemony.

In spite of possessing ample natural and human resources, the people of the South are systematically being bled dry as the annual outgo for the repayment of public debt is much more than the expenditure on education, health, social development and job creation all together.

The debt relief initiatives of past years have been plain travesty, as the stringent conditions attached to the “relief” harm more than the good done to the “beneficiary” countries.

These impacts which initially afflicted the Southern countries are also touching the North starting with the crisis-hit countries of Europe.

Economic recovery In spite of all the claims by the finance ministers, stock market analysts or various other experts, the economic recovery has been super-fragile, globally. After four-quarters of measly growth, the frail economic recovery of the Eurozone screeched to a halt in the second quarter of 2014. Growth was zero after only 0.2 % in the first quarter.

Some Euro zone economies like Spain are still recording real output below their levels. The possibilities of Europe slipping down to its third recession in six years can’t be ruled out.

Economic activities remain largely

sluggish in almost all large economies in spite of a marginal improvement from the post-crisis lows.

Across the shores of the Atlantic even though the US economy continues to grow and add jobs, half of the Americans still think that the Great Recession never ended.

Average family incomes today are 3% lower than five years ago; new jobs pay 20% lesser than those lost during the downswing; and the percentage of the adult population with a job rests below pre-recession levels.

WIKI COMMONS

private corporate capital driven and debt-fueled growth and accumulation, initially. When structural constraints began to bite and the international crisis deepened, the economy went into a tail-spin.

Prominent economists who convened at China for the inauguration of the World Economic Forum were unanimous in their opinion that the global economy “remains vulnerable to geopolitical shocks, stagnation gripping Europe, and the consequences of continued gradual slowdown in China.”

A major characteristic of the 2008 bubble was the enhanced propensity of stocks across the globe to rise and fall in unison. Something similar is beginning to happen again

That’s not even the worst of it. The American public apprehend that they would be mired in another recession, any day.

Even in economies such as India which escaped the worst of the crisis, growth has stuttered and yet to revert to potential. Earlier, a stream of financial flows from outside played a leading role in raising economic growth. It allowed for easy liquidity and low interest rates resulting in

Professor Joseph Stiglitz, speaking at the Discovery Leadership Summit in South Africa painted a grim picture of the state of the world economy.

He blasted most of the policy choices being taken, especially in the US and Europe. He argued that those were unsuccessful in addressing the macroeconomic and social perils related to growing unemployment and inequality.

Stiglitz is bearish about the policies

pursued by governments across-theboard in the name of lifting the global economy out of its worst recession

Financial markets It would be wrong to assume that housing is the sole asset class to fall prey to animal spirits. There is a also new financial ebullience globally.

Stocks and equities are acclivitous in almost all global stock exchanges.

One or the other stock index is scaling new peaks every other day. A major characteristic of the 2008 bubble was the enhanced propensity of stocks across the globe to rise and fall in unison.

Something similar is beginning to happen again. According to reports “the correlation between the S&P 500 and the MSCI Emerging Markets Index had been falling steadily after peaking in 2008 and 2009 but 2014 has seen a trend reversal of sorts. The correlation has again risen to crisis levels.” This indicates that the global markets are once again acting together and any signs of panic at any single point can have immediate domino effect.

Robert Wiedemer and his team of fellow economists were correct in their prediction about the crisis that hit the US six years ago and sank the country into severe recession. In a recent interview he predicted that “the coming market crash will result in a 90% stock market drop, 50% unemployment, and 100% annual inflation starting this year.”

Certainly, its not very good news.

Sushovan Dhar is a freelance contributor.

8

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

Britain readies for Iraq air strikes, arrests Islamists n AFP, London Prime Minister David Cameron was preparing Thursday for a key vote on joining air strikes in Iraq as police arrested nine people, including a notorious radical preacher, accused of links to Islamist extremism.

Cameron was meeting ministers after returning from the UN General Assembly in New York, where he announced that parliament would vote Friday on British planes joining US-led strikes against the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq.

With the prime minister set to argue that the jihadists pose a direct threat to Britain, nine people were arrested in London early Thursday on suspicion of encouraging terrorism and belonging to and supporting a banned organisation.

They are accused of being members of the extremist Islamist group Al-Muhajiroun, co-founded by one of the detained men, Anjem Choudary, the Press Association reported.

The arrests “are part of an ongoing investigation into Islamist-related ter-

Nigeria says 135 Boko Haram fighters surrender, ‘fake leader’ dead n Reuters, Maiduguri, Nigeria More than 130 Boko Haram Islamist fighters have surrendered to Nigerian forces, and a man posing as the group’s leader in numerous videos had been killed in clashes, the military said on Wednesday.

The army has stepped up military operations against Boko Haram in the remote northeast since the rebels seized several small towns and declared the area they control a “Muslim territory.”

The group, which has killed thousands in five years of hit-and-run attacks on military installations and civilians has grown increasingly ambitious in the past two months and started trying to take and hold ground in Africa’s largest oil producer.

The army said 135 Boko Haram fighters had handed their weapons to troops on Tuesday in the northeast town of Biu, near the epicentre of Boko Haram’s campaign to carve out an Islamist state.

The military added Boko Harma had also been trying to take over the town of Konduga, near the Cameroon border, from Sept. 12-17 but had been repelled by air and land forces.

“In the course of those encounters, one Mohammed Bashir, who has been acting or posing on videos as the deceased Abubakar Shekau. l

rorism and are not in response to any immediate public safety risk,” Scotland Yard said.

Police are also searching 19 properties following the arrests, all but one in London.

Al-Muhajiroun aims to overthrow the British government and replace it with an Islamic state before establishing a global Islamic caliphate, according to the London-based International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation and Political Violence.

US planes, joined last week by French fighter jets, have been launching strikes on IS targets since early August after the jihadists seized swathes of land in Iraq and Syria.

Dutch fighter jets are also set to join in the strikes.

Islamic State fighters have beheaded a British aid worker and two US journalists, while an organisation linked to IS has also executed a French tourist in Algeria.

IS is also holding two other Britons.

While securing British support may not be crucial to the US-led offensive,

Cameron told the UN Security Council he wanted it to “play its part” after US President Barack Obama urged the global community to unite against a “network of death.”

Spectre of 2003 Iraq war

“Arguably the UK is not needed because the US has the capability, other nations, France included are involved,” said Afzal Ashraf, a consultant fellow at defence think-tank the Royal United Services Institute.

“But it isn’t a question of whether the UK is needed, it’s a question of whether the UK feels it has a responsibility.”

Cameron has taken a cautious approach to military action against Iraq, haunted by a damaging House of Commons defeat over military action against President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria last year.

Although he has ruled out sending in ground forces, many lawmakers are also likely to be cautious about air strikes on Iraq as Britain’s involvement in the 2003 US-led invasion of the country remains deeply unpopular. l

Friday, September 26, 2014

Al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front evacuates bases in northwest Syria: fighters n Reuters, Beirut Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate, the Nusra Front, has evacuated its bases in populated areas of the Idlib region in northwest Syria after US-led forces carried out air strikes on the group, its fighters said on Wednesday.

Another Syrian Islamist group, Ahrar al-Sham, has also ordered its followers to evacuate bases, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitoring group.

“Heavy weapons have been moved out of the bases. We do not want civilians to be harmed because of us,” one Nusra fighter said in an online message posted on the Internet.

The Observatory also reported the Nusra withdrawal.

At least 50 fighters from the Nusra Front and eight civilians were killed in strikes by a US-led coalition in Syria on Tuesday, the Observatory said.

The US military said it had launched strikes on al Qaeda veterans it referred to as the “Khorasan group.” Militants in

After a year in office, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has achieved a steady thaw in relations with the West but failed so far to deliver on campaign promises of more freedom at home.

On some significant indicators - the number of executions and political prisoners as well as press freedom - the pragmatic Rouhani has fared no better or even worse than his hardline predecessor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, activists say.

But Rouhani’s defenders say he appears to be single-mindedly pursuing a nuclear deal with the West, hoping that this would boost his political capital and allow him to take on the conservative forces which are blocking his domestic policies.

Rouhani won the 2013 election on promises to improve Tehran’s hostile relationship with the outside world and to ease the political and social restrictions that irk many Iranians.

On the first he has made progress. Iran struck an interim agreement on its nuclear program with world powers last year.

While a final settlement is far from certain, diplomats say both sides are pushing hard for a deal by a Nov 24 deadline.

Among broader signs of a thaw, the United States informed Iranin advance of its intention to strike Islamic State militants inSyria, and Rouhani said a nuclear deal that ended Western sanctions against Tehran would allow deeper cooperation on regional peace and stability and fighting terrorism.

On Wednesday, he agreed on the need to improve relations with Britain during talks with Prime Minister David Cameron at the United Nations in New York, the highest level direct meeting between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

However, Rouhani has nothing to

Syria said the term was not widely used but may refer to fighters who came to Syria and joined the Nusra Front after fighting in Afghanistan.

The other Islamist group evacuating its bases, Ahrar al-Sham, is part of the Islamic Front alliance that has been in armed conflict with Islamic State militants, who have been the main targets of the US-led air strikes.

The Observatory quoted a statement from Ahrar al-Sham as ordering followers to “evacuate bases, workshops and camps” except for what was needed to protect them.

The group also ordered followers to remove satellite and wireless communications devices from bases and refrain from using them unless “absolutely necessary,” the Observatory said.

The statement called for heavy weapons to be hidden and warned civilians to stay away from the group’s bases, the Observatory said.

This month an explosion killed the leader of Ahrar al-Sham and at least 28 of its commanders. l

Lightning strikes over the sea along the coast of the Haitian capital, Port au Prince, during an evening thunderstorm on September 24

show on his second campaign promise, said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “It’s a combination of political and social freedom,” Ghaemi said. “The statements he had made were on policy on many, many fronts, none of which have come true.”

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has expressed alarm at a reported increase in executions in Iran. According to Cornell University’s Deathpenaltyworldwide.org database, there were between 624 and 727 last year, up from an estimated 314 to 580 in 2012.

In his annual report to the UN General Assembly on human rights in Iran, Ban said restrictions on freedom of expression continue to affect many areas of life.

Rouhani’s promise to push for more press freedom has fallen flat Rouhani has the support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in pursuing the nuclear deal and this has shielded him from criticism by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the country’s top military force. But this support has not extended to Rouhani’s promises on domestic issues.

Among the most high-profile was an implicit pledge to resolve the house arrest of two candidates in a disputed 2009 presidential elections, Mir Hussein Moussavi and Mehdi Karroubi.

Yet both men, along with Moussavi’s wife Zahra Rahnavard, remain under arrest. Karroubi has been hospitalized because of the inappropriate conditions of his detention, his wife Fatemeh said in an interview with the

Saham News site this week.

Similarly, Rouhani’s promise to push for more press freedom has fallen flat. In July, Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian and his wife Yeganeh Salehi, who is also a journalist, were both detained and remain in custody with authorities providing no details as to why they are being held.

Pragmatic goals

Rouhani may be holding off from confronting his opponents on domestic policy in the hope of achieving some degree of success in the nuclear negotiations and an easing of the trade and financial sanctions which are badly hurting Iranians.

“He’s willing to compromise a great deal in order to achieve what he thinks are pragmatic goals,” said Abbas Milani, the director of the Iranian Studies program at Stanford University. “At this moment he doesn’t think that fighting for the release of Moussavi, for example, or for some of the human rights issues is high priority.”

But by gambling on the success of the nuclear talks rather than pushing domestic issues, Rouhani has left himself vulnerable to attacks from his opponents.

Last month, hardliners in parliament ousted Rouhani’s Minister of Science for allowing the return of students and academics who had been banned from universities following mass protests linked to the 2009 election.

Rouhani himself has faced criticism even from some political allies for not showing up to parliament on the day the conservative bloc voted to remove the minister.

Hardliners are also fighting back against any attempt to ease restrictions on social freedoms. Last week, a number of young Iranians received sus-

A female pilot has led United Arab Emirates air strikes that targeted Islamic State jihadists in Syria as part of the US-led campaign against extremists.

Major Mariam al-Mansouri, 35, “led the squadron” of UAE fighter jets that participated in raids Tuesday against the extremists, an Emirati source familiar with the matter said.

The UAE did not confirm officially that a woman was among the pilots that conducted the raids.

Mansouri is reportedly the first female UAE pilot of a fighter jet. She graduated from Abu Dhabi’s Khalifa bin Zayed Air College in 2007 and is veteran pilot of F-16 warplanes.

Washington has said the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Jordan, took part in the strikes on the Islamic State, which has seized swaths of Iraq and northern Syria.

Saudi Arabia on Wednesday released photographs of eight airmen it said were involved in Tuesday’s US-led operations.

One of the pilots is a son of Crown Prince Salman bin Abdul Aziz, according to Saudi newspapers. l

Sierra Leone quarantines three more districts in fight against Ebola n Reuters, Freetown

N AT U R E ’ S PY R OT E C H N I Q U E S

Hardliners stand against Rouhani-reforms n Reuters, Beirut

Female UAE pilot ‘leads strikes’ on jihadists n AFP, Dubai

pended sentences of 6 to 12 months in jail and 91 lashes with a whip for making a video set to the song “Happy” by US performer Pharrell Williams.

Government officials were offended by the clip, posted on the Internet in May, because it showed women without hijab dancing with men.

This week Iran’s prosecutor-general and judiciary spokesman, hardline cleric Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejehi, also threatened Rouhani’s minister of communication with legal action if he did not shut down popular messaging apps Viber, What’s App and Tango within a month. “Violators of the judiciary’s orders at any level will be held accountable by law,” Ejehi said in a statement carried by a number of Iranian news sites.

Ejehi said the apps had been used to disseminate derogatory material about Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.

The Revolutionary Guards arrested 11 people on Sunday because of jokes about Khomeini spread through messaging apps, the Khabar Online news site reported.

Rouhani has yet to respond to the attacks. “He has done no pushback,” said Ghaemi. “After one year, Rouhani’s opponents who lost the election to him are actually involved more than ever in actively challenging him.”

The muted response contrasts to Rouhani’s boisterous election campaign when he ran on a slogan offering a government of “hope,” winning more than 18 million votes.

The president appears to be asking his supporters to be patient. “I haven’t forgotten anything and, thank God, my memory has been good and continues to be good,” he told state television earlier this year. “I know well what promises I have given and what I must do.” l

AFP

N E W S Fatah, Hamas agreement to give unity government control over Gaza

n Reuters, Cairo Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah reached an agreement on Thursday by which the unity government run by President Mahmoud Abbas would take control of the Gaza Strip, negotiators in Egyptian-mediated reconciliation talks told reporters.

Officials from the rival groups were meeting in Cairo to try to overcome their differences and strengthen their hand for talks with Israel slated for late next month.

The Gaza ceasefire struck in August between Israel and the Palestinians included stipulations that the Palestinian Authority, led by Abbas, should take over civil administration in Gaza from Hamas.

But a dispute over the Palestinian Authority’s non-payment of salaries to Gaza’s public sector workers brought tensions between the two main Palestinian factions to near-breaking point.

Cyprus rescue mission for 300 stranded in boat off Paphos

n BBC

Cyprus has launched a rescue mission for 300 people, thought to be Syrian refugees, stranded off the island’s west coast.

Most of the people on the small fishing boat are believed to be women and children. They were spotted 55 nautical miles (100km) south of the resort town of Paphos. Helicopters are at the scene.

Cypriot authorities said they picked up a radio distress signal as the boat was caught in rough seas. Coastguard patrol boats and a cruise ship have gone to the scene, Cypriot media report.

Sierra Leone has put three more districts under indefinite quarantine in a bid to fight Ebola, President Ernest Bai Koroma said in a statement, which means five of the country’s 14 districts have now been isolated.

The quarantined districts include Port Loko and Bombali in the north and Moyamba in the south, according to a statement Koroma gave late on Wednesday.

“The isolation of districts and chiefdoms will definitely pose great difficulties for our people in those districts,” Koroma said. “(But) the life of everyone and the survival of our country take precedence over these difficulties.”

The World Health Organisation said on Thursday the death toll for the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the worst on record, has killed 2,917 people this year, including nearly 600 people in Sierra Leone.

The new restrictions are likely to further hamper major iron ore firms operating in Sierra Leone. Port Loko is home to London Mining’s concession and African Minerals has its rail and port services there.

The move follows a three-day countrywide lockdown at the weekend that Koroma said had been a success but exposed “areas of greater challenges.” l

B I T E S Libya, racked by unrest and lawlessness, has become a major people-trafficking hub.

However, Cyprus lies closer to Syria.

Obama offers to lift sanctions if Russia ‘changes course’ on Ukraine

n AFP, United Nations

US President Barack Obama on Wednesday slammed Russia’s “aggression” in Ukraine but offered to lift sanctions against Moscow if it threw its weight behind an unravelling peace deal with Kiev.

The outstretched hand to Moscow came a day after pro-Russian guerrillas brushed off Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s limited self-rule offer and announced plans to set up their own parliaments in self-organised November 2 polls.

‘Too many Israelis’ ready to give up on peace, Obama laments

n Reuters, United Nations

US President Barack Obama lamented on Wednesday that “too many Israelis” were ready to abandon Middle East peace efforts and urged them to reflect on the matter, saying the status quo with the Palestinians was unsustainable.

As part of a broader speech to the United Nations Assembly, Obama appeared to gently chide close US ally Israel against giving up on peace a week before he hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.

While Obama used his address primarily to rally support in the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, also recommitted to the pursuit of a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians despite what he called a “bleak” landscape. l

DHAKA TRIBUNE

World

9

Friday, September 26, 2014

With canal and hut, India stands up to China

The seemingly perpetual conflict that apprently became dormant flares-up again with no signs nor hope of any resolution

n Reuters, New Delhi Earlier this month, the Indian army stationed on a remote Himalayan plateau built a small observation hut from where they could watch Chinese soldiers across a disputed border.

The move so irked China’s military that it laid a road on territory claimed

by India and demanded that the tin hut be dismantled. India refused, destroyed a part of the new road and promptly raised troop numbers in the area.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making good on election promises of a more robust national security policy, and the fact that around 1,000 soldiers from each side are facing off in Ladakh is evidence even mighty China is not off limits.

No shots have been fired, and a brief border war between the world’s two most populous nations was fought 52 years ago. But Indian military officials said the situation in the Chumar area of Ladakh had been unusually tense in recent weeks, highlighting a simmering disagreement between the nuclear-armed neighbours that is back on the agenda at the highest level.

Modi, a nationalist who swept to power in May, was unusually forthright when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited India in mid-September, challenging Xi in private on the question of incursions along their 3,500-km contested frontier.

Afterwards, he told a news confer-

ence in the presence of the Chinese leader that peace and stability on the border were needed for better economic ties Beijing has been pressing for.

P Stobdan, a former Indian ambassador and a Ladakhi with deep knowledge of the competing claims in the region, sees a shift in New Delhi’s thinking.

“The hut has become the bone of contention. The Chinese have drawn a red line. They want it demolished before they will withdraw,” he said.

Last year, the Chinese forced the Indians to demolish another hut in Chumar in return for ending a face-off.

“This time the new government does not seem to be in a mood to budge,” Stobdan added.

No longer business as usual

Beginning in June, as it prepared to receive Xi, Modi’s government set in train a series of bold actions on the border where Indian officials say China has long been nibbling away at its territory.

It ordered faster construction of 72 strategic roads along the border to narrow the gap with China’s vastly superior and intricate network of roads and tracks in the mountains.

It has also rebuilt airfields, including a landing strip laid in Daulat Beg Oldi in Ladakh in 1962, the year the two countries fought their short war.

Over the past few months C-130 Hercules planes bought from the United States have been landing at the airfield some 30 km from Depsang, the site of a

21-day standoff last year when People’s Liberation Army soldiers set up tents on India’s side of the 1962 ceasefire line.

VK Singh, Modi’s minister for India’s northeastern states, another area where the border is in dispute with China, says it is no longer business as usual on the so-called Line of Actual Control (LAC) dividing the two countries.

Incursions from both sides are common along the ceasefire line, because their armies cannot agree where it lies, making a final settlement a distant prospect Incursions from both sides are common along the ceasefire line, because their armies cannot agree where it lies, making a final settlement a distant prospect.

“Sometimes (in the past), I think for political reasons or other reasons, we would have said OK, leave it. But that perpetuates the problem, it doesn’t solve the problem,” said Singh, a former army chief handpicked to beef up civilian and military infrastructure in the northeast.

“You keep giving a concession, it only perpetuates the problem. So somewhere up the hierarchy someone has to say ‘let’s hold on’,” he told Reuters in an interview about the latest confrontation with China.

India was humiliated in the 1962 war

China Uighur scholar jailed over lecture n AFP A prominent Chinese scholar from the mostly-Muslim Uighur ethnic group was jailed for life because of remarks he made in a university class about the restive Xinjiang region, state-media reported Thursday.

Ilham Tohti, a former professor, was handed the sentence on a charge of “separatism” by a court in the vast western region on Tuesday, provoking an outcry from rights groups, as well as the US and European Union.

The case against Tohti was in part based on recordings of university lectures in which he said that Xinjiang

“firstly belonged to the Uighur ethnic group,” rather than China’s Han majority, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

State prosecutors said the speech, along with other remarks in which he questioned the government’s account of a violent incident in Xinjiang last year, had encouraged others to join “separatist groups.”

Tohti argued that China’s constitution guarantees citizens freedom of speech, but prosecutors said “Chinese citizens must not damage the interests of the state while executing their freedom,” according to Xinhua.

Foreign media were not allowed ac-

and, since then, while it has built up its conventional military and nuclear and missile capabilities, it has been careful to avoid showdowns at the border, which, despite 17 rounds of talks over two decades, remains unsettled.

Hu Zhiyong, a research fellow with the Institute of International Relations at the Shanghai Academy of Social

Sciences, told China’s state-run Global Times that the Modi government’s moves to build up infrastructure and equipment on the Indian side of the LAC signalled a shift in posture.

“The ‘offensive’ strategy aims to gain more leverage in the talks,” Hu told the fiercely nationalist newspaper.

High-altitude hut

The chain of events leading to the latest tensions began in Demchok, on the southeastern corner of Ladakh. On August 18, India started building an irrigation canal there as part of the government›s rural jobs guarantee programme.

China protested, saying it was located inside its territory.

Then, on September 8, Indian troops erected their observation hut on a hill-

ock in Chumar, one of the areas along the LAC where India has the tactical advantage of height.

Retired Indian army brigadier Gurmeet Kanwal, who has served in high-altitude areas, said India’s position there overlooks Chinese encampments and a dirt road leading up to the area.

Beijing’s response was swift. Within a day, some 500 PLA troops crossed into the area and used cranes and bulldozers to build a 2 km (1.2-mile) road.

Later that night, Indian soldiers dug up part of that road, but the Chinese have not withdrawn from the area, which New Delhi considers to be several kilometres inside its territory.

Around 1,000 soldiers from each side are ranged against each other, and further to the east, a group of Chinese civilians backed by the PLA intruded into the Demchok sector where India was trying to build the irrigation canal, Indian officials said.

China’s public comments on the latest row with India have been measured.

“The China-India border dispute is a left-over from history. The two countries› border, to this day, has not been designated, and the two sides› understanding of the real line of control is not the same,» the Defence Ministry said, adding that both New Delhi and Beijing were resolved to manage the problem.

A civilised cup of tea

India says China violated the ceasefire line 334 times in the first eight months

of this year. Chinese officials with Xi on his visit last week said India had violated the LAC 410 times, according to an Indian government official at the talks.

Border patrols have become more frequent and probing deeper into each other’s territories, officials say, often running into each other. Earlier, the two armies sent out patrols on alternating days along the most contentious areas of the border so that their troops wouldn’t come into contact.

“If there is a border patrol that crosses the LAC as perceived by the other side, they are supposed to offer them a cup of tea and ask them to leave immediately. The idea is it should be civilised behaviour. At times this civilised behaviour has spun out of control with soldiers roughing each other up,” said an Indian officer at the armyheadquarters in New Delhi.

But the head of Ladakh’s local government said India had neglected the border area for decades to its own and local people›s detriment. Only now was it starting to plug the gaps, he added, and that had provoked the Chinese.

“We have lost so much pasture land, grazing land over a period of time to China,” said Rigzin Spalbar, chief executive councillor of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council.

“We told our people not to go close to the LAC, the area was left vacant and the Chinese sent their herders in.

Now those areas have become their possessions.” l

F O R H E A LT H A N D H A P P I N E S S

cess to the court for Tohti’s trial last week and police kept the area sealed off.

Tohti’s lawyer Li Fangping told AFP that several remarks quoted by Xinhua were inaccurate, and that he has lodged a complaint on the grounds that publishing evidence before Tohti has had a chance to appeal is illegal.

“We were not given access to this evidence before the trial because we were told it was too sensitive. Now before the verdict is even effective, this evidence is released by the media, in the name of state media,” he said.

“Publishing this inaccurate account, I suspect, is intended to influence the public’s opinion of Ilham,” he added. l

Afghan election runner-up quells fear of unrest, promises co-operation n Reuters, Kabul The runner-up in Afghanistan’s disputed election, Abdullah Abdullah, on Thursday congratulated his rival, Ashraf Ghani, on becoming president, seeking to quell fears of unrest after the two agreed to share power.

In his first public address since former fiance minister Ghani was declared the winner on Sunday, Abdullah, a former foreign minister, told his supporters he had to accept a deal to avoid violence for the sake of the people.

“Taking the decision at this moment to go towards violence is very easy but we are resolved and determined to tolerate all bitterness and

suffering,” Abdullah said.

“If, God forbid, Afghanistan had gone towards instability, how could we maintain people’s rights? How could we deliver on our promises to the people?”

Ghani is due to be inaugurated on Monday.

Afghanistan’s Western allies have been hoping a smooth transfer of power would consolidate the country’s progress as most foreign troops prepare to leave after nearly 13 years of war against Taliban insurgents.

Neither Ghani nor Abdullah won enough votes in a first round in April to win outright, so they had to contest a run-off vote in June.

But Abdullah refused to accept the result, complaining of fraud and raising fears for political stability, and even of conflict along ethnic lines.

While Ghani is an ethnic Pashtun, Abdullah is of mixed ethnicity but draws most support from the Tajik minority.

Under the terms of a U.S. brokered power-sharing deal with Ghani, Abdullah is expected to take up the role of chief executive and share responsibility for key decisions and appointments with the president.

Seeking to ease worries the new government may be paralyzed by divisions and fail to deliver on reforms, Abdullah promised to co-operate with Ghani. l

I N D I A T R I U M P H S I N A S I A’ S R A C E T O M A R S

In this handout photograph released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on September 25, the surface of Mars is seen from a height of 7300m in the first image taken by the ISRO Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) spacecraft. India won Asia’s race to Mars on September 24 when its unmanned Mangalyaan spacecraft successfully entered the Red Planet’s orbit after a 10-month journey on a tiny budget AFP

A devotee lights candles at a Chinese shrine during the annual vegetarian festival in Bangkok late September 24. The festival celebrates the local Chinese community’s belief that abstinence from meat and various stimulants during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar will help them obtain good health and peace of mind REUTERS

Myanmar army releases more than 100 child soldiers

BJP, Sena still in talks; alliance hangs by the thread n Tribune Desk

n Reuters, Yangon

The high drama over seat sharing in Maharashtra seems far from over, with both the BJP and the Shiv Sena saying on Thursday that the talks between them were still on.

As contradicting reports emerged in Delhi and Mumbai, both parties continued their blame game and brinksmanship, accusing each other of trying to break the alliance.

BJP state chief Devendra Fadnavis told reporters that the Sena needed to come up with a fresh proposal as both the BJP and the smallier allies were unhappy with their stand.

Earlier, sources said the Sena agreed to give three seats to smaller parties from its share. As per the new formula, the Sena agreed to contest in 148 seats and field nominees of smaller allies in three seats on its symbol.

So, in this case, though the seat sharing formula for the Sena, the BJP and the minor allies would read 151-127-10, the Sena would be fielding its candidates in only 148 means. l

Myanmar’s army released 109 children from its military ranks on Thursday in its single biggest discharge of child soldiers, but boys are still being illegally recruited from poor families, the United Nations said.

Myanmar has for years been listed among countries where children have been recruited to fight - both by government forces and rebels.

The military ran the country for 49 years and was condemned internationally for human rights abuses including the use of child soldiers.

Bertrand Bainvel, head of the UN Children’s Fund in Myanmar, said the military wants to professionalise its ranks and the presence of child soldiers may block military cooperation with countries that could provide assistance.

A reformist, semi-civilian government that took over in 2011 has been working with the United Nations to get children out of the military. It has

released 472 service since June 2012 including Thursday’s discharge, which was the largest yet, according to the United Nations.

“There is a commitment by the Tatmadaw to have this practice eradicated from its ranks,” said Bainvel, referring to the military by its traditional name.

Bainvel said recruitment continues at a decreased rate and that most young recruits come from poor families seeking the income that a son in the army can provide.

Recruiting most often takes place in the two largest cities, Yangon and Mandalay, and is often facilitated by civilian brokers who forge identification documents, making it difficult to determine how many child soldiers remain enlisted.

“This is a big question and there’s no way to say for sure how many there are,” Bainvel said.

The United Nations said seven ethnic minority guerrilla forces, which have fought or are still fighting the government, were also using child soldiers. l

10

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Editorial

Friday, September 26, 2014

CODE-CRACKER

RMG owners not exempt from law

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he government has rightly asked the BGMEA and BKMEA to agree to pay festival bonuses and salaries on time, ahead of upcoming Eid and Durga Puja celebrations.

Anticipating and preventing problems is the best way to build better industrial relations.

We are concerned then that the state minister recently told former Tuba Group workers that existing laws do not allow the government to take punitive actions against RMG factory owners.

This cannot be wholly correct as the government is using the law to support much-needed initiatives to improve health and safety across the RMG industry.

If, as the minister appears to suggest, current laws are not adequate to hold to account RMG owners who are responsible for the poor safety and abuses of workers’ rights, then this needs to be changed.

The government should propose and enforce stronger measures to prevent the shoddy, and sometimes criminal, treatment of workers in all sectors of the economy.

Improving employee relations is especially important in the RMG sector. As the country’s largest source of export earnings and leading employer of industrial workers, its future growth and sustainability depends on the government ensuring a safe and productive working environment.

The government must end impunity for past abuses and ensure existing laws are properly upheld. No employer should be exempted from legitimate scrutiny.

It should also seek to improve laws and the mechanisms which uphold them, to fulfill its responsibility to facilitate better and safer conditions for the country’s workers.

Better legal protection begets better industrial relations, which can benefit both RMG owners and workers alike.

If current laws are not adequate, the government should propose stronger measures

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

Blasphemy law September 18 were of this world, then My servants would be James Patrick Smith fighting so that I would not be handed over to the My jaw fell to the floor when you justified Ibn alJews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.”

Ashraf’s assassination through political purposes, If only Muhammad had preached this, ISIS would not religious. That means that Islam places politics not exist. above humanity. Because of Muhammad allowing In democratic and historically Christian nations, the assassination of Al-Ashraf, free-thinking people separation of church and state can occur because like the Iranian Soheil Arabi are on death row for Christianity rises above politics. Sure, you have insulting your prophet. the Vatican, but Italy is secular. You will never see In the Christian West, where you had the mosque and state separated in Islamic countries, privilege of studying in, we can insult and criticise because Islam is politics. Yeah, you may have been all religious figures, though due to an apologetic able to cite Turkey a decade ago, but it kept having and failed immigration policy, people are fearful coups to keep Islam out of government and, since of insulting your prophet. The reason we have this Erdogan, mosque and state are becoming increasfreedom? Because Jesus Christ said in John 18:36: ingly closer and closer.

“My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom

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

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

Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.

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

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

SUDOKU Elephant used in extortion scheme September 18

61 beggars given shelter, Tk61 lakh each in Thakurgaon

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.

September 17

LS Inspiring. Way to go, Bangladesh.

Relaxed hartal underway peacefully September 18

End the pressure to marry early

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t is high time that we, as a society, stood up against the stigma and shame faced by unmarried couples in Bangladesh. Because of backward social attitudes, unmarried couples are forced into making various unfair compromises, and face unnecessary difficulties. Perhaps worst of all, they are being forced to get married before they are ready.

This is not a good thing for a nation claiming to be progressive and secular. It is not against the law for people to have relationships outside of marital arrangements.

It is therefore hypocritical of us to shame couples and make life hard for them.

Difficulties faced by unmarried couples include facing undue harassment while trying to rent apartments together, or while seeking medical attention with the help of a supportive partner who is not a spouse. Unmarried couples too often find themselves in situations where they are interrogated about the nature of their relationships, and are refused service or are mistreated because they are not married.

All these pressures add up, causing some to get married too early, with disastrous consequences. Our society needs to honour and recognise all kinds of bonds between people, and stop this undue pressure.

Respecting the rights of unmarried couples, and respecting individual choices is a big part of moving forward as a society, and can play a big part in ending underage marriage.

Respecting the rights of unmarried couples and respecting individual choices is a big part of moving forward as a society

mong pru Does it challenge the standard of the tribunal?

On Off “A mahout, the person who drives the elephant, uses his elephant to extort money from the shop owners of Elephant Road in the capital. The mahout took position in front of a shop and refused to drive the elephant away until he was paid Tk10 by the shop owner.”

This is nothing but another example of extortion, just like when hijras go into shops and take money from the owners and managers.

Ahmed Azwad Imtiaz lol Just for Tk10? I would have given it to him if he let me take a photo with the elephant.

Iskandar Zulkarnain Oh man, I saw these two just the other night, on Elephant Road.

50,000 tonnes rice exports to Sri Lanka September 18

Strength and vulnerability September 17

CROSSWORD

Lalon Shah “… Hence the Bible was translated into the vernacular, and schools were organised in every village. … illiteracy was slowly but significantly reduced – almost to the point of non-existence.”

Ahh, what a gem. Think of the ramifications for Bangladesh, if the Qur’an was/is taught in the vernacular. I see the flow on effect and I see emancipation, almost.

Law minister: ‘Govt never compromised on war crimes trial’

ACROSS 1 Cult (4) 6 Male sheep (3) 7 Osculate (4) 9 Minute particle (4) 10 Weird (5) 11 Work into a fabric (5) 12 Finish (3) 14 Tree (5) 17 Cosy retreats (5) 20 United (3) 21 Dilate (5) 23 Start (5) 25 Labyrinth (4) 26 Dash (4) 27 Healthy (3) 28 Biblical quotation (4)

DOWN 1 Pollen-bearing organ (6) 2 Throngs (6) 3 Domesticated (4) 4 Melody (3) 5 Put to a purpose (3) 7 Part of a yacht (4) 8 Sea nymph (5) 10 First woman (3) 13 Stair handrail post (5) 15 Give to charity (6) 16 Rebuff (6) 18 Counterpart (4) 19 Transgression (3) 22 Send out (4) 23 Seek charity (3) 24 Joke (3)

September 17

Dr Ahsan Habib Do you want me to believe this statement, given how you have danced around this issue during the last six years?

Jumman Sadiq Javelin Will this help us to buy rice at a low price?

CALVIN AND HOBBES

birbanggali Thank you, sir, for this article. We demand maximum punishment for all the war criminals.

Protesters take over a road!

September 18

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

PEANUTS

Nazmul Khair “Auditors from different parts of the country form a human chain, possessing a major portion of the road in front of the National Press Club. The protesters gathered under the banner of Auditors Welfare Association, demanding upgraded designation along with increased salary.”

If they are from a government organisation, then they do not have any shame.

They are the people who make every wrong right during the audit period in exchange for bribery.

Gulshan Tower catches fire September 18

Maurice What a tragedy, my God! What caused this fire?

SUDOKU

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Op-Ed

11

Friday, September 26, 2014

Are we good enough? n AHM Mustafizur Rahman

E

BIGSTOCK

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H

E

F

L

I

P

S

I

D

E

Bangladesh’s lost case

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n Nadeem Qadir elwar Hossain Sayedee – murderer, rapist, and arsonist – has walked away almost free from the cases involving him in crimes against humanity. A harrowing shocker for Bangladesh, and jubiliation for those who had always wanted to thwart the trial process.

After the war criminal Ghulam Azam was blessed with a lease of life because of old-age and sickness, Sayedee is now all smiles in prison, possibly showing us the victory sign.

Why this, and why are people worried about such verdicts? There may be many answers, but the most important is the matter of investigation and prosecution. In fact, in a story published in the Dhaka Tribune, we read about the attorney general, and past and present law ministers blaming each other for the outcome of a sensitive case.

The fear is that if the BNP-Jamaat alliance returns to power somehow, the first thing they will do is enact laws to free these criminals from jail.

War criminals who had committed crimes beyond question and deserve the death penalty will return to haunt those involved with the International Crimes Tribunal as well as the witnesses. Are we arranging security for these people? If not, we should do that, because in Bangladesh, power play has no laid-down system.

Two rumours were abound after

Sayedee’s verdict. First, that the ruling Awami League had a secret deal with Jamaat, and thus this result. I have to reject this view knowing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who will never compromise with Jamaat for anything.

I congratulated Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after Quader Mollah was hanged, saying the country saluted her for the courage.

However, the court should be an example to critics that it was no kangaroo court. It is operating independently as per the laws laid down.

Courts in Cambodia or Afghanistan also had weaknesses like the one in Bangladesh, but that is no solace. It has been claimed that the witnesses were pressured by the prosecution. If that was the case, then Sayedee would

Will our next generation blame this generation for not properly trying those accused of war crimes?

In reply, she told me that she had to face unimaginable domestic and international pressure to stop the execution. So, I need not say anything further about her stand.

The other rumour was that the judges feared for their lives because Sayedee has a huge “religious” following, and they would face the backlash.

With all due respect to the judges, I must say they too are Bengalis and have similar feelings to ours, but the verdict depends on the prosecution and defence lawyers. The prosecution has failed.

definitely have been in the condemned cell now, instead of enjoying his new lease of life. If the defence was not allowed proper space to present their case, then how could he have avoided the death penalty?

Azam and Sayedee have been allowed to live despite being collaborators of the Pakistani army, despite being murderers, rapists, and arsonists.

But what about the victims – the victims who have been waiting since independence for proper justice to be meted out to these Pakistan-sponsored thugs?

Thus, it is time to rethink the whole process. The government must recruit the right people for the job – starting from the investigation team to the prosecution. The proper manpower as well as logistics must be in place.

It is a double-edged sword, as neither can we delay the process, nor can we afford to have a situation in which other accused war criminals get a lease of life. We want nothing less than hanging for the rest.

Oskar Gröning, once called “the accountant of Auschwitz,” and a former Nazi death camp guard, was one of the first few to speak out against Holocaust deniers. He now faces trial in Germany at the age of 93.

Some historians describe his case as the failure of the German judiciary to bring the Holocaust perpetrators to justice.

He took money from murdered Jews and delivered it to the SS headquarters in Berlin from 1942 to 1944.

He also stood guard as hoards of people were brought into the camps.

Will our next generation blame this generation for not properly trying those accused of war crimes? Will the martyrs and victims of the 1971 war remain restless?It is time to seriously take stock and take the next step so that those with grounds to be hanged are executed. We do not want another lost case like that of Sayedee. l

ighty-five matches. 4 victories.

11 draws. 70 losses, 36 of those being innings defeats. We’ve crossed 400 in an innings only eleven times. We’ve been dismissed for under 150 some 37 times.

Let those numbers sink in a bit.

Bangladeshis have never been the most patient people, and I don’t believe I’m overstepping my boundaries when I say that Test cricket isn’t exactly worshipped and lauded as the shorter forms of cricket are (unfortunately). However, just about every Bangladeshi citizen remotely interested in cricket must have jumped with joy when, approximately 14 years ago, Bangladesh first gained test status.

Why, you ask? Well that’s because this was us getting recognised, part of the “big boys,” the elite, the crème de la crème, etc etc.

Friday, November 10, 2000 saw for the first time our boys going onto the international stage wearing white – the symbolic colour of choice for Test matches. Our opposition – the mighty Indians, with a batting line up that had Ganguly, Dravid, and Tendulkar, and a bowling lineup boasting Zaheer Khan and Javagal Srinath. We won the toss, chose to bat, and to everyone’s surprise, did brilliantly! Aminul Islam struck a wonderful 145 on his debut as we reached 400 – an impressive debut total for the team.

I remember the headlines lauding and praising the Tigers for their ability and grit, and it seemed that we would take to Test cricket like a fish to water.

A good batting pitch meant that India posted an equally impressive 429, but only 29 runs with a six wicket haul for Naimur Rahman was further sign of encouragement for the young side. But that … was the end of it, or rather, the “true” beginning. We were bundled out for 91 in the second innings, with all the Indian bowlers having a field day. We lost the match on the fourth day, by nine wickets.

That was 14 years ago. Our recent abomination on the tour of West Indies is just another chapter in an

Nadeem Qadir, a senior journalist, is a UNCA Dag Hammarskjold Scholar in journalism.

agonisingly long series of defeat after humiliating defeat. There have been numerous coaches, captains, and sets of players. There have been countless sessions of brainstorming and discussions.

There have been glimpses of positives, instantly raising expectations tenfold in this cricket-crazy nation.

Yet, the numbers are there for all to see. Four wins and two series wins in the last 14 years. Clearly, we’re not moving anywhere.

There’s talk of the past, of other teams who have played for more years to get their first win. But this is hardly a viable excuse. Failures shouldn’t be examples to look at. The investment made for cricket isn’t paltry, and there’s no dearth of hunger to succeed.

Yet, we continue to languish in mediocrity, really showing no marked sign of improvement.

There’s obviously a ton of things I could say about how we could go about making an improvement. So could most people of this country. But that’s not what this piece is about. This article is simply about our inception, and our subsequent lack of evolution.

It’s to boldly state that we’re living a lie that we really are part of the elite.

It’s me accusing the general public of not really being interested in the visual aspect of Test cricket at all, just the results and the eventual criticism that follows.

It’s a plea to the masses to not get emotional and teary-eyed when legends such as Shane Warne and Virendar Sehwag criticise our team and say we don’t belong. It’s me launching a tirade against the players who lose their head time and time again from a solid foundation, and crumble faster than a freshly baked cookie.

This is me saying our players need to mature, and mature a lot before we can even think about competing against the other internationals in Test cricket. It’s called Test cricket for a reason, and we’ve come nowhere close to the passing grade. l AHM Mustafizur Rahman is a freelance contributor.

MUMIT M

Communal healing n Razia Sultana

H

ealth is wealth for both an individual and a nation. Health is a basic right for every human being. “Universal health coverage” – a central theme in today’s global health arena, is based on the concept of equitable health service provision. It is all the more important for the developing world, where one’s body is the only asset one possesses for maintaining livelihood.

However, increasing costs are

hindering access to quality healthcare around the world, and Bangladesh is not an exception.

Very few in Bangladesh can access quality healthcare in time due to a lack of money and the absence of quality services near where people live. It is more of a concern for the poor. Currently, the per capita expenditure on healthcare in Bangladesh is $27, which is far less than what is recommended or required.

Unfortunately, with this low level of expenditure, the people of Bangladesh

BIGSTOCK

have to spend the most out of their pockets for healthcare compared to other Asian countries.

The government of Bangladesh bears only 26% of the national health expenses. The other 64% comes from the people themselves, with about 10% from private companies, NGOs, and insurance companies (for profit).

Inadequate number of health human resources (HHR), insufficient fund allocation in the national health budget, inadequate government health service provision, catastrophic healthcare costs, and an expensive and largely unregulated and questionable quality of care at private clinics are the most important issues hindering universal access to quality healthcare services. Catastrophic healthcare costs in Bangladesh pushes 4% of the people into poverty every year.

Thus, Bangladesh needs to take a close look at the existing system to find ways to improve the quality and reach of these services and remove economic and other barriers. Community health insurance is one such tool that can pave the path towards achieving universal health coverage for Bangladesh.

Community health insurance is not driven by financial profit but by the consideration of ensuring access to healthcare by removing financial

barriers and protecting people from catastrophic expenditure.

The ICDDR,B has been implementing a project on community health insurance in Chakaria, a remote rural area in Cox’s Bazaar district of Chittagong division, since 2012.

diagnostic services at a discounted price.

This package has a special rate for the poor, which is set at Tk200 and provides the same set of services. The maximum benefit under this package is fixed at Tk5,000 per individual per

Bangladesh needs to take a close look at the existing system to find ways to improve the quality and reach of these services

This project is locally known as “Amader Shasthya,” meaning “our health.”

Amader Shasthya believes that “a burden shared is a burden halved” and thereby encourages solidarity among villagers.

The scheme runs two packages: Indoor and outdoor. The premium for the outdoor package is set at Tk500 per household per year, which entitles each household member to free consultation with paramedics, doctors, access to medicine, and

year, and Tk30,000 per household per year.

The indoor package, on the other hand, charges Tk1,200 per household per year as a premium and provides services including consultation with paramedics, doctors, hospital admission, diagnostic services, medicine, and operation costs.

The maximum benefit each household can claim is set at Tk54,000 for this package, and for an individual, this amount is set at Tk9,000 per year.

Although the concept of health provision through Amader Shasthya is new to the villagers of Chakaria, it is becoming increasingly popular every day. Amader Shasthya has incited renewed hope in gaining access to quality healthcare for the poor people in Chakaria, reducing out-of-pocket costs, and protecting them from catastrophic healthcare costs.

As of now, nearly 30% of the households in their area of operation have been enrolled in the scheme and the benefit received by the clients is worth Tk70 lakh to date.

Community health insurance has played a major role towards achieving universal health coverage in countries like India, Cambodia, and Thailand.

Bangladesh can also benefit from such financing tools.

The government of Bangladesh is currently focusing on ensuring universal health coverage, which is the constitutional right of its citizens.

The Chakaria experience of Amader Shasthya sets a promising example of community health insurance, which can help the government achieve its dual target of ensuring healthcare for all and lowering out-of-pocket expenses. l Razia Sultana is a Research Officer at ICDDR,B.

12

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Entertainment

Friday, September 26, 2014

AL PACINO accepts BFI award with girlfriend Lucila Sola

Jonakir Alo is Bangladesh’s Oscar entry

n Entertainment Desk

n Entertainment Desk The Bangladesh Federation of Film Societies (BFFS) has selected Khalid Mahmud Mithu’s “Jonakir Alo” as Bangladesh’s official entry to the Oscars 2014 in the “best foreign language film” category.

Mithu earlier won the ‘best director’ award for his film at the Brasov International Film Festival (BRIFF) as well as the Audience Choice Award at the 12th Asian Film Festival in Mumbai. The film has participated in four international film festivals so far, including Tribeca Film Festival, Florida Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival and Jaipur Film Festival.

The film’s story revolves around a love triangle involving Kabita, who dreams of working for children’s welfare and is torn between adopting a child and her responsibility as the daughter-in-law of a conservative family. She gets to meet the legendary artist SM Sultan and gets swayed by his philosophy.

Emon, who played one of the lovers, said: “I am really happy about Jonakir Alo’s selection as Bangladesh’s foreign language Oscar entry. I’m looking forward to doing more such films, besides mainstream commercial films.” Gazi Rakayet essayed the role of SM Sultan while Bidya Sinha Saha Mim played the female lead. Emon and Kalyan played the two lovers. The film was produced by Impress Telefilm. l

To accept a BFI Fellowship, accompanied by a beauty half his age, “Godfather” actor Al Pacino took centre stage at London’s Corinthia Hotel for a dinner in the actor’s honour.

Lucila Sola, 35, was a vision in red, beaming from ear-to-ear as she walked faithfully beside her 74-year-old partner who was awarded the film organisation’s highest accolade while in town for its 58th annual film festival.

Al looked debonair in an all-black suit for the dinner hosted by BFI Chairman Greg Dyke and BFI CEO, Amanda Nevill, whom he later accepted a special introduction from.

When he took to the stage, the legendary actor and director said: “This is such a great honour... the BFI is a wonderful thing, how it keeps films alive.

“It’s an honour to be here and receive this. I’m overwhelmed – people I’ve adored have received this award. I appreciate this so much, thank you.”

Though his solemn face could have disguised his gratitude for the impressive recognition.

While stunning Lucila was beaming with pride, the actor couldn’t muster a smile on Wedneday night.

Industry legends including Orson Welles, Dame Judi Dench, Ken Loach and the late Lord Attenborough have received the fellowship in the past.

It is awarded by the BFI Board of Governors and is presented for outstanding achievement in film and television. Since 1983, a total of 78 fellowships have been awarded.

Pacino, who won the best actor Oscar in 1993 for his role in “Scent of a Woman,” is best known for his performances in the “Godfather” trilogy, “Scarface” and “Dog Day Afternoon.”

Presenting him with the fellowship, Mr Dyke called the actor “a true icon”.

“Al Pacino is one of the greatest actors the world has ever seen, and a visionary director of stage and screen,” he said. l

Star Trek Into Darkness HBO, 9:30pm

After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organisation, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction.

Men in Black

Star Movies, 9:30pm

A streetwise NYPD detective joins a secret organization that polices extraterrestrial affairs on Earth.

BARBRA Streisand makes history

n Entertainment Desk

n Entertainment Desk

Registration for the model-hunting reality-show, Veet Channel i Top Model 2012, has kicked off through a formal programme yesterday. Adil Hossain Nobel, Tania Ahmed, and Kaniz Almas Khan – the jurors – were present at the press conference where Faridur Reza Sagar, managing director of Impress Telefilm Ltd and Channel i, opened registrations and informed initial details of this year’s show.

Interested candidates aged between 18

Barbra Streisand made music history on Wednesday by becoming the only performer to have a number one album in each of the past six decades, as her latest release “Partners” topped the US Billboard 200 chart.

The album sold 196,000 copies in its first week, according to sales figures compiled by Nielsen SoundScan.

With her latest hit, Streisand also became the only female artist to grab the spot on the Billboard album chart on 10 different occasions.

She now holds fourth place on the list of acts with the most number one albums, tailing The Beatles’ 19 chart-toppers, Jay Z’s 13 records and Bruce Springsteen’s 11.

“Partners” features Streisand singing classic songs with male artists, such as “New York State of Mind” with Billy Joel, “Somewhere” with Josh Groban and “People” with Stevie Wonder. Streisand, 72, led a slew of new entries on the weekly Billboard 200 chart, which measures both physical and digital album sales. l

and 25 can log on to www.vctm.tv for further information about registration.

Sponsored by Reckitt Benckiser Bangladesh Ltd, the programme will air soon on Channel i. l

WB, 2:31pm

A fisherman, a smuggler, and a syndicate of businessmen match wits over the possession of a priceless diamond.

Veet Channel i Top Model 2014: Registration opens

A moment of the press conference

Blood Diamond

Exhibition

Shreyoshi Time: 12pm – 8pm Gallery Twenty One Only Connect. Edition One Time: 12pm – 8pm Daily Star-Bengal Arts Precinct Essence of Nature

By N S Chowdhury Dancy Time: 11am – 6pm La Galerie, Alliance Francaise

Theatre

Sonai Madhab Loko Natyadal(Banani) Time: 7pm-8:30pm National Theatre Hall Shilpakala Academy

Sonam and Parineeti fail to perform at box office

Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini to premiere on TV n Entertainment Desk

n Entertainment Desk

“Purno Doirgho Prem Kahini” will premiere on the small screen on the second day of Eid-ul-Adha. To be premiered on ATN Bangla at 10:30am, the film has an ensemble cast that includes Jaya Ahsan, Shakib Khan, Arifin Shuvo, Mimo, Diti, and Razzak.

In the film, Shakib is engaged to his cousin (Mimo), but promises his grandfather that he will not tie the knot until he finds his missing aunt and uncle. He goes to Malaysia in search of them, where he meets a United Nations official, Jaya, who helps him find his aunt.

Shakib, despite his commitment back home, falls for Jaya. But Jaya starts to avoid him and starts seeing another man, Arefin Shuvo.

PDPK was a commercial success. Currently, a sequel of the film is under production and will hit theatres soon. l

Parineeti Chopra starrer “Daawat-e-Ishq” has minted more than Sonam Kapoor’s“Khoobsurat” in the past four days, but they didn’t meet the expectations of the audience, said an expert of Bollywood films. Both the films released on last Friday all over India with high expectations. Featuring Sonam Kapoor in the lead role, “Khoobsurat” is a remake of the 1980 Rekha starrer “Khubsoorat.” With a strong fan following of the movie’s lead male actor – Pakistani sensation Fawad Khan – many people were expected to catch it in cinema halls, but going by the movie’s earnings it seems like the movie buffs were not that excited about the film.

On the other hand, “Daawat-e-Ishq” also couldn’t pull in the audience to theatres much. It minted Rs 15.63 crore in four days, said a statement.

The movie’s lead actors Aditya Roy Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra had also gone on a “Food Yatra” to promote the film but it seems that the audience did not buy it much. l

Disney’s Frozen sued for $250m n Entertainment Desk Disney’s global hit “Frozen” might be about a queen with magical icy powers who accidentally freezes her kingdom, but one woman is convinced that the storyline is a rip-off of her own life.

Latin American author Isabella Tanikumi is sueing Disney for plagiarism in a $250m lawsuit, claiming that the plot is based on her 2010 autobiography and not Hans Christian Anderson’s fairy tale, “The Snow Queen.”

Tanikumi’s self-published book, “Yearnings of the Heart,” details her experiences of growing up in the Peruvian Andes but surprisingly, no chattering snowmen, talking trolls or secret ice palaces feature. Nevertheless, Tanikumi’s three page complaint insists that Frozen stole the story, characters and general feeling from her work and demands a jury trial. She lists 18 examples of what she claims to be plagiarism from characters’ names to the animated film’s central sisterly relationship. l

Did you know?

Sheffield Wednesday have conceded more than six goals on a Wednesday for the first time in their history

Sport

Friday, September 26, 2014

14 Lampard strikes

twice in City’s magnificent 7

14 Suarez scores

first Barcelona goals

DHAKA TRIBUNE

13

15 Hijab, drugs

controversies hit Asiad

Women await sweet revenge

Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka to set another final date against Pakistan lanky right-arm bowler picked up her n Tribune Desk maiden five-wicket haul in the shortest The Bangladesh women’s cricket team will be eyeing an improvement on their silver medal finish in the previous Asian Games in Guangzhou four years ago as they prepare to face holders Pakistan in the final after breezing to a 25-run win over Sri Lanka in the semi-final in Incheon yesterday.

Batting first, Bangladesh put up 95 runs on the board for the loss of four wickets from their stipulated 20 overs.

Lata Mondal posted an unbeaten 34 off 43 balls while Farzana Hoque provided valuable support scoring 22 runs from 33 deliveries.

Sri Lanka, however, were never in the chase as they capitulated to 70-all out in 18.2 overs in the face of some disciplined bowling by seamer Panna Ghosh. The

format of the game and that too giving away just 10 runs from her quota of four overs. Leg-spinner Rumana Ahmed scalped two wickets at the cost of 11 runs as Bangladesh sealed their second consecutive berth in the Asiad final.

Bangladesh will be up against Pakistan with the latter confirming their place after romping to a convincing nine-wicket win over China. Pakistan had beaten Bangladesh by 10 wickets in the Guangzhou Asiad four years ago. l

BRIEF SCORE Bangladesh 95/4 in 20 overs Lata Mondal 34*, Farzana Hoque 22 Sri Lanka 70 all out in 18.2 overs Panna Ghosh 5/10, Rumana Ahmed 2/11, Salma Khatun 1/12 Bangladesh won by 25 runs

Bangladesh women cricket team and officials celebrate their semifinal win against Sri Lanka in the 17th Asian Games in Incheon yesterday

Mashrafe aims for gold, confidence n Minhaz Uddin Khan

Following a disappointing year so far, the Bangladesh cricket team will be looking to change around their recent fortunes as they depart for Incheon, South Korea today to take part in the 17th Asian Games Twenty20 cricket tournament.

Defending champions Bangladesh are aiming for the gold medal once again with their campaign starting from the quarterfinal stage against the runners up side of Group B on October 1.

Till date, Bangladesh have won a solitary gold in the history of the Asian Games which was clinched by the national cricket team in Guangzhou four years ago. Led by Mohammad Ashraful, Bangladesh had defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in the final.

In their pursuit of the title defence, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has announced a strong squad for the competition with veteran paceman Mashrafe bin Mortaza named as captain in place of regular skipper Mushfiqur Rahim who will be absent due to his forthcoming wedding reception. The 15-man squad features all-rounder Shakib al Hasan whose reduced three-month suspension due to indiscipline came to an end recently. The 15-member party contains five survivors from the 2010 title-winning squad.

In the pre-tournament press conference yesterday, Mashrafe said they will be targeting a repeat of the 2010 triumph

Bangladesh A take series 2-0 n Reazur Rahman Rohan

Bangladesh captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza (R) shares a light moment with the media as Chandika Hathurusingha looks on during a press briefing at SBNS yesterday MUMIT M and emphasised that a good run in the upcoming Asiad cricket will help erase some of the painful memories in recent times.

“We won gold in the last Asian Games so naturally our target will be to get another one. Winning a gold medal will be a matter of pride for the country but at the same time, I think this is a very good opportunity to boost our confidence. Winning matches there will help us get out of the bad patch, if only by a little,” said Mashrafe.

The Narail Express also stressed that although Mushfiq’s absence will be felt, Shakib’s return is welcome news for the national side. “Both of them are import-

ant members of the team. Mushfiq will be missed for sure. On the other hand we never want a player like Shakib to be away from the team so his return is really a big factor for the team. I hope he will be able to make a solid start,” he said.

The 30-year old speedster explained that they have drawn up separate game-plans for different opposition.

“There will of course be a plan as we have targeted the best result from the event. We will have to face Sri Lanka (in the semifinals) and then (probably) Afghanistan (in the final). We have separate plans for all these matches and are hoping for the best.” l

Bangladesh A bagged the second fourday match by 118 runs to complete a comfortable 2-0 sweep of the twomatch series against Zimbabwe A at Fatullah yesterday.

Resuming the final day on 108 for 5, the home side rode on skipper Naeem Islam’s unbeaten 50 to extend their lead to 298 runs. Bangladesh A declared their second innings on 172 for 6 before Saqlain Sajib returned as the visitors’ nemesis to complete an easy win for the hosts.

Saqlain, who took 15 wickets in the first four-dayer, scalped a five-for while leg-spinner Jubair Hossian took three as Zimbabwe A surrendered for just 180 runs as the home side’s spinners accounted for all but one second innings dismissals.

Zimbabwe A skipper Vusi Sibanda was the first to depart with the scorecard reading 10 and after that wickets at regular intervals saw them reeling at 87 for 5 before Brian Chari and Joylord Gumbie tried to put up a fight. Gumbie returned for 35 as Chari tried to anchor the innings but fell short of partners.

On 74, Chari was the last visiting batsman to leave the crease as no other batsmen even managed to post double-digit scores other than himself, Gumbie and Tino Mawoyo (29). For his seven-wicket haul in the match, Jubair was adjudged the man-of-the-match. l

Caesar fails in quest to land medal n Raihan Mahmood

FM Iqbal bin Anwar Dawn (2R), speaks during the press conference of the Marcel Refrigerator School College Bashap at the BNS yesterday COURTESY

NSC award to be revived n Raihan Mahmood The National Sports Council (NSC) is all set to revive the National Sports Council Award from the 2014-15 fiscal year to inspire the local sports organisers again.

The fact was revealed by NSC secretary Shibnath Roy in the press conference of the Marcel Refrigerator School College Bashap at the Bangabandhu National Stadium conference room yesterday. “The NSC Award was last distributed back in 1988 and it has been decided that from the fiscal year of 2014-15 it will be revived. The award includes a gold medal, a purse of Tk15,000 and a certificate. It would be

awarded in 10 categories,” said the NSC secretary.

Responding to the declaration, FM Iqbal bin Anwar Dawn, the additional director of Walton urged the government that the companies who support and sponsor the sport arena should be included in the criteria. “It will inspire the companies to promote sports and I think more companies will step up to help sports if it is included in the criteria,” said Dawn.

Meanwhile Khaled Monsur Chowdhury, the general secretary of the Bashap Federation informed that a total of 105 participants from 22 schools and colleges will take part in the three-day event that will be held at the NSC gymnasium. l

US-based Bangladeshi gymnast Kazi Syque Caeser tried hard but failed to match the prowess of the Chinese and Korean gymnasts finishing fifth and seventh in the finals of the Horizontal and Parallel Bars in the Asian Games gymnastics in Incehon, South Korea yesterday.

Caeser was unable to put up a good show in the Parallel Bars but in the Horizontal Bars he kept the pressure on his

high-profile opponnets. However, in the last event he finished fifth and it can lauded as a good performance as the world-class Chinese gymnasts were competing against him.

Meanwhile in the event of individual golf, Mohammed Sojib Ali was tied for ninth position alongside 11 players among 70 starters. Mohammed Nazim was positioned 50th, Mohammed Ismail was placed 55th while Mohammed Sagar finished 61st at the end of the first round. l

Kruif wants to visit ailing father n Raihan Mahmood

Lodewikj de Kruif, the Dutch head coach of Bangladesh football team wants to go back to Holland on a vacation to see his ailing father.

De Kruif, who returned from Incheon Korea on Tuesday night after completing the Asian Games football mission, is scheduled to sit with Kazi Salahuddin, the president of Bangla-

desh Football Federation today.

Kruif said he has an emergency to go back to his homeland. “My father is ill and he needs high cost treatment, I will disclose everything to the BFF president, moreover I need my dues cleared, I think a 10-day camp before the Sri Lanka matches will be fine. As there are no commitments now I want to fly back to Holland, I hope BFF will realize the situation and pay me duly,” said de Kruif. l

COURTESY

BCB tilts toward split captaincy n Minhaz Uddin Khan Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan is eager to implement their new strategy of “split captaincy” in the upcoming home series against Zimbabwe in October.

Following the poor run in 2014 so far, the BCB chief informed the board is likely to opt for different captains for different formats. If the plan sees light it will be the first time that Bangladesh cricket will experience different captains across the three formats. However, the theory will be implemented only if the board directors agree to the proposal in the board meeting scheduled for September 30.

“If we get the green signal from the board meeting, we’ll apply the theory of split captaincy for the Test and ODI series against Zimbabwe,” said Nazmul at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium yesterday.

Nazmul further informed that the board will implement the theory on experimental basis at the initial stages. “After seeing the results, we’ll take the final decision regarding the split captaincy in the next year ahead of the World Cup.” Nazmul hinted veteran spearhead

Mashrafe bin Mortaza, captain of Bangladesh in the 17th Asian Games, was their initial choice for the limited over games, but his injury prone nature left the board confused.

“We’ve no special choice over any special player for taking the role of captaincy in different formats. There is Mashrafe, Tamim [Iqbal], Shakib [al Hasan] and others. Mashrafe is our favourite player but you know he has been injury prone.

So it’s tough to take a long term decision regarding him. He is leading the team in Asian Games and hopefully will be captain in the Zimbabwe series also. Let’s see what happens,” the board president added.

“Shakib will take the field after a long period and his performance will be under scrutiny. Till now I am satisfied the way he is behaving but he needs to be in cricket at the moment.”

Nazmul also urged Shakib to try his best in the Asiad and change the story of the Bangladesh team.

“I sat with the players and I also sent Shakib a message to play good cricket in Asian Games because we’ve been going through a bad time. Shakib needs to lift his game for the sake of the country,” Nazmul informed. l

Dhaka Tribune strolls into Kool-BSJA Media Cup quarters n Raihan Mahmood Dhaka Tribune stormed into the quarterfinals of the Kool-BSJA Media Cup Football thrashing Channel i 6-1 in their last Group C match at the Bangladesh Football Federation artificial turf yesterday.

Tribune will lock horns with defending champions RTV at 9:30pm today.

Meanwhile, BDNews24.com, Jamuna TV and Bangla Vision will face The Daily Star, Shomoy TV and My TV respectively in the three other quarterfinals today.

Bangla Vision registered the biggest victory of the day with an 8-0 mauling of

New Nation while among other results, RTV outplayed Banglanews24.com 2-0, Jamuna TV edged past UNB 1-0, Boishakhi TV overpowered Channel 71 3-0 and BDNews24.com defeated Daily Bartaman 2-0. Three other ties – The Daily StarShakaler Khabar, Maasranga TV-Alokito Bangladesh and My TV- The Daily Independent – ended in goalless draws.

National football coach Saiful Bari Titu, football organiser Fazlur Rahman Babul and Brothers Union manager and former footballer Amer Khan were present and distributed the man-ofthe-match awards. l

Dhaka Tribune’s Reazur Rahman Rohan (L) receives the man of the match award from Bangladesh football team assistant coach Saiful Bari Titu (2L) at BFF yesterday COURTESY

14

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

Friday, September 26, 2014

ENGLISH LEAGUE CUP

WELL DONE MOIN, YOU ARE NOW VERY FAMOUS!!

Lampard strikes twice in City’s 7

Frank Lampard and Edin Dzeko scored twice as holders Manchester City sailed into the English League Cup fourth round with a crushing 7-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday and Chelsea beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1 on Wednesday.

After struggling to break down their Championship (second tier) opponents in the first half, City produced a blistering spell of four goals in 13 minutes immediately after the break.

Lampard opened the scoring just three days after netting against his former club Chelsea before Dzeko, Jesus Navas, Yaya Toure, Dzeko, Jose Pozo and Lampard completed the rout.

Chelsea, top of the Premier League and unbeaten in all competitions this season, had Kurt Zouma’s equaliser cancelled out by Matt Mills before Oscar’s skidding low shot in the 55th minute secured a victory that was more comfortable than the scoreline suggested.

Elsewhere, Ryan Mason, Roberto Soldado and Harry Kane scored late goals as Tottenham Hotspur came from behind to beat Championship leaders Nottingham Forest 3-1. l

RESULTS Burton Albion

0-3 2-1

Bolton Wanderers

2-3

Newcastle United

7-0

Sheffield Wed

3-1

Nottingham Forest

Chelsea Zouma 25, Oscar 55)

Crystal Palace Gayle 25-pen, Kaikai 90+2

Man City

Brighton & Hove Ince 18, Lua Lua 37, Mackail-Smith 66 Mills 31 Riviere 36, 48-pen Dummett 112 (aet)

Lampard 47, 90+3, Dzeko 53, 77, Navas 54, Toure 60-pen, Pozo 88

Tottenham

Mason 72, Soldado 83, Kane 90+1

West Brom Moinuddin Ahmed (aged 18), a member of Manchester City Supporters Club Bangladesh, invades pitch during their League Cup match against Sheffield Wednesday to take a “Selfie” with the legendary England midfielder Frank Lampard at Etihad Stadium in Manchester on Wednesday. Moinuddin was even smiling as the securities took him away. A two-year ban from Manchester City’s home game is expected to be his punishment INTERNET

Barca draw blank with Malaga Barcelona dropped their first points of the La Liga season as they were held to an uneventful 0-0 draw away to Malaga on Wednesday.

Sevilla moved level with the Catalans on 13 points at the top of the table with a 1-0 win over Real Sociedad thanks to on-loan Barca winger Gerard Deulofeu’s winner, whilst Atletico Madrid are now just two points behind the leaders as they too won 1-0 away at Almeria.

Barca stretched their run without conceding a goal to six games, but lacked the spark they have shown so far this season as Lionel Messi was kept in check by the Malaga defence.

Indeed it was the hosts who came closest to scoring as Luis Alberto’s fine free-kick was turned onto the post by Claudio Bravo.

“We weren’t precise in the last few

metres of the pitch, but at no point did we suffer,” said Barca boss Luis Enrique.

“It was the most difficult game for

RESULTS Eibar Arruabarrena 9

Rayo Vallecano Baptistao 38, 89

1-1 2-1

Almeria 0-1

Villarreal Moreno 71

Athletic Bilbao Aduriz 20

Atletico Madrid Miranda 60

Sevilla Deulofeu 18

Granada Ruben Garcia 46

Malaga

1-0

Real Sociedad

0-1

Levante

0-0

Barcelona

us so far, but that was down to what our opponents did right.

“We didn’t play as well as we can and we just have to continue improving and correcting things.”

In a first-half of few chances Nordin Amrabat had the only shot on target as

his low effort was easily held by Bravo.

Barca were struggling to create clear-cut openings but twice Messi came close from Jordi Alba crosses as he chested the ball inches wide before just failing to stretch for a tap in a minute before the break.

The visitors were similarly short of ideas in the second period provoking coach Luis Enrique to replace Pedro and Neymar with youngsters Sandro and Munir El Haddadi in search of a breakthrough.

However, it was Malaga who enjoyed their best spell shortly after those changes as Roberto Rosales fired wide when well-placed at the edge of the box before Bravo produced a stunning save to turn Liverpool loanee Alberto’s free-kick onto the post. Malaga ‘keeper Carlos Kameni the nearly gifted Barca the opener moments later as he spilled Gerard Pique’s header towards goal, but the Cameroonian smothered the ball before it crossed the line.

Juve on top as pressure grows on Benitez

Juventus’ midfielder Arturo Vidal celebrates after scoring against Cesena in Turin on Wednesday AFP

A brace from Arturo Vidal and a late Stephan Lichtsteiner strike in a 3-0 defeat of Cesena sent Juventus top of Serie A on goal difference as the pressure grew on Rafael Benitez after Napoli drew 3-3 with Palermo.

Roma, along with Juve the only other team with a perfect record in Italy’s top flight, thanked Miralem Pjanic’s free kick two minutes from time for all three points in a 2-1 win away to Parma.

Inter Milan moved up to third thanks to a 2-0 home win over Atalanta while Sampdoria’s solid start was given a boost by a 2-1 home win over Chievo which left Sinisa Mihajlovic’s men fourth.

Champions Juventus sit top on 12 points from four games with Roma second due to inferior goal difference and Inter in third, four points off the pace but one ahead of city rivals Milan, who could only manage a 2-2 draw away to promoted Empoli on Tuesday.

Vidal gave Juve an 18th minute lead from the penalty spot after Roberto Pereyra’s shot came off the arm of midfielder Emmanuel Cascione.

With Giovinco stepping in for Carlos Tevez, it was a case of little and large for Juve up front with the diminutive

striker partnering towering Spaniard Fernando Llorente. Just after the half hour Llorente spun on Patrice Evra’s low drive only to send his effort just wide, although it was Giovinco who came closest to adding Juve’s second on three separate occasions.

Juve finally settled their nerves in the 64th minute when Vidal had time to control on the edge of the area before beating Leali with a precision strike -another reason why the Chilean is reported to be a target for English giants Manchester United. l

RESULTS Cagliari Cossu 11

Fiorentina Verona

1-2

Torino Glik 21, Quagliarella 29

0-0 2-2

Tachtsidis 52, Ionita 64

Inter Milan

2-0

Sassuolo Matri 34, 47

Atalanta

Vidal 18-pen, 64, Lichsteiner 85

Napoli Koulibaly 2, Zapata 11 Callejon 45+1

Parma De Sceglie 56

Sampdoria

3-0 3-3 1-2 2-1

Gastaldello 45, Romagnoli 80

Cesena

Palermo Belotti 18, 61, Vazquez 24

Roma Ljajic 27, Pjanic 88

Chievo Paloschi 89

3-2

Hull City Ince 41, Brady 50

Late Immobile goal rescues Dortmund RESULTS Borussia Dortmund staged a late comeback from two goals down to draw 2-2 with troubled VfB Stuttgart on Wednesday as they continued their stuttering start to the Bundesliga season.

The visitors, who had sacked sports chief Fredi Bobic hours earlier, looked to be cruising to their first win of the campaign when Daniel Didavi struck twice early in the second half for a twogoal cushion.

But goals from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the 73rd and Ciro Immobile in the 86th minute helped avoid what would have been Dortmund’s third loss in five games.

Dortmund, who were missing their entire first choice midfield through injury, are on seven points, four behind

1-0

Bayer Leverkusen

FC Augsburg

Son 33

2-2

Borussia Dortmund

Aubameyang 73, Immobile 86

M’gladbach Kruse 25

Hertha Berlin Kalou 35

Hanover Joselu 6

VfB Stuttgart Didavi 48, 68

1-0

Hamburg

1-0

VfL Wolfsburg

1-0

Cologne

leaders Bayern Munich, who beat Paderborn 4-0 on Tuesday. Stuttgart moved off the bottom spot and into 17th place after scoring for the first time this season.

Hit by a string of injury absences, Dortmund lacked any attacking edge for most of the game and had also Stuttgart keeper Sven Ulreich to thank for completely misjudging a cross that led to their equaliser. l

Suarez scores first Barcelona goals Luis Suarez scored his first two goals for Barcelona in the humble surroundings of the club’s training ground as an experimental Barca B side beat an Indonesia under-19 team 6-0 on Wednesday.

The Uruguayan is a month away from being allowed to play in a competitive game as he serves a four-month ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup in June, but despite some obvious rustiness he played the full 90 minutes and showed flashes of his brilliance.

“Good game with Barca B, thanks to the team and the coach for the opportunity. Now to help my teammates,” Suarez said via his official Twitter account.

– AFP

PSG jump to second spot with Caen win

Genoa

Osvaldo 40, Hernanes 87

Juventus

The hosts got a lucky break seven minutes from time when captain Weligton somehow escaped a red card for pushing Messi in the face, but they held on to claim a well-earned point.

Sevilla picked up their fourth consecutive win as Deulofeu volleyed home at the back post after just 18 minutes at the Sanchez Pizjuan. And Unai Emery’s men were only denied a more convincing victory by a series of fine saves by Enaut Zubikarai in the second-half.

Atletico will host Sevilla on Saturday in a top of the table clash as they moved up to third thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 win away to Almeria. The champions had to rely on their threat from set-pieces once more as Miranda rose highest to thump home Koke’s corner.

Miranda’s goal was the sixth out of seven Atletico have scored in the league so far that came from a setpiece, but boss Diego Simeone insisted he isn’t worried at his side’s inability to score from open play. l

Ideye 15, McAuley 87, Berahino 88

Grant 61

Brazilian duo Lucas and Marquinhos gave Paris Saint Germain a 2-0 win at Caen on Wednesday, ending a run of three successive draws and moving the champions into sec-

ond spot.

The victory was also the perfect tonic ahead of next Tuesday’s mouth-watering Champions League duel against Barcelona in Paris.

The win, their first since early August and first away from home this

season, put PSG three points behind leaders and bitter rivals Marseille in the Ligue 1 table.

Despite missing star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic with a heel injury, PSG still had too much class for Caen.

Lucas put them 1-0 up after 17 minutes, easily brushing off two defenders before firing home from 10 metres past Remy Vercoutre in the Caen goal.

Fellow-Brazilian Marquinhos added the second 10 minutes into the second half when he headed in a corner from Jean-Christophe Bahebeck with the ball evading the desperate attempts of N’Golo Kante to clear. l

RESULTS

Evian Wass 10, Mensah 30

Guingamp Lyon

2-1 0-1 4-0

Lens Touzghar 55

Metz Bussmann 24

Lorient

Lacazette 5, Fekir 39, 68, Njie 50

Montpellier

0-1

Nice 1-0 Bodmer 41

Bastia Caen

0-0 0-2

Monaco Germain 90+3 Lille

Nantes Paris SG

Lucas 18, Marquinhos 56

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Sport

15

Friday, September 26, 2014

QUICK BYTES Tevez recall is on the cards: Martino Argentina coach Gerardo Martino has suggested that controversial forward Carlos Tevez, not selected at all in three years under his predecessor Alejandro Sabella, could be in line for a recall. Tevez was left out of the Argentina squad named on Monday for next month’s friendlies against Brazil and Hong Kong but Martinez praised the Juventus forward in an interview with the TyC cable channel and left the door open for a return. “Tevez doesn’t talk a lot but says a lot on the pitch. He is performing well regularly and he is a player who has a lot in common with the Argentina team,” said Martino.

“We’ll see when it’s convenient to call him up.” Tevez played at the 2010 World Cup but was sidelined after Sabella took over the following year. Martino refuted reports that he had discussed Tevez with any of his players before last month’s friendly in Germany, which Argentina won 4-2. “Supposedly, I had a meeting with the players about the matter of Carlos Tevez,” he said.

– Reuters

ASIAD BYTES N Koreans refuse press conferences The South Korean Asian Games organisers have protested to North Korea for failing to hold news conferences after winning medals in weightlifting and some other events. “Our committee has lodged a protest through each international body concerned,” Kim Bae-Ok, a spokesman for the organisers, told AFP. “So far there has been no official response from North Korea, but we are urging them to respect rules,” he said. The South Korean organisers are wary however of annoying their rivals in the North at a time when tensions between the two have been running high.

The Messi of squash

Kvitova and Bouchard power to Wuhan semis World number three Petra Kvitova overcame Caroline Garcia to power through to the semi-finals of the $2.4 million WTA Wuhan Open Thursday, while Canadian sixth seed Eugenie Bouchard also made it into the last four. Garcia had previously performed heroics at the inaugural tournament, beating Venus Williams and world number six Agnieszka Radwanska to make the quarter finals, but the Wimbledon champion proved to be too much for the 20-year-old. Garcia took only one game in the opening five, before Kvitova, the third seed in Wuhan, went on to win the set 6-3. The pair matched each other early on in the second set before Kvitova broke serve in the seventh game and closed in on victory by taking the set 6-4. The Czech will now play either German seventh seed Angelique Kerber or Elina Svitolina of Ukraine in Friday’s semi-final.

– AFP

Fruity condoms, with Asprilla’s blessing Colombian footballer Faustino Asprilla, known for a bit of a wild streak, thinks you could do with some fruit-flavored condoms. And he’s not shy about his favorite. “Guava! I’ve always loved guava, because we had a tree outside my house growing up,” the former Colombian side, Parma and Newcastle star said with a smile Wednesday. “It’s going to be a line of flavored condoms. Some friends of mine in Medellin came up with the idea, and I thought it would be fun to help out,” he told Bogota’s Radio La FM. Asprilla, 44, did not say when the brand would be on the market. Though retired from soccer since 2009, Asprilla said the condom initiative was about responsibility, not his pocketbook. “The main goal for me, really, is to support a campaign to prevent AIDS and teen pregnancies, with a line of condoms” he said in remarks posted on Twitter.

– AFP

I’m sticking with Red Bull: Vettel Defending world champion Sebastian Vettel, responding to recent reports linking him to a possible move to Ferrari, on Thursday insisted that he was staying put at Red Bull for next season. “I’ve already said on numerous occasions that I’ve got a contract with Red Bull for next year and I’m working on the principle that I will still be driving for them,” he told Sport Bild. Vettel, world champion for the past four seasons, has struggled to make an impact this year, failing to win once as his rookie teammate Daniel Ricciardo has excelled with three victories. The German added: “I’ve still got a lot to achieve with this team and I want to do everything to ensure that we make a comeback.” Last week F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone stoked the flames of the Vettel-Ferrari rumour mill by suggesting that Vettel “would be the perfect man for Ferrari, if he wanted to leave”. Despite Vettel finding himself in the unaccustomed role of playing second fiddle to Ricciardo he is taking his lack of success in good heart.

– AFP

Qatar’s women’s basketball team leaves the court after forfeiting their women’s basketball game against Mongolia at Hwaseong Sports Complex during the 17th Asian Games in Incheon on Wednesday. The Qatar women’s basketball team forfeited a game at the Asian Games after being refused permission to wear the hijab REUTERS

Hijab, drugs controversies hit Asiad n AFP, Incheon Qatar’s women’s basketball team stood defiant over a ban on their Muslim headscarves Thursday as a second doping case and match-fixing fears overshadowed the Asian Games.

The Qatari women forfeited a second game in Incheon because under International Basketball Federation (FIBA) rules, they are not allowed to play in hijabs or other headgear.

“We are not going to the stadium today and for the other matches, as we will not be allowed to play because of the international basketball federation,” a Qatar Olympic Committee official told AFP. Mounting controversies stole attention from world records in archery and

shooting and an improved performance

by South Korea’s Park Tae-Hwan in the 100 metres freestyle heats.

Qatar’s women were to play Nepal on Thursday, a day after they walked on court to face Mongolia but quickly departed when told they could not play.

FIBA’s ban on headwear in international competition is motivated by safety but it has raised hackles at Asia’s Olympics, which includes several Muslim nations.

“It’s an insult to us, they don’t respect religion,” Qatari player Rafaa Morgan Mohammed told AFP. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), which runs the quadrennial Asian Games, criticised FIBA. Other sports such as football allow religious headwear.

“Every athlete has the right to rep-

at the Asian Games,” Andreas Krannich, managing director of strategy and integrity, told The New Paper in Singapore.

Krannich did not reveal the teams involved but said attention was focusing on at least one group game where late goals were scored.

“The odds movements and the deviations caused alerts, belying clear betting evidence that could never be justified in a regular contest,” he said.

The OCA said it would work with the Asian Football Confederation and world body FIFA to investigate the claim.

“OCA takes this matter seriously and works with the Asian federation and international federation (FIFA) for a proper and full investigation,” an official told AFP. l

‘I’m the king here!’

South Korean judo chief Nam Jong-Hyun has been accused of hurting national dignity by insulting security guards and police at the Asian Games. Nam was accused of forcing his way through security and shouting “I’m the king here!” when arriving at the Games’ judo venue with three friends who did not have passes to enter.

Sealed with a Kazakh kiss Kazakhstan’s Zhazira Zhapparkul provided the most endearing moment of the weightlifting competition in the women’s 75kg on Thursday. After failing at 145kg she came out for her final lift and appeared to be shouting orders at the bar. After straining every sinew to complete the lift successfully, she sank to her knees and hugged the weights affectionately before planting a big kiss on them, to a massive ovation. It wasn’t good enough for a medal -- she finished fourth -- but it did gain her a legion of new fans.

Liverpool face Swansea in League Cup 4th round Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers will take on his former club Swansea City in the fourth round of the Capital One (League) Cup following the draw on Wednesday.

Liverpool, who edged past championship (second tier) Middlesbrough in a marathon penalty shootout in the last 32, will host Swansea, who are riding high in fifth place in the Premier League.

Holders Manchester City entertain struggling Newcastle United and Premier League leaders Chelsea travel

to fourth tier Shrewsbury Town, the lowest-ranked team left in the competition.

Stoke City host in-form Southampton in the other all-Premier League tie and Tottenham Hotspur entertain second tier Brighton & Hove Albion. l FIXTURES Tottenham v Brighton & Hove Stoke City v Southampton Bournemouth v West Brom Shrewsbury v Chelsea Liverpool v Swansea City MK Dons v Sheffield United Manchester City v Newcastle Fulham v Derby County

Pakistan supporters cheer for their national team as they play against India in the men’s hockey pool B match at Seonhak hockey stadium during the 17th Asian Games in Incheon yesterday AFP

Clarke guided by physio on comeback Waqas winner as Pakistan beat India Australia captain Michael Clarke said Thursday he will be guided by the team physio on whether he will play in next month’s two-Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.

The 33-year-old plans to fly out on Tuesday, six days ahead of the rest of the Test squad, to ensure he is acclimatised before beginning to stretch himself at training.

Clarke, who said he was improving

daily from hamstring tendon damage, is adamant he will not play unless 100 percent fit.

“Alex knows my body very well,” Clarke told reporters of Alex Kountouris, the Australian physio.

“He’ll be the one that gives me the all clear to play the Test matches if he thinks I’m fully fit. If I pass what Alex needs me to pass that will give me a lot of confidence as well.”

Clarke, who has a catalogue of back and hamstring trouble, has already

DAY’S WATCH Ten Sports 6:00AM Asian Games 2014 Star Sports 1, 3 Champions League T20 2014 4:30PM Barbados Tridents v Cape Cobras 8:30PM Kings XI Punjab v Northern Districts Sony Six 6:30PM World Kabaddi League AMRITSAR, DAY 17

resent their country’s flag without discrimination,” OCA director general Husain Al-Musallam said late on Wednesday.

Cambodian soft tennis player Yi Sophany, 18, became the second athlete caught in the doping net when she tested positive for the banned stimulant sibutramine.

She follows 20-year-old Tajik footballer Khurshed Beknazarov, who was kicked out for doping on Tuesday and has been provisionally banned by Asian football authorities. And authorities launched an investigation after betting analysis company Sportradar said it “strongly” suspects match-fixing in the men’s football competition.

“We can say that we strongly believe there have been manipulated matches

Kuwait’s laid-back squash star Abdullah Al Mezayen is revelling in a new moniker given him by the Malaysian press: the “Lionel Messi of squash”. Asked about the nickname after his remarkable back-from-the-dead gold medal win over India’s Saurav Ghosal, Mezayen said: “Messi is one of the best players in football and I’m so happy they called me the Messi of squash.” The accounting graduate was given the sobriquet owing to his small stature and effortless talent.

Australian captain Michael Clarke during a press conference in Sydney yesterday

AFP

been ruled out of the upcoming oneday series against Pakistan with what was described as a “significant” hamstring injury that was worse than first thought.

He was forced to retire hurt in a one-dayer against Zimbabwe in Harare on August 31 and returned home from the tour early.

Subsequent scans revealed tendon damage in the affected area.

The three-game one-day series against Pakistan starts on October 7 with the first of two Tests not until October 22.

Meanwhile, Clarke insisted fellow veteran Shane Watson’s Test career was not finished after the injury-plagued allrounder was ruled out of the entire UAE tour with an ankle injury, opening the door for Mitch Marsh.

He said Watson, 33, could expect more injuries and increased competition for his spot between now and when he retires, but that he still had plenty to offer, especially looking ahead to next year’s World Cup and Ashes series against England.

“I think if Watto is batting and bowling, he’s a huge part of our team, but he’s obviously got some stiff competition now as well,” Clarke said. l

n AFP, Incheon Muhammad Waqas scored the winner six minutes from time as defending champions Pakistan downed arch-rivals India 2-1 to reach the Asian Games semi-finals on Thursday.

In a keenly contested pool B encounter, Muhammad Bhutta put Pakistan ahead in the third quarter before Nikkin Thimmaiah drew level at the start of the fourth.

Waqas took advantage of a defensive lapse to hit the winner that gave unbeaten Pakistan a place in the semi-finals even before their last league match against Oman on Saturday.

The winner between India and China on Saturday will determine the other semi-finalist from the pool. Both teams are level on six points from three matches.

Meanwhile, Kenta Tanaka and Toshiro Tachibana slammed hat-tricks as Japan blanked Singapore 13-0 to remain in contention for the semi-finals from pool A. With two wins from three games, Japan drew level with hosts South Ko-

rea and Malaysia, who meet later on Wednesday after gaining full points from their first two matches.

Singapore ended the competition with four losses, having conceded 35 goals and scored only three.

Tanaka and Tachibana slammed hat-tricks as Japan blanked Singapore 13-0 Japan’s Korean coach Kang Keon-Wook admitted Saturday’s match against Malaysia will be crucial to his team’s chances.

“Malaysia are a strong team so I guess it is going to be a pretty intense match,” Kang said. “We have made plans for that game and ensure our strong points are not wasted.”

Oman recorded their first win in three pool B games with a 3-1 romp over winless Sri Lanka, but the effort came too late to stay in line for the semi-finals. l

16

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Ershad responds to allegations on his 1971 role

Back Page

Friday, September 26, 2014

CRUSHED BY ARROGANCE

The former military dictator says he will quit politics if allegations are proved and sent to India for further training. n Tribune Report “Bangabandhu understood me; he Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yesterday threatened to quit politics and leave the country if anyone could prove that he had worked against the country’s independence during the 1971 Liberation War. Condemning critics, the former military dictator claimed that some groups were making false and baseless statements against him. He also denied the

I was transferred to Pakistan one month before the war. If I were in Bangladesh, I would have fought for the country risking my life allegation that he had been a member of a court martial in Pakistan during the war terming it “imaginary.”

In a statement, Ershad, who is now a special envoy to the prime minister, said: “I was transferred to the erstwhile West Pakistan one month before the war, and for this, I could not participate in the war. If I were in Bangladesh, I would have fought for the country risking my life.

“However, I along with my family and other Bangalee army officials and soldiers had bitter experience surviving in Pakistan during the war.”

Ershad said after his return, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had promoted him

knew me. For this, I was rewarded.”

Questioning the critics’ motive, he also claimed that no one could do good to the freedom fighters as much as he had done during his rule.

At a roundtable on Tuesday, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Hoque strongly criticised Ershad for his contradictory role during the war. “During the war, Ershad was a responsible member of a court martial in Pakistan in which the Bangladesh military officials who betrayed the then [West] Pakistan government were tried. For the trials, Ershad visited Bangladesh [then East Pakistan] twice during the war...he opposed the liberation of Bangladesh,” Mozammel said.

He also demanded that the government reviewed the “illegal” trial and honour the army officers.

Speakers at the programme also demanded Ershad’s trial accusing him of executing 13 army officials in Chittagong Jail within 18 days after a court martial in 1981.

Former army chief Lt Gen Harun-ur-Rashid said: “The documents of the court martial were vanished by Ershad. It proves that there was no military mutiny rather it was a drama orchestrated by Ershad to fulfil his desire to become the president of the country.”

Demanding his trial, he said Ershad should not be given any opportunity to be involved with any political party in this country. “I have no idea how such a clever person can sit in our parliament,” Harun added. l

A car is badly damaged after a train rams into it in the capital’s Khilgaon rail crossing yesterday

Facebook reactions to report on BCL GS n Ahmed Zayeef Following the publication of a report on Bangladesh Chhatra League General Secretary Siddique Nazmul Alam in Dhaka Tribune yesterday, leaders and activists of the student wing have reacted with abusive comments against the newspaper on social networking site Facebook.

Dhaka Tribune yesterday published a report headlined “General good fortune,” on how Nazmul Alam, a man from a lower-middle class family became a rich person overnight and became a “special person of state” after obtaining the party post.

Nazmul himself shared an online link of the report on his Facebook wall yesterday. As of filing this report at 10:25pm,

n DU Correspondent Only two aspiring students have been able to qualify for enrolment at Dhaka University’s English department for the 2014-15 academic session.

Held on September 19, a total of 40,565 students appeared in the university’s Kha (B) unit entrance examination against 2,221 seats.

According to the results published Tuesday, only 3,874 examinees passed the written tests, marking a 9.55% pass rate for this year.

The English department changed its exam regulations this year with the condition that students wishing to join the department would be required to answer the Elective English section, apart from their chosen four subjects, and score at least 15 marks in Elective English and 20 in General English.

Only 1,364 candidates took the Elective English section and only 17 of them were able to score 15 in the subject. Of these 17, only two students secured 20 marks in General English.

Asked about the rest of the seats remaining vacant, Dr Sadrul Amin, arts faculty dean and former chairperson of English department, said: “After the results of the Gha [D] unit exams, we will discuss the issue with the VC and exam committee members to reach a solution.” l

An admission seeker at Jahangirnagar University was beaten up by leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra League’s JU unit yesterday as he allegedly harassed a female student of the university.

The applicant, Shohag Ali, from the capital’s Jurain area, was attacked in front of the university’s main entrance around 11am, when he came out after finishing his admission test.

According to JU sources, Chhatra League activists beat up Shohag after he allegedly passed vulgar comments at a second-year student of the university’s law and justice department.

Later, Shohag submitted a written complaint against the attackers to the university authorities.

JU Proctor Dr Tapan Kumar Saha said necessary steps against the attackers would soon be taken after a probe. l

the post had 435 likes and 76 comments.

In their comments, the Facebook users – most of them Chhatra League supporters – termed Nazmul “a great organiser,” “a revolutionary leader,” “the name of an institution;” while they used defamatory words like “yellow journalism” and “bastard child” to describe the Dhaka Tribune and its reporters’ journalism practices.

Nazmul shared the post at around 4am yesterday with a short note saying: “Probably I have been belittled for calling Tarek Rahman a ‘Fokirnir Poot’ [son of a beggar] at a rally. I do not hold anything against anyone, but those who have known me for a long time already know about me. Politics...!!!!”

The first comment on his post came from Mulla Sumon, the organising sec-

retary of Kishoreganj district Chhatra League. He wrote: “Brother, Allah is with you.” Shahriar Bakht Shaju, an activist from Sylhet district Chhatra League, wrote: “Do not be afraid brother. You are the idol of million students.”

Dr Javed, a lecturer of pathology department at Sir Salimullah Medical College, wrote: “Bloody yellow journalism.”

Mithu Khan, former general secretary of Pirojpur Chhatra League, wrote: “They [Dhaka Tribune] are not journalist, they are dangerous.”

Michale Chowdhury from Stamford university wrote: “Naked yellow journalism.”

Mentioning Nazmul as the “greatest contemporary student organiser,” Hasib Ibne Hanna Hridom, an activist of Netrokona Chhatra League, wrote: “I am

France strikes IS in Iraq after US-led Syria raids

Only two qualify for DU English dept

JU admission seeker beaten up n JU Correspondent

DHAKA TRIBUNE

n Reuters

Sukumar Das, husband of a missing Rana Plaza victim Golapi Rani Das, has set up a temporary salon near the rubbles in Savar. He has settled here with hopes of finding the remains of his wife RAJIB DHAR

French fighter jets struck targets in Iraq yesterday and the United States and its allies stepped up air raids in Syria against Islamic State militants who have taken over large areas of both countries.

France’s strikes were its first since September 19 when Paris joined the US military action against Islamic State in Iraq and followed the beheading of a French tourist, reported late on Wednesday, in Algeria in retaliation.

Overnight, US-led air strikes in eastern Syria killed 14 IS fighters, according to a monitoring group, while on the ground, Kurdish forces were reported to have pushed back an advance by the Islamists towards the border town of Kobani.

A third night of air raids by the US and its allies targeted the IS-controlled oil refineries in three remote locations in eastern Syria to try to cut off a major source of revenue for the al Qaeda offshoot, US officials said.

The strikes also seem to be intended to hamper IS’ ability to operate across the Syria-Iraq frontier, an area where it has declared an Islamic caliphate. ºUS President Barack Obama has vowed to keep up military pressure against the group, which advanced through Kurdish areas of northern Iraq

this week despite the air strikes.

Some 140,000 refugees have fled to Turkey, many telling of villages burnt and captives beheaded.

“The only language understood by killers like this is the language of force, so the United States of America will work with a broad coalition to dismantle this network of death,” Obama said at the UN General Assembly in New York on Wednesday.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said he wanted Britain to join the strikes against the IS in Iraq after the Baghdad government requested London’s help. He recalled parliament to secure its approval for military action today.

French raid

A government spokesman gave no details of the French raids on Iraq, and France has so far ruled out joining raids on the IS in Syria.

But Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian opened the door to possibly joining strikes in Syria, hours after a French tourist was beheaded by an Algerian Islamist group citing Paris’ military action against the IS in Iraq.

The death of French tourist Herve Gourdel, who was beheaded in Algeria 24 hours after an ultimatum was given to France to halt attacks in Iraq, appeared on toughen Paris’ resolve. l

protesting the false, fabricated, baseless and politically motivated report of Dhaka Tribune against revolutionary leader Nazmul Alam. These yellow journalists should get the highest punishment. In my opinion, they are not journalists, they are licenced brokers.”

Quoting a previous speech by Nazmul, Kamruzzaman Khan Sweet wrote: “On August 31 you said ‘people do not just call them [journalists] Khobish and rubbish for no good reason.’ They behave as if they control the country with their writing. But when journalists make buildings, buy cars, own newspapers – nobody writes about them. Because all those bastards are brothers.”

Syed Sazzad Rayhan, a student, wrote: “Brother, we are on truth’s path... your path.” l

United Airways' fate uncertain, share prices dive n Muhammad Zahidul Islam The fate of local private airline company United Airways remains uncertain as talks among authorities concerned failed to come up with a solution for the company that suspended operations yesterday because of a “financial crisis.”

“We [CAAB] have discussed the issue with them [United Airways]. But as the civil aviation minister, secretary, and even the CAAB chairman are out of the country, we could not find a solution,” Group Captain SM Nazmul Anam, director (flight safety and regulation) of Civil Aviation Authority Bangladesh (CAAB), told the Dhaka Tribune over phone.

Hundreds of people, who were scheduled to fly on United Airways flights to local and international destinations, faced sufferings at the Dhaka airport because of the sudden cancellation of their flights. Some officials of the private airways also had to flee from the airport after facing passengers' agitation, CAAB sources said.

On Wednesday, the airline announced that it would indefinitely suspend its operation for financial reasons.

Meanwhile, share prices of the airline has dropped by 7.63% . At the closure of trading at Dhaka Stock Exchange yesterday, the market price of each United Airways share stood at Tk10.90, which was Tk11.80 at the end of trading on Wednesday.l

Keraniganj murder victims identified Erosion resumes in 2 districts n Ashif Islam Shaon

The four members of a family, who were killed in their flat at Kolakandi in the capital’s south Keraniganj on Wednesday, were identified yesterday, police said.

The victims were Saju Ahmed, 35, his wife Ronji Begum, 28, their son Imran, 7, and daughter Sanjida, 2. Saju’s hometown is in Sarikanda village of Debiganj upazila, Panchagarh.

Officer-in-Charge of South Keraniganj police station Jalal Uddin Mir told the Dhaka Tribune that Saju’s elder brother Md Bashir Uddin came to Dhaka from Panchagarh yesterday morning and identified the bodies at Sir Salimullah Medical College morgue, where the bodies were taken for autopsy.

“Bashir will take the bodies back to the village for burial once the autopsies are complete,” he said.

Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Bashir said his brother was a good person and he had no idea why someone would want to kill him.

“He used to make his living as a trucker, transporting goods. He should have no enemies,” said Bashir.

“He had been living in Dhaka for 1516 years but had no contact with us for the past two months,” he added.

Assistant Superintendent of Keraniganj police Kazi Moskura Lima, meanwhile, said Saju and his wife were suspected to be the members of a gang of robbers.

“They would move to new houses in every several months. They were sup-

posed to leave the house where they were killed within four or five days,” she said.

“I think a feud among the gang members resulted in the murder.”

OC Jalal said Bashir filed a case with South Keraniganj police station against unnamed assailants yesterday afternoon.

“Police are probing the incident and the reason for the murders would be revealed soon,” he said.

“We are interrogating caretaker of the house Md Sohel and local CNGrun auto-rickshaw driver Akkas Mia,” he said, adding that no further details could be disclosed for the sake of the investigation.

Meanwhile, police yesterday arrested Janu Begum, the wife of Rafiq who had rented the flat from Sohel.l

n Tribune Report

The Jamuna River in Gaibandha and the Someswari and the Kangsha rivers in Netrokona swelled due to heavy rainfall over the last days and riverbank erosion was posing serious threat to the lives and properties of the flood victims while government initiatives to prevent the erosion and help the homeless people were inadequate.

Our correspondent from Gaibandha reports that river erosion resumed in Fulchhari upazila of Gaibandha due to heavy current in the Jamuna River.

More than 100 families lost their homes over the last week, and hundred more were facing threat of losing their habitations. A school and two mosques were devoured by the river too.

When contacted, Executive Engineer of Water Development Board Abdul Awal Mia said they had asked the high ups to send fund for preventing river erosion, and they were not able to do anything unless it arrived.

Our correspondent from Netrokona added that more upazilas in the district were flooded over the last few days as heavy rainfall raised the water level in all the rivers including the Someswari River, the Kangsha River in the district.

The newly submerged upazilas were Khaliajuri, Purbadhala, Atpara, Madan, Mohanganj and Barhatta.

Houses in more than 3,000 villages went under water in those areas, and the marooned people, living under the open sky, were suffering from acute crises of food and potable water. 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.

Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

B3 BlackBerry returns to

biz user roots with new smartphone

B4 ADB trims Southeast

Asia 2014 growth forecast to 4.6 percent

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business

ADB forecasts 6.4% GDP growth this year

Inability to mobilise sufficient revenue, threat of political unrest may hamper growth n Tribune Report Asian Development Bank (ADB) has forecasted the GDP growth of 6.4% in Bangladesh during the current fiscal year as exports and remittances are expected to perform better than projected earlier.

The Bank in its latest Asian Development Outlook 2014 report said that stepping up project implementation and likely picking up private investment on post-election political stability will also contribute to the economic growth.

However, it sees several downsides risk to upset the projection.

“Inability to mobilise sufficient revenue and foreign financing would affect Annual Development Programme implementation and might fuel inflation if replaced by pricier bank borrowing. Renewed political unrest could dampen investors confidence and impede economic activity. Unfavorable weather is a perennial risk.”

The Outlook which was released yesterday further said that developing Asia’s growth will inch up to 6.4% in 2015 from 6.2% in 2014. Asia’s domestic fundamentals offset slower than expected advanced economy recovery, it said.

Speaking with the newsmen on the occasion of releasing the report in his Dhaka office, ADB Country Director Kazuhiko Higuchi appreciated Bangladesh’s economic growth despite many constraints.

He said the government should make further efforts to develop infrastructure for its faster economic growth.

“Things are improving over the pe-

riod,” said ADB Principal Economist Mohammad Zahid Hossain in reply to a question.

“This year the investment scenario will improve. Because if you look at the recent import trend of capital machinery, you will find it is also improving.”

He said Bangladesh’s economic growth over the decade is quite well, but it has much more potential to exceed more than 7% growth.

It needs to concentrate on removing infrastructure bottlenecks like transportation and power generation, Zahid Hossain observed.

According to the report, in this year, India’s GDP is expected to grow 6.3%, Pakistan’s 4.2%, Viet Nam 5.7%, Thailand 4.5% and Sri Lanka’s GDP growth will remain static at 7.5%.

The report said Bangladesh’s GDP growth has been forecasted on the basis of some factors, including central bank’s stance on cautious monetary policy aiming at containing inflation.

According to it, the government will hike fuel and electricity prices to cut subsidies and maintain political stability.

GB polls rule goes to law ministry for vetting n Asif Showkat Kallol The Bank and Financial Institutions Division (BFID) under the Ministry of Finance has sent the proposed amended Grameen Bank election rules to the Ministry of Law Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for getting its consent before going for polls to the nine borrower directors of the micro lender.

M Aslam Alam, secretary to the BFID, said a district judge would be the chairman of the election commission while the other members will be the officials of the state-owned banks as per the proposal. Now the state-owned banks will conduct the Grameen Bank election rules, an official of the finance division, said, adding that earlier Bangladesh Bank conducted the polls.

Following the consent of the Law Ministry, the banking division will issue a circular, saying that the election will be held within a year from the issuance of that particular circular.

“We don’t have any other options but to extend the deadline for holding the pending polls within a year instead of six months,” said M Aslam Alam.

He also noted that a chairman would be selected for leading the election commission for electing nine female borrower-directors of the bank.

As the central bank has recently declined to hold the polls of its 12-member board within the stipulated timeframe that expires on October 5 this year, the government needs to bring some changes to the Grameen Bank rules for holding the polls.

The government also decided to amend the GB rules again for electing nine women directors of the micro lender. Quoting the central Bank, Fi-

nance Minister AMA Muhith, however, explained that being a regulatory body Bangladesh Bank (BB) expressed its unwillingness to hold the polls as it had feared that it would create a conflict of interest.

Regarding the issue of amending the Grameen Bank (Election of Directors) Rules 2014, the minister said: “We will have to write something else in place of Bangladesh Bank in the rules.”

“We hope the government will backtrack from its current position to amend the GB election rule as it is an abnormal decision to change it now without having any consultation with us,” Tahsina Khatun, an elected board member of Grameen Bank, told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We may discuss this unilateral decision at the GB board meeting, which is scheduled to be held just after Eid-ul Azha,” she also pointed out.

The rules were introduced in April, 2014 to transfer the power of appointing members of Grameen Bank board from the microcredit organisation itself to the central bank, a move to bring the lender under the grip of the government.

According to the new rules, the central bank was given six months on May 4 to form a commission for electing the nine borrower directors of the 12-member board, which will be expired on October, 5, this year. l

On the sectoral analysis for the current fiscal, it said the industry growth is expected to improve to 9.2% on higher exports and stronger domestic demand supported by a rise in remittances.

During the period, the country’s agriculture growth should edge up to 3.5% with continued policy support, while the services output will increase to 5.9% with higher growth in industry and agriculture, a pickup in external trade, and a rise in domestic demand.

About the external sector, the ADP said export growth of Bangladesh will rise to 13% in fiscal 2014-15 with the momentum picking up in the second half. The import growth in this fiscal year is projected to be 15% with expected economic improvement and rising investment after the elections.

The ADB also forecasts that inflation is expected to slow to 6.5% this year from 7.4% in the previous year because prices are expected to soften with easing supply constraints, a better crop outlook, a supportive monetary policy and a large public stock of good grains.

Remittance growth in the current fiscal year is also expected to accelerate to 7% compared with 1.6% decline in last fiscal year, continuing the strengthening trend seen in the second half of 2013-14 fiscal year.

The ADB noted that improved remitting systems, lower costs to sending remittances and more settled political environment should help boost inflows, the ADB noted.

With higher remittances offsetting a larger trade deficit, the current account of balance of payments is expected to show a higher surplus at 1.5% of GDP, up from 0.9% in FY 2014, it said. l

CAAB UPGRADATION AWAITING NOD

Dhaka-New York flight may face more delay Showkat Kallol and n Asif Muhammad Zahidul Islam The Civil Aviation Authority, Bangladesh (CAAB) is in right earnest awaiting the nod of the cabinet committee on public purchase to appoint a consulting firm for upgrading the authority to category 1 to resume its Dhaka– New York fight.

CAAB holds a category 2 status currently, which is a bar to resuming the flight that remains suspended for over seven years.

Despite efforts to restart its Dhaka– New York fight in the last June by hiring foreign crew and aircraft, the national flag carrier, Biman Bangladesh, became unsuccessful to do that due to the civil aviation authority’s failure to attain its category 1 status.

The proposal of Civil Aviation and Tourism Ministry to upgrade CAAB will

be placed on the next cabinet committee for approval.

It said CAAB would be turned into global standard through regulatory documents, creating Qualified Flight Inspection Division and introducing robust safety and security oversight system.

The tender evaluation committee has selected the US firm, JDA Aviation Technology, as consultant to enhance the CAAB standard, considering its technical and financial offer.

The France firm, EGIS AVIA–DDC Ltd, came in second with its offer.

The cost of appointing the US firm for upgrading the Civil Aviation Authority will be Tk23.62 crore while the project profile price was estimated to be Tk25.63 crore.

“There is no change of policy towards upgradation of CAAB standard, and after improving its standard, we can say when Dhaka-New York flight

will operate,” Group Captain SM Nazmul Anam, director (flight safety and regulation) of CAAB told the Dhaka Tribune.

The resumption of Biman’s flight to New York was an election pledge of the Awami League government before the 2008 general election, but it failed to keep its promise.

The airline abandoned the route in 2006 to trim losses.

Dhaka-Tokyo direct flight

The Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism, Rashed Khan Menon, is currently travelling to Japan with secretary to the ministry and CAAB chairman.

The delegation is expected to discuss with its Japanese counterpart how to establish the Dhaka-Tokyo direct flight and explore foreign direct investment or PPP for proposed Exclusive Tourist Zone (ETZ) at Sabrung under Teknaf upazila of Cox’s Bazar. l

Pankaj calls for investment in Indian power sector n Tribune Report Indian High Commissioner Pankaj Saran urged the Bangladeshi businessmen to invest in the Indian power sector through foreign direct investment as the government has offered all kinds of facilities for the foreign investors.

“Bangladeshi investors can invest in Indian power sector as the government

allows 100% investment in the sector,” said Pankaj.

The hydropower has a prospect in the northern states of India and Bangladeshi company and the government can invest in the power project in India, said the high commissioner.

The prosperity of South Asia is linked with India, he adds, stressing a comprehensive and dynamic relation-

ship among the neighbouring countries for a total progress in the region.

From the speech of Modi, it is clear that India is ready to develop and and welcome Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), he said.

The Indian high commissioner came up with his call for investment at a programme held at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Center jointly organised by

Users question GP’s 3G price, quality n Muhammad Zahidul Islam

The chief executive officer of leading mobile operator Grameenphone faces customers for the first time of its kind while responding their queries through facebook about the operator’s 3G packages, its price and quality.

Some of the Grameenphone facebook fans also harshly questioned the service quality of the operator’s 2G internet performances.

GP Chief Executive Officer Vivek Sood and Chief HR Officer Md Kazi Shahed were live on the operators official facebook page to answer queries from the fans from 11am to 12pm yesterday.

Vivek and Shahed faced more than 700 questions and answered most of them while more than 1,300 users participated in the process.

Grameenphone officials said GP would see to all the issues raised by their customers, which might help them to develop their performances.

Simultaneously, the senior executives also visited different customer care centres while some 700 executives also questioned the service quality of the operator.

GP arranged this programme globally to build a stronger relation between

the operator and the subscribers.

The operator also claimed that it was for the first time in Bangladesh and also in telecommunications sector where a service-oriented operator undertook such an initiative.

A subscriber named Ahmed questioned: “Why does Grameenphone offer accusative packages only against the unused SIM’s?’’

CEO and senior officials answer fans’ queries thru’ Facebook under ‘customer first’ campaign Replying to various questions, Vivek Sood noted that GP had launched different types of data package offers, considering the usage pattern of their customers. He said he was quite sure that the users would find at least one suitable for them.

Answering a question on free facebook, the CEO said, “We always try to offer something special for our customers and Free Facebook offer is such an initiative. I hope you are enjoying the offer.”

As a subscriber Mishir Ali raised a question about the Mozilla operating handsets as he noted that Mozilla had earlier declared that it would provide handsets at a cost of $25. why should Bangladeshi users need to purchase it spending $60? he posed the question. But Grameenphone authority had no answers to this question.

A customer named Farjana Karim Swarna said, “I’m living at Uttara, sector No. 10, but the network is so poor here that I can’t even chat on Facebook properly. Could you please tell me why it happens? Why don’t you guys fix this problem?

Although the price of the internet data is really high, the speed is still too slow, she alleged.

In reply, Vivek Sood said, “I am really sorry to know that you are facing the network problem. I will make sure that this is being looked upon by relevant team members. You can also let us know your exact address through 121 or Online Customer service, so we can take care of it immediately.”

Earlier, Grameenphone had announced that there would be a public hearing on their facebook page with a promise to answer as many questions as possible. l

The High Commission of India and India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry to mark the launch of “Make in India” – a campaign by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian premier yesterday launched the campaign titled “Make in India” which aims at putting the country on a world map as a manufacturing hub.  B3 COLUMN 5

BB to issue Tk24,000cr new currency before Eid n Tribune Report The Bangladesh Bank has decided to issue new currency notes of Tk24,000 crore in the market ahead of the Eid. The new notes will be given through 20 branches of different banks in the city, said Habibur Rahman, General Manager of Currency Management Department under the central bank.

Bangladesh Bank will disburse new notes through four counters in the headquarters, he said. The central bank had earlier issued new notes of Tk17,000 crore in the market before Eid-ul-Fitr.

The Bangladesh Bank also undertook various measure to identify the fake currency notes all over the country.

A total of 41 banks have been assigned to set up booth with fake not detector machines in the 21 cattle hut into Dhaka Metropolitan.

The fake note identifying activities will be started from October 3, the first day of cattle hut across the country.

Sonali Bank will provide the service in the districts where no office of BB. Only authorised cattle hut will get the service, said Habibur Rahman. l

Foreign loan inflow pushes capital machinery import up n Jebun Nesa Alo Capital machinery import rose significantly in August due to rapid inflow of foreign loan at lower interest rate. Most of the foreign loans are used to import capital machinery as businessmen are moving to expand their business after cooling down the political unrest, said a senior executive of Bangladesh Bank.

The growth of capital machinery import

rose by 66% to US$217m in August from $130m in the previous month.

The value of LCs against capital machinery stood at $2.4bn in the last fiscal year compared to $2.1bn in the previous fiscal year.

The import of capital machinery started to grow slowly since last several months after a pro-longed political unrest. But it got momentum recently with returning of business environment in the country and

entrepreneurs are being offered foreign and local loan at lower interest rate, said a senior executive of private commercial bank.

The country’s private sector received total external debt of $4.65bn till March this year. The amount was almost double from $2.8bn that was received during fiscal year 2013, according to the central bank data.

The foreign loan in the private sector was $1.6bn in the fiscal year 2012. The private sec-

tor borrowed $2.47bn short-term loan from foreign source and $2.1bn long-term loan till March of fiscal year 2014 which was $1.73bn in fiscal year 2013 and $1.4bn in fiscal year 2012.

Capital machinery import lead the country’s overall import to higher in August. The LC settlement value against overall import rose by 44% to $3.28bn in the second month of the current fiscal year compared to $2.69bn in the same months of the previous year. l

B2

DSEX crosses 5000-mark for the first time n Tribune Report

Weekly capital market highlights DSE Broad Index : DSE - 30 Index : CSE All Share Index: CSE - 30 Index : CSE Selected Index : DSE LOSER

Standard Ceramic -A 3rd ICB M F-A Samata LeatheR -Z UNITED AIR-A Phoenix Fin. 1st MF-A Rahima Food -Z United Insur -A Global Insurance -A 4th ICB M F-A Khulna Printing-N

Closing (% Change) -9.24 -8.13 -7.76 -7.63 -6.00 -5.99 -5.90 -5.34 -5.00 -4.91

CSE LOSER Company Rahima Food -Z SonarBangla Insu. -A Aramit -A UNITED AIR-A EBL First M F-A Khulna Printing-N Phoenix Fin. 1st MF-A DBH 1st MF-A PHP 1st M. F.-A IFIC Bank - A

Closing (% Change) -7.29 -6.91 -6.83 -6.78 -5.08 -4.56 -4.08 -4.00 -4.00 -3.96

5026.92534

(+) 0.95%

1949.63620

(+) 1.32%

15615.07210

(+) 1.09%

12385.42070

(+) 1.18%

9439.05480

(+) 1.08%

Average (% Change) -8.98 -8.13 -6.78 -9.38 -1.22 -7.65 -4.36 -4.46 -5.00 -1.15 Average (% Change) -10.07 -6.47 -7.17 -9.30 -2.95 -2.10 -2.27 -4.23 -2.04 -1.56

ANALYST

ClosingAvg. 45.33 200.10 21.44 10.82 4.87 54.53 32.43 19.69 190.00 25.76

ClosingAvg. 53.41 17.50 284.06 10.83 5.60 25.58 4.73 4.75 4.81 27.10

Closing

Closing

Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture

DSE Million Taka 928.35 872.49 90.47 2153.88 284.48 1636.32 4.90 609.59 1561.36 34.61 131.98 66.37 210.60 469.42 122.61 83.68 413.77 420.25 384.25 556.72 0.33

DHIGH 45.30 200.10 21.80 11.60 4.90 58.90 34.90 20.20 190.10 26.90

DHIGH

53.40 17.50 285.10 11.00 5.60 25.10 4.70 4.80 4.80 26.70

Turnover (Million Taka)

Eastern Cables-A National Housing Fin.-B S. Alam CR Steel -A People`s Leasing-A IDLC Finance -A Barakatullah E. D.-A SummitAlliancePort.-A Intl. Leasing-B GeminiSeaFood-Z Navana CNG-A

60.00 17.70 285.10 11.80 5.70 26.80 4.90 4.90 4.90 28.00

Company

11,036.41 255,090,683 195,029

Traded Issues

301

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

127

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

173

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

1

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,686.43

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

32.56

CSE key features September 25, 2014 Turnover (Million Taka)

704.93

Turnover (Volume)

21,464,176

Number of Contract

24,941

Traded Issues

228

Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis)

113

Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis)

110

Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis)

5

Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.)

2,592.85

Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)

31.43

Turnover in Million

DLOW 45.20 200.10 21.40 10.70 4.70 51.10 31.10 19.00 190.00 25.00

51.90 17.10 280.00 10.70 5.50 24.60 4.70 4.70 4.70 26.40

Latest EPS

0.068 0.080 0.193 298.224 1.279 6.571 1.372 0.573 0.057 33.814

Turnover in Million

DLOW

% change 8.41 7.91 0.82 19.52 2.58 14.83 0.04 5.52 14.15 1.20 0.60 1.91 4.25 1.11 0.76 3.75 3.81 3.48 5.04 0.00

Million Taka 55.53 43.28 5.16 130.40 17.86 73.53 53.96 90.53 14.75 7.17 8.76 16.69 29.12 14.22 2.44 16.09 32.86 70.76 50.23 0.01

CSE

% change 7.57 5.90 0.70 17.78 2.44 10.03 0.00 7.36 12.34 2.01 0.98 1.19 2.28 3.97 1.94 0.33 2.19 4.48 9.65 6.85 0.00

1.32 22.19 0.09 1.02 0.71 -1.01 2.84 1.66 23.11 1.31

Latest EPS

0.748 0.026 0.071 57.406 0.126 7.584 0.064 0.093 0.334 2.688

Million Taka 983.87 915.77 95.62 2284.29 302.34 1709.85 4.90 663.55 1651.89 49.35 139.15 75.14 227.29 498.54 136.83 86.12 429.86 453.11 455.01 606.95 0.33

Friday, September 26, 2014

Closing (% Change) 9.98 9.74 9.66 9.59 9.52 9.51 9.19 8.59 8.49 8.12

CSE GAINER

-1.01 1.74 12.56 1.02 0.65 1.31 0.71 0.06 1.12 2.94

Latest PE 34.3 9.0 238.2 10.6 6.9 -ve 11.4 11.9 8.2 19.7

Company S. Alam CR Steel -A IDLC Finance -A Eastern Cables-A National Housing Fin.-B People`s Leasing-A Intl. Leasing-B Apex SpinningA Fareast Finance-Z Barakatullah E. D.-A SummitAlliancePort.-A

10.00 9.92 9.91 9.77 9.59 9.45 9.00 9.00 8.65 8.57

Average (% Change) 7.37 5.53 8.75 9.88 10.01 8.73 9.05 8.43 8.18 8.56

ClosingAvg. 141.10 33.74 38.23 23.96 68.83 37.29 48.57 13.88 158.00 76.64

ClosingAvg. 37.71 69.28 138.64 33.70 23.95 13.83 79.93 10.93 37.31 48.70

Closing 141.10 33.80 38.60 24.00 71.30 38.00 49.90 13.90 158.50 78.60

Closing 38.50 70.90 138.60 33.70 24.00 13.90 79.90 10.90 37.70 49.40

DHIGH 141.10 33.80 38.70 24.00 71.60 38.10 50.20 14.00 159.80 79.00

DHIGH 38.50 70.90 138.70 33.70 24.00 13.90 80.00 11.00 38.10 49.80

DLOW 141.10 31.00 33.00 19.80 60.00 31.30 41.50 11.80 158.00 66.00

DLOW 35.40 64.00 138.00 33.70 22.50 13.30 79.80 10.20 35.00 46.50

Turnover in Million 12.939 17.940 99.559 86.809 353.475 244.834 84.094 18.707 0.079 218.044

Turnover in Million 4.884 6.563 1.054 0.843 13.207 1.819 0.048 0.946 16.152 5.639

Latest EPS 2.03 1.88 2.08 0.82 3.04 1.69 0.96 -0.78 -1.80 4.56

Latest EPS 2.08 3.04 2.03 1.88 0.82 -0.78 2.24 0.78 1.69 0.96

Latest PE 69.5 17.9 18.4 29.2 22.6 22.1 50.6 -ve -ve 16.8

Latest PE 18.1 22.8 68.3 17.9 29.2 -ve 35.7 14.0 22.1 50.7

News, analysis and recent disclosers From TradeServers: FAREASTLIF: The Board of Directors has recommended 40% cash dividend for the year ended on December 31, 2013.

Date of AGM: 03.11.2014, Time: 10:30 AM, Venue: Fareast Tower (Level-8), 35 Topkhana Road, Dhaka-1000. Record date: 16.10.2014.

SINGERBD: Emerging Credit Rating Limited (ECRL) has assigned the rating of the Company as "AAA" in the long term and "ECRL-1" in the short term along with a stable outlook to the Company based on audited financials of the Company up to December 31, 2013, unaudited financials up to June 30, 2014 and other relevant qualitative information up to June 30, 2014.

ECABLES: The Company has informed that a contract letter has been issued to the Company for purchase of a Rigid Type Case Stranding Machine of US$ 2,05,500.00 only from the Principal/ Manufacturer M/s. Sarvasv Machinery & Equipments Pvt. Ltd., A-153, Shivalik, OPP. Aurobindo College, New Delhi-17, India.

Local Agent: M/s. Al-Noor Global Trading, 150, Motijheel C/A, Nahar Mansion (3rd Floor), Builing-2, Dhaka-1000.

SAIF Powertec Limited: All concerned are hereby informed that trading of the shares of SAIF Powertec Limited will commence at CSE from 29 September 2014 under settlement category ''N''.

Please note that the Scrip Id=18010, Scrip Code=SAIFPOWER, Market Lot=200, Face Value=Tk.10 & Tick Price=10 paisa. However, the listing date of the Company at CSE was 17 September 2014.

IPO Subscription: Hamid Fabrics Limited subscription date 28 September to 02 October 2014, NRB upto 11 October 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 UNITEDAIR: 10% stock, Record date: 20.10.2014.

EHL: 15% cash & 5% stock, AGM: 30.10.2014, Record Date: 02.10.2014.

BANGAS: 50% stock, AGM: 21.10.2014, Record date: 30.09.2014.

BDBUILDING: 5% cash & 20% stock, AGM: 23.10.2014, Record date: 30.09.2014.

MATINSPINN: 25% cash, AGM: 30.10.2014, Record date: 02.10.2014.

CENTRALPHL: 5% cash and 15% stock, AGM & EGM: 23.10.2014, Record date for AGM & EGM: 29.09.2014.

DBH: 25% cash, AGM: 25.11.2014, Record date: 25.09.2014.

DESHBANDHU: 10% stock, EGM & AGM: 19.10.2014, Record date for AGM & EGM: 21.09.2014.

SINGERBD: 160% interim cash, Record date for entitlement of interim dividend: 17.09.2014.

MHSML: 25% stock, AGM: 30.10.2014, Record date: 25.09.2014.

FARCHEM: 20% stock, AGM: 09.10.2014, Record date: 11.09.2014.

SAIHAMCOT: 10% cash, AGM: 23.10.2014, Record date: 17.09.2014.

BSCCL: 10% cash, AGM: 12.10.2014, Record date: 04.09.2014.

PRAGATILIF: No dividend, AGM: 30.09.2014, Record date: 14.09.2014.

-ve 10.1 22.6 10.6 8.6 19.5 6.7 79.2 4.3 9.2

DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company

Total

Closing (% Change)

Average (% Change) 8.54 11.46 9.17 9.71 5.02 7.71 7.84 6.93 7.98 6.70

Latest PE

Investors were observed to be twigging higher value in stocks which made the index to close with strong ground where market indicators showed resilience

SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY Sector

▲ ▲ ▲ ▲ ▲

45.20 200.10 21.40 10.90 4.70 51.80 31.90 19.50 190.00 25.20

DSE GAINER

Number of Contract

the highest gain of 4.81%, driven by heavyweight Grameenphone that rallied 4.97%.

Non-banking financial institutions came second rising 2.8%, followed engineering 2.2%, cement 1.4%, pharmaceuticals 0.9% and power 0.6%.

Profit booking continued to took place on some sectors, including banks, food and allied.

The market breadth also remained positive as out of 301 issues traded, 159 advanced, 120 declined and 22 remained unchanged.

Lanka Bangla Securities said investors were observed to be twigging higher value in stocks which made the index to close with strong ground where market indicators showed resilience.

IDLC Investments said the saga continued as broad market index broke through 5,000-mark amid buoyant turnover in the premier bourse.

Continuing the momentum, investors choose to side with a few of large cap stocks, it said, adding that the same trend in turnover persisted as it crossed Tk1100-crore mark.

Mobil Jamuna Limited once again topped the liquidity chart with turnover worth Tk65.7 crore, followed by Beximco Ltd, Beximco Pharmaceuticals, RSRM Steel and Grameenphone. l

The Dhaka Stock Exchange benchmark index DSEX crossed 5000-mark for the first time, extending its rally for the eighth consecutive session – its ever longest gaining streak.

The market opened on buoyant mood as usual in the morning as DSEX crossed its milestone as soon as trade began and the pace of momentum sustained till close of the trade.

At the end of the day, it closed at almost 5027 with a rise of 47 points or 1%, lifted by mainly large cap sectors, including telecommunication that surged highest nearly 5%.

The Shariah index DSES rose 19 points or 1.7% to 1,181. The comprising blue chips DS30 closed at 1,949, soaring over 25 points or 1%.

Chittagong Stock Exchange (CSE) Selective Categories Index, CSCX, was up by 115 points to 9,453.

Trading activities continued to remain vibrant too, as DSE turnover hit Tk1100 crore, a sharp increase of more than 18% over the previous session.

Share prices of United Airways slumped 7.7% on the news that the private airliner cancelled all its flights for an indefinite period due to fund crisis.

The telecommunication posted

DSE key features September 25, 2014

Turnover (Volume)

United Airways stock prices dip 7%

Company

Stock

DHAKA TRIBUNE

% change 8.36 7.78 0.81 19.41 2.57 14.53 0.04 5.64 14.04 0.42 1.18 0.64 1.93 4.24 1.16 0.73 3.65 3.85 3.87 5.16 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

MJL BD Ltd.-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Beximco Pharma -A Ratanpur Steel -N Grameenphone-A Golden Son -A IDLC Finance -A UNITED AIR-A Delta Life Insu. -A Active Fine Chem.-A

BSRM Steels-A Barakatullah E. D.-A Navana CNG-A LafargeS Cement-Z RAK Ceramics-A CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company UNITED AIR-A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Ratanpur Steel -N Grameenphone-A Aftab Auto.-A Golden Son -A BSRM Steels-A MJL BD Ltd.-A Beximco Pharma -A Active Fine Chem.-A

LafargeS Cement-Z Barakatullah E. D.-A RAK Ceramics-A National Bank - A People`s Leasing-A

VolumeShares 4,144,276 9,560,635 6,328,803 4,695,600 930,604 6,760,393 5,135,442 27,558,505 1,652,982 3,545,878

Value in Million 658.68 446.59 441.79 410.34 366.27 365.07 353.48 298.22 294.69 278.15

% of TotalTurnover 5.97 4.05 4.00 3.72 3.32 3.31 3.20 2.70 2.67 2.52

VolumeShares

Value in Million

% of TotalTurnover

2,170,170 6,565,243 2,845,095 1,397,500 2,810,880

5,300,853 926,718 284,600 58,800 249,803 365,604 158,655 115,200 254,209 224,184

114,500 432,961 234,419 1,193,842 551,358

265.48 244.83 218.04 199.32 191.11

57.41 43.36 24.76 23.17 22.19 19.79 19.37 18.32 17.93 17.58

16.27 16.15 15.96 15.00 13.21

2.41 2.22 1.98 1.81 1.73

8.18 6.18 3.53 3.30 3.16 2.82 2.76 2.61 2.56 2.51

2.32 2.30 2.28 2.14 1.88

ClosingP 159.10 46.90 71.30 84.90 398.60 54.80 71.30 10.90 181.20 78.70

122.40 38.00 78.60 142.20 68.30

ClosingP

11.00 47.10 83.80 400.00 89.00 54.90 122.10 159.30 71.50 78.30

143.10 37.70 68.40 12.40 24.00

Change % 2.71 2.40 4.39 -1.39 4.98 6.00 9.52 -7.63 6.03 4.79

0.82 9.51 8.12 2.01 1.34

Change %

-6.78 2.61 -1.41 5.26 4.09 5.98 0.25 2.91 4.53 4.12

1.42 8.65 1.03 -0.80 9.59

ClosingY 154.90 45.80 68.30 86.10 379.70 51.70 65.10 11.80 170.90 75.10

121.40 34.70 72.70 139.40 67.40

ClosingY

11.80 45.90 85.00 380.00 85.50 51.80 121.80 154.80 68.40 75.20

141.10 34.70 67.70 12.50 21.90

DHIGH

DLOW

162.10 50.30 72.80 91.90 399.80 55.20 71.60 11.60 182.00 79.50

139.60 41.30 61.50 82.50 380.00 46.60 60.00 10.70 160.00 70.00

DHIGH

DLOW

11.80 47.80 90.90 402.00 90.30 55.20 125.00 161.90 72.40 82.00

10.70 45.50 82.10 383.50 83.00 52.20 119.30 154.00 62.00 70.00

125.00 38.10 79.00 145.40 72.00

145.00 38.10 71.80 12.90 24.00

110.00 31.30 66.00 139.90 61.00

138.10 35.00 65.10 12.30 22.50

AvgPrice 158.94 46.71 69.81 87.39 393.58 54.00 68.83 10.82 178.27 78.44

122.33 37.29 76.64 142.62 67.99

AvgPrice

10.83 46.79 86.98 394.03 88.83 54.12 122.10 158.99 70.52 78.43

142.07 37.31 68.10 12.57 23.95

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business

BlackBerry returns to biz user roots with new smartphone n AFP, Ottawa

BlackBerry on Wednesday unveiled its newest smartphone with a full physical keyboard and a large screen, aiming to return to its roots targeting business users.

The BlackBerry Passport, named for its approximate size to the travel document, is designed to win back key corporate users after the struggling Canadian company was effectively knocked out of the highly competitive consumer smartphone market dominated by Apple and Samsung.

The Passport, unveiled at events in London, Dubai and Toronto, is the company’s first global launch of a new product under chief executive John Chen.

Chen admitted, however, that it had already been in the works before he took over last November, after the company posted massive losses and shed thousands of jobs.

His contribution, he quipped, was that “I didn’t kill it.”

The smartphone is “packed with power” and “a lot of groundbreaking stuff,” Chen added at the Toronto launch that included an appearance by hockey legend Wayne Gretzky.

“I’ve been from day one a BlackBerry user,” Gretzky declared onstage.

Key features include a full keyboard, up to 30 hours of battery life, new productivity apps, a 1440-by-1440 pixel screen with 60 characters per line to make it closest to reading a paperback novel, a “virtual assistant” with voicerecognition, and a speakerphone with “louder, clearer and sharper sound” than the competition.

The company’s turnaround strategy, Chen reminded, is going back to the basics: “enterprise, security, collaboration and communication.”

The new handset caught the attention of analysts with its quirky design and high-end specifications.

“The Passport looks ridiculous & I expected it to be awful. Instead I was shocked by how good it is for productivity,” tweeted Avi Greengart, who fol-

B3

Friday, September 26, 2014

Dollar jumps in Asia on upbeat US housing data n AFP, Tokyo The dollar climbed in Asia yesterday thanks to strong US housing data while the euro took a hit following another slip in a closely watched survey of German business confidence.

In afternoon Tokyo trade the greenback bought 109.17 yen, up from 109.04 yen in New York and well up from the 108.52 yen in Asia earlier Wednesday.

The euro slipped to $1.2768 from $1.2781 in New York where it fell below $1.28 for the first time since July last year. However, it picked up to 139.50 yen against 139.37 yen.

The US Commerce Department on Wednesday said sales of new singlefamily houses surged 18% in August to an annual rate of 504,000, their fastest pace in more than six years.

While that boosted the dollar against the yen, it was given further support against the euro after the Ifo survey of business confidence in eurozone giant Germany hit a 17-month low

in September.

The figures come a day after a key survey showed business activity in the 18-nation eurozone slowed further in September, adding fuel to fears about the eurozone’s stuttering recovery “The juxtaposition of another significant downside eurozone data surprise and a major upside surprise for US new home sales has - unsurprisingly pushed the euro below 1.28 against the US dollar,” National Australia Bank said in a note.

“What the weak Ifo business climate reading has done is reinforce expectations for more aggressive action from the ECB (European Central Bank), something which both the eurozone bond and stock markets liked,” it added.

The ECB’s decision-making governing council voted this month to cut the bank’s key interest rates to an all-time lows to head off deflation in the bloc.

It also promised to launch an assetpurchase programme in a bid to inject cash into the economy. l

Pakaj calls for investment in Indian power sector  B1 COLUMN 6

A woman holds the Blackberry Passport smartphone during at a simultaneous launch event in London on September 24. BlackBerry on Wednesday unveiled its newest smartphone with a full physical keyboard and a large screen, aiming to return to its roots targeting business users. The BlackBerry Passport, named for its approximate size to the travel document, is designed to win back key corporate users after the struggling Canadian company was effectively knocked out of the highly competitive consumer smartphone market dominated by Apple and Samsung AFP lows the industry for the research firm Current Analysis.

Greengart added that the Passport “is not a good standalone phone, and its shape makes it a strange second phone. But it can be worth it.”

The Passport is the third of four new phones to be launched by BlackBerry this year, after a budget Z3 smartphone was launched in Indonesia (one of its last bastions), and a Porsche-designed phone sold in Dubai.

Chen commented on the luxury phone: “A lot of rich people love it.”

The Z3 was the first to be produced from the Canadian firm’s partnership with Taiwanese tech giant Foxconn, which also makes gadgets for Apple.

The partnership involved transferring manufacturing and inventory management to the Taiwanese company, while allowing BlackBerry to focus on software and services.

The upcoming BlackBerry Classic -- which will be similar to the Passport -- will be launched “between now and the end of the year,” Chen said.

The Passport, using the updated

BlackBerry 10.3 operating system, will be priced at $599 without a contract in the United States - slightly below the contract-free price of Apple’s new iPhone and high-end smartphones from Samsung.

It will be released in stores within two weeks, after devices on the BlackBerry 10 platform failed to gain traction last year.

The company is scheduled to release its second quarter results on Friday, which are expected to show BlackBerry slowly climbing back from the brink. l

As part of its attracting FDI, the government plans to cut red tape, developing infrastructure and making the process easier for doing business.

In his speech, Modi defined FDI as ‘First Develop India’, and termed the FDI in India as an opportunity for the foreign investors.

“I do not only talk about good governance. I talk about effective governance, easy governance and e-governance,” said Modi.

“We want highways. We also want i-ways — information ways for a digital India.”

According to the data, the country’s manufacturing contributes only 15% to India’s gross domestic product; authorities want to raise it to 25%.

“For the first time I have got visa for five years, it indicates that things are changing in India,” said Kutubuddin Ahmed, chairman of the Envoy Group.

“We cannot invest in India as the law of Bangladesh does not permit us while there is no perfect guideline for doing business in other countries. We will approach for business if there is a perfect guideline.”

The bilateral business among the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is not much and to enhance business opportunities, an integrated policy is necessary, said Ahmed.

Abdul Matlub Ahmad, chairman of Nitol-Niloy Group, urged the government to formulate a policy so that the businessmen could invest in foreign countries.

None but only Pran Group has been successful in doing business in the Indian market, he noted.

Matlub said: “Over the last seven years, we are trying to invest and we can invest only 10% of the total export value in the other country. l

Oil prices down in Asian trade JPMorgan tops investment bank league table in first half n AFP, Singapore Oil prices edged lower in Asia yesterday but losses were capped following a surprise drawdown in US stockpiles and as dealers await fresh economic data out of Washington, analysts said.

US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for November delivery fell 12 cents to $92.68 while Brent crude for November eased 20 cents to $96.75 in afternoon trade.

Sanjeev Gupta, head of the AsiaPacific oil and gas practice at business consultancy EY, said “a higher-thanforecast” reduction in US crude reserves boosted demand hopes in the US and were supporting oil prices.

The Department of Energy (DOE) said Wednesday US crude reserves fell 4.3 million barrels in the week ending September 19, upending analysts’ projections of an increase.

The DOE report also showed gaso-

line stockpiles decreased 414,000 barrels, more than double the decline forecast.

A drop in US stockpiles typically indicates strong demand in the world’s biggest economy and top crude consumer, supporting global prices.

Gupta said “economic data from the US on durable goods and final secondquarter gross domestic product (GDP) numbers will set the tone for prices” on Thursday and Friday.

Singapore’s United Overseas Bank said in a commentary that the US Commerce Department will likely report later yesterday durable goods contracted 18% in August, after a 22.6% increase in July due to aircraft orders.

The third estimate of US GDP for the second quarter will be released by the Commerce Department on Friday. UOB said the figure will likely be revised upwards to 4.6% from the previous estimate of 4.2%. l

n Reuters, London JPMorgan was the top performing investment bank in the first half of the year, making $11.5bn in revenue and ranking first for both its fixed income and deals advisory businesses, data showed yesterday.

The US bank ranked ahead of Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank, who shared second place, according to industry analytics firm Coalition.

They were followed by Bank of America Merrill Lynch and Citi, then Morgan Stanley in sixth, Credit Suisse seventh, Barclays eighth, UBS ninth and then BNP Paribas.

The result, which is closely watched by the industry, puts JPMorgan on track to keep its top slot in the full-year league tables. It has ranked first since Coalition began publishing its rankings in 2010.

JPMorgan was joined by Deutsche Bank and Citi in first place in fixed in-

A sign outside the headquarters of JP Morgan Chase & Co in New York come, currencies and commodities (FICC). The three banks each brought in around $5.9bn in revenue from that business in the six months to end-June.

That compares with $7.6bn made by

REUTERS

JPMorgan last year, when it was also the top bank in FICC, and reflects the structural and cyclical pressures that have dogged FICC divisions in recent years.

FICC trading has been steadily fall-

ing since the 2008 crisis, partly due to a collapse in interest rates across the developed world that has crushed volatility. New rules forcing banks to hold more capital against the business have also driven down returns.

Coalition expects that full year FICC revenue at the top 10 investment banks globally will fall 9% this year to $67.4bn. But the outlook could improve as the prospect of interest rate increases in the United States and political tensions have caused volatility levels to edge higher.

In an earlier report, Coalition said it expected full-year revenues at the world’s top 10 investment banks to fall 2% year-on-year to $150.7bn.

In equities, Morgan Stanley came first for a second year running, having earned $2.8bn in revenue in the first half. JPMorgan and Goldman, who had held the top spot with Morgan Stanley last year, were joint second. l

Dr Jamaluddin Ahmed FCA, chairperson of Emerging Credit Rating Limited has recently handed over the credit rating report to AM Hamim Rahmatullah, MD and CEO of Singer Bangladesh Limited. The credit rating came out AAA for Singer in the long-term AKM Saifuddin Ahamed, deputy-managing director of Jamuna Bank Ltd has recently received the Trade Award-2013 from Elke Schlesinger, manager for trade and solutions at Commerzbank AG in Trade Finance 2013

Professor Shibli Rubayet-Ul-Islam has recently handed over an honourary crest to the chairperson of PATA Bangladesh Chapter and executive director of Dhaka Regency Hotel, Shahid Hamid FIH

Bank Asia has recently held its 32nd foundation training to its officers where the bank’s chairperson, A Rouf Chowdhury handed over the certificates

Mojo, a cola brand has recently started its campaign named “talk of the country” on the occasion of Eid. Executive director (sales & marketing) of Akij Food & Beverage Ltd, Altaf Hossain officially declared the start of the compaign

RFL has recently opened its new outlet named “Best Buy” in Mirpur 10, Dhaka. Lt Col Mahtabuddin Ahmed (retd), chairperson of PRAN-RFL Group inaugurated the outlet

B4

DHAKA TRIBUNE

Back Page

ADB trims Southeast Asia 2014 growth forecast to 4.6 percent n Reuters, Singapore

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has trimmed its growth forecast for Southeast Asia this year, citing factors such as political turmoil in Thailand earlier in the year and weaker commodity export prices in Indonesia.

In its update to the 2014 outlook, ADB said yesterday that Southeast Asia was now expected to grow 4.6% this year, down slightly from its forecast in July of 4.7% and 5% forecast in April.

The ADB trimmed its 2014 growth forecasts for Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam and Singapore compared with April, but raised its growth forecast for Malaysia to 5.7% from 5.1%, citing a rebound in the country’s exports.

The ADB said growth in Southeast Asia was likely to accelerate in 2015 to 5.3%, although that was down from its July and April forecasts for 5.4% growth.

“Next year, better performance in the major industrial economies and Thailand’s recovery from its slump will spur Southeast Asian growth to 5.3%,” it said.

The ADB kept its 2014 and 2015 growth forecasts for China unchanged, saying growth was likely to slip to 7.5% this year and 7.4% next year, compared with 7.7% in 2013.

“A shrinking workforce and a sluggish property sector will tamp down

Japan firm has ‘thumbs up’ solution for bigger smartphones n AFP, Tokyo Human thumbs are just too stumpy to navigate bigger-than-ever smartphone screens, but a Japanese gadget maker has a solution: a thumb extender.

Enter Japan-based Thanko that is hawking a silicone-based device called the “Yubi Nobiiru”, or “stretched finger”, for 1,480 yen ($13.55) apiece.

The thumb extension lets users master large-screen devices such as the iPhone 6 Plus and Samsung’s oversized Galaxy Note with just one hand.

The fake digit slips over user’s real thumb to produce a life-like appendage boasting an extra 15 millimetres (0.6 inch) of length. That means users can reach any spot on the bigger iPhone’s 5.5 inch screen, perfect for urban commuters clutching a briefcase or a subway strap on packed trains.

A conductor at the hollow gadget’s tip ensures the screen registers its touch.

“Do you think new smartphones are too big and it’s difficult to touch the far corners of the display?” Thanko says on its website. “Wear this stylus that looks exactly like your thumb, only longer!”

A Thanko spokesman told AFP that the firm wanted to make something unique to the pen-shaped stylus models already on the market.

“We’ve seen steady Internet sales and some customers abroad are buying it,” he said of the thumb extender, which went on sale in May. l

Workers walk near a construction site of Bangkok mass transit in Bangkok growth...but economic stimulus and rising external and internal demand are expected to contain the impact,” it said, referring to China.

The ADB kept its 2014 growth forecast for India unchanged at 5.5%.

It also maintained its upgraded 2015 growth forecast for India of 6.3% un-

REUTERS

veiled in July, up from its April forecast of 6% growth, citing expectations of economic reform by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new government. l

Friday, September 26, 2014

IMF expects 2015 growth in China to be ‘well above’ 7% n Reuters, Manila China’s economy will likely grow faster than previously thought in 2015, the International Monetary Fund said on Wednesday, downplaying the risks of the cooling property market in the world’s second-largest economy.

Economic growth in China will likely be “well above” 7% next year, Changyong Rhee, director of the Asia and Pacific department at the IMF, told a briefing in Manila.

His remarks suggested the global lender’s will upgrade its growth forecast for the country due next month from the current 7.1% estimate it made in July.

The IMF has a 7.4% growth forecast for China for 2014, slightly below the government’s official target of around 7.5%.

“We expect they have many tools to maintain the growth rate well above 7% next year,” Rhee said.

Many economists see the rapidly slowing property market as the biggest risk facing China’s economy. Home prices, sales and new construction are all falling, and increasingly dragging on related sectors from home appliances to glass, steel and cement.

Analysts believe Beijing will roll out further stimulus measures in coming months to avert a deeper economic slowdown, including more help for would-be home buyers.

However, Rhee said the IMF does not expect China’s cooling property market to become a serious problem,

Modi woos global manufacturers with ‘Make in India’ campaign n AFP, New Delhi Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the bosses of some of the world’s biggest manufacturers to set up shop in India as he tries to shed the country’s reputation as a quagmire of red tape and high taxation.

The CEOs of Airbus, Mercedes-Benz and Samsung Electronics are among those invited to the launch of the ‘Make in India’ campaign as part of a push by Modi to make the country a global manufacturing hub.

The launch will feature a keynote address from the new right-wing premier on the eve of his departure for the United States.

Programmes will also be held in state capitals and Indian missions abroad where officials will engage with investors simultaneously, a senior official in the department of industrial policy and promotion told AFP. “Invites have been sent out to top leaders and CEOs of about 3,000 companies from 30 countries for the launch,” he said on condition of anonymity.

“The idea is to send across the message to foreign investors that India is becoming a better place to do business.”

Although India has relaxed rules for foreign investors, any company seeking to do business has to go through byzantine rules and regulations apart from having to deal with a stringent tax regime.

The World Bank recently placed India a poor 134th among 189 economies in its ease of doing business report while regional rival China ranked 96th.

British mobile giant Vodafone is locked in a $2.4bntax row with the Indian government while Finnish company Nokia also saw its plant in India being seized over a tax dispute.

Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power in May on a mandate to revive the economy which is going through the worst slowdown in two decades.

Since his election, Modi has bagged investments to the tune of $34bn from

Japan and another $20bn from China mainly to help upgrade its creaking infrastructure.

Red carpet for investors

In the lead-up to the launch, the government has revamped an Invest India unit which will now act as the “first reference point” for guiding foreign investors on all aspects of regulatory issues.

“The government is closely looking into all regulatory processes with a view to making them simple and reducing the burden of compliance on investors,” the finance ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

In addition, a newly created web portal www.makeinindia.com will answer all investment-related queries from business entities.

The government has identified 25 sectors including automobile, aviation and construction that have potential to attract investment.

Although it has promised to open up the insurance, defence and transport sectors to foreign investors, the government has also closed the door on foreign supermarket chains such as WalMart who had been hoping to enter the Indian market.

The campaign comes just a day before Modi is set to travel to the United States where he will have breakfast with heads of Google and PepsiCo in another bid to fetch investments for Asia’s third-largest economy.

The government’s manufacturing push comes at a time when many global companies are seeking an alternative to China as costs and risks there rise.

“India can become an alternative to China for global manufacturers,” Anjan Roy, an independent economist based in Delhi told AFP. “We have a large domestic market that is being largely serviced from imports. We can change this with manufacturing locally.

“Manufacturing has been lagging for a long time, growth in this sector has been marginal and sometimes it has even slipped into the negative zone. So this push by Mr Modi is very timely.” l

saying it sees “a gradual adjustment” rather than a hard landing.

“Evidence shows there will be a gradual adjustment in real estate market but we have to watch if that baseline scenario will hold,” Rhee said.

A slowing Chinese economy should not be looked at as a “pure risk” as it gives other countries in Asia a better chance at competiting with Beijing and attracting foreign direct investments, Rhee added.

Growth in Asia will likely remain robust, Rhee said, putting countries in the region in a better position to withstand the impact of higher interest rates in the United States in terms of capital outflows and market volatility.

“We have to be prepared, but the impact on Asian economies will be much more minimal compared with its possible impact on other regions. We cannot be complacent but I think Asian countries are well prepared,” Rhee said.

The Philippines is expected to sustain growth at above 6% for this year and next, Rhee said, but he encouraged the government to speed up structural reforms to address issues such as income inequality.

Rhee said the Philippines could afford to have a slightly higher budget deficit than its target of 2% of gross domestic product this year until 2016 so it can increase spending on critical infrastructure.

Manila has a 6.5-7.5% economic growth target this year and a 7-8% goal next year. l

UK reports Mumbai as least expensive city to live in n Tribune Business Desk Mumbai has emerged as the world’s least expensive city to live and work in, according to a latest real estate analysis.

British capital London has overtaken Hong Kong as the most expensive city to rent living and working space, UK real estate major Savills said in its findings based on research in the world’s top 12 financial hubs.

London’s overall real estate costs grew in US dollar terms by an annualised rate of 10.6% in the first six months of the year, making it “the world’s most expensive city for companies to locate employees.”

The annual cost per employee in London was put at USD 1, 20,568, with Mumbai at the bottom of the table at USD 29,742.

Hong Kong is now at USD 1,15,717, New York and Paris are in third and fourth place with USD 1,07,782 and USD 1,05,550 respectively.

Sydney came eighth at USD 63,630, Shanghai 10th at USD 43,171 and Rio 11th at USD 32,179.

“Despite its climb in the rankings from fifth to first place since 2008, London is still a way off the live/work accommodation costs record, set by Hong Kong in 2011 at USD 128,000 a year,” Savills said, adding that Hong Kong was still “by far the most expensive city” in which to buy residential property, with prices 40% higher than London although the gap was narrowing. l

RMG owners asked to provide workers’ holiday in phases n Tribune Report

The government yesterday directed the garment factory owners to provide holidays for their workers in phases ahead of the upcoming Durga Puja and Eid ul-Azha to avert traffic congestion and to ensure smooth transportation of the home-goers.

“We have talked to the BGMEA and BKMEA leaders and asked them to let the workers go on leave in phases for Eid and Puja vacation between Sept 29 and Oct 2,” said State Minister for Home Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal after a meeting at his secretariat yesterday.

Kamal said the leaders of the RMG sector assured us that salaries and bonuses of the RMG workers would be paid in due time. All necessary steps have been taken to ensure the vaca-

tioners same journey home to celebrate two major religious festivals, he added.

Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmood Khandker, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Benazir Ahmed, representatives of intelligence agencies and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Atiqul Islam were present in the meeting.

Earlier, State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu announced that the readymade garment workers will receive festival bonuses on the occasions of Eid ul Azha and Durga Puja by September 28 and the monthly wages by October 2.

He also urged the owners not to declare Eid holidays on the same dates, rather to choose different dates in different areas to get rid of traffic congestion. l

DILBERT

Employees clean the front shields of cars displayed at the booth of German car manufacturer VW on September 23, 2014 in Hanover, central Germany during the preview day of the 65th IAA Commercial Vehicles 2014 fair. The fair for commercial vehicles with more than 2000 exhibitors runs from September 25 to October 2 AFP